He jerked his chin her way and gave his best you-know-we’d-be-good-in-the-sack smile.
She rolled her eyes.
Chandra glanced up from the posters. “Hello, Jason.”
“Good to see you, Chandra.” He grinned at his mother’s best friend. “I brought your flowers.”
Chandra skirted the edge of the jewelry case and plucked the vase from his fingertips. “Thanks.” She arranged the vase on a mirrored table near the diamond engagement rings.
Her shop wasn’t the typical jewelry shop with the clear cases and the soft carpets and the bright lights. Chandra’s shop was silver and white and pops of gold. Subdued lighting everywhere but over the cases. For those, she’d added sparkling chandeliers. No matter which way you looked, shit sparkled—in the cases, on the ceiling, even the walls had tiny mirrors edged tight together to give the appearance of bling. It was enough to make a man shiver just walking inside.
He sauntered toward Heather. “What’re we shopping for today?”
“Rings.” Chandra scooted around the counter once more, removing two boxes with rings. “Heather was thinking traditional gold, but I think rose gold goes better with her coloring.”
Heather slid her fingertip along the edge of the first small ring with little diamonds around the edge. “I like this one.”
“You should try it on.” Jase couldn’t take his gaze from where the tip of her fingernail traced the trinket.
“My niece is in town this weekend.” Chandra raised her I’m-in-cahoots-with-your-mother penciled eyebrows at Jase. “I told her all about you. She’d love to have a drink with you.”
“I’m off the market for a while. You know how it is when you get your heart broken.” In for a penny. In for a pound.
He lifted the little ring from the silk-lined box and held it out for Heather.
She took it, slipped it on her right hand. He couldn’t care less about rose gold and regular gold and skin tone, but that ring belonged on Heather.
“You were seeing someone?” Chandra asked, apparently perturbed she wasn’t in the loop.
“I was. Total whirlwind.” He played the innocent card—dash of heartbreak, sad eyes, big sigh. “We broke up this morning. Very sudden.”
He glanced to Heather. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes.
“You know what they say: when you fall off the horse it’s best to get right back on.” Chandra admired the ring on Heather’s hand.
“What do you think?” he asked Heather, his question having nothing to do with jewelry.
“I think when you fall off the horse, you should evaluate why you fell, so it doesn’t happen again. For example, did you say something to the horse that made it buck?” Heather fiddled with the ring, sliding it over her knuckle and back down.
“Maybe the horse is just sensitive with a bad temperament.” He shrugged, doing his best to keep his face neutral.
“Maybe the horse expects to be treated a certain way.” Heather pulled off the ring and ran her fingertip over the diamonds.
Chandra glanced between the two of them, eyes wide.
“Maybe the horse doesn’t know a good thing when she sees it.” He pressed his stance wider.
“Or maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with the horse.” Heather smiled the confident smile of an executive on Wall Street and tucked the ring back in the box. “I’m going to think about it,” she told Chandra.
“Sounds good.” Chandra put the box back under the glass. “I need to go help this lady with her repair for a moment. Holler if you need me.” She headed toward the other side of the room.
“Why’d you tell her we broke up?” Heather asked.
“Well, she’s friends with my mom, and Mom is on a tear for me to get serious with someone. My family gets a little nutty about that stuff. I figure our pretend breakup will buy me about three weeks of peace.” Four if he played it right.
She raised her eyebrows at him. “You know how crazy that sounds, right?”
He lifted a shoulder. “You clearly haven’t met my family. How goes the poster delivery?”
