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Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY JAMIE BRENNER
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. PART TWO
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. PART THREE
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. Acknowledgments
  81. About the Author
  82. What’s next onyour reading list?

“What are you doing over here, sweetheart? You belong next to your mom.”

“She told me to come over here,” the girl said, her eyes filled with tears.

Oh, this was not good. She glanced over and sure enough, Paulina and Elodie seemed to be arguing. In front of everyone! As if they didn’t have enough trouble with the tabloids. She wanted to run over and tell them to cut it out, but that would only attract more attention. Besides, the more important thing was to keep Gemma from getting upset. She’d failed to do the best thing for her own daughters, but she’d be damned if she didn’t do things differently with her granddaughter.

“Oh, well, that’s so nice of Mommy. She must know I need some extra-special company.”

She gave a wink, and the little girl smiled. If only her older girls were so easily placated. She just hoped Alan was right: that the strife would pass.

She didn’t want to think about what the future would look like if he was wrong.

49

Celeste practically floated her way over to Lidia’s house. The diamond was gone! Sold.

The Pavlin curse was no more.

Fans whirred inside but seemed to do little more than move around hot air. Celeste wiped her brow with the back of her hand.

“Great party last night,” Celeste said, accepting Lidia’s hug.

“Should I turn on the air conditioner?”

“No, not on my account. I have to get back to the store.”

Lidia poured two glasses of iced tea and they sat at the table.

She leaned closer to Celeste with a conspiratorial smile on her face.

“I’m glad you stopped by. Here’s the burning question of the day: Do you think your sister and Tito are . . . involved?”

Celeste recalled the moment last night when Tito brought Elodie a drink—the way they looked at each other. She’d given her sister a teasing wink about it but had only been joking.

“Do you?”

Lidia shrugged. “I don’t know. They do spend a lot of time together. Maybe I’m just being my usual hopeless romantic self.”

Celeste suspected that was most likely the case. As far as she knew, her sister hadn’t had a relationship in decades. Not that she was privy to any details about her personal life. Maybe Elodie had tons of love affairs. It was sad how little she knew of her only remaining sister.

But she wasn’t there to talk about Elodie.

“Lidia, I need help planning the wedding. Jack is really eager to get things going.”

“Thought you’d never ask! You could do it here on the water. Or, I was thinking the garden—”

The lights went off and the fans stopped whirring. Lidia walked to the foot of the hallway stairs.

“Manny?”

“Blackout,” he responded from somewhere deep in the house.

“Can you get the generator on?” Lidia yelled back.