Page 26 of Our Now and Forever

“Your son doesn’t see it that way.” Snow couldn’t help herself. As much as she knew Vivien was right, she couldn’t stand to admit as much. Not to this horrible woman.

Silence prickled through the line, raising goose bumps along Snow’s arms. Her mother-in-law was a formidable opponent. A woman unaccustomed to being crossed.

“How do you think my son will feel when he learns that you used his own mother against him?” Vivien asked, the threat unmistakable.

“I didn’t use anyone,” Snow answered, struggling to keep the panic from her voice. The guilt was harder to ignore. “Everything you’ve done was of your own choosing.”

“That’s your word against mine, now, isn’t it?”

The betrayal would kill him. Even if he gave Snow a chance to explain, the truth was still ugly and hurtful.

Her position achingly clear, Snow said, “Your son will be home before Christmas. You can start your proceedings then.”

Vivien’s voice lost a bit of its edge. “This is the best for all involved. I assume you’ll no longer need my assistance in contacting your parents?”

“No,” Snow said. “I’ll contact them directly from now on.”

As she spoke the words, all feeling left her body. This was what she wanted—Caleb out of her life for good. So why did she feel as if she was losing something all over again?

“Snow?” Vivien said, sounding once again like the dictator she was. “Don’t do anything foolish.”

“Good-bye,” Snow said, ending the call without waiting for the other woman to respond.

Closing her eyes, Snow took several deep breaths, willing the tears away. Once she regained control, she opened the phone line and entered a number she hadn’t dialed in eighteen months.

“Are you sure this is the one?” Caleb asked, turning the tiny ring between two fingers to catch the light. Hattie had put him in a small ladies’ parlor before disappearing up the stairs and returning moments later with a cream-colored jewelry box.

“I’m sure,” Hattie said, balancing the box on her lap. “That ring has Snow written all over it.”

The round diamond, held in place by four prongs and accented by six smaller stones on each side, was dainty, understated, and beautiful. Just like his wife.

“The band is platinum,” Hattie explained. “Aunt Edith gave it to me when I turned sixteen. Her first husband had been killed in World War II, and when she remarried, her second husband gave her a new ring.” The older woman’s voice turned wistful. “I think seeing this in her jewelry box every day reminded her of Uncle Harry and what she’d lost. They’d been so in love, those two.”

Caleb had no doubt he could afford whatever price Hattie asked, but now he knew there was sentimental value involved. “I don’t want to take something so personal,” he said. “I’ll make a trip down to Nashville tomorrow.”

Hattie waved his words away. “I’ll hear nothing of the sort. That ring is meant to be worn, not sit in a box forever. Besides,” she added, “I can’t take it with me.”

From what little time he’d spent with Hattie Silvester, Caleb surmised she was as healthy as he was. But not all ailments were obvious. “Are you planning on meeting your maker sometime soon?” he asked.

Shaking her head, she said, “My luck, I’ll still be kicking around this old place twenty years from now. That doesn’t change the fact that Snow deserves this ring.”

The delicate piece continued to sparkle as he held it closer to the window. “What do you want for it?”

“It’s worth about five thousand,” Hattie said, shrugging as she answered. “Give me whatever you can afford.”

Caleb could afford twice that much. “How do you feel about monthly payments?” He’d simply pay the small amount for the first month or two, then hand over a large check before he and Snow left for home.

“Like I said, pay me what you can afford.” The older woman placed several small satchels back in the long jewelry box and latched the intricately decorated lid in place. “Say, do you know anything about the newspaper business?”

Considering his father owned three of them and he’d interned at each, the answer was obvious. But again, he didn’t know what story Snow wanted him to tell. This lying business was more trouble than it was worth. Which was why he’d never made a habit of it.

“I know a little, I guess,” Caleb said, deciding that understatement was better than a lie.

“Good.” Hattie set the jewelry box on the desk and scribbled something on a piece of paper. “Be at this address at nine tomorrow morning.”

Caleb took the note and read 121 Second Avenue North. “What is this?” he asked.

“You want a job or not?” she asked.

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