Page 33 of Fake Out Hearts

“What about it?” Becca asks as she takes off her seatbelt.

“The oxygen is thinner up here, so basic activities like walking take more out of you than they would somewhere else. And you’ve gotta be careful with the alcohol too. It’ll sneak up on you. Not that I’d know anything about that,” I say with a grin.

“Good to know.”

“Ready to shop?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she says and climbs out of the car. She waits for me on the curb while I get out, and I offer her my hand when I join her. She stares at it and hesitates for a second but smiles and links her fingers between mine.

Rockset is a somewhat new jeweler in town. They just opened a couple years ago, but I did my research, and they’ve got the best of the best in terms of stones and craftsmanship, which is exactly what I want for Becca. They cut most of their stones themselves, and all their bands are handmade. They’re expensive because of that, but I don’t care how much her ring costs. I just want Becca to be happy.

As soon as we step inside, I can tell the place has money. Like a lot of businesses around here, their aesthetic is a mix of modern clean lines and rustic accents. The place evensmellsexpensive, and I can see in the look on Becca’s face that she’s picking up on it too. She flashes me a worried look, but I squeeze her hand to reassure her. I wouldn’t have brought her here if I couldn’t afford to buy any ring in the place, and I definitely can. I’m not one of those professional sports guys who likes to blow their money on stupid shit like sports cars and mansions, so I’ve got plenty to spare.

“Good afternoon,” says a thin, hipster-looking guy sporting a full, clean-cut red beard and leather apron says as he steps out from behind a door beyond the counter. His matching red hair is slicked back and juts out from the base of his head in a wave. “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Camden. I’m Oliver, the owner,” hecontinues and offers each of us a hand to shake. “Pleased to meet you both.”

“The pleasure’s all ours,” I say with a grin.

“I understand you’re looking for a replacement wedding ring?” Oliver asks, reaching for Becca’s ring hand. She offers it to him for inspection, and he smiles at her kindly. “Nothing wrong with a classic gold band—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it—but something tells me you’re looking for a ring that’s a little more personal.”

“That’sexactlywhat we’re looking for,” I answer, and he nods.

“Well, you’re welcome to look at the rings we already have cut, of course, but if you don’t see anything that works, we offer custom cuts as well,” he explains, gesturing at the huge display case dividing us. He glances at Becca. “Do you have an idea of what kind of stone you’d like?”

She chews her lip and gives him an uncertain look. “Uh, no, not really. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be here today, so I haven’t given it a lot of thought.”

“The classic wedding ring surprise,” Oliver says, flashing me a playful smile. “No worries. Let’s start with your favorite color, then.”

“Blue,” she answers confidently.

“Excellent choice. Mine too, although that’s probably obvious,” Oliver says as he waves a hand over one of the nearby jewelry cases that is filled with different shades of blue gemstones. “Do any of these catch your eye?”

“Oh, I like that one.” Becca leans over to point at a delicate looking silver band with an ivy-like design that wraps and folds around itself. Oliver opens the case from behind and reaches for it, and when Becca spots the price tag underneath, she whips around to me with her eyes wide open. Admittedly, it’s expensive, but I can afford it.

“Don’t worry about it,” I whisper to her so Oliver can’t hear.

“Go ahead, try it on. I’m not sure what size you are, but it looks like it might fit,” he says as he slides the little velvet display across the glass to Becca.

“Here, let me help.” I step forward and tug the ring off the display before taking Becca’s hand in mine. I gently remove the gold band and set it on the glass, then slip the new ring on. It fits like it was custom made for her.

“It’s perfect,” Becca whispers, so quietly that even I barely hear her.

“Then I guess we don’t really need to keep looking, do we?”

“But Theo, it’s so expensive,” she says, glancing over her shoulder back at the price tag in the display case. “With everything else you’re already doing for me, this is too much.”

I cradle her face to kiss her forehead. “Nothing is too much for you. Remember that.” I turn to Oliver and nod to him. “We’ll take it.”

“Then I’ll get things settled. Feel free to keep it on, I’ll just put your old band in its box,” he tells Becca, and all she can do is stare at him as he packs everything up and starts closing out the transaction. I toss my credit card on the counter and smile at Becca, but she can’t take her eyes off the ring. She turns her hand back and forth in the light, admiring the way the baby blue gem sparkles in the light.

“Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it.”

“Good. Because you get to keep it for the rest of your life.” She beams at me, and I stand there taking in the ring’s beauty with her while Oliver takes care of the finances. It doesn’t take long for him to finalize everything, and when he’s finished, he passes me a few sheets of paper and a fancy blue velvet box with Becca’s gold band inside.

“Congratulations,” Oliver says and shakes my hand before I lead Becca out of the shop and back to my car. She climbs inside quietly, and as we pull away, I catch her still staring down at the ring.

“Are you sure you like it?”

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