“I’m Rafe.”
“Kate.”
“Nice to meet you, Kate. What’s abeautiful young thing like yourself doing among the dusty old things in thisstore?”
Oh, I think this man is flirting with me.“I’m buying a new wedding band for my husband. They have a selection of customrings here.”
“Very nice. What a lucky man you have.”
“I think so, thank you.”
Maria comes back around with a smallblack box in her hand. “We do have a size ten. It’s the last one.”
“Great, I’ll take it.” Today might justbe my lucky day.
“Also, Landon finished the appraisal onyour ring.” She sits my ring back in its box on the counter. “He said that wecan offer you nine hundred dollars for it.”
I nearly choke on my spit when she saysthis. I have the urge to laugh in her face. She’s got to be kidding. I clear mythroat, trying to stay calm. “Nine hundred? That’s awfully low.”
Landon comes out of the back, lingeringin the background. “May I ask where Landon learned his appraisal skills?” Itwas probably from the book ‘Antiques for dummies’. At least that’s what Iimagine or hope, anyway. No one can be that off with an appraisal, can they?
“I studied archeology at UNLV and did aninternship with an antiquities dealer back east.” I can tell I’ve insulted himsince he’s come up and answered my question. “Your ring is late Victorian era,and it’s only plated in gold, which lowers the value.”
I have never been so insulted in all mylife. He did learn his skills from the dummies book.
“No.” I shake my head and take the ringcarefully out of the box, sitting it on the black velvet. “This is early Victorian,and it’s a mixed steel and gold, not plated.”You ass.“See how the ringmaker used a small mallet to form the ring? That’s where you get the roughnessof the ring from, and if you had used a microscope to look at the ring, you’dsee that the gold is mixed with the steel and not plated on top of it.”
He scoffs at me. “The ruby in the centeris rough and worn down with age. Those are chips, not part of the design. Thisis a cheap late Victorian ring. I stand by my appraisal.”
“And I stand by mine.” Okay, now I’mshouting, but this guy is an idiot. I pull out my authentication papers. “Theinsurance on this ring is thirty-two hundred dollars. Its resale appraisedvalue is four thousand dollars. Do you know Craig Foster?”
His eyes get wide. “Yes, I know him.”
“Well, that’s who I interned for.” I blowout a breath. Great, just great. I’ve pissed these guys off and now they probablywon’t buy my ring and I won’t be able to buy Cole’s wedding band. “I’m sorry,”I say, putting the ring back into the box. “I get a little overzealous withthis kind of stuff. It’s what I’m passionate about.”
“I’ll buy your ring.” I look up to seeRafe standing next to me. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear yourconversation.”
“You want to buy this ring?” I hold up myruby ring.
“Yes, I came in here looking for a ring.You want to sell yours and I want to buy it. I think it’s a win-win situation.”
“How much?” I look at him cautiously.
“What is a fair offer?”
“Thirty-five hundred.”
He holds out his hand. “Deal.”
I shake it. “Deal.”
“Do you want a job?” Landon askssuddenly.
“Huh—what really, why? Isn’t this yourjob?”
“The Kent Kira rings, those are my rings.I’d much rather design and make rings than appraise art and antiques which, themajority of the time are garbage.”
“You’re Kent Kira? Your jewelry isbeautiful. I went to a design show you had in Seattle a few years back and Ifell in love with your work.”
