Page 24 of True Hearts

Mom frowns. “Those were necessary. If you had read all the negative things I read, you would have ordered a half dozen. I was showing restraint with just four.”

“I forgive you because if I hadn’t been trying to escape them, I wouldn’t have met Luna.” I kiss the top of Luna’s head. She blushes and hands the now full plates to my aunt and mother.

Aunt Jackie looks at her sisters and says, “I’ve changed my mind. Give me a little one.”

Luna plates a piece she’d already prepared for Aunt Jackie and slides it over.

“You’re a nice girl,” Aunt Jackie responds before forking the dessert into her mouth.

“You have any family, Luna?” Mom asks.

“No, ma’am. None.”

“That’s how she fell into Montclair’s claws,” Aunt Maeve says. “Isn’t that right?”

Luna nods in surprise. “Yes, actually, that’s right. He seemed close to his family. That wasn’t something familiar to me. I liked it.”

“But you moved on to Graham pretty quickly,” Mom points out.

“It was me that was moving quickly, Mom,” I interject. “I knew if I didn’t nail down Luna right away, someone else would sweep her up. You don’t leave diamonds lying on the street.”

“And are you a diamond?” Mom directs the question to Luna.

I want to answer, but Luna slides her heel onto my toes and presses down. Hard. “I don’t think so, but your son believes it. I’m hoping that I start believing it, too, because me thinking less of myself is why I was okay being with Michael. We didn’t love each other, but our pairing was convenient. I felt safe, and Michael was doing what his family wanted. He thought he could put me in the corner of his big house and then could go off and do whatever he wanted.”

“He thought wrong.” Aunt Maeve smirks. “I wish I’d been there when you lit all those things on fire. Looked like fun. A real social media moment.”

“It felt cathartic,” Luna admits. “But the lawsuit that came after chased those silly feelings away.”

“What lawsuit?” Mom asks. Her tone is sharp. Her eyes are narrowed. I smile. Mom’s always rooted for the underdogs.

I move away to make the tea. “Montclair has sued Luna for millions saying that all the goods were real and he has receipts.”

“I don’t like that,” Mom says.

“Me neither.” Aunt Maeve shakes her head.

“Guess we’re going to have to do something with that Montclair boy.” Aunt Jackie crosses her arms.

I wink at Luna. We couldn’t have planned this better if we’d tried.

ChapterTwenty

LUNA

I’m not sure what Graham’s aunts and mom have planned for tonight, but I am trying to have some faith that they will somehow get this situation with Michael resolved. I believe if anybody can, it will be them.

The three women are powerhouses, and the expression on Graham’s face when they all said they would be doing something about Michael told me a lot. He has clear confidence in the women. I’m trying to do the same but for myself.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask Graham. He glances up from his computer, standing when he sees it’s me in the doorway of his office.

“You look breathtaking.” Graham’s eyes eat up every inch of me. I love the way he looks at me. “And that dress looks stunning on you.” He rounds his desk, coming toward me.

“This old thing?” I run my hands down the front of the white vintage Chanel dress that falls just above my knees. The dress's bottom is frothy and tiered, culminating in a snug fit at the waist that accentuates my curves.

The dress is breathtaking. On that we can agree. It could be appropriate for a cocktail party or a more formal event. I also think it could be a fun and flirty wedding dress. Before now, I would have never thought of a fun and flirty wedding dress, but times have changed. I’ve also changed. Shifted from always wanting to please others to doing what makes me happy.

This dress will work tonight for whatever his family has planned, I’m sure. Not a wedding, of course.

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