“How do you—” I stop mid sentence as I watch her walk into the shop. She has a wide smile on her face. She doesn’t even look much older than the photos I found in the chest.
She has the familial white blonde hair, my same bright blue eyes, and the moon shaped beauty mark on the side of her neck.
I toss my breakfast in the trash and barely look both ways before crossing the street and grab the door handle.
A large, familiar scent hits me before his hand wraps around mine.
“We should have a plan,” he tells me.
I swallow, watching her through the window as she goes to the backroom, before coming to the front and cleaning some of the glass showcases.
“I imagine she’s going to look at me and realize who I am,” I tell Silas, who sighs, but doesn’t let go of my hand.
“Meeting your family isn’t always a happy reunion,” he says, and I glance up at him. Now isn’t the time or the place to discuss him finding family members.
My mother is right past this door and I’m finally about to meet her. I’m finally about to understand. So, I ignore Silas’ caution and swing the door open, a light bell dinging as I walk in.
“Can I help you?” a friendly enough man says, but I shake my head and approach the case near my mother.
She sprays some Windex, wiping any streaks away before glancing up at us with a friendly smile. It’s the type of smile you give a stranger you’re trying to sell something to, not one of familial recognition.
“Hi there, what can I help you with?” she says in a southern drawl, not so indifferent from my grand-mère’s. Her name tag says Laylah, not Lavender.
I’m shocked speechless as I hear my mother’s voice for the first time. Her smile falters a little, and she looks above me.
Silas’ large hand grips my hip.
“Me and the misses just got hitched, and well, in our haste to the altar, we didn’t think about wedding rings.”
I swallow. What? I glance up at Silas and he squeezes my hip again. The touch is for me to play along, to make this encounter last longer so we can get more information.
“Oh, congratulations. You make a beautiful couple. Do you know what you’re looking for?”
“I need something simple, durable. And the little lady likes unique, definitely not a diamond,” he says.
I can’t tell if he’s being cheap, or he actually understands my style as she leads us to a case of unique rings before pulling them out.
“Well, we have opal, emerald, and amethyst.”
“Amethyst,” I whisper out and she smiles, pulling the tray out with amethyst stones.
“Are we thinking big or dainty?” she asks, and I can’t help but to just stare into her eyes that are exactly like mine.
“Dainty, she works at a hospital, so something that won’t get in the way,” Silas says, he’s still holding my hip, I nearly forgot.
The ring she pulls out isn’t the most expensive. She’s not trying to oversell as she holds her hand out. I place mine in hers as she slides the ring on my finger, and I do my best not to cry.
“This one is simple, but timeless,” she says as I look down at the rose gold band with an oval amethyst in the middle, flanked by moissanite floral diamonds.
“It’s perfect,” I whisper, and glance back up at her.
“Wonderful. I love getting it right on the first try.” She grabs some rings for Silas and glances at his finger. “Looks like you’ll need a larger size, like my husband.”
“Your husband?” I question and she nods with a smile but doesn’t elaborate.
Silas picks the least expensive ring and slides it on his finger.
“We’ll take both of these. How long has this place been here?” he asks.
