Chapter 21: The Engagement Party

Abe picked up the card and read it once.

Then he took the dress out of the box by its shoulders and held it up to the window.

"I'll burn it in Hank's barrel," he said.

"No." I took it from him. "I'll wear it."

"Yvette."

"Let him see me in it," I said. "Right up until he doesn't like what he sees."

Finn looked up from his cereal-box garage.

"Are you getting married?"

"No, baby."

"Then why is it white?"

"Because somebody wants to see me in it," I said. "And I want to see his face."

Finn thought about it.

"Technically," he said, "that's a trick."

"Technically, it is."

At seven o'clock my flagship was full.

Every camera in the room found the white dress before it found anything else.

I wore Abe's grandmother's ring turned so the worn gold showed.

Cruger's chief financial officer lifted her glass to me across the room and didn't drink from it.

My board chair kissed my cheek and whispered, "Whatever this is, I hope it's good."

"It's good," I said.

Russell's mother came to me before he did.

She was small and silver-haired, in black, with a cane she didn't seem to need.

She had Abe's eyes.

"You're Yvette," she said, and took both my hands. "Russell says you've been so brave about Abram."

I couldn't speak for a second.

"Stay by the stairs tonight," I said. "Near me. Please."

She looked at me strangely, and then she stayed.

Across the room, a waiter in a white jacket was moving toward the stairs.

He held his tray too high, flat on his palm.

His eyes weren't on the guests.

They were on me.

He got halfway.

The two men with empty trays came out of nowhere, one on each side of him.

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