When Matt and Griffin came over, we began playing the song. I wanted the guys to know it well enough that we could include it in the lineup at a moment’s notice. I had a feeling there wouldn’t be much warning when it came time to play it. Practice went longer than usual, and Griffin was getting cranky and willful, so we called it a night. As Matt and Griffin headed out to Pete’s, Evan clapped my shoulder. “You want to go tonight? Get some fresh air?”
I debated what I wanted to do. Seeing Kiera was a great option, an almost undeniable draw, but there was something else I wanted. A song was only part of my goodbye. “No, there’s something else I need to do tonight. Want to help me with one last thing?”
Evan sighed, but nodded. “Sure, man. What are we doing?”
Knowing he wouldn’t expect my answer, I crooked a grin. “We’re going shopping.”
Evan closed his eyes. “Shit.” I was laughing when he cracked an eye open. “You realize how much you owe me, right?”
I clapped him on the back as I stood up. “Yes, I’m basically your bitch for the next year.”
“Damn right, you are,” he muttered as he stood up and grabbed his coat. “All right, let’s do this.” On his way out the door, he tossed out, “I’m driving the Chevelle though.”
“Fuck that,” I answered. Nobody drove my baby but me.
Smiling, Evan turned to me with an outstretched hand. “You owe me, remember?”
My jaw dropped. “Serious?” He made no reaction, just smiled wider. With a frown, I reached into my coat and grabbed my keys. Feeling like I was handing over my firstborn, I placed them in his palm. “We’re now even,” I murmured.
Evan laughed as he clenched his fingers around the keys. “Ah, Kell, we’re not even close to being even yet.”
He was chuckling as he sauntered down to my car. Chuckling! This was going to hurt almost as much as what I had to buy…
With white knuckles, I had Evan drive us to the mall. He groaned as he pulled into the parking garage. I groaned at how fast he was taking the corners. “You know a car could fly down the path and cream us any second, right?”
“We’re in a muscle car, Kellan. I think we’d cream them.” The tires screeched as he made a turn.
“Let’s not find out!” I yelled, irritated.
When he pulled into a stall, he clapped my shoulder. “You’re far too attached to this thing. You need to relax.”
“Thing?” I yanked the car keys from the ignition. “I stay loyal to the ‘things’ I like. I don’t change them out every six months on a whim. If you ask me, you’re far too unattached.”
Evan gave me a strange look. “Yeah…you might be right.”
Shoving the keys back into my jacket, where they belonged, I climbed out of the car and started planning where I wanted to go first. “We need to find a jewelry store.” Evan groaned again.
We searched every jewelry store in the mall, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Eventually, Evan and I left the mall and started seeking out stores elsewhere. We were roaming the streets downtown when I finally spotted exactly what I wanted in a display case in a window. “That’s it,” I said, dragging him inside.
“Thank God,” he muttered, looking like we’d been at this for days instead of hours.
The store was about to close, so I quickly found a salesperson. A tall woman, impeccably dressed, with long, straight auburn hair was locking some engagement rings into a case as a happy couple walked away from her. For a moment, as I watched the couple leave, a spike of jealousy flashed through me. The man had his arm around the girl, and she was staring at the new ring on her finger. They were getting their happily ever after, and I was preparing for lifelong misery. It didn’t seem fair, but then again, when was life ever fair? Especially to me.
Pulling my gaze away, I stepped up to the woman at the counter. “Excuse me, I’d like to see something.”
Pausing in locking the case, she looked up at me. Her smile widened as her eyes flicked over my face. “Oh…hello…” Pulling the rack of engagement rings back out, she said, “Are you looking for a ring to give your sweetheart?”
Wistfully, I shook my head. “No…I’m not.” Raising my eyes to hers, I indicated the window with my thumb. “I’d like to see the guitar necklace, please.”
Relocking the rings, she straightened and started heading over to the window. “Ah, yes, that’s a lovely piece, isn’t it?” Opening the display with a key, she glanced at my ring finger, then murmured, “For your…girlfriend?”