"Over here," said Jim, flagging them toward us.

"What's going on?" asked one of them, a short, stocky man with black hair and glasses.

"She fainted," said Jim, pointing to Vanda.

"I'm fine now, though," she said, looking embarrassed again. "You don't have to waste your time here. Go and help someone who really needs it."

"You should still let them look at you," said Tim, also looking concerned.

"What happened?" asked the man, whose nametag read "Phil."

Vanda tried explaining that she'd fainted because she hadn't been eating right or sleeping enough. When she was finished, the other paramedic, a woman named Bonnie, offered to assess her vital signs.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," said Bonnie. "Sometimes, you think you know... but you really don't."

"Exactly," said Tim, walking back toward his customer. "We don't want anything happening to you, Vanda. Let them check you out."

"Fine," she said, looking defeated. She turned to me. "Could you stay inside and watch the store? I'll be right back."

"Of course."

"I'll go with them," said Jim, as the two paramedics led Vanda away. "She's so stubborn that even if something was wrong, she wouldn't tell us."

"I know. Thanks."

While they were outside, two other customers walked into the store and I managed to sell one of them an expensive ruby ring, even though my mind was on my mother the entire time I was presenting it. The fact that she'd been having headaches and had gone as far as to see a doctor about them, worried me.

"Your wife is going to love the ring," I told the man after wrapping it up for him in Christmas paper and decorating it with a bow. "And... thanks so much for your business. We really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome," he said, just as my mother and Jim walked back into the shop. "Enjoy your Christmas."

"You, too."

"Merry Christmas," said Vanda, as the customer walked by her.

"You, too, Vanda. Take care of yourself," he replied.

"I will. Thank you."

"What did they say?" I asked when she approached the register.

"Just like I said, I'm fine. I just need to eat better and rest more."

"Okay, well that's good news," I replied. "I'll go and get you that sandwich you wanted."

"And the orange juice," she said.

I smiled. "Of course."

"I'm going to go and sit down in back," she said and then turned to Jim. "If we get too busy, call me on the intercom. Gerald should be back soon, but it will just be Tim on the floor until then."

"You just go back and put your feet up," he scolded. "And let me worry about the customers."

"Fine," she huffed. "But, like I said "

"Mom, the store will be fine. Go in back and relax. I'll be back in a jiffy."

"You two. What would I do without you?" she said, her eyes growing misty.

I kissed her on the cheek. "What would we do without you? Now, go and do what Jim said. He has a gun. I wouldn't piss him off."

"Fine," she replied, smiling at him.

I grabbed my purse and jacket, then drove to a small deli that I knew my mother frequented. After purchasing a turkey sandwich and a bottle of orange juice, I drove back to the shop, all the while re-thinking my plans to move out of her house. After watching Vanda faint, I didn't know if I had it in me to leave her alone in the house.

"Here you go," I said, handing her the bag of food. She was in her office and on her computer.

"Thanks. Just set it there," she said, pointing.

"What are you doing?" I asked, setting it down on her desk.

"Just checking on the company finances."

"Oh."

"Tell me the truth," she said, opening up the bag of food. "When I'm gone, would you be happy running this shop?"

My eyes widened. "I don't know. Why are you bringing this up?"

"I won't be around forever and I'm just curious as to what you'd like to do with the company? Run it? Sell it?"

"You're really making me nervous with all of this talk about death," I replied.

"I know, but it's a part of life, Adriana." She unwrapped the sandwich. "Oh, this looks so good. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"The fact is that I'm no spring chicken," said Vanda, looking back at me. "And that's why I need to start thinking about the future of this company. Are you interested in running it?"

"I guess so," I replied. "I mean, it's why I'm taking the classes that I am."

She nodded and smiled. "Good. I just wanted to know for sure."

"I'd better get back out there. By the way, Gerald is back," I told her.

"I know."

I stared at her, still uneasy. "Mom, I'm worried about you. Are you sure you're not holding something back from me?"

"No, don't be silly. I just need to take better care of myself. That's all. You just worry about yourself, okay?"

"Fine," I replied. "And you'd better. You gave us all quite a scare when you fainted."

"I know. I'm sorry. See, I'm eating," she said and took a bite of her sandwich.

Satisfied, I turned and left her office.

Chapter Forty-one.

The rest of the day flew by because we were so busy. Around six, my mother ordered pizza, under Jim's orders, and each of us took breaks to eat when time allowed.

"Trevor is here," informed my mother, around nine-thirty. I'd just finished with a customer and was in the back, nibbling on the last few slices of pizza.

"Oh. Okay," I replied, wiping my mouth "At least one of us has a big appetite," she said, smiling.

"I'm definitely not lacking there," I replied, turning the sink on to wash my hands.

"He's looking at rings."

I turned to look at her. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded.

I grinned.

Vanda looked uneasy. "Things are getting serious between you?"

I turned off the water and grabbed a paper towel. "Yes, Mom. I told you before we're in love."

"Love. You barely know each other."

I dried my hands. "I don't know about that. We've been spending a lot of time together. I think we know each other pretty well, especially after Hawaii. He's a good man, despite what you think of him. You just need to get to know Trevor better."

She didn't reply.

I walked around her and stepped into the shop, happy that my shift was almost over. When I spotted him, he was looking at engagement rings with Tim. He had on the leather jacket his grandmother had given him, and his hair was pulled into a ponytail.

"Hi," I said, approaching them.

Trevor gave me one of his sexy smiles and the light blue shirt he wore under his jacket made his eyes pop. "Hello, beautiful. Am I glad to see you..."

"Bad day" I asked, as Tim smiled at me and quietly walked away.

"Not really. I just missed you," he said, leaning forward to kiss me.

"I missed you, too," I said, when we pulled away.

"Hello, Trevor," said my mother, approaching us.

"Hello," he said, his expression more guarded.

"You look very nice," she replied, smiling at him with real warmth this time.

He grinned. "Well, thank you, Vanda." He looked down at his jacket. "Glad you approve."

"You clean up nice. Tell me, did you ride your motorcycle tonight?"

He laughed. "No. Believe it or not, I have a truck. I'd prefer the bike, but it doesn't travel well this time of the year."

"No, I'm sure it doesn't." She looked down at the rings under the glass. "Are you shopping for something? Or just waiting for Adriana?"

Without answering directly, he looked down and pointed at one of the diamond rings a one-and-a-half carat princess-cut solitaire. "I was looking at that. It's gorgeous," he said and then looked at me. "Do you like it?"

I knew that particular ring was over twelve grand. "It's beautiful, but "

"But, nothing," said Vanda. "I thought I trained you better, Adriana. Never say something like that to a potential customer. Would you like to see the ring?"

"Sure," he replied, winking at me.

Vanda opened up the case and took the ring out. She held it up to the light. "This one is almost completely flawless and do you see the color? There is none. It's very rare."

"It's also very expensive," I said. "There are others that are also beautiful and you don't have to take out a second mortgage to make a purchase."

"We have financing," said Vanda, smiling. "If you'd like to see if you qualify?"

"I can't see why I wouldn't. My credit is kick ass," he said. "Try it on, Kitten."

Mom turned to me, her eyebrow raise. "Kitten?"

"Pet name, obviously," I said, wishing she'd go away.

"I see. Why don't you try it on, Kitten?" she asked with a smile.

I'd already tried it on before. Many times. It was the nicest one we carried, outside of the vault. The pricier rings weren't even in the showroom. This particular diamond was gorgeous but as far as I was concerned, not necessary. Even with a family discount, it would still be thousands of dollars.

"No, that's okay," I said.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, try it on. You know you want to," she said, handing it to me.

"Fine," I said, taking it. I slid it over my finger and noticed that it was very snug.

"No problem. We can always get it resized," said Vanda. "Or, you can cut back on your sodium intake."