9 Bianca #3
“Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. We need to add rose petals to form a little barrier.
All it will take is a couple dozen roses, and we can grab them from the grocery store.
Then we can add some big seashells on top.
Our house has a few being used as decorations that we could bring over.
And I think it would be cool to have a path outlined by candles.
That many candles might be a little trickier to find, but let me see what I can come up with.
And maybe a few flowers here and here.” She pointed at spots on the pictures.
Sylvie slurped her drink. “Her idea is better.”
Luke nodded in agreement. “I think we can do that. I even have some candles left over from some of the Christmas setups. We
can use those.”
“Perfect!” Bianca beamed. “But here’s the kicker.” She clenched her teeth together in the nervous-emoji look. “We need to
set it up while she’s in the shower. After they get back from kayaking.”
Luke looked at the truck bed full of supplies and then back at her. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Sure, you can. We can practice setting everything up now in a different location, like Founders Park or something. Then we’ll
just fold it up and have it standing by. As soon as she’s inside and away from the windows, we pop it all back up.”
“And you think we can pop it up in less than an hour?”
Bianca gave his hand a squeeze. “Of course we can. I’ll even stick around the whole time to help.”
Sylvie kept her no-nonsense gaze on her uncle while she nodded at Bianca. “You heard the lady.”
“I guess I’ve been outvoted.”
“Yes!” Bianca turned and high-fived Sylvie.
“But you’re sure you want to spend your day doing this?” Luke asked again.
Bianca grinned. “Like I said before, I love this kind of stuff. This isn’t work. This is like playing.”
Luke shrugged like he still didn’t get it but returned the binder to the bin. “It’s your vacation.”
***
Forty-five minutes later, after Bianca had a quick shower and Luke picked up the other supplies they needed, she met him and
Sylvie at Founders Park to practice the setup.
“Are you ready for this?” She waggled her eyebrows as Luke and Sylvie walked up, each carrying an armful of supplies.
They hadn’t quite made their way to Bianca when kids playing at the splash pad at the other side of the park called out to
Sylvie. “Come play with us!”
Sylvie looked up at her uncle with a hopeful expression. “Can I?”
“Yeah, go ahead. Just make sure you stay where you can see us.”
“Thank you, Uncle Luke!” She handed her armful of supplies to Bianca, then skipped off toward her friends.
“She’s a great kid,” Bianca said, watching her run up to her friends. “Does she hang out with you often?”
“Every day.”
Bianca couldn’t help the surprise. “Like full-time?”
Luke chuckled. “No, not like that. My sister is a single mom and full-time nurse practitioner, and I help out during the summer
breaks and holidays. I drive Sylvie to her summer camps and let her hang out with me on days when she doesn’t have anything.”
“And buy her sugary drinks?”
“I didn’t say my services were free.”
“Well, she’s lucky to have you,” Bianca said.
“Family is important. We have to stick together.”
“Mmm.” Bianca agreed.
“Speaking of family, I heard your little ploy to set up Jax Verona with your sister worked.”
It was exactly the segue Bianca wanted before she got distracted by the proposal project. “How’d you hear that? They just
went out, like, two nights ago.”
He shrugged. “It’s a small town. People talk.”
“And what else are they saying?”
“That there’s a second date.”
“So, not a lot.” She didn’t know what she was expecting from Luke’s town gossip, but she was hoping for something more...
substantial.
“Not a lot of people get a second date with Jax Verona. Trust me, it’s newsworthy.”
“I have a feeling he’s going to stick around awhile this time.”
Luke studied her. “Do I even want to know why?”
Did she feel bad about stacking the deck so she’d win her bet? Maybe a little, but she also felt justified. For her entire
life she’d been trying to prove to her sisters, especially Savannah, that she was enough: old enough, mature enough, responsible
enough. And, okay fine, there were times when she had proven she wasn’t, but just because it had happened didn’t mean it was
the norm. She was tired of her sisters second-guessing her, tired of them thinking they knew best.
She was tired of failing.
For so long she’d felt like she was trying to find her way, and now she’d finally found it. She’d been introduced to someone
she’d fallen in love with. They had a plan for the future that made sense. Moving to Idaho and marrying Zander was a good
thing. She knew what she was doing, and if winning this bet was how she had to prove it to her sisters, then so be it. She
was not a disappointment.
But her reasons weren’t entirely self-motivated. She believed what she’d said about Cora. Getting out and having fun and connecting
with people would do her some good. She’d gotten so grumpy. So distant. So... boring. She needed a little spice in her
life. Cora needed this. Someday she would thank her.
Probably.
“Any chance your rumor mill had any details about their second date?”
“If it did, I didn’t care enough to pay attention.” Luke seemed unconcerned, busying himself with unloading supplies in an
open patch of sand. “Although, don’t you live in a house with someone who could give you that information?”
“She’s not exactly one for sharing details.” Bianca twisted her mouth to the side and thought. “You don’t happen to have his number, do you?”
“No. We’re not exactly friends. But trust me, Jax has never had a problem impressing the ladies.”
“Yeah, but he’s never tried to impress my sister before.”
This would be the date when her sister would drop whatever charm she used in the first date and bring out the true Cora, who
was an expert at pushing people away. And Bianca didn’t exactly want to warn Jax about what was coming. There was too much
of a risk that he’d take off, not that she would blame him. It would be easier to convince a lion to become vegan than to
get Cora to fall in love. There were easier routes for him to win his bet.
But for her to win hers, she needed him to stick around. She had a few tips for him that might help that happen.
For the record, sharing tips about her sister’s likes and preferences wasn’t artificially prolonging the relationship; it
was helping to make the experience better for both of them.
“Are you sure this is the guy you want for your sister?” Luke asked.
“Trust me, he’s perfect.”
“And you’re not worried about his mysterious past?”
She shrugged. “His background checked out, so I find ‘hit man’ hard to believe.”
“International art thief?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.
Okay, even she had to admit that one was starting to seem plausible, especially after the van Gogh answer. “But is an art
thief really dangerous? One could make the argument that they’re cultured.”
“You’re hopeless.”
“A hopeless romantic.” She grinned up at him innocently.
“But not hopeless enough to let it play out on its own.”
Bianca had said it once, and she’d say it again. “Even fate needs a little nudge sometimes.”