Page 19 of One Golden Ring
She comes out from behind the counter to greet me, wearing a flowing dress with a tailored vest. A pair of reading glasses hangs around her neck on a pearl chain.
For some reason, I instantly trust her.
“I’m looking for the biggest diamond engagement ring you’ve got,” I tell her honestly.
“A big stone?” she asks. “Or a young lady with a generous finger?”
Fair question.
“Big stone, regular finger,” I reply. “I want something that will knock her socks off.”
“Excellent,” the lady says. “My name is Marion. Let me walk you through our inventory.”
We head back through the cases of gemstone rings and bracelets to the lit counter where she was standing when I came in.
“These are the most beautiful rings we have,” Marion tells me, pointing to a golden stand that’s made to look like a tree branch glittering with diamonds. “All of these pieces have large carat weights, with excellent cut, color, and clarity.”
I’m no expert, but they do look nice—exactly the kind of ring a guy in my financial position might reasonably propose with.
But I really want to show Darcy that I understand that what she’s doing for me is a really big deal.
And for that, I need somethingunreasonable.
“These are nice,” I allow. “And I’m definitely looking for quality. But I’m also looking for something gigantic. Something you can see from outer space, ideally.”
Marion’s eyebrow arches suspiciously, like maybe I’m just trying to get my hands on the biggest ring in the place so I can snatch the thing and make a break for it.
“I can show you my bank balance if it makes you feel better,” I offer.
“It’s not that,” she says. “Hang on.”
She disappears into the back and I wonder if she’s judging me for wanting such a big ring. Maybe it’s like being a guy with a giant truck—she thinks I’m trying to compensate for something?
A moment later she’s back with a pink box in her hand that looks almost too big to be a ring box.
Perfect.
“This just came in,” she tells me. “But it may be a better fit for a lady with a larger hand.”
“Let’s have a look,” I offer.
Marion opens the box and I feel like that guy inIndiana Joneswhose face gets melted off when they open the lost ark.
Inside is a ring with twomassivesparkling stones. Each one would practically cover the width of Darcy’s finger on its own. In order to fit on the same ring, they’re stacked above and below each other. I honestly don’t know if she will be able to bend her finger with this ring on it.
“And those are real diamonds?” I ask.
“Yes, sir,” she says. “You’ll know it by the price.”
She names an amount that would probably be enough to buy one of those chalets up on the mountain.
“Perfect,” I tell her, amazed that anyone in their right mind would purchase this ring for its intended purpose, but knowing that selling these stones later will change Darcy’s life.
“She’s a lucky girl,” the lady murmurs.
But I know that I’m really the lucky one here.
I could buy Darcy a ring like this for each finger and it still wouldn’t be what she deserves.
