But just in case that wasn’t officially the first, she wanted to plan
something Romi wouldn’t forget either. After debating what exactly that
was, she decided that something private, intimate, and meaningful was the
way to go.
She thought asking Romi to come over to her place Saturday night might
be too rushed, but when she texted, Romi responded that she would be
happy to come over. Kiera was a planner. She’d always been a planner. She
liked to keep things neat and orderly, and since she wanted to do something
nice, she was immediately thrown into panic mode.
Were flowers too much? Flower petals? Flower petals in the bath? What
should she make for dinner? Steaks? Salad? Romi said she liked anything,
but did that really mean anything? What went well with steak? Wine? Was
that really special enough or was it all just really token?
When it all boiled down, Kiera realized that even though she was thirty-
three years old, had made a fortune, and had a successful mall with many
different vendors and staff members, owned her own home, and had paid
for an expensive luxury sedan in cash, she had no idea what real romance
was.
Sure, she could buy just about anything she wanted, but this was one of
those times when money couldn’t help her. Or, at least, when she didn’t
need any of it.
She was sure Romi would be just as happy with a blanket under the stars
out in some field than she would be with a gourmet meal in Kiera’s
impressive house, and an expensive bottle of wine. That was just Romi.
Romi wouldn’t care if she drove a beater car or if she didn’t even have one.
It wouldn’t matter if Kiera lived in a tiny, dumpy apartment or whether she
had a sprawling house. Sure, it might be a character house, but it was in a
prestigious neighborhood where the houses usually started at just under
eight or nine hundred thousand, and after purchasing it, she’d put a ton of
money into it to make it livable. She’d tried to maintain as much character