Celeste stood up and walked a few paces to stand next to him.

She looked down at the red bricks at her feet, the foundation of the pergola. And there, a stone inscribed with a French quote by Jean de la Fontaine: Patience and time do more than strength or passion.

She’d seen the words countless times before, and for the first time, she realized a word was missing: faith. That was all she could do—take a leap.

She reached for Jack’s hand. “I think this is a perfect spot for our wedding. I love you.”

He leaned forward and kissed her.

The cursed diamond had been sold. She and her sister were back on good terms. And Paulina’s daughter was back in her life. She would ride the wave of positive momentum.

It was in the stars.

The more she thought about it, the more Connor’s comment about buying Maud’s house felt like a red flag. It bothered Gemma perhaps past the point of reason. Maybe it was a misunderstanding—a miscommunication. She wanted to clear it up by talking to Connor, but he was at the gallery and didn’t like when she visited him there. Which, now that she thought about it, was another red flag: Weeks ago, when they first started to get to know each other, Connor asked Gemma—in the nicest way possible—not to visit him at work.

“You’re just too distracting,” he’d said, kissing her.

“Oh, come on,” she’d said, certain he was teasing her.

Today, she didn’t care. She marched right in.

A pair of men wearing chunky glasses stood near the entrance, gazing up at a bright painting that took up most of one wall. The space was small—she could take it all in with one sweeping glance. She spotted Connor standing behind a small, modernist white desk near the back. He was talking on his cell phone but extricated himself from the call as soon as he noticed her.

He crossed the room with his long strides. “Hey, babe,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Listen, now’s not a great time . . .”

“I need to talk to you for a minute.”

He seemed about to protest, took another look at her expression, and reconsidered.

“Sure. But I’m expecting an important client I have to deal with, so if she walks in . . . we’ll pick up whatever this is tonight.”

“You told me you made an offer on the house you’re in, right?”

Connor nodded and crossed his arms. “Yep. That’s right.”

“Did the owner respond?”

“Why? Did you see another house you want to show me?” He grinned. “Because if you see something else you like, I could switch gears. As long as you promise to be spending a lot of time with me there.” He looped his arm around her waist.