The Scent of Suspicion
The maternity wing of Luxe & Cradle was less of a store and more of a sanctuary. The air was thick with the scent of expensive lavender and the soft clinking of crystal flutes. Jessica sat in a plush velvet armchair, her hand resting over her belly, watching her sisters and her mother sift through racks of Pima cotton and hand-spun silks.
Her mother, holding up a tiny cashmere sweater, sighed dramatically. "It really is a shame—and rather awe-inspiring—Jessica, you doing all of this to help another woman finally realize her dream of having a baby, and you bless her with two."
Angelica Lance smiled over at her eldest daughter with warm, affectionate pride. "A woman of your status—carrying two for another—is admirable and unheard of."
Jessica cast her eyes downward, playing the part of the tragic martyr to perfection. "I try not to complain, Mother. I know Christopher and Gladys deserve so much more."
Virginia pursed her lips and frowned at her oldest sister. "Yes, yes. But what exactly are you getting from the Patricks, sister dear?"
"Both you and Amber need to be more respectful of the feelings of others," her mother snapped, her voice sharpening as she looked at Virginia. Amber looked up with a confused frown as Angelica began to berate her two younger daughters. "Amber is so caught up in her 'achievements' and her 'businesses' that she's forgotten the importance of family harmony. She knows Jessica's history with Dan. To be so public with their... display... it's insensitive. And you—"
Angelica shook her head at her youngest daughter. "You and your jealousy have always put you at odds with your eldest sister. You need to learn to accept and embrace your limitations without projecting your frustrations onto others."
Virginia, who was leaning against a display of silver rattles, felt a prickle of irritation. She had seen the way Dan looked at Amber in his videos and since their return. It wasn't a "display." It was a man in love. She looked at Jessica, seeing the way her sister's eyes tracked every word their mother said like a predator marking a trail.
"Amber isn't trying to be insensitive, Mom," Virginia said carefully. "She's happy. Finally. And Dan is taking care of her. Isn't that what we should want? I mean, they are married. And as far as me being jealous..." She scoffed, but before she could continue, her aunt interrupted.
"At the expense of her own sister's peace of mind?" their aunt chimed in, tutting as she examined a silk gown. "Jessica is the one who needs the support right now. Amber should be more mindful."
Jessica hid a smirk behind her glass of sparkling cider. She could see the seeds of resentment she had planted taking root in her mother's mind. By the time she was ready to use Anthony's "gift," Angelica would already be predisposed to believe that Amber was the villain who had driven Dan to "exhaustion" or "confusion." This would lead her to take up her eldest daughter's cause and fight for her against any family accusation.
Amber surreptitiously placed her hand on her stomach and calmed herself. She was suddenly glad to have kept her news secret. She would not allow stress to steal a second child from her grasp.
As the group moved toward the dressing rooms, Virginia caught Amber's eye. It suddenly felt like they had been invited to some sort of intervention or reckoning.
Virginia looked to her aunt. "So you believe all of Jessica's antics..."
Angelica spun around, her eyes roving back and forth as if making sure no one overheard, and she spoke in a harsh whisper. "I have already told you, Virginia. We are not going to shame your sister for something done in an emotional, hormone-driven state."
She relaxed her shoulders, then smiled at Jessica. "Come. I want to see you in all of these."
When they finally walked away from the boutique an hour later, Virginia and Amber both had strained looks on their faces. They felt like they had just been given an edict that must be followed without question.
Virginia reached for her phone and sent a quick text.
Virginia: I am tired. I cannot go through four more hours of this.
Amber Ann: Agreed. But I am not telling mother that.
Virginia: 🐔
Amber Ann: You tell her then.
Virginia: 🙄
Virginia put her phone away with a smile. "Mother, it has been so fun shopping with you. But I really need to get back to work."
"So do I, Mom." Amber spoke casually, but Jessica heard the strain in her voice and smiled slyly. "I took on too much work and I had to see a doctor. I have been prescribed rest." She looked to Jessica, and her eyes narrowed, but her voice remained pleasant. "If you need anything, Jessica, please don't hesitate to ask. I am really proud of you helping Christopher and Gladys like this. I know her family, and I heard she had been in a deep depression."
Jessica smiled thinly but spoke in an appreciative tone. "Thank you for your support, Amber. I will take you up on the offer." As she spoke the last sentence, Jessica's smile turned cunning and her eyes twinkled with a predator's light.
Both Amber and Virginia shivered but forced themselves not to look at each other. As soon as the family separated, the texting started again.
Virginia: Do you think Mom truly believes her?
Amber Ann: Of course she does. Only Daddy can break Jessica's hold over her. Did you see how she looked at me in the end?
Virginia: Yes. She still wants Dan, Amber Ann. You two need to be careful. Maybe even call Samuel.
Amber Ann: Sigh. You're right. I will talk to him. Love you. Virginia: ❤️
The next morning, Amber took a deep breath of the crisp Carson City air, trying to shake off the lingering unease from the previous day of shopping with the Lance women. She stood in the center of the new Carson City Business Park, which was currently mostly a skeletal frame of steel and dust. But where others saw a mess, Amber saw a masterpiece.
She wasn't wearing heels today. She and Dan had a long discussion the night before—over a quiet dinner—that she would stay away from heels as much as possible, take her prenatal vitamins, and try not to work as hard. Two out of three wasn't bad.
She was in her rugged boots, a hard hat perched over her long braid, and she was currently standing on a crate, pointing a laser measure at a vaulted ceiling—and she had remembered her vitamins that morning.
"The Scent Gallery needs to be the anchor," Amber told the lead architect, her voice echoing in the vast space. "If Mrs. Simmons is bringing in high-end fragrances, we can't have the HVAC system mixing the scents. I want a localized, negative-pressure ventilation system for A1. It needs to be a pure sensory experience. When a client walks in, they shouldn't smell the nail salon behind them or whatever business opens on either side of them."
The architect nodded, impressed. "We can integrate that into the 'Liquid Stone' pillars. We can hide the vents in the decorative scrollwork."
"Perfect," Amber said, hopping down from the crate with a grace that didn't betray her secret for a second. "And for the salon, I want the 'Lapis' theme to continue. Let's use the crushed lapis-lazuli finish on the low, curving wall in the center of the main room that will serve as the reception desk. It should feel like being in the center of a jewel box."
She spent the next hour walking the floor, adjusting the flow of the corridors so that they felt like a natural progression from "Luxury" to "Lounge." She was in her element—shaping the world to her vision.
"You're a terrifying woman when you have a blueprint in your hand," a voice joked from the shadows.
Amber turned, a bright smile breaking across her face. "David! I didn't hear you come in."
David walked forward, but he wasn't carrying his usual camera gear. He looked uncharacteristically nervous, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He waited until the architects had moved to the other side of the building before he spoke.
"Am, I need your brain. Not the business brain—the 'you know Cristina better than anyone' brain."
Amber's eyes lit up. She wiped a smudge of drywall dust from her cheek. "This sounds serious. Is this about what I think it's about?"
David pulled a small, velvet-lined box from his pocket and opened it. Inside sat a heavy, ornate antique ring. It featured a massive, high-clarity diamond set in a swirling, Edwardian gold filigree. It was a museum piece—breathtakingly beautiful and clearly worth a fortune.
"It was my great-grandmother's," David said, his voice quiet. "She wore it through everything. It's a family heirloom. But... I look at it, and then I think about Cristina, and I feel like it's just... not her. But I am not sure what to change—or how to make it special for her."
Amber took the ring, turning it in the light.
She loved the history of it, the way the gold had been worn smooth by a century of life. But she knew her best friend. Cristina found diamonds "predictable."
"You're right, David," Amber said, her mind already racing with a design. "The setting is a masterpiece, but the stone is too traditional for her. Cristina needs something with a bit of mystery. Something that reflects her strength."
She looked at the gold swirls. "What if we pull the diamond? Save it. Keep it in the family vault for when you and Cristina have children—you can use it to create something for them later. But for the engagement ring... imagine a deep, blood-red garnet in the center. A stone of protection and passion—and Cristina's birthstone and favorite gem."
David's eyes widened as he visualized it. "A garnet?"
"Yes. And we surround it with a halo of black diamonds," Amber continued, her creative spark catching fire. "The contrast of the deep red and the shimmering black against that old gold... it would be striking. It's modern-gothic. It's exactly Cristina's aesthetic. It says 'I know you,' David. Not 'I bought you what society expects.'"
David took a long, shaky breath, a look of immense relief washing over him. "That's it. That's exactly it. I could see her wearing that. I couldn't see her wearing the diamond." He looked at Amber with profound gratitude. "Thank you."
Amber smiled, but it was a soft, bittersweet expression. She thought of the baby growing inside her, the time spent with Dan in the Himalayas, and the way Dan had finally seen her truth.
"Because I spent a long time being seen as a 'diamond' when I was really a 'biochemist,' David. I know what it feels like when someone finally sees the real stone."
She handed the box back to him. "Go to the jeweler on 4th Street. Tell them I sent you. They have the best black diamonds in the state."
David smiled, the first half of his plan complete. He truly would never have come up with the right design for the ring himself. When he had first thought about asking Cristina to marry him, the smile had dropped from her face almost instantly when she saw the original ring in a picture.
He had laughed then and said he would figure it out.
He looked to Amber, a smile in his eyes. "Now you need to help me plan the proposal. Location, how I will propose—everything."
Amber smiled brightly. "I have the perfect place. The new teahouse will be complete in two weeks—that should give enough time for the ring to be finished. We can have the docks leading to the teahouse decorated, and we can tell her it is for the grand opening. It's a beautiful spot, David." Her eyes went dreamy for a moment. "I would even love to be married there."
She shook herself out of her daydream and looked back at him. "Cristina will love it."