My heart stopped.
It had to be a gift from Lee. He said he didn’t do hearts and flowers but that was before he told me to change my clothes in front of Eddie. This must be an apology gift and any apology gift in a Tiffany’s bag was The Apology Gift to Beat All Apology Gifts.
I didn’t know what I was all bothered about, it wasn’t like Lee hadn’t given me gifts before. Last Christmas he bought Kitty Sue, Ally and I a day at the Tall Grass Spa in Evergreen. He’d also bought me a black belt with matte silver rivets and big square buckle last year, a special gift for my thirtieth birthday. Usually, he got me select pieces of silver jewelry from Cry Baby Ranch or gift certificates from Wax Trax.
Tiffany’s didn’t seem his style but I wasn’t going to complain.
Before I could get to the Tiffany Guy, Tex was there, snatching the bag out of his hand. Tiffany Guy stayed rooted to the spot, staring at Tex in horror.
“What is it? Is it ticking?” Tex boomed.
“Tex, give that to me,” I said, rushing over.
Tex shoved the bag under his sling and pulled the tiny blue box out of the bag. He defiled all that was Tiffany and, using his teeth, he tore open the little, white, satin bow and shook out the case, snapping it open.
I skidded to a halt beside him and stared at a pair of diamond stud earrings, huge diamond stud earrings.
Wow, Lee must be really sorry.
“There’s a card,” Tiffany Guy said, gingerly taking the bag from under Tex’s sling and pulling out a little white card and handing it to me.
I slid it open, pulled out the card and saw one word scrawled on it.
It said, Terry.
I felt my stomach roll.
“Put them back,” I said to Tex.
“What?” Tex was dazzled by the diamonds.
“Put them back.” Tex didn’t move, so I shouted, “Back, back, back! Put them back!”
“Cripes, woman, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’ll put ‘em back,” Tex replied.
“I want you to take them back,” I told Tiffany Guy.
“I can’t take them back. I have express orders not to take them back,” Tiffany Guy returned.
“You have to take them back!” I shouted.
“I can’t,” Tiffany Guy said back.
I snatched the box out of Tex’s hand and pushed it toward Tiffany Guy. He put his hands up and took a step back.
“Take them!” I yelled, jerking my arm toward him.
“No, I can’t. We were told not to accept a refusal.”
“Take them!” I shrieked.
“For God sake, take ‘em, man, she’s gonna blow,” Tex boomed.
He didn’t take them so I threw the box at him. It bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. We were all staring at it when I heard the tone from my cell.
I felt something on my arm and looked down at Zombie Mrs. Salim. She was holding onto my arm and looking into my eyes. Her fingers squeezed my arm with surprising strength and I felt a weird sense of well-being steal over me.
It was then I realized I was totally freaking out and I took a deep breath, nodded to Mrs. Salim and picked up the box. I snatched the bag out of Tiffany Guy’s hand and put them back in the bag and set them on the book counter.