paper plates at the wedding as a result, but you can’t let the side down with anything less,’ I announced to my sister on Monday evening over supper, making sure the Benedict brothers heard every word.
Xav raised an eyebrow. ‘You haven’t stolen my idea of going to the casino, have you? I should never’ve let so many details out at the beginning.’
I waved my hand dismissively. ‘Casino? No way: that’s far too predictable and, dare I say, ordinary. Any old tourist can wander in there.’
Xav spluttered into his glass of wine.
Trace took Diamond’s hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. ‘So, honey, where are you going that needs a bank raid to fund your clothes? Remember, I am a police officer so I should warn you that anything that you say may be used against you when this comes to trial.’
She laughed. ‘Don’t worry, darling, I’m not going to do anything illegal … ’
He grinned.
‘No, I’ll just get your mother, Sky, and Phoenix to do it for me.’
Trace groaned. ‘Don’t even suggest it, Diamond. The three of them would make an unstoppable team: Mom sees the future, Sky is pretty amazing at moving stuff with her mind now, and Phoenix can freeze time. Between them they could break into Fort Knox and no one would be any the wiser.’
I really had to ask the girls more about their powers next time we met up; that all sounded intriguing. ‘It’s OK, Trace, you should know by now that Diamond has quite a healthy little business going so she won’t need to do a smash and grab to pay for her wardrobe. I, however, as your impoverished sister-in-law-to-be working for a pittance, should be the one who would need to take desperate measures.’
I could tell by his expression that Trace did not know if I was joking. The guy spent far too much time with criminals. ‘I remember that it’s tough when you just start out on your own. If you need anything, Crystal, you must let us know.’ He glanced at Diamond but she was smiling fondly at him.
‘At ease, officer, Crystal is far more resourceful than you can imagine.’ Diamond patted his cheek.
Aw, they were so sweet together. ‘Yep: I work in a costume shop; I’ll be making my own outfit, not lobbing a brick through the window of the Versace boutique.’
Xav grabbed the salad bowl from his brother. ‘While the girls are fooling around with dresses, Trace, I need to know your measurements for your suit and the other equipment you’ll need.’ Xav sprinkled olive oil on his lettuce. ‘Lola was very particular that it all had to fit properly.’
‘Lola?’ squeaked Diamond. I wanted to warn her not to rise to the bait Xav was dangling in front of her but it was too late.
Xav added some Parmesan and pepper. ‘Suspicious, Diamond? You should be. This is a bachelor party I’m organizing, not a school outing, and it is going to tick all Trace’s boxes. Lola is either a very efficient water sports instructor or an exotic dancing girl; I’ll leave it to your imagination.’
I rolled my eyes at Diamond. ‘Maybe she’s both. I mean, the guys would really go for that, I guess. Don’t worry, Di, Luigi and his crew will not disappoint us girls.’ Luigi was in fact Contessa Nicoletta’s little bespectacled chef with whom I had been consulting about the menu for Friday, but the Benedicts weren’t to know that. ‘He has promised to provide something suitably spicy for our tastes.’
‘Um … Crystal.’ Diamond now looked anxious, making me wonder if anyone in the room really knew me. ‘You haven’t taken things too far have you? I mean I went to Marie’s hen night and the male strippers were a huge step beyond the bounds of good taste.’
I mustered an innocent expression. ‘Oh, of course not. Luigi and co are going to be the very epitome of tastefulness.’
Diamond’s eyebrows winged up until she saw my wink. She sat back in her chair. ‘Excellent. Roll on Friday.’
Trace and Xav exchanged a long look. Both knew
Xav raised an eyebrow. ‘You haven’t stolen my idea of going to the casino, have you? I should never’ve let so many details out at the beginning.’
I waved my hand dismissively. ‘Casino? No way: that’s far too predictable and, dare I say, ordinary. Any old tourist can wander in there.’
Xav spluttered into his glass of wine.
Trace took Diamond’s hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. ‘So, honey, where are you going that needs a bank raid to fund your clothes? Remember, I am a police officer so I should warn you that anything that you say may be used against you when this comes to trial.’
She laughed. ‘Don’t worry, darling, I’m not going to do anything illegal … ’
He grinned.
‘No, I’ll just get your mother, Sky, and Phoenix to do it for me.’
Trace groaned. ‘Don’t even suggest it, Diamond. The three of them would make an unstoppable team: Mom sees the future, Sky is pretty amazing at moving stuff with her mind now, and Phoenix can freeze time. Between them they could break into Fort Knox and no one would be any the wiser.’
I really had to ask the girls more about their powers next time we met up; that all sounded intriguing. ‘It’s OK, Trace, you should know by now that Diamond has quite a healthy little business going so she won’t need to do a smash and grab to pay for her wardrobe. I, however, as your impoverished sister-in-law-to-be working for a pittance, should be the one who would need to take desperate measures.’
I could tell by his expression that Trace did not know if I was joking. The guy spent far too much time with criminals. ‘I remember that it’s tough when you just start out on your own. If you need anything, Crystal, you must let us know.’ He glanced at Diamond but she was smiling fondly at him.
‘At ease, officer, Crystal is far more resourceful than you can imagine.’ Diamond patted his cheek.
Aw, they were so sweet together. ‘Yep: I work in a costume shop; I’ll be making my own outfit, not lobbing a brick through the window of the Versace boutique.’
Xav grabbed the salad bowl from his brother. ‘While the girls are fooling around with dresses, Trace, I need to know your measurements for your suit and the other equipment you’ll need.’ Xav sprinkled olive oil on his lettuce. ‘Lola was very particular that it all had to fit properly.’
‘Lola?’ squeaked Diamond. I wanted to warn her not to rise to the bait Xav was dangling in front of her but it was too late.
Xav added some Parmesan and pepper. ‘Suspicious, Diamond? You should be. This is a bachelor party I’m organizing, not a school outing, and it is going to tick all Trace’s boxes. Lola is either a very efficient water sports instructor or an exotic dancing girl; I’ll leave it to your imagination.’
I rolled my eyes at Diamond. ‘Maybe she’s both. I mean, the guys would really go for that, I guess. Don’t worry, Di, Luigi and his crew will not disappoint us girls.’ Luigi was in fact Contessa Nicoletta’s little bespectacled chef with whom I had been consulting about the menu for Friday, but the Benedicts weren’t to know that. ‘He has promised to provide something suitably spicy for our tastes.’
‘Um … Crystal.’ Diamond now looked anxious, making me wonder if anyone in the room really knew me. ‘You haven’t taken things too far have you? I mean I went to Marie’s hen night and the male strippers were a huge step beyond the bounds of good taste.’
I mustered an innocent expression. ‘Oh, of course not. Luigi and co are going to be the very epitome of tastefulness.’
Diamond’s eyebrows winged up until she saw my wink. She sat back in her chair. ‘Excellent. Roll on Friday.’
Trace and Xav exchanged a long look. Both knew
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