“Sebastian Jewelry, unless you have another place in mind. Seb can be a dick, but he knows gemstones.” There’s a hint of affection.
“Did he pick out the stones for Lucie?”
“Yup. And believe me, it isn’t easy to get something that meets with her approval. Not when it comes to jewelry. Hopefully you’ll like something there.”
I’ve never been inside Sebastian Jewelry’s flagship store. But then, I never thought I’d be able to afford anything here. From the polished black marble to the textured wallpaper, from the soft, pleasant scent and piano melody in the air, the place exudes old-money elegance and affluence.
As soon as we step inside, a uniformed clerk locks the door and flips the sign over to say,Closed. Another one trots toward us, stopping when I lean toward Huxley to have a discreet moment.
“Wait… It’s closed?” I whisper.
“To the public. Not to us."
“I don’t understand.”
“I rented the entire store.”
My jaw slackens. “Can youdothat?” I’ve only seen it happen in movies.
Huxley shrugs. “Why not? We’re family.”
Ooh. A special hookup!“Do we get a discount?” I whisper, barely able to suppress my excitement.
He gives me a slightly bemused look. “A discount?”
“You know. A friends and family discount?”
“With Seb?” A snort. “More likely a surcharge.”
I gasp. “What?”
“Just kidding.” Huxley laughs. “You’re so funny about money. You know what the limit is?”
“No…” We didn’t discuss a budget.
“This.” He pulls out his black AmEx. “You can get whatever you want.”
I narrow my eyes, then make a show of scanning the countless sparkling diamonds, emeralds, pearls, sapphires and rubies. “How about everything in the store?”
“Why not?” He turns to the clerk, who is waiting for our signal. “My wife wants everything.”
“No!” I smack his shoulder lightly then look at the clerk. “He forgot his medication. Let me look what you have first.”
The man smiles. “Certainly. My name is Jared Andersen. This way.”
He leads us to a private room complete with a plush love seat and an armchair and a beautiful onyx table. Four trays full of various baubles await my perusal.
“You didn’t have to rent the whole store if we were going to be in a private room anyway,” I whisper.
“I might’ve done that if you were just my girlfriend. But you’re my wife.” He kisses my forehead.
I flush with pleasure at the solemn way he calls me his wife. A sense of belonging ripples through me again, and I lean my head on his shoulder, enjoying the warm solidity of his strong body.He threads his fingers through mine, and I feel like I can walk into any battle with this man by my side.
Another clerk comes forward and places a plate with a ham and turkey sandwich in front of me, along with the pear cider I’ve become addicted to. Huxley gets a roast beef and Coke.
“Take your time.” Huxley’s eyes barely flick in the direction of the trays.
“Mmm. Hard to decide. They’re all pretty.” I look closely at the emeralds while nibbling on the sandwich. The set has earrings and a necklace set in platinum. The square stones are a green so deep, they look like something out of a wild forest. Some associative switch gets thrown in my brain and I’m reminded of Huxley’s scent. There’s a hint of that annoying floral again, but it’s much lighter compared to yesterday and doesn’t give me a headache. Madison must’ve doused herself in perfume to leave some on my husband. I may never understand her motive behind provoking me, but she isn’t going to ruin my lunch-slash-shopping date with Huxley.
