Page 68 of Please Save Me

Rosemary Jane Albright… Or maybe Rosemary Jane Castillo if I could convince Mason to give me a chance to make things right and marry her.

“I guess you’re right.” I mumbled.

“I always am.” She beamed. “It’s been five minutes. Do you want to continue?”

I thought it over for a moment. When I started working out, I was running from my feelings. But now, I had morepressingmatters to address if I wanted to feel better.

“I just remembered I have a few errands to run.”

I didn’t picture myself ring shopping so soon into my relationship, and I also never pictured myself getting anything less than a custom-made ring for Mason. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

The choices of jewelry stores around Hartwood were lacking, to say the least, so I ended up just picking the one in the middle of town. It was right across the street from Lucian’s shop, which meant I could see his neon green eye sore of a vehicle from the window.

Thank God I came to my senses before my degenerate brother got any bright ideas.

The bell above the door chimed softly as I entered, drawing the attention of the shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman with a warm smile.

Her gaze raked over me once, and the twitch in her lips told me I probably should have changed and removed my piercings before coming. Too late now.

A flutter of nerves filled my stomach as I pressed on despite the judgemental gaze of the worker.

“How can I help you?” She sounded entirely disinterested in everything going on.

But I didn’t need her to be enthusiastic, just helpful.

“I’m looking for an engagement ring.” My heart raced with a dizzying combination of nerves and excitement.

If today went right, which it had to, Mason would be my fiance.

The woman gestured for me to follow her, and together, we walked to a case of diamond rings. The gems glistened under the bright white light blaring from some indiscriminate place in the case.

“Diamonds are the standard for engagement rings; you can afford a diamond, right?”

I inhaled a long breath as I debated leaving and going somewhere else. If it weren’t for the time constraint, I would have left. But Mason was worth dealing with terrible customer service.

“I’m hoping for something in the three-carat range, preferably in gold.” I had done some preliminary research in the car, and that seemed to be the largest a ring could get without looking gaudy.

The woman’s eyes seemed to brighten. It was almost like she could taste the juicy commission I was pretty much promising her.

She took the key off her neck and unlocked the case before selecting one with a square stone in the middle. From the sides, I could see the band was indeed gold, but the army of smaller stones obscured it from the top.

“This is a three-carat princess-cut diamond… What size ring do you need for your fiance?” she inquired, passing me the ring.

I held the band with both hands, shutting one eye in hopes of looking like I knew what the hell I was doing.

“Four,” I mumbled, shifting the ring back and forth to watch how the stone caught the light.

The ring was nice, but I remembered Mason telling me how much she hated the ring her last fiance picked out. I couldn’t remember the exact cut or style of the ring, but I remembered Mason saying it was too much. So, while I’d love to flex my wealth and get her something flashy, I wasn’t the one who’d be stuck wearing it.

I handed the ring back. “Any chance you have something a little daintier? I want something that would complement my fiancé’s beauty, not competewith it.”

The woman slipped the jewelry back into the case as she looked for something else. But before she could hand me the net option, the door jingled behind me. Somehow, without looking, I knew who entered.

“Fancy seein’ you here.” Dale’s familiar drawl assaulted my ears.

I cast him a lazy glance over my shoulder. “I’m starting to think you’re following me.”

“Following? I’d never.” He laughed before filling the space beside me. “Good evening, Mary. How’s the business today?”

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