Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
She glanced at her iWatch. He seemed to be closing a bit early.
Archer removed something from the box—an old camera.
“What kind of camera is this?” he asked as he turned to face her and placed it in her eager hands.
“Oh my God, Archer. Do you know what this is?!”
“No.” He chuckled. “That’s why I asked you.”
“Oh, yes, right… I’m just excited to see somethin’ like this is all. This is a Voigtländer. It’s got a 6x9 medium format, 105mm f4.5 Apo-Lanthar lens and the original Lanthanum glass outfit!”
“I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about, Honey, but it sounds sexy.”
They both burst out laughing.
“It’s actually in really good condition for its age, too. No dings, dents, or major marks. Chrome finish… very clean. Leatherette is all intact.” She turned it to and fro, then whistled when she read the price tag. $6,300.00. “I’m not going to say it’s not worth that, because it is… but damn. This is a beauty though. A real find for collectors.”
“Explain to me how it works. I want to learn more about it.”
She gave him a suspicious look but humored him, nonetheless. Something was off about the man. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she could feel it. Archer was encouraging with her profession, and he was kind about it, too, especially considering his past dealings with people in her line of work, but this seemed a bit much. It was at that same point that she noticed the shop owner hanging on to her every word. In fact, he was only about ten feet away, grinning in much the same way he’d done when they first walked in.
Okay, so basically I’m trapped in here with two weirdos. That old ass man has locked me in this motherfucker, and Archer is acting like he gives a shit about a camera, yet I know he doesn’t.
“Well? Tell me?” Archer snatched her out of her thoughts.
“So, you see this here?”
“Yeah.”
“I can just screw it off like this… hold on… something is in here…” She gave the camera a gentle shake. “It’s really old. Might be some debris…” She carefully removed the camera lens cap, but was unable to see what the trouble was. And then, she saw it: A small dark blue velvet bag. “Hold on… Why would a little bag be in here? Someone must’ve left it,” she mumbled. The shop owner had inched a little closer. “Sir, there’s somethin’ in here.” She swung the little container to and fro. “You might want to contact the original owners who gave it to you for consignment.”
The man shook his head and when she looked at Archer, he had his gaze glued to the floor, his finger beneath his nose as if he were trying to keep from laughing. But it was too late. His shoulders were going up and down as he tried to suppress it.
I will drop kick both of you bastards… “Hey, what’s going on here?”
No one answered. Her heart galloped in her chest when she returned her attention once again to the box. She opened the pouch and removed a ring box.
“Oh my God…” Archer was now gazing in her eyes. The shop owner had drawn even closer, his eyes thoughtful and warm, and his complexion deeper. Slowly, Honey opened the box and was nearly blinded by a large square shaped diamond with a platinum setting. “Oh my God!” she cried again when Archer dropped down to one knee and slowly took the box from her grip. The shop owner swept in and took the camera from her, leaving her with only the ring and her heart in her gut as the truth of the matter hit her like a ton of bricks.
Her hand trembled as he held it while looking up at her with those remarkable gray eyes of his.
“The other day you and I had a talk about the future. Everything seemed aligned. We both want similar things out of life. You’re… beautiful. Inside and out.” Her face warmed. “You’re like one of the smartest people I’ve ever met… and you’re so damn strong. Your resolve and willpower astound me, Honey. We have our own interests and desires, and some of those desires overlap. We have a lot in common, and that… that is what I need in a life partner.
“Someone who gets me, but is also different enough from me to help me in the areas that need improvement. Keeps me on my toes. I explained to you that, uh, after a situation when I was younger… I can’t have kids. I wanted to be upfront with you. Allow you to choose. I figured with you wanting to have a baby in the future as you had told me some time ago, that would rule me out of your life, but then you told me that we could adopt, and it wasn’t a deal breaker. You put my concerns at ease… ’cause love isn’t selfish, baby, and I’d never want to be the reason why you couldn’t be a mother. I was thankful you were open to other options to make that dream come true, and you’d have my full support. Honey, I love you so, so much.” He paused to take a deep breath. “You’re the other half of me. Now that I know you exist, I feel whole. I can never let go of this feeling. You make me wanna be better than I was the day before. I don’t want to live my life without you. Will you marry me?”