Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
He hummed, a note of concern. “Ruby,” he said, carefully.
“Yes?”
“Are you doubting he pilfered funds from the business and its clients?”
The truth?
I was.
And it bothered me that I was stuck on this issue.
Why was it more painful to think of my stepdad as a thief than simply an unfaithful husband, as he’d been? I suppose I was still bothered by the very real possibility that he’d given me a gift bought with stolen money. That was a new level of, well, gross. It was so beyond tacky that I’d almost hoped it would be too tacky for him.
But I was doubting myself more. So I answered truthfully when I said, “I’m doubting my sanity for handing a diamond that could give my mom years of security to someone I’ve known for two days.”
He took my point seriously. “So follow me to International Diamonds and make sure I go inside.”
That was a fair offer. I appreciated it, but it posed other issues. “What if someone sees us together? Or saw us dancing at Sapphire last night, and they spot you getting out of the car?”
Jake turned in his seat to face me, all the better to give me that lopsided grin. “We’ll tell the truth. We met at the club, where you hit on me.”
I folded my arms. “That’s not how I remember it.”
“You chatted me up non-verbally with your sexy hips and come-hither stare.” His hand skimmed my bare thigh.
“I didn’t even know you were still in the club,” I said, trying to ignore my galloping pulse.
“But as soon as you saw me, you found me irresistible and had to have me.” His thumb stroked above my knee. “So you picked me up and took me back to your room.”
I smirked. This man. The flirt was strong in him. “By way of the club’s restroom?”
“Oh, I think we can be convincing without giving all the details.”
If anyone could read my mind, they wouldn’t have to imagine any of the specifics. I was reliving them all in my head.
“Yeah,” Jake breathed, a low rumble in his throat as he gazed hotly at my face, my neck, everywhere. “That look right there. Utterly convincing.”
With that, he pulled his ball cap low and got out of the car while no one was near.
If he could get information half as well as he could get me hot and bothered, he was going to come back with a gold mine of clues.
19
A COVER-UP KISS
Jake
International Diamonds commanded the corner of the street, impossible to miss. I pushed open the door, immediately blasted by air-conditioning and dazzled by case upon case of glittering gems and row upon row of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more.
The place thronged with shoppers, mostly in tourist attire. A pair of men in slacks and button-down shirts seemed to be doing more serious business in a far corner.
Crowded was good. Even if the stone I carried was memorable, my face and clothes would blend in with the steady stream of customers.
I wandered to a counter, casually peering through the glass at the loose gems until someone approached me on the other side. A young woman in a white lab coat, with black glasses and dark hair twisted up in a bun, asked, “May I help you, sir?”
After reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the gem.
The woman’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. “This is quite the diamond.”
“To me, it’s just a Band-Aid—and a cheap one at that,” I said. “My sister’s husband gave it to her to win her back after he proved himself to be an unfaithful son of a bitch. Pardon my French. She forgave him once, but a cheat is a cheat.” I only had to imagine someone treating either of my sisters that way, and it was no trouble generating a mix of brotherly love and righteous anger. “So, we’re trying to figure out how much this pretty little number is worth.”
The woman’s smile was gently sympathetic. I was sure she’d heard weirder and worse. “He must have really wanted her back.”
I made my laugh bitter. “He sure did.”
She picked up the diamond with a pair of jeweler’s tweezers and examined it under a magnifying glass. “This is gorgeous,” she said as she regarded the stone from all angles. “I can check the serial number for a certificate of clarity, as well. That often increases the value.”
“Well, how about that?” I said, as if this was the first I’d ever heard of such a thing.
After the slightest of pauses, she straightened and carefully set the diamond on the cloth. “I’d have to look at it under the microscope to get the full number, but I recognize the watermark.”
“What does that tell you?”
“It means this diamond comes from a particular mine. This is from the Frayer mine in the Northwest Territories in Canada, which specializes in conflict-free, diamonds mined from the subarctic zone.”