Page 342 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

She laughs as she opens the door. "My dear, half the town knows this day was coming."

I shake my head. "Was I the last one to figure it out?"

"Oh, by several months."

Still smiling, she holds the door open. "Come inside."

The familiar scent of polished wood and fresh flowers greets me as soft music drifts through the little shop. Glass cases sparkle beneath the morning sunlight, but somehow the room feels more like an old friend's living room than a jewelry store.

Margaret doesn't walk toward the display cases. She doesn't ask my budget. She doesn't mention diamonds. Instead, she disappears into the back room and returns carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. I look from the coffee to her with obvious confusion.

"I thought we were shopping."

"We are."

She hands me one mug before settling comfortably into a chair near the front window.

"But first..." She folds her hands around her coffee and smiles. "I want you to tell me about her."

For a moment I simply stare. "I beg your pardon?"

"The ring can wait." She gestures toward the chair across from her. "I've known you since you were twelve years old, Jamie. I know what kind of man you are." Her smile softens. "Now tell me about the woman who convinced Jamie Walker to walk into my shop looking nervous."

I laugh quietly. "I'm that obvious?"

"My dear..." She takes a leisurely sip. "You arrived fifteen minutes before the store opens.”

I shake my head. "I suppose that might have given me away."

"It certainly narrowed the possibilities."

For a moment I simply look into my coffee. Then, without realizing it, I smile. "Her name is Annette."

Margaret's expression brightens. "I know."

"Of course you do."

"I've seen the way you look at her."

I nod. "Then you already know the important part."

"No."

She smiles knowingly. "I know how you look at her." She leans forward just a little. "I want to know why." For the first time that morning, every trace of nervousness disappears. Because I suddenly realize something. I'm not just here to buy a ring. I'm also here to tell a friend the story of the woman I love.

***

So, I tell her. Not every detail, but enough. How Annette saw through the captain long before I knew how badly I needed someone to.

"I spent years making sure everyone around me knew they could lean on me." A smile touches the corners of my mouth. "I never gave anyone permission to let me lean on them."

Margaret is silent for a long moment before a gentle smile crosses her face. "I think that's why you're here today."

I look back at her. "What do you mean?"

"You're not buying a ring because you've fallen in love." She let the words settle before continuing. "You're buying a ring because you've finally learned how to share your life."

For several seconds I couldn’t answer, not because I disagree, but because she had somehow managed to say, in one sentence, what had taken me months to understand.