Leilani nods and pours two cups of rosehip tea. She wraps her fingers around her mug and inhaled the sweet steam before blowing gently on the hot liquid. She takes a sip and looks at Sophie.
“I have two questions for you, Sophie, but they’re a bit delicate,” she says. “Can we keep this conversation between us?”
“Of course,” Sophie says
“You must know everyone worth knowing in the jewelry industry,” Leilani says.
“I do,” Sophie agrees.
Leilani puts her tea down and reaches into her pocket. She passes Sophie the Meyer family ring and watches as Sophie examines it. First, Sophie holds it to the light, checking the clarity of the diamond. Then she pulls a small jeweler’s magnifying glass from her pocket and looks at the band and the setting. She runs her finger over the chip and frowns.
“It’s an exquisite ring,” Sophie says. “The color and the cut of the diamond is truly unique. It’s such a shame it’s damaged.”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you about,” Leilani says. “Do you know someone who could fix it?”
“I’m not sure,” Sophie says. “This kind of chip is tremendously difficult to repair. There are only a handful of jewelers in the world who would dare to try.”
Leilani feels a new wave of guilt. The ring is a priceless Meyer family heirloom, and I’ve ruined it, she thinks. How can I ever return it to them like this? I should never have taken it from Charles in the first place.
“Don’t look so upset, dear,” Sophie says. “I know of one specialist who may be able to help, but she has an odd temper.”
She digs through her purse and passes Leilani a business card. The paper feels thick and smooth in Leilani’s hands, but the card is quite simple. It only says F.S. and an address. Leilani slides the card into her pocket, and thanks, Sophie.
“She keeps a low profile, but everyone in the field knows of her,” Sophie says. “She’s a bit of a hermit, and few people have ever seen her. Honestly, I’m not sure if it would help or hurt your chances with her if you mentioned my name. Now, you said there were two things you wanted to ask me—what was the other?”
“These were with my mother’s papers,” Leilani says, passing Sophie some of the drawings. “One of the rings has the word” Bamford “ written on it—do you know anything about that?”
Sophie takes the paper and holds it up to the light, and then looks at the drawing under her magnifying glass. Her face pales, and her eyes narrowed, and she quickly shakes her head.
“Honestly, I don’t think I noticed that before,” Sophie says. “Of course, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked at these—maybe I’ve just forgotten.”
A wave of disappointment washes over Leilani, and she sighs quietly. If Sophie doesn’t know why my mother wrote the name on the ring, no one else will, Leilani thinks. I guess I’ll have to live with the mystery.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, dear,” Sophie says. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to go to a meeting this afternoon.”
“It’s alright,” Leilani says. “I really appreciate the recommendation.”
“One more thing,” Sophie says as she stands, “I told you at the show that you have a serious talent for jewelry design, and I mean it. Now that I know that Olivia was your mother, it makes so much sense—you really take after her, Leilani.”
“Really?” Leilani asks, feeling a sudden warmth in her chest.
“Really,” Sophie says. “I’d like you to reconsider my offer. I know you’re and pregnant, and I’m sure you’re busy, but I’d love to have you come to help me with my designs sometimes. I think it’d be rewarding to see your ideas come to life, and it might be nice to continue your mother’s work, don’t you think?”
“I’ll think about it,” Leilani says, giving Sophie a hug.
Sophie leaves, and Leilani sinks back down onto the sofa. She takes her phone out and starts to call Gabrielle, guiltily realizing that she hasn’t heard from her sister recently. The phone rings, and a maid comes rushing into the room, carrying a champagne-colored box with a matching silk bow.
“Mr. Bamford asked me to give this to you,” the maid says.
Leilani ends the call and takes the velvety box. She slides the lid open, and a bright gold light dazzles her eyes and bounces around the room. A delicate golden necklace made of twisted branches shines in the afternoon sun. Yellow leaf-shaped diamonds decorate the branches.
Is this the surprise Waylen was talking about? She wonders. It came a lot sooner than I was expecting. She smiles to herself and holds the necklace up to her neck, but her phone begins to ring. With a sigh, she gently puts the necklace back in the box and answers the phone.
“You just called me and then hung up,” Gabrielle says, sounding worried. “What’s the matter?”
“Where are you now?” Leilani asks. “I’m worried about you.”
There’s a long pause before Gabrielle answers, “I’m at the bank.”
“They didn’t give you a hard time at the station, did they?” Leilani asks, feeling guilty that she hasn’t already asked her sister.
“No, of course not,” Gabrielle says. “They released me right after you left. Andrew didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“No, not really,” Leilani says.
“Good, because I swear I’d make him pay if he hurt you in any way,” Gabrielle says with unusual fierceness.
“We need to talk, Gabby,” Leilani says. “I need to know what happened at The Palm House—why did you get arrested?”
“I’m sorry, Leilani,” Gabrielle says. “I can’t talk now, and it’s my turn in line. Gotta go. Bye.”
Gabrielle nervously slides her card into the ATM. Jackson promised he’d return the money, but she’s scared he lied. She types in her PIN and waits while the screen loads. A black number appears on the white screen, and Gabrielle blinks and shakes her head. That can’t be right, she thinks.
She cancels the transaction, removes the card, and tries again at a different machine. The same number appears: Jackson has added an extra million dollars to her account. Her blood boils, and she clenches her hands into fists. How dare he! She thinks. Does he think he can buy me off? Does he think that a million dollars somehow make up for what he did?
She hits the green withdrawal button on the keypad. The machine asks her for a number, and she nervously types one million. There isn’t enough cash in the machine, so she has to go inside. The bank teller eyes her suspiciously and disappears to talk to his boss. When he returns, he passes her a huge stack of hundred dollar bills, frowning, and she pulls them off the counter and into her white backpack.
The money is surprisingly heavy as she walks to The Palm House. The waiter at the front door recognizes her from before and leads her down the corridor to the same private room. The door is half-open, and the sound of drunken laughter drifts into the hall. A group of women is sipping red wine at the table. Jackson is sitting on the sofa, and Jessica is perched on his lap. She runs her fingers through his hair and whispers in his ear, but he looks bored.
“Jess, come on,” he says. “Get off me already.”
Gabrielle wants to leave, but it’s too late—the waiter is opening the door and announcing her name. In the blink of an eye, Jessica hops to her feet and raises her hand. Gabrielle flinches, but the attack comes from another direction—something cold and wet splashes her face and chest. She blinks and wipes her eyes and looks down at her wine-soaked shirt. The women at the table burst into loud laughter. They point their empty wine glasses at Gabrielle, and a tall blonde falls to the floor, laughing too hard to stand.
“Nice one, ladies,” Jessica says.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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