“Not now. I need to get ready. We can talk in the car. If you leave me alone, then I’ll be ready in thirty minutes.”

Tony silently laughed at her sense of empowerment. Mockingly, he bowed, blew her a kiss, and left the room. Once the door closed completely, he allowed the small rumble of his amusement to come to life.

Leaning against one of the grand doors, Tony waited. It had been almost thirty minutes since he’d left Claire’s suite before he looked up to see her descending the main staircase. He remained still as he scanned her from head to toe. As much as he appreciated appearance and perfection, there was something about the recently-awakened Claire that he longed to see again. Once she reached the marble floor, he straightened and said, “You look amazing—as usual. Is that an outfit you brought or one from the closet?”

“One I brought. The closet seems silly. I’m leaving in three days.”

“You refused to take a credit card, so I hired someone to shop for you.” He shrugged. “You may decide to wear some of those clothes to our other public functions.”

Claire came to a stop and looked up defiantly. “Tony, I’m not falling into that same trap. I don’t want the media accusing me of reconciling with you for your money.”

He hadn’t thought of that. It wasn’t what he was trying to do; nevertheless, he understood her trepidation. Attempting to reassure her, he said, “Tonight there won’t be media, just friends.”

Claire exhaled and her shoulders slumped.

“What’s the matter?”

“Are you sure they want me there? I would rather face the media than your friends, considering what they think I did.”

Tony grasped her hand. “I promise. I’ve spoken to everyone, most in person. I spoke to Mary Ann and Eli on the phone.”

“And…?”

“And they understand. I was distraught, but we’re reconciling.”

Tony placed his arm around her waist as she closed her eyes and exhaled.

“It will be all right. This is supposed to make tomorrow and the wedding easier.” As he led her outside, he asked, “You do want to be at the wedding, don’t you?”

“I do,” she said, as her eyes widened. Tony followed her gaze. He couldn’t blame her reaction: she was seeing his newest car for the first time. It was a Lexus LFA. There was no question, that other than Claire, cars were his passion. This little two-seat super car with a V-40 valve V-10 was no exception. He opened the door and she lowered herself into the bucket seat. When he got in and grinned, Claire said, “This is a very nice car. Would you mind not going too fast?”

“It can do zero to sixty in three point six seconds.”

“I believe you, but do you remember my reaction to the bacon the other day?”

He did and Catherine had said she was shaky. “Yes.” He frowned. “Are you still not well?”

“I’m not back to myself.”

“Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“I have an appointment in a few weeks.”

After they began the drive, Tony looked to his right. Claire had her head laid back and eyes closed. Sick or not, they had things they needed to sort through before they arrived at the Bronsons’. Turning down the radio, he said, “We need to discuss your behavior for tonight.”

Claire opened her eyes and looked in his direction. “Tony, I wouldn’t be here—of my own free will—if I didn’t completely comprehend my behavior. Don’t patronize me. I’ve done this dance before.”

“Are you implying that when you were with my friends in the past, it was a performance?”

“No. I’m saying that there were times I wasn’t happy with you, but no one knew.”

Looking her way, he asked, “You aren’t happy with me?”

Her petite hand reached over and covered his. “Tony, we’re doing what you want; it’s a performance. I can’t say I don’t want it to be real, but for now, it isn’t. Let’s not add unnecessary layers to this charade.”

As he listened to her words, something gave him hope. “So there’s a part of you—I’ll settle for a small part—that wants what we’re about to do to be real?”

She exhaled. “Yes, Tony, a small part of me wants us to be real.”

Tony relaxed against the leather interior and enjoyed the bends and curves of the country roads. He would’ve loved to have pushed the gas pedal harder and watched the speedometer climb. It gave him an undeniable rush; however, for now, he’d take the adrenaline that came from the woman in the seat beside him. As they conversed about nothing, he contemplated his friends. Tony wanted the night to go well, for Claire. Of course, he’d laid himself on the line for this, too. Truthfully, he wasn’t even sure how Sue would react when they arrived. Looking to his right, he wondered if Sue was as good at hiding her true emotions as Claire. When they neared Tim and Sue’s home, he slowed the car and said, “Perhaps we should review the rules.”

Once again, Claire closed her eyes, laid her head back, and exhaled. Her next sentence came with no emotion. “Maybe I could save us some time and summarize? Do as you say, no public failure, and don’t divulge private information.”

“Are you summarizing or mocking?”

“For the sake of argument, I’ll call it summarizing.” He didn’t dare look her way; he could hear the sparks of fire crackling below the surface. Claire continued, “As I said earlier, I’ve done this before. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but I’m perfectly capable of doing as you wish.”