Page 43 of Be With Me
“She’s got a point,” Fabi called out, apparently listening to the conversation from her float.
Nina just shook her head. We both worked like crazy because we ran our own businesses. The only difference was that Nina’s chocolate company was thriving, while mine… Well, as already established, my business was in not a great place.
Although, if Romolo actually followed through on his word about getting me into The Golden Circle newsletter…
He wouldn’t. Also, that wasn’t why I'd agreed to work for him.
He’d been right when he said I’d never agree to dress him only for my own benefit. I wasn’t worth the risk. But my dad and Fabi were.
“Hey, Fabi,” I called out to her, watching as she lazily drifted across the pool. “How are you doing?”
She lifted her glass of rosé in a half-heartedsalute, her curls piled on top of her head in a messy bun. “I don’t know. Fine? But I’m with Zo. I think we should go.”
I sat up straighter. “Really?”
Nina groaned. “What happened to our plan?”
“Yeah, but…” Fabi hesitated, pushing her heart-shaped sunglasses up her nose. “I don’t know. I just feel like this might be the last time we get to do this kind of thing, you know?”
Something twisted inside my chest. I put the rhinestone picker down. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know what life will be like when I’m married. Or what rules I’ll have to follow.”
Rules?I rose and walked over to the edge of the pool. “Are you saying Cosimo might not allow you to see your friends?”
I’d been waiting for the right moment to bring him up. Fabi was in a good mood when they picked me up, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
But clearly, her engagement was also on her mind.
She blew out a breath. “Honestly, who the hell knows.”
Zo and I exchanged a worried look. That didn’t sound good.
Nina just sat there with a grave expression, like she wasn’t at all surprised by this.
“Has he said something about these rules to you?” I asked.
Fabi took a big sip of her wine. “Nope. Not yet. He’s refusing to talk to me. And after what happened earlier this week, I just?—”
“What happened?” Nina called out.
Fabi kicked at the water to float closer to us. “I messaged him to ask if we could meet up for dinner and actually talk about, you know…our upcoming marriage.”
“Okay,” I said cautiously.
“And he texted back with one word: ‘Busy.’”
My nostrils flared. What a jerk. This woman was about to become his wife, and he was too busy for her?
I was offended on Fabi’s behalf.
“Asshole,” Zo muttered.
Nina pursed her lips. “That’s not right. You should talk to Rafaele about it.”
Fabi stared into her wineglass. “What’s the point?”
“He can get Cosimo in line,” Nina said.
