Greater Than Rubies, a Novella inspired by the Jewel Trilogy (25 page)

Sarah reached out and put a tentative light hand on Robin’s shoulder. “Did he, you know, did he do something?”

Robin shook her head slowly. “No.” She sobbed as she said, “He didn’t do anything. He didn’t do anything at all. He is absolutely as wonderful as ever.”

ONY
shifted his portfolio in his hand and opened the door to Robin’s office. For the briefest second, he had a chance to observe her working, head down, scribbling on a scheduling sheet in front of her. Then she looked up, and the distracted concentrated look abandoned her face, replaced with hesitation and apprehension. He prayed, as he had been praying all morning, that this went smoothly. Because, he honestly never wanted to see that look on her face when she looked at him ever again.

He stepped into the office and shut the door, reaching behind him to lock it. Robin leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow. “Is that to keep me in or others out?”

“
Qualunque
,” he said with a shrug. At her blank look, he said, “Whichever.”

Her eyes flashed and he watched her look at the door then at him. “I see.”

He walked to her desk and set the portfolio on top of it. “I had Margaret call Stephanie today about RSVP’s and just to – well, in general – to make small talk. Apparently, the wedding is still on.”

Robin’s cheeks turned red and she looked at the blotter in front of her. “I guess I should call and cancel. But – ”

“But that seems final and extreme,” he finished for her. “And very, very real.” He pulled a piece of paper out of the portfolio.

Robin’s eyes swam with tears. “I don’t want this.” Her voice sounded raw. She ripped open the desk drawer and pulled out her tin of mints. Her hands trembled and it took her a second to open it and pop one into her mouth.

“But you want this?” he asked, tossing her two-week resignation notice onto the desk in front of her.

“Of course not,” she said, pushing the paper toward him. “But I can’t keep working for you, either.”

“Why not?”

“Because I love you too much to constantly see you and talk to you, to work as your subordinate when I want nothing more than to be by your side.”

Tony’s heart skipped a furious beat in his chest. He took a deep breath and sat down. “I’ve never had a restaurant run with such love as what you give this place. I am here to ask you to reconsider quitting.”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question.” She leaned back in her chair and rested her elbows on the arm, clutching her pen with both hands. “I can’t do it. It will hurt too much.”

Tony pulled a stack of papers out of the case. “You won’t need to worry about that,” he said. He tossed them in front of her.

“What are these?” She leaned forward and picked up a packet, recognizing the layout of a legal court document.

“These,” he said as he sat in the chair across from her, “are the documents to legally dissolve my stakes in all of my companies. I will sell shares, give some away, and hand over corporate responsibilities to someone else, depending on the company. Metaphorically, I’m putting this game back in the box. When these documents are executed I will be penniless and, in a few short months, homeless, too.” He straightened his tie. “I started with nothing. I can certainly start over.”

He said it all very matter-of-factly while his insides turned to a boiling mass of fear and emotion. “But I can only face something like that with you by my side,
cara
.”

“What?” Robin furiously flipped through a packet of paper. “What are you talking about?”

“Well,” Tony said, “you have an issue with my money and my status. So, I’ll make those things a non-issue.”

“What about your employees?”

“Obviously, some of them will need new employers.”

Robin tossed the packet on top of her desk. “Is this some kind of joke?”

He narrowed his eyes and very dangerously said, “Why in the name of the most holy God would you think anything about this is a joke?”

“Because you sound very casual about something that should be much more important to you.”

He was around the desk, gripping the arms of her chair with both hands and leaning down so that his face was close to hers before he even realized he was in motion. “This is one of the most important things in my life, I can assure you. But, as important as it is, you are a million times more important. Do you understand that?” He shook the chair so that it rattled. “Do you get that I would do anything for you? Sell off everything, become a penniless pauper, have a celibate marriage – anything I need to have you by my side.”

Robin’s breath hitched and she put her hand on her chest. “How do I – ?”

Kneeling to take her hands with his, he gentled his voice. “My darling love, you tell me what to do. You tell me how to fix it so that you are willing to be with me. I don’t need companies or money or things. But I need you.”

Tears slid down her cheeks, breaking him into a million pieces. “You can’t disband Viscolli Enterprises,” she said. “God uses it for too much good.”

“Robin, that is exactly wrong. God does not need me. I need Him. And I assure you, He will find other ways to use us.”

“No.” Shredded pieces of Tony’s heart landed at her feet at the finality of the tone in her voice. “No. You can’t do that. There are ministries, shelters, orphanages. I can’t be responsible for that.” Tony bowed his head and closed his eyes. He rested his forehead on their joined hands, broken. “If you will make me a couple of promises, then maybe I can marry you.”

It took a second for her words to penetrate the mist of desolation in his brain. As soon as he understood her, he looked up. “What promises?”

Robin took a deep shaky breath and brushed the hair on his forehead. He felt the tingle from the touch of her fingertips go down the nape of his neck. “I can’t jump right in to your world. I need to gradually get my feet wet. Keep our social engagements to a bare minimum for at least a year.”

“Done.”

“Don’t leave my side during a function and leave me floundering without you.”

“
Cara
, I would not want to leave your side for any reason.”

“I don’t want to talk to any reporters without you.”

“Already done.”

As her eyes welled with fresh tears, she put a shaking hand on his cheek. “I’m so afraid of our wedding night. I can’t even think straight. How will I get through the ceremony in front of all those people? How will I ever handle the reception and the small talk and hours of socializing knowing what waits for me?”

Tony reached forward and cupped her cheeks with his hands. “My darling, what horror of horrors waits for you is me. Robin, my beloved, I will never hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid of me. But, I promise you, that everything will go at your pace and any time you want to stop, I will stop. Every time. As for the other, I have an idea.”

T
two p.m., Barry’s phone chimed and he distractedly said, “Yes, Elizabeth?”

“Sir, Tony Viscolli is here to see you.”

Intrigued, Barry slipped off his reading glasses and shut the lid of his laptop. “Send him in.”

Tony never came to visit him. Barry always went to him. It didn’t bother him because, after all, Tony was the client. In their personal meetings, they typically met outside of their individual offices. But their last meeting two days ago had taken place in this very office and ended with each of them feeling extremely tense. Barry wasn’t even certain exactly where their friendship stood right now.

He pushed back from his desk and stood, slipping on his suit jacket as Tony came through the door. Tony carried a leather portfolio, but was dressed down in khaki slacks and a black cotton sweater. Barry could see the wet cuffs of his pants and knew Tony had spent the morning out on the water, rowing. He knew that was what Tony did to get completely away from all distractions and to think while his body worked the boat through the water. He also knew Tony chose that sport above all others because it was the sport of choice for the blue-bloods of this part of the country.

As Barry rounded his desk, his friend spoke first. “I owe you an apology for the way I spoke to you the last time we were together,” he said.

Barry paused in the buttoning of his coat. He raised an eyebrow, but did not reply. Tony continued speaking. “I was extremely emotional at the moment and not quite acting myself.”

Barry nodded. “Hence the whole ‘are you sure you want to do this’ question from me and the observation regarding your mental state.”

“I understand. I needed to do it, but I understand why you questioned it and what you said.” He opened the portfolio and pulled out a stack of papers. “Robin and I have reconciled.” He set the papers on the conference table near him. “You can destroy these documents.”

Barry waged an internal debate for about ten seconds before finally stepping forward. “Can we talk?”

“Of course,” Tony said. He pulled out a leather chair from the table and sat, crossing his legs and brushing at his knee.

Barry sat next to him and said, “Tony, if there is even the most remote possibility of any issues with this marriage, I’m asking you as your best friend and your Best Man to reconsider it.”