Page 49 of The Best of Friends

“It’s not now,” she snapped, cutting through her chicken breast. “I worry that I don’t know Jayne anymore. Maybe she’s not who I thought.”

“Leave her alone. She’s been more loyal than any of us deserve.”

Elizabeth glared at him. “How can you say that? Have you forgotten all that we did for her? It was your idea to have her come live here after her mother died. You said she would be a good influence for Rebecca, and look how that turned out.”

“I enjoy having Jayne around.”

“Well, you’d better get over it. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to have her helping me.” She paused, waiting for Blaine to react.

He reached for a roll. “Good. She needs a break from you.”

“What?” Elizabeth prided herself on always staying calm, but the single word came out as a screech.

“She needs her own life. She’ll never get that if she’s constantly at your beck and call.”

“And my needs don’t matter?” Elizabeth asked tartly. “Of course not. Everyone is more important than me, right? I depend on her. I can trust her with all sorts of details. Who would take her place? Who would help me? I don’t want to have to train someone else. You’d think she’d be more grateful, but she isn’t. No good deed goes unpunished. We should never have taken her in. I knew I’d regret being so generous.”

“Did you?” Blaine asked. “You’ll replace her with no problem. Hire an assistant. Someone to work full time. You were always saying that Jayne’s work made it difficult for you. You’ll have to train the new person, but you’re good at that. It will be better with someone with regular hours.”

“Maybe,” she murmured, thinking that there was more to Jayne than just what she did to help. There was being able to talk about her. Every now and then Elizabeth liked to remind people how generous she and Blaine had been, taking in Rebecca’s poor friend, raising her like their own child. It played well. Now the entire effort had been wasted.

No matter how many times David tried to forget what Jayne had said about Élan’s jewelry, he couldn’t. “Does the world really need another hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar necklace?” echoed in his mind. It was worse than getting a bad song stuck, because he couldn’t get rid of the memory by humming “It’s a Small World,” which he’d already tried. Twice.

Which was why he found himself driving to the nearest completely normal mall, parking, and walking inside. If she wanted to have a conversation about jewelry for the masses, then he was going to become an expert.

He walked to the closest directory and noted the names and locations of the jewelry stores. He planned to visit them all.

He’d spent the previous evening online, looking at jewelry on QVC and other Web sites. The Tacori pieces were beautiful and looked well made. The price point was unbelievable.

He took the escalator upstairs and headed for the first jewelry store. As he walked he studied the women around him, looking at their jewelry, trying to see what their watches were like. A couple in their twenties, hands linked, bodies touching, hovered by a counter.

“But it’s so expensive,” she whispered as David walked past.

“I love you. I’m going to marry you. I want you to have the best engagement ring there is.”

David stepped into the store and saw the salesclerk putting away a collection of solitaires. The stones were around a quarter of a carat. He circled the counters, stopping to look at a collection of pearls, then hovering over a tray of chains.

“May I help you?” asked a middle-aged woman. “Are you buying a gift?”

“Yes,” he said with a smile. “Maybe you can help me.”

Nine

“I’M GOING TO START charging admission,” Jayne said, pretending annoyance as she opened her front door and let in David. “Or the going rate for therapy. Your family is here constantly.”

Which wasn’t exactly true. It was mostly him and Rebecca. Elizabeth was the type to summon rather than visit, and Blaine didn’t get involved in anything emotional or messy.

“Is this a bad time?” David asked, stepping into her condo. “I need to talk to you.”

He looked stressed, with his golden blond hair mussed and stubble darkening his jaw. It was a new level of sexy that made her knees go a little weak. Not a good thing—she couldn’t risk falling and breaking something else.

“I’m delightfully available,” she told him, then noticed the shopping bags in his hand. “You’ve been to the mall? There’s a surprise.”

“Tell me about it.” He looked around her living room, then walked toward the small table in the kitchen. “You have to see what I have. I went to all the stores and bought samples. Have you seen this stuff?”

He started pulling out smaller bags and boxes and emptying them onto her table. There were rings and necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Mostly gold, a few silver pieces. Diamonds glittered, chains tangled, and a couple of charms slid to the floor.

It was like looking at the contents of a pirate’s chest, Jayne thought, unable to believe how much he’d purchased.

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