RINGOFTRUTHEBOOK (1) Read online

  “I won’t see them until our dinner tonight.” He looked over at her sheepishly. “You’re still planning on coming, right?”

  “Yes, although I need to check on my parents’ plans. They kind of do their own thing when they come to visit, and I haven’t heard from them since they left last night.” Erin checked her phone again just in case. “But right now I need to get over to see Mr. Smith. I’m not looking forward to admitting I still have this.”

  Jake chuckled. “You didn’t tell him over the phone?”

  Erin shook her head. “I left a voicemail, but I don’t know if he got it or not.”

  Jake grabbed his jacket. “Let’s go. Then we can hit a few of the thrift stores in the area. I mean, if that’s all right with you.”

  “There are some great ones around there. And I know of a few closer. We can just decorate around the furniture that’s already here. That way we don’t have to try to find a truck to get it delivered.”

  “I’m so glad you said that. I’ve been stressing about it all night.” Jake pulled her into a hug, but let go quickly.

  Erin pushed away the desire to keep hugging. They had things to do, and this was a business deal of sorts. Even if she kind of wished it was the real thing.

  “Hey, that’s what I’m here for.” She opened the door and stopped when a man stood outside, ready to knock. “Oh, hi.”

  “Hi. There you are, Jake.” The man smiled and looked between Erin and Jake.

  Jake stepped forward and pulled out his wallet. His face was a bright red. “Hey, Philip. Here it is. I meant to bring it by last night, but didn’t get back until late. Next month will be better. I promise this time.”

  Erin wished she could disappear, just so she could avoid Jake’s embarrassment. He wouldn’t look her in the eye as they headed down to the curb to grab a taxi. They climbed in, and Jake stared out the window. She debated saying anything, but when he’d been quiet for a few blocks, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Hey. Don’t be embarrassed. We’ve all missed rent once or twice. It’s part of starting out.” She put her hand on his arm, unsure of what else to say.

  He put his hand over Erin’s and glanced over, his blue eyes piercing into her. “Yes, well, not everyone has a beautiful woman standing there while they have to pay it.”

  Suddenly it was too hot in the car. Erin’s face now burned as she grinned like a dork. She pulled her hand away and cleared her throat. “Well, now you’re a big shot actor, so you can afford a penthouse.”

  “I don’t think two commercials will get me there quite yet. But they’ll help.” Jake smiled at her again and looked out the window. He seemed more relaxed than before, which helped Erin relax as well.

  Erin paid the driver and they climbed out. She made sure to enter the right door this time, and walked over to the receptionist.

  “Hi, I’m Erin Tyler. Mr. Smith is expecting me.” She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She met with clients all the time, but this wasn’t exactly business.

  “Take the elevator to the tenth floor. He’s expecting you.” The receptionist handed her and Jake a badge and went back to her computer.

  Erin and Jake headed for the elevator and climbed on. The music was low and peaceful. The slow beat helped calm her nerves.

  “So do you know what you’re going to say?” Jake leaned against the wall of the elevator.

  “Kind of. I’ll just explain what happened and then pray he doesn’t throw me in jail.” Erin meant it to be funny, but it just made her want to throw up.

  Jake rubbed his chin. “Good plan. Especially the not going to jail part.”

  The door opened into a large open office. The marbled floor gleamed under the thick rugs placed throughout the room. A secretary sat outside a dark cherrywood door. She looked up when they came closer.

  “Ms. Tyler?” she asked.

  “That’s me.” Erin winced. She needed to calm down and focus. She took a deep breath and straightened her jacket.

  “Go on in. He’s ready.” She gestured toward the door.

  Jake opened the door for Erin, and she walked in. The room was covered in the same cherry trim as the door. It was smaller than she’d expected, and it had several pictures of what looked like his family on the walls.

  Mr. Smith stood and held out his hand. “Ah, my favorite couple. Come on in.”

  Erin shook his hand, followed by Jake. They took the seats in front of his desk. It felt like she was back in school and sitting in the principal’s office.

  “So what brings you two here?” Mr. Smith sat and leaned forward, his hands clasped on the desk.

  Erin blushed and pulled the ring off her finger. “I was given what was supposed to be a copy of this ring, but we realized after everyone left that this was the real thing. We tried catching you, but you were already gone.”

  Mr. Smith studied Erin for a moment, then took the ring from her. His shoulders shook as he laughed. That was the last thing Erin had expected.

  “I clearly need to get better security guards. The two sets should never have been close enough to each other for something like this to happen. Thank you for returning it.”

  “Y—you’re welcome.” Erin cleared her throat, shocked at his reaction. “I’m glad it wasn’t lost as well. It’s a beautiful ring.”

  “It’s like our ad says. We only choose the best. This ring was out of the premiere collection. I’d been hesitant to use it because of its worth, but we needed something to pull people into the store.” He picked up the ring and examined it. “Now, you two just have to promise me that you’ll buy a ring from us when you decide to tie the knot.”

  Erin didn’t know what to say, but Jake jumped in. “Oh, you know we will. I only want the best for my girl.”

  Mr. Smith handed Jake a card with his name and number on it. “Call me when you’re ready and I’ll make sure you’re treated right.

  Jake put it into his wallet. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “Wonderful. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must head to another meeting. I’ll see you two on Monday.” He stood.

  “We’ll see you then. Thanks again for understanding.” Erin shook his hand and waited for Jake before leaving the office. She nodded at the secretary and walked to the elevator. She wanted to be out of the building before she said anything. Her heart still pounded in her chest. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t been angry or fired her.

  The receptionist didn’t look up as Erin and walked past her and out the door. Erin let out a deep sigh of relief. “That went way better than I’d imagined it would.”

  “I was fully expecting to have to bail you out of jail, personally.” Jake started walking down the sidewalk and Erin had to run to catch up.

  “Liar.” She laughed and walked into one of her favorite thrift stores in the area.

  Jake grinned. “Okay, so I figured he wouldn’t be as angry as you thought he would be, but I was still a little worried.”

  “Thanks for being there for me. I think it helped. Now, let’s look around here for some ideas for your apartment. If you don’t see anything you want, we’ll try somewhere else.”

  “Perfect.” He looked around and turned back to her. “Except that I have no idea what I’m looking for.”

  “Right. Okay, we need something to cover your couch. A nice blanket of some sort. Maybe a rug, and a coffee table. And then a few things to go on your walls.” Erin walked over to a box of paintings. She sorted through them and found a few pictures of the skyline, and a country landscapes. “Something like this.”

  Jake rubbed his chin while looking through them, then picked up a painting of a ranch. “I like this one. Reminds me of home.”

  “Perfect. Now we can find other things to go along with it.” Erin found a few blankets and held them out. “Pick one for your couch.”

  Jake glanced between them and then up at Erin. “What if I don’t like any of them?”

  “Then we go somewhere else. This is your apartment so yo
u have to like it.” Erin set them down and wandered through the store, while Jake looked at different trinkets.

  “What about this rug?” Jake held up the corner of a large rug he found laying over a table in the corner.

  Erin set down the lamp she’d been looking at and went back to him. “That would look good in your living room.”

  Jake checked the price and his smile dropped. “Never mind. I’m not sure I need a rug right now.”

  “Yes you do.” Erin rolled it up and put it under one arm. “It matches the picture. I’ll get it and you can pay me back. With interest.”

  Jake stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too much.”

  “Well, then, Happy Birthday.” She went to the front and paid for it, aware that Jake was staring at her from where they’d been standing. When she headed out of the store, he finally caught up.

  “I told you not to get it.” His voice was harder than Erin had heard it before.

  She turned and met his eyes. “You wanted my help, and I’m offering it. If you decide you don’t like the rug when your parents leave, I’ll put it in my own apartment, or give it to my cousin for her wedding.”

  It took a few seconds before Jake relaxed. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”

  Erin smiled mischievously. “You have no idea. Let’s head for the next store. Although, I recommend we head back toward our neighborhood. This thing is heavy.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Jake took the rug from her and hefted it over his shoulder. “So we need blankets?”

  “Yep, and some old dishes. I’d suggest a new paint job, but you probably don’t have time for that.”

  Jake checked his watch. “Not really. The walls probably just need a good scrubbing. I haven’t really had the time, and the former tenants weren’t exactly clean.”

  “That will definitely help.” Erin went downstairs to hop on the subway. “I could grab a taxi, but the rug won’t fit in the trunk.”

  Jake glanced around. “Being down here is not my favorite.”

  Erin’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I forgot about your issue with subways. We can figure out a way to make the taxi work if you want.”

  “It’s fine.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Which one do we get on?”

  “There should be one coming soon. It’s the Seventh Avenue Express.”

  Jake readjusted the rug on his shoulders and checked the map. “Yeah, I think we have about five minutes.”

  Erin watched him as his eyes followed the different routes. His jaw was still clenched, and his shoulders were stiff. “Jake, if you need to go back up and take a taxi, we can do that. Really. I just figured this would be easy with that rug.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. It’s time to become a New Yorker, right?” Jake winked at her and went back to the map.

  “I guess so.” Erin’s phone buzzed, so she changed the picture to her other arm and pulled it out. “Hello?”

  “You sound terrible. Where are you?” Debra said.

  “I’m in the subway. Is everything okay?” Erin ran through her week’s schedule in her head, trying to figure out what she could have missed.

  “Mr. Smith called and mentioned your ring was switched. How’d that happen?” Debra’s tone was a mix between annoyed and amused.

  Erin was glad Debra couldn’t see her burning face. “The security guard gave me the wrong one, and thankfully Jake noticed it. Did you not get my message?”

  “I must have missed it. You’re very lucky he likes you two so much.” Debra laughed. “That’s not why he called, however. He got a preview of the commercial, and he is raving about it. He wants a couple of other commercials shot with the two of you, and asked you to buy some more slots between now and Christmas. He raised the budget to cover it.”

  Erin’s eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s great! I’ll get on that as soon as I get home tonight.”

  I’ll see you Monday morning. And Erin? Great job.”

  The call ended just as the train pulled in. Jake had to take Erin by the elbow as they followed the other passengers onto the train.

  “Hey, Earth to Erin. What’s going on?” Jake waved his hand in front of her face. “I thought you were supposed to be helping me survive the subway.”

  Erin grinned. “Mr. Smith liked the commercial enough that he wants more.”

  “That’s fantastic.” Jake hugged her tightly to him, then leaned back to look at her. “So … does that mean I’ll be doing them?”

  “Yes, he wants the two of us.” Erin shook her head. “I have no idea how this happened.”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll take it.” Jake let go of Erin so he could readjust the rug. “How many stops do we have before we get off?”

  Erin checked the sign. “Four more stops to your apartment. There’s a cute little store nearby that will have what you need for the kitchen.”

  Jake raised his eyebrows. “Cute? Did you just say cute?”

  “Fine. It’s a nice store. Manly store. Is that better?” Erin teased. She pushed the button to open the doors of the train car and climbed out, Jake following behind.

  “Well, as long as it’s manly, I’m okay going there.” He flexed, making Erin’s heart flutter. “Hey, after we take the rug back, let’s grab some lunch before going to the store. I’m starving.”

  “Sounds good.” Erin had picked the store because it was fairly close to Jake’s apartment, and because it had lower prices than the other stores she would have picked from. They passed a few of Jake’s neighbors on the way up to his apartment, each one saying hi. Erin was impressed with how well he knew each of them, and how he joked with the kids, even when carrying the heavy rug up the stairs.

  Once they were in the apartment, Jake laid out the rug on the floor and went to go find some nails to hang the picture. Erin flopped down on his couch to rest for a moment and checked her messages. Her mom had texted to see what she was doing that night, so she texted back about her dinner plans. As she was texting Carissa about what had happened over the last couple of days, her mom called back.

  “So his parents are in town?” her mom asked before Erin could finish saying hello.

  “They should be getting here any time now.” Erin glanced up when Jake came back in the room, and held up a finger to let him know she’d be done soon. She hoped.

  “That’s great. We should meet them while they’re here,” her mom gushed.

  And this right here was what Erin had been dreading. “No, I don’t think that would work. What if they got reservations for just the four of us?”

  “Nonsense. If they’re just barely flying in, there’s no way they could have. We need to meet so we can talk wedding details.”

  Jake crouched down next to Erin and mouthed “What’s going on?”

  She pulled the phone away and whispered, “They want to meet your parents.”

  “Who are you talking to? Is that Jake?”

  “Yes, it is. I’m helping him today.” Erin watched Jake pull out his phone and text someone.

  “How sweet. Listen, you let me know when you find out more about dinner and then we’ll meet you. For now we’re going shopping. I have to find the perfect silverware for your wedding.”

  “Wait, Mom, no. Don’t worry about that right now. We haven’t even figured out a date yet.”

  Jake’s phone buzzed. “Tell your mom and dad my parents would love to meet them.”

  Erin sighed. She couldn’t believe this was happening. “Jake’s parents say dinner would be great.”

  Jake drove a nail into the wall and hung the picture.

  “Fabulous. We’ll be your house at six so we can meet them at the restaurant.” Her mom paused. “What is that noise?”

  “Jake’s hanging a picture. I better get going. I need to help him. I’ll see you at my apartment.” Erin hung up and fell back on the couch. “We’re in so much trouble.”

  “We’ll be fine. You knew they’d want t
o meet at some point. This way we just get it over with.” Jake stepped back. “How does it look?”

  Erin stood on the other side of the room. “It looks great. We just need a few other things to go around your living room, and we’ll be good.” Erin gestured to the corner by the couch. “We should probably get rid of those papers as well.”

  “Oh. I forgot to dump those.” He scooped up all but a couple of the papers into his arms. “Ready?”

  Erin grabbed the last two and opened the door. “Let’s do it.”

  Jake went out the back door to the recycle bin and dumped the newspapers inside. He took Erin’s hand and helped her through the alley. “Sorry, this probably wasn’t the best way to go, but I didn’t think you wanted all my neighbors to stare at you again.”

  “No, it’s a little embarrassing. Besides, this isn’t too bad. I’ve seen worse alleys in this city.” Erin shuddered at the thought of the smells she’d experienced.

  “Sounds like you have some interesting stories.” Jake let go of Erin’s hand once they were out.

  Erin wanted to reach out and take his hand again, but forced herself not to. She didn’t need to complicate this any more than it already was. “Okay, it’s just over here. This is where I go when I need cheap props for ads.”

  “Perfect. I like cheap. Much better than cute. Not quite as cool as manly, though.” Jake’s elbow brushed Erin’s, sending a thrill up her arm.

  “Well, you’re in luck, because it’s all three. So we can go and grab what we need and put your room together before I head to my apartment to meet my parents.” Erin stopped at the intersection and pushed the button. She glanced up and noticed he’d been looking down at her. “What?”

  “You always have everything mapped out, don’t you?” Jake held up a hand when Erin started to argue. “Don’t take that as a bad thing. I admire it. I have no idea what I’m doing after these two jobs, and you probably know exactly what you want to do. It’s pretty cool.”

  Erin stayed silent. It was true she liked things organized, but she wasn’t that predictable. She liked doing spontaneous things. Like offering him the job. Or most of what she’d done in the last couple of days. They crossed the street before she answered.