AllFreeNovel
Share Us
KOLYA
I’ve been avoiding her for the last three days for this very reason.
She could come to do this alone, or with Anette and her annoying older sister. But I had to give her the ring, right? That’s all I came for. Beginning and end of it.
It has nothing to do with the fact that I wanted to see her, wanted to spend some time with her. It has nothing to do with the fact that I missed her.
Those things, to the extent that they’re even true, are irrelevant. We should be keeping our distance.
It just becomes hard to remember that when you’re trying to figure out which diamond will flatter her eyes the most.
She starts to say, “Kolya, you—”
“Here they are!”
June’s jaw drops as she takes in the older couple standing behind Geneva. She gasps, “What are you guys doing here?”
I wince and close my eyes.
June’s parents.
Fucking fantastic.
I have no doubt I can thank the sister for this little surprise. Sure enough, the little she-devil makes eye contact with me and waggles her eyebrows. “Hope you don’t mind,” she says cheerfully. “I thought I’d make this a party.”
“Y-you invited Mom and Dad,” June observes. She’s trying hard to keep her bearings as she rises to her feet to give both her parents a stiff hug.
“Surely you’re not disappointed to see us,” June’s mother remarks, though her eyes are locked on me.
“Of course not,” June replies. Her voice is a little too high-pitched to be convincing.
I get to my feet. “Mr. and Mrs. Cole, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Both of them look me up and down with scrutiny. “I must say, our pleasure at meeting you is somewhat sullied by our shock,” the old man says with a weird, brittle kind of formality. At my side, June has shrunk back into her seat like she wants to wink out of existence.
I notice the glare she throws her sister, but Geneva is too busy watching the show like it’s a matinee.
The man sniffles. “We didn’t realize that June was even dating again.”
“I must say, June,” Mrs. Cole says, flinging her ice-cold stare in June’s direction, “it was somewhat of a shock to hear that you were engaged to another man so soon after Adrian’s death.”
June flinches when she mentions Adrian, but Mrs. Cole either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. She starts fumbling through an answer—“I—It was…”
“I helped June through Adrian’s death,” I say, stepping in smoothly. “And in the process, we fell in love.”
I can feel the tension wafting off June, even from here. But I focus my attention on the Coles. If Geneva thought she could throw me with this surprise visit, she’s got another thing coming.
“Your daughter is a wonderful and accomplished woman, and I knew I couldn’t just let her walk out of my life. So I pursued her. In the end, I wore her down.”
The Coles exchange a glance. “But to beengaged,” Mrs. Cole protests in a murmur. “And so soon!”
I rest my hand on June’s shoulder. “When you know, you know.”
Mr. Cole’s eyes land on my Rolex. “Then congratulations are in order,” he says gruffly, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “Bridget, sit.”
Geneva’s eyes keep bouncing between us, but I never let the silence simmer for too long. Within a few minutes, I have more pastries and tea brought out for the couple, and I’m telling them all about my businesses, both foreign and domestic.
They seem like a discerning couple, but apparently, I pass muster because within the first half an hour, they’re smiling and talking more freely.
