Then pushed it across the counter toward Naomi.
The card slid farther than he expected.
It struck the edge.
Dropped to the marble floor.
The small sound was almost nothing.
Still, everyone nearby heard it.
Naomi looked down.
Then back at him.
Elliot seemed to realize how it looked.
Too late.
“I’m going to ask you to wait near reception while we verify this.”
Naomi said nothing.
He mistook silence for embarrassment.
“You’re welcome to look at the public collection while we do.”
Naomi slowly removed her right glove.
One finger at a time.
She placed it beside her handbag.
Then she asked:
“Do you treat every client like this?”
Elliot’s jaw tightened.
“Like what?”
“Like they require financial clearance before courtesy.”
“That is not what’s happening.”
“What is happening?”
“I’m protecting the boutique.”
“From me?”
“From irregular situations.”
Naomi looked down at the black card lying near her heel.
Then back.
“You may want to pick that up before your employer sees it.”
Elliot almost laughed again.
“My employer trusts my judgment.”
This time Naomi did smile.
It was not triumphant.
Almost sad.
“That may be the problem.”
Behind him, a door opened.
The private showroom entrance.
Victor Bellamy stepped onto the floor carrying a black velvet jewelry case.
He was sixty-two and moved with the careful confidence of someone who had spent his life handling objects worth more than houses.
His white hair was brushed neatly backward. He wore a midnight-blue suit with no tie and the slightly absent expression of a craftsman who had spent most of the evening staring at gemstones through magnification.
Behind him walked Celeste Maron, Maison Bellamy’s head jeweler.
Two security employees followed at a respectful distance.
Victor looked toward the center of the boutique.
Saw Naomi.
His face immediately brightened.
“There you are.”
Elliot turned.
Victor approached quickly.
“Naomi, forgive me. The clasp adjustment took ten minutes longer than expected.”
The showroom became quiet.
Elliot looked at Naomi.
Then Victor.
Victor stopped directly in front of her.
“You’ve been waiting?”
Naomi glanced at the floor.
Victor followed her eyes.
The black appointment card rested beside the showcase.
His expression changed.
He bent before anyone else could move and picked it up.
When he straightened, he looked toward Elliot.
“Why was this on the floor?”
Elliot swallowed.
“There was some confusion.”
Victor looked at Naomi.
“What confusion?”
Naomi did not answer immediately.
Elliot stepped in.
“She came in without clearly identifying herself. I was verifying the appointment.”
Victor stared.
“She is the appointment.”
A woman near the sapphire case slowly lowered her champagne glass.
Elliot forced a smile.
“Of course. I understand that now.”
Victor’s expression remained unreadable.
“Did you?”
Elliot glanced toward Naomi.
The silence around them became unbearable.
Victor turned back to her.
“I’m sorry.”
Naomi nodded once.
Victor opened the black velvet case.