Chapter Fourteen
Brody
Ineeded things to change.
First of all because it was time.
Second, because everything was all wrong.
Liam was shutting me out. Maggie was pretending to not be bothered by the fact that he was ignoring her. Cassie had been texting me frowny faces every day because she hated the disharmony just as much as I did.
I didn’t like the silence. Not from Liam. Not from Maggie. Not from the group chat the four of us had that usually kept my phone buzzing with texts all day.
Usually, it was just me and Cassie talking in it anyway, but it was nice to have the occasional reactions from the elusive Brynn siblings.
Now, nothing. The group had broken apart, and I knew Maggie was reeling from it far more than she’d let on.
But I was going to fix it.
I was going to propose. Secure me and Maggie’s future once and for all, and everything else would fall into place after.
Liam couldn’t stay mad when he had to celebrate the engagement of his best friend and his sister, and Maggie wouldn’t be as down in the dumps when she got to do one of her favorite things in the world: plan a party.
I took a breath, feeling the weight of the mission on my shoulders as I stared down at the rings beneath the glass case.
There were so many. And they all looked identical. How was I supposed to know which one to choose when asking the biggest question of my life?
“Can I help you?” A woman’s voice sent my head snapping up.
“Oh, um, yes.” I stared helplessly at the worker. “I’m going to propose to my girlfriend.”
She nodded kindly, even though there wouldn’t be any other possible reason I’d be standing there, looking at engagement rings.
“Do you know what style ring you’re looking for?” she asked, same polite smile on her face.
“Style?” I panicked.
“Solitaire? Diamond cut? Princess cut?”
I stared at her blankly.
“One stone? Multiple stones? Lab-grown or natural?”
“Uh, can I phone a friend?”
“What?”
Oops. I forgot not everyone watched Who Wants to Be a Millionaire reruns with their families growing up.
“Give me a second, I’ll be right back.” I muttered, rushing out of the jewelry store faster than I would’ve if I’d stolen something.
Scrambling for the phone in my pocket, my fingers typed frantically, dialing the number of the one person I knew I could call in this
situation.
“Hello?” The answering voice replied.
I didn’t have time for small talk, so I jumped straight to the point.
“I’m sending you my location,” I said quickly, sounding more panicked than the situation probably called for. “Get here as fast as you can.”
Cassie got to the storefront in record time, only looking as out of breath as she did the time Maggie dared us all to run a 5k with her.
All in all, not bad.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty when I saw her reddened cheeks puff in and out as she took in oxygen.
“What,” she gasped, “happened? Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” I winced, “I guess I should’ve clarified that it wasn’t life or death.”
The corners of her mouth twitched down in a frown. Probably the extent of a negative reaction I’d get from her.
“You could’ve,” she agreed.
“But,” I grinned sheepishly, hoping the real reason would make up for whatever irritation Cassie was trying to hide, “it’s technically an emergency, because as Maggie’s best friend, I thought you should be here to give me input on her engagement ring.”
Color and vitality returned to Cassie’s face at once as she bounced on her heels. After letting out a squeal and begging for me to show her, I had to tell her that I hadn’t actually picked it out yet.
She crossed her arms over her chest smugly, looking at the storefront behind me.
“Oh, I see. You called me here because you’re scared to buy the wrong ring and have Maggie give you hell for it the rest of your lives.”
“No.” I denied. “Maggie would appreciate anything that came from the heart.”
We both stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter at the same time.
“No, she wouldn’t.” We shook our heads in unison.
“So, you see why I need your help, then?” I asked anxiously. “I just need it to be perfect.”
Cassie gestured to the door. “Lead the way.”
With more confidence now that I had Cassie, I ventured back into the store with the intensely illuminating lights and the hundreds of diamonds that taunted me with their relentless sparkles.
It’s like even they knew I’d pick the wrong one.
“Oh, good,” the woman who had been assisting me earlier greeted us with a smile. “You brought your partner.”
“What?” Cassie giggled.
“No, no, no.” I shook my head, praying that Liam didn’t hear that from wherever in the city he was. “This is my—well, this is my girlfriend’s—”
“I’m his soon-to-be sister-in-law,” Cassie smirked.
“Is that how it works?” I asked.
Cassie frowned, thinking about it.
“I think so.” Then she faltered. “It should be?”
I laughed while Cassie turned to the worker and said,
“I’m married to his soon-to-be fiancée’s brother. Who also happens to be my best friend.” Cassie rambled. “Best friend to his fiancée, that is. Not my husband. But I’d consider him to be my best friend, too.”
“Cass,” I put a hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“I think she got it.” I turned to the worker. “You got that, right?”
The worker, looking flustered, gave us a polite, albeit confused, smile.
“Anyway,” I broke through the awkwardness, “can you ask me those questions again about princesses and stones and all that? It’ll be easier now that Cassie’s here.”
And just like a magic interpreter, Cassie spoke the language of this woman in a way that ended up saving my ass.