“Hey.” I looked over at him. “Thanks for all this. It wasn’t necessary, but it’s the best vacation I’ve ever been on.”
He smiled. “We just got here. We haven’t even done anything yet.”
“Doesn’t matter what we do, and maybe it wouldn’t even matter where we are. I just love being with you.”
“Okay, I need you to remember that nice feeling in about three minutes.”
“What? Why?”
He looked over my shoulder. “Or one minute.”
I whipped around and peered out the window—the SUV was pulling up to the Tiffany & Co flagship store. “Hutton! What’s going on?”
“Just relax and have fun.”
I faced him again, giving him my meanest stare. “You said no Tiffany. We agreed on a replica ring.”
“But we need to know what we’re replicating, right? This is just a little exercise in reconnaissance.”
“It is?”
“Yes. Trust me.”
The driver opened the door on Hutton’s side. He got out and reached for me, but I hesitated, peeking at the building behind him with its massive windows and iconic gold lettering.
He smiled at me. “Felicity, come on. It’s just for fun.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I thought you’d enjoy it, but if you want, we don’t even have to go in. I’ll cancel the appointment.”
“No, no. It’s fine.” I took his hand and let him help me down from the car. “I trust you.”
And I did trust Hutton, but as we entered the store and a security guard escorted us to a VIP room on a private floor, my legs felt wobbly and my stomach was tying itself into knots. I remained on edge as we were introduced to James, our diamond expert, and tried on rings with price tags I could not even imagine and didn’t ask to see. The secret smile on Hutton’s face did nothing to ease my mind.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly when James left us alone for a moment. “You seem nervous.”
“Of course I’m nervous!” I whispered frantically. “These rings probably cost more than my college education.”
“Stop worrying about that. This is supposed to be fun.”
“It is, but I—”
James was back with another ring. “Here we go. Try this one.”
I’d already made up my mind that the next ring was going to be the last so I could get out of here and breathe again, but when I slipped the classic solitaire on my finger, I involuntarily sucked in my breath. It was exactly the one I’d described—a round brilliant diamond on a simple platinum band. Elegant. Modern. Stunning.
“Oh,” I breathed. “It’s so beautiful.”
“I think that’s the one,” said James confidently.
“Is it?” Hutton asked me.
I bit my lip and nodded, admiring it on my hand. “Yes. This is it.”
James sized my finger, and then asked if I might like to enjoy a glass of champagne or sparkling water while he and Hutton finished up. “Champagne sounds great, thank you.”
While James’s back was turned, I tugged Hutton over to the side. “You’re not going to buy it, right? That isn’t the plan.”
“I know the plan,” he said easily.
“Then why are you smiling like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you know something I don’t know.”
He laughed. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Felicity.” He took my hand. “You can relax. We’ll leave here without a ring.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.” He met my eyes, and my knees went weak again. “I promise.”
“Ms. MacAllister?” James was at my elbow, offering me a slender flute of pale champagne, bubbles rising like the butterflies in my stomach.
Out on the 5th Avenue sidewalk, I inhaled the downtown Manhattan air—bus fumes, car exhaust, a hot pretzel stand on the corner—thankful to be brought down to earth. The smell was real. The traffic was real. The car horns and conversations in different languages and Latin music coming from a passing cab were real.
Hutton and I were just friends.
“What do you think?” I asked him. “Should we look around for a replica ring?”
“Not in this neighborhood. I thought maybe tomorrow we could go down to Chinatown. There are lots of jewelry stores there.”
I smiled. We were still on the same page. “That sounds like fun.”