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Dennis and I’d had Larry and several of his ladies over for dinner, and so far this latest one, Sylvia, had lasted the longest.
After a fair amount of food and alcohol had been served, Dennis dragged me with him up to the deck. “Gather round,” he yelled a few times.
Ramona and Ian joined us on the deck.
Larry whistled loudly to get everybody’s attention, and Syd went inside to pull anyone else out.
Dennis had worked on a speech for this crowd of mostly Vipersoft employees, intended to tell them how he felt about the future of the company now that it had gone private. The speech emphasized the company’s new ability to plan for the long term instead of the short. He’d been totally focused on how it would provide a more stable workplace for the employees.
I was proud of the job he’d done with it and expected it to go well.
Dennis pulled the folded sheets of his speech from his pocket. “Thank you all for coming. We officially completed the go-private transaction yesterday.”
There were a few claps.
He still hadn’t opened his notes yet. “I know the last half year or so has been a rough time for all of us, and I appreciate all your support in this process. I prepared a few words for you.” He unfolded and held up the pages. “But I feel they are inadequate for the occasion.”
He refolded the papers. “The reorganization we accomplished isn’t yet complete.”
He’d lost me, and judging by the faces in the crowd, most of them as well.
“Jennifer, Larry, and Syd have been a great help in this. But one thing remains incomplete that I need Jennifer’s help with.”
He was seriously off script.
I surveyed the crowd, and with everybody looking at me, my blush went to three alarms. I looked back at Dennis, and he was on one knee.
“Jennifer Susan Hanley,” he began.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Ramona had handed him a box—a fucking Harry Winston jewelry box.
He opened the case.
A gorgeous diamond solitaire sat in the blue velvet.
Tears of joy welled in my eyes. This was really happening.
“And this is not an opportunity for negotiation,” he said.
The crowd laughed.
“Will you marry me?”
The crowd hushed.
“Yes,” I squeaked. “Yes.”
The applause started, and Dennis rose to kiss me. It was another one of those breathless kisses that made the noise of the gathering drop into the background, behind the thundering of my heart.
He released me, too soon, and slipped the ring onto my finger. We were official.
“You make me so happy,” he said loudly.
We descended the deck into the throng of well-wishers, and Lusso’s people were miraculously everywhere, passing out champagne.
After the congratulations died down, Dennis and I wandered the thinning crowd.
