Page 20 of Marry Me Not
“Have you talked to Cosimo’s mom since the engagement party?” Mia asked. “You said she told you to ask if you ever need anything, right? Maybe she could give you some advice.”
“I’ve met with her and the wedding planner, but I haven’t asked her for any advice yet.” I’d considered it, but something had held me back. Maybe because I wasn’t even sure she’d see the problem. All she’d really said was that Cosimo had to cooperate. Well, he was cooperating. He got me the ring. He came to the party. He did the photos.
The problem was that I wanted to be more than a piece of furniture he kept in his house and largely ignored. And I had the sense Vita would see nothing wrong with that.
I also got the feeling that Cosimo didn’t exactly get along with Vita. He’d never said it outright, but I saw how he’d tensed when his mother touched him at the party. If they were currently at odds, getting Vita involved might only make things between Cosimo and me even worse.
Zo blew out a breath. “Okay, what if you just show up at his place and refuse to leave until he takes you on a proper date?”
“That’s called stalking,” Mia pointed out.
“It’s not stalking if you’re engaged,” Zo argued. “Call it…aggressive wedding planning.”
Nina snorted into her drink. “Please don’t take advice from someone whose solutions to most problems involve breaking numerous online privacy laws.”
“Hey, my methods get results,” Zo defended. “Remember when I helped you track down that Belgian chocolate distributor who ghosted you?”
“That was different. He owed me money. Cosimo just owes Fabi… I don’t know…basic human decency?”
“The bar is literally on the floor,” I said. “And somehow, he’s still not reaching it.”
Zo snorted.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen.
Speak of the devil…
It was a message from Cosimo.
Let’s meet for dinner tomorrow.
I stared at the message, stunned. “Oh my God, I think we manifested this.” I showed the screen to my friends.
Nina nodded. “This is progress.”
My fingers flew across the keyboard.
Okay. Where?
I didn’t care about playing it cool or seeming too eager. We were past that.
L’Orangerie. 7 p.m.
See you then.
I hit send on my reply, sank back into my seat, and let out a breath. When we met tomorrow, I needed a sign from him, no matter how small, that there was a chance this marriage wasn’t going to be an unmitigated disaster.
And if I didn’t get that sign? The thought of telling Rafe I was starting to have doubts about my ability to go through with the wedding made me want to throw up, but the longer I waited, the less Rafe would be able to do about it. The wedding was only four months away.
One more try.
That was all I was giving this engagement before I raised my concerns with Rafaele.
CHAPTER 8
COSIMO
L’Orangerie was a softly litFrench bistro. Polished mirrors lined the walls, scattering the candlelight across white tablecloths and delicate silverware, and the air smelled faintly of butter and wine.
