Drawing Hearts

by J. M. Jeffries

  “We’re not railroading you,” Hunter added. “If you need to take longer to think about your decision, we’re okay with that. But since we’re all here...”

  “I don’t have a budget.” Reed knew that a million-dollar-ring would never impress Kenzie. Even though Kenzie was deeply aware of fashion, her own clothing choices tended to be simple, yet still elegant. He wanted an engagement ring that reflected her own fashion tastes.

  “Okay,” Scott said, leaning over Reed’s choice. “Kenzie loves red with sparklies. Look at those rubies. I like this one.” Scott motioned to the salesgirl, who inserted her key and opened the back of the display case.

  She set Scott’s choices on a black velvet cloth. “I think Miss Kenzie would like these choices, but I think she would love this one. I’m just confirming, there are no budget considerations?”

  “Really?” he asked. She knew who he was.

  “Mr. Watson,” the woman said with a pleasant smile, “Miss Kenzie stole me from Neiman’s jewelry department. I am a well-trained employee and we have been instructed to ask no matter who the customer is.”

  “There are no budget considerations.”

  “Thank you.” The woman put away all the rings Reed had looked at and then turned to the display behind her and opened the glass door. She pulled out a ring and set it down on the velvet square. “I think you should consider this one. We’ve all tried this on and Miss Kenzie practically drooled over it. And it’s her size. You won’t need to resize it.”

  Scott leaned over and whispered, “You were just schooled by the jewelry lady.”

  “Can we just let me be embarrassed silently?”

  Scott grinned. “That would be a no.”

  Hunter nodded and Donovan clapped him on the back. They all clustered around the ring sitting on the black velvet.

  Reed was in. He’d won the brothers over.

  A huge heart-shaped ruby sat in a setting of black gold and was framed by alternating diamonds and rubies in a channel that went completely around the setting. Delicate scrolling had been etched into the sides. Reed knew. He just knew. He nodded at the woman and handed her his American Express credit card.

  “The center ruby is four carats,” the sales woman said. “The total weight of the other rubies and diamonds is another two carats. And...you also get the employee discount of thirty percent.”

  Reed picked up the ring. This was the one. Kenzie would love it. The ring was elegant and classy in a way that suited her. He was mostly sold on the unique quality of it, a quality that matched Kenzie. This ring was perfect.

  “I definitely want this one,” he said. Eighty thousand dollars wasn’t a bad price.

  “Perfect,” Scott said.

  Donovan picked the ring up, studied it and then nodded before passing the ring to Hunter.

  Hunter smiled and handed it to the saleswoman. “This is the one. Pack it up for Reed.”

  The woman accepted the ring back, smiling as she headed toward the register.

  “If I get a discount, does that impact your commission?” Reed asked as he followed her to the back of the shop.

  She gave him an odd look. “Is that a proper question to ask?”

  He looked at her name tag. “Claudia, I walked in, you sized me up, knew exactly who I was, and told me what Kenzie would want because you know her that well. Which means you’re excellent at your job, because Kenzie is picky. If the discount cuts into your commission, then no. I don’t want it. You earned every penny of your commission today.”

  “Then no discount,” Claudia said with a sweet smile. “Kenzie is a very lucky woman.” She turned back to the display and pulled out two other rings. “These are the matching wedding rings.”

  The bands of both rings were plain black gold. Instead of gems, they had delicate scrolling etched into them. The man’s ring was too big for Reed and would have to be resized. “Shall I set these two rings in the safe for you to pick up later?”

  “Yes, please.” He’d never been humbled by a salesperson before. What that told him was that Kenzie knew how to hire her people.

  He walked out of the jewelry store with the ring burning a hole in his pocket. Her brothers bracketed him as they walked through the lobby.

  “How do you feel?” Scott asked.

  “Excited, anxious, hopeful, frightened.”

  Hunter laughed. “It’s love. Welcome to the family.”

  * * *

  Kenzie sipped a glass of champagne. Nina sat across from her on Lydia’s cream-colored leather sofa.

  “Here,” Nina said handing small gift boxes to Kenzie, Maya and Nina’s sister, Lola. Lola looked enough like Nina to be her twin even though she was five years younger.

  “Sparklies,” Kenzie said, sliding a thumbnail under the edge of the wrapping paper. She opened the hinged box to show a solitaire sapphire on a white gold chain. “It’s perfect. And matches our dresses.”

  “That’s the point,” Nina said with a wry chuckle.

  Her mother, Grace Torres, came out of the kitchen bearing a tray of food, followed by Miss E. who carried two bottles of champagne. Lydia’s mother, Caroline, carried another tray of food followed by Hendrix pushing a cart filled with desserts that sent up a smell so heavenly Kenzie’s mouth started to water. She wondered how much she could eat tonight and still fit in her bridesmaid dress tomorrow.

  “You’re so calm,” Kenzie said. “When you married Carl, you were insane.”

  “Marrying Carl was the wrong decision. Now I’m on the right track.” Nina munched on carrot sticks lathered with almond butter.

  “I noticed. There’s no need for bridezilla hysterics.”

  Hendrix was next on the list. She wanted a Christmas wedding. And from the way Miss E. had been keeping company with Jasper, she was about to fall, too. Kenzie felt a little left out. She saw her family moving on with their lives and she felt as if she was in a holding pattern with Reed. That thought made her feel odd.

  “You seem a little off tonight,” Nina said to Kenzie.

  “I thought I was in love with Sam. With Reed, I don’t know.” Her feelings for Reed were deep and when she was with him she didn’t want to leave him.

  “Stop second-guessing yourself,” Miss E. said.

  “I’m not.” Kenzie reached for a bottle and refilled her champagne flute. The bubbles tickled her nose as she drank.

  “You want everything to be perfect,” Nina said, “and it isn’t going to be.”

  “I don’t want things to be perfect, I just don’t know his feelings for me. I think I’m in love with him. No, I know I’m in love with him.” Now that she’d said the words out loud she felt relief.

  “So, my darling,” Miss E. said, her tone soft and kind, “what’s the problem?”

  What was the problem? She turned the words over and over in her head. Looking back she saw all the signs that said Sam had been Mr. Right Now. Reed was Mr. Right. He was a different kind of commitment that promised to last a lifetime and she was afraid.

  “What are you afraid of?” Miss E. asked. She sat next Kenzie and put her arm around her.

  “Failure,” Kenzie whispered. “I’m afraid of failure.”

  “There is no guarantee that anything will last, but if you don’t take the leap, you’ll never know.”

  Kenzie hugged her grandmother tightly. “I’ve always thought failure is not trying.”

  “Not trying at all is guaranteed failure.” Miss E. kissed her. “Go with your heart, Kenzie.”

  Kenzie kissed her grandmother back and turned to Nina. “All right, let’s get this party on the road.”

  Chapter 15

  The banquet room had been transformed into a slice of heaven with huge floral arrangements and white ribbon. One end held a small stage with an arbor decorat
ed in white roses and a blue flower Kenzie didn’t recognize. Kenzie stood to one side, grinning at Nina, who looked radiant in her gown, a crown of flowers woven through her hair and a small veil that swept down to her waist. Scott beamed at her as he repeated his vows. He wore a black tuxedo that gave him a distinguished air. Kenzie thought he was the handsomest man in the room except for Reed.

  Her gaze swept the rows of chairs and she saw Reed sitting behind Miss E. Miss E. looked amazing in a flowing gold gown that hugged her figure. Her white hair had been swept up into an elegant French roll. She looked so happy with Jasper seated next to her. Lydia sat next to Jasper, the baby asleep in her lap.

  The other side of the room held the whole Torres family. Grace wore a bright blue silk caftan with silver lace around the hem and up the front. She’d bought the caftan in Morocco and confided in Kenzie that she’d saved it for this moment. Manny Torres wore a black tuxedo with a silver bow tie to match his wife. Nina’s brothers sat behind their parents looking very handsome as they watched the ceremony.

  The vows finished, the music started and Nina and Scott faced their room. Kenzie was so happy for her best friend. Kenzie handed back her bouquet of orchids and roses. Maya stepped in front of them with her basket of rose petals and started throwing them down on the white runner. Kenzie took Hunter’s arm, Lola took Donovan’s arm and they followed Nina and Scott down the aisle formed between the chairs to the back of the hall where tables had been set for their meal. People threw confetti over the newly married couple and Kenzie grinned back at Reed when he grinned at her.

  They formed a reception line to greet all the guests. Several of Nina’s clients kissed her as they moved down the line. Carl, Nina’s ex-husband, kissed her enthusiastically and his new wife, Anastasia, looked as if she was crying. When all the guests had been greeted and thanked for coming, the photographer took the wedding party outside for photos.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Kenzie asked Reed once they were seated for dinner. Hotel staff moved back and forth around the tables delivering the first course.

  “I am,” he replied. “This is a sophisticated party that is splash fun. Those two things rarely come together. And the bride and groom look happy.”

  Nina and Scott sat at their own table in the center of the room flanked by Nina’s parents on one side and Miss E. on the other “They do, don’t they? My brother has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.”

  “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

  “For Scott, it’s a good thing. That man likes to control his universe and now he’s going to find out how much fun it is to throw that out the window.” Kenzie smiled at her brother. Scott had changed in the months since he’d met Nina. He wasn’t so rigid, so inflexible. He looked relaxed. He’d seldom looked peaceful before.

  “I wanted to tell you that your friend Sam stopped me in the lobby yesterday.”

  “What did Sam have to say?” Sam had a lot of balls, talking to Reed.

  “He says I should release you from your job here, and let you go back to New York because you’re miserable.”

  “I’m miserable?” She swept her hand across her forehead. “I’m glad somebody told me. I hate the idea that I’m supposed to be unhappy when I’m not.”

  “I didn’t think you were, but Sam was pretty insistent.” Reed grinned at her.

  “What did you tell him?” She picked at her salad. If she saw Sam in the next ten minutes she’d choke him.

  “That number one, your job is secure because casinos are the new ATMs. And number two, you can make your own decisions and I think you already did.”

  “I’m not going back to New York.”

  “I didn’t think you would. But Sam...” His voice trailed away as he shrugged.

  “...thinks he knows what’s best for me.” Kenzie finished for him. “He doesn’t.”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  The second course came and then the main course. Manny Torres spoke briefly about his daughter, congratulating her on a husband well-chosen.

  “What do you want?” Reed said after Nina’s father’s speech.

  “I want to have balance in my life.” She didn’t have that in New York. But here with her family, she did. And being together again with her brothers and Miss E. showed her that family was too important to ignore. “I don’t want to lose the connection to my family again. And I want...” She couldn’t tell him that she loved him. At least not yet.

  The photographer walked around the room taking photos while his video tech interviewed the guests about their memories of Nina and Scott. He approached Kenzie and smiled at her. “I understand you and Nina are best friends.”

  Kenzie nodded. “We’ve known each other since college.”

  “I’d like to interview you, if you don’t mind.”

  “I’d like that.”

  He set the camera up and pinned a small mic to her dress. She found herself talking about Nina and their years in school and how they kept up their friendship afterward. She talked about the times she spent being feasted in Nina’s family restaurant, serenaded by Grace and teased by her brothers. She wanted only happy memories for Nina.

  After the meal, the band started up again. Nina and Scott stood in the area cleared for dancing. Their first dance. They danced with each other and then Manny and Grace, Miss E. and Hunter started dancing. After a few more minutes, Reed swung Kenzie onto the dance floor.

  Everything was perfect.

  “Let’s take a walk,” Reed said during a lull in the dancing. He gestured at the doors open to the pool area and the lighted path leading to the spa.

  “Okay,” she said. She was a bit warm and the cool evening breeze slid over her skin.

  Reed took her hand and led her down a lighted path toward the hot springs. Steam curled up from the hot water. Stars twinkled overhead. The night sky was clear and bright. The moon sparkled on the water.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Kenzie said.

  “It’s perfect.” His slid an arm around her. She raised her face and he kissed her. His breath was slightly spicy from dinner.

  “Perfect for what?” she asked when she drew back slightly. She shivered and he took off his jacket and draped it around her.

  “The perfect end to a perfect evening.”

  She eyed him curiously. He suddenly seemed nervous. He ran a hand through his hair and tugged at his tie as though it were too tight.

  “Kenzie... I... I...” He rubbed his forehead. “I’ve never done this before.”

  She tilted her head on him, joy bubbling up inside her. She’d never seen him so tense before. “You’ve never told a woman you loved her before.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah...that.”

  “I thought I loved Sam, but I never knew what true love was until I met and fell in love with you.”

  He took a deep breath. From his pocket he pulled out a small box and opened it. “Will you marry me?” He took the ring out of the box and held it up for her to see.

  She gasped. How had he known how much she loved that particular ring? “Yes. I love you so much.”

  He slid the ring on her finger and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I am so honored. I’m going to love you forever.”

  “I hope so, because I’m not giving the ring back.”

  He kissed her hungrily and she leaned into his warmth.

  “We’re going to have to keep this a secret for bit. This is Nina’s day.”

  He hugged her to him. “I know, but she probably already knows. And Lydia and Hendrix.” She raised her eyebrows. “Your brothers helped me pick out the ring.”

  “Of course they did.” She started laughing. “That’s what brothers are for.”

  They headed back and she held his hand tightly. She didn’t believe how happy
she was.

  Maya ran up to them, her dress flaring out behind her. “Come on, they’re cutting the cake.”

  Reed kissed her one last time. As they entered the banquet room, she saw Scott and Hunter looking at them. Reed nodded at them and Hunter broke into a huge smile. Scott grinned and turned back to Nina, ready to cut the cake.

  “I love you,” Reed whispered as they watched Nina, with Scott’s hand over hers, slide the knife into the wedding cake.

  “I love you,” she whispered back.

  * * * * *

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Kimani Romance.

  You dream in vibrant hues! Harlequin Kimani Romance stories feature sophisticated, soulful and sensual African-American and multicultural heroes and heroines who develop fulfilling relationships as they lead lives full of drama, glamour and passion.

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  ISBN-13: 9781488003370

  Drawing Hearts

  Copyright © 2016 by Miriam A. Pace and Jacqueline S. Hamilton

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