Page 74 of Where You Are

“Well…” I quietly tease, raising an eyebrow. “You know what to do.”

His grin spreads impossibly wide across his face as he abruptly yanks me against him. The most joyful laugh I’ve ever felt erupts out of my body as he hustles us back into the pool house.

Chapter Forty

Matt

“Why am I here again?”My best friend asks from the armchair adjacent to the couch, as the jeweler sets up his displays on the coffee table in front of me.

“For moral support, and to make sure I pick the perfect one,” I tell him, yet again, as I scan the options that are all laid out in front of me, nestled in black velvet. “You know your sister, who better to give an opinion?”

“Sarah,” he scoffs.

“She’s bogged down with the baby stuff, and anyway, you’re my boy,” I mumble, completely overwhelmed by the glittering choices in front of me. “Besides, you could always look for an upgrade for Mayzie while Mr. Shane is here,” I pull my eyes away from the possibilities to gesture a hand at the jeweler I found on the internet; an older gentleman with greying hair in a simple, yet dapper suit. He smile’s kindly from a couple feet down on the couch from me and gives a modest smile with a shrug. He’s a kind and quiet man, and he specializes in the unique when it comes to jewelry. I reached out to him to come do a viewing in my home so that I wouldn’t be seen or have my photo taken while ring shopping and having Mel find out that way. I know I’ve made the right decision with the personal experience he’s providing, as well as the incredibly original pieces he’s brought with him.

“I’ve tried man,” Jack shakes his head at my suggestion, “she won’t let me. She doesn’t want a new ring or to renew our vows, or anything like that. She doesn’t want anything replacing any part of our wedding day,” he leans forward like he’s trying to get a good look at the rings on the coffee table and laces his hands together, getting a sentimental look in his eyes. “It’s actually really sweet,” he finishes with a humble smile.

I take a moment to marvel over the band on his own hand. Like me, Jack proposed spontaneously and without a ring, but he and Mayzie went straight to the nearest antique store and found matching bands with an intricate, ornate design all the way around. The tabloids give him shit for not having a giant sparkler on Mayzie’s hand like any other successful rock star would do, but they both shrug it off, happy with their truth and their love.

“Does your wife have anything from you hanging close to her heart?” Mr. Shane speaks up, addressing Jack, as he stands and walks over to one of his many cases. Jack raises his eyebrows in interest, looking up as the man walks over to him and sets another black case in front of him before unsnapping the chrome clasps and flipping it open. “No pressure or expectations, but I do have this selection of necklaces if you’d like to have a look.

Jack smiles and lets out a breath of amazement as he takes in what must be an impressive array of necklace designs that are hidden from my view because of the lid case.

I let out a contented sigh of my own as I turn back to the rows of amazingly beautiful rings in front of me. I know Melanie doesn’t give a shit about it, but I want her to have one. She and her beautifully huge heart deserve it, and besides, it just feels right. And I found Mr. Shane because I also know she wouldn’t want a gaudy, cookie-cutter rock on her hand. She would want something delicate and modest, and I want her to have something one of a kind. Mr. Shane’s selection does not disappoint, and I’m slightly overwhelmed by the choices. I try to relax and let my eyes wander over each ring until I get the feeling I did when I realized I was in love.

Right now, she’s back at the pool house, packing some things so that we can go to the lake house for a while, and she thinks I’m over here doing the same thing, which I am, it’s just not all I’m doing. We’re headed there for an undetermined amount of time. We need to be alone to reset, reconnect, think about our future, and simply just be together. My plan is to give her the ring I choose while we’re there. Not re-propose, but just give our commitment a little something more.

Feelings of excitement, relief, and indescribable joy come over me the more I look at each rare design and stone, and culminate when one of them reaches out and grabs ahold of me. I reach out and carefully take it out of the velvet and hold it up to get a closer look. Everything about this ring encompasses my girl. It’s simple, but with many small beautiful intricacies. It’s small, but shines bright with the perfect splash of color.

“This is it,” I voice out loud, unable to take my eyes away from it just yet. “It’s this one.”

“Good choice, man,” Jack’s voice brings my attention over to him as he smiles confidently from the chair. “I’d say that’s her.” I quirk one side of my mouth up in a smile, nodding at the trinket between my thumb and forefinger.

“Oh yes, that’s one of my favorites,” Mr. Shane warmly informs me as he picks up a cloth in his hand, holding it out towards me. “I’ll give it a good cleaning and box it up for you,” he says with a nod towards his hand. I reluctantly lay the ring on the cloth, not wanting to part with it yet but knowing I’ll get to see it on my Sunshine’s finger for the rest of our lives.

As Mr. Shane walks off to take care of the ring, my phone buzzes in my back pocket. I reach for it only to find an anonymous number on the screen. I’m hesitant to answer, but curiosity gets the better of me.

“Hello?” I answer cautiously.

“Matt?” An only vaguely familiar woman’s voice comes through the line.

“Who’s this?” I question, not giving confirmation until I find out who I’m talking to.

“It’s Chantal,” the voice reveals, with a tone of nervousness.

“Chantal,” I repeat her name and look over to Jack, whose curiosity is clearly piqued as he looks up from the necklaces. “Hi,” I greet, trying to sound friendly and not so thrown off guard.

“Hi,” she returns, and I hear her take a breath. “I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to tell you something, so I pulled the whole, ‘had my people call your people’ thing and got your number,” she chuckles humorlessly, and I’m astounded that this is more than I heard her speak the entire evening we were out together. “I wanted to apologize,” she continues, getting more to the point.

“For what?” I’m totally befuddled at this call from out of the blue, how verbal she’s being, and wondering what she’s apologizing for.

“It’s about your agent,” she breathes out. “Obviously, I know what he did to Jack’s wife.”

I blow out a heavy sigh, agitated any time that my attention has to shift to the bastard. “Yeah, well… turns out it wasn’t just her,” I contribute, looking over at Jack, who’s watching patiently, curious to know why she’s calling.

“I know that too,” she says, and I can hear a nod in her voice, “and I’ll be coming forward to add to the case.”

I feel myself tense and all motion in my peripheral seems to cease.

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