by Gina LaManna
“Happy to help,” I muttered.
“Gem kept asking about you tonight,” Jane said. “If you’d be there, I mean. I finally decided it was my duty to the bride and groom to get you there if he cared so much.”
There was a long, awkward silence following Jane’s statement. It took her a long while to realize why her words might’ve been construed as inappropriate. But when it clicked for her, it clicked hard. She whipped a hand to her mouth and looked forward between me and Russo with a horrified expression.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
I flicked my eyes to glance at her in the rearview mirror. “It’s fine. Gem’s just being super weird about this whole wedding thing. I’m still not convinced he wants to go through with it.”
“Kate,” Jane said warningly, “don’t go there. This is their engagement party. You’re there as a friend. Not as a detective.”
“I’m just saying,” I said. “Why does he care where I am at his engagement party? It makes no sense. He’s just looking for excuses to get mad, and I’m an easy target because I’m showing up late.”
Jack cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s it.”
“Okay, Mr. FBI,” I said. “What do you think it is?”
“Ask your sister,” Jack said. “She knows. Or else she wouldn’t have reacted like that.”
Jane sighed. “I’m not saying anything. Gem and Mindy seem like a perfect match.”
“Seem,” Russo agreed. “On paper, sure. We all know that’s not how love works.”
Jane harrumphed a huge sigh that signaled her agreement. “Okay, maybe Gem has felt the tiniest bit conflicted since getting engaged. If I had to guess.”
“Conflicted about what?” I asked.
“You,” both Russo and Jane said at the same time.
“Come on,” I said. “That’s not true. There’s nothing to be conflicted about.”
I caught Russo and Jane exchanging a look out of the corner of my eye.
“We’ve never been anything more than friends,” I said. “And that was on a good day. Half of our relationship so far has been me investigating him for involvement in murder cases.”
“Sweetie,” Jane said, “just because you never dated Gem doesn’t mean that he wasn’t interested.”
“I’m dating Jack.” I pointed out the obvious. “I have been for a while now, and I don’t plan on that changing. So there’d be no sense for Gem to be hung up on anything.”
“You’re so naïve.” Jane sat back and sighed. “I’m sorry, Jack. I tried to explain.”
“Me too,” Jack said. “It’s okay.”
“Look, you have nothing to be worried about,” I said to Jack. “Are you worried?”
“No, I’m not worried. I trust you. That doesn’t mean Gem’s not conflicted over his wedding.”
“Gem might’ve even rushed into the engagement with Mindy because he realized that he was never going to have a chance with you,” Jane said. “You and Russo are a perfect match, it’s easy to see. Gem knows it too.”
“Not a chance,” I said. “Gem explained why they got engaged so quickly. He said himself that Mindy’s got a biological-clock situation happening.”
Jane winced. “Don’t put it like that.”
“What do you want me to say? It’s the truth. If she wants to have kids, it’s not like she can wait ten years. It’s a medical fact.”
I could practically feel the eye rolls around the car.
“Let’s just drop it,” I said. “Jack’s not worried. I’m not worried. Jane, you’re only involved because I’m your sister and Wes is Gem’s best friend. We should stay out of it.”
“Agreed,” Jack said.
“Agreed,” Jane said. “We can officially let it drop. Soon enough they’ll be married, and it’ll be too late anyway.”
I didn’t have time to process exactly what Jane meant by her last line because we’d arrived at the event. The party was being held at a country club that I’d never seen before in my life. It was tucked back from the road, and despite it being relatively near my house, I hadn’t known it existed. Probably because it cost a bazillion dollars to join, and I was in no danger of gaining entry to the exclusive club.
A valet took our car, and we were ushered into a grand hall that smelled expensive the second the automated sliding doors eased open. It was all beige and white and cream colored—the furniture, the tables, the chairs. The only pops of color were the green plants sprinkled around the room in minimalist white pots.
I followed the signs toward the reception hall. Russo took my arm. Jane walked next to us, her own dress swishing around her ankles as we moved.
“Are you sure this is just an engagement party?” I murmured as we reached the doors to enter the room. “I mean, are you sure they didn’t go and actually get married today? Pretty sure this ‘little’ party is costing Gem more than most weddings.”
“It’s Alastair Gem,” Jane said. “What do you expect?”
I shrugged my agreement. The actual reception hall wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen before. Unlike the white, creamy interiors of the main country-club lobby, this room was more dimly lit. Very bougie and rich feeling with pristine, white circular tables surrounded by half-circle booths in shades of deep mahogany. It looked like a speakeasy lounge made expensive.
Oversized chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Servers floated around with trays of finger foods and champagne glasses—no buffet for this party. There were name cards on all the tables, but the servers were in the process of cleaning up plates of food.
“It’s not like you missed much,” Jane said apologetically to Russo as he glanced toward the kitchen as if wondering if he could ask for a doggy bag. “Just the most amazing steak I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
Jack groaned.
“Go congratulate the happy couple before they think you guys are no-shows.” Jane put her hands on my shoulders and steered me a few feet to the right. “They’re over there by the cake.”
“I can do cake,” I said. “I like cake.”
“The couple,” Jane said, giving me a gentle shove. “You too, Russo.”
Jack and I made our way across the room. We were only halfway to Gem when he looked up, and his gaze caught on mine. I felt Russo’s hand tighten on my arm. Then Gem looked away, sliding his arm around his bride-to-be’s back.
When Russo and I reached Gem and Mindy, we hung back to allow them to finish their conversation with the older couple ahead of us. Mindy was doing most of the talking. Gem looked a little twitchy and uncomfortable, and it was hard to say if it was the result of the current conversation or the party at large.
“Agent Russo, Detective Rosetti.” Gem’s low voice rumbled gently over the din of the party as he turned to face us while Mindy leaned in to hug the older couple goodbye. “You made it.”
“Sorry we’re late,” I said. “We had a busy day on a case.”
“We?” Gem looked between us.
“It’s complicated,” I said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t comment much more on an active murder investigation.”
“Not to mention,” Russo said, swooping in, “we’d hate to monopolize this happy time by talking about dead people.”
“Of course,” Gem said. “Well, thank you for squeezing the party into your schedule. I know it was last-minute.”
“Thanks for the invitation,” I said. “Um, congratulations, again. You guys make a great couple.”
“Detective Rosetti? Agent Russo?” Mindy turned to face us, a somewhat quizzical expression on her face. “It’s great to see you.”
“It’s good to see you.” I glanced at Gem out of curiosity, wondering why it seemed Mindy was surprised to see us. “Congratulations on the engagement. Sorry we’re late to the party. I was just telling Gem that we were working a case and...” I shook my head. “None of that matters. You look lovely, and this party seems incredible.”
“It’s great you could join us.” Mindy’s ga
ze flicked toward Gem. “Honey, may I speak to you a moment? Question on the hor d’oeuvres.”
Gem nodded to both of us, then let himself be led away by his fiancée. I turned to Russo and scratched aimlessly at my arm.
“Now, I know I’m not the queen of social niceties,” I said to Russo, “but was that weird?”
“Definitely weird. Are you sure we were actually invited to this party?”
“Gem himself invited me.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What?”
“I’m wondering if Mindy knew about it,” Jack said. “Judging by the look on her face, she was thinking we were here to investigate a murder.”
“Who investigates a murder in a dress without a back?”
Jack put his hand on the lowest part of my back. “I dunno, I’ve seen you go undercover at Gem’s parties in the past, and I’ve got to say, I don’t mind it.”
“Do you think that counts as congratulating the happy couple?” I shrugged and turned to face the exit. “We could take off right now and grab some subs on the way home. If Mindy doesn’t want us here, I’m not sure it’s polite to stick around. It’s her party after all.”
“True, but it’s Gem’s party too,” Russo said, “and if he invited you, then he invited you. And that’s between the two of them.”
I glanced curiously at Russo, wondering why he was suddenly defending Gem and Mindy. Then I saw his gaze following a few of the servers as they brought out a fresh round of food.
“You just want to stick around for the dessert course.”
Russo crooked an eyebrow. “Are you going to arrest me for it? We made all this effort to get here and dress up. Seems like we should be compensated in some edible way for our time.”
“Go get some food,” I said. “I’m going to find my sister.”
Jack looked relieved to be released from couple’s duty so he could stake out the best delectable payment for getting himself to the party. I spun in a slow 360-degree circle, keeping my eyes peeled for Jane’s swishy dress, but neither she nor her boyfriend were anywhere in sight.
Immediately, I regretted cutting Russo loose. Now I had to stand around by myself looking like an idiot before the champagne table. Jane was right. I didn’t recognize anyone else here. If I had to guess, Mindy had taken almost exclusive control of the guest list.
“Detective.”
I spun in the direction of Gem’s voice. I found him standing close behind me, his voice lowered so only I could hear.
“Gem, hey,” I said. “I thought you were dealing with a catering issue.”
“Sure.”
Gem looked incredibly handsome as always, but tonight it was more of a regal prince sort of look than billionaire playboy. His hair still curled gently over his forehead, but it’d been more carefully styled than before. Mindy, I immediately thought. I was also willing to guess that Mindy had insisted on the black-tie suit that Gem wore, different than his regular, more relaxed versions of a similar things.
I cleared my throat. “I’d say congratulations again, but I’m starting to sound like a broken record.”
“Noted. Thank you.”
“I hate to bring this up right now,” I said, “but you know me. I’m nothing if not honest.”
Gem gave a short laugh. “That I know, Detective. What is it?”
“Are you sure we’re welcome here? Me and Russo, I mean?”
“Of course. I invited you myself.”
“It’s just that when we said hello to Mindy, she looked at me like I had two heads. She looked at Russo like he might arrest her,” I added. “Tell me the truth, Gem. Did Mindy know we’d be here?”
Gem massaged his forehead for a moment. “Yes and no.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I told her I was going to invite you,” Gem said. “I said I wanted you on the invitation list.”
“Okay. And?”
“And she made an executive decision—without informing me, I might add—to not send you an invitation.”
“So Mindy doesn’t want us here.” I gave a shake of my head. “They were right.”
“They?”
“Never mind,” I said. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Look, Jack and I are just going to take off. I really don’t want to cause any drama. If Mindy doesn’t want us here, then we shouldn’t be here. This is about the bride.”
“Don’t go.” Gem reached out and put a hand on my arm. He pulled it back almost immediately. “Sorry. It’s just a little bit of a sticking point.”
“What’s a sticking point?”
Gem looked around. “Do you want to take a short walk?”
“Uh, where? This is your party.”
“Come on.” Gem nodded toward the back of the room. “We’ll step outside and get a breath of fresh air. There’s a patio here.”
We stepped outside, and sure enough, the music faded behind us. The night air was crisp and woke me up after the lull of the dimly lit, mesmerizing reception décor. There were a few other people on the patio and one poor server standing behind a cocktail bar. Otherwise, the place was deserted.
“I really don’t want to cause trouble,” I started in before Gem could squeeze in a word. “I’m sorry if we upset Mindy by showing up tonight.”
“I’m upset,” Gem said. “You are my guests. I invited you here because it was important to me that you came. It wasn’t fair of her to cut you off the list. It especially wasn’t fair to not tell me about it.”
“So this whole time you’d thought I’d gotten an invitation and just hadn’t responded?”
Gem shrugged. “I know you. You don’t check your mail. Even if you do, you see RSVPs as extremely optional and quite undesirable.”
“Ouch.”
“Fair.”
“Gem, why didn’t Mindy want us here?”
“Look around,” Gem said. “This is Mindy’s party. This whole wedding is Mindy’s wedding. Do you see any of my friends besides Wes and you and Agent Russo here?”
“Technically, Jack is my friend...” I trailed off. “Right. Point taken.”
“I love Mindy, and she’s a wonderful woman,” Gem said. “I’m not trying to speak ill of her. But this whole wedding-planning business has turned her into someone I hardly recognize.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“You always do, Detective.”
I took a deep breath. “Do you want to get married?”
“Why do you ask?”
“That’s not an answer.”
“You didn’t answer me either.”
“Fine, I’ll take the high road and answer first,” I said. “I’m asking because I’m your friend. And everyone I know told me not to get invested in your nuptials. I’m trying not to, really, but I’m the sort of person who says what’s on my mind.”
“No kidding.”
“I’m just getting some odd vibes coming from you about this whole wedding thing,” I admitted. “Now, I’m the first to say that I am not one to ask for relationship advice, so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt. Tell me to shut up anytime.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m also a detective, and the way you talk about certain things makes me question how happy you are about any of this.”
“You’re using your homicide detective skills to deduce whether or not I’m ready to get married?” Gem looked mildly amused. “That’s a new one.”
“It’s all I have,” I said. “I told you that I suck at relationships. I have a great guy, and I’m clinging to that relationship by my fingernails.”
“Did something happen between you and Jack?”
“No, no. It’s not that at all. He’s amazing. It’s me,” I said. “That’s the problem. I’m the one who sabotages things, not him. It’s in my nature.”
“Do you want to be dating Jack?”
“Yes, of course. That’s not the question.” I raised my hands, frustrated. “Anyway, this talk isn’t about me. It’s about you. I�
��m not using my detective skills to try and tell if you’re ready to get married, Gem. You’re a rich, smart, successful adult who can make his own decisions. You’re technically ready on paper. But do you want to get married?”
“I think so,” Gem said. “I mean, yes. I do. It’s everything else that’s the problem.”
It wasn’t the most assured answer ever, but at least we were finally getting somewhere. “What other stuff?”
“The wedding planning, the parties, the rest of it. The toll it’s taking on Mindy,” Gem said. “When she first brought up the idea of getting married, she made it sound really easy. Really desirable.”
“I think that’s how it’s supposed to be,” I said with a little shrug. “I mean, I’ve never been there. But I’m pretty sure weddings are supposed to be the stuff of fantasies, especially for the woman.”
“Okay, sure. But the way she explained it was that getting married was just the piece of paper, the commitment to her. She mentioned the idea of us eloping quietly or going to the courthouse to seal the deal. I could buy into that,” Gem said. “In a sense, I get it. But when I’m in a relationship, I’m already committed to trying to make it work. The wedding and all of that is extra. If what it took to keep Mindy happy was a signed sheet of paper, then so be it.”
“Very generous of you.”
“It’s part of being in a relationship. I wanted her to be happy. I still want her to be happy. It’s just getting harder and harder to keep her feeling that way. It seems everything I do makes her upset these days.”
“When did it all start to change?”
“It was a slow snowball effect,” Gem said. “About a week after we decided to tie the knot, she started wondering if we had to elope at all. I brought up the courthouse, and she said she’d look into it. A few days after that, she brought me to see a few venues.”
“But I thought—”
“Me too,” Gem said quickly. “I was surprised. Then she started wondering if we shouldn’t have a small party to celebrate our union. You only get married once, after all,” he said in a tone that told me Mindy had uttered those exact same words to him. “After that, she started wondering if maybe her parents were right, and we should have an engagement party. And wouldn’t her friends be upset if she didn’t have bridesmaids and a bridal shower? But bridesmaids at the courthouse wouldn’t be ideal, so maybe we could look into a few more venues.”