The Missing Gem

06 | Diamond's Fate

Lucas

The meet up's and visits with that girl from America, Nicole, had been frequent. Whenever she went somewhere by foot she always passed by the Magic Beans which was next to my store, which consisted in her passing right by the front of the store and stopping by to say hello.

She was really nice, if you'd ask me. Not that we've engaged on a really thick conversation or shared our favorite childhood memories or anything but, she treated me well - always asked me how I was doing, always had one of those contagious smiles on her face, never complained about the rainy weather of fall like most of our visitors do when they step foot inside the store, where it doesn't rain cats and dogs, she always asked about Melanie and Lexi, which always made my heart do a little back-flip. 

To my satisfaction she always looked drop dead gorgeous, and today was no exception. 

It's her second week - I think - here in London and she waltzed inside the store with the same beautiful smile and a pair of  caramel colored Ugg boots that matched the whole looking good without trying look achieved with a simple pair of jeans and classical London grey hoodie that were sold literally everywhere.

"Hey you!" She said cheerily as she walked inside the jewelry shop and spotted me behind the counter, as opposite to my usual place in my office in the back.

"Hey!" I responded in a similar tone, my lips instant lifting into an upward position at the look of her. "What are you so happy about at 9 o'clock in the morning?"

"Long story, but what matters is I'm happy, right?"

"Yes, definitely." I agreed before I put down the necklace I was busy with and came closer to her.

"I was actually dropping by to see if you wanted to have breakfast with me?" 

I already ate.

"Uh, not breakfast but I'll take a coffee." She smiled at my words. "In. Henry isn't here today and I can't leave the store, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'll get my breakfast to go and a coffee for you."

And so she did and about fifteen minutes later we were each sitting on the chairs behind my desk in the back office - she was eating a croissant and I was drinking my second coffee of the day.

"What do you even do here in back anyway?" She took her phone out of her hoodie's pocket and placed it on the desk next to the food. "I thought you just sold jewelry, why do you need your own office?"

"I draw, I make designs for new pieces."

Nicole dismissed my explanation in the room and paid all her attention to every corner of the small room we found ourselves in. It didn't have much - a desk, chairs, my laptop still inside his case, paper sheets, two mugs filled with drawing pencils, a clock on the wall and a little something on top of the desk that seemed to have caught her attention. 

"Aw, look at that cutie." She said as she picked up the frame and took a close look at the picture of Lexi with only two tooth showing as she smiled for the camera.

"She was three." I commented, reminiscing the sunny day at the park. "What do you do here in London?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. "I mean... what brought you here?"

"I am... working on a book."

She writes?!

"You're a writer?" I asked with an audible gasp that earned her giggle. 

"Trying to be." She nodded before continuing. "I also needed a little space and a little time off from my life."

She didn't seem to keen about going into further detail about that last part, so I didn't push it and instead I simply nodded in agreement.