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“I have it right here.” Jon handed him the velvet-lined box.
Henry opened it and touched the engagement ring. “Exactly as I remember it. The diamonds are lovely. Let me show yous what I have in mind.”
Sorting through a stack of papers, he produced a pencil drawing of a ring. “This would be the large diamond in the middle of yous mother’s set. In a heart shape around that, I’d put small sapphires around the larger stone, then more diamonds in a second row. Matching sapphires along the wedding ring would be spectacular.”
“It’s perfect for Annie. When could you have it completed?”
Henry tipped his head to one side. “Do I detect anxiety in yous voice, young Jon?”
“Yes, I guess so. You already know Glenn has escaped, but there’s more.” He told the older man about the boarding of the boat the day before. “I don’t like the idea of her and Kylie alone in the cabin.”
“That was very brazen of the men. I can see yous is worried. And yous think being engaged will alter Annie’s behavior? She’s in law enforcement and very capable. Every man wants to protect the woman he loves, but she may take it as yous don’t trust her to be the smart professional she is.”
Jon hadn’t thought of how Annie might take his concern. “She’s an excellent investigator.”
He bit his lip and thought about it. Knowing Annie’s ability didn’t lessen his worry, but she was a better shot than him. She had a natural ability to see things others might miss, and her protective instincts were more finely honed than his. She’d been a mom for eight years and was used to protecting Kylie. But still, didn’t two people on their guard make a stronger team than one? He’d been the one to hear the men boarding the boat were after her.
Henry patted Jon’s arm. “I can see yous are still torn. I can have this ring done in three days since all the stones are right here in my shop. Would that work for what yous have in mind?”
“So quickly? I appreciate it, Henry. And you’re right—she’s unlikely to be swayed by my worry. Maybe part of it is that I’m ready to share my life with her. I want us together forever. I nearly lost my life, and she’s been in constant danger since I got back to town.”
Henry set the ring box on his bench. “None of us know the length of our days. I will call when the ring is ready.”
Jon passed him his business card. “Here’s my number.”
“And I will pray for young Annie’s safety.”
“I appreciate that more than you know.”
Walking out, Jon realized his anxiety stemmed from his own lack of prayer about the danger. God knew the number of each of their days, and his worry showed a great lack of trust. What was that scripture? Something about worry being unable to add an hour to life. He’d have to look it up.
And do better himself.
He turned onto Houghton Street, and as he neared the jail, he spotted Annie exiting the building. “Hey!” He broke into a jog and reached her in moments.
The shadows in her eyes ebbed when he held out his arms, and she walked into his embrace. “I missed you,” she said.
He kissed her before replying. “You seemed upset. What’s wrong?”
“You always seem to know.” She told him about her sister’s comments. “I need to walk around in that cabin, even though I don’t want to.”
He tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “There’s time to do that later, love. What happened twenty-four years ago isn’t significant when you’re in the middle of trying to protect yourself and Kylie from the maniacs on the loose right now.”
Her blue eyes stayed troubled. “Mason is going on the assumption that things are tied to Sean Johnson somehow. He was Becky’s nephew. What if Sarah could tell us something about him that would help us crack all of this now?”
That was a stretch, but he could see Mason’s reasoning. And Jon recognized the determined expression on Annie’s face. She wasn’t one to leave any stone unturned, even if she found a creepy-crawly under it. In this case, that creep was her sister.Though he’d seen Sarah’s remorse, he wasn’t ready to trust her yet, and he didn’t want Annie to let her guard down either.
He put his hands on her shoulders. “When do you want to go out to the island? I’ll go with you. We can stroll through the old cabin while you see if you remember anything about that night. And if you do it with Sarah, something she says might spark something in your head and vice versa.”
She leaned on tiptoes and kissed him. “You are the best. Do you have time to go right now?”
“Sure do.”
And on the way he could tell her about the call with the detective in Minnesota. He wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing, but it was over now and there was no going back.
***
Annie wiped damp palms on her khaki shorts and forced herself to take a deep breath. At the other end of this walkway, she’d confront her sister again, and she was not ready. Not even close. The storm in her heart felt more turbulent than the one brewing out over the water.
