A Case For Love (Royals Series Book 3)

by Nicole Taylor

  That was one thing she loved about him. How he wasn’t ashamed of the Gospel. He wasn’t ashamed to let people know he was a believer.

  She also prayed that God’s will would be done. She had intended to pray with David before Bob had interrupted them. She hoped she would be able to have a few uninterrupted minutes with him to do that before things got started. Even if she didn’t, though, she had already prayed and would continue to pray as she held vigil with him that night.

  ~*~*~*~

  David looked at his phone and breathed a sigh of relief. Linette had messaged him to say she couldn’t come to the campaign office because she had to prepare for a court appearance the next day.

  He was relieved she couldn’t come. He remembered how quickly Ronnie had disappeared on the night of the concert after she had seen him talking with Linette. He didn’t want a repeat of that scenario. It was important to him that Ronnie stay. With her there it felt like no matter the outcome everything would be just fine. It was hard to explain why he felt that way. He just did.

  The energy in the room was palpable, and it remained at that level throughout the night, progressively picking up speed as David won precinct after precinct. Even Gershon seemed to be in shock. Ronnie wasn’t, though.

  “I told you,” she whispered to him at one point, “You’ve got this in the bag. I don’t splurge on Cristal for no reason.”

  Ronnie’s quiet confidence warmed David to his toes and back. He thought that with a woman like her by his side he would be able to conquer the world, and for a moment he felt unusually emotional. He chalked it up to the atmosphere of the night, to the euphoria he felt, and struggled hard not to give in to his feelings. They were threatening to do him in.

  As they came down to the last two precincts, it was clear that he had won because even if he achieved less than ten percent of the votes in those two areas, it would still be impossible for his opponent to beat him. The whole room knew it. There was already a celebratory mood rippling through. Then, in no time it seemed, the votes were in. David had won those precincts too. People were screaming and clapping and laughing. Some were even crying tears of joy.

  Ronnie grasped David’s arm, her eyes glistening.

  “I’m so happy for you.”

  Smiling, he turned to her. The need to take her in his arms and kiss her was so profound he excused himself and went to the bathroom.

  When he returned, he was greeted with hugs, back thumping, and handshakes. There was a sea of people swarming around him. He greeted each one, caught up in the euphoria of the moment. When he managed to eventually extricate himself from his well-wishers, he saw Ronnie busy opening bottles of champagne, with the assistance of two volunteers. His attention was soon diverted to his phone as calls poured in and volunteers yelled at him to pick up the call on this line or that line.

  And so the evening went until the number of people began to dwindle.

  The wee hours of the morning found him sitting on a sofa saying goodbye to the last supporter. He stretched and looked around and noticed that it was just him, Ronnie and two other women who were about to leave, and the custodian who was locking up.

  David gave Ronnie a smile. For some reason, he didn’t feel tired despite not having slept for the last 24 hours.

  “I won’t be in the office for the next few days. There are a few things I’ll be dealing with regarding my new position.”

  “Yeah, I would expect so. Hey, remember the launch of my book is Friday. Will you be there?”

  “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

  ~*~*~*~

  But a crisis at his constituency office could.

  Just as David was in the process of pulling on his coat to leave to attend Ronnie’s launch, he heard a woman scream, followed by scuffling and a man's angry voice, swearing at her. He bounded out of his office to be confronted with a scene of several women standing to one side watching in horror as the man pummeled their co-worker.

  David didn’t think twice, yelling at someone to call the police, he rushed over and grabbed the man by the shoulder and shook him. He recognized him as one of the congregants from his church.

  “Are you crazy? What are you doing?” David asked Lou Washington.

  The man tried to shove him away, but he held on, pinning the man’s hands behind his back. Lou Washington struggled against David until he exhausted himself.

  Several of the woman’s co-workers came to her rescue, while David practically shoved Lou Washington into his office.

  The man sat in a chair and sobbed for several minutes.

  “I didn’t want to do it. I swear. She just made me so mad.”

  “What happened?”

  The man poured out his heart. It seemed that his wife, Mary, had a gambling problem. She apparently gained access to a secret bank account he had, withdrew all the money and gambled it all away.

  “She’s so stupid and irresponsible.”

  “You think beating her is the solution to your problems?”

  “She had to be taught a lesson.”

  “She’s your wife. You have no right to raise your hand to your wife in anger. Do you understand that the word of God says that a husband is to love his wife like he does his own body?”

  “It also says a woman should respect her husband. How’s she respecting me when she does these foolish things?”

  “It doesn’t say to love her with conditions. You were wrong. What you did was ungodly and also illegal.”

  Eventually, the police did come, but they did little beyond warning the man, claiming it was a domestic matter. David counseled him after they left. He tried to impress on him that what he was doing was sinful and that he needed to repent and seek serious help to control his anger. Lou left the office agreeing to see a counselor. David said a prayer that God would bring healing to that situation. He was very concerned for Mary’s safety.

  He went over to her. She wasn’t badly hurt, just bruised and shaken up.

  David took her into his office.

  “Your husband has agreed to get help. But I don’t think you should stay with him until he has. Is there someone you can stay with?”

  She nodded and whispered, “My sister.”

  “You will need help too.”

  “I’m okay. I’ve only got a few bruises.”

  “That’s not what I mean. Lou told me you have a problem with money.”

  “Wh…wha...do you mean?” she stammered.

  “Gambling. Your gambling addiction, Mary.”

  Mary broke down crying. David spent the next 45 minutes consoling her. By the time all the drama was over, he was three hours late for Ronnie's function.

  ~*~*~*~

  Ronnie looked at the clock.

  It was almost ten o’clock.

  She looked at the door.

  Still no David Jones.

  David had promised he would come.

  She looked at her phone.

  There were no messages from him.

  Maybe he had forgotten. The thought sliced through Ronnie’s heart and made her wince.

  Someone rubbed her arm. She looked up at Giorgio Fabrizi.

  He had been there from the start, one of her first guests. Her mother, Erin, had come by private jet along with Ronnie’s sister, Barbara. Dana couldn’t travel because she was very close to her delivery date. Her mother and sister had left ten minutes ago. Barbara had to rush back to England to attend an important event William was hosting.

  “I came to say goodnight,” Giorgio said, “unless you want me to stick around ‘til you’re done.”

  Ronnie glanced around. The bar was about to close, and the caterers were packing up. She had only rented the venue for a three-hour event and those three hours were almost up. She saw the marketer from the publishing company and another employee boxing a few remaining books.

  The invited guests had been very supportive, and of the one hundred books available for the event, only about ten remained.

  Ronnie felt
the wealth of support from friends, church members, co-workers even neighbors in her apartment building. But the one whose support had mattered most had not even shown up.

  She sighed.

  It seemed as though Giorgio always turned up when she needed comfort from David’s rejection.

  She glanced across at him, so dapper as always in his slim-fit Italian suit with its open-neck shirt and handkerchief. Giorgio was so cute. He had gone full Casanova when he encountered both her sister and mother and realized the family connection. It was as though he didn’t know who to charm next. He had brimmed with compliments for, first Erin, who he was sure, he said, must have given birth at the age of ten. Second, Barbara, who he gushed over, claiming to have seen all her movies. And third, Ronnie, who he said he should have known was related to a clan of beauty queens.

  The crème de la crème had to have been when he declined the waiter’s offer of a sweet hors d’oeuvre, saying, “No grazie. I am already filled with the sweetness of these lovely ladies.”

  Barbara asked discreetly afterward, “Ronnie, is there something going on between you and that guy?”

  “No, Barbara. Giorgio is just a friend.”

  “He really seems to like you though.”

  Ronnie shrugged.

  “Hey. Why do you look so down? This is your big night.” Barbara asked regarding her with a concerned frown.

  Ronnie sighed heavily. “Yeah. It’s just that someone whom I was expecting didn’t show up.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “David. David Jones. My boss.”

  Barbara searched her face. “Why is it so important to you that your boss be here?” she asked carefully.

  Ronnie ran her index finger along the side of her nose and avoided Barbara’s gaze. “Because he’s also my friend.”

  “And that’s all he is?”

  Ronie folded her arms across her chest. She couldn’t keep the bitter tone from creeping into her voice. “Of course it is. He’s careful to keep his business and personal lives separate and distinct,” she said.

  Barbara stepped toward her with a sympathetic look on her face.

  Ronnie held up a hand. “I don’t want to talk about it, Barbie. Not right now.”

  Barbara hugged her anyway. As they parted she said softly, “Take everything to God in prayer.”

  Reflecting on Barbara’s good advice, Ronnie smiled at Giorgio. He might be a shameless flirt but she couldn’t help but like him. Even as she prayed for her situation with David she would also pray for Giorgio to come to know Christ and make him the Lord of his life.

  She walked into his outstretched arms. He hugged her tightly. As she was wearing high heels, they were at the same height. He drew back slightly to kiss one cheek and then the other. And his hands trailed down to rest on her hips.

  “Giorgio…” Ronnie warned, reaching back to remove his hands.

  He gave her a mischievous grin and moved his hands up to gently caress her bare arms.

  “Congratulations again. You are so talented. I am going to place a copy of your book on my coffee table at home. You must come over to ensure it is positioned in the right place, si?” he said in an intimate tone, his eyes drifting down to her mouth.

  “Giorgio, I appreciate your support tonight. Thank you so much for coming,” Ronnie said pointedly, taking a step away from him.

  “Bella cara, I would not have missed it for the world.”

  David had said something similar, yet he wasn’t there. Giorgio, who he had dismissed as a player, was.

  Giorgio crooked a finger under her chin and lifted her head. “What is this? You look sad. You must not look sad. This is a big night for you. Maybe it is because your mystery man is not here.”

  How astute!

  “Giorgio…”

  “Ronnie...he is not worth this heartache, I think. Myself, I would not have abandoned you in this your big moment.”

  Blinking back tears, Ronnie shook her head. She mustered a brave smile and laid a hand on Giorgio’s cheek.

  “You’re sweet.”

  Giorgio covered her hand with his own.

  “No, you are sweet.”

  Ronnie saw a movement by the door and glanced up.

  Her gaze connected with David’s. He was standing in the doorway, and the shock and anger on his face as he stared at the two of them surprised Ronnie. She instantly pulled her hand from Giorgio's face and moved away from him. Giorgio followed her gaze.

  David came towards them. She noticed that he had relaxed his expression. She wondered at the transformation.

  “Ronnie, I'm sorry to be late,” he said, nodding at Giorgio in greeting.

  “That's okay,” she said shrugging as though it didn’t matter one way or another. “Let me get you a glass of champagne. I think there should be some left.”

  “No…that’s okay.”

  “I insist.”

  She needed an excuse to disappear for a few moments to regain her composure. She stopped by the bar and instructed a waiter to take the champagne over to David then headed to the restroom.

  As Ronnie ran the lip gloss tube over her lips and the mascara wand over her lashes, she tried to compose herself. It was extremely disappointing that David had shown up over three hours late. It just showed how far down she was on his list of priorities.

  Ronnie finger-combed her hair then shook it out. She smoothed down her purple silk top and the lines of her fuchsia knee-length skirt, fixed the Swarovski crystal pendant in the center of her chest, and straightened her back. Why did she consistently allow David’s actions to impact her?

  On her return to the room, Ronnie found David and Giorgio in conversation. She joined in, and fifteen minutes later they were still chatting. As Ronnie looked from one to the other, she inwardly sighed at her predicament. Here she was with these two gorgeous guys. One watched her with a twinkle in his eye like he would whisk her off at a moment’s notice. The other watched her with a disapproving frown, as though he wanted to scold her for some unimaginable reason. And the problem was that the frowning one was the one she would give anything to have whisk her away.

  David eventually looked at his watch and told them he had to leave. He reached down and took up the box she now noticed was at his feet.

  “What’s that?” she asked curiously.

  “The remaining copies of your book. One copy is for me, and the other nine will grace the lobbies of the Jones Law branch offices. They weren’t enough here, so I ordered a few more.”

  Ronnie’s breath caught in her throat.

  “Well, I really do have to go,” said David.

  Ronnie watched him walk away and willed him not to go.

  “I’m glad I didn’t leave any earlier.”

  Ronnie turned to Giorgio and found his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “David Jones, huh? Well, I don’t feel quite so bad. He is a worthy adversary.”

  “Goodnight, Giorgio.”

  “Ronnie…come on…”

  “Goodnight, Giorgio.”

  Giorgio rubbed his mouth, but not before she saw the hint of a smile.

  “Goodnight, Ronnie.”

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Then threw her a wink. “…but if things don’t work out…”

  She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.

  He held up his hands in surrender and backed away with a smirk.

  Ronnie ended up leaving ten minutes later. When she walked down the stairs, much to her surprise, she found that David Jones was seated in the lobby.

  “David? What are you still doing here?” she asked trying to control the tremor in her heart.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I wanted to explain to you why I was late and I didn’t want to wait until Monday to do it.”

  “It’s no big deal…” she began.

  “Yes, it is,” he interjected. “I would not have missed this unless it was for a critical reason. I always keep
my promises, Ronnie. I didn’t want you to think I just blew you off.”

  He went on to explain what had happened. She shook her head at the end of the story.

  “My goodness. All this happened, and you still came. You didn’t have to. I would have understood.”

  He looked at her sincerely.

  “You don’t understand. I wanted to come. I wanted to show my support. I know how important this is to you. I deeply regret that I missed this important event in your life.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Upstairs.”

  “I preferred to tell you in private. Fabrizi…”

  He bit his lip and shook his head to the ceiling as though he had caught himself just in time.

  “It’s none of my business as you reminded me before.”

  She wanted to correct him and let him know nothing was going on between Giorgio and herself, but suddenly she felt exhausted. What did it matter what she told him? It wasn’t like he would admit true love if she did. So, she did something she would come to regret in the coming weeks.

  She lifted her chin and said defiantly, “You’re right. It’s not.”

  He stared at her for a long time and then stood.

  “Goodnight,” he said and taking up his box with her books he left.

  Ronnie wanted to call out to David but what was she going to say? She squeezed her eyes shut. How had her big night become such a bittersweet experience?

  Chapter 16

  Over the course of the next two weeks following the launch, it seemed to Ronnie that a chasm had developed between David and her. She hardly saw him, and their only communication was limited to an occasional email or text message asking her to carry out some instruction or another, usually related to the M&A.

  She tried to tell herself that it was to be expected that he would be busy. As the newly-elected state representative of the Sixteenth District, he was now inundated with his congressional duties. He had little time to be at work and the few cases he had been working on, save the M&A, had been re-distributed among the senior partners. His cousin, she noted, was taking on more and more responsibility at Jones Law and undertaking duties David had done in the past.