The man smiled.“Right this way.”
They followed him across the carpeted floor to a series of long glass cabinets.
“What kind of diamond are you looking for?”
Connor shrugged.“A big one.”
“Any special shape?”
“Lara?”
She shook her head.
“Oval,” he said, as if it were the first shape that came to mind.
The man nodded and went behind a counter.
Connor started to walk after him, but she put her hand on his forearm and squeezed.“Stop.Would you listen to me, please?I don’t even wear jewelry.”
“I imagine a lot of women say the same thing before they get a wedding ring.”
“A ring, yes.I agree that I need a ring.It doesn’t need to have diamonds and I certainly don’t need a big-ass diamond.”
“A big-ass oval diamond,” he corrected.
She exhaled a ragged breath.“Connor, please.”
“It’s an investment.”
“In a two-year marriage?”she countered.“Let’s be serious.You’re talking about a serious waste of money.”
“Are you going to give me a cost-per-wear analysis?”
She saw a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.And it made it impossible to be mad at him.“I think you’re making fun of me.”
The clerk waited, a wad of keys in hand.
“We’ll disappoint him if we don’t at least look,” Connor said.
“And be keeping him from making a commission from someone who may actually want to make a purchase.”
“Humor me.”
Which meant the argument was over.Just like the numerous others that had come up in the last forty-eight hours.What time to go to bed, the fact he insisted she take a bath to relax at the end of the day, the way he got her up in the morning to hit the treadmill while he rowed.He was right about the need to take care of herself, and about the benefits of them talking while she soaked in the tub.
Their nightly discussions helped keep her more focused at work the next day.He provided helpful suggestions when she wanted them, kept his mouth shut when she didn’t want them.Impressively, he seemed to know the difference.
But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t rather have a glass of wine, eat a big hunk of chocolate for dinner, sleep in then drag through the day with no energy.
Connor pointed out a couple of rings and the man pulled out the first.He polished it with a cloth, then offered it to her.Connor intercepted it.“Is the other one bigger?”
“Slightly,” the man said.
“We’d rather see that.”He gave the ring back.
It was a good thing the marriage was temporary.There were parts of his high-handed antics that wore her down.
With a gracious smile that said he was happy to wait on them all night if necessary, the man took out the other ring, polished it and offered it to Lara.
