“Just look away and don’t worry about it.”
But of course the minute he told me to look away, I had to do the opposite.
I watched Cooper bend over my ring finger and put his mouth on the ring—and, by default, part of my finger.
“What are you doing?” I said, reaching out the other hand to stop him.
He batted it away and kept his mouth there.
It was warm. And wet. I squeezed my eyes closed. “Please tell me that’s not your tongue.”
When he stood back up, the puffy part of my finger was now, shall we say, lubricated.
He started to work the ring again—and this time, it slid off.
He held it out to me.
But I didn’t take it. I was busy wiping his spit off my hand onto Mrs. Richmond’s wedding gown. “You just sucked my finger.”
“I didn’t suck it, Imoistenedit.”
“That’s worse.”
“Stop complaining,” he said, still holding it out, “and take it.”
“I don’t want it,” I said.
“Idon’t want it,” Cooper said.
But now I was studying my ruddy, still-puffy, ringless ring finger. “Can’t you just stick it in that rucksack of yours?”
“Why?”
“Because I’m gonna have to give it back to her.”
Cooper paused like I was crazy. “Just throw it in the ocean,” he said.
I gave him a look. “I’m not a thief. That thing’s worth a fortune.”
Cooper sighed, acquiesced, and zipped it into a pocket.
In line to check out, I kept looking at my hand. I’d been wearing that too-tight ring for four years, and it had left an imprint. The Richmonds hadn’t wanted to resize it until the deal was really sealed, which had seemed impossibly rude at the time.
I guess, in hindsight: not a bad idea.
My hand looked weirdly naked now.
It was fine, I told myself. I’d get used to it.
But I felt a wave of sadness anyway.
What was wrong with me—seriously? Why did I always have to be my own worst enemy? I was glaring down at my hand like it might answer me when Cooper jogged away for a minute, and then jogged back, stopping square in front of me.
He moved his fist into my field of vision—and then opened it.
He’d grabbed one of the sea glass rings. Pale aqua and sterling silver.
I looked up.
