Page 106 of My Favorite Mistake

“Now.” Ophelia pulled the felt cloth off the rings and slid the board toward him. “Pick up each one. And remember that there was a moment when you looked at her and realized she was the one. You probably got a feeling deep in your gut, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“You’ll get that feeling when you find the right ring. If it’s not one of these, keep shopping around until you feel it.”

He picked up the rings one by one, slipping each one on the tip of his index finger, and Liza sure did have delicate hands. Some of the rings were delicate, too. Some were a bit gaudy. Most were yellow gold; a few were platinum. Some had center stones that were red or blue or green. When he was halfway down the line, one toward the far end caught his eye, and he skipped five rings to pick it up.

The ring had a decently sized center stone, which was flanked by smaller stones that looked like tiny leaves. He turned it over between his thumb and forefinger. “What metal is this?”

“Rose gold.”

He briefly glanced at Ophelia. “It’s kind of pink.”

She smiled. “Kind of. I love it. It’s unique.”

He turned the ring again, holding it between both hands, and he already knew.

Ophelia seemed to tap into his silent, abrupt assurance. “It’s a rose-cut pear shape. The rose cut is a style that was prominent in the pre-Edwardian era. This one is from 1892.”

“Holy crap.” He lifted his brows. “That isold.”

She chuckled. “It’s antique.” She used a thin stylus to point to the center stone. “It’s a very simple cut. There are only twenty-four facets. This keeps it from being super sparkly like most diamonds, but it causes it to be a little gentler on the eyes. This stone isn’t going to blind anyone, but it has a simplicity that makes it stand out. Fewer than one percent of modern diamonds have this cut, andno two are exactly alike because back when these were cut, there was far less concern for absolute symmetry, unlike modern diamonds. All in all, there’s not another one out there just like it.”

And that was all he needed to know.

“All right.” Connor looped the ring around the tip of his index finger and stuck it out toward Ophelia. “Box ‘er up.”

27

Algiers Point, New Orleans

“Ophelia LouAnna McCarthy,” came the graveled voice of Ophelia’s elderly grandmother, Sunny Beauregard, from across the table where Liza sat snapping green beans into a bowl. “How many times do I got to tell you that roux needs to go at least fifteen minutes for a gumbo?”

“Grammy,” Ophelia said, stirring a whisk around a pan. “How many times do I need to remind you that my last name isLatimer?”

Sunny shook her bent index finger knuckle at Ophelia. “I know that, sugar. I’m trying to make you listen.”

“Also.” Ophelia tossed a glance over her shoulder. “It hasn’t even been ten minutes yet. And I’ve made this roux at least two hundred times in my life. I know what I’m doing.”

“You picked up the pan!” Sunny threw her weathered hands in the air. “How am I supposed to know you weren’t done with it? Now, if you were gonna make a nice béchamel sauce, that color is perfect. But you would need to do shrimp or something. I can’t stand béchamel sauce on sausage. Ick!”

Liza chuckled, and Ophelia gave a long sigh. “Oh Grammy.”

“So.” Sunny reached across the table and patted Liza’s hand. “I heard you are from Texas, too.”

“I am.” Liza picked up another handful of beans and snapped off the ends. “I took a job a few months ago working for the record label where Connor works, and I—”

“Does Brennan Riley still work over there?” Sunny interjected, and then waved her hand in the air. “It’s beyond me why Brennan Riley has a job at all. I don’t think anyone in his family has ever had a job. They’ve got at least abillion dollars.”

Liza gave a good-natured laugh. “He does still work with us.”

“What about Luke?” Sunny turned back to Ophelia. “Connor keeps talking about how Luke needs to stop working at Missy’s, and I think the Old Point is just fine for him, young as he is. How old is Luke again?”

“Ahh…” Ophelia said ponderingly. “I think he’s around twenty-seven or so. I think it probably wouldn’t be bad for him to try to go work for Jimmy. He needs something with more stability.”

“Well, I don’t see why he can’t go into business with Gabe.” Sunny turned to Liza. “Have you met Gabe yet? Gabe is Luke’s older brother.”

Liza shook her head. “I haven’t.”

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