Page 78 of Solemn Vow

“No. She’s canceled on me too many times. And you did a way better job than her, the makeup was spot on too. She’s a little heavy with the foundation and highlights. Makes the girls look a little more Jersey Shore than Michigan Avenue.”

“Well, if you’re sure. I’d love to.” Twenty-two hundred dollars!

I want to scream.

I want to do a happy dance.

It’s been months since I didn’t have to think about things in terms of how fast I could get the cash for Jimmy, so it’s the first thought that hits me. But we’re settling all that, and this money will be all mine.

I can start seriously saving up for better furniture. A better apartment where Viktor won’t have to bully the landlord to keep solid locks on the door.

She hands me an envelope of cash. “And that’s your half for today.”

I open it up and flip through. “No, this is way more than you offered.” I try to hand it back, but she pushes it away.

“You deserve half the fee. I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to get through all of them, but you did. You get half.” She buttons her coat up to her throat. “Now, let’s get out of here before someone else wants something done.”

I stow the cash in my bag and follow her down the white winding staircase to the main floor. The entire place is decked out in white lilies and lace. It’s beautiful. As we walk through the lobby, I get a look at the bride standing with her friends. I hadn’t seen her since they put on her dress and whisked her out of the suite.

“Damn, she looks beautiful.” A man’s voice surprises me.

The groom is peeking in from a set of closed double doors. He beams down at his little brother, the ring bearer. We used a tiny bit of gel in his hair so he wouldn’t feel left out when his twin sister—the flower girl—had her hair done.

“You’re not supposed to look, Jeremy!” The ring bearer pulls on his brother’s leg.

“You’re right, Bobby.” Jeremy closes the door, still smiling. “It’s just I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.”

“Marlena, you okay?” Diana tugs on my sleeve. She’s holding the front door open for me while I’ve been eavesdropping on the sweet exchange.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” I shake away the image.

Maybe marriage isn’t the worst thing. Maybe there are more Viktors and Jeremys in the world than there are men like my dad.

A black SUV is idling in front of the steps of the venue just as I expected. Mikhail gets out of the car just as I step off the stairs and onto the sidewalk.

“This is me,” I say, jerking my head toward Mikhail who is holding the back door open for me.

Diana stops, looks at Mikhail then at me with questions burning in her eyes.

“Who’s your boyfriend again?” she asks curiously.

I clear my throat. “Viktor Petrov.”

Recognition crosses her features and I wait for her to tell me she won’t be needing me next month after all.

She smiles. “He’s got a cute cousin, the one that’s always frowning. What’s his name again?”

“Sergei?” I’ve never seen the man smile.

“Yeah, that’s the one.” She winks. “I had a fun night with him last summer. Have a good night, see you at the salon nextweek.” She wiggles her fingers at me and walks away smiling at memories that I’m happy not to know about. Her and Sergei?

“Thanks, Mikhail,” I say as he takes my supply bag and shuts the door when I climb inside.

“Do you know if Viktor is going to be super late tonight?” I ask when he pulls the car into traffic. It’s going to take us at least a half hour to get home with this traffic, so I grab my phone to shoot a text to Izzy. I haven’t seen her enough lately. Maybe breakfast tomorrow would be good. We haven’t done a DoorDash McDonald’s breakfast since she went and got married.

“I’m not sure how long his meeting will last, but he said he’d meet you at the condo.” Mikhail gives me no information. I can’t really blame him. Whoever Viktor is meeting with is outside the scope of information I want to have.

I hope he’s not too late though. He’s going to be happy when I tell him I’ve finally decided we can be anus.Though I’m sure it’s no surprise to him since he made that decision a while ago.

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