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Eliza knelt down to pin the hem on her gown. She flipped up the screen.
VU FRM EIFFEL TWR GR8. BUT NOT SAME W/O U.
David again. He'd e-mailed her from Europe a few days after he'd arrived, explaining that it was hard to get an Internet connection and that his cell phone charged astronomical fees for international calls. But he'd quickly discovered he could send text messages for the usual fee and had taken to texting her multiple times a day to let her know exactly where he was--and, inadvertently, what she was missing.
Like Jacqui, Mara had found the kids to be a breeze, but being back to playing nanny was still quite a letdown after her glorious summer plans had gone awry. Mara had spent the afternoon chauffeuring Violet to her various tutors, baby Cassidy strapped in the backseat, while Jacqui took the boys to their lessons. She had given them both their dinner, and Violet had gone to bed early to get ready for her Mandarin exam the next day, and the baby was already asleep. While nannying the Finnemores wasn't all that difficult, it also wasn't the Eiffel Tower.
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Mara texted back. PARTY TONIGHT. AM BUSY.
There. That should let him know she was preoccupied with her own glamorous life. Not that it was that much of a stretch-- in the long, elegant white gown, she couldn't help but feel glamorous, and she did have a fun night ahead of her with her friends.
"That should do it," Eliza said, knotting up the stitch and cutting the thread with her teeth. She brushed lint off her knees and stood up. "Where's Jacqui?" she asked, glancing at the bedside clock, which was partially obscured by a pair of dangling bra cups. Whoops, maybe when she got a spare moment she should clean up a bit in here. Not that she ever had a spare moment. She was already past due at the store. The caterers should have arrived by now, as well as the army of publicists who were working the event. According to Eliza's schedule, her staff would be assembling the gift bags right this moment. She'd only waited because she wanted to see how Jacqui looked in the outfit she'd chosen for her.
"She called--she was running late with the boys. Jackson got sick in the car and they had to stop at a gas station, but she'll be here," Mara answered, examining her profile in the mirror. The dress was a bit ta-da! and she had been worried about being able to pull it off, but Eliza was right--it did look better tighter.
"I hope she gets here soon. I want to make sure her dress fits perfectly--I'm worried it's too low in the chest," Eliza fretted.
"When has that ever been a problem with Jac?" Mara laughed. The girl lived in low-cut outfits. "Decolletage is Jacqui's middle name."
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"I know." Eliza nodded with a wry smile. "But I want to make sure it looks Mischa Barton sexy, not Jessica Simpson sexy." She ran a hand nervously through her hair.
"Oh my God. What is thai? Mara shrieked as an enormous diamond ring on Eliza's hand caught the light.
Eliza wondered what had gotten into Mara until she noticed the rock on her finger. She usually wore it stone-side down to deflect attention since she didn't know what to make of it yet. She felt more comfortable showing the world she was wearing a plain platinum band, but the ring had turned around when she wasn't looking, and the five-carat rock was now front and center.
"Is this what I think it is?" Mara said, sticking her face a centimeter away from Eliza's hand so she could see it better. "When did you get this?" She looked up at Eliza curiously.
"Last Sunday," Eliza admitted, chewing her bottom lip. She'd been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the news, having not breathed a word to her friends. She pulled away, picking up a powder brush from the vanity and dusting her nose, as if getting a six-figure diamond ring from her boyfriend happened every week. She just didn't feel like getting into it.
She and Jeremy still hadn't had a proper conversation about what had happened that day at old lady Greyson's. Every time she felt like bringing the subject up, she couldn't find the right words. Asking him exactly what he'd meant by giving her the ring seemed so . . . rude. Especially since Jeremy was being so unbelievably sweet and supportive of her store opening. This week
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he'd sent her flowers out of the blue and offered to help set up at the party, even though he had a big deadline on one of his jobs. He was acting like something very important had now been settled between them. The problem was, Eliza couldn't shake off a feeling that felt anything but settled. Did the ring mean what she--and now Mara--thought it meant?
"Why haven't you said anything?" Mara demanded, swiping the brush away from Eliza and putting a hand on her hip like an angry schoolteacher. The three of them had met up every night for dinner or a nightcap that week, and Eliza had kept absolutely mum on her romantic situation.
"Uh ..." Eliza didn't know what to say. Jeremy hadn't exactly gotten down on his knees, and she hadn't said yes or anything. Eliza had decided it was more of a "promise" ring than anything, like one of those rings the Bachelor gave when he didn't want to commit to marriage but the producers still wanted to finagle a happy ending. Because really, how could you get engaged to someone you'd met on reality television? Or in Eliza's case, how could you get engaged when you were only nineteen years old? She wasn't barefoot, pregnant, or Paris Hilton. Be serious!
Before Eliza could explain, Mara pulled her in for a tight hug, almost tripping over the thick June issue of Vogue splayed out on the carpet between them. "Congratulations! This is sooo exciting! You and Jeremy! Hooray!"
"O que estd acontecendo?" Jacqui called from the doorway. "What's happening?" She made her way to her gleefully hugging
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friends, who broke apart and smiled when they saw her. "Is it too late for me to shower? I'm all covered in ice cream." She was exhausted from dealing with Jackson's tummy troubles. Passion fruit ice cream might be fat free, but it was too acidic for the little boy's stomach. She'd spent the last hour in a cramped gas station bathroom, dealing with the consequences.
"No, it's not too late, but here, let me show you what you're wear--" Eliza reached for the white dress hanging on the closet door, but Mara cut her off with a whoop.
"Eliza's engaged!" Mara cried, grabbing Eliza's outstretched hand and thrusting it toward Jacqui to show off the ring.
"Que beleza!" Jacqui breathed, blinded by the flash of the diamond. "Congratulations! He proposed?"
"We're totally going wedding gown shopping!" Mara cheered before Eliza could answer, hopping up and down--or at least as much as she could in the tight dress.
