“Are you ever going to learn to never challenge me?” I said as I strode into John’s office. He was hard at work not working, his feet up on his desk, tossing a ball into the air and catching it.
He sat up. “What are you talking about, man?”
“Get your coat. Come with me and I’ll tell you,” I said with a smirk.
He started to protest but I cut him off. “We both know you aren’t doing anything but waiting for the phone to ring.”
I tapped on his assistant’s desk as we left. “Forward any calls for John to his cell.”
“Sure thing,” she said.
“What do you have up your sleeve today, Chase?” he asked as he shrugged into his trench coat.
The car my assistant had called for was waiting by the time we were out of the building.
“You once bet me that you would be married with kids before me,” I said, settling into the back of the car.
“I’m going to win that bet. At this point, it’s not even a contest.”
“I wouldn’t be so certain if I were you,” I smirked.
“You old dog, what the hell are you telling me? Did you get engaged?” John grinned like some idiot like he was the one who was going out ring shopping.
“Not yet, I need to pick up a ring. That’s where we’re headed,” I said.
“Aren’t you supposed to take your betrothed ring shopping, not your best friend?”
I laughed. “That would spoil the surprise. I figured you might have some pointers having already done this.”
“Where are we headed? You aren’t going old school Tiffany, are you?”
I nodded.
John groaned. “No, man, you need to find out who her favorite designer is and start there.”
“Like you did?”
“Exactly, like I did.”
The car stopped in front of our destination, and we climbed out of the car and straight into the classic wood paneling and glass-topped jewelry counters of Tiffany and Co. We were greeted and then led to a specific counter, where another salesman asked what I was looking for.
John leaned on the counter, purposefully positioning himself to announce he was not interested in the contents of the case.
“A Tiffany solitaire is a classic choice,” the salesman said.
“It’s the boring choice. Chase, we should go to Theda Wu’s shop, that’s the designer Jennifer loves. I got Jennifer a customized one-of-a-kind ring. I had them size the rock up because they didn’t have the carats I wanted.”
“I know about the ring.”
Between John bragging about it at every turn, and the now-infamous fight he and Jennifer had, everyone at CP Manhattan knew about the ring. He had to get it customized because she wanted something oversized to flash around. I knew Gem, she was understated. She would want something classic.
“I think a classic solitaire would be perfect,” I said.
“Sir, you can enhance the engagement ring with a combination wedding band and wrap. The engagement ring can be upgraded at any time.”
“You aren’t going to buy that right now, are you? You should at least shop around. I took my time picking out Jennifer’s ring.”
What John meant was Jennifer took her time picking out the ring she wanted him to buy for her. And even then, it hadn’t been good enough. Gem had been clear that to her good enough came through actions, not through items.
“Sir, you can’t go wrong with a classic round stone in a gold or platinum band.”
The salesman placed a velvet panel on the counter and placed a single perfect ring in the middle.
John swept in, picking the ring up and reaching for a jeweler’s loop from the counter. He brought the two pieces up close to his eye. “What’s the diamond quality rating on this?”
The salesman flinched ever so slightly at John’s quick movements.
“The stone will depend on Sir’s desires. In addition to colorless diamonds, we carry a variety of colored diamonds.”
“He’ll want colorless, and don’t try to pass off any stone that’s near-colorless,” John said with authority.
I looked from him to the salesman. “Quality is important, but would you explain colorless and near-colorless?”
“Didn’t you do your research, man?” John tossed the ring and the jeweler’s loop onto the velvet pad.
The ring John so casually discarded was snatched up by the salesman to be safely sequestered away.
“No, I didn’t. I was too busy falling in love with this woman.” I turned back to the salesman. “What’s the best quality, budget is no issue.”
This time, the salesman handed me a delicate ring. The stone was round and refracted light like a disco globe under a spotlight. The band was simple and pale. It wouldn’t overwhelm Gem’s delicate hand, and it wouldn’t look constricting against her soft flesh.
“Four point five carats, round, brilliant-cut, near-colorless grade E, flawless clarification, platinum band. If Sir holds the loop to his eye and brings the ring in close, he will see the quality of the stone for himself.”
I looked at the stone as directed. It was pretty. I didn’t know what I was looking for. I handed the ring to John. I didn’t expect him to know either, but maybe he did know something about rings after all the time Jennifer led him from store to store.
“So who is this woman anyway? I didn’t know you were dating,” he said as he examined the ring. “This one isn’t bad.”
I took the ring from him before he could toss it onto the counter like it was from a bubble gum machine.
“We haven’t been seeing each other for very long. I took her to the beach house this weekend, and I knew she was the one for me. She’s this fantastic woman in the marketing department. She’s sweet and beautiful. Did I mention I’ll beat you to having kids?”
“You don’t have to waste a Tiffany on some woman you knocked up.”
“Don’t be crass John.” I placed the ring down. “How do I know if it’s the right size?” I asked the salesman.
“There are many ways to find out. If Sir could sneak away one of the lady’s rings, we can use that to determine size. It’s not uncommon to purchase an engagement ring and then return to the store with your betrothed to get a properly sized band.”
“So is she pregnant or not?”
I glared at John. “She’s already got a kid.”
John grabbed my upper arm. He dragged me away from the counter.
“Are you stupid, man? You’re thinking of asking a single mother to marry you? She’s only in it to get her baby a daddy.” He threw his arms up and gestured around. “Is she some fucking gold digger too?”
“Watch your mouth, John. Gem is not some gold digger. She comes from money. And she isn’t shopping for a father for her child. She said as much.”
He stopped raging and stared at me. “What did you say her name was?”
“Gem. Gem Lafayette. She’s our Social Media Manager. Doing a great job with the marketing team. And she’s bea—”
“Gem Lafayette?” he laughed. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“You know her?” I asked.
“You have got to be the biggest fucking idiot I have ever met. I can’t believe I’ve been saddled in business with you. This is the last straw; I can’t work with you if you follow through with this. Gem Lafayette, that little bitch.”
I grabbed his lapel and pulled him to me. We used to fight the way friends always did. Back then we were well matched. Now I was all-around bigger, taller, more muscles. I worked out, he didn’t. His nostrils flared, and we breathed at each other like a couple of bulls squaring off in a pasture. I released his coat and he stumbled backward.
He stormed out of the store. I let him go. I didn’t know what he was going on about, but he would pay for calling Gem a bitch. I considered chasing him down just to deck him but starting a brawl in a jewelry store was an even worse idea than John’s reaction.
I brushed down the front of my coat and returned to the counter. “I’m sorry, I’ll have to come back. What was your name?”
“Gerald, Sir.”
“Thank you, Gerald. I will be sure to ask for you when I return. I think you’re right; a classic solitaire will be perfect.”
I left, grabbed a cab, and headed straight back to the office. I wouldn’t deck John in Tiffany’s but I sure as hell would take him down in the privacy of his own office.
