“Gemma, may I?” Elodie piped up. “I’m sorry for turning you away from what’s rightfully yours. I hope you’ll forgive me. And you were right about what you said: The company has become stagnant. We need new energy. And I hope that energy will come from you.”

“From me?”

“I want to offer you a design position with Pavlin & Co. It would be entry-level—you would be part of a team under our head designer. But there’s room to grow. There’s a future for you at Pavlin & Co if you’d like it.”

Gemma, stunned, glanced at Celeste. Where had this come from? Celeste smiled.

“I don’t get it,” she said.

“I’ve seen you at work this summer. I’ve seen how people respond to your designs. You’d be an asset to Pavlin & Co. It’s as simple as that. I would offer this to you even if you were a stranger.”

Here it was—a moment she had dreamed about as a teenager, only to realize it would never happen. But what if it could?

Gemma bit her lip. She knew, standing in the moonlight, flanked by her mother’s sisters, that she didn’t need to work at Pavlin & Co to make her life complete. She’d come to her aunts looking for a diamond, and instead found her family.

“Thank you, Aunt Elodie,” she said. “I’ll think about it. But first, can we agree on one thing? No auction. Tell Sloan Pierce it’s off.”

“Agreed,” said Elodie.

“Are you two really negotiating right now?” said Maud. “Please, let’s stay in the moment. Gemma, you need to focus on what you most want to bring into your life.”

Looking at the silvery water, at the stillness punctuated only by the rolling tide, she missed Sanjay with a physical ache. What did she want most in the world? The answer was clear to her.

“I want Sanjay back.” There it was. She couldn’t deny it: She wanted the true love Maud had promised earlier in the summer.

“Good,” said Maud. “Now we’re ready to release the past. Gemma, since you’re the last one holding the ring, I ask you to step into the water and toss it as far as you can manage. And in your mind, hold the thought that you are intentionally letting it go.”

“Won’t the tide just bring it back in?” Elodie said.

An amused smile played at Maud’s lips. “We must trust the universe to accept what we’re offering it,” she said.