“How about this one?” Corey held a mannequin’s hand in front of me, slowly waving it so I could see how the diamonds sparkled in the light.
We were standing in the only jewelry store I trusted—Valenti’s, and the store owner had shut it down so I could shop for Claire’s wedding band in private.
I slipped the ring off the plastic finger and held it in front of my face, shaking my head. “Claire wouldn’t like it.”
“Any woman would appreciate a band with rare pink diamonds—any woman. Trust me, I’ve been with enough of them to know.” He smiled.
“Speaking of any woman, didn’t you mention a threesome recently? It was with two actresses, right? You never told me if it worked in your favor or not.”
“Couldn’t do it...” He shrugged. “Wait a minute. Why are you getting Claire another diamond ring? Her engagement ring is already eighteen carats. Isn’t that enough?”
“I want to do something special for her since she’s doing something special with mine.”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes. “I should’ve known that you would end up proposing. You were a goner the minute you told me about her.”
“That’s not true.”
“Of course it isn’t. You’ve always called me at one o’ clock in the morning to tell me about some random woman you saw at a party, some woman you’ve never even spoken to. And you’ve always made me track her down four hours later.”
“It was six hours later.”
“That makes it far less stalkerish doesn’t it?” He pulled out his phone. “When exactly is the wedding? I need to make sure I don’t make any plans that week.”
“We haven’t set the date yet.” I spotted two diamond bands in the case that spoke to me; separately they were appealing, but together they could be stunning.
As if he’d read my mind, he picked up the two rings and placed them on another mannequin’s finger. “You’re getting married in less than three months and you haven’t set the date yet? You had the IPO ball planned six months in advance and you didn’t even want to go.”
“We’re meeting with the wedding planner next week.”
He raised his eyebrow but he didn’t say anything.
“Is everything alright, Mr. Statham? Mr. Walters?” The store owner walked over to us. “Have you found something that you like?”
I slid the plastic hand across the counter. “I want the ring to be a mix of these two designs—not welded together though, it’ll be too thick. And I want the same engravings that we discussed before.”
“Of course, Mr. Statham. This should be easy.”
“Shit, I’ve got to go...” Corey’s eyes widened as he looked at his phone and started walking backwards. “Firewall breach for the second time today. I’ll call you later.”
I watched as the guards let him out of the store before refocusing my attention on the rings.
“What were you saying, Miss Valenti?”
“That this should be an easy fix, but it’s going to take me at least two to three weeks to perfect it—That’s a lot of tiny diamonds and they need time to set. But as usual, your engraved messages to Claire make me cry.” She smiled. “She’s very lucky to have you.”
“Since you’re designing my ring with her, will my band match hers?”
She raised her eyebrow. “What?”
“Will my band match hers?”
She slid her glasses down from her forehead and pulled out her sTablet, scrolling down the screen. “It might match yours, but since she hasn’t asked me to design it...I’m not sure.”
What? “She didn’t book a session with you?”
She shook her head and showed me the tablet. “You’re my best customer. I always push your appointments to the top of the list. My staff knows that Miss Gracen is to receive the same treatment. She’s never called me. Ever.”
I narrowed my eyes at the screen—hoping that her vision was the problem and that Claire had indeed scheduled an appointment like she promised to, but there was nothing there. All the purchases and appointments were things I’d made: the Harry Winston bracelet, the anchor necklace, the vintage charm necklace and matching ring, the engagement ring, various things for Caroline and Ashley, and now this—her wedding band.
“She may be using someone else, Mr. Statham.” She offered.
She doesn’t ‘know’ anyone else...
“Right. Well, thank you very much. It’s a pleasure doing business with you as always. Do I need to pay for this now?”
“No. I think you’re good for it.” She winked and walked over to my side of the counter, leading me to the door. “I’ll do all the work on this one personally and call you for a follow up appointment to make sure you like it. I’m looking forward to your wedding.”
I asked her a few questions about her life—how her kids were doing, if any of the colleagues I’d referred had stopped by, and then I shook her hand and promised to personally deliver her an invitation.
As soon as I stepped outside, the valet brought my car around and I handed him whatever bills were left in my wallet. I was too out of it to count or care.
I sat behind the wheel and stared straight ahead.
Why didn’t Claire make the ring appointment? What the hell is going on with her? Did she even book our meeting with the wedding planner?!
I scrolled through my phone and called the number she’d given me for the wedding planning firm.
“Dream Wedding Associates,” a woman answered. “This is Charlotte speaking. How may I help you today?”
“I need to speak to the director right now.”
“Um...” She paused. “Well, she’s currently busy at the moment, but if you give me your name I can have her get back to you.”
“Jonathan Statham.”
She gasped. “I’m sorry, Mr. Statham. I’ll connect you right away.”
The phone rang two times before a woman with a high pitched voice answered. “This is Miss Corwin. Who am I speaking to this afternoon?”
“Jonathan Statham.”
“Oh! Mr. Statham!” Her pitch rose even higher. “I am so excited and honored that you chose me to coordinate your wedding! I promise that it will be the wedding of the year! It’s going to be the best one I’ve ever done!”
“So my fiancée has booked an appointment with you?”
“Of course she has.” She sounded confused. “I’m scheduled to meet with the both of you...” There were papers rattling the background. “Next Thursday at six. She told me how you feel about the tiny details, so she and I are going to meet Friday to go over those alone. But all the bones—colors, location, date, et cetera—will be discussed Thursday. I am so excited! I can’t wait!”
“Me either.” I narrowed my eyes at the picture Ryan had sent to Claire earlier—the picture I’d left on my dashboard. “As a matter of fact, I need to ask you a few more questions...”
Chapter 5
Claire
Across and forward...Backwards and across...Across and forward...
I weaved my needle through the lampshade, trying to make the stitches as neat as possible. I’d been locked inside my office all day, sewing order after order.
Since one of my handmade lampshades had been featured in a national magazine last week, I’d had to hire three more people to fill all the incoming requests. I’d even considered shutting down the store for a couple days to finish, but all my staff members offered to stay late and help.
“Miss Gracen?” Rita’s voice came over the intercom. “Lisa and Sam are heading home for the day and your fiancée is on line one.”
“Thank you.” I picked up the phone. “Yes, Jonathan?”
“Come home.”
“I will, right after this last piece. I only have twelve more patches to sew.”
“It’s eight o’ clock, Claire. Come home now.”
I sighed. “You can’t give me fifteen more minutes?”
“No. Now.” He hung up.