Page 66 of Booked for Kidnapping

My eyes widened, as his tone carried the weight of bitter experience. “Oh.”

“Oh, indeed.”

FIFTEEN

Bradley, I made a mistake.

In what I viewed as a dazzling victory over his father, Bradley won the right to use his parents’ credit card on anything we wanted in an upscale jewelry store in the heart of San Francisco. I preened I’d gotten to help by adding in some threats to ask for details about the Hampton’s beach bondage activities. Whistling a merry tune, my fiancé browsed the offerings while I stared at a necklace with red stones in the display case. According to the tag, it was made of numerous gemstones, including the center stone, which was a small but fierce red diamond. Clear diamonds circled the red diamond, which was then surrounded with rubies. Garnets and spinel spread from the center of the collar and ended in bands of carnelian. Judging from the headless mannequin, it was meant to be worn as a choker, with the precious diamond safely nestled in the hollow of the throat.

According to the price tag, I could buy two nice sports cars for the price of the necklace with some cash left over. Whistling, I admired the piece, wondering who’d spend over a million dollars on a piece of jewelry.

Bradley’s father joined me, leaning over for a better look at the piece. “That’s something else.”

I nodded, pointing at the red diamond. “It’s so small yet so valuable.”

“I’d guess it’s about a carat, and it’s a damned good color.” Bradley’s father lifted his head and gestured to the gentleman behind the counter who kept a close eye on us and the store’s priceless treasure.

“How many I help you, sir?”

“Where is the diamond from?”

“This stone was discovered in Australia, sir. We have its certificate of authenticity if you’d like to see it.”

“Please,” Mr. Hampton replied, and he shooed me away. “You need a necklace anyway, and it’s traditional in our family for the father of the groom to provide it. The mother of the groom will get a bracelet for you. The boy’s on the hook for the rings, so off you go. If I don’t get a necklace the wife approves of, I’m on the couch for at least twenty years, assuming I survive her initial wrath. I cannot bring shame to the family name.”

I spluttered, but at a warning look from Bradley’s father, I retreated across the store. “Bradley, I made a mistake.”

“What did you do?” he asked without looking up from the assortment of rings on display in the cabinet.

“I looked at the necklace in the display case, and your father is interested in it.”

“Ah. My grandfather picked my mother’s necklace. My mother made it hard on Dad, because she never even indicated which color gemstones she likes, so they had to guess completely. If Dad thinks you love it, he’ll get it based solely on that and deal with Mom later about it.”

“That’s real?”

“Mom will pick a bracelet. I get the rings.”

I frowned. “The earrings are on me, then?”

“Not precisely. Those are handed down unless it’s a complete mismatch. They’re clear diamonds, so they usually match. As such, the earrings are already covered. My mother will give them to you when you’re getting dressed for the wedding, along with the rest of the jewelry set. The only piece you get today is the engagement ring. We usually only do a wedding ring for the men, but I’ll get an engagement ring as well.” Bradley pointed at a sparkling ring in the case, one which was decorated with many tiny stones without the huge central stone I expected among the rich and famous. “I’m thinking something more like that for you. I don’t think you’ll like a large stone. It’ll get in the way while you work, and I want you to have something you’ll wear. Mom’s taking her rings off all the time because it always gets in the way, which drives Dad crazy.”

Was there anything more attractive than a practical man? On second thought, there was: a practical man naked in bed, named Bradley Hampton. “Your dad is trying to buy a necklace that costs more than a million dollars, Bradley.”

“He can afford it. You’re worth every penny. Mom’ll have to work hard at besting him—”

“They have a matching bracelet,” Bradley’s father announced. “And earrings. The earrings are ruby, the bracelet is ruby, garnet, and spinel. Your mother might forgive me one day for acquiring the set. There’s also a ring, and it also has a red diamond, but it’s only a quarter carat set with white diamonds in a chalice band.”

Not a single word of his father’s statement made a lick of sense to me, but it caught my fiancé’s attention, and he abandoned me to investigate the treasure I’d been admiring. I sighed, wondering what had gotten into the men and how I’d become the sane one of the lot. The other store employee, an older woman in a sleek black blazer and skirt, offered me a tentative smile. “It’s rare to see a father and son go on a venture like this. It’s most often the very nervous son trying to navigate the perils of fine jewelry on his own.”

I matched the woman’s smile. “I’m useless at this.” Admitting the truth took a load off my shoulders, and I took over where Bradley had started, eyeing the selection of rings with interest. “He needs a narrow engagement band and a matching wedding brand. I’m insecure, so he wants to make a statement.”

“With such a handsome man as your fiancé? I would be insecure, too.” The woman leaned over the counter and pointed at a pair of rings tucked into the corner. “If he works with his hands often, that set would be ideal. The stones are set beneath a rim of metal, making it hard to lose them. They’re covered under our warranty, so if he does lose a stone, we will replace it at no charge. We back all of our pieces, of course.”

Of course. “Don’t tell me how much they cost. Just please make sure they fit before I have a heart attack.”

She humored me with a smile, grabbed a set of rings, and snagged the engagement and wedding band. “This pair is a one-off; if it doesn’t fit, we can take the stones and set it in a ring of the same design that will fit. We have limited room to adjust the bands.” Removing the rings, she showed me how the diamonds fully circled the bands. “If his ring size changes, we can adjust it as needed. If his finger becomes smaller, we will keep the excess diamonds in storage for future adjustments.”

Apparently, the rich and famous got top-notch service. Heaving a sigh, I regarded the Hamptons, who engaged in a lively discussion with the gentleman tasked with defending the necklace. “What ring would match the ring that goes with that set?”