“Doesn’t he care enough to show up for his own wedding announcement?”
“He really wanted to be here,” I said. “He just couldn’t.”
Faith saw my distress and stepped in. “He works hard, Forrester. He’d have been here if he was able.”
“It just seems a bit weird that he wouldn’t want to be here for this.”
“Forrester,” Faith said. “Drop it.”
Everyone looked at me. I felt a flush of heat on my cheeks. It was so humiliating. Yes, I was the girl who was getting engaged to the guy who didn’t even care enough to come to his own announcement. It was just one more sign that I was a complete loser when it came to matters of the heart.
They all knew everything that had ever happened to me. When my last boyfriend, Matt, cheated on me, the brothers had punished him for it. I was grateful to them for always defending me, but I was also ashamed and embarrassed of the fact that I needed them to do so. When would I just find a good guy? A guy who didn’t let me down and humiliate me?
Didn’t I deserve that?
I was beginning to have my doubts.
“Let’s see the ring,” Grady said, trying to turn the topic onto something more positive.
But it was no use. I shook my head. I stammered as I spoke, humiliation and embarrassment flowing over me.
“I don’t have one yet,” I said, weakly.
They all nodded. There was kindness and sympathy on their faces. I opened my mouth to offer more explanation. I was going to make some excuse for Rob, say he was planning on getting me a really beautiful ring and just needed more time to find it, but I knew there was no point. He hadn’t even bothered to give me an engagement ring, and everyone at the table knew it.
I sat down and looked at the food I’d spent the whole day preparing.
“Please start,” I said, and passed the potato dish to Faith on my right.
Quietly, in an atmosphere that was far more somber than it should have been, we started our meal.
Chapter 31
Lacey
I FELT TERRIBLY AWKWARD A few days later, having coffee with Rob in a trendy cafe near the center of the city.
“They asked you about a ring?”
“Of course,” I said, trying not to let my embarrassment show. “When you get engaged, it’s the first thing everyone asks.”
Rob nodded. He put his hand on mine and his touch felt foreign to me. I was marrying a stranger.
“Well, I suppose they’re right.”
“Really?” I said, surprised that he was agreeing.
“You should have an engagement ring, Lacey. You should go find one you like.”
“Find one?”
“Yeah, go to a few jewelry stores, see what’s available. Tell me what you find.”
I thought about it. I supposed it was a nice gesture. Usually, the man would present the ring he’d chosen to the bride, but I wondered if these days it was more common for the bride to choose her own ring.
“I guess I could go look at some.”
“Yeah. Come back and tell me what you like.”
“Don’t you want to come with me?”
“I’d love to, Lacey, but I’m so swamped at work right now.”
Rob’s phone started ringing. I saw Cassie’s name flash across the screen before he rejected the call.
“You can answer if you want,” I said.
“No, no,” he said. “It’s just a buddy from the gym. I’ll call him back later.”
“A buddy?”
“Yeah.”
“A guy?”
“Yeah.”
Rob didn’t realize I’d noticed Cassie’s name. I thought about telling him I’d seen it. I wondered why he would lie about that. He worked with Cassie. There was nothing wrong with her calling him. Or was there?
Instinctively I forced myself to stop thinking about the possibilities. I’d been cheated on before. I was an expert at ignoring the signs.
“Well,” Rob said, after finishing the last of his coffee. “I’d better get back to the office. You go look at some rings and let me know what you find.”
“Sure,” I said.
He put some money on the table for the coffees and got up to leave.
“I love you,” I said, quietly as he left.
I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not. He didn’t respond.
The jewelry district wasn’t far from the cafe and I decided to go right there. I knew Rob wasn’t going to get me a ring unless I pushed for it, and I couldn’t go on facing Faith and the brothers without one. Not having it was like a constant reminder that I was getting married to a man who wasn’t passionate enough about me to make the financial commitment. I caught a cab to Goldman’s, the largest and oldest of the city’s classic jewelers.
As I walked through the ornate, art deco doors, I felt a pang of nervousness. Goldman’s was one of those old institutions that oozed luxury, status, and prestige. A man in a classic suit approached me.
“Can I help you, madam?”
“Yes,” I said, a little uncertain of myself. “I’d like to look at your engagement rings.”
“Engagement rings?”
“Yes. You do sell them, don’t you?”
“Of course,” he said. “It’s just, usually it’s men who come to look at them.”