I sighed, leaning over to give my mom a hug. “Thanks, Mama. I needed that.”

“Anything for my baby girl. And I wasn’t kidding about the alcohol. How about you go get in the shower, and I’ll bring up a glass of wine.”

“If you insist.”

With a smile, she tapped my nose and left for the kitchen.

An hour and a half later, I wrapped up the finishing touches of my outfit and examined myself in the full-length mirror. The dress was perfection—even more beautiful now than I remembered it being in the store. I had pulled my hair up to make sure the low back and reverse necklace were visible, put in understated diamond stud earrings, and topped off the look with a delicate platinum bracelet. The touch of aquamarine in the necklace gemstones brought out the hazel in my eyes, and the dress gave me the illusion of curves.

I felt seductive in the dress—powerful even.

It was a heady feeling and extremely important when I’d be seeing Nico again. Or at least, I thought I would. In actuality, I had no idea what to expect. He had indicated the ball was in my court, but did that mean he would keep his distance? What if he didn’t even show up? The possibility stole a chunk of my newly manufactured confidence like the big bad wolf blowing down the little piggy’s straw house.

Oh well, nothing another glass of wine can’t fix.

I went to slide my phone into my small black clutch and noticed I had missed a text from Michael.

Sorry I missed seeing you yesterday. Seeing his words made me smile as I typed out my reply.

No problem, it was a busy day. I take it you got my gift? In the morning before my graduation ceremony, I’d stopped by his apartment knowing the rest of the weekend would be crazy busy. He’d given me a key to his place a long time ago, but I rarely used it.

It’s perfect, thank you. Ready for your party?

As ready as I’m going to be. Lunch Monday? I wanted to ask him more about the cop but didn’t want to do it over text. On Monday the gallery was closed, so I’d have a chance to have a long lunch with him and catch up.

Sounds great.

“Sofia, you look amazing!” Alessia stood just inside my doorway, her hands over her mouth and a look on her face like a mother sending her daughter off to prom.

“Hey, Lessi! How are you?” I threw the phone in my clutch and hurried over to give my big sister a hug. She wore a gorgeous long-sleeve coral gown that hugged her curves like a second skin. Her dark coloring was the perfect accent to the dress—a shade I would have looked dead in.

“You said you found a dress when we talked on Sunday, but you didn’t tell me it was so stunning.” She pulled back and forced me to take a spin, admiring the total package.