Page 42 of His Beautiful Revenge
Eventually, even they were exhausted. As they lay facing each other, Norah pressed her lips to his. “I’m yours forever, Giacomo. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Giacomo smiled and she could see the depth of his joy in his beautiful eyes. “You are all I will ever want,il mio amore.”
They fell asleep at last, wrapped in each other, limbs tangled, lips almost touching, and slept until morning.
***
Zulika looked at her with suspicion as soon as she walked through the door to the bookstore the next morning. Fred was due to start her first day at ten o’clock, but Zulika was still surprised to see her friend downstairs. Norah was singing softly to herself, her mahogany hair gathered up into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, her moves dance-like as she swept the floor. Zulika stood and watched her for a few minutes, a slow smile spreading across her face. Norah glanced up and saw her. Zulika stuck her tongue in the side of her cheek. “It’s been a while since you didthat.”
Norah’s eyebrows shot up. “Did what?”
“Sing to yourself. You always used to when we were at college. Sometimes you’d work your way through Pearl Jam’s whole back catalog without even noticing. It made me laugh because you’d sing one line from each song and then move onto something else. Even Lucian liked it. He used to say it was one of his favorite thing about you.”
Norah thought about it. “Huh. And I haven’t been doing that?”
“Nope. Not for years. And then just lately, you started again.” Zulika grinned.
Norah shrugged, smirked and started singing again. Zulika’s eyes narrowed.
“Why are you radiant?”
Norah tried not to grin. “No idea what you’re talking about.” She hid her face, giggling to herself. She pretended to get something from under the counter. This would be fun. The truth was that she hadn’t stopped smiling since Giacomo’s proposal.
Zulika wasn’t fooled. She hooked a finger into the back of Norah’s t-shirt and pulled her friend up so she could see her face. Norah tried to keep her face blank, her eyes wide with innocence.
Zulika started to grin. “Yes, you do. You’reglowing.” She gasped. ‘He hasn’t gone and done it, has he?”
“Nope, no idea what you’re burbling about.” Norah tried to step around her, but Zulika moved too. They danced around each other until they both burst out laughing. Zulika grabbed her friend by the shoulders and made her look her in the eye.
“Has he? Has he proposed?”
“That information is not available at this time,” Norah intoned, but she couldn’t help smiling. Zulika squealed and hugged her.
“I knew it! Whoop!” She ran around the bookshop, waving her hands around her head.
Norah shook her head, grinning. “You loon.”
Zulika stopped, still smiling. “Seriously, though, I’m so happy for you. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Zul. You don’t think it’s too fast, do you?”
“Hell, no. Not for you two. You belong together.”
Norah smiled. “I think so too. Anyway, how are you?”
“I’m good. I actually went out for my first run this morning. Only did a couple of blocks, but it felt good.”
“That’s amazing, Zul …don’t push yourself too hard, though.”
Zulika rolled her eyes. “You sound like Lando. I’m fine.”
Norah waited until Fred came in and got settled, then excused herself to go up to her office. She flicked her laptop on and went to make a pot of coffee while she waited for it to boot up.Maybe I should invest in a new one,she thought as she waited for it. But she loved her trusty old laptop—even if Zulika, Giacomo, and Lando made fun of it.
“It is Methuselah,” Zulika had teased her. “It doesn’t have pixels, it has stone tablets.”
Norah was grinning to herself as her email folder popped up. Her smile faded when she clicked on the first one. “Oh, no.”
It was the cosmetics company she had been hired by, with a practically word-for-word copy of the letter she’d received the previous day. She was fired.Again.
