Page 36 of Crashing Into Me
“You ready?” he asked her, holding out his hand. She grabbed hold of it, and he pulled her in close, giving her a warm hug and a quick kiss on the neck.
“Ready for what?” she replied, not in the mood for an adventure. She really had to figure out how she was going to leave when they were together practically every second of the day.
“It’s a surprise,” he replied and started walking her to the door.
She followed him, grabbing the leather jacket from the coat rack and out onto the porch.
BEFORE SHE KNEW it,they were speeding down Deleveaux towards the town square, the ice world tinted in red once again. Hopefully, we weren't going to visit his mother, she thought for a moment, but then they passed the hotel. People were starting to come out more now that the snow had stopped falling. It was high enough to ski in, so they wanted to enjoy some of it before the trucks took it away.
They pulled up to a boutique, and he turned off the engine. Kayden jumped off, then lifted her, holding her for a few seconds in the air.
“Stop it, Kayden,” she laughed, embarrassed.
People were looking at them, but he couldn’t care less; he was ecstatic. Her cell phone, which was in her pocket, fell in the snow, and he put her down.
“Sorry,” he apologized and picked it up. Before handing it to her, he swiped the screen and held it up, pulling her close.
“Say cheese,” Kayden said, smiling that big white smile, teeth sparkling in the limited sunlight.
She realized over the last few weeks, they hadn’t taken one picture together the whole time. They hadn’t done a whole lot together, actually. No dates, no movies, but then again, your options weren’t exactly vast up there when it came to entertainment. She would make sure she snapped pictures over the next couple of days, though. If she couldn’t be with him physically, at least she’d get to have some memories to remind herself that this whole ordeal wasn’t a fantasy.
She leaned into him and smiled as brightly as she could, and he hit the camera button. They both looked at the screen, and it was perfect —like those cheesy camera-commercial couples. She tucked the phone back into the leather jacket, and he grabbed her hand again and pulled her into a vintage jewelry shop named “Arnolds.” Now she understood what was so important as he pushed the door open, and the bell chimed overhead. It was the engagement ring.
A middle-aged woman was standing behind the counter, very refined and very serious. You could tell she was the type of woman who thought more of herself than she actually was. Her hair was short and curly and looked as hard as a baseball. The smell of Aqua Net confirmed her theory as they got closer to her. The shop had a floral, green-patterned wallpaper with brown stripes on its walls.
A grandfather clock stood in one corner, behind the facing display, and other display cases were along the perimeter of the walls to its left and right. It wasn’t Zale’s, but it was charming. Kayden pulled her closer and closer to the display, and it held a treasure of beautiful, rare-looking jewelry.
“Mr. Capshaw,” the woman stated.
It wasn’t a friendly greeting, more formal than anything. She flashed a brown grin, the result of either too much coffee or possibly cigarettes.
“I’m in the business for a ring, Mrs. Arnold,” he said, leaning over the glass display.
“I see,” she replied as she gave Lana a disapproving glare. “You know I’m still heartbroken that you and my Melissa never got the chance to marry.”
She attempted a coy look, but it failed miserably. Kayden shrugged his shoulders while smiling, but Lana could tell his patience was already wearing thin with her.
“Well, Mrs. Arnold, Mellie was always a social butterfly. I don’t see how she would have found the time,” he said, with a hint of amusement in his voice.
He sure had a nice way of calling a woman’s daughter a slut to her face. Lana would give him that. Mrs. Arnold gave an embarrassing grin and grabbed the keys from the table behind the counter.
“What can I help you with?” she replied, opening the case.
Kayden looked at Lana, waiting for her to respond, but she froze. Accepting a ring from him now reminded her of having to leave it and him behind later. She decided not to make it a drawn-out affair and would pick something out that was modest so they could be on their way. Lana looked over at the case and quickly understood that modesty didn’t exist in there. The stones were some of the most beautiful she’d ever laid eyes on, and nothing appeared to be under four karats.
The clearest of diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, as well as chocolate diamonds, were before her eyes, and she couldn’t help but light up as she looked over at them all.
“You gonna try one?” he asked.
She glanced up at him from the case and nodded her head.
“Well, which one, dear?” Mrs. Arnold asked, annoyed.
“All of them,” Kayden replied.
Mrs. Arnold’s mouth dropped open.
AFTER SPENDINGTHE entire afternoon putting Mrs. Arnold through her paces, Lana picked out a four-karat princess cut in white gold. It was the most beautiful thing she had not only seen but worn before—even if for only a few days. She was in Kayden’s room —or what had become their room —and putting her clothes into the suitcase she kept tucked behind his coats in the closet. He was downstairs cooking dinner, so she had time to plan her forced abandonment. Lana caught a glimpse of the light coming off the ring and held her hand up as the flecks danced around in the stones.
