by Haley Travis
We hadn’t even established our home life, whether we’d be acting like a couple most days, or whether she’d be with her friends most of the time. But we’d been so connected over the past few weeks that I had to believe she’d want to stay close. I couldn’t just be deluding myself.
M I A
<<< 36 >>>
NEW MRS. STONEBURROWES
I saw Jacob’s text an hour ago but hoped that he wouldn’t mind I was dropping in. I couldn’t believe it when I walked into the office. I knew that Jacob’s company was huge, but knowing something and actually seeing it with your own eyes is quite different. I felt terribly observed, and my hands fluttered nervously as I approached the enormous reception desk. The two beautiful young ladies regarded me strangely.
I instantly wished that I were wearing something a bit nicer than a plain black skirt and wine-colored top, with black leather boots. I certainly didn’t look like I belonged in a place like this.
“Good afternoon, welcome to Stoneburrowes Investments. How may we assist you?” the one on the left inquired, almost suspiciously.
“Hi. Um, I’m here to see Jacob Stoneburrowes if he’s available?”
“Mr. Stoneburrowes is extremely busy today. May I tell him who is inquiring?” She seemed a bit dismissive, as if she were trying to get me out of their perfect lobby.
I felt completely out of place and wished that I hadn’t dropped in without an appointment. “It’s just Mia, I’ll call him later.”
Her eyes widened and she stood up immediately. “I’m so sorry Mrs. Stoneburrowes, I didn’t recognize you. Your husband is a meeting right now, but you could wait in his office if you like.”
Hearing my name had been like flipping a switch. Why would Jacob’s staff know who I was already?
“Sure, as long as I’m not in the way.”
She was smiling as if she were trying to win a prize for it. “Of course not, Mrs. Stoneburrowes. This way, please.”
She led me down a grand hallway, into a breathtaking glass and steel corner office. I would have guessed that architectural and design photographers had just finished taking photos for a magazine. It was too perfect and shiny, to the point of being unnerving.
The receptionist waved for me to sit in one of the large easy chairs in front of the window. “May I fetch you some sparkling water, tea, cappuccino?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
She seemed to unclench slightly once I actually sat down and appeared comfortable. “If you need anything at all, Ma’am, just hit the red button on the desk phone and one of us will be here in a flash.”
I noticed that she was staring at my hand, and I glanced down, actually having forgotten that I was now sporting a big sparkling rock.
“I’m so sorry to stare, Mrs. Stoneburrowes, but the girls here at the office were all a little curious about your ring.”
“Oh,” I said with a laugh, “Here, you can report back to them if you like.” I held up my hand, and she came close to peer into the gleaming pink stone.
“Wow,” she said softly, turning from a corporate receptionist into a regular girl for a moment. “You went for color instead of size. That’s classy. An extremely elegant choice. It’s just breathtaking.”
I couldn’t help but grin at her enthusiasm. “Thanks. We just walked in and picked something that felt right.”
Her eyes softened and she lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s not my place, but he has seemed happier in just the past few weeks than I’ve ever seen him. He seemed so intense and stressed right before your engagement. I guess he was nervous.”
Her obvious crush on Jacob was rather adorable. “Yeah, I’m going to work on getting him to relax a little more.”
She nodded, then turned to leave. “Don’t forget to buzz if you need anything at all. He should probably be less than ten minutes.”
“Thank you very much,” I said, and she disappeared.
Looking around this ridiculously ostentatious office, I realized I didn’t really know what Jacob’s company really did. It had something to do with business and finance, but those worlds meant nothing to me, so I didn’t pay attention.
I called up his company’s website on my phone. I was likely a bad wife for not showing more interest in his work, but on the other hand, the past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind of planning and craziness.
I didn’t understand anything about investments, partially because it didn’t interest me in the slightest. It was like my brain was Teflon coated so the information slid right off. But there was a blurb about Jacob taking over and increasing profits far more than they expected. He apparently had a style of moving money around according to certain timings that bigwig experts all said were positively inspired.
It didn’t surprise me that Jacob was smart, but he also seemed to listen with an open mind. He didn’t allow his preconceived notions to color his opinion until he had all of the information and had already begun processing it.
Something else was floating around in the back of my mind. Color over size, the receptionist had commented on my ring. I had picked the pink diamond because it seemed friendlier, and less intense than the white diamonds. I didn’t tell Jacob, but I also thought it might be a lot cheaper. I vaguely remember reading something about colored diamonds not being white because of impurities.
Punching a search into my phone, I quickly found out that vivid pink diamonds were fifteen to twenty times more expensive than white diamonds. Also, nobody knows why they’re pink, since there are no impurities whatsoever.
It was suddenly difficult to breathe. I had no idea.
JAC OB
<<< 37 >>>
MIA’S VISIT
It was a breath of fresh air to escape a boring meeting and find Mia in my office. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I just popped in to say hello, but...” She seemed genuinely frantic, and her eyes were welling with tears. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“What’s wrong? Baby, don’t cry.” My arms wrapped around her automatically.
“How much was it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This ring.” She waved her hand in front of me.
“I can’t tell you the cost of your engagement ring. It’s not right.”
“But this isn’t a real–”
I cut her off with a swift kiss, then whispered in her ear, “Not here.”
Mia looked so absolutely distressed that I felt I had to get her out of the office immediately. “Will you come with me? We can either go home or out to lunch, but let’s get out of here.”
She nodded, her bottom lip still trembling. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, grabbing her purse. Mia was becoming an expert at faking being calm, and it made me feel extremely guilty.
We walked arm in arm past reception, and I noticed that both ladies gave her a little nod and smile. Mia shot them a grin, and I assumed that they had been engaging in wedding talk earlier. That must have been it – women always ask to see someone’s engagement ring.
Once we got into my car, I turned to her, taking her hands in mine. “Okay. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”
“You didn’t tell me about the ring.”
“I said to pick out any ring you wanted. You picked this one.” I turned it so that it shone in the light. “I don’t know anything about jewelry, but I thought it was pretty, and a bit different. Just like you. Unique, even more special.” I tried to smile, but she looked freaked out.
“But you didn’t tell me that it was super expensive.”
“It was Tiffany’s. They’re a good company. I paid whatever they said.”
She tilted her head and looked at me like I was an idiot. “Are you telling me that you didn’t know that pink diamonds are more expensive than white ones?”
I shrugged. “The saleslady sort of gave me a pointed look, but I wasn’t going to dissuade you once you found one you liked. My mother had said something about it, but it was after we bought the ring. And after I saw t
hat look on your face, and how happy it made you, I don’t care what it cost.”
“It probably cost fifteen to twenty times more than white diamonds.”
“Whatever. But it’s a lot smaller than some rings. Does that matter?”
“Oh my god, yes! I had no idea. I’m the only woman on the planet that doesn’t know these things, apparently.”
I tried to keep my voice calm and soothing. “But it was the one you wanted. Why should it make a difference?”
“But… People might think that I was trying to fleece you for an expensive ring. That doesn’t bother you?”
I began running my fingertips along her hands, trying to calm her down. “No. Not at all. You liked it, I bought it. That’s it. There was no ulterior motive beyond wanting you to have something on your finger that made you happy. I swear.”
I turned her palms up, rubbing my thumbs around the center of her palm. “I read something about turning your hands up helps you listen better,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“You sometimes throw money around like it’s meaningless,” she said softly.
“I don’t think it’s meaningless. Okay, I guess I spend more than the average person. But that’s because I have a lot more than the average person.”
“I guess you’ll never understand what it’s like living hand to mouth, and actually having a budget.”
“Would that make you happy, if I tried to learn?”
Her eyes met mine. She was obviously startled. “Would you consider doing that?”
“Sure. What if we did that right now? What if we had a budget of whatever you think is reasonable, and we went out on a date for the rest of the day?”
Her lips twitched into a tiny smile. “For the whole day? Coffee, entertainment, dinner?”
“Yes. Anywhere you want, anything you want to do.”
I was incredibly relieved that she looked both amused and delighted. “You’re going to play hooky for the rest of the day?”
I reluctantly released her hands to dig in my pocket for my phone. Quickly calling Gloria, I left word that my three o’clock would have to reschedule, and I would not be in until tomorrow morning.
“Buckle up,” I said. “We’re off.”
“No, we’re not.” She laughed. “Gas is expensive. Parking costs at least twenty bucks in any of the lots in town, and at least eight dollars out on the street. We have a budget of forty dollars from now until midnight, so we’re walking.” She got out of the car, expecting me to follow. I grabbed my jacket from the backseat.
M I A
<<< 38 >>>
CHEAP DATE NIGHT
I couldn’t believe that Jacob was game to live below his means for an afternoon and evening. It certainly wasn’t really long enough to change his life, but at least he could begin to see how every single aspect of our lives were different.
“Forty dollars, right?” he confirmed, and I nodded. He took the rest of the money out of his wallet, leaving only a twenty and two tens, stashing the rest in the glove compartment before locking the car.
I grabbed his hand and give it a little squeeze without thinking. “I’m so glad that you’re taking this seriously. This really means a lot to me.”
“I can tell,” he said. “So where are we going?”
“We have an entire afternoon and evening to fill, so let’s get started.”
Jacob led the way out of the labyrinth of the underground parking, and I led him east toward Jarvis and College.
Looking in shop windows, we got lost in conversations about whether certain tall glitter red boots would be an asset or a liability for a drag queen contest, and contemplating the sad story that would lead someone to have to sell their guitar to a pawnshop.
When we reached Allen Gardens, I was shocked that Jacob had never visited this place before. We spent a beautiful hour and a half touring the lavish greenhouse, admiring plants, listening to the tiny waterfall, and picking out names for the goldfish in the pond. He took a bunch of photos of the more exotic plants, and seemed quite proud of his shots.
“Are you ready to go?” I asked.
“Sure – just one second while I upload these pictures.”
“No.” He looked at me strangely, assuming I was kidding. “Poor people don’t have endless data plans. They have to wait until they’re on wifi at home, or maybe in a restaurant.”
Jacob looked slightly stunned. “I’d never thought of that.”
“Which is why I’m glad we’re doing this. Let’s go.” I knew where we should head next.
As we walked along, I realize that my hand kept instinctively reaching for his. As I glanced down, I could have sworn that he was doing the same thing.
“What would you think about getting a few tropical plants for your living room next week?” I asked as we headed north on Church Street.
“Our living room,” he said automatically. “Sure – plants have such mellow energy. And the room could certainly use more green.”
I didn’t want to point out that the living room would only be mine for another eleven months or so, for fear of killing the mood.
“Should we stop at a Starbucks?” he asked.
“Coffee there is about three-fifty. Coffee at a diner is about two dollars.”
“Oh, right. Wait, dinner isn’t really coming out of our entertainment budget today, is it?” He looked down at me as if he were sure I was kidding.
“That is all the money we have until midnight, and that includes dinner.”
“Strict,” he said. “Okay.”
We strolled to College and Yonge, stopping at Fran’s for a coffee, and to warm up a bit. It wasn’t exactly chilly, but it was occasionally breezy when the wind bounced off the tall downtown buildings.
“Don’t forget,” I said as he went to pay the bill. “You can only tip two dollars.”
“That’s not fair.”
“I know. People who don’t have as much money can’t tip as well, which has a direct impact on the servers, who also don’t make a lot of money.”
“Wow.” He blinked a few times, then nodded. “As soon as I get that inheritance, I’m going to over tip even more than usual.”
“That would be extremely nice of you,” I said softly. He was being remarkably sweet trying to understand this little adventure, but all I could think of was the way his hand was touching my arm and how I wanted to take him home this second.
JAC OB
<<< 39 >>>
GALLERY
I only popped into art galleries if I was looking for something in particular, or if I happened to walk by one when I was running ahead of schedule and something in the window caught my eye.
An art opening was a charming ritual that I’d never attended before. The artist was greeting her family and friends, who were all gushing about the latest pieces. The people in the front all seemed to be related, and a group of people who looked like creative types themselves were lurking in the back near the free wine and cheese.
Mia led us around the huge white room while we stared at each piece carefully. “What do you think?” she asked.
“I don’t know anything about art,” I said sheepishly.
“But you like what you like. You have your own opinions – there’s no right or wrong. How does this one make you feel?”
Taking a moment to ponder, I eventually said, “I guess this one makes me think of alien sea creatures. Those deep swirls would be where things hide on the bottom of the ocean.”
“That’s exactly what I was going for!” chirped the artist, a slim woman in her mid-thirties, sporting platinum hair and a grin. “I’m so glad that you noticed it.”
“These are amazing,” I said. “Congratulations on the show.”
“Thanks.”
Mia left to use the washroom, but when she returned, she could obviously read my tense expression immediately. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
I was actually fidgeting, not sure why I was so nervous to tell her I broke our rule
s. “You might be really pissed off.”
“So tell me this second.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, I confess. I cheated.”
“What?” I hated that her eyes instantly began to fill with tears. I guess it was a weird thing to say out of the blue, and it seemed to rattle her to the core.
“Oh god, baby no!” I pulled her into his chest. “Never. Mia, no.” I tipped her chin up to mine, stopping myself just before we kissed. “Sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t have said it like that.”