Page 58 of Cursed
Seth wiped them off with his shirt. Despite having slept in that morning and taking the day easy, he knew the stress of the past week was still catching up with them.
“I’ll ask Nash about jewelers in the morning,” Seth promised and kissed him slow and gentle. “After round two.”
“Uh-huh,” Evan replied, sated and sleepy. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
They madegood on another round before breakfast. Seth briefly fantasized about not leaving the bed at all, but he knew Evan was looking forward to the day’s plans, which started with breakfast sandwiches and coffee at a place Pax had recommended. He pulled out his phone and brought up Nash’s number before texting.
Seth:Know a good jeweler in town? I just proposed to Evan.
Nash didn’t wait to text a reply, and Seth’s phone rang right away. “Congratulations! Was this planned or spur-of-the-moment?”
“A little of both,” Seth confessed as Evan snickered. “I’d been thinking about it for a while, but seeing Pax and Tony make the move made me realize that time goes by quickly.” He left unsaidthat the danger in their lives made it unwise to take anything for granted.
Nash rattled off the names of a couple of jewelers. “Those are the ones we looked at when we got our rings. They’re all known for good quality and excellent service, so you won’t go wrong with any of them. It’s just a matter of where you find what you want.”
“Thank you,” Seth and Evan said almost in unison. “We’ll let you know if we find what we’re looking for.”
“Have fun, you crazy kids,” Nash joked. “Send pictures.”
“What do you want to do first?” Seth asked when he ended the call.
Evan checked the time. “It’s still probably a little early for shops to be open, but we’ve got tickets for the history and food tour at ten. That’ll give us a chance to stretch our legs and wake up a little, and it should take all morning and feed us lunch too.”
“You woke me up just fine.” Seth dropped his voice low. “I didn’t have any problem gettingup.”
“No, you definitely didn’t.” Evan chuckled.
They joined fifteen other visitors for the walking tour, which led them down cobblestone streets and along avenues that looked unchanged since the city’s early days and heard about the historic locations they passed. Along the way, they stopped in more than half a dozen storied restaurants to sample some of their most famous small plates and appetizers.
“I’m glad we’re walking because otherwise I’d be in a food coma,” Evan remarked.
When the tour ended, Seth and Evan realized they were close to the shops Nash had recommended.
“Ready?” He asked Evan. Happy as Seth was to actually be taking this step with his beloved, he still felt butterflies in his stomach.
“Absolutely,” Evan replied. The certainty in his voice stilled Seth’s concern. “Let’s do this!”
Seth had worried that he and Evan might not get a warm reception as two men looking for wedding rings for each other in a town so steeped in Southern tradition, but Nash’s recommendations soothed his concern.
At the first store, a bell over the door chimed when they walked in. Two clerks were busy with customers, but one looked up with a smile to greet them. “One of us will be with you very soon,” she said. “Please have a look around.”
The shop wasn’t a national chain, and the glass-and-wood cabinets that held the merchandise looked like they had been around for a long time. “They have nice stuff,” Evan commented as they walked around the showroom. They found the wedding rings and leaned in for a closer look.
“See anything you like?” Seth asked Evan.
“I guess I never realized there were so many to pick from,” Evan admitted. “My parents just had plain silver bands—I think they had the date engraved inside.”
Seth nodded. “My folks had gold bands, but they weren’t fancy, either. I guess I never really thought about there being any other choices.”
“Hello, gentlemen. Looking for something special? I’m Edie, and I’m happy to help you find the perfect rings,” the blond clerk told them as she joined them behind the counter.
“I’m Seth, and this is Evan. We just got engaged?—”
“Congratulations!”
“Thank you.” Seth gave Evan’s hand a reassuring squeeze below the counter level. “We’re just beginning to look at rings, so we don’t really know what the options are, but there seem like so many.”
Edie chuckled. “There are, but don’t let that put you off. There are a couple of basic choices and then variations withineach type. Do you have your hearts set on a particular metal like gold, silver, or platinum?”
