Page 18 of The Closed Off Captain

“Okay.”

I narrow my eyes at his easy answer. “I’m serious.”

He nods. “Got it.” He opens the door and urges me inside.

“Mr. Coftman. Ms. Liessman,” a man in a three-piece suit greets us. I want to close my eyes, but I don’t.

This is going to be a disaster.I feel like an idiot for not dressing nicer. The only thing that makes me feel remotely better is the fact that Gunner is casual as well. Technically, I’m more dressed up than he is, so I try not to let it bother me. Gunner puts a hand on my back, and I’m reminded that we’re supposed to be a happy couple.

I plaster a smile on my face and go for professional. “Good morning.”

The man in the suit introduces himself as Tony. “Mr. Coftman described you to me in great detail, Ms. Liessman,” he begins. His words shock me to silence. “So, I pulled several rings I thought you might be interested in. But feel free to look for any other ones you want to try.”

I’m still trying to recover from the fact that Gunner described me to the man. I don’t think I want to hear how that went. “I would love to look at the ones you picked out,” I say with as much professionalism as I possibly can. I follow the man over to the glass counter and try to keep my hands from shaking. He opens a case that has six rings nestled inside. I catch my breath as I take them in. My eyes run over each ring, starting from the left to the right. Each ring is...expensive. That’s the only word that comes to mind. I feel Gunner’s eyes on me, but I don’t know what to say or do.

“Please, try them on,” the man urges.

I really don’t want to. I glance up at Gunner, and he takes a step closer. The man seems to understand that we want privacy, and he moves away from us. “These are really expensive,” I say under my breath. I don’t even have to look at the price tags, not that there are any. I just know they are.

He glances at the man across the room and then back down at me. “Do you like any of them?” he asks.

I glance back at them. They’re all so...big. “Coftman, why don’t we just get like a fake one?” I whisper.

His eyebrows knit together. “A fake one?”

“Yeah. This isn’t real. Why don’t we just get a fake one?”

“A fake ring?” he asks. I nod. He scowls. “I’m not getting a fake ring.” He looks back at the guy. “She doesn’t like any of these.”

“Coftman,” I mutter under my breath.

“You don’t,” he says without looking at me.

The man is in front of us a moment later. “No problem. Let's find something you do like. Would you like to describe what you’re looking for?” I give him a blank look because I have no idea. I have never once considered what kind of engagement ring I would like. At my silence, the man continues. “Why don’t you look around. Point out some pieces you like, and we can go from there?”

I nod and move away from both the salesman and Gunner. I start at the far end of the shop and begin to browse. But it’s sheer overwhelm. I move from case to case, but they all start to blur together after a little bit. Gunner and the salesman keep their distance, and I start to feel panicky. I have no idea what to pick; I have no idea what the prices are. I have no idea what I’m doing. Gunner steps in front of me a moment later. “What’s wrong?” His voice is low.

I look up at him, feeling vulnerable. “I have no idea which one to pick,” I whisper.

“Okay.”

“There are no prices, nothing’s marked. I have no idea if I’m looking at a thousand-dollar ring or a twenty-five thousand-dollar ring.”

He frowns. “It doesn’t matter.”

I rub my forehead. “It does to me.”

“Which one do you like?” he asks quietly.

“I don’t know,” I say in exasperation. “If they had a hockey section of rings, I could figure it out,” I say, trying to joke. He doesn’t smile, and I fight the building headache. He leaves me to myself and walks over to the salesman. They talk a few minutes and then shake hands.

“Let’s go,” Gunner says.

I frown. “We’re done?” He nods. “But we didn’t pick out a ring,” I point out.

“I took care of it.”

“I—” I close my mouth. “Okay.” I follow him to the truck. I’m actually relieved. This way I don’t feel guilty if it’s super expensive.

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