“Cole, I don’t know. You asked a newly divorced woman that you slept with and is working for you to pretend to be your fiancée.”
“I feel like an asshole, but if I get CJ, I can’t regret it. I wish she wasn’t so pissed at me.”
“It sounds like she understands, but it’s still a shitty situation. Maybe just give her time.” She shrugged.
“Can you help me with something?”
“Something else?”
“It’s about the family vacation.”
Kimberly threw her head back and laughed. “No,” she deadpanned.
“Come on.”
“Fine, but only because I feel bad for wiping the floor with you when it came time to vote.”
Lisa metus at a gluten-free bakery near Rockefeller Center. She let CJ dig his finger into the icing on the cupcake she was eating and smiled at him.
"I got you a coffee." She handed me a cup, didn't wait for me to say thank you, and walked out of the bakery holding the door open for the stroller.
We walked in silence to the Tiffany and Co., entered the store where we were immediately approached by a sales clerk.
"Hi, we're looking for engagement rings," I said in a voice utterly devoid of excitement.
“Ah, yes!” The clerk was a Black woman in her late twenties with shoulder length dreadlocks and bright red lipstick. “Congratulations. You have a beautiful little family here.” She beamed at Lisa and me. We gave her weak smiles in return. Her cheerful expression faltered. “Well, we have our classic solitaires here…”
Neither of us said a word.
"Have you decided what kind of shape you were interested in?" She tried again. "There are round, emerald cut, cushion cut, heart-shaped—"
“No,” Lisa and I both said in unison.
"Okay. No heart-shaped." The sales clerk chuckled.
Lisa and I smiled at each other, but it was short-lived.
“What do you think?” I asked.
She shrugged. "Something simple, I guess."
“How about this one?” She held up a plain silver band with a square diamond.
Lisa shrugged again and bounced CJ on her hip. He pointed at the glass case next to the one the held the engagement rings and shouted something that sounded like “budt.”
"What was that, buddy?" I asked.
“Budt!” He pointed again. “Budt!”
"I think he means that." Lisa pointed to a ring with a giant ladybug where a diamond would be on a usual ring. "We saw some ladybugs in the park this week."
I nodded at the sales clerk. Her face fell as she reached into the case.
“This isn’t really considered an engagement ring.”
I wanted to tell her this wasn't really an engagement, but instead, I took the ring and held it out to Lisa for inspection.
"Budt!" CJ exclaimed and swiped it out of my hand and put it in his mouth. He coughed once, twice, then looked at me with his patented gummy grin. "Budt!" he said again, and he pointed to his belly.
