Page 30 of The Christmas Ring
“Isaac who might have found your ring?” Ben had wondered if the guy was making progress.
“Wait!” Vanessa stopped again. She read the text once more and then held both hands straight in the air. “He found it! Ben, he found it! He has it narrowed down to six stores now, and he’s sure my ring is at one of them.”
Unless the buyer had already sold it. Ben didn’t mention the possibility. Best to let Vanessa think she was onto something. He liked seeing her smile.
“I think this might actually be real.” She put her phone back in her purse. “Can you imagine, after all this time? This guy might be the answer to years of prayers!” She raised her brow. “It’s Sadie’s ring, too. I was going to give it to her on her college graduation, the way my mom gave it to me for mine.”
Vanessa’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Well, there you go!” Ben picked her up and swung her around. The sound of her laughter was everything. When he set her down, Ben kept his arms around her waist. “Looks like it could be a happy Christmas after all.”
“It does look that way, doesn’t it?” If Vanessa’s eyes were any indication, she was falling for him as deeply as he had long ago fallen for her.
For the first time, Ben took her hand in his, and the connection was electric. That’s how they walked down the street, and Ben made a promise to himself. He would pray for Sadie and he would believe God would work things out. Because now that Vanessa’s hand was in his, Ben was convinced of one very beautiful truth.
He didn’t ever want to let go.
The shopping trip with Ella and Cami was just what Sadie needed. Why had her mom ruined such a great night by bringing up dating? Now, of all times, in the middle of Christmas? Maybe her mother’s loneliness hadgotten to be too much lately. Or maybe she was lonely because Sadie had been busy with Hudson and Ella. Her mother was probably imagining her life all alone, and she might have figured it was a good time to talk with Sadie about the possibility of dating.
Whatever the situation, her mother was wrong. The timing was totally off. Sadie hadn’t given the idea any thought since then. This morning before she left the house, she’d asked her mom to come shopping with her and the girls. They had planned on going to the mall, and at first it seemed like her mom wanted to join them. But she told Sadie she was working on the dance. She had donations to pick up and decorations to buy.
“Maybe another time.” Sadie had kissed her cheek before leaving. “I’m not mad. I just... don’t want to talk about you... you know.” Sadie hadn’t been able to finish her sentence. “You get it, right?”
“I do.” Her mom had not pushed the issue. Sadie was more than glad.
Now she and Ella and Cami had ditched the idea of the mall. They were on Broadway in Old Town, shopping for their families and boyfriends. Sadie had already decided to get Hudson a new wallet and her mom a sweater. The winter cold seemed determined to stay, so that would be perfect.
They were at Sandra’s Boutique where the clothes were the cutest when Cami gave Sadie a light shove. “Hey, is that your mom?”
“What?” Sadie had a sweater in her hands. She couldn’t tell if it was too bright for her mother.
“Your mom.” Cami shoved her again. “Look! With that guy!”
Sadie dropped the sweater and joined Cami and Ella at the store window. She got there just in time to see the last glimpse of a couple walking down the street. The woman wore a ponytail and the guy was tall. No one Sadie had ever seen. “That’s not her.”
“Definitely not.” Ella put her hands on her hips and stared at Cami. “Are you out of your mind? Sadie’s mom with some guy?”
The moment passed and Sadie picked up the sweater from the floor. She dusted it off and changed her mind. Way too bright. But the whole time one question pressed against her mind.
Had her mom been wearing a ponytail that morning? No. Right? She dismissed the thought. There were a dozen reasons why that woman couldn’t have been her mother. First of all, her mom wasn’t dating. She definitely would have told Sadie if she was. She took a deep breath and let the idea go. It was nothing more than the obvious.
Cami’s overactive imagination.
The ring needed a better container, so Howard found one in the back room. A deep green velvet box with old hinges and a soft white satin pillow. The rightful spot for the heirloom to rest on. No matter how often he thought about the ring, he still couldn’t believe it was worth twenty-five thousand dollars.
Today’s stream of customers at Millers’ Antiques had been impressive, even for five days before Christmas. He and Gary hadn’t had five minutes for their chess game, and even now they had a line at both registers.
“There you go.” Howard handed a man two bags. “Excellent choices, sir. Have a merry Christmas.”
“You,” Gary uttered under his breath. “You’ve been smiling since you got in.”
“Take a look at that ring, Gary. It’s locked up under the counter.” He kept his voice to a low whisper. “You’d be smiling, too.”
A woman approached them. “I’m looking for an old Bible. I heard you have a section.”
“That we do!” The line was down now, so Howard walked off with the woman. “There’s something very special about holding an old Bible, knowing that someone long ago found life and comfort in the words. And now someone new can find that same help today.” Howard looked over his shoulder at Gary. “Check out the ring!”
“You’ve lost it, Howard.”
Howard chuckled. He enjoyed the friendship he and Gary shared, the way they both loved antiques and the customers who came through the doors.
