34. Jenn

Chapter 34

Jenn

I tied my new pink silk scarf around my neck, donned my new sunglasses, and tucked Emmett’s credit card into my purse.

Chloé, the amazing shopping assistant, handed over the last of my bags. “Have an unforgettable evening.”

“I will.” After last night, this morning, and now the shopping, unforgettable was a given. “And thanks for all your help.”

Emmett had come in with me, setting both a minimum and maximum amount for me to spend. Not trusting me to reach the threshold, he’d told Chloé to help me shop until I hit twenty thousand euros. I had the requisite dress, shoes, jewelry, and handbag for this evening, along with new underwear and everyday accessories.

‘This is how undercover works,’ he’d said. ‘If you don’t fit the part, no one will buy you as my date.’

Scarlett dressed like this on a regular basis. I’d always known she spent a lot on clothes, but had no idea how much. It wasn’t all business expenses, was it? Did she and Emmett honestly make so much they could afford all of this?

Maybe I needed a career change.

I stepped out into the warm August day. Across the street, a small snack shop sat amidst several tables and chairs. Emmett and Will sat at a table isolated from the others. A couple, a family, and a few other people scattered around the rest of the seating area. Beyond them, the port was full of yachts and superyachts.

Including Massimo’s.

With the fake Constable.

I glanced down the street, watching for a break in traffic. Rav, Jayce, and Drew were further down the sidewalk, out of earshot, unless I yelled. I could practically see the storm cloud gathering around Rav’s head.

What was going on?

You’re supposed to meet Emmett. Stay on track. I stepped in between a couple of parked cars, watching as a Ferrari and a Bentley motored by. Monaco really was a whole other world.

I darted across the street when there was an opening, focused on Emmett. My stomach did a few flip-flops, and I did my best to hold down the smile that would give us away. Although, Will wasn’t the type to figure out something like that. Not like Rav. If I smiled at Emmett the way I wanted to, Rav would know in an instant.

Although, had Emmett already given it away? He’d said we wouldn’t tell anyone yet. Emmett was always so smooth. But could he hide…

Wait a second. Did Emmett’s feelings exist outside of the bedroom? Well, outside of the hotel suite? They certainly hadn’t been confined to a bedroom last night. Or this morning.

Emmett’s rich brown eyes met mine, and he gave a curt nod. Yep. He was hiding it plenty fine. No problem at all.

Will craned his neck around to face me. Just as serious.

Had their meeting not gone well? Was that why Rav was marching off, with Jayce practically running to keep up with him?

As I approached, Emmett said, “Looks like you did well.”

I sat at the table, put down my bags, and fished Emmett’s credit card out of my purse. “I have all the receipts.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

I peered into the bags and pointed to them in order. “Shoes, clutch, dress, jewelry. The shoe and jewelry selection was limited, but Chloé selected some beautiful pieces. She also had a few dresses that arrived last week, so I’ve got something brand new from a local designer.”

An array of boxes and gadgets littered the table in front of Will—his default, as long as I could remember. Will was Scarlett’s little sister’s best friend, so he’d been a part of my life almost as long as the rest of the Reynolds family. His father had been a carpenter and taught Will how to carve and fit woodwork. As he grew older, the materials grew more complex. He and Brie used to spend hours assembling electronics of all sorts.

“Will,” I said, “I haven’t seen you since your father passed. I was sorry to hear about it.”

Will gave me a tight-lipped smile.

“Are you still living in London with your mom?”

“I am.”

“Any thoughts of moving back home?”

“My sister’s staying with her right now.” Will looked up at Emmett and then at me. “I expect when I get home, we’ll start talking about assisted living.”

Emmett said, “Brie mentioned you were already looking into it?”

“She’s so young.” Will pulled the dark tablet from the center of the table, staring at it. “Whenever she’s in the hospital or gets particularly bad, I look into options. The waitlists are so long… And when she comes out of whatever spot she’s in, we switch back into our normal routine, and I don’t have time to think about it.”

I put my hand on Will’s. “It might be better to start the process early and defer if you have to, rather than waiting until it’s too late?”

“Some voice in my head says I can fix her like I can fix anything else.” Will nodded slowly and started packing his things into his backpack. “But I can’t.”

Despite my father being a judgmental jerk at times, at least I had him and my mom.

“You’re a good son to—” My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my bag. Shit. I showed it to Emmett. “It’s Dante.”

After I’d retrieved my phone from security at Casino Rocher last night, I’d found one call and a few texts from Dante, asking if I was all right. I’d messaged him, claiming my stomach was still upset, but I’d be fine.

“I should go,” said Will, standing with his backpack. “I’ll see you?—”

“After the auction,” said Emmett. He gestured to my phone. “Let me listen.”

I took a deep breath and answered the call, while Will wandered away. “Hello, Dante.”

“Jenn, how are you feeling?” Dante’s voice was warm with concern. “You left the yacht so suddenly yesterday.”

I glanced at Emmett, who leaned close enough to hear both sides of the conversation. “I’m much better. The seasickness passed this morning.”

“I’m glad,” Dante said. “I wanted to update you on… Papa confirmed there was indeed a mix-up, and we suspect the conservator was behind it. That’s likely why he’s not returned to town. We believe he swapped the paintings, planning to eventually sell the real Constable on the black market. We’ll ensure the correct one gets to the auction tonight.”

Emmett shook his head, a subtle frown expressing his skepticism.

“Will you be returning to the gallery to finish work on the copy?” Dante asked. “We were all fooled, but you still did excellent work and deserve to be paid.”

“Oh, well, anyone can put it into the frame now,” I said. “Once the varnish is no longer tacky, it should be fine. Since it’s not actually a Constable, you don’t need me.”

Dante paused before he spoke again. “I was hoping to speak with you, Jenn.”

My stomach twisted almost as much as I’d claimed it had yesterday. “I’m sorry. I’m quite busy at the moment.”

“Of course,” Dante said, his tone shifting slightly. Suspicious? “How did everything go with Emmett?”

‘He’s in love with you,’ Dante had said.

That was not what was going on with Emmett. Was it?

“Everything went well,” I said carefully, not wanting to give him an opportunity to probe deeper. I wasn’t prepared for Emmett to hear Dante’s theory. “But I need to go.”

“Of course. And thank you for your discretion about the painting.”

After we hung up, Emmett frowned. “Discretion? That’s likely the real reason he called. He wants to ensure you don’t tell anyone they hired you to clean a fake.”

“I don’t know.” It didn’t make sense. Dante had been so nice to me. He’d been so encouraging. How could he be caught up with kidnappers?

“You believed in him, and it’s hard to shake that.” Emmett’s hand dropped to my lap, and he stroked my thigh. “You’re holding up so well despite everything that’s happened.”

I pushed my sunglasses into my hair. “Your whole team’s gone?”

His gaze flicked past me, scanning where they’d vanished. “They are.”

“So what now?”

“Is there any lingerie in those bags?”

“I might have had Chloé toss in…” I bit my lip, trying to invoke the woman I’d been last night. “Something special for you.”

“For me?”

“For tonight.” I rummaged in the accessories bag and pulled out a small black box. “I know it seems silly to buy you something with your own money, but?—”

“No, it’s thoughtful.” He pulled the lid off, revealing a gold silk pocket square. “For tonight?”

“Yeah.” I pulled out the V-neck of my shirt and tucked the square into my bra. “I’ll hold onto it until we’re almost ready to go.”

“It’ll smell like you.” He took hold of my scarf and pulled me close, his lips grazing mine. “I love it already.”

I draped my arms over his shoulders. “There’s more in the bag for after the auction.”

He gave me a quick peck on the lips, let go of my scarf, and sat back. His eyes crinkled as I sat back. “I got you something, too.”

He pulled a white bracelet box from his jacket pocket. He handed it to me with a look that was hard to decipher—something between excitement and hesitation.

When had he bought this?

I opened the box, and my breath caught. A thin gold bracelet nestled inside the box beside a small gold screwdriver. It wasn’t just any bracelet. It was a Love bracelet. Iconic, ridiculously expensive, and meaningful. My mind raced. Was our relationship advancing this quickly? “Emmett, this is… I don’t know what to say.”

“You need to dress the part for tonight. I hope it matches the rest of the jewelry you bought.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost shy.

Dress the part. Right. This was how undercover worked, and I was reading too much into it. It was another business expense.

Right?

And why didn’t I want him to confirm?

“Let me put it on you,” he said, his voice softer, almost tender. He took the bracelet from the box and used the delicate screwdriver to secure it around my wrist. “Perfect fit.”

I looked up at him, searching his face for any hint of his honest feelings. Was this all business? Or was there more? Unfortunately, Emmett was a master at keeping his emotions in check, revealing only what he wanted me to see.

“It’s beautiful.”

“ You are beautiful,” he whispered, before leaning in again.

His lips met mine, soft and warm. The kiss was tender, almost achingly so. His hand ran up my neck, his thumb gently caressing my skin. I melted into him, savoring the sweetness of the moment. There was a depth to this kiss that felt different from everything last night or this morning. It was slower, more deliberate, as if he was trying to convey something he couldn’t put into words.

Maybe it was the lingering doubt about what this all meant, or the fear it might end as quickly as it began. Whatever the reason, I clung to Emmett a little tighter, trying to memorize every sensation.

When we finally parted, I searched his eyes, hoping to find answers to questions I wasn’t even sure how to ask. Did he regret what we’d done? What would come next? Did he feel the way I did?

He took a slow breath, his thumb continuing to stroke my cheek. “I don’t want to spoil this moment, but I need to tell you something.”

My heart stopped. What now?

He just kissed you, so calm down.

“I need you to understand…” He raked his teeth over his bottom lip, brow furrowing. “It was your father.”

What was my father? “What?”

He sighed and cupped my cheeks, his touch firm yet uncertain, as if bracing me for bad news. “When we were fifteen. He saw me kiss you that night and confronted me. Said I wasn’t…”

My heart started again and sank. My father? Considering the horrible things he’d said to me about Emmett, what would he have said to the boy himself?

“It doesn’t matter what he said. I thought you should know I didn’t do it on purpose. I was…” He shook his head. “I was young and didn’t fight for you.”

He’d had to fight so many people when he was younger. But kids. Teens. Not adults. At least, I hadn’t realized it was adults, too. Scarlett hid everything so well.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

Emmett peered over my shoulder, his hands dropping to my scarf. “Rav suspects something’s going on between us. He said some things about back then and…” He let his head roll forward, so I couldn’t see his eyes.

I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head. “That was fifteen years ago. It’s in the past.”

He whispered, “I’m not a bad man.”

So many people told him he wasn’t good enough, including my own father. And now Rav? I lifted his face so he had to look at me and truly absorb my next words.