Lost and Found (Growing Pains #1)(91)

Tory stared.

“Didn’t think I’d make it to the end of that lecture, huh?” Krista laughed, going back to her food.

Tory leaned back slightly and smiled. “You’ve thought a lot about that topic.”

The salad had come by this point and she speared a piece of lettuce. “Not really, no. I hate being wrong, so I can make up a great argument on the fly. But all that is common knowledge to a woman. It’s explaining it to a man that gets sticky.”

Tory’s smile grew. “You have a sapphire ring. Self-bought, or did you get it from one of your boyfriends?”

Krista was mid-bite again. She chewed furiously until she tasted the symphony of the dressing and the blood orange.

“Hmmm,” she said, slowing down. She pointed at her salad with her fork, rolled her eyes in ecstasy, and ignored him again. You just didn’t get in the way of a hungry woman, bottom line.

When she was finally done, she said, “That’s good stuff. Anyway, I have issues with picking the right boyfriend, so no. Dare to dream. No, this was my Nana’s. She loved gems. She loved to dress up. She would put on her best dress and her jewelry and make my grandpa take her somewhere nice. He gave her a lot of jewelry over the years, but I only got this one piece.”

“Why is that?” Tory had dropped his scrutiny, and now seemed genuinely interested.

Krista thought a minute, eating another forkful of salad. She got a little sentimental when she talked about her Nana. She was a riot of a lady. Krista missed her dearly.

The old dude probably picked up on that because he gave her the minute she needed to organize her thoughts.

“Well, she had two girls and a boy,” Krista continued. “The boy was my dad. Men are great at broad strokes, and he took care of the estate like a pro, but just like a man, he missed a lot of the details. His sisters made off with all the jewelry and porcelain and silver and all the little commodities that add up. This was overlooked.” She nodded to her ring.

“May I see it?”

Krista held out her hand for inspection.

“The design is a work of art in and of itself. Beautifully cut gem, too.” Tory leaned away.

“Oh, do you know jewelry?”

Krista got a moment of extreme anxiety. If he knew sapphires she quite possibly had been blabbing to the elusive client, which would be bad.

He interrupted her thoughts of suicide with, “My wife makes me buy her jewelry just like your grandmother. I’ve learned.”

Krista relaxed. “Yes, I love it. My grandpa had good taste.”

“So if you got a chance to research about jewelry, you would probably have a vested interest?”

The scare still rattling through her brain, she had the presence of mind not to mention that she was now a pro at jewelry, statistically speaking.

“Um …not really. Well, maybe…” She sat and thought about it for a minute. “I guess it would be interesting to see where I fit in the scheme of things, but it really goes right back to learning about the larger group of people, which is fascinating in and of itself. So I wouldn’t have any more of a vested interest than if I were doing the sports drink, although I would have more ideas.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, okay, you see a lot of older people with gems, but not as many people my age, right? People my age are wearing ugly, cheap jewelry mostly, unless we get an heirloom. But then, that’s only cool when you dress up.”

He nodded and said, “But as you said, your generation, currently, doesn’t have money. You are what, twenty-one?”

“Twenty-five actually. True, we don’t, but we are also idiots with credit. I’ve already learned my lesson, kinda, but many people my age are still stupid with money. Take my friend Jasmine. She just bought a Louis Vuitton handbag. Do you know what that is?”

“Yes,” he said simply.

“Okay, well she bought a $1200 handbag because it was high fashion and because it had status and because people would be envious. The bag isn’t all that cute, really. But it is an LV, so there you go. Could she afford it? No way! It’s more than a month’s rent. And she has no money. But she has a credit card. Hence stupid decision and new expensive handbag. That bag will last five years probably, and then it’s just money wasted.”

“Okay, but how does that relate?”

“Don’t you see?” She was getting animated now. “If jewelry, which is more affordable then a $1200 handbag, and lasts way longer, was more in fashion and was pushed on younger people, they would buy it. It wouldn’t matter if they could afford it or not.” He still looked skeptical. Her debater mode set in; he would see it her way—she could argue the cross off a nun when she got going.

“You see, older people have the money, but they also have more to buy, and they also have more self-control. Do they really need that sapphire ring? No, because they have a kid, or a house, or a new car. They responsibly say no. A girl my age? We don’t have squat. No reason not to buy it, no reason to learn responsibility until we have a child, and nothing else to spend our money on. So why not?”

“You don’t buy it because you don’t have the means.”

“A lesson we will learn when the collectors start calling. And trust me, that won’t happen until way after you’ve stuck your foot in it, but look fabulous for your trouble. I didn’t have the means for this dress, but could I say no to looking this good? What are credit cards for, if not buying things above your means?” She laughed and took a sip of wine. Point proven.