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Wednesday, late afternoon: Three days to Vegas

Nick opened the heavy glass door of the jewelry shop as the bell let out a soft jingle. He looked around the empty store as an older woman with gray hair pulled back in a low bun walked around the glass cases. She smiled as he approached her, remembering him from the other day when he had painstakingly combed through each display looking for the perfect gift.

"May I help you?"

Nick smiled back nervously. "Yes, I have a necklace on hold. Miller?"

The woman smiled warmly and nodded. "Oh yes, I remember. You can take a look around, I'll be back in just a minute."

"Thanks." Nick started to wander around, scuffing his shoes on the carpet with his hands in his pockets. He was the only one in the store, so he began to walk aimlessly, running his hand along the cool metal rim of the glass cases. He couldn't stop thinking about how important this anniversary was, and how hard he had tried to find the perfect gift for Jess.

He was lost in thought when something that reminded him of her caught his eye. He took a step toward a case with a display of glimmering rings, the various colored stones shining in the soft light of the store. His eyes focused on one ring in particular. It seemed so much like something Jess would pick out. It looked nothing like all the other rings in the case. It was elegant, yet simple. There was a larger center diamond set almost entirely into the band, surrounded by an intricately carved setting the entire way around the stone. He took a deep breath, thinking about how much she would love it something like this.

The saleswoman came back, smiling. She opened the box in her hand, holding it out for him. "Is this it?"

He glanced up just long enough to nod. "Yes...um, what is this?" He pointed to the ring. The woman smiled.

"Beautiful isn't it? I haven't seen something this exquisite come through here in a long time. It was handcrafted in the 1920s and the diamond is impeccable quality. It's not something you usually find today." Nick smiled, still looking at it. "Would you like to take a look at it?"

He didn't know why, but he nodded his head. The woman unlocked the case and put it on the counter in front of Nick. She gently pulled it out of the velvet box and held it up for him to get a closer look.

"The center diamond is almost a full carat set in platinum, and you can see the gorgeous filigree work here," she pointed to the setting surrounding the diamond. Nick swallowed hard. This ring was perfect for Jess, but he couldn't really buy this for her now.

Could he?

"Would you like to hold it?" She squinted her eyes, studying his expression carefully.

"Um, sure." He awkwardly took the delicate ring in his hand and tilted it in the light. "Thanks." There were two more small diamonds, one on either side of the center one, and he noticed something on the inside. He squinted his eyes as he angled the ring towards the light.

I always knew

He swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I um...It's really nice." He spoke quietly.

The woman paused for a moment, then held out her hand, as he reluctantly placed it in her palm. She tilted her head slightly, and watched him carefully as she spoke. "I see you noticed the engraving. With the design of the ring and the engraving on the inside, we aren't able to size this. It would have to fit someone perfectly, or the ring would lose some of it's character." Her voice was soft. "Do you know her size?"

Nick thought for a moment. He remembered a ring Jess wore on her left ring finger and she used to play with it. Sometimes she would absentmindedly put it on his finger. Which finger was it? He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He stopped and looked back at the woman, holding up his hand and giving a laugh.

"Sounds ridiculous, but she always used to stick one of her rings on my left pinky. She thought it was funny to see me raise it up when I drank beer." He laughed at the memory. Why did he even remember that right now?

She smiled. "Can I see your finger?"

He shrugged, holding out his hand. She started to put the ring on and he laughed. "Only to there though," he pointed to to just before his first knuckle. "she has really tiny fingers."

He stopped talking when the woman put the ring on his finger and smiled, clasping her hands together. "Well, seems like it would fit her perfectly!" She paused. "I remember you from the other day. You came in with two friends?" Nick nodded, as she let out a little laugh. "You girlfriend's name is...Jessica, right?"

Nick nodded, a little surprised. "It is."

"She teaches Kindergarten?"

"Middle School, actually."

She laid her hands on the case. "Yes, that's right. She sounded so lovely when you talked about her."

Nick gave a small smile feeling a little uncomfortable. Schmidt had been so obnoxious when they had come in, he tried to remember if they had said or done anything embarrassing.

She seemed to recognize his apprehension and let out a laugh. "Your friend had quite the opinion on precious metals."

Nick just rolled his eyes, his shoulders relaxing a little bit. "Our roommate, Schmidt. He has an opinion on just about everything."

She nodded and pointed once again to the ring, a gentle encouraging tone to her voice. "This seems like it would be perfect for your Jessica."

His Jessica. Of course it was. It was beautiful.

Nick's face became serious, as his pressed his lips together, running his tongue back and forth nervously on the inside of his lips. What had just happened? He held up his hand and slowly pulled the ring off his finger. He glanced at the woman and then back down at the ring, choking on his words. "It's. It's really perfect." His voice was an odd whisper. "I...Here." He nodded and handed the ring back to her and reached for the necklace. "I'm sorry, I just came to pick this up."

The woman nodded, visibly disappointed. "Did you want to know the price?"

He glanced up at her. "Hmm?"

"The price. On the ring?" She saw the disappointment in his eyes. A look that said it was better for him not to know, because he would only regret knowing he could never afford it.

His eyes blinked quickly. "No, it's fine."

The woman laid her hand gently on his left arm, as his hand held the necklace box. She tilted her head and saw a twinkle in Nick's eye, something she rarely saw. Something that told her he was head over heels for this girl. "I really can't sell this ring very easily, because it can't be sized due to it's design. It's fifteen hundred dollars."

Nick squeezed the necklace box in his hand. He knew the woman was probably being very generous with the price, but there was no way he could afford the ring, especially now that he hadn't finished discussing certain things with Clyde back at the bar. She had already been more than understanding when she had offered a payment plan for the necklace. He just shook his head, scrunching his mouth to one side.

The woman returned the ring to the box and closed it. "My husband and I have owned this store together for over forty years, and it's so nice to meet couples who mean so much to each other." She looked Nick in the eye and then her chin shifted downward. She casually flipped the box over and methodically gave it a few gentle taps before resting her hand over it. She smiled back up at Nick. "I'll go get your receipt for the necklace. You think about the ring." She winked, grabbing the necklace box and walking over to the desk behind the counter.

Nick sighed and leaned his elbows on the glass case, pushing the palms of his hands into his eye sockets. He really hoped Jess liked the necklace the guys had helped to pick out. He had never been good at this stuff. He was so self conscious and knew very little about jewelry or flowers, or any of the girly things Jess seemed to love so much. He was trying though, because for Jess, it came just a little bit easier. With his eyes still closed, he massaged his temples. He hated feeling like he couldn't do the things for Jess that he wanted to. She would love that ring.

Stop it. You can't propose to her. Not now. Not until after you know what's happening with the bar. There is no way you can get married with your life so up in the air right now. Jess deserves more than that.

He sighed and opened his eyes.

That's when he saw the price tag on the bottom of the box.

$6,000

He blinked hard and then shook his head. He turned toward the woman, her back now turned. "Wait, I'm sorry. Did you say fifteen hundred?"

She turned around very stoic, glancing at the box and then at Nick. "Yes, that's correct."

He pointed to the box, confused. "But the box says six thousand." His voice fell, knowing she clearly made a mistake. He didn't know much about jewelry, but he sure as hell knew a one carat diamond in platinum would be more than $1,500. His heart sank a little bit more. Congratulations Miller, you're even further away from proposing to her than you thought.

She turned back to what she was doing, smiling as she glanced sideways, watching Nick in the mirror. "I know. Sometimes my husband and I disagree on what makes something valuable." She watched his reflection carefully.

Nick took the box in his hand and opened it once again. He slid his wrists across the glass so he could hold it at arms length. He would never be able to find something so perfectly her again. Even though he had thought about being married to Jess plenty of times over the past year, he hadn't ever thought of actually asking her. It seemed liked something so far away, something that she would never expect right now. A smiled came across his face as a "Huh" escaped from the back of his throat. He closed the box and stood up, quickly walking over to where the woman was standing.

She pretended to not be paying attention and turned to give him a quick smile. "I'm almost finished. I'll put the ring back when I'm done"

Nick smiled, running his hand through his hair and clearing his throat. "No, I...I'll take the ring."

She turned around and smiled.

"I was wondering..." Nick nervously looked down at his hand resting on the glass, his thumb starting to twitch.

"I'll put the necklace back and extend your same payment plan for you Mr. Miller." She paused. "If that works alright for you?"

The corners of Nick's mouth turned up and he nodded slowly, whispering a grateful. "Thank you. That...Thank you." He sighed in relief as she walked over to take the box.

She laid her hand on his wrist and looked directly into his eyes. "She's a very lucky woman."

No, I'm the lucky one.

Nick slowly nodded his head as she turned around, sliding the box into a small pink gift bag and returning to the counter.

"Are you sure that's the price?" He ran his hand nervously across the back of his neck. "It just doesn't seem right to me..."

She slid the bag across the counter, crossing her arms in front of her, the ring on her hand making a tiny tapping sound on the glass. "Your girlfriend sounds very sweet, and everyone deserves a break once and awhile." She winked, her voice softening even more. "When you propose to her, don't think too hard, alright. It's not about that one moment, it's about sharing your life with her."

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to smile, but she had already started walking back to her office, humming softly. He clutched the bag tightly in his hand as he made his way back to the car.

Sharing your life with her.

Suddenly nothing else seemed to matter.