Page 179 of Holiday Hire

"Nope. You know how it is around here," he states and then opens a glass case. He pulls out a box that has a dozen rings in it, asking, "What kind of ring does your girl like?"

I step closer and admit, "I don't know. She's never told me."

He chuckles. "Well, that's a keeper. How many women don't tell their man what kind of ring they want?"

"She doesn't exactly know I'm here."

"That's good. She's not supposed to know you're here," he assures me.

My palms sweat as I stare at the rings.

Denny says, "Let me help you out, son. Tell me about her."

"She's beautiful. She's great with my kids. They love her and she loves them. She takes care of us. She's a super-talented artist, fun, and always happy. Well, except for when I'm pissing her off. But she's the most amazing person I've ever met." I stop and realize how I probably sound. I look away, taking a couple of deep breaths.

Denny taps the glass. "Sounds like you've got a keeper. Now, I think this is a ring you should take a look at." He holds up a gold band with a flower pattern made of diamonds.

I take it from him and study it, admitting, "It's beautiful."

He asks, "Can you see it on her finger?"

I imagine it. "Yeah, I can."

"Can you see her face lighting up when she sees it?"

I think about how Phoebe's face would light up when I present her with the ring, making me feel good for the first time in days. So I nod. "Yeah, I think she will."

He picks up another ring. It has one large stone and is flashier. He asks, "And what about this?"

I try to imagine it on Phoebe's finger. I shake my head. "No, that's not her."

He goes through the rings one by one until the only ring left is the one he originally picked out.

I question, "How did you know this was the ring?"

He chuckles. "Son, I've been doing this for nearly forty years now. You think you're the first man to come in here not knowing what kind of ring their woman wants?"

"Point taken," I say.

"Great. Do you want me to wrap this up nice and pretty? Make it look like a Christmas gift?"

I shake my head. "No. I already got her a different gift for Christmas. This is just from me."

He grins. "Good call." He puts it in a black box and hands it to me. "Take good care of that. That's the only one of its kind."

"I will, sir."

I pay for the ring and leave. I put the ring in the console of my truck and then drive to Evelyn's.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Ace says as I walk in.

I answer, "I need to steal you and your brother for a little bit."

"Where are we going?" Wilder questions.

"It's a surprise. Come on."

Phoebe looks at me in question, and my sister does too.

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