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Still chuckling, he shrugs. “What can I say? The woman deserves the world. I can’t give her that, so whenever I see something I know she’ll love, I pick it up.”
“Or have it delivered,” I say. “Are you going to tell me what you came to pick up, or do I have to start guessing?”
“I’ll show you.” He motions toward my office door. “It’s a necklace. Vintage. The pendant is an oval cameo locket.”
This is the first time I’ve ever heard my best friend describe a piece of jewelry.
He’s not finished, though. “Arietta loves vintage things. She’d much rather own something with history attached to it than something shiny and new off the shelf.”
“She sounds remarkable, Dominick.”
He glances at me. “If you would have asked me years ago if I could see myself this happy, I would have told you no fucking way.”
We laugh in unison.
“I see it on your face,” I say, taking a few steps toward him. “She’s the one for you.”
“The only one.” He holds up his index finger. “I’ll go grab the necklace, and then you can join us for dinner.”
“Vernon hasn’t gone back to Buffalo yet, has he?” I ask. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s good.” He pats the center of his chest. “When he was admitted to the hospital, he was dehydrated, and he’s been under the care of a cardiologist in Buffalo. All looks good on that front, but I booked him in with another doctor here in New York for later this month. Second opinions never hurt.”
“True.” I nod. “I appreciate the dinner invite, but maybe we should give Vern a few days to recover before I join the three of you at the table.”
“You need to meet my future father-in-law.” He smiles. “He can be a cranky bastard, but he’s a good guy. You’re coming for dinner, Daniel. Don’t tell Arietta about the necklace, though. I plan on giving her a gift every morning during the week before our wedding.”
I hold in a grin. “That sounds way too romantic to be coming from you. Who is coaching you on being the perfect fiancé?”
He pats my cheek. “When you meet the right woman, you’ll understand. All you’ll want to do is make every day she has on this earth better than the last.”
If that’s true, I already met that woman years ago. I’d do anything to put a smile on Gina’s face, but unfortunately, I think the only thing that will get that job done is a trip back to Las Vegas so we can annul our marriage.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Gina
I look downat the gift in my hands. The occasion doesn’t call for it, but I think you should put a smile on someone’s face anytime you can.
The wooden door in front of me flies open.
“Gina!” My brother smiles broadly. “I didn’t know you were stopping by tonight.”
I didn’t know it either, but since Palla left my apartment thirty minutes ago, I decided that a quick trip to grab a gift for Vernon seemed like the right thing to do.
I anticipated hanging out with Palla until at least ten or eleven, but she texted me earlier to ask if we could move up our dinner and my wardrobe cleansing from eight to six thirty. I was on board since I was already home with an empty stomach and too many unwelcome thoughts of how my husband looked without his shirt at the tattoo studio in Vegas.
Palla left shortly after eight with three large reusable shopping bags filled with designer clothing that she plans on having tailored to fit her.
She thanked me with sausage meatballs and polenta.
It was a fair exchange in my eyes.
“I brought something for Arietta’s granddad.” I hold out my hands. “Can you give it to him for me?”
Dominick’s gaze drops to the large box in my hands that is wrapped in a silver bow. “A puzzle? You got Vernon a puzzle of….”
He leans forward to get a better look at the top of the puzzle box, but I do him a favor and tell him, “It’s a chalet in Switzerland.”
