Karen Booth - Between Marriage And Merger

“But aren’t these a little extravagant?”

He shook his head as sweetly as possible. “No. I don’t think so.”

Mr. Russell cleared his throat. “Oh, dear. A few of these aren’t quite as clean as they should be. Let me polish them up and I’ll give you two a chance to chat.” He’d obviously been doing this for a very long time. He seemed quite practiced in the art of ducking away when a couple was about to have an argument. “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Mr. Russell was gone with the rings, Lily started in. “They’re too much, Noah. It doesn’t seem right that I would get that on top of the one percent. I want to be compensated, but I also don’t want to take advantage of you or Sawyer.”

“I hear what you’re saying. And it’s sweet, but you need to think about me and my family. People are going to expect Noah Locke’s fiancée to have a huge hulking ring. Did you see the rock that Sawyer gave Kendall?”

“It all seems very superficial. A man’s love should not be demonstrated by the size of an engagement ring.”

“And it isn’t. The size of a man’s wallet is demonstrated by the ring. The love part people will have to figure out on their own.” That last thought gave him a sour stomach. He and Lily both deserved better than to be picking out engagement rings with someone they weren’t head over heels for. “You’re going to have to trust me on this one. When we get to the wedding this weekend and you show off that ring, we want people to be blinded by it. If it’s small, it’ll just cast suspicion on the engagement and that’s one thing we can’t afford.”

Lily blew out a long breath through her nose and looked around the store, shaking her head the whole time. “You know, I’m surprised the grand Locke family doesn’t have a cache of heirloom engagement rings tucked away somewhere. Surely you guys have been handing down jewelry from generation to generation. Maybe that would be easier. Then I could give it back when we’re done.”

He didn’t like that she was making assumptions about his family or their history. There might have been many Locke fortunes made over the last century, but there had been a lot of sadness and heartache, too. They weren’t all spending their days rolling around on piles of money. “There’s no cache of rings. There is one family ring in the mix, and that’s all I know of. It was my mother’s. The sapphire engagement ring my father gave her. He gave it to me when I turned eighteen.”

“It sounds pretty.”

“It’s beautiful. A big oval surrounded by diamonds.” Noah almost choked on the words. More than twenty years later and he still missed his mom. Plus, all he could think about was what his dad had said when he’d given him the ring. If you ever manage to find the right woman, you should give this to her when you ask her to marry you. I’m just not sure you have it in you to be like me. “I didn’t really think that was appropriate for today.”

The expression on Lily’s face fell. “Oh. Of course. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Noah understood how bad it sounded, but Mr. Russell was only a few feet away. “Wait. I didn’t mean it that way.”

She waved him off, not looking at him. “No. It’s fine. I get it, Noah. Really.”

“Right, then,” Mr. Russell started. “Have we had a chance to have the ‘size matters’ discussion?” He winked at Lily and she laughed quietly. Thank God for Mr. Russell.

“Yes. We have.” She leaned down, her thumb resting on her lower lip. “I think I’d like to try that one.”

Mr. Russell picked up the ring and placed it gently on Lily’s left ring finger. She slid it into place and held out her hand so Noah could see. “What do you think?”

The ring was stunning. And it looked lovely on Lily’s hand.

“It’s a square solitaire, just under two and a half carats. Platinum setting, of course, and approximately another two carats of small diamonds in the band.” Mr. Russell watched Lily closely. “I’ll get you the exact carat weight if this is the one you decide to take.”

“It’s a gorgeous ring. No question about that,” Noah said. This was Lily’s decision. Not his.

“Okay, then. We’ll take this one.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want to try any others?” Mr. Russell asked. “How does the size of the band feel?”

Lily shrugged. “No. I’m good. I like this one. It seems like it fits fine.”

“Okay, then. You have to appreciate a woman who knows what she wants.” He smiled wide at Lily. “Truly. Some couples are here for hours.”

“I bet.” At least we’re efficient.

“I’ll get the paperwork together.” Mr. Russell didn’t leave, though. He seemed to be waiting, perhaps for the moment he’d undoubtedly witnessed many times with countless other couples.

Lily leaned into Noah and showed him the ring again. “I love it, darling. Truly.”

Noah then remembered the show they were supposed to be putting on. He gazed into her eyes, but it wasn’t the same as things had been when they were in the car together. Alone. This version of Lily was all business. “Good. I’m so glad.” He leaned closer and they kissed. It was sweet and soft, but only an echo of the passion they’d shared mere minutes ago.

Mr. Russell smiled, seeming satisfied. He left for a moment, and returned with a packet of paperwork certifying the diamonds, along with a blue Tiffany box for Lily to keep the ring in, and the final bill. Noah pulled out his credit card, hoping that at some point, this might all start to seem at least a little more normal. Mr. Russell presented him with the receipt, Noah signed on the dotted line.

And just like that, it was done.

They bid their farewell and walked out of the store, hand in hand. As soon as they were in the car, he had to say something. “I’m sorry about what I said about my mom’s ring. It didn’t come out in a particularly kind way.”

“No. It’s fine, Noah. I get it. Our arrangement isn’t real. We both knew that going into it.” She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. The chunky diamond sparkled. “And now I have the ring to prove it.”

Four

It didn’t take long for the photos of the Tiffany & Co. engagement ring kiss to end up online. In fact, it took less than an hour.

Noah’s phone beeped with a text soon after they ordered their lunch at a restaurant he’d suggested. “It’s Sawyer. Kendall just sent him a link to the photo of us picking out your ring. I’m not sure whether I should be happy or not, but we are now officially tabloid fodder.”

Lily scooted closer to him in the half-round booth. It would be so easy to become accustomed to being near him, breathing in his citrusy cologne and putting her hands on him anytime. He showed her the evidence of their dubious newfound fame. There they were on a gossip website, locking lips in the most famous jewelry store in the world. It was so surreal. That was Lily Foster from an average family in Philadelphia, doing something distinctly not run-of-the-mill. “Yikes.”

“Are you not happy with this?”

“It just...” Lily’s stomach was filled with all sorts of uncomfortable feelings. She did not like the loss of control. She disliked the scrutiny of her private life. She hated feeling as though other people’s opinions of her could boil down to this. For the first time, she understood how deeply upsetting it must have been to Noah when the tabloid video was released.

“Just what?”

“It’s strange. Why would anyone care about this?” She winced at how unworldly her words might make her seem. She didn’t want to be naive, but she couldn’t escape the feeling that a person’s love life should not be entertainment for perfect strangers.