Page 67 of One Golden Ring
But I wasalsothinking of his sweet grandfather.
And if I’m being honest with myself, I was thinking about how much I wanted to pretend to be Derek’s fiancée because I’ve always wanted to be his real one.
These last couple of days have been so special to me. But it looks like I was alone in that feeling. I can’t believe I even thought he was going to kiss me…
Don’t be stupid,my inner critic hisses.He’s just a man.
And she’s harsh, but maybe she’s right. Derek Lockwood is used to having the most beautiful women in NewYork City falling all over him. If he thought of kissing me, maybe it was just because I was there and not because I’m special to him. Maybe kissing someone isn’t as big of a deal to him as it is to me.
“Sorry, Mr. Lockwood,” I manage to spit out. “I just wanted to let you know we’re heading a bit further down Celestial. We can meet you at the bakery afterward if you want?”
“Sure,” he says right away.
His voice sounds strange and rough, and I can tell he’s trying to catch my eye. He’s probably trying to figure out if I heard what he just said.
But I can’t bear to look at him because if I do, he’s going to see right through me to the miserable fool inside.
“See you later,” I say, turning and heading back to join J.B. as fast as I can.
At least she wasn’t close enough to hear any of that. I just need to pull myself together before I catch up to her and have to pretend everything is normal again.
I pass a couple with a little girl, all three of them carrying shopping bags and smiling. They call out to a lady across the street who is pushing a stroller and walking a funny little dog whose leash is attached to the stroller.
I try not to let myself think about what I don’t have.
Idohave my sister and brother-in-law, my nephews, a good job, a safe apartment, and a future ahead of me. I’m still young. I don’t need a family yet. I don’t need anything in the world. I’ve got Christmas cookie dough in the freezer back in the city, and two honking bigdiamonds to sell so I can get out from under my student loans.
I’m going to be okay, I tell myself as I jog across the street to J.B., who is waiting for me by a little wrought-iron bench.
“Are you okay?” J.B. asks, sounding horrified.
I guess I wear my emotions on my face.
“Yes,” I tell her. “Definitely. I’m really excited to shop. I’m just worried that I don’t know what to get for your dad.”
“Yeah,” she says, laughing a little. “He already has everything he could want, or at least he can buy anything if he wants it. We have to get him something he doesn’t know he wants.”
“What doesn’t he know he wants?” I ask her, mystified.
“Come on,” she tells me. “I’ll show you.”
She leads me further down the main street, and at last we reach a grocery store that takes up at least four storefronts. A sign hanging over the doors saysMama’s Pantry.
“We’re getting his present at agrocery store?” I ask.
She just smiles and darts in the big glass door when it opens automatically, leaving me no choice but to follow her.
J.B. has definitely been in here before, or she has some sort of homing beacon for sweets. We go straight to the candy aisle and the next thing I know she’s got a stack of chocolate bars in her hand.
They look amazing, don’t get me wrong. But as a person with a certified sweet tooth, I know they aren’tthe best.They don’t have nougat or caramel or peanut butteror anything. They’re just plain bars. And though Derek has a more sophisticated palate than I do, if he’s eating chocolate at all I’d expect him to want the fancy imported kind with acacao counton the package, not the Pennsylvania stuff I love with nothing but the name on the wrapper.
But when she grabs an absolutely massive bag of marshmallows and heads for the cookie aisle, I start to get the idea.
“S’mores?” I guess. “Do you really think he would eat s’mores?”
Sweet and messy? I can’t picture thatat all.
“Helovess’mores,” J.B. says with a big grin. “It’s one of his secret weaknesses. And the cabin has a wood stove. We can make millions of them without even going outside.”
