Stone Cold Fox (24)

Of what I became. Of where I went. Of whom I’d aligned myself with.

And then I chastised myself for caring at all about what that woman would think of my life after her. It wasn’t for her at all. This was all mine.

“So what did your research entail?” I asked Syl, wanting to get to the good stuff.

“I mean, it’s not exactly research, is it? We’re talking about Cartier. Tiffany. Harry Winston. Van Cleef. The staples,” she said, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, which surprised me. What would someone like Syl know about classic diamond houses? “But did you want something more eclectic?” she continued. “I could easily drop a hint and send him some specific designers, they’d likely just have to source a bigger diamond—”

No, no, I thought. Eclectic wouldn’t do and it had nothing to do with my taste. I wanted the kind of undeniably and quintessentially classic engagement ring that would hold some value should something go awry one day. Always advisable to have a Plan B. One of Mother’s better mottos. Her gifted jewels often came in handy when we were in a bind.

“No, you were on the right track with the others. More my speed. Are any family heirlooms in contention?” I asked her.

“I think that might be part of the issue between Mr. Case and Collin,” Syl admitted.

“Right. You know, I really don’t think it’s his father. It’s his mother.” Saying that word aloud always made me shiver.

“You know what, Bea? Who fucking cares? A new ring is way better anyway. You don’t want anyone’s bad juju, especially in a crazy family like that. Who knows what kind of marriage Grandma and Grandpa Case had?” Syl was trying to butter me up. And the answer was “a rich one,” but I agreed with her. Gimme something fresh. “Gum?” she offered, popping a little white cube of Trident into her mouth. “Sugar free, obvs.” I took one from her and let her continue.

“He’s standing up for you, to his family, and I think that says a lot about a man,” Syl added. I nodded at her for the sake of appearances, but I disagreed. I thought it said more about me and my effect on Collin, someone who had probably never taken a stand against his parents about anything before in his life. I had truly enchanted him.

“They’re being ridiculous,” Syl went on. “You’re an accomplished woman in your own right and they’re acting as if that’s a bad thing. Please. It’s just hard to be girls like us sometimes.” That declaration startled me. Syl thought we were similar? Really? Maybe I wasn’t a full-fledged member of the Case family just yet, but I could have been associated with the nouveau riche or at least a wealthy generation or two before my own. She didn’t know anything about me, but as if reading my mind, she added, “Collin told me about your parents’ passing. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh. He did. Well, thank you,” I said, because it’s what you say, no matter how odd.

“I don’t really have my parents either,” Syl offered to commiserate with me. “It’s hard.” I went silent. I assumed she was hoping I would pry further into her life, but I didn’t see the point. I could handle awkward silence no problem, but most people couldn’t. Predictably, Syl changed the subject after a few more seconds. “I should get back to the office, but I’ll keep you posted on ring things, if you want me to?”

“Only if it seems like Collin is getting derailed with the proposal. If he’s staying the course with everything you already told me, I don’t need any further updates. It might be nice to be surprised about the ring itself and how he’ll decide to pop the question.”

“Totally agree,” she said, back to her bubbly self. “So you’re not upset that I told you?”

“Not at all.” I smiled, touching her on the shoulder. It was definitely wise to keep her close, especially if I could keep her flapping those fangs about the things I cared about. “Thank you, Syl. I really enjoyed our lunch. I’m glad you asked me.”

“Me, too,” she said, spitting out her gum into a napkin. “So we can do it again sometime?”

“Sure. I’d like that,” I said, and I meant it. She held out another napkin for my gum and gathered all of our trash to toss, just to be nice apparently. As we walked out of the Pret, another question occurred to me. “How often would you say Gale calls Collin at the office?”

“Gale?” Syl looked perplexed.

“Gale Wallace-Leicester. She’s a close friend of Collin’s?”

“Oh, right,” she said, still a bit flustered. “I recognize her name, but we haven’t really spoken too much. I’d say she’s called a few times since I started. Nothing excessive.”

“All right. If that changes, I’d be curious to know. That is, if you were comfortable sharing. No pressure, you’ve already given me so much.”

“Sure,” Syl said. “But she rarely calls as it is.”

“Okay. Then I’ll see you later.”

Syl went in for a hug like I knew she would, but this time I accepted it. Passersby probably thought we were genuine girlfriends. A thing like that. But it didn’t mean I could trust her. It probably meant I needed my guard up around her even more. A delicate dance. Lure her in, without revealing too much of myself. Story of my life.