Second Hearts (The Wishes Series) (28 page)

He walked over to me and lifted me onto the kitchen counter. Wedging himself between my legs, he took my face in his hands.

His long lingering kiss was the sweetest sign of forgiveness. The way I kissed him back was my silent apology.

Not one single word was spoken until morning.

***

Adam presented me with my new gold ring for a second time over breakfast – just as casually as he had the night before.

“I’m still not happy with it, but something is better than nothing.”

I slipped it back on my finger, ignoring his misgivings. “I love it. Even if you don’t.”

Nursing a mug of hot coffee with both hands, he looked down, shaking his head. “I love you. The ring is unimportant.”

“No good comes of being weighted down with jewels anyway. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”

Piquing Adam’s curiosity with just a few words was ridiculously easy. It always had been. And I loved that about him. “Charlotte, what on earth are you talking about?”

“Greek Cypriot fairies.” I held two fingers in the air. “Two sisters, Dorcia and Effie.”

Adam took a sip of his coffee, set it on the counter and glanced at his watch. “I want to hear this tale but I really have to go.”

The work at the new restaurant was completed, and the grand opening was just two weeks away. Adam wasn’t anywhere near as amped up about it as his brother, but he needed to be there that morning to sign off on the project. That was the reason behind the stuffy suit and tie he was wearing. I had nowhere to be that morning. That’s why I was still wearing my pink monkey print pyjamas.

I shrugged. “I’ll tell you about it another time.”

I began walking away but he caught my hand as I passed, pulling me to a stop. “Not so fast, Charli. If you don’t tell me now, I’m going to be wondering about it all day.”

“Curious little thing, aren’t you?” I teased, leaning in to straighten his tie.

Adam raked both hands through my bedroom hair and rested them on my shoulders.

“Enchanted is what I am,” he whispered, leaning in dangerously close. “Tell me.”

I sighed as if explaining it was a chore. “The sisters were nothing alike. Dorcia was materialistic and vain. Her sister, Effie, was the complete opposite. When it came to choosing husbands, Effie married for love. Her husband, Abraxas, was a lowly carpenter, but she loved him with her whole heart.”

“How do you remember all of these stories, Charli?”

“Shush. Do you want to hear it or not?”

He moved his hand, checking the time on his watch again.

“I am so late,” he muttered, smiling. “Keep going.”

“Dorcia married Xenon. She didn’t love him at all, but he was filthy rich. Impossibly rich.
Décarie rich
,” I teased. “Effie’s wedding ring was a simple gold band like this one.”

I wiggled my fingers at him and he rolled his eyes. “Poor girl.”

“Dorcia wore a huge solitaire diamond that sparkled brilliantly,” I continued. “Xenon showered her with other diamonds too – earrings, necklaces, bracelets –”

“Where’s the tragedy, Charli?” asked Adam, trying to hurry the story along.

“I’m getting to it. One day, the sisters decided to visit their family on a neighbouring island. The only way they could get there was by boat, but during the trip something terrible happened.”

“Oh, no,” he crooned in mock horror.

I changed my tone to match the theatre in his. “The boat sank and the girls were forced to swim for their lives.”

“Did they make it to shore?”

I smiled purely because he’d asked the question. “Effie did. But Dorcia’s vanity got the better of her. She refused to abandon her jewels. When she hit the sea, all her diamonds soaked up the water, making them even heavier. She sank like a stone and drowned.”

His frown grew more concentrated as he thought it through.

“Are you doubting the legend, Adam? Every time someone claims not to believe, a fairy falls down dead. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”

He shook his head, his hand on his heart. “Never.”

“There’s proof that it’s true, you know. Dorcia’s jewels can still be found – only they’re not diamonds anymore. They’re aquamarines – jewels tinged the same colour blue as the oceans of Cyprus.”

Adam’s arms slipped around my waist. “I am so in love with your mind.”

It wasn’t a question. I didn’t have to speak. Instead, I pressed my lips against his, secretly willing him to stay home with me.

It didn’t work. Adam met Ryan at the new restaurant as planned – albeit half an hour late thanks to Dorcia and Effie.

23. Gold Digger

Life moved quickly in New York. Sometimes I had trouble keeping up.

The holiday season was over and Adam’s classes resumed just a few days into the New Year. That meant we were back to stealing time together whenever his hectic schedule allowed.

My eye had completely healed. As happy as I was not to resemble a pirate any more, there was a downside. I no longer had an excuse to put off my lunch date with the queen. Adam had sworn that she’d turned over a new leaf, promising that she’d been nothing but kind about me in the few times he’d spoken to her since Christmas.

To say I had doubts was a massive understatement. I chose to meet her at Nellie’s. It was hardly neutral territory, but it was a place I felt comfortable. Obviously, Fiona didn’t feel as secure. She brought backup.

I didn’t know the woman. They were sipping champagne and giggling like schoolgirls, at my favourite table near the window. Spotting me immediately, Fiona waved me over.

I walked slowly, giving her friend ample opportunity to look me up and down.

“Charli, darling,” Fiona sang, standing when I reached the table. “How are you?” She lunged forward, kissing my cheeks.

“Fine, thank you.”

“Wonderful. I’d like you to meet someone.” Fiona grabbed my elbow and angled me toward the woman, positioning me as if I was on display. “This is Mrs Pennington, a dear friend of mine.”

I spent a few seconds sizing her up, just as she’d done to me. There was something extraordinarily odd about her face. It dawned on me that it was her mouth. Mrs Pennington’s lips were so pumped up they were disproportionate to the rest of her face.

Politely, I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you joining us for lunch?”

“No, I won’t impose. I’m meeting another friend here shortly.”

I nodded, unsure whether I was relieved or not.

Fiona hooked her arm through mine, pulling me closer to her side. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Stunning,” agreed Mrs Pennington, smiling as best she could with her fat lips. “Adam has wonderful taste.”

It was an uncomfortable exchange that thankfully didn’t last long. Mrs Pennington’s friend arrived, and she excused herself. Fiona smiled at me, pointing at the newly vacant chair. “Please, sit down. Champagne?”

I sat, resting both hands in my lap, trying to remember my manners. “What are we celebrating?”

“Darling,” she cooed, “we don’t need a reason to drink champagne.”

I held off on the alcohol, preferring to keep a clear head. Fiona’s expression soured when I called Taylor over and ordered a pot of tea. Perhaps that was bad manners.

Conversation eventually began to flow. The queen was fairly curious about me, which was good. As far as I was concerned, I was quite interesting. “I can understand how Adam is charmed by you. I just don’t understand why he felt the need to marry you.”

At least her blunt statement was honest. It was easier than having her pretend to like me.

“He loves me.”

“I was extremely hurt to find out that my son got married in secret.”

I knew how crushed Alex was. Her pain was genuine. “Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions that are shared with family and friends.”

“We didn’t want a fuss and we didn’t want to wait.”

She avoided my eyes as she asked the next question. “Do you have immigration issues, Charli? Is that the reason for the rush?”

I shook my head and told half a lie. “No. As far as I know, there are no issues.”

Her expression barely wavered and I suddenly felt wide open.

I had no idea what my immigration status was. Adam told me he was going to seek advice from his father – and hadn’t mentioned it since.

“May I see your ring?” she asked, catching sight of my finger.

I couldn’t have said no if I’d wanted to. She reached across the table for my hand, tightening her grip as she studied the simple ring.

Explaining that the plain gold band was a substitute for the hellishly expensive diamond rings that I struggled to wear might have appeased her, but I couldn’t be bothered. I owed her no explanation.

I reclaimed my hand and began twisting the ring on my finger. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?” She nodded and gave a forced half-smile. The weak gesture infuriated me and I knew I was dangerously close to saying something regretful. I had to get out of there. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”

“Of course.”

I escaped to the bathroom to pull myself together. I pushed the stall door closed, sat down on the toilet and pulled in a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that being so frank with Fiona was a mistake.

My fears were confirmed a moment later when Mrs Pennington and her lunch date walked in. They couldn’t even stop talking long enough to take a bathroom break. I wasn’t overly surprised that they were talking about us.

Not content with eavesdropping, I peeked through the tiny slit at the edge of the stall door. The women stood at the mirror, touching up their makeup.

“You know what Fi is like,” said Mrs Pennington. “She’d protect her boys to the ends of the earth. She’s determined to put an end to this.”

“I imagine she would be,” commented her nosy friend.

“She looked into the girl’s background. Needless to say, it’s quite colourful. Are you ready for it?” Mrs Pennington teased, cackling like a witch.

“Of course!”

Even I wanted to hear the answer. With a build up like that, it was bound to be good.

“She’s the bastard child of a small town shopkeeper. She never even graduated high school.”

Her cruel and ignorant words burned through me but I had no choice but to stay put and ride out the character assassination.

“And she landed a Décarie boy?” asked her friend, incredulous. “Good God! The girl must be rubbing her hands in glee.”

“It’s not hard to see why he’s so smitten with her. She’s quite pretty – but awfully strange.”

“Oh, do tell!”

Yes, trouty old witch, do tell
, I agreed mutely.

“Well, Fiona said she’s penned all sorts of strange ramblings on the walls of their apartment. The poor woman is beside herself with worry. And to top it all off, there’s no pre-nup.” Mrs Pennington leaned closer to the mirror, pursing her inflated lips and reapplying her lipstick before continuing. “She has no legal avenue to take. Jean-Luc has been no help. He told her to stay out of it and wait for Adam to come to his senses.”

“I sincerely hope she doesn’t clean him out before then. I’ve seen it so many times. I’ve done it twice myself.”

Both women burst into giggles.

“I would say that over the coming months, Fiona’s going to find out exactly what the new Décarie wife is made of. She’ll make sure of it. If it’s money the girl is after, she’s going to have to work for it.”

I felt sick.

The queen needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. I imagine she’d put a lot of thought into tearing me down in the last few weeks. I wondered how she’d feel knowing that her family drama was bathroom fodder for her so-called friends. Part of me wanted to go back to the table and tell her all about it. A bigger part of me was just thankful for the heads-up.

As soon as the ghastly women left the bathroom, I headed back to the table.

“I was beginning to think you’d slipped out the back door,” said Fiona, only half jokingly.

I hoped my forced smile looked normal. There was no need to call her on her wickedness just yet. I would bide my time and pretend to be as blind to the truth as she expected me to be. I endured only another few minutes with her before complaining of a headache and making an excuse to leave.

“I think I just need to lie down for a while,” I told her, reaching for my bag.

“Of course, darling,” she purred, faking concern. “You should go.”

I decided to walk. The icy winter chill was warmer than spending time with the queen. Besides, I was in no hurry to get home.

Adam was hinging a lot on my lunch date being successful. It was as if he thought all fences could be mended in a few hours – providing we both played nice. From what I’d just learned, mending anything would be impossible. We were on the brink of war.

One block from our building was a row of very exclusive boutiques, none of which I’d ever paid any more attention than a quick glance on my way past. Today wouldn’t have been any different – until Kinsey nearly bowled me over as she stepped out of a doorway. Seeing her wasn’t exactly shocking. The Manhattan bubble could be just as small as the seaside town I hailed from at times.