He left his rental and headed downtown. On the way, he passed a jewelry store. Jenel’s Gems was located in a small square of exclusive shops. He’d probably passed it a dozen times and hadn’t noticed. Now he changed direction and went inside.
The interior was all glass and light. Sleek and sophisticated, it was the kind of place that made you feel as if everything you bought was special.
A tall, pretty blonde walked over to him. “Hi. Can I help you?”
The last time he’d gotten engaged, he’d designed the ring himself. He’d had very specific ideas and had spent two days picking out the diamond. He’d had this idea that the ring had to represent who he was and what he wanted his marriage to Caro to be. The ring was to have been a statement.
Talk about a crash-and-burn, he thought to himself.
“Are you good at keeping secrets?” he asked.
The woman smiled. “I sell engagement rings. I have to be.”
“Good. Do you know Pia O’Brian?”
Surprise and pleasure flickered in the woman’s blue eyes. “Yes, of course. I like her very much.”
“Me, too. I want a ring for her. Something that suits her taste. Something she’ll love.”
“I see. And may I ask what this ring is for?”
“She’s agreed to marry me.”
The woman tilted her head and smiled. “Then you’re a very lucky man.”
“I think so.”
“I have a ring,” she began. “The design is unique but classic. Let me go get it.”
She disappeared into the back for a few minutes, then returned with three rings on a lavender velvet display tray.
“This is the engagement ring,” she said, holding out a diamond ring. “The center stone is two carats. It’s surrounded by a bead-set diamond border.” She turned it upright. “See how the stone is set up to catch the light, but the border not only protects it, it makes it less likely to catch on anything. Like a sweater.”
Or hurt a baby, he thought.
The woman turned the diamond ring again, to show the profile. “These are channel-set square diamonds on the side. As you can see, I have two matching bands of the square diamonds. They would slide in on either side, completing the look.”
“They’re the wedding bands?”
She nodded. “They can be worn alone, if Pia prefers.”
He picked up the ring. It glittered in the overhead lights. There was something right about it. Something that told him Pia would like it.
“Let me show you a few other things,” the woman said. “For comparison.”
They went through the cases. He asked to see a couple of things, then shook his head. “The first one,” he told her. “That’s it.”
“I think so, too. Are you going to faint when I tell you the price?”
“No.”
“It’s a high-quality diamond and a custom setting.”
“That’s okay.”
Fifteen minutes later, he had all three rings in boxes tucked into his jacket pocket. He’d refused the shopping bag, not wanting anyone in town to see him carrying it. He was starting to get a handle on Fool’s Gold. He knew how word would spread.
Now that he had a ring, it was time to go see a man about a house.
PIA STOOD IN FRONT OF her dry-erase and corkboard calendar, checking the events against her master list. Some of the festivals only required minimal prep work, but others took weeks of planning. If decorations were required, they had to be pulled out of storage and installed. The city maintenance workers appreciated plenty of lead time, and she knew better than to annoy the muscle portion of her operation.
With Halloween coming soon she would need to get the decorative flags changed and put out the scarecrows and hay bales, which reminded her that she needed to order fresh hay. The stuff they’d used last year had looked a little ragged.
She crossed to her desk and had started to pick up her phone when her office door burst open and Liz Sutton and Montana surged into the room.
“I can’t believe it!” Montana shrieked. “We sat right here talking about my boring life when you had news like that? How could you keep it to yourself? I may never forgive you.”
Pia might have been worried except she had no idea what her friend was talking about, and the fact that Montana and Liz were both grinning like fools meant that it wasn’t bad news.
Liz reached her first and hugged her. “Congratulations. He seems really sweet. And hunky, which is always a nice plus. I know I get a little shiver every time I see Ethan. Especially when he’s naked.”
Montana winced. “Hello, that’s my brother we’re talking about. Don’t share details.”
“Sorry,” Liz said with a laugh, then turned back to Pia. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
Montana and Liz grabbed each other’s arms and actually jumped up and down. It was a little bit scary, Pia thought, taking a step back.
“You’re marrying Raoul!” they shrieked together.
“I’m going to forgive you for not telling me if you promise to spill all the details,” Montana said. “Start at the beginning and talk slow. You said hi and he said?”