Page 51 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“Fine. Should I show him in? He said he’d like to speak with you in private first.” She raised a skinny eyebrow, showing Merilee what she thought of the whole idea.
“Oh.” Without thinking, she put her hands to her hair and her gaze to her top desk drawer, where she kept her lipstick, neither action missed by Gayla.
“He’smarried,” Gayla hissed as she left the office, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Merilee took a deep breath to compose herself before Daniel appeared in the same spot Gayla had just vacated. “Dan. So nice to see you again.” And it was. Not just because he was nice to look at, but also because she genuinely liked him and enjoyed his company. Still, she stepped behind her chair just in case he wanted to kiss her cheek in greeting. As Gayla had so helpfully pointed out, he was married, and Merilee was overly sensitive about stepping over that line. After what she’d been through in her own marriage, she wasn’t interested in having any misunderstanding, whether it was warranted or not.
Dan closed the door behind him, sending Merilee an apologetic smile. “Sorry—I don’t want Gayla overhearing. She and Heather always work together, so I’m sure her nose is all out of joint about this. I just want to let you know that I know this isn’t your usual thing, and I appreciate you taking the time with me to select the right gift.” He grinned, a real grin that reminded her of why he was called “Danny” by those who knew him well. “And I’m so relieved that I don’t have to work with Gayla. I think all she cares about is her commission and not about finding the right piece. It gets my goat every time.”
“I understand—and it will go no further than this room.” She headed around the desk on the opposite side from him to get to the door. “I asked Heather about her preferences and had some time this morning to pull a few things I thought might work. I’ll let you be the judge, of course.”
She turned the knob, falling backward as the door refused to open, as she pulled and it slipped out of her grasp. He caught her by the shoulders. “You should try weight lifting,” he said.
Despite her embarrassment, she grinned. “Yeah. I think it’s the door—I can’t tell you the last time I shut it. It must have warped or something.”
“Allow me,” Dan said as he reached for the knob at the same time she did, his hand covering hers. They both jumped back, and it was unclear to Merilee who was more surprised at the warmth generated by the brief touch of skin.
She held up her hands. “It’s all yours.”
He pulled on the knob several times before the door swung open with a loudwhoosh. When they exited the office, Merilee noticed that most of the people on the showroom floor were looking in their direction.
“So,” she said, walking toward one of the locked display cases, “let me show you what I’ve got.” She bent down, and using the key she’d obtained from the store manager, she unlocked a drawer and pulled out a large velvet tray where several sparkling baubles winked up at them from the overhead lights.
“Wow,” Daniel said, picking up a diamond-and-sapphire emerald-cut ring, then putting it down quickly. “Lots of big and shiny. Just like Heather likes to wear.” His tone matched Merilee’s own thoughts, but she kept them to herself. It wasn’t her job to comment on Heather’s taste, or lack thereof. She was here to do a favor for a friend.
His gaze wandered briefly over the pieces she’d selected, then strayed to an adjacent case, where a lesser-known jewelry designer’s latest line was being displayed. Merilee adored this designer, loved his use of semiprecious stones set in metal shaped to mimic the natural world. He pointed to a ring with the base of a platinum oyster sheltering a saltwater pearl resting gracefully on top. “May I see that?”
“Of course,” she said, quickly unlocking the case and pulling out the ring. She handed it to him. “This might be my favorite piece in the entire store. It’s exquisite—understated yet undeniably elegant.” She shrugged, suddenly at a loss for descriptive words. “It’s simple—and yet manages to be just gorgeous.” She looked up at Dan with a frown. “But I didn’t think it would be to Heather’s taste.”
He shook his head with a grimace, examining the ring. “It’s not really—although she might like it. But I love it. It actually reminds me of her—she’s the pearl, so beautiful and valuable. And the shell is the life she has made for us and our family.” His eyes met hers. “Can you try it on so that I can see what it looks like on a woman’s hand?”
“Of course.” And because she no longer wore a ring on her left hand, she slid it onto her third finger. The wide band was hard to get over her knuckle, so Dan had to help her slide it the rest of the way onto her finger. It was such an intimate gesture that she found she couldn’t look into his face.
Holding up her left hand and staring at her palm, she said, “How does it look?”
“Perfect,” he said. “Absolutely perfect.” And when she did finally look up, she saw that he was looking at her. “I’ll take it.”
She had to clear her throat to speak. “Are you sure you don’t want to see anything else? I have a whole tray of jewelry that I—”
“No. I don’t always know what I’m looking for, but when I see it, I know that’s what I want.”
As she fumbled to get the ring off her finger and look at the price tag, since neither of them had any idea how much it cost, Gayla approached. “Have you made your decision?” she asked, her tone of mock interest more than mildly grating.
“Yes,” Dan said, taking the ring from Merilee, then handing it to Gayla. “Can you put this on my account and wrap it up? I think Heather will be surprised.”
“I’d say,” Gayla said, not bothering to hide her dismay at the relatively low price point or the less-than-sparkly choice. “Are you sure this is what you want? Perhaps I can show you—”
“I’m sure,” Dan said. “I’ve got a meeting I need to get to. I’ll pick it up later.”
“Oh,” said Merilee. “If it helps, I can bring it home and meet you at the school or something, if that makes it easier.”
He smiled warmly. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
With barely concealed disappointment, Gayla excused herself and hurried to the back office to ring up the purchase and have it gift wrapped in the store’s signature silver and gold paper.
“Thanks again for your help,” Dan said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone.
“You’re more than welcome. And if you need to return it...”
