Page 109 of Company Ink

Adrian hands me the glass of wine. "People crave adventure, no matter the age. This is theirs."

"I suppose so." I take a sip of the Chardonnay. "How do you do it? Live so far from your family? Do you ever miss them?"

"Of course, I do, my brother especially," Adrian says solemnly. "He moved back to Spain with my parents five years ago, he lives in Portugal with his wife now though, we talk often."

"And your parents? They're in Spain?"

"Yes, when my grandfather passed away, my father had to go home and take over operations at Cavloretta Couture. My mother protested, she loved America but obviously, she lost that fight." Adrian, swallows. "They're happy though, the company is doing great."

"'Because of the merger," I add, grinning. "It was a big deal in the fashion world, lots of blog sites wrote about it. I remember waiting for the first drop of the Il Ghiaccio/Cavloretta handbags, it was at like 3 am our time."

Adrian smiles lightly. "Did you get the bag?"

I pout. "No! They were sold out in minutes. But honestly, it's a good thing, that bag was expensive as fuck, Monique would've probably killed me for buying it."

"Monique seems like a very sensible person," Adrian observes as we nibble on the appetizers. "When's she getting married again?"

"Oh God, sensible is an understatement. That girl could be President if she wanted, she's diplomatic, smart, fair, and basically the best person in the world." And she'll be leaving me too. "Her wedding is in three weeks. So close."

Adrian tilts his head. "That's a lot of changes in a short amount of time."

"Tell me about it," I chuckle at my woes. "But it's okay. Monique deserves to be happy. Her fiancé is a gem. One of the nicest guys I've ever met, so kind and understanding. They're perfect together."

"You must really love Monique," Adrian says, pouring me another glass of wine. "You speak so highly of her."

"Monique and Vanessa, that's my cousin, are the lights of my life," I explain. "They're like my role models. My sisters."

Adrian nods in understanding. "My brother, Gabriel has always been my role model. It's funny that as you get older, the people you aspire to be like aren't celebrities or famous, they're the people closest to you. Your constants."

"Right? I remember being twelve and all I wanted was to be Hilary Duff, do you remember her? Lizzie McGuire? Little cartoon blonde inner monologue girl?"

Adrian's eyebrows knit with confusion. "I can't say that I do."

I roll my eyes. "Not the point, I guess. But I agree, once I started college, it all changed. God...growing up is scary."

Adrian laughs. "Cassie, youarea grown-up. An adult."

I frown. "It doesn't feel like it sometimes. All the responsibility, the pressures of being successful, self-sufficient. It's scary."

"It's life, querida," Adrian whispers, holding out his hand as he stands up. "We grow up, we learn, we love, and we live."

I narrow my eyes. "What're you doing?" I ask hesitantly.

"Let's dance," he says as classical music crackles through the speakers. "Before dinner comes."

"It's rare to find a man who enjoys dancing," I tease him, standing up and taking his hand. "You're an anomaly, Adrian."

He chuckles, pulling me closer to him. "No, Cassie," he whispers in my ear. "I'm European."

The yacht docks back at the marina. Adrian and I stumble off, laughing, holding each other, our bellies full of wine and food. Everything feels light. Airy. I'm happy. Content. Our conversation flowed comfortably, nothing was forced, nothing was fake. Everything was easy. So easy.

Adrian twirls me around his fingers as we walk down the waterfront, humming Chopin under his breath. Fun. So much fun.

"Where to now, Adrian?" I ask, laughing, trying to catch my breath, not caring that people are staring at us.

"Anywhere you want, querida," he says, wrapping his arm over my shoulder, kissing the side of my head. He points to the Seattle Great Wheel. "We could go on the Ferris wheel?"

I stiffen, Blake flashes through my mind. "No," I say quietly. "Something else."Anything else."We can go getdessert."