Because Of The Ring

Leaning forward, he picked up his fork. “Okay. When you said you wanted my help, just what sort of help were you talking about?”

Her gaze fell from his to the food on her plate. “I’m not exactly sure. I was hoping when I saw you that—” She stopped and shook her head. “Maybe a simple explanation would just fall into place. Dear God, I never expected you to be him!”

“Who did you think I’d be?”

One of her slender shoulders lifted and fell. “Someone connected to the man in my visions. Someone who could lead me to him.”

He forked up the last bite of his steak. “Well, you found me. Has it done you any good?”

If anything, Claudia was more disheartened than ever. This narrow-minded man didn’t care about her problem or feel any kind of urge to help her. He didn’t even believe her!

“Actually, I suppose it has,” she said with false cheeriness. “I do know that you’re a real person now. And I’m also convinced that you’re not supposed to be in my life in any way.”

She spoke the last with such certainty that Hayden couldn’t help but feel insulted. “Sorry I’m such a disappointment to you.”

Suddenly, Claudia couldn’t take any more. The past three weeks had drained her and this man’s sarcastic indifference was too painful to take. There was no reason to keep putting herself through this.

“I’m sorry, too,” she muttered as she jerked the opal from her finger. “Sorry that I ever put this damn ring back on.”

She slapped the ring down next to her plate and quickly rose to her feet. “Thank you for dinner, Hayden. I hope you have a happy life.”

Hayden wasn’t expecting her to just walk away without another word. When she did, he stared after her in stunned silence, then down at the ring she’d left on the table.

“What in hell?”

“Looks like your fiancée doesn’t want to be engaged anymore.”

Hayden’s head jerked around to see that the waitress was standing just behind his shoulders. “Fiancée?” he repeated blankly before it dawned on him that the woman had seen Claudia leave her ring behind. “Uh, actually, I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

The young waitress looked at him with as much disappointment as Claudia had.

“Then maybe you should go after her?” she suggested.

“Bring my ticket,” he told her.

She scurried away without bothering to ask if he wanted a refill of iced tea.

Hayden reached for the ring and studied it with thoughtful scrutiny. The simple piece of jewelry had been worn for a long time. The edges were all smooth; the band in the back worn thin. It didn’t make sense that she would leave it, he thought. But then nothing about the woman or his connection to her made any sense.

Dropping the ring into his shirt pocket, he rose to his feet and tossed enough bills on the table to more than cover the cost of the meal, then headed off in the same direction Claudia had taken before she slipped out of his sight.