“They’re the finest diamonds you’ll find in the country. They’ve all been individually purchased by our dealer in Amsterdam. They’re world-class.”
“And women pick out these for themselves?”
“Yes,” the lady nodded. “But only when they’re here without the man. Men never select these.”
“Why do they choose them?” I said, eyeing the glittering rocks.
“My opinion,” the lady said, giving me a serious look, “they want to punish their fiancé for something.”
“Like what?”
“There’s really only one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Infidelity.”
“Infidelity?” I said. In my mind I saw Cassie’s name flash across Rob’s phone. Was he cheating on me already? He’d only just proposed. We weren’t even married yet.
“I see,” I said. I looked carefully at the selection of rings. They were beautiful, but their prices were simply outrageous. No diamond in the world was worth more than the annual salary of the average person. “Which one is most expensive?” I asked.
The woman picked up a two carat, perfect clarity, white diamond ring. This diamond came from Namibia. It was sold to us at a special auction four years ago in Antwerp. Buyers came from all over the world to bid for it.”
“How much is it?” I said.
“Two-ninety-five.”
“Plus tax?”
“Well, you’d buy it through our intermediary in the Cayman Islands.”
I opened my purse and pulled out Rob’s card. “These are my fiancé’s details,” I said. “Can you have someone contact him and tell him I’ve selected this diamond.”
The woman smiled at me. “You’re looking to send him a message?” she said.
I nodded. “Yes I am. Do you think he’ll hear it?”
“Loud and clear,” the lady said, a broad grin stretching across her face.
Chapter 32
Grant
I PULLED AWAY FROM THE spot I’d been parked at all morning. If I stayed there too long, I’d arouse suspicion. I was pretty sure I was ready for my job at the loan shark company. I just had to nail down a few final details about the security schedule. I turned a corner and parked the van at a new spot, then I left the van and went to grab some coffee and something to eat. There was a good coffee place a few blocks away, in a better neighborhood, and I decided to walk.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and I passed a school teacher taking what looked like an entire kindergarten class on a field trip to the park. The kids were all holding onto a leash to keep them together. It was nice. They didn’t used to do that with kids when I was little. I stopped to watch them, then proceeded through a fancy shopping district. I stopped dead when I saw a familiar face.
“Lacey,” I called without even considering what she might be doing there.
“Grant,” she said, flustered. “What are you doing down here?”
“Scoping out a job,” I said.
“Not this jewelry store, I hope.”
“Why? Do they have something you like?”
She hesitated before answering, and her cheeks flushed. “What?” I said. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, of course not. I was just doing some window shopping.”
“What for?”
She looked embarrassed again, as if I was prying into some deeply secretive part of her life. And then the penny dropped. She was looking at engagement rings.
“A ring!” I said.
She nodded, shyly.
“Oh that’s awesome. Did he buy you one here?”
“Well,” she said, hesitantly, “he didn’t exactly buy it yet.”
“So he picked out a couple?”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t choose a ring at all, Grant. He told me to go out and pick one I liked.”
“What?”
“He wanted to make sure I got something I liked.”
“Sure, I get that, but isn’t the guy usually supposed to put a ring on your finger when he proposes? I mean, I’m no expert on wedding stuff.”
“No, you’re not.”
“But he’s supposed to give you a ring, right? I mean, not just send you out shopping for one, but actually pick one out and give it to you.”
“Usually that’s how it goes.”
I looked at her and felt bad for being so hard on the guy. She looked like she was about to cry. It wasn’t her fault Rob was such a failure in the romance department.
“Well, I hope you picked something expensive,” I said.
She nodded, more enthusiastically than I’d seen her agree with anything I’d said about her wedding in a long time.
“I did,” she said. “It’s my dream ring, Grant. And it probably cost almost as much as Rob’s apartment.”
“What? They make rings that cost that much?”
“They sure do.”
“I guess you can’t put a price on true love.”
“You can, actually,” she said. “I just saw it.”
I laughed. “I guess you did.”
“I just hope he pays for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he’s kind of been a disappointment so far. He didn’t want to come to dinner when I announced the engagement to you guys, he didn’t want to come looking at flowers, he didn’t even want to come look at rings with me.”
“Well, show me the ring.”
“Really?”