Chapter 22

“We could do a Bal Masqué.”

Now, how gay was that?

Suddenly, he turned to me and frowned. “What do you think your parents will say?”

I thought about it for a moment. Visualized myself sitting in their kitchen. Heard my mother sobbing. The ice cubes clinking in my father’s whiskey glass.

Nathan brought my fingers to his lips. “Whatever they say, you know you have my support and understanding.”

How was it possible for a man to constantly say the right thing? Wasn’t that God’s job?

“Derek. I want you to be happy. I want the best for you. And I know I’m the man who can make that happenfor you.”

A closer should have known when the deal had been sealed. No sense in overselling it.

Nathan slid back into his seat and picked up his fork. “Okay, babe. Let’s finish dinner and go for a walk on the mountain, yes?”

And that was it. We were engaged.

* * * *

We had a meeting this afternoon. A surprise meeting. The kind that came with a tap on the shoulder and a somber face.