Page 59 of The Fixer

Menswear. Ugh. I haven’t sewn a shirt in ages,and my skills are seriously rusty. I had to make three practice shirts before I felt confident enough to cut into the cotton Leo bought me.

The fabric he bought because it was the precise color of my eyes.

Still, it’s almost done now, and it looks great. On the day before the party, I hand-sew the buttons, give the shirt a final pressing, and pack it into a gift box.

I’ll give it to him after the party. It doesn’t matter whether Leo is willing to share his secrets with me or not—I’m falling in love with him. And if he doesn’t know that already, he’s going to find out when he sees the shirt I sewed for him.

But I don’t want that to happen in front of everyone. I want it to be a moment just between the two of us.

Even though thiswas a bit of a last-minute idea, all our guests accept our invitation and show up promptly at eight. “I’m shocked everyone made it,” I tell Valentina once the party is underway. Leo not only hired a bartender but a couple of waiters, too.They circulate among the guests with platters of delicious appetizers, making this the easiest party I’ve ever hosted.

“Of course everyone came. You and Leo are our favorite topic of conversation.” She gives me a sly smile. “You look like you’re getting along well.”

I cross my fingers behind my back. “We are.”

She laughs. “That’s obvious. You’re positively glowing. Tomas won the bet. Of course, he had inside information, so it’s not exactly fair. I’m quite annoyed with him.”

I pretend I’ve never heard about the office pool. “Bet? Inside information? What are you talking about?”

“We all bet on when you two were going to hook up,” she says. “Tomas won.”

“You bet on when I was going to hook up with Leo?” I scold, trying to hold back my laughter.

“Of course,” she replies, completely unrepentant. “It’s summer, and work is slow. What else are we going to do? If it makes you feel better, they did this for Dante and me too. We’re a gossipy bunch.”

“What kind of inside information did Tomas have?”

“He’s Leo’s financial advisor,” Valentina replies. “He gets notified when he makes big purchases. Sowhen Leo bought a two million euro engagement ring?—”

I nearly drop my glass. “What do you mean, two million euros? No, no, my ring cost two hundred thousand euros, not two million.”

Valentina studies me with amused eyes. “Did Leo tell you that?”

“No.” I stare at the ring on my finger as if it’s going to turn into a snake and bite me. “I caught a glimpse of the receipt. There was the number two, followed by a lot of zeros.”

“Yes, six of them. Rosa, this is a three-carat pink diamond. This is serious bling.”

Hugh wanders by and overhears that last bit. He knows Valentina quite well from when my family lived in Venice. The two of them hug each other and exchange greetings. Then Hugh says with a grin, “You told her? I was wondering how long it would take Rosa to figure out.”

I stare at my brother, outraged. “You knew? Wait, that’s why you wanted to take a close look at my ring?” I punch his arm. “When were you planning on telling me?”

He laughs, and so does Valentina. “I don’t know why you’re freaking out,” my friend says through her giggles. “It’s a beautiful ring, and Leo can afford it.”

I look around the room for my soon-to-be husband. He’s in conversation with Joao. I excuse myself, cross the room, and join them, wrapping my arm around his waist. “Sorry, Joao. I need to borrow Leo for a bit.”

The other man grins. “Of course.”

I drag Leo out of the party and into a side room. “What’s the matter?” he asks.

I thrust my ring under his nose. “Valentina just told me my engagement ring costtwo million euros.”

He quirks an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Is she right?”

“Yes,” he says, as calm as ever. “Why?”

I don’t even know what to say. “Two million euros,” I hiss. “For a piece of jewelry. Explain.”

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