Much later Leo smiled down at Roxy as she lay tangled in his sheets, her face flushed, her hair dishevelled. She grinned up at him. ‘So did it help? Have you decided which mousse?’
‘Both. Two small individual helpings each.’
‘Perfect. I’d like people to sample both. It will hopefully get them talking about Dolci.’
He propped himself up on one elbow. ‘Do you think you’ll stay with Dolci, carve out a corporate career?’
Roxy shook her head. ‘I’ll stay whilst Dolci is still in trouble. I won’t desert Ava. But I hope the whole Casseveti inheritance will get sorted out, and when it does, I want to branch out on my own. My dream is to open a bakery chain, imaginatively called Roxy’s. I’d like to have one in London, New York, Paris and Rome. I’d have a cake service that makes the best, most imaginative wedding cakes in town, I’d run baking classes, I’d have coffee and cake mornings, I’d—’ She stopped. ‘Sorry. I’m being boring.’
Leo shook his head. ‘No. You’re not. I want to hear about your plans and—’ he grinned at her ‘—there is really nowhere else I’d rather be.’
Roxy surveyed her reflection in the mirror, looked round at the bedroom she’d shared with Leo for the past few joyous nights and back at herself. She’d gone all out on the dress, wanted to do justice to the launch dinner. It was a simple sheer black that left her arms and shoulders bare, cinched her waist with a wide band and fell in artful folds to her feet. This was the way she wanted Leo to remember her. She blinked fiercely. Not now. This dinner was so important, and she wanted every single precious memory to be a happy one.
A whistle from behind her pulled her from her reverie and she turned and smiled at Leo.
‘I think my eyes may be about to bug out of my head. You look beyond beautiful.’
‘Right back at you. You look scrumptious.’ Her smile mischievous now, seeing as he still hadn’t got ready, was stood there with only a towel wrapped round his waist, his brown hair shower damp.
‘Thank you kindly. I suppose I’d better get ready, though.’
Reluctantly she nodded. ‘We’ve still got tonight,’ she said, trying to keep her voice light, all too aware that it had dipped.
One last night. The words seemed to hover in the air.
And then Leo smiled, a smile that seemed to indicate he was more than good with that. And why shouldn’t he be? He didn’t love her, not without the pity glasses on. ‘We’ll make it a night to remember,’ he said.
‘Starting now. I’ll go down and double-check on the cake and desserts before the guests get here.’ And later, no matter what, she would make sure their last hours together would create precious memories.
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