Grimacing, Annabelle returned to the jewelry box. “I won’t be made a fool of again, Kate. He slept with me to get the pin. That should’ve warned me to stay far away from him. But I was stupid and let him get close to me again. And he played me.”
“Don’t you think he might really care for you?”
“No.”
Annabelle moved on to another vendor’s stall, not wanting to continue the conversation. It made her eyes burn with tears she refused to cry. She made a show of staring at the jewelry in the glass case but in reality, couldn’t see a thing.
Kate moved up beside her and sighed. “I’m sorry. I just…I think Jared felt something more than just lust for you. I think he really…Hey, isn’t this pretty?”
Kate reached for something in one of the cases and slipped a ring on her right ring finger. “What color did you say the stone was that you’re looking for?”
She turned to see what Kate was holding out. “Oh, my God.”
She almost grabbed Kate’s hand to bring the piece into better light but stopped before she made a scene.
“Annabelle?” Kate frowned at her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Annabelle leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper, so she didn’t attract too much attention from the seller. “I think you found Beatrice’s ring.”
Kate looked up, eyes wide. “No way. You’re freaking kidding me.”
“No, I’m not. Let me see it.”
Kate slid the ring off her finger and dropped it into Annabelle’s open palm.
The blue sapphire had the right shape and appeared to be the proper carat weight. Tarnish covered the plain silver band, and the teardrop stone looked dull from a coating of what she thought might be soot. Otherwise, it looked exactly like the picture Beatrice had sent her.
Could it really be that easy? It didn’t seem possible.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to clean that one yet.” The dealer walked over with a smile on her face. “I found it in a box of jewelry I bought at an estate sale last week. The stone’s real. A sapphire.”
Trying not to act like an over-eager rube, Annabelle held it up to the light.
At the moment, it didn’t look like it was worth five dollars, much less five hundred, which was actually closer to the truth.
To Beatrice, it was priceless. If it was her ring.
Turning her attention to the inside of the band, she swore she felt lightheaded when she saw the faint letters that looked like Greek. She wasn’t positive they spelled the word passion but, really, what else could it be?
“How much do want for this?” she asked the vendor.
When she named a ridiculously high price, Annabelle settled into bargaining. She wasn’t about to cheat the woman but she wasn’t going to pay more than it was really worth. When they settled on $450, Annabelle walked away with a smile and the ring.
Which she handed back to Kate.
She took it with a confused smile.
“I think you should hold on to that for me,” Annabelle said. “Just for a while.”
She recalled Beatrice telling her about the legend associated with the jewels. Kate had picked it up first and put it on her finger. She should be the one to give it to Beatrice. Unless she saw Tyler first.
At least one of the Golden brothers was a gentleman and she had no doubt it was Tyler.
The painting arrived Monday morning at nine by private courier.
From Haven Hotel.
Annabelle propped the crate against the checkout desk and left it there for an hour before she decided to open it.
When the shock of the address wore off, she realized she was pretty sure she knew what was in the crate. She couldn’t decide if she was pissed off or touched. She didn’t want to be touched.
“That bastard.”
She’d barely managed to function on Sunday. Only the constant stream of customers had kept her mind off the mess her life had become.
And it’d taken an entire bottle of Arbor Mist to ensure she slept through the night.
Which she’d paid for today with a hangover she’d only managed to shake with three acetaminophen.
The sight of that crate made her temples throb again.
“Damn him.”
She knew she wouldn’t get any work done until she opened it, so she got her crowbar and pried it open.
Kate found Annabelle sitting on the floor of the shop in front of the painting an hour later.
“Annabelle? Hey, is everything okay?” A pause. “What’re you doing on the floor, hon?”
“Hey, Kate. I got a present from Jared.”
Behind her, she heard Kate walk over to her, then stop. “Is that one of your dad’s?”
She nodded, letting her gaze trace the lines of her mother’s naked back. “It’s Number Seven in the Passion series. The one I needed to complete my collection. Jared sent it.”
Kate paused. “Okay, back up. I’m thoroughly confused. I thought you said he wanted to buy your paintings.”
“That’s what I thought too.”
“Then why did he send you this one?”
Good question. “You know, Jared accused me of hiding and he was right. I have been. And I’m so sick and tired of looking over my shoulder, waiting for my past to bite me on the ass.”
Slowly, Kate nodded. “I get that, Annabelle. I do. But…” She sighed. “What are you going to do? I mean, do you just take out an ad in the newspaper and say, ‘Hey, I’m Peter O’Malley’s daughter.’”
“No, of course not. But I have to do something. And…I had this idea. It might be really stupid and if you think so, just tell me, okay?” She then let her idea tumble out in a rush before she lost her nerve. “I’m thinking about doing a showing here, a grand reopening. The renovations will be completed next week. I have that beautiful new gallery space. I’d decide who to invite and let the information just…slide out that way.”
Kate’s expression was solemn. “Sounds like you’ve given it a lot of thought, and I can see how having control over the event would be helpful.” Kate turned back to the painting. “This one’s beautiful. I wish I’d known your parents.”
Annabelle wished for the same. “They were wonderful. All of them. And so much in love. I knew their relationship was different. Lots of kids had two dads and a mom but they didn’t all live together and share the same bed. I knew other people thought they were freaks. And worse. But those people didn’t understand. They just condemned. Then the way they died just made it all that much more titillating.
“But my paintings, the ones I’ve kept in storage all these years, they show the love, the affection. I think I didn’t want to share that with anyone else after what happened. I wanted to keep it for myself.”
“Understandable, considering. But you’re not going to sell them, are you? Because you know people will be all over you to buy them.”
“Of course not. But maybe I’ll show some of the younger artists I’ve been collecting. Give others a boost.”
“And dilute a little of the focus on your announcement. Sounds like a plan.”
“I’m not ashamed of who I am. Or my parents. It’s time to take back my life.”
“Does that include forgiving a certain guy? You know he sent this as damn big ‘I’m sorry,’ right?”
Annabelle paused as she brushed a finger over her father’s signature. “Yeah. I know.”
She’d had a lot of time to think over the past week. A lot of time to calm down, think about what had happened. And to admit she missed him. And that maybe, just maybe, he’d had a valid reason for his actions.
“I guess that will depend on the guy.”
“So, have you heard from her yet?”
Jared shook his head as he stared out the window of his office, not bothering to turn around to acknowledge Tyler.