Page 229 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

‘Good, because we’re both working tonight—it’s the ball...’

Susie looked over to Juliet. ‘Are you playing?’

‘Yes!’ She beamed, though her features were as white as marble. ‘But only because the understudy broke her wrist.’

‘You’ll be perfect,’ Susie assured her. ‘Oh, I wish I was going.’

‘Maybe next year,’ Louanna said.

And the shaky sense of calm Susie was perched upon cracked a little as she glimpsed this time next year, and the whole live person she’d be responsible for.

There would be no ball next year, or the year after that, Susie decided, and messed up one of her pretty flowers.

And anyway, the only person she wanted to take her to the ball was Dante.

‘Are you okay?’ Juliet checked. ‘Your icing...’

Yikes.

And then it dawned on her that there was no Prince Charming required when she had a fairy godmother.

She didn’t need Dante to make her wishes come true.

And while she still had the chance, she was going to embrace everything!

Everything.

‘Susie!’ Mimi embraced her.

‘Is it too late to say yes?’ she asked.

‘To what?’

‘The ball.’

‘The ball?’ Gio called out. ‘But it’s tonight.’

‘Don’t listen to him,’ Mimi said, and then she gave her a bright smile. ‘Of course it’s not too late.’

She invited her in while she collected her coat. Then, ‘Gio, my love, Susie and I are going to my sister’s for a few hours...’

Dante peered at his unshaven reflection in the mirror.

God, he looked like Gio in decline.

Or Gio in love.

It was late on Saturday afternoon and he picked up the phone to make the call he had to.

He knew he couldn’t look to the future without clearing the past.

‘Dante.’ Sev was curt when he answered.

‘Can we talk?’

‘No. I don’t have time. I’m trying to get to Luccaagain, to attend the ball, because you couldn’t be bothered to—’

‘Sev,’ Dante cut in, and he thought of Susie and those words that had stung. He refused to throw in the towel. ‘I’ve met someone.’