Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Adalyn
I got up from my chair, grabbed my purse, and ran directly into the waiter bringing me more towels, knocking him to the ground.
“Oh my God! Can this day get any worse? I’m sorry.” I extended my hand and helped him up.
“Please. Don’t worry about it. The manager took care of your bill.”
“Tell him thanks,” I said as I rushed out the restaurant's doors in humiliation.
As soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, I pulled up google maps to find my way back to the hotel.
“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” I heard a voice from behind.
I turned around, and the hot man from the restaurant was standing there.
“Thanks, but no. You don’t want to be anywhere near me.” I put my hand up and walked away.
“Why do you say that? What happened in the restaurant was an accident.”
“No, it wasn’t. I’m cursed with bad luck. Do yourself a favor and stay as far away from me as you can,” I spoke as I picked up the pace.
I returned to the hotel in one piece, which took me fifteen minutes longer than it should have because I had taken a wrong turn. People on the streets stared at me as they walked by because of the alcohol that radiated off me. It was so strong that I wasn’t sure if I could ever drink again. When I walked into the hotel, the concierge glared at me as I walked by.
“Do you need help, miss?” he asked.
“I’m not drunk if that’s what you’re thinking. The waiter at the restaurant that you so kindly recommended I try spilled his tray of drinks all over me.”
“Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that. On the bright side, your luggage arrived and is in your room.”
“Thank God.” I let out a sigh as I stepped into the elevator.
The next morning, I woke up bright and early, had some breakfast and a cup of coffee, and then headed to the jewelers via an Uber. The young gentleman from behind the counter greeted me with a bright smile when I walked through the door.
“Good morning. How may I help you today?”
“Good morning.” I smiled back. I reached into my purse and pulled out the ring. “I found this ring in the ocean, and I’m trying to locate the owner.”
He took it from me, picked up the loupe next to him, and examined the ring.
“My, this is gorgeous and one of a kind. My father designed it.”
“Can I speak to your father?”
“I’m sorry, but he passed away ten years ago.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sure he kept records of some sort.”
“He wasn’t a very organized person. My father stopped designing rings twenty years ago when he developed Parkinson’s Disease. So, the ring has to be older than that. Hold on a second. Let me go look for something.”
“Sure. Thank you.”
While the nice man was in the back, I looked at the beautiful jewelry on display in the glass cases.
“Found it,” he spoke as he set a big brown box on the counter along with what looked like a sketch pad.”
“What’s this?” I asked as I turned the sketchpad around.
“That was my father’s sketchpad. He kept all his designs in it. Look through it while I dig through this box and see if I can find some sort of receipt.”
I opened up the sketchpad and looked over the designs page by page.
“By the way, I’m Adalyn. I’m sorry for not introducing myself earlier.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Adalyn. I’m Leo.”
“Your father was an amazing jewelry designer.”
“Thank you. It was heartbreaking when he had to give it up.”
“Here it is!” I spoke with excitement as I turned the page. “This is the ring.”
“Excellent,” Leo said as he turned the sketchbook around.
At the top of the page were the name Harry and the year 1994.
“What do the name and year mean?” I asked.
“I’m guessing he designed it for Harry in 1994. That will make searching through this box a lot easier.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure. Dig in.” He smiled.
I grabbed a pile of receipts and looked at each name handwritten on it. I was reeling with excitement because I knew I would find the information I needed.
“Found it,” Leo spoke as he held the paper receipt. “Damn it. He only wrote Harry’s first name down.”
“Is there at least a phone number?” I asked.
“No. Just his name and the pickup date. I’m sorry, Adalyn. That’s all I have.”
I sighed as disappointment coursed through my body. A first name wasn’t anything to go on. Now, what was I going to do?
“Thanks, Leo. I appreciate all your help.”
“For the record, I admire you for wanting to return the ring to the owner. Not everyone would do that. Especially with a beautiful ring like this. You tried, Adalyn, so now you can keep it with no guilt.”
“Maybe.” I smiled before walking out the door.
There was no way in hell I was keeping this ring.