Page 95 of The Best of Friends

“You’re not going to open it?” he asked with a smile.

“I’m not sure I can.”

“Then allow me.”

He turned the box so it was facing her, then raised the hinged lid. Inside on a bed of white satin sat a graduated diamond necklace. The diamonds went all the way around to the back, with the larger stones in front. The center stone had to be at least two carats. The perfect diamonds winked and sparkled in the afternoon light.

She knew she was breathing. She could feel air moving in and out of her lungs. Even so, her chest felt tight, and her mind was amazingly blank.

The necklace was possibly the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “It’s much nicer than the one I stole,” she whispered.

He laughed, then pulled it out of the box. “Let’s see how it looks on.”

She put down her glass and scrambled to her feet. “I can’t. It’s too expensive. I don’t have a lifestyle to support that kind of thing, and even if I did… It’s lovely, David. I appreciate the gesture, but it’s too much.”

He rose and moved toward her. “If I owned a tire place, I’d bring you tires. This is what I do. Come on. At least see how it looks.”

She held up both hands to protect herself. “No way. If I let you put that on me, I’ll be lost. I have to be strong and resist.”

“Why?” The humor faded from his eyes. “Jayne, I’m falling for you. You’re my girl, and I want you to have this.”

He couldn’t have persuaded her any other way. Four simple words. “I’m falling for you.” She didn’t know if he meant it or not, and she wasn’t sure what his definition of “falling” was, but she was unable to resist him.

He came up and slipped the necklace around her neck. She held up her hair so he could fasten it, then together they moved into the large marble bathroom. He flipped on the light.

She wore a sundress she’d bought at Kohl’s for thirty dollars and minimal makeup, and she really needed to consider highlights. But none of that mattered. While the necklace was a once-in-a-lifetime dream she would probably never take off, what captured her heart and wouldn’t let go was David staring at her as if… as if…

As if she really were his girl.

She turned in his arms and kissed him.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“It looks good on you.”

“Being with you looks good on me.”

“Jayne.”

Then his mouth was on hers and nothing else mattered. As long as they could be together, touching, yearning, taking, and giving. Love swelled up inside of her. The words threatened to burst out, but she held them back. Saying she loved him was admitting too much. Not because he would ever use that against her, but because then she would have admitted the truth to herself. There was no going back from that.

She might have David’s attention now, but for how long? Eventually he would realize she wasn’t a long-term relationship. That everyone knew he was going to marry the “right” sort of woman. Then he would break her heart. Better for both of them if she didn’t admit that what had once been a crush had grown into a life-changing love that she would carry with her forever.

* * *

Rebecca turned off the CD player. She’d just finished the second CD of Tony Robbins’sGet the Edgeprogram and could already see how she was totally screwing up her life. She took plenty of time for herself, but not in a way that mattered. She wasn’t focused, didn’t have goals. She floated through life, thinking she was entitled, which left her with plenty of fawning but no fulfillment. Except for Jayne, she didn’t have friends. On the surface, she had it all, but underneath, she was totally empty and devoid of happiness.

She poured herself a glass of wine, then walked to her laptop and turned it on. Maybe she could find some seminars to go to and be healed. Or try a meditation retreat.

She felt on the brink of an important discovery. Having her father and David take care of Jonathan and Nigel had somehow freed her. The need for revenge had faded. She almost didn’t care that her mother was upset with her.

While her laptop booted, she crossed to the kitchen table, where she’d started working on her ideas for the stainless steel jewelry. She’d been reading about the process, and while it was challenging, she knew her creations would be beautiful. To think she could bring happiness to millions of women just by making pretty jewelry. It was almost too much to take in.

Her doorbell rang, followed by someone pounding on her front door. The rhythm was frantic, as if something was really wrong. She set down her wine and hurried to unfasten the lock.

Big mistake. Elizabeth burst in.

“You’re home,” her mother said. “I was afraid you’d be out, and I didn’t want to call first because you’d just leave. We have to talk.”

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