Rafael gave his head a hard shake, deleting the thought from his mind. He was seeing things. Had to be. No one had seen or heard from the shady businessman in months, and according to his family, he was backpacking through Eastern Europe.
Rafael stared through the crowd, hoping to get another look at the man, but he was long gone. As he continued up the block, Rafael made a mental note to call Gerald when he was finished shopping. I'm probably being paranoid, he thought, glancing over his shoulder once more, but it wouldn't hurt to have Gerald do another background check on Tye.
Rafael stopped in front of Morretti Jewelers and knocked on the glass. The door buzzed open. Lowering his head, he ducked inside the sleek, stylish store. Blinding white lights hung from the ceiling, glass cases filled with gems and jewels shimmered and sparkled and a mouthwatering aroma was heavy in the air. Rafael immediately spotted Demetri sitting in the waiting area and broke into a grin. His brother looked sharp in his white sweater and black dress pants, much older than his twenty-eight years, and debonair.
"Hey, bro, what's up?" Rafael bumped fists with him. "Where's Uncle Mario?"
"In the back on the phone. What took you so long? I've been waiting for almost an hour."
Noticing the empty plate on the round mahogany table, Rafael couldn't resist poking fun at his kid brother. "That's because you're greedy. You got here early to sample Aunt Rosetta's cooking, and from the looks of things you've been more than adequately fed!"
Demetri chuckled. "Guilty as charged. Aunt Rosetta can really throw down in the kitchen, and after my meeting at Washington Hospital, I was starving!"
"How did your appointment go?" Rafael peeled off his Burberry scarf and leather gloves. "What did Dr. Tanaka and his team say about your shoulder? Is it fully healed?"
His smile was proud. "Yup, I'm as good as new."
"That's great news. Congratulations. I know how hard you've worked in physical therapy to regain your strength, and I'm glad it paid off."
"Thanks, bro, and now that I have a clean bill of health from my surgeon I can finally return to the Cubs." His eyes were bright, filled with excitement. "Coach will probably limit my minutes the first few games, but I'm cool with that. As long as I can play, I'll be happy."
"I'm proud of you, Demetri. I hope you bat a thousand this season."
His brother gave a hearty laugh. "I have a better chance of meeting the president!"
"If you play hard the rest of the season you could definitely win another Sportsman of the Year award," Rafael said, unbuttoning his wool coat. "You can do it, bro. I have all faith in you. You're a Morretti and one of the best players in the league."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence." Demetri leaned forward in his chair and rested his arms comfortably on his legs. "I'm suiting up tomorrow against Washington, and I'm pretty stoked. You and Paris should come. I bet she'd love watching the game from the luxury box."
"We'll be there."
Demetri picked up his wineglass and took a drink.
"It's only eleven o'clock," Rafael said, pointing at the half-empty bottle of merlot. "Exactly how many glasses have you had?"
"Only three. I'm pacing myself!"
Rafael laughed and dumped his coat and scarf on a tan couch. He admired one of the cases filled with engagement rings, took his time studying and appraising each large, glittery diamond. As he made his way around the store his thoughts drifted back nine months. One afternoon, while shopping together at the mall, Cicely had dragged him into a ritzy jewelry store. In less than ten minutes she'd selected a diamond ring and somehow persuaded him to put down the 15 percent deposit. He'd never proposed, or ever given serious thought to popping the question. And as time went by Rafael realized that Cicely loved the Harry Winston diamond more than she loved him. He'd cared about her, but they weren't soul mates destined to be together. Their relationship had lacked fire and passion, but with Paris, he had it all. She was a spirited, vivacious beauty who loved life, her family and her community. If she accepted his marriage proposal next month he'd be the happiest man alive.
"Getting married is a big step."
"I know," Rafael conceded, nodding his head. "And I don't take it lightly. Mom and Dad have been married for thirty years, and I want to follow in their footsteps."
"You and Paris have only been dating for a few weeks-"
"But we've known each other for years. In fact, much, much longer than you've known Angela."
"I just don't want you to rush into anything."
Annoyed, Rafael shrugged off his brother's concerns. "I'm thirty-six, Demetri, not sixteen. This isn't puppy love. This is the real thing."
"Relationships are hard work, and you've never dated anyone longer than a few months," he pointed out. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Rafael faced his kid brother, looking him straight in the eye. "There's no doubt in my mind that Paris is the one for me. I felt it the first time I saw her, and even after fifteen years apart, nothing's changed. If anything, I love and respect her even more because I know she's a rare and precious find."
"That's beautiful, man." Demetri lowered his head and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "You really have a way with words, bro. Ever consider writing greeting cards?"
Rafael gave him a punch in the arm. "Knock it off or I'll tell Angela you dressed up as Miss Piggy in the tenth grade!"
"What? It was Halloween, and so did you!"
The men cracked up.
"I'm glad you and Paris reunited in Venice," Demetri said, his tone free of humor or amusement. "After all the stress and drama Cicely put you through, you deserve to be happy. I'm glad you found out the truth about her before it was too late."
Rafael nodded, thanked his lucky stars he'd called it quits just in the nick of time.
"Do Mom and Dad know about Paris?"
"No, not yet." Rafael wore a wry smile. "I can't wait to tell Mom I'm officially off the market. I love her dearly, but she's a terrible matchmaker, and bossy, too!"
Demetri laughed. "When are you going to pop the question?"
"Next month, on her thirty-sixth birthday. I already have everything planned. It's going to be a huge surprise, and I can't wait to see the look on Paris's face when I-"
"I thought you'd never get here!" Mario Morretti burst into the store and strode toward Rafael with his hands outstretched in greeting. "It's good to see you, son...."
Their uncle was a colorful character, with a booming voice and an energetic personality. Their dad had five younger brothers, but Mario had always been Rafael's favorite uncle. The loquacious jeweler was like a second father to him, and he often sought his advice when faced with tough decisions.
The men hugged, and Mario gestured to the back of the store with a flick of his head. "Are you hungry? I just finished having lunch with your aunt Rosetta, but there's plenty more food if you're interested."
"Thanks, Uncle, but I'm good."
"I want to hear all about your new girlfriend." He fervently nodded his head and rubbed his hands together. "The more I know about your fiancée-to-be, and you guys as a couple, the easier it will be for me to find the ring of her dreams."
Rafael didn't think long. "She's perfection," he said, as an image of Paris filled his mind. "Not only is she ridiculously beautiful, she's also passionate, down-to-earth and incredibly loyal. Her eyes are brighter than a million stars, her smile is infectious and her laugh is unlike anything I've ever heard. It's almost musical, and-" Rafael broke off speaking when he saw his uncle's jaw drop and his eyes triple in size. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
Mario bumped elbows with Demetri. "You weren't kidding when you said Rafael was a goner! I've been in business for five decades and helped hundreds-" he frowned, gave his head a hard shake "-no, thousands of fellas buy engagement rings, but this is the first time I've ever seen a man gush!"
His uncle and brother erupted in laughter, and Rafael chuckled, too. He didn't mind his uncle poking fun at him. He was in love, had finally found the woman of his dreams after all these years of being deceived, and he wanted the world to know how much he loved his old college sweetheart. Paris was his everything, his destiny, and he couldn't be any happier.