Tobias: Book One of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Do you need help finding anything?” one of the employees at the small, classic store asked her.

“Uh, yes,” Jane answered nervously, a hot sweat beginning to collect beneath her under arms and on top of her brow. “Do you have any necklaces for m-men?” she stuttered a little, following the sales clerk over to a finely illuminated glass case that held a very wide variety of necklaces, bracelets, watches, and rings.

Her wet shoes didn't even make a sound as all of their excess moisture was soaked up by the thin, golden carpeting that reflected the dim lighting above. Shelves lined up with every jewelry piece, antique, and trinket imaginable caressed the walls and were arranged as a square right in the center of the store. Peppermint and a soft hint of some spice invaded the room, not choking the customer yet not weak enough to be completely ignored.

“Yes, ma'am,” the middle-aged woman repeated, a glint in her eye that promised of a sale. “We also offer different services; such as, engraving, exquisite molding, and personal designs that customers just love. They are all showed in this case here." The sales clerk gestured to their impressive men's collection. “Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?”

“Maybe a uhm...necklace or something. Not too bulky, I guess.”

“I have just what you need." The sales clerk's eyes lit up, and she bent down quickly to retrieve a few items still in their cases. “Here's a traditional, golden dog tag. If you look closely enough, you will see an array of diamonds that possess G color, which is practically flawless and some of the best you can get here in Faulkner, Colorado.”

Jane looked at it closely, playing around with the thin, shiny object using only the smooth pads of her fingertips. And just like the sales clerk had said, she could indeed see the small, little diamonds that were scattered randomly all over the plate. It was perfect.

“Okay." She smiled anxiously at the woman. "How much is it?”

“It's on sale. Practically a steal at three hundred and fifty dollars. Our own artisan, Matthew Hollands, carved and polished it himself.”

“Do you have any chains that go along with it? Or some type of leather possibly for a necklace?” Jane inquired, still fiddling around with the piece.

She followed the sales clerk over to the middle square of cases, glad that she was the only customer at the moment. Her heart rate had already kicked up by at least ten upon entering the store, and she didn't know if she could really handle any more people. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she looked in awe at all of their merchandise.

Gold, silver, leather, and just plain braided fabrics were showed brilliantly in the glass compartment, all shrugging their imaginary shoulders. And then she saw it. With the surface area slightly frayed, a thin piece of corded leather sat snugly within a cushioned, silk box. It was one large loop that would fit perfectly around Tobias's broad neck, and she almost reached for it until she remembered the glass.

“Could I take a look at that one? With the leather?” She pointed, and watched as the ecstatic sales clerk snatched it out of the case.

“Excellent choice. This is actually the tanned hide of a grey wolf that was transported all the way up from Canada. Beautiful animal, the wolf. As you can see, the corded leather was tanned and doused in dry oil for months in order to strengthen it. It truly is a masterpiece.”

Managing to not roll her eyes at the sales clerk's pitch, she went for the more straightforward approach, “How much does it cost?”

“On sale, seventy dollars,” the middle aged woman explained, her smile losing a few watts. “Are you interested in purchasing the item?”