The Game Changer(80)

“Honestly I think the three carats is divine. And the band itself is gorgeous. They complement each other beautifully.”

I nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right. Let’s go with the three carats.”

“Great!” She smiled. “One more question. Do you want this particular diamond, or would you like me to look for a better one?”

“What do you think?”

“Honestly?” She placed a black contraption against her eye as she examined the diamond. “I think it’s a beautiful diamond. I don’t see any inclusions, scratches, or marks in it.”

“So it’s not a piece of crap, right?”

She laughed uncomfortably, clearly stunned by my language. “No, sir. Definitely not. We don’t carry any crap in our store.”

“Great. Then I’ll take it.”





Strength


Cassie

I told Melissa I didn’t want to talk on the drive back from LAX. I leaned my head against her car’s passenger window and closed my eyes part of the time, and watched the palm trees fly by the rest. When I walked through the door of our old apartment, relief filtered through every weight-induced crack in my bones. The pressure I endured living in New York had become such a constant companion that I’d stopped being aware of the heaviness that bore down on me.

I looked over my shoulder at Melissa and took a long, deep breath, filling my lungs before virtually crumpling on the couch.

“Can we talk now?” she asked, tossing me a bottle of water from the fridge.

I stared at her, wanting to confess everything, but not really knowing where to start. “It’s just a relief to be away from everything and everyone. I had no idea how stressed out I was until I wasn’t there. You know?” I buried my head in my hands.

“I have something for you,” Melissa smiled before disappearing into her room.

My eyes crinkled as I wondered what she could possibly have for me. She didn’t even know I was flying out before last night. She reappeared with a small, red mesh bag in her hand and sat down next to me.

“I was going to mail it to you, but now I don’t have to. Open it,” her bright blue eyes danced as she watched me.

I pulled at the satin strings and poured the contents of the tiny bag into my hand. A brass ball chain holding an old silver key appeared. Confused, but still liking the concept, I eyed my best friend, “It’s cool. Did you get one for you too?”

She rolled her eyes before grabbing the key out of my opened hand and turning it over. “Read it.”

I inspected the tiny letters stamped onto the top, holding it close to my eyes. It read, STRENGTH. I smiled, pulling my head through the open space of the necklace without unlatching it. I watched the key fall between my breasts and loved that I would be able to hide it under my clothing if I wanted to. “This is really awesome. Thank you.”

“There’s a story that goes along with it,” she started and I turned my attention toward her. “So I bought you this particular word because I think with everything going on in your life right now, you could use the extra STRENGTH. But there will come a day when you’ll see someone who will need your key and your word more than you do. And when that day comes, you have to pay it forward and give your necklace to them.”

My breath hitched. “So I have to give it away?” I asked, rubbing my thumb along the gift I wasn’t ready to part with just yet.

“Yep. That’s the whole concept behind these necklaces. That we give them away at some point. When someone needs your word more than you,” she reached for the key, touching it briefly before letting it go. “But not right now. You need it right now.”

I inhaled sharply before exhaling. “This is really cool. I mean, all of it. The necklace. The word. Giving it away. The whole concept and idea. I love it. Thank you so much.” I leaned into her and squeezed as much as I could without getting up.

“I knew you would. And you’re welcome. So, are you going to tell me what’s going on? You didn’t fly out here at the last minute for no reason.”

My smile dropped as my bottom lip jutted out in a pout. “Stop trying to psychoanalyze me.”

“No way!” She shook her head. “That’s what I’m good at. Plus, I like pointing out all your broken parts,” she added with a smile.

“So you can be thankful it’s not you?”

“Bitch! No. So I can help fix you.” She nudged against me. “What did Jack say about the article?”

“Not much, really. I think he’s just worried.”

“We’re all worried.” She placed her head on my shoulder, and I leaned against it.