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His shoulder was feeling a little better today. Ribs too. He had a new appreciation for what his patients went through.
The glitter of jewelry in a display window caught his attention, and he paused to examine the pieces. A beautiful sapphire necklace glittered in the sunlight, and the color would match Annie’s eyes.
Impulsively, he yanked open the door with Jack Pine Jewels stenciled on the window and stepped inside. The faint scent of a sweet candle wafted in the air, and classical music played softly in the background.
An older woman looked up from behind the display cabinets. Her hazel eyes crinkled in welcome. “Hello, young man. Searching for a piece for your sweetheart?”
Maybe he wanted more than a piece. He loved Annie, and he knew she loved him. The only thing holding him back was uncertainty about his career. What should he do about Mike’s offer? There’d been no time to ask Annie her opinion, and he didn’t want to make the wrong decision for their little family.
His gaze went to the rings. Nothing was certain in life, and it was senseless to wait for the “right” time.
He approached the display cases. “What do you have in engagement rings?”
She bustled over to the next case and beckoned to him. “Here are the ones we have in stock. How much do you want to spend?”
“I don’t know. I just want something nice and unique. Something that suits her.”
“You’ll be the one who knows what’s right. Anything you’d like to take a closer look at?”
He perused the display, but they all seemed alike. Big and bigger diamonds, tiny crescents of smaller ones that glittered in the lights against the black velvet. He’d seen rings just like these on hands throughout his life. Annie deserved something special, unique. Just like she was.
He shook his head. “I don’t see anything that looks like her.”
She shot a glance toward the back room. “I don’t offer this for everyone because our jeweler is getting older and doesn’t take on many projects these days, but he could design something just for your lady. Would you like to speak to him?”
“I think so. Is he here?”
“I’ll text him.” She picked up the phone by the register and turned her back for a minute. “He’ll be right here.”
She picked up a pad of paper and a pencil. “Let’s start out with some basic information. Are there any stones you’d like to see in the ring?”
“Some sapphires to match her eyes. It doesn’t have to be the main stone. Just part of it.”
A picture of his mom’s hand flashed in his memory. “Do you ever redesign vintage rings?”
A stooped man with white hair came into the room. A black apron covered his jeans and tee. “We do that all the time. Do yous have an heirloom you’d like to have redone, eh?” he said in a thick Yooper twang.
Jon hid a smile at the “yous,” a traditional Yooper way of saying you or yours. “My mother’s ring. It’s got quite a few diamonds, large and small both, but I’d like it made into something special.”
The woman put down the pad and moved away to answer the phone, and the jeweler glanced at what she’d written. “Sapphires are one of my favorite stones to work with.”
Jon’s mother had left her ring to him in case he wanted to do this very thing someday. His dad would be pleased, too, and he believed its history would make it even more special to Annie. “Annie has big blue eyes. Sapphires would be great for her.”
He pulled out his phone and found a picture he’d snapped of her and Kylie out on the dock. Her hair was wet, which made her eyes stand out even more. “This is Annie.”
The man smiled when he saw it. “That’s Annie Pederson, Nate’s widow, eh?”
Jon’s elation deflated at the mention of his friend’s name. “Yes.”
“I’m glad she’s able to move on and be happy. She’s a good woman. Good at her job, eh.” The man took the pad of paper and pen. “Yous name?”
“Jon Dunstan.”
The man cocked a white brow. “Daniel’s boy. Daniel bought that ring from my father back in the day. I’ve seen it many times. Excellent quality stones we can use. I believe I can make something spectacular with it.”
“You’re Henry Drood?”
“Yous parents have spoken of me, eh?”
