I hung up, got out of the car, and made my way into the building. After giving my name, I was instructed to have a seat and wait to be called. Most people didn’t understand the back end of diamond buying. Jewelers most of the time bought through wholesale or straight from the diamond mines themselves. Today I was doing the latter, and buying from the mines. Hershel, the mine’s owner, stepped from the back and called my name.
“It’s been a while, Mrs. Kilmore,” he said, greeting me. Grant had introduced Hershel and me years ago. Because we were married, he assumed I’d taken Grant’s last name, and I started to correct him, but Grant had told me not to worry about it. Using his last name gave me a form of protection when dealing with Hershel. I didn’t like it, but I allowed it to happen.
“Mr. Hershel,” I replied with a nod.
“I heard about your husband.” We walked down the long hallway to the showroom in the back. “You have my condolences.”
“Thank you.” I set my briefcase on the desk and stepped in front of the armed guard. As always, I was patted down, and my case was searched. The only thing I brought with me was the briefcase full of money and my car keys. Everything else was left in my car. Once the guard was done, I stepped back, picked up my briefcase, and turned to him.
“Do you have any requests, or are you open to seeing everything?” he asked.
“I only want the best,” I answered, and he nodded.
Hershel turned, said a few words to the guards, then directed me to the table where the jewels would be displayed. “So, Yale,” he said as we waited. I looked at him, waiting patiently. “Your business will be expanding soon, now that your husband is no longer in the picture?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. The guard returned, set three cases on the desk, and walked out of the room.
“Really?” Hershel questioned, slightly surprised. He opened the first case and put it in front of me. The chocolate diamonds sparkled. “I would’ve thought that you’d step into his shoes since he’s gone. It’s a lot of money that you’re about to miss out on.”
“I can only focus on my own career at this moment,” I said, shaking my head. My mind was running a mile a minute, though. Grant was a damn meteorologist. I didn’t know shit about the weather besides what my app told me. “I don’t need to go back to school for something else.” I picked out five diamonds that I liked, then closed the case.
Hershel gave me a new case, then lowly chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought about your husband having to go to school to do his job, but I guess that would be a way for him to meet new people.” He looked over at me and smirked. “A formof networking with the elite, you know, the ones that no one ever looks at.”
“I guess,” I shrugged, then went back to looking at the second case. “You’re very invested in Grant’s business.”
“I’ve made a lot of money with Grant,” he answered with a nod. “The last shipment that was delivered was a little sloppy, but I figured it would be since I was dealing with Quincy.”
I kept looking at the diamonds, appearing unfazed by what Hershel was saying, but my head was spinning, and I had a million thoughts. The first thing I needed to figure out was what Quincy and Grant were up to.
“Sloppy like how?” I questioned him. I peered over to him quickly, then went back to the diamonds in front of me.
“None of the girls were up to par,” Hershel answered. “When I worked with Grant, he made sure they were bathed, in decent clothing, and their hair was presentable.” I looked up at Hershel to see him shaking his head. “When Grant was in charge, I never worried about those things. It will take me some time to sell them, which is going to cost me money.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Hershel's face twisted in disgust. “He made some excuse about not having the time to deal with them like Grant did properly. Apparently, your family took a few big hits over the last few months. First your husband and then your father-in-law? And your two brothers-in-law died in a house fire. You and Quincy are the only two left, right?”
“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” I replied and closed the case. There was no way that Amethyst was in on whatever Grant and Quincy were doing. I nodded at the final case and continued playing it cool.
“It does,” he agreed. The third case had some of the most beautiful diamonds I’d ever seen. They were flawless and theircolors breathtaking. “So, you have no interest in taking over what your husband was doing for Robert?”
“Should I?” I smirked as I continued to look. I peered over my shoulder at Hershel and smirked. “I mean, I’m doing well on my own.”
“You could be doing better,” he countered. “Grant used to tell me all the time that you liked pretending like you didn’t know what he was doing.”
“Did he now?”
“He did,” Hershel confirmed. “Every time he and I would meet, we discussed your position, and each time Grant said you were where you needed to be.” He gave me a once-over and shook his head. “I disagree. There needs to be another woman in those rooms. The smell of testosterone is too thick.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “You are the perfect person for that.”
“I doubt it,” I laughed and shook my head. “And I hate to agree with my late husband when I say this, but he was right.” I closed the case and turned to give Hershel my full attention. “I am where I need to be. I’m just a woman who loves to make jewelry.” I gave him a fake smile, then tucked a piece of hair behind my head. “Trust me on that.”
“Nah,” Hershel said. “You’re more than that. I can tell. I’ll be putting in a word with Robert. I will only do business with you from now on. Quincy is too sloppy; he doesn’t have the eye for the finer things like you do.” Hershel pushed off the wall and approached me. He towered over me, so I had to lift my head to look at him. “You are more than a woman who loves to make jewelry. You are the jewel.” He brushed his finger along my jaw, and it took everything in me not to scream. “That’s what Grant used to say, and I completely understand why.”
“We shall see.” I took a step back and then checked the time on my watch. “I need to go, I’ll be in touch.” I picked up my briefcase and headed to the exit.
“Yale?” Hershel called out. I stopped walking but didn’t turn around. “You aren’t going to purchase anything?”
“Not this time,” I answered, shaking my head.
