Chapter Thirty-Six Ava
A week had passed since Dare had ended Wesley’s threat against me. When he returned from Boston, we didn’t talk about it. Instead, he swaggered in with his usual bravado, teasing Piper by pretending to talk for her kittens and leaving me breathless from a make-out session in the walk-in pantry.
He’d accompanied Piper and me to dinner with my parents. Regardless of how charming he was, my parents simply weren’t having it. When Dare would try to initiate conversation with them, they would reply in very vague terms. They tried as best they could to ignore him.
Of course, that was a hard thing with Piper sitting in his lap looking like his spitting image.
When we’d had a moment alone, I called Mom out on it. “It’s not that we don’t like him,” she argued.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s who he is.”
“He’s so much more than that,” I had argued.
But deep down, I was starting to worry that maybe he wasn’t. After his trip to Boston to take care of Wesley, something remained off with him.
He claimed the reason bodyguards remained at the house was because he was staying there now. He claimed his presence made it necessary. He claimed he had his head buried in his phone because of the casino opening.
I didn’t want to think he was lying to me. But deep in my heart, I knew there was more going on than he was telling me.
And it scared the hell out of me.
For tonight, I chose to ignore my fears. Tonight was about feeling alive and having fun being on the arm of an extremely handsome man. Tonight was about an expensive designer dress and having my hair and makeup professionally done. Tonight was about glamour and excess.
Tonight was the opening of the Celtic Grand in Philadelphia.
At the moment, I didn’t feel very glamorous. With my garment bag thrown over one arm and Piper’s overnight bag in the other, I wrangled Piper up the steps of my parents’ house. They were going to babysit. After Dare had watched Piper for me to go to the spa for my hair and makeup, he was getting ready at my house before he came to pick me up.
Dad flung open the door before we got onto the top step. “There’s my girl.”
“Pappouli!” Piper shrieked as she abandoned her suitcase to barrel forward.
After Dad swept her into his arms, he turned back to me. His eyes popped wide at the sight of my hair and makeup. “Ava Helena Caras is that you?”
I laughed. “Yeah, Dad, it’s me.”
“You’re absolutely stunning.”
“Aw, thanks,” I replied.
To my utter surprise, tears shimmered in his eyes. “You look just like your mother.”
“Mom’s a stunner for sure.”
With a slight shake of his head, he replied, “Yes, yes. Helena is a stunner.”
Unease pricked over me at the exchange. But then Mom appeared in the doorway. She glanced between Dad and me. Understanding that I didn’t possess passed over her face. “You look like a queen, sweetheart.”
Trying to lighten the mood, I teased, “I’ll start going to the spa more often if it means getting compliments like this.”
With a flick of her wrist, Mom ushered us inside. As Dad and Piper disappeared into the living room, Mom followed me up the stairs. After slipping inside my childhood bedroom, I deposited the garment bag on the bed before heading into the bathroom to put down my cosmetic bag.
When I came back out, Mom was unzipping the garment bag. At the sight of the sparkly ocean blue material, a beaming smile lit up her face. “Oh, Ava, it’s gorgeous.”
“You don’t think it’s too much? Dare’s sister-in-laws insisted on taking me shopping at a high-end boutique in Boston.”
She shook her head. “You’re attending a casino opening on the arm of the owner. You need to be too much and more.”
I laughed. “If you say so.”
As she eyed the neckline, she asked, “Did Dare mention having jewelry for you?”
“Not that I know of.”
After nibbling her bottom lip, she then snapped her fingers. “I have just the thing.”
“Are you sure? I was thinking I didn’t need anything with all the beading.”
“You need this.”
“Okay. If you insist.”
“Be right back.”
After Mom disappeared from the bedroom, I took my dress out of the garment bag. I’d put on the necessary undergarments at the spa, which included a bustier and Spanx. Of course, once I had it on, I realized I desperately needed someone to zip it for me.
After craning my neck out of the bedroom door, I called, “Mom, can you hurry? I need you to come zip me up.”
“Coming,” she shouted back from her bedroom down the hall.
I was just about to call her again when she appeared. “Sorry. I was digging this out of the safe.”
My gaze zeroed in on the velvet box in her hands. “We have a safe?”
With a laugh, she replied, “Yes, we do.”
“I’m thirty-three years old and just learning this. What other secrets are you and Dad hiding?”
Although I was just teasing, Mom’s face flushed. “Your father and I are too boring for secrets,” she quickly replied.
Mom put the box down on the bed so she could zip me up. Once she finished, I stepped over to the floor-length mirror to take in my appearance.
Although I hadn’t meant to pay homage to my culture, I’d ended up choosing a midnight blue and white chiffon dress. While the bottom was flowy, the bodice was encrusted with silver beading. As I stood in front of the mirror, I did a little twirl to watch the hemline dance.
“I feel like it’s prom all over again,” Mom mused.
“Except I’m in a ten thousand dollar gown.”
A strangled noise erupted from her throat. “You’re joking.”
“I wish.”
“Well, then I suppose this necklace will go well with it.”
Leaving my spot by the mirror, I went over to Mom who held the velvet box again. When she cracked the lid, it was my turn to make a strangled noise. “Holy shit,” I mused.
“Ava,” Mom chided.
“You’re holding a sapphire and diamond encrusted necklace that is definitely not a costume piece. What else am I supposed to say?”
She grinned at me. “I suppose if I was seeing it for the first time I would say the same.”
“Excuse me, but how in the hell do you have this?”
“It’s a family heirloom.”
“A very expensive one.”
She nodded. “Obviously not one from our family.”
Furrowing my brows, I said, “I don’t understand.”
“This was gifted to Thea on her twenty-first birthday.”
“Was she dating a prince?”
Mom’s nervous titter had me dropping my hand from the velvet box. “Dimitrios wasn’t a prince, but he was very wealthy.”
Although it was stereotypical of wealthy Greeks, I couldn’t help asking, “Like a shipping magnate?”
“Yes. Like that.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned Thea having a boyfriend.”
A faraway look came over Mom’s face. “Despite being from two different worlds, they were very much in love.”
I couldn’t help comparing my sister to Dare and me. I wonder if she ever felt overwhelmed by Dimitrios’s world like I did with Dare’s. There’d been so many times in my life when I wished I could’ve known her, and this was one of them.
After swiping the back of her hand under eyes, Mom eased the necklace out of the box. “Let’s put it on you.”
When it flattened against my skin, I jumped. “What’s wrong?” Mom asked.
“A rough prong or something scratched me.”
Furrowing her brows, Mom reached underneath the necklace. As she ran her fingers on the bottom, she paused. “It feels like the backing has come undone. Let me see if I can snap it back into place.”
“Even if you can’t, I’m wearing it.”
Mom laughed. “The old adage that beauty is pain, huh?”
“Exactly.”
At a click, Mom’s hand stopped moving. “There. Got it.”
As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I gasped. “Holy shit, I’m Cinderella.”
“Yes, my beautiful one. You are.”
When the doorbell rang, it brought me out of my trance. “That’s Dare.”
Mom followed me out of the bedroom. When we got downstairs, Dad had let Dare in. Despite being outfitted in a sleek tux, Dare had Piper in his arms as she rattled away to him. The sight caused my heart to once again do a funny flip-flop.
When he caught sight of me, Dare froze talking to Piper. His eyes widened before his signature smirk curved on his lips. “Look how beautiful Mommy is.”
As my face flushed under his compliment, Piper turned to gaze at me. “Oh Mommy, you’s a pwincess!”
I laughed as I twirled again. “I was just saying how much I felt like Cinderella.”
“You do,” Piper murmured.
Motioning to Dare, I said, “Doesn’t Daddy look handsome?”
“He’s like a pwince!”
Dare positively preened under our compliments. “While I’ll take a prince, I much rather you call me James Bond.”
“Dream on,” I laughed.
The volume on the television suddenly blared. “Tobias, are you that hard of hearing?” Mom teased.
Dad responded by pointing to the screen. I sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of Wesley’s face. “After being missing for a week, the body of thirty-five-year-old Wesley Stayton was found washed ashore on the South Channel. Police are asking anyone who might have any information about this homicide to contact the Gloucester Police Department.”
After Mom and Dad exchanged a glance, Dad headed straight for Dare. “Dad, wait,” I said.
Dare eyed my father cautiously. “Do you have something to say to me, Mr. Carras?”
With a nod, Dad extended his hand. “Thank you.”
While I gasped in surprise, Dare remained impassive. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I think you do. And hear me when I say, I am grateful.”
A moment passed between them before Dare shook Dad’s hand. “You have my word that no one will ever hurt your girls as long as I’m around.”
“I appreciate that. More than you’ll ever know.”
Thankfully, Piper brought levity to the tense moment by asking, “Why’s Dare and Pappouli grumpy?”
As we laughed, Dare replied, “Because Pappouli wants to look as fly as I do.”
“Yous silly.”
“All right miss sassy. Give me a kiss,” Dare said before picking Piper up. She gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek before wrapping her arms around his neck. “Are you going to be a good girl?”
“Mm, hmm.”
“Am I going to owe you a present for being good?”
“Mm, hmm,” she said with a grin.
“You’re just like Julianna. Always expecting me to bring something,” Dare mused as he put Piper back down on her feet.
“Come give Mommy a kiss and then we really have to go,” I said, as I bent over.
With a final goodbye, we made out the door. “Are you ready for tonight?” Dare asked.
“Don’t I look ready?”
He chuckled. “I mean for the media and all that frenzy.”
“Should I be?”
“It’s a little overwhelming if you’re not used to it.”
As Dare held open the SUV door for me, I countered, “And when would I be used to photographers?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” With a wink, he added, “Just think, your face will be in all the newspapers on the eastern seaboard by morning.”
“You’re so dead,” I replied.
***
After a quick flight from Boston, we arrived in Philadelphia to clear skies. An SUV was waiting for us on the tarmac, and once we loaded up, it took us to the Celtic Grand. I felt like I could already picture everything about the casino from the way Dare had been consumed by it. Although it was basically the same design at the Boston casino, Dare had added certain details to highlight the city’s history.
When we arrived, I couldn’t believe the crowd of press outside the SUV. “You weren’t kidding about the photographers, were you?”
“All you have to do is smile and pose when they ask.”
“Easier said than done.”
“You are my beautiful Grecian goddess, and you will wow them with your beauty, grace, and style.”
“You are such a charmer.”
He winked. “Come on.”
The instant the door opened, flashbulbs started going off. You would’ve thought Dare was an A-list actor, not a casino owner. His name was shouted over and over, asking him to turn a certain way or smile.
After he helped me out, I plastered on a smile. Dare led me up the carpet, stopping to talk to certain reporters. Most of them ignored my presence, which was fine by me. A couple asked who I was, to which Dare replied, “His beautiful girlfriend.”
I was never more grateful when we got inside the casino. After Dare escorted us to a VIP room, I exhaled another relieved breath at the sight of his family. All of his brothers were there and their wives. Maeve was there along with her husband and his brothers. It was one big happy reunion. I knew it meant so much to Dare to have his family’s support.
With my nerves on edge, I grabbed a flute of champagne from one of the passing waiters. I’d already downed it when Callum called for a toast. After grabbing another one, Dare leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Don’t think I won’t take advantage of you if you get tipsy.”
Giggling, I replied, “When has my sobriety ever stopped you?”
He laughed. “We have to christen the casino sometime tonight.”
“Do we?”
Dare nodded. “Banging you brought good luck to the Boston casino. So, I want to do the same here.”
“Be still my heart.”
His teeth grazed my earlobe, causing me to shiver. When Callum called his name, he reluctantly pulled away from me. After the toast, we each got a thousand dollars in chips and then headed out onto the floor to spend them.
Since Dare was the man of the hour, I found myself alone. Nursing another glass of champagne, I tried my hand at the roulette wheel and then a hand of two of Blackjack, which Nicklaus and Giorgios had taught me.
After tripling my money, I went in search of Dare. I found him surrounded by important men in tuxes who I imagined were some of the investors. Craning my neck, I glanced around to see where Caterina and Isla had gone.
When I spotted them, I started to make my way over when an older man stepped into my path. “Oh,” I cried in surprise.
He gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry if I frightened you. I just had to come and ask you about your necklace.”
With his wiry form and glasses, he didn’t appear to be much of a threat, so I didn’t feel the need to run away from him. “Really?”
He nodded. “I’m an appraiser for Tiffany’s.”
“What an interesting job.”
“It is.” Motioning to the necklace, he said, “May I get a better look?”
“Sure.” I didn’t understand why he asked permission to look until I realized he would be hovering close to my chest. I glanced around hoping Dare didn’t see him. I knew he would lose his shit regardless if the man was older or an appraiser.
After he eased back, he said, “It’s exquisite. Where did you purchase it?”
“Thank you. Actually, it’s a family heirloom.”
“Of course. I should’ve known, considering its vintage look.”
“Do you think it’s very old?”
“Yes. I would say a hundred years at least.”
My fingers ran over the stones. “That’s amazing.”
“If I were to wager, I would say it’s Greek in design. It’s not well-known, but many sapphires are mined there.”
“You’re really good. That’s where my family is from.”
“I do know my stones.” After a quick nod, he replied, “Thanks for allowing me to use my skills.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Good evening.”
“And the same to you.”
With my hands still on my necklace, I headed over to Caterina and Isla. “What was that about?” Isla asked.
“He was interested in my necklace.”
“Are you sure he didn’t want to get up close and personal with the girls?” Caterina teased.
I laughed. “No. He seriously was just an appraiser wanting to check out my necklace.”
“I wonder if he could get us some good deals,” Isla pondered.
“He said he worked for Tiffany’s.”
She gasped. “I shouldn’t have let him get away.”
I laughed. “Maybe we can hunt him down.”
Caterina shook her head. “The only thing I’m interested in at the moment is more of those tiny quiches.”
“Mm, those do sound good,” Isla mused.
“I’m starved. Let’s get the whole tray.”
Laughing, we started off in pursuit of the cater waiters. While we found many quiches, we didn’t see the appraiser again.