Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

“Good evening. May I help you?”

The woman was impeccably dressed and very polite as she smiled at them.

“Yes, we’re in the market for an engagement ring,” Isaac told her.

“Wonderful, congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

Giddy ripples of happiness and joy fluttered in her belly. She was the best kind of lightheaded and she loved it.

“Let me show you to our wedding collection.”

They followed the woman to the back of the store where she waved a sweeping hand over a long glass case.

“Please feel free to browse. I’m here if you have any questions, or if you find one — or a few — that you’d like to try on.”

“Thank you,” they said in unison.

The woman walked away, and Isaac turned to her.

“Pick out whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?”

Surely he didn’t mean that.

“Whatever you want.”

Sidney narrowed her eyes at him and then turned to the glass case. There were so many beautiful rings in all shapes, sizes, and colors of dazzling. It was as if someone had captured the stars and put them under glass.

She started at the far end and moved slowly down the long case, meandering away from the larger, more ostentatious stones. What did she need with a seven-carat sparkler worthy of Elizabeth Taylor? She didn’t need anything nearly that fancy. When it came to jewelry, she was much more of a dainty kind of girl. In fact, she could make do with something small and inexpensive. Something simple and modest. Something…

Oh!

Her gaze and her forward movement stopped. Both snagged on the sweetest, most lovely ring she’d ever seen.

“Something catch your eye, darlin’?”

“Hmm? Oh, well… I just…”

“Find something you’d like to try on?”

Their helpful saleswoman was back, and before Sidney could stop her, she had the back of the case opened with her key.

“Which one can I show you?”

“Oh. Well, I just thought it was pretty, but I don’t need to try it on.”

“Nonsense.” Isaac looked at her with a frown. “Sidney, we’re here to get you an engagement ring, and I want you to have something you love. Which one caught your eye?”

“That one there,” she pointed. “In the middle.”

The saleswoman pulled out the ring with a knowing smile.

“You have excellent tastes. A two carat, cushion cut diamond set in a delicate half carat pavé diamond band, for a total of 2.5 carats. This one is white gold, but we also have it in rose gold, yellow gold, and platinum. Do you know your ring size?”

It took Sidney a moment to register the question.

“Um, yes. I wear a size five.”

The woman checked the ring and smiled.

“What a coincidence. This is a five. It must be fate.”

She handed the ring to Sidney, but Isaac quickly took it from her.

“I botched it the first time, so I want to do this properly.”

He took her hand and knelt down before her on one knee.

Sidney bit her bottom lip, but it was no use. The tears came anyway.

“Sidney Fairchild, will you marry me?”

A hush fell over the store. Even the walls waited with bated breath.

“Yes, I will marry the crap out of you!”

The three salespeople on duty and the sprinkling of customers all erupted into polite applause and smiles, and Isaac slipped the gorgeous ring onto her finger.

It fit like it was meant to be there.

Isaac stood and looked down at her. Placing his fingers at her chin he lifted her gaze up to him and kissed her lips.

“You happy with it?”

“Yes, I am. But Isaac, we can’t get this ring.”

“Why not? You love it.”

“I do love it, it’s so beautiful. But it’s too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isaac!” She glanced at the saleswoman, who lowered her head and took a step back to give them some privacy. “Did you happen to get a glimpse of the price tag?”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

He sounded so cavalier about it.

“That’s it? You saw it?”

“Yes.”

“Ike, this ring is over $9,000 dollars.”

“I know how much it costs, Sidney. And it’s okay.”

“It’s okay?”

“Yes.”

She opened her mouth to say more, but she had no words. She also had no delusions about what Isaac made on a police salary. She knew his new promotion to sergeant had come with a pay raise, but that raise couldn’t have been much.

“Sidney, listen to me.”

Isaac pulled out one of the stools situated next to the glass case and sat her down. Then he sat down next to her and took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

“Before you came into my life, I spent a lot of lonely years living like a hermit. I did my job, and I put my money in the bank. I had a nice TV. A car. But I didn’t spend my money going out, or going on trips and all that kind of thing. And you of all people can attest to the fact that I didn’t splurge on my living space back then.”

Sidney giggled as thoughts of his old dingy one-bedroom apartment sprang to mind.

“Now, I may not ever come close to being in my brother, Adam’s, tax bracket. But I actually do have a nice cushiony nest egg saved up. And it has more than enough to cover our wedding rings. Okay?”

Those light grey eyes flashed at her in that way that always made her insides feel like jelly. The dimple heavy smile made her swoon. Damn he was fine.

And he was all hers.

“Okay.”

He turned to the saleswoman and gave her a taste of that million-dollar smile.

“May we see some wedding bands that would go great with this ring?”

“Certainly. Will you be needing a band as well, sir?”

“Yes. And if it could match her band, that would be perfect.”

21

“Pete says they have to qualify on the shooting range twice a year. It’s like a big test to make sure they can still shoot good and hit their target.”

Charlie sounded like he knew all about it.

“And if they don’t pass the test, they can’t carry a gun anymore. It means they lose