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Despite the warm ambience of candles on tables that were topped with formal full-length white-linen cloths, delicate china, and polished flatware, Jewel’s pulse slowed to a paltry crawl. Her strides shortened as she dragged her feet to reach Rose-Marie, seated at the floor-to-ceiling windows, perusing a menu.
She apparently caught Jewel in her peripheral vision, because she rested the menu on the table and stood. Dressed all in white, she looked pristine and angelic. Was that on purpose? Because Jewel wore flashy red and it suddenly made her feel … risqué.
They did the polite double-cheek air-kiss thing—more for public effect than anything else—and then Jewel took the chair across from Rose-Marie. The maître d’ placed a linen napkin in Jewel’s lap and handed over a menu. She set it aside. She already knew what she was ordering. Not that she expected to be able to eat with her stomach twisted so tight and nervous energy coursing through her.
A server swooped in. With a subtle wave of Rose-Marie’s manicured hand, she indicated for Jewel to order first.
“Iced tea with a mint leaf and the chicken Caesar salad,” she said.
“Very good,?
? the server confirmed with a nod. She turned her attention to Jewel’s dining companion. “And for you, Mrs. Angelini?”
“Iced tea with lime and the grilled tuna Niçoise salad.”
“Wonderful selections, ladies. I’ll be right back with your tea and bread.”
Jewel wondered if she should have requested a cocktail instead. Perhaps an extra-dirty martini to go with her scarlet letter? Not that she’d committed adultery. But the way Rogen’s mother eyed her with a hint of wariness in her golden eyes suggested Jewel had done something equally immoral and offensive.
“Thank you for joining me,” Rose-Marie said in her soft, cultured tone.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Angelini.”
“Please, call me Rose-Marie. You used to call me Aunt Rosie.” Her head inclined slightly to the side. “Do you remember?”
“Yes, of course. That was a long time ago.”
Rose-Marie’s smile was a forlorn one. “An entire lifetime ago.”
“Yes.”
They paused as the tea and bread basket arrived. Jewel reached for her glass and took a big sip, hoping to wash down the emotion and anxiety bubbling in her throat.
Rose-Marie said, “You’ve grown into a very lovely woman.”
Jewel stared at her over the rim of her glass. What was that inflection she heard in Rose-Marie’s tone? Sadness? Remorse? Nostalgia? All three? Something entirely different?
Returning her tea to the table, Jewel cautiously said, “You’re as beautiful as you’ve always been. In fact, you look almost the same as you did when I was twelve and you were teaching me how to wear mascara and lip gloss. A hint of blush on my cheeks to give me some color.”
Tears burned the backs of Jewel’s eyes, but she fought them. Her life had been intertwined with the Angelinis way back when. It’d literally been a culture shock to have the ties instantly severed. To be cut off from all of them. So suddenly. So harshly. Even Gian.
Which made her think once more of Rose-Marie’s lifelong friendship with Jewel’s mother. How must that have felt for the two of them to have been ripped from each other?
Precisely how it felt for it to happen with you and Rogen. And Vin.
Jewel’s heart wrenched. The feud honestly could not have been strictly over land. But before she could begin to gently probe for answers, Rose-Marie got down to business.
She said, “I understand you and Rogen are back together. As a couple?”
Do not gnaw your lip.
Jewel lifted her chin and said, “It’s a bit more complex than that.”
“Yes, I can imagine. Since I’ve also heard that you’re back together with Vin.”
Oh, boy.
The salads arrived. Jewel picked at the romaine lettuce with her fork.
