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  “Three of them before I was a sophomore,” Park said. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that maybe—”

  Melisande straightened suddenly and pointed one beautifully manicured claw at Park. “You are not marrying a cheap Italian tramp, and that’s final.”

  “Oh, no,” Gina moaned faintly.

  Park threw down his napkin and looked at his mother levelly. “I am marrying Gina. If you make me choose between you, I am choosing Gina. And if you ever say another insulting word to her, if you ever address her with anything but absolute respect, I’m never speaking to you again.”

  Melisande’s mouth dropped open.

  “I mean it,” Park said. “Don’t push me on this. I love her, and I’m marrying her, and that’s it.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kent began. “You can’t—”

  “And that goes double for you,” Park said to him.

  Kent turned purple with indignation.

  “Good for you, kid,” Welch said. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  “Then you’re no son of mine,” Kent said. “I disown you, you ungrateful whelp.” He turned his glare on Nick. “And you’re fired. In fact, you’re both fired.”

  “Oh, God,” Gina said.

  Then she put her head under the table and threw up.

  The rest of the table froze, and even Dennis suddenly seemed at a loss.

  “Uh, waiter?” Nick called. “It’s not a fork this time.”

  “Shut up,” Tess said, trying to peer under the table to see if Gina was all right.

  “Well, they were a hell of a lot faster when it was forks,” Nick said.

  “Gina? Honey?” Park had put his head under the table, too.

  Welch dipped his napkin in the glass and bent under the table to give it to Gina. “Don’t worry, kid,” they heard him say. “It’s that rich crap they serve here. Smartest thing you can do is get rid of it.”

  “My shoes,” Melisande said in shock. “They’re Manolo Blahnik, and she…she…”

  “I told you there’d be consequences,” Tess said.

  NICK HUSTLED the four of them out the door and into a taxi before any blood could be spilled.

  “I can’t believe it,” Gina said when Park had pulled her onto his lap to make room for Tess and Nick in the back of the cab. “I just can’t believe it. I barfed at The Levee on your mother’s shoes. Oh, God, I want to die.”

  Tess patted her hand, and Nick gave the cabby Park’s address.

  “I’ve ruined your life,” Gina said to Park as the cab pulled away. Her head dropped drunkenly on his shoulder. “I’ve ruined your life forever.”

  Park considered it. “How?”

  “I embarrassed you in that restaurant,” Gina moaned.

  “Actually right up until the time you returned your dinner, you were the quietest of all of us,” Nick said. “You’re probably the only one of us who wasn’t embarrassing.”

  “They’ll never let you in there again,” Gina sobbed.

  “At those prices, who cares?” Tess said.

  “And your parents will never speak to you again,” Gina wailed.

  “Get her the biggest diamond in Riverbend,” Tess told Park. “There’s no way you can repay her for that, but at least you can show your appreciation.”

  “It’s not funny,” Gina said. “It’s awful.”

  “It’s not that awful,” Park said. “They never liked me much, anyway. And let’s face it, I’m the only son they have. They’ll have to take me back. It’s not like they have a choice.”

  “They don’t deserve you,” Gina said.

  “Oh, I don’t know—” Park began.

  “No,” Tess said. “She’s right. They don’t. And I owe you an apology, too. I’m sorry I’ve been so nasty. Although you deserve some of it for two-timing Gina, you creep.”

  “He’s not a creep,” Gina said, leaning on him drunkenly. “He’s the most wonderful, thoughtful, darling, disinherited man on the planet, and I love him.” She looked up at him in the dim light of the cab. “And I threw up on his mother’s shoes,” she wailed. Her head dropped like a stone on his shoulder.

  “You know, she’s not a good drunk,” Nick said after some thought. Tess glared at him and he shrugged. “Just an observation.”

  “I think she’s perfect,” Park said. “I don’t deserve her.”

  “Oh, no, you do, you do.” Gina raised her head and stared into Park’s eyes. “But I don’t deserve you.”

  “I’m going to lose my Muscovy duck if this doesn’t lighten up pretty soon,” Tess said. “For heaven’s sake, Gina, all you did was blow dinner. It’s not like anybody died. Get over it.”

  Gina groaned and let her head plummet back onto Park’s shoulder.

  “Gina? Honey?” Park said, concerned, and Gina waved her hand, barely conscious as the cab slowed to a stop in front of Park’s apartment building. “We’re going to go now,” he said to Nick. “God, this was a terrible evening.”

  “I know,” Nick said in comfort. “But it’s over. And none of those disgusting people are talking to us anymore, so we’ll never have to do it again.”

  “Good point,” Park said. He got out of the cab and then helped Gina out. “You okay?” he asked her.

  “No,” Tess answered before Gina could. “I’m very confused.”

  “She’s my problem,” Nick said to Park. “Take yours upstairs and get some coffee into her.”

  “Let’s all have breakfast tomorrow before you go to work,” Tess said. “Pancakes. That would be nice. That might cheer me up. With pecans.”

  Gina moaned.

  “What work?” Nick said. “We just got fired.”

  “Right. I forgot. Sorry,” Tess said. “That was insensitive of me.”

  Park sighed. “Why not? Tomorrow at eight. Breakfast at the River Inn, and then we can go clear out our desks.”

  “You know,” Nick said to Park, “we’re not completely screwed here. We could go into partnership ourselves. Hell, we did all the work, anyway.”

  Park nodded. “I’ve thought of that before—”

  “The River Inn. Don’t you ever go anyplace that isn’t pretentious and overpriced?” Tess asked.

  “No,” Park said sadly. “I’m a product of my upbringing.”

  “Oh.” Tess winced. “Sorry. I’m being insensitive again. It’s because I’m drunk.”

  “That’s all right,” Park said. “I’m drunk, too, so it doesn’t hurt.” He bent to kiss Tess’s cheek, and Gina swayed dangerously against him as he moved. “Steady, love,” he said to Gina as he tightened his hold on her.

  “You’re a nice person, Park,” Tess said. “I forgive you the Tess Trueheart bit.”

  “Thank you,” Park said. “I forgive you the low-income-housing crack.”

  “I liked you both better when you were fighting,” Nick said. “This is kind of sickening, and I was nauseated to begin with.”

  When the cab was moving again, Tess put her head on Nick’s shoulder. “You know, now that you’re out of work, I should start looking for another place. You can’t afford to keep me any longer, and I’m not going to be working at Decker, that’s for damn sure.”

  “Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s get married while you’re looking.”

  Tess lifted her head from his shoulder. “Marriage? I can’t. I love you, but I just can’t.”

  “Why not? If this is guilt over sabotaging my career, lose it. The more I think about it, the more I think I had a career that needed to be sabotaged. The thought of not working for Kent Patterson anymore is strangely cheering.”

  “That’s not it,” she said. “It’s selfish. If I marry you, I end up living in the Crystal Palace and wearing somebody else’s clothes.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing personal. I love you. I tried to sacrifice for your career. I just can’t stand your life.”

  “I know,” Nick said. “You keep telling me. I can adapt. You can keep your clothes. We can paint the house red. Whatever it takes to g