The Cheap Gift He Gave Me

Leona's POV: During the November sale, my fiancé, Conrad Pike, surprised me with a buy-one-get-one-free coffee order from Brewline Coffee for 1.90 dollars. He sent me the pickup code and told me, so lovingly, that it was his first gift to me that winter. I went to the counter, thrilled, only to learn that the girl by the window had already collected it. I walked over, pretended I was waiting for a table, and sat across from her with a friendly smile. "That 1.90-dollar deal is really working. There are lines everywhere." She stirred her drink with her straw, looking disgusted. "What's the point if it tastes like dishwater? I wouldn't touch this cheap stuff if my boyfriend hadn't insisted two-for-one was romantic. At least he knew enough to send me 9,999 dollars to make up for it." She held up her phone, practically glowing as she showed off the transfer. I could clearly see that Conrad Pike had sent it. His profile picture was the business portrait I'd spent 3,000 dollars on when I went with him to the photo shoot last month. After 7 years together, I apparently wasn't even worth a 0.95-dollar coffee. All she had to do was complain about the taste, and she got 9,999 dollars. I didn't cry or make a scene. I suggested adding each other on the app so we could split future deals, then quietly photographed the transfer on her screen. If he liked two-for-one deals so much, I'd give him a wedding gift on New Year's Day that he would never forget. ***** "We both work around here, so let's keep in touch. There are some great new restaurants nearby." Sabrina Holt eagerly accepted my friend request and set her phone facedown on the table. She swept back her hair. A diamond bracelet glittered on her wrist in the coffee shop's warm yellow light. "Isn't it gorgeous?" When she noticed me looking at it, her smile grew smugger. "My boyfriend commissioned it from a famous designer. He says it's the only one in the world. He's so particular about these things. He insists the first day of winter deserves something special. He even booked out Cloud Nine downtown for me tonight." My eyelid twitched as I looked at the bracelet. It had been made from a piece of jewelry my mother had left me when she died. Last month, Conrad had claimed he'd lost it while entertaining clients. He'd held me, looking stricken, and promised to buy me something more expensive to make up for it. "It's beautiful." I took a sip of the lemon water in front of me. "It's so hard to get a table at Cloud Nine. He must have put a lot of thought into it. What time are you going?" I asked softly. "Eight. He's insisting on picking me up himself." She stirred the coffee she'd just complained about, utterly secure in how much he spoiled her. I nodded, excused myself to use the restroom, and left the table. I pushed through the heavy fire door into the restroom corridor. Cold air blew through a half-open window. I called Emmett Rowe, a friend who'd been ahead of me in college and was now in distant Veligrad. He picked up after two rings. "Leona?" His voice was gentle. Even over the phone, it made me think of Valeska's wind and snow. "Emmett, do you still need someone for that project in Veligrad you mentioned last month?" I watched my pale reflection in the glass. My voice was surprisingly steady. "Of course. I've been keeping your place open." He seemed to sense something, but he didn't ask. "I want to come. Could you help me arrange the paperwork without anyone finding out?" "Of course. Leave it to me." After the call, I left without speaking to Sabrina again and went straight back to the office. I'd barely sat down when Conrad approached with a steaming cup of hot apple cider. He wore a tailored suit. His brow creased with concern. "Leona, why are your hands so cold?" He took my hands as naturally as ever and gently rubbed them between his palms. "Didn't you get your coffee?" He glanced at my empty desk and sighed, apparently full of regret. "It's my fault. I was so swamped with meetings that I sent the pickup code to the project group chat by mistake. I thought some new employee must have collected it without realizing. You went all that way for nothing." He lowered his head and kissed the back of my hand. "Sweetheart, I'll cancel my dinner plans and cook for you tonight. Let me make it up to you, okay?" I looked at that handsome face I knew so well. Five years ago, during the hardest winter of his startup, we'd huddled together in an unheated basement. We'd shared a bowl of instant soup. He'd put our only hard-boiled egg into my bowl. With tears in his eyes, he'd sworn he would never let me suffer again. "Okay." I pulled my hand away and picked up the cider. I said nothing about his 8 p.m. date at Cloud Nine. That evening, I sat alone in our empty living room. My best friend, Nadine Ellis, called to discuss the wedding arrangements. "Leona, keeping a business going is hard. Conrad has expenses coming at him from every direction." She hesitated before pressing on. "Maybe we should keep the wedding simple. You love each other. All that other stuff doesn't matter." Before I could answer, a playful voice came clearly through the background. "Nadine, does this outfit look good?" It was Sabrina. Then came Conrad's voice, deliberately lowered but still tender. "It's windy. Put your coat on before you go outside." My grip tightened around the phone, but my voice stayed even. "You're right. None of that matters." I ended the call without betraying anything and opened Sabrina's latest post. In the photo, Conrad was down on one knee, patiently tying her shoelace. The caption read: Thanks to my man's friends for spoiling me. Nadine and several of Conrad's core business partners had liked it. They'd all known. I was the only one they'd kept in the dark. Conrad came home at midnight, bringing the cold in with him. He wrapped his arms tightly around me from behind, tucked his chin against my neck, and nuzzled me. "Leona, you're still up?" His voice was affectionate and a little tired. "I had to entertain some important clients tonight. I drank a little too much. But it's worth it, no matter how hard I have to work, if it gives us a better future." I turned and helped him out of his perfume-scented coat. A folded slip fell from his pocket and fluttered onto the carpet. It was a VIP prenatal appointment booking at a private hospital. Conrad had signed it. The patient was unmistakably Sabrina. I didn't question him. I bent down, photographed the slip, and put it back in his pocket exactly as I'd found it.