Page 105 of Meant to Be

“Thank you,” I said, nodding and smiling. “This is all very helpful.”

“It’s my pleasure. And I couldn’t be more thrilled for her! I mean—gah! Who would havethunkit! Talk about aCinderellastory.”

“Well, that’s sweet. But I’m the lucky one,” I said.

Wendy nodded, looking earnest. “Yes. You really are. And she’ll love whatever you give her.”

“I hope so.”

“Hey, this is just a thought, but did you ever think about a family ring? Like an heirloom of some kind?”

“Yeah…I have…But I don’t know…I think Cate and I like the idea of a fresh start,” I said, thinking that both of us wanted to escape the story lines of our pasts.

Incidentally, I also was a little ready to escape Wendy. I could tell her heart was in the right place, and that she was genuinely happy for Cate. But I still left the coffee shop feeling slightly uneasy.

By the time I got home, it hit me. Cate wouldn’t have wanted me to poll her friends about the ring. She’d want me to pick it out myself, completely on my own. Even if I got it wrong, it would be right.

—

About a weeklater, I put on a baseball cap and sunglasses, made sure I wasn’t being followed, and walked into Harry Winston for my after-hours appointment with an older gentleman named Horace. I knew I’d be paying more than I would in the diamond district, but it felt right and romantic.

Horace immediately put me at ease with both his knowledge and his discretion, giving me a full tutorial on diamonds while assuring me that there would be no leaks. After we’d covered those basics, he asked me to tell him about Cate.

“Well, she’s wonderful,” I said. “But I assume you’re asking about her taste in jewelry?”

“Yes,” Horace said. “Tell me about her style.”

“She actually doesn’t wear much jewelry,” I said, describing the few pieces that she wore on a regular basis. Her Cartier watch was the only real staple, along with two pairs of stud earrings—diamonds and pearls—which she rotated. Other than that, she just wore an occasional gold bracelet.

“I see. Lovely,” Horace said, nodding approvingly. “It sounds like she’s quite understated…a minimalist.”

“Yes!” I said, knowing that I was beaming. “That’s exactly the word for it! She’s a minimalist. She sparkles, but she isn’t flashy.”

“Understood,” Horace said. “Well, you’ve come to the right place, Mr. Kingsley.”

I smiled, more excited by the second.

For the next hour, the two of us looked at diamonds of every shape and color, including a yellow one. They were all beautiful, but nothing seemed quite right for Cate. Then Horace mentioned an eternity band, and I perked up, intrigued by the name.

“What’s that?”

Horace told me it was a ring with uniform stones that went the whole way around the band, pointing out an example in a glass case.

“Are they considered classic?”

“Very,” Horace said, explaining that eternity bands traced back four thousand years to the ancient Egyptians, who were said to offer them as tokens of eternal love and life.

“Oh, wow. I love that.”

“Yes. They’re really beautiful. I must tell you, though. It’s highly unusual to go that route for an engagement ring. The eternity design is more common for a wedding or anniversary band. Most ladies prefer one significant stone for their engagement ring—”

“Yes. But Cate isn’t like most ladies,” I said.

“Yes. I’m quite sure she is not,” Horace said.

“I really like this idea,” I said, the wheels turning in my mind. “What if we mixed in another stone, too? Like alternated between a color and a diamond?”

“We could certainly do that. If you go that route, I’d recommend emeralds or sapphires. They are very sturdy stones.”

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