Page 22 of Reckoning

They gathered up the hot dogs, one for her, two for him, and took their drinks to one of the empty picnic tables and sat. “A toast to us,” he said.

As they were eating, a slow smile began to spread across Briar’s face.

“What’s funny?” Tate asked.

“I was just remembering the day of my mother’s trial, when I stayed with your mom and dad. We were playing on that quilt when she brought us juice box and cookies. When we started to drink our juice, you stopped and said we had to make toast before we took a drink. I thought you meant like breakfast toast.”

He burst out laughing. “I’d forgotten that. I guess I thought I was pretty suave to get away with that.”

Now Briar was laughing. “I’d bet you’ve been full of it ever since you learned to crawl.”

“The stories are vast, but I plead the fifth,” he said, then reached out, wiping the tiniest bit of mustard from the corner of her lip then licking it off his thumb.

It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen him do. One day, she thought, then finished her last bite as he started on his second hot dog.

Briar kept chattering, but in Tate’s mind, he was seeing Tonya and her dad on the front porch of their house. She was sobbing so hard she could barely speak, and he had a frightening look on his face as he held her close. Tate knew what her father was feeling, but he also knew he would go to the police that day, rather than go to prison for murder.

His job there was done.

* * *

Tate and Briar walked the park for over an hour after they ate, but the blistering sun kept getting hotter. They were passing the arts and crafts area on the way back to his house when Briar spotted a vendor selling handmade jewelry.

“Can we look?” Briar said. “We haven’t spent any money except for lunch. Maybe we’ll find something pretty for your mama. Maybe some pretty earrings. I know her ears are pierced.”

“Sure, we can look,” Tate said. Briar went into search mode immediately, looking for something she thought Lilith would like, then started a conversation with the man who’d made the jewelry. They were discussing the fine points of dangle earrings as opposed to studs when Tate spotted a single tray of rings. Some of the bands were made of braided wire with fantasy-led designs. Some of them were burnished bands of different metals with more elaborate settings, and some bands had only a single gem. Then he saw a small silver-colored ring with a single red setting and pointed.

“Tell me about this ring,” he said.

Briar stopped what she was doing and turned to look as the artist picked it up.

“This one?” he asked.

Tate nodded.

The man shrugged. “It’s stainless steel, and that setting is an actual garnet. Small, of course, but the ring itself is for a smaller finger.”

“May I?” Tate asked, and held out his hand as the man dropped it in Tate’s palm, and in turn, Tate took Briar’s hand and slipped it on the ring finger of her right hand. It fit as if it had been made for her.

“How much?” Tate asked.

The man eyed the young couple. He didn’t know their story, but all he saw was young love, and he knew he was about to lie to make this work for them.

“Oh…that’s a Fourth of July special. Ten dollars today only.”

Tate whipped out his own money so fast it made Briar’s head spin. “What about your mama?” she asked.

“Mama’s fine,” he said, and eyed the artist. “Are we good?”

The man was grinning. “We are so good. Happy Fourth.”

“Tate…I love this,” Briar said, admiring the way it looked on her hand. “Thank you so much,” she said, as they were walking away.

“You’re welcome, darlin’, but this isn’t a promise ring. It isn’t even close to an engagement ring. It is a symbol of a part of me that I can physically give to you. The garnet is my birthstone. As long as that ring is on your finger, you’ll always have a part of me with you.”

Briar looked at him then. There was a sadness in his expression that she had never seen before. She took a deep breath, willing her voice not to shake.

“It’s a memento for when we’re no longer together, isn’t it?”