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Vincent to have him come back and drive me home. Putting down his BlackBerry, he begins to fidget with his tie.
    “Here,” I say. “Let me do that.”
    As I flip up his collar and straighten the knot — always a double Windsor — he gently caresses my cheek.
    “I love you. I adore you. You know that, right?” he asks.
    “Do I?”
    “You better.”
    I give him “the Look,” the same look I’ve been giving him for months now. He knows what’s coming next and playfully rolls his eyes.
    “Go ahead and say it, Kris.”
    You bet I will.
    I lean over, whispering in his ear the two words that will make all the difference — the one thing he absolutely needs to do.
    “Dump Penley.”
    For some added incentive, I gently lick his ear and blow. He recoils like a little boy being tickled. I kind of like that too, his vulnerability at times.
    “I’m working on it,” he assures me.
    “Truly?”
    “Truly.” He reaches into his pocket. “And in the meantime, there’s this.”
    He pulls out a narrow rectangular case — red leather with a white bow.
    I can feel the smile breaking out on my face. “Oh, you’re scoring some huge points tonight, Turnbull!”
    “I do play to win, don’t I?” He places it in my hand. “And no, it’s not a pen.”
    It certainly isn’t.
    Slowly, I open the elegant case, the hinges providing just enough tantalizing resistance.
    Then I stare in disbelief.
    It’s a bracelet. A diamond-and-sapphire bracelet! The sparkle is so bright my hands are glowing.
    “It’s so beautiful!” I gush.
    “Just like you,” says Michael. “Here, put it on. No, let me do it for you.”
    He gently snaps it around my wrist, and I can’t take my eyes off it. Partly because I love it, but mostly because it’s from him.
    “So, do you like it?” he asks. Then his voice becomes low and soft. “I’m always afraid when I pick out things for you. I want you to be happy.”
    “I love it! I love
you!
”
    “Good answer.”
    I kiss and hug him, squeezing tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
    “Let me see that wink of yours,” Michael says.
    So of course I wink, my killer wink.
    “Just promise me one thing,” he says with a grin.
    “What’s that?”
    “Don’t wear it to work.”

Chapter 18
    I KEEP STARING at my stunning, unbelievably beautiful bracelet as Vincent drives me home.
    Four diamonds . . . two sapphires . . . four diamonds . . . two sapphires . . . all the way around my wrist.
A perfect circle.
    Well done, Michael!
    It’s almost enough to make me forget why I came rushing down to see him in the first place. Not quite, but almost. I’m certainly glad I did, though. Already, my awful day seems like a long time ago. That’s a very good thing.
    The limo eases to a stop at a red light, and Vincent asks me if the temperature is okay “back dere.”
    I glance up at the nape of his thick neck, where a jagged scar protrudes from beneath his shirt collar. “It’s fine,” I answer. “No, it’s perfect. Thank you for asking, Vincent.”
    He’s driven me home a handful of times, and we’ve yet to have what could be considered an actual conversation, though he’s always very nice to me. It’s funny how big guys like him are never much for small talk.
    Then again, it could also be due to my feeling a bit awkward around him. I mean, he knows what’s going on. In a way, he’s a conspirator.
    Michael says he trusts “the big guy” more than anyone, and by all indications, he has every reason to. Vincent has been his driver for over nine years. Not only does he predate me, he predates Penley.
    Still, it makes me a little uncomfortable that he knows about us, that anybody does.
    We ride the remaining blocks in silence, and my eyes take turns between the bracelet and the view out my window. The glistening lights, the people, the buildings — the city can be so hypnotic at night.
    “Here we are, Ms. Burns.”
    As he always does, Vincent steps out and opens the door for me in front of