They went in and were immediately greeted by a sales associate. In a matter of minutes, Mitch had the watch on his wrist.
Harper nodded. “It’s really sharp. It looks great on you.”
He looked at himself in one of the shop’s mirrors. He nodded. “It does, doesn’t it?” He looked at the sales associate. “I’ll take it.”
While he took care of payment, she looked in the display cases. They had a lot of diamonds, big ones. The kind celebrities borrowed for the red carpet.
“See something you want to try on?” Mitch asked.
She shook her head. “I’m happy just to look.”
He pointed through the glass. “That one’s nice.”
The one he was pointing at was a large oval diamond flanked by two triangular sapphires in a deep blue. She nodded. “It’sverynice.” It was more than nice, it was beautiful. The kind of ring royalty would wear.
“Try it on.”
She gave him a curious look. “That’s an engagement ring.”
“I know. So what?” He gestured to the sales associate.
Before Harper could say another word, the ring was on her finger. She really didn’t know if Mitch was up to something or just having fun. She wasn’t ready for this. Was she?
He looked at the sales associate. “What ring size is that?”
“Six, sir.”
He looked at Harper. “Fits well.”
She nodded, but she’d also caught a glimpse of the heart-stopping price tag. “It does, but it’s crazy expensive. Also crazy beautiful.” She held her hand out, admiring the jewels. It was stunning. “I’m not sure people would believe it was real.”
Mitch took her hand, inspecting the ring. “You like it?”
“I love it.” She took it off and handed it back to the salesclerk. “What woman wouldn’t? It’s big and sparkly.”
“Do you think…someday…” He glanced at her, his gaze filled with an earnest intensity that cut right through her. “I know this isn’t the right time or the right place, but down the road, would you consider—”
“Yes.” She knew what he was asking. “Down the road. But this is…too much.”
“Why? I can afford it. And you certainly deserve it.”
She took a breath. It was hard to argue with a statement like that.
“Do you like the style?”
“I do,” she said, realizing the two words she’d just spoken had so much more significance.
Would she someday be saying them to him in a different context?
Chapter Fifty-Four
After Beryl finished with giving Ruthie her bottle, Joyce sent her next door to the girls with a batch of muffins. The night before, they’d taken a macaroni cheese over.
Beryl was gone nearly twenty minutes, so Joyce wasn’t surprised when she came back with news. “You’re never going to believe this,” she said, bursting into Mitch’s office.
“Try me.” Joyce was in the midst of polishing all the wood surfaces with orange oil. Not only did it give a lovely sheen, but it made everything smell gorgeous. Once the wood was done, all that was left was the baseboards and a thorough hoovering.
“Lucas called Kai, he’s the—”
