Jewel Thief ◇ L. Laufeyson

1 ◇ honeymoon stage

I NOTICED LOKI had left a small note under my coffee mug - a piece of golden paper was folded below the cup. I grabbed the paper and unfolded it, seeing Loki's neat and fancy handwriting.

Shady Acres Care Home
Ask for Odin King, tell them you are his daughter-in-law.

I rolled my eyes. Daughter in Law? Sheesh.

Wear the ring.

Ring?
I searched the coffee table and couch, not finding a jewel, then looked around the floor. I hadn't found anything remotely ring-like, so I gave up. Screw Loki and his stupid orders.

The elevator dinged, signaling the pizza and ice cream was here - the front desk knew I didn't like human interaction much, so they usually just send up my orders on the elevator.

I rolled off the couch, my legs achy from my fall over the table.

I grabbed my mug of coffee and downed the last bit, suddenly feeling something hard and smooth in my mouth. Startled, I spit out whatever it was, and found an gold, diamond-encrusted emerald ring resting at the bottom of my mug.

Loki, you absolute idiot.

◇

The next morning I headed over to Shady Acres. I don't know why I did.

There's a god in that building, I told myself, I can't just ignore him. I don't have a choice.

But you don't have to wear the ring, my conscious said.

It's pretty, I argued.

It was a rainy day, so I wore a thin raincoat and booties, puddles filling the sidewalks. I also wore a baseball cap, hoping no one would recognize me.

I took a cab, so Tony wouldn't hear about my trip to the care home from one of our drivers. The cabbie was rude, but I didn't mind. That meant he either didnt know of my celebrity status, or didn't care.

Shady Acres was made of bricks and was sort of...cute, actually. Resting on a corner lot, it was exactly what you would expect an old folks home to look like.

I walked in the doors, an older woman greeting me at the front desk.

"Ah, Mrs. King, we've been expecting you," she said, her voice sort of chirpy, like a bird. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Expecting...me?"

She nodded, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, dear. Your husband told us yesterday you would be stopping by sometime today. He told us all about you, you're just as beautiful as he described."

"My husband?" I felt bad replying to her with these repetitive questions, but I was very confused. The woman clicked her tongue gleefully. "Oh yes, the handsome one with the black hair, he's um, tall...sort of pale, but in a good way. Only told us his name was Mr. King. Also mentioned that pretty green wedding ring of yours, the one on your finger?"

"Uh...right," I mumbled, "My husband. Mr. King."

She grinned and winked at me. "Quite the catch. If I were a few years younger...my, my, my."

I cleared my throat, uncomfortable. "I'm here to see my-"

"Father-in-law? Yes, he's just down the hall. He's playing chess with another one of our clients. Go on, then, dear."

I followed her bony pointed finger and quickly left the lobby, my heels clicking. It was just like Loki to gush about me to that woman, just so I would be uncomfortable. Ugh.