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"Wow. We made the news."
"We sure did. I'd say last night was a huge success."
"It sure was."
"It's the perfect time to plan our engagement party to really keep the momentum." Enzo handed me a cup of coffee and I took a seat at the counter.
"I agree."
"I made a call to the top event planner in the city, and she obviously wants the job. She said that she could meet us here this afternoon to go over the details of what we want."
"That sounds great, but you know, I'm just going to agree with everything you say. It's your big event to impress Ludovic after all."
"True, but there's no reason you can't have fun with it."
"Okay." I was actually feeling a little excited about the idea of planning a big party even if it was all in the name of deceiving everyone.
"Listen, I have to run to the office for a couple of hours but there's no reason for you to go all the way home. Why don't you just hang out here? We could meet for lunch, then come back to the apartment for our meeting with Elana. I can have some hors d'oeuvres dropped off before she arrives."
"I don't have any clothes here.
"Sure, you do. I had my assistant pick up a few things from the store in case anything came up."
"Oh, thank you."
"It was no problem. But, I do have to run. I don't want to be late. I heard the boss can be a real hard ass."
Enzo seemed happier, lighter even. It was such a change from his usual self. I liked his light side. And I smiled as I watched him hurry out the front door.
"Oh, and make yourself at home," he called out through the crack in the door right before it clicked shut.
I laughed and shook my head at him, but he was already gone. I took my coffee and pastry to the couch and flipped on the television. For the first time since I was a child, I didn't have anything to do.
After exploring the world of daytime television, I went to check my phone messages, but my phone was dead.
I went to the bedroom and checked my purse, but I hadn't brought my charger with me.
"There has to be a charger around here somewhere," I muttered to myself as I looked around the room.
I went to Enzo’s nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a half empty box of condoms, while trying not to think about the fact that he hadn't used those with me. We weren't in a real relationship, and I had no actual claim on him but for some reason, it still bothered me.
I tried to brush away that feeling before going back to the drawer. There was a handgun inside and I carefully moved it to the side. The gun made sense, considering his mafia connection. I had learned how to use a gun during a self-defense phase I’d been in a couple of years ago but handling one still made me nervous. It was interesting that I had more of a reaction to the partially empty box of condoms than to a firearm so close to where we’d just slept the night before.
Looking through his surprisingly unorganized drawer, it seemed so unlike him. Everything else in Enzo's life seemed so perfectly organized. It was surprising to see that he had a messy side.
I finally found the wire tossed hap-hazzaredly in the back of the drawer but when I pulled it out, a picture fell out with it.
It was a photo of Enzo with a woman smiling brightly at the camera while he kissed her cheek. They were at the beach, and I'd never seen Enzo look so happy.
Another picture of the two of them together was lying face up in the drawer, along with a few others of just that same woman in various places, always smiling. One stood out. A photo of the two of them grinning at the camera as she held up her hand to reveal a massive diamond ring on her finger.He'd been engaged before.
And she was beautiful. I wondered what could have happened for the engagement to fall through. Had he gotten cold feet? Chickened out because of the commitment?
I turned the photo over, seeing a name in what I'd come to recognize as Enzo's handwriting.
Gemma.
It was dated for July, three years prior.
