“Thank you,” she murmured.

She descended on the display of necklaces first and pretended intense interest in gaudy designs that she wouldn’t ever wear. Then she moved to the earrings. When she finally got to the rings, she looked at each one twice and then struggled to hide her disappointment. Her grandmother’s diamond was nowhere in sight. Julie had been in desperate straits when she’d hocked it in order to finish the renovations of her shop. At the time, she’d believed she would soon be making good money and would be able to redeem the heirloom. Only that hadn’t happened. It had taken a while for business at the Morning Grind to pick up, and she’d barely broken even that first year.

Blackie, who’d been watching her, asked, “Are you sure you’re not looking for something in particular?”

She forced a smile. “Oh, no. I’m just dreaming.”

He searched her gaze. They had become friends over time, because he often came to her shop in the afternoon after her lunch-hour rush, making it possible for her to visit with him, but she still hated it when he looked into her eyes. She felt as if he looked deeper and saw more than she would like. Since her divorce and all the gossip that followed, she’d become a person who valued her privacy.

His full mouth tipped into a slight smile. “I still remember that ring you sold me a couple of years ago. I knew then that it was special to you, so if you ever want to redeem it, I have it on hold in the back room.”

Julie could scarcely believe her ears. “What? Why on earth didn’t you sell it?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Sometimes I can tell when people are forced to hock something that’s precious to them. When that happens, I do my best to keep the item.” He grinned in a self-deprecating way. “I’m no saint. Don’t get me wrong. If I got hard up for cash, I’d sell a lock of my mother’s hair. But I’ve done well here. I own my shop and upstairs apartment. No mortgage payment hanging over my head, and I live simply. The shop supports me in fine style.”

He stepped into the back room and returned a moment later with a small, white box. When he stepped to the counter and lifted the lid to let Julie see inside, she felt tears gathering in her eyes. The diamond-and-emerald setting was just as beautiful as she remembered.

“Oh, my stars! I can’t believe you kept it for so long.” Her joy dimmed slightly as reality sank in. Blackie purchased items to make a profit, and it still remained to be seen if she could afford to buy the piece of jewelry back. “How much?”

“I never charge a redemption fee. I just ask to be reimbursed for what I paid for an item.” He shrugged again. “Well, for something large, I might charge a nominal storage fee, but this ring took up very little space.”