Twenty

Sullivan slid his laptop into its bag and headed out to the lobby. He waved to Nancy.

She covered the phone’s receiver. “Leaving early?”

He nodded. “I have a personal appointment. Have a great night.”

“You, too.” She smiled and went back to the call.

Sullivan went to the car and started it. What did Haley have up her sleeve? Beyond getting sandy at the beach, he couldn’t imagine what they could do that would get messy. At least he had a second chance that day to give her the focus she deserved. And he needed to apologize for being so distracted at lunch.

Flowers wouldn't do it, though. She’d forgiven him for blowing up at her unnecessarily before, and now this. He really needed to get his act together and show her how special she really was to him. 

Jewelry. Maybe a simple but pretty necklace. Nothing over the top to make her think things were progressing too quickly, but just enough to make her feel as beautiful and wonderful as she was.

He didn’t have a lot of time if he was going to pick out a necklace and grab something to eat before getting home and changing into something casual.

Sullivan pulled onto the road and headed for the jeweler. Luckily, it wasn’t too busy that time of day. He wandered around, studying the necklaces. It was so hard to choose. Part of him wanted to get one of the diamond ones—he knew how his sisters adored them—but he was going for simple.

He walked up and down the display cases three times before stopping at a necklace with a pretty triangular purple crystal surrounded by tiny white stones. Given the price, they weren’t diamonds, but they shone as if they were. It was perfect. The purple was elegant, and the piece stunning. He could easily picture her wearing it.

He imagined giving her the necklace, and her face lighting up. Warmth radiated from his chest. He raced over to the jeweler, who was ringing someone up.

“Hi, Sullivan.” Frank turned to him. “How are you today?”

“Good, and you?”

Frank yawned and then chuckled. “I suppose that answers your question. What can I help you with?”

“There’s a necklace I’d like to get.”

“Let’s see it.”

Sullivan walked over and pointed it out. 

“Oh, that’s a nice one. It can be worn with casual clothes or with something elegant—a most versatile piece.”

“What’s the stone?”

“It’s a Swarovski Crystal. I love how bright it shines in the light, don’t you?”

“It really stands out. I haven’t seen many stones that color.”

“This one really is a lovely shade. Is it for your mom?”

Sullivan shook his head. “It’s for someone else.”

Frank nodded knowingly. “She’s a very lucky lady.”

They made small talk as Frank set the necklace in a brown box and rang Sullivan up. He couldn’t stop thinking about giving it to Haley. 

As he headed out the door, bag in hand, his phone rang. Excitedly, he checked, hoping it was Haley.

It was Logan. No way he was going to answer it and get himself stressed out over some aspect of their trip. Sullivan declined the call and texted his brother to email him all the details.

Sullivan wasn’t giving anything other than Haley his mental space for the next several hours.