Howard sat alone in his cluttered office, a place he rarely spent much time anymore. His gaze snagged on the small Christmas tree in the corner and he smiled. When Clara was still alive, this was the space where they would have deep conversations. About the store and Ben and their plans for the future.
About the trip to Italy Clara always dreamed they would take.
Anymore, it was a place to hold boxes of goods until Gary could ship them out. Items that hadn’t sold as well as they’d hoped. A way to make room for the antiques that would move faster.
But today, this was the right place.
Howard leaned back in his old leather chair. Clara had bought it for him on their twentieth anniversary. The leather was cracked and worn and it didn’t quite spin like before. But today it felt like a throne, and he felt like a king. He smiled at the framed photo of his wife that still sat on the desk.
“You’d be proud of me, Clara.” He allowed an emotional chuckle. “Merry Christmas, darling.”
This was about to be one of the best days of Howard Miller’s life.
There was a knock at the door. It was about to go down.
“Come in.” Howard stood, but he didn’t move from behind the desk.
A moment later, Sheila Parker entered the office. She was maybe in her fifties, the distinguished investor, here for the Christmas ring. “Howard Miller?”
“Yes. You must be Sheila.” He pointed to the seat opposite him on the other side of the desk. “Please. Have a seat.”
“Thank you.” She sat and Howard did the same. Sheila smiled, but her expression was all business. “I have the cashier’s check right here. I don’t have long. If you don’t mind.”
Howard released a long sigh. “Sheila, I’m sorry you had to come all this way.”
“It’s fine.” The woman looked mildly concerned. “Traffic was light.”
“I tried to call you.” Howard gave her a slow nod. “Many times.”
Sheila straightened in her chair. “I saw that. I had my ringer off.”
The words he was about to say he had practically rehearsed. “Before I explain the situation, Sheila, I want you to know something.” Howard stood and picked up the framed photo of Clara. He stared at it for a moment, then showed it to Sheila. “This is my wife, Clara.”
Sheila was quiet.
“Clara was the love of my life.” Howard found his wife’s eyes in the photo. “She’s no longer with me.” He set the frame back on the desk and looked at Sheila. “Clara and I had just one son. Ben. He works here.”
Sheila’s impatience was clearly getting the better of her. “I really just want to buy the ring.”
“You see, Sheila, Ben lost his wife, too. After that, my wife and I wanted just one thing. That Ben would find love again. True love.”
Howard returned to his chair behind the desk, but he didn’t sit.
He turned a framed piece of wood art so Sheila could see it. “See this? It’s a quote from the Bible. ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’” Howard stared at it for a moment longer. “The truth is, Sheila, there are gifts more important than money. Diamonds more precious than jewels.”
Overcome, Howard threw out his arms and grinned at the woman. “Merry Christmas, Sheila. I’m sorry you drove all this way.”
“I... I said I don’t live that far. I’d just like the—”
“Sheila. The ring is not for sale.” Howard chuckled. “Not today. Not ever. You see, it doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to someone else.”
Disappointment came over Sheila, but it didn’t last long. She sighed. “I figured there was a problem. I was just hoping...” Her eyes lit up a little again. “What about that writing desk in the front window? Is that for sale?”
“In fact, it is.” Howard ushered Sheila to the door and out of his office. “You can talk to my clerk, Gary, about that. He’ll be happy to help you.”
“I guess that’s why I’m here today.”
“I guess so.”
