Page 48 of Hard and Unprotected
I scribbled my name and then a small box was tucked in my hands.
“Have a good day, Miss Lake,” the man said smoothly before getting into an unmarked van. Wow, James Bond for sure. But maybe that was the point. They wanted to move undetected through the city given the high value items in their charge.
Because this was the ring! My beautiful, six carat diamond was finally here.
Trembling fingers popped open the velvet box. And I stared at what was supposed to be a six-carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting.
But this wasn’t a diamond.
This was glass.
I was sure of it. Although I don’t know very much about expensive jewelry, anyone with eyes could tell. This fake ring was as obvious as a beard on a woman in high heels, dull and cloudy compared to the real thing.
It wasn’t a diamond at all.
It was a facsimile, just a pretend stand-in.
My stomach dropped.
This was a mistake. Had to be.
I grabbed the phone and called the number for the jewelry store.
“Hello!” I stammered the greeting as soon as somebody answered. “Is this Mr. Lozano?”
“No.” The voice on the other end of the phone was snooty and cold. “He isn’t available at the moment. What can I do for you?”
“Um...my...fiancé ordered a ring and it just got delivered.” I gave him Evan’s name and information. “But it’s not a diamond, it’s glass. The delivery must be a mistake.”
“One moment, Miss,” the voice said busily.
I heard rustling in the background then some tapping sounds from a keyboard. When the guy came back on the phone, his voice was downright cold.
“Is this Miss Margaret Lake?” he asked perfunctorily.
“Yes, that’s me,” I stammered. “Maggie.”
He sniffed.
“There’s been no mistake.” He didn’t bother to say “Miss” this time. “The delivery was correct.”
What?
I couldn’t even manage a gasp this time, hands frozen on the phone. My heart raced at sixty miles an hour, unable to believe the words.
“You there?” the voice sounded tinny in the phone. “You have the correct delivery,” the salesman emphasized again. Then, the next words sliced through my heart. “In fact, Lozano’s did you a favor because we don’t usually trade in glass. Our shop works exclusively with diamonds and other precious stones. But because Mr. Lincoln asked for this special accommodation, we did this for you. You’re actually very lucky.”
What?
Evan never meant to get me a diamond?
This was all pretend from the get-go?
Trembling, I ended the call. The Cinderella fairy tale was already beginning to collapse because of course, the rock was fake. It was just a prop to make thingslookreal.
God, what did I expect? Of course, Evan Lincoln wasn’t going to actually gift me with a two hundred thousand dollar piece of jewelry. I wasn’t worth that much.
Swallowing heavily, the tears began to spill from my eyes. The fairy tale was really over. This wasn’t about the money or baubles because I don’t care about any of that. I cared about something I couldn’t have, that no money could buy.