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“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“That’s the reason.”
“Well, thank you for your concern, but I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship with Luca.”
“Good.” Franky looked satisfied with that answer and went back to the movie.
But Skylar was more confused than ever, and she couldn’t stop wondering if Franky was being honest with her or if there was more to it than he was letting on.
THIRTEEN
Thirty minutes before Skylar’s party was to begin, she stepped out of her room in an elegant red evening gown, prepared to celebrate her thirties in style. The dress was form-fitting, flowing to the floor, with a low neckline, open back, and a long slit up one side that stopped mid-thigh. She felt beautiful and sexy, and she might have chosen this dress to get a reaction out of Franky too.
As she came down the stairs, her family came into sight. Franky was there with them, and the enraptured look on his face made all the time she’d spent getting ready totally worth it.
Dad held a handkerchief out to Franky.
“What’s this for?” he asked with a look of confusion.
“Close your mouth, son. It’s not polite to drool.”
“Dad!” Skylar couldn’t believe he had said that or that Franky actually seemed to be blushing.
Her father chuckled as he opened his arms to her. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she replied as she hugged him.
Mom, Sebastian, and Genevieve all took turns showering her with hugs and birthday wishes before they headed into the banquet room.
And then it was just her and Franky.
“Sky …” He shook his head as his eyes traveled down the length of her dress and back. “You are a knockout.”
She was sure her cheeks were the shade of her dress.
“I’m not just saying that. You are drop-dead gorgeous in that dress.”
“You’ve seen me in a dress before.”
“Not this one.” His gaze held a newfound intensity, one which Skylar liked. Very much. He was looking at her the way she had always wanted him to. But she wasn’t sure what it meant, if anything, and she was afraid to hope.
“Are you ready to go in?”
“I am.” She slid her hand through the crook of the arm he offered her, and they headed into the banquet room.
The rustic aesthetic fit seamlessly with the rest of the building’s decor—thick wood posts and ceiling beams, exposed brick on a couple of the walls, and pipes running along the ceiling. Antique lantern chandeliers hung from the beams, and candles lined the tables, giving the space a warm glow. Off to one side was a small round table with a slab of wood in the center, holding a two-tier birthday cake. A few fall leaves and twigs were decorative additions to the cake with its thin layer of icing, which allowed some of the cake to show through. And on the top was a dark metal letter S in a swirly script and a cluster of Michigan cherries.
Skylar glanced over at Franky and almost laughed out loud at his goofy grin. “Why are you smiling so big?”
“I was just thinking, ‘Eat your heart out, paparazzi.’ If only they could see us now.”
She chuckled.
“Seriously though, you’re the most beautiful girl in the place, and I’m the lucky son of a gun who gets to be by your side.”
She had a feeling this wasn’t the last time she was going to blush tonight.
He led her to her family’s table and pulled out the empty chair next to her Grandma Mabel. Skylar sat down beside her maternal grandmother, her only living grandparent.