Dante’s Girl (The Paradise Diaries #1)(56)
Author: Courtney Cole

The sunlight no longer hurts my eyes, so my concussion must be better.

I swing my legs around and sit up, allowing my feet to dangle over the side of the huge bed.  The sunlight is striking the wall in a way that tells me that it’s late afternoon.  I glance at the clock.  4:30. Yep.  Late afternoon. 

I decide that I’ve stuck to my promise.  I’ve rested all day.  It’s a matter of semantics on when exactly all day should end.  I say it should end now.  And there’s no one here to argue with me.

I stand up and the room spins for a just a second, but then I’m okay again.

I take a hot bath because the hot shower makes me feel too dizzy.  I should take that as a sign to stay in bed a while longer, but I’m stubborn.  And I want to get up.   Not only do I want to get up, but I want to go to the Regatta dinner.  I don’t know why, but I just want to see Dante standing with his father and waving to the masses.

I see him every day in work clothes and toiling over the olive trees.  It will be awesome to see him in an official capacity because it reminds me of exactly how important he and his father are.  It’s exciting.  Because he’s mine.  I’m Dante’s girl.  He said so himself.

I pick up the phone and call Mia.

And beg her to take me with her to the Regatta Dinner.

“No,” she says firmly.  “I promised Dante that I wouldn’t let you leave the grounds.  He knew you’d try, you know.”

I roll my eyes.

“And don’t roll your eyes,” she tells me.  “You’re not supposed to be out of bed.”

“I’m not,” I tell her.

“You’re lying,” she tells me.  “He said you’d do that, too.”

OhMyWord.

This is impossible.

And then I do a really mean thing.

“Mia, you’re my very best friend here,” I tell her. “Please take me. Please. I feel fine and I’m going crazy here by myself.  Everyone is in town at the festivities for the Regatta. The house is quiet.  Too quiet.  I’m going crazy.”

She’s silent.

Playing on the best friend thing was mean.  Because it means a lot to her. And I do mean it.  She’s my best friend here.  She’s the only one I can count on to come pick me up and take me with her.  So I tell her that.

“Why is this so important to you?” she asks.  “It’s just a stupid dinner for the stupid Regatta. It will be here again next year.”

“But I won’t.”  My voice is pitiful.  But it’s the truth.  And it works. Mia sighs.

“Fine.  He’s going to kill me. But okay.  I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Yes.

I hang up and get ready as quickly as I can.  Even as I do, I know that I really shouldn’t be out of bed.  But I want to see Dante.  I don’t know why it’s so important.

It just is.

Sometimes love can’t be explained.

After my accident, I just feel like I need to be close to someone I love.

I feel… sentimental.

I’m waiting on the front porch when Mia drives up in her convertible with the top down. She looks me up and down.

“Are you sure that you’re up for this?” she asks doubtfully.  “You look pretty pale, Kansas.”

“I’m good,” I assure her as she hands me a dress.

“It’s black,” she tells me needlessly.   And Dante’s going to kill us both,” she adds. But she doesn’t sound worried.

“Is everything you own black?” I ask her as we hurry into the house so I can change.  She grins.

“I’m trying,” she answers.  And she’s wearing black right now.  Her gown is floor length and black. The dress she brought for me is knee length with spaghetti straps.  The quintessential little black dress.  It pays to own one, I guess, even if it is just to let your friend borrow it in a fashion emergency.

I stick my hair in a chignon again, grab my purse and we are out the door speeding toward Valese.

“Slow down!” I call to her as her little car hugs the curves much too quickly.

“I’m fine,” she answers.  “I’ve driven this road a thousand times.”

“Yeah?  Well, so had Dante.”

That shuts her up and she does, in fact, slow down.  A little.

But it still doesn’t take us long to reach the Old Palace.  She tosses her keys to the valet and we find ourselves standing on the front steps.  The Old Palace is gleaming tonight, the light streaming from the windows.  Richly dressed people are pouring into the doors and all of a sudden, I feel dizzy.

“Are you alright?” Mia asks me, her hand on my elbow.

“I’m fine,” I tell her.  I will be fine.  Just as soon as I see Dante.  For some stupid reason, I feel needy tonight.  I think it’s the stupid pain medicine.  It’s making me sentimental.

We make our way in and since I’m with Mia, we don’t even get questioned at the door.  We wind through the crowds and Mia knows the back way into the ballrooms.  It’s clear that she has been to more than a few of these functions.

We pause outside of the ballroom doors while she adjusts my dress straps and then we slip inside.  We are just in time to hear Dimitri speaking about the history of the Regatta, which I listen to half-heartedly while I search the room for Dante.

But I don’t see him.

I see Gavin, seated at a table in front.  He’s with a tiny little blonde date.  He sees me and smiles and looks a little confused, like he wasn’t expecting to see me.  I assume that Dante told everyone that I’m safely in bed right now.

I don’t see Nate, the scumbag.

And then my ears perk up.  Dante’s father is discussing the Queen and King of the Regatta.  I watch in interest as Dimitri explains the history of selecting a king and queen every year for the past two hundred years.

And then he announces that this year’s king and queen will be Dante Giliberti and Elena Kontou.

Wait. What?

I watch numbly as Dante and Elena walk out to meet Dimitri.  Dante is perfect and handsome in his black tux and Elena is beautiful and stunning in a long emerald green gown that matches her eyes just right.

Someone hands them flowers and they wave to the crowd before Elena leans up and kisses Dante’s cheek.  He smiles down at her and they join hands and bow to the crowd.