Free Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) by Alyne Roberts Page A

hated having him so close, yet so far at the same time. It was bordering on awkward. Chloe rattled on about work and her family, filling the silence.  
    "You weren't joking," Chloe said when we pulled up to the single intersection. "One red light."
    "Yep," Ryder and I said at the same time.  
    The flowers were starting to bloom in the pots that lined the street. The brick sidewalk was already alive with people, wandering and socializing. I smiled at the serenity and peacefulness I felt watching the scene before me. I was used to concrete everywhere, people filling the sidewalks, and heavy traffic. I didn't realize how much I missed the small town life.
    We easily made it to the diner and parked a few shops down. As we walked, we passed an antique store. A necklace in the window caught my eye and I stopped walking. It was on a long chain that was darkened from age. The turquoise stone was uncut, giving it an imperfect shape. It was set in a silver frame designed to look like lace. The silver was tarnished, almost appearing black. A matching ring sat on the velvet display next to it.  
    I spotted an open sign in the window, so I went inside. A bell announced my entrance as Ryder and Chloe followed behind me. The place was cluttered and dark. It smelled of a mixture of incense and mildew. It was filled with heavy wooden furniture, old tin photographs, and marble vases. A glass counter near the window housed the jewelry. All antique and unique. I gasped and ran my fingers along the glass.  
    A woman with long white hair came out from a curtain in the back of the shop. She smiled warmly at me and pretended to arrange a set of wooden candleholders as I browsed. I examined all the pieces in front of me, getting excited about the beauty in it all. Everyday I looked at rings, necklaces, and bracelets. All uniform and plain. Every piece here had history, and there wasn't one that looked like any other.
    "How much for the turquoise ring and necklace set in the window?" I asked her, running my fingers across the large stone.  
    "Five hundred," she answered. "One of a kind."
    "I'm sure," I agreed, ignoring the gasps from Chloe. I knew the stone alone was worth it. You can polish the silver and rid it of the black, but I kind of liked it like that. "Do you take credit cards?"
    "Cash only, dear," she said.  
    I nodded and backed away from the jewelry case. I promised myself I would hit an ATM and come back for it. I just had to have it. We browsed the small shop for a little longer before making our way to the diner. When we walked in, the entire staff bombarded me. Questions of where I had been and how I was doing were coming from all directions. Minnie almost squeezed the life out of me with one of her signature bear hugs.
    "You are welcome to come back and work whenever you want, dear," she told me with a huge grin.  
    "I just may need to. We have a wedding to plan," I winked.
    The entire dinning room gasped and stared. The random customers stilled and stared openly at us. It was then I realized how that sounded. "Scarlett," I clarified, mortified. The diner filled with groans and sympathetic faces. Tiffany eventually sat us and took our orders.  
    "So, will this Adam be at the fire tonight?" Chloe asked.  
    "Doubt it," Ryder grumbled.  
    "You don't like him?" she asked him.
    "He's okay. He's good to her, makes her happy, and it sounds like he's pretty successful in life. She deserves that," he said, glaring at me.
    "How do we know he's successful?" I asked without thinking.  
    "He owns a few oil change business across the state."
    "Well, you would think he would buy her a better ring," I mumbled, distracted and aggravated.  
    "It's huge," he said, clearly confused.  
    "It's fake."
    "What?" Chloe and Ryder asked at the same time.
    "Cubic Zirconia. Surgical steel band."
    "How do you know?" Ryder growled, sounding a little offended.  
    I gave a him a look, challenging his question. "Seriously? I may suck at life, but I know