Free A Little Holiday Temptation by Janice Sims

herself. Ana liked that.
    Erik smiled and met her halfway. “Sweetheart, I hope you don’t mind. With both of us pressured with business obligations I thought it would be more convenient if Tiffany’s came to us.” Taking her hand, he led her over to his desk where the Tiffany’s representative had spread a black velvet cloth and placed several engagement rings in their boxes upon it.
    Ana was sure her face reflected her surprise but could not for the life of her fix her facial muscles to look any other way. “They’re all beautiful,” she said, her gaze taking in all of the diamonds. The quality of the stones was irrefutable. White diamonds expertly cut and polished. All of them were five carats or higher. Her eyes were not drawn to the large stones, though, but the beauty of the cut and how well the stones caught the light.
    “Darling, this is Carol Richards. Ms. Richards, my fiancée, Ana Corelli.”
    The two women shook hands and Carol said, “It’s wonderful to meet you, Ms. Corelli.”
    “Likewise,” Ana said, smiling. She looked up at Erik. He smiled, his love for her evident in his golden-brown depths. “I was going to choose one myself, but I thought it would be best to get your input.” He gestured to the rings. “What do you think? Does one strike your fancy?”
    Once again, Ana perused the rings. Square-shaped, pear-shaped, they were all beautiful, but the one that she liked the most was a five-carat solitaire in a platinum setting. She pointed to it.
    Carol picked up the ring and slipped it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Ana gazed down at it, turning it this way and that, marveling at how the stone caught the light and the many colors that sparkled inside it.
    “How did you know which size to get?” she asked Erik.
    “I just described you to Carol,” he said.
    “After years of experience, I’m a good guesser,” said Carol modestly.
    “I don’t believe I’m saying this,” Erik joked, “but you chose the smallest ring. It’s okay to choose something larger, sweetheart. I don’t like to brag, but I can afford it.”
    “This is perfect,” Ana said. She raised to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I assure you this is the one for me.”
    “Actually,” said Carol authoritatively. “Ms. Corelli has a good eye for diamonds. The ring she chose might not be the largest, but it is the highest quality of them all. Pure white and although it’s nearly impossible to find a diamond without any faults whatsoever because they are a product of nature this comes close.”
    Erik kissed Ana’s cheek. “And I thought you were being thrifty.”
    Everyone laughed.
    “Very well,” Erik said to Carol. “We’ll take this one.”
    Carol smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Ana, then Erik. “Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I hope you two will be very happy.”
    She shook hands with Erik, then Ana, after which she began packing up the remaining diamonds while Erik pulled Ana aside and hugged her tightly. “Now, if you should change your mind, you can always take it back.”
    Ana looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Exchange it? No, never. This ring will not leave my finger, ever.” Then, they kissed.
    It took Carol clearing her throat to tear them apart. “If you’ll sign here,” she said to Erik. Erik went over and quickly signed the form. He glanced at the final sales price and didn’t even flinch. “Thank you, Carol.”
    “It was my pleasure,” said Carol who promptly signaled to the guards that it was time to depart. One of them opened the door for her and preceded her. The other followed.
    When they were alone, Ana threw her arms around Erik’s neck in excitement. “You’re so sneaky. I thought you wanted me to come by for…”
    “Love in the afternoon?” he guessed, his eyes alight with humor.
    “Yes!” Ana admitted almost defiantly. At the time it had sounded like a good idea to her. “Don’t tell me it never crossed your