vee down the front all the way to her navel. The back had a similar cut to the very middle of her buttocks, but the back had thin strips of material, a ladder holding the back in place. Her laugh was overly loud, and she clung to Mischer and sent Anne poisonous glares.
Anne didn’t look across the patio at them. She seemed completely absorbed in her conversation with Taviano. Emmanuelle made her way to the couple and the two women hugged. Vittorio noted with satisfaction that Mischer couldn’t take his eyes off his ex-wife, who looked elegantly stunning as usual.
Candy Chardonnay had been the model Mischer’s winery had hired to do commercials and posters. She’d legally changed her name to Candy Chardonnay when she’d begun her acting career in the porn industry. Moritz spent a good deal of time with her and when she’d offered him all kinds of favors he’d taken her up on them. Unfortunately, for him, Candy had also arranged a very public way for Anne to find out. The paparazzi just happened to be there when Anne opened the door, exposing Candy on her knees, her head in Mischer’s lap. She had looked up and smiled for the cameras, a very distinct and iconic contrast to Anne’s sorrow and horror and Mischer’s shock. That contrast ensured the photograph was in every tabloid possible.
Mischer was unaware Candy was behind the exposure, but the Ferraro family, at Anne’s request, had done an investigation. Rigina and her sister uncovered the phone calls Candy had made to the paparazzi, promising them a very juicy story on Anne and her husband. She had called Anne anonymously and told her she had to hurry to the winery, that Mischer was hurt. Anne had rushed there.
Vittorio continued moving Grace expertly through the crowd, winding his way toward his brother and Anne, all the while scanning every possible hiding place and checking out the caterers in their uniforms, balancing trays as they moved around the people, offering hors d’oeuvres. No one bumped into Grace. Vittorio protected her shoulder at all times.
“How are you feeling, gattina? I saw you pick up a few things that are heavier than the five pounds the doctor is allowing you.”
She nodded. “I realized that at the last minute. I’m used to just getting things done without constantly asking for help.”
He transferred his hand to the nape of her neck, smiling carelessly at a senator and his wife. He leaned down to focus completely on his woman, his body posture protective, showing his friends and family who mattered the most to him. “I’m not going to lecture you on following Doc’s orders because clearly you’re trying to. But I did see Eloisa pull you aside and talk to you. You didn’t say a word to her, but I could tell from the way she looked that she was tearing strips off you.”
Grace looked up at him, the expression on her face wary. “This is my business, Vittorio. You agreed I would handle my business. Your mother hired my company to put this event on and we pride ourselves on delivering exactly what the client wants. She ordered a plant called Lotus berthelotii, more commonly called parrot’s beak, to be on every table and going up the trellises. The plant is gorgeous. The flower is known for its lobster claw–like petals that resemble a parrot’s beak. We ordered them, of course, far in advance, but the plane carrying them lost an engine and had to make an emergency landing. There was no way to get them here in time, so we substituted another very rare flower of equal beauty.”
Vittorio looked around him. Flowers were everywhere. They were beautiful and had a faint, elusive perfume that was subtle but added to the romance of the evening. The flowers were a blue-green hue, large vines hanging on trellises and down the ceilings in the ballroom, adding a tropical feel. Each table had a single clump floating in water with candles as a centerpiece.
“The jade flower is found in the Philippines and really is a vine, but the color, almost turquoise, is rare and beautiful. It was extremely difficult to get it flown in, but I know a few people, and for this worthy event, we made it happen. Katie knows how to sweet talk. In any case, parrot’s beak flowers are a different color. Apparently, it was the color and not the rarity your mother would have preferred. We tried calling to ask