A weight she’d been carrying around all day lifted as she realized it was true. She and Quentin would always be just fine. “Let’s go get that drink. Then we can talk dinner.”
“For someone who can’t weigh much more than a hundred pounds, you sure do think about food a lot.”
“It’s a curse being this small because I do like to eat. Especially when you’re cooking.” Taking the stairs at a quick pace, she avoided obstacles in the storage area to reach the rear door. “How’re plans for the Poseidon Grill coming along?”
“Not bad.” He stood close behind her while she locked up and then took her arm. “I offered the manager position to one of my people in Seattle. Braden’s young and eager with a wife and new baby. He was thrilled with the opportunity and the promotion. Siren Cove is a great place to raise a family.”
Paige turned her face up to sniff the salt-scented breeze blowing off the ocean as they walked the short distance to Castaways. “How about the rest of the staff?”
“I’ll probably promote from within for the executive chef position, but we’ll hire everyone else locally. My hope is a lot of the old crew from back when the restaurant was being run properly will return.”
“I know a few former employees who are still looking for work. My guess is you won’t have a hard time finding people.”
“I hope not.” He opened the bar door to a blast of warmth. When Leah waved from a table near the windows, he guided Paige over with a hand on her back.
Leah rose and hugged Quinten first and then Paige. A quick glance toward Quentin followed by a questioning look spoke more clearly than words. Apparently Nina had mentioned the now infamous kiss to their mutual friend. Paige gave her a subtle thumbs-up. Relief eased across Leah’s features.
When Quentin broke off a brief conversation with Ryan, Paige reached in for a hug. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I spent some time in Portland last week on business. As soon as school lets out for the holiday break, Leah and I are heading over to my house in Sisters so I can do a little rock climbing.”
Paige glanced from Ryan to Leah. “You’ll be here for Christmas, won’t you?”
“Sure. We’ll return before the Winter Ball since I’m on the planning committee this year.” Leah sipped her wine as the cocktail waitress approached. “What are you two drinking?”
Paige smiled at the older woman who stopped beside their table. “Hi, Janice. I’ll have the house Chardonnay.”
“A draft ale, please,” Quentin added.
“Coming right up.” With a quick nod, she hurried away.
“Speaking of the Winter Ball . . .” Leah pinned Quentin to his chair with a determined look. “We need bachelors to auction off for our fundraiser. I’m sure you’d love to participate.”
“Can I just write a check instead?”
“That’s not how it works. If we don’t have enough men donating their time, the event will fall flat. It’s one evening out of your life for the date. Who knows, you might even have fun.”
“You’re kidding, right? I’d rather pick up trash along the highway.”
“I can arrange that, too, if you’d like.” Leah’s tone was completely serious.
Ryan took a swig of his beer. “You may as well cave in now. You know my wife won’t back down until you do.”
“Fine,” Quentin said. “Sign me up. I’ll probably survive.”
“Way to be a good sport. I may even bid on you. The least I can do is run up your price since I have a feeling the winning bid will be more than I can afford.”
“Gee, you’re all heart, Paige.” He smiled at the waitress when she returned with their drinks. “Thanks, Janice.”
“You’re welcome. Another round for you and Leah, Ryan?”
“We’re good.” Leah spoke before he could answer. “My mission here is accomplished, so we’ll be leaving soon. I have English essays to grade.”
“And here I thought you initiated a night out because you missed me,” Quentin said as Janice departed.
Leah laughed. “That, too, but my duty on the committee is to round up victims . . . uh, I mean volunteers. You’re a big score.”
“I’ll figure out a way to get even—I mean thank you—later.”
Paige drank her wine while the others discussed a controversial film they’d seen recently, but her mind wasn’t on the conversation. She loved hanging out with her friends, but it would be nice to have a man look at her the way Ryan watched Leah. Every time he glanced her way, his eyes softened, and a small smile curved his lips. Paige was pretty sure no guy had ever looked at her with such love and devotion. Which was probably why she was still single.
“You’re awfully quiet.” Quentin closed a hand over hers. “Usually you have an opinion on hot topics.”
“Huh? Oh, I didn’t see the movie. I didn’t feel like watching it alone.” She winced. “Wow, I sound pathetic. Maybe I really should buy myself a date at the Winter Ball.”
Leah pushed her chair back. “Or quit being so damn picky. Men ask you out all the time. You should stop saying no.”
“Maybe I will. Are you leaving?”
“Yep.” She rose to her feet and waited for Ryan to help her with her jacket. “I have a bunch of essays to read tonight, along with a math lesson to plan.”
“I’d rather scrub rust off a pair of andirons.”
“To each her own.” Leah dropped a kiss on Quentin’s cheek. “Have a nice evening, and thanks for being a good sport about the bachelor auction.”
“I don’t mind doing my part for the good of the community.”
Ryan pulled a twenty from his wallet and tucked it under his beer bottle. “Give that to Janice. Since Leah lured you here with an ulterior motive, seems like paying for drinks is the least I can do.”
“True,” Quentin said. “Go grade papers or whatever.” Ryan glanced over his shoulder as he left the table behind his wife. “I’m hoping for whatever.”
Paige choked on her wine then sputtered and coughed. After a moment, Quentin pounded her on the back.
“Are you okay?’
“Yes,” she croaked. After clearing her throat, she added, “I was thinking earlier that Ryan looks at Leah like the honeymoon isn’t over yet. I bet he gets his ‘whatever.’”
“Lucky guy.”
“Lucky Leah.” Paige polished off her wine. “Finish your drink, and then I’ll let you buy me a burger.”
“How about if I make dinner, instead? I went shopping earlier and bought prawns.”
“My favorite. You didn’t have to bribe me to get back on my good side.”
“I just want to treat you the way you deserve.”
Warmth filled her at the genuine concern in his eyes. “Maybe I’m the lucky one, after all.”
Chapter Six
“Did you see that?”
Quentin pulled his keys from his pocket and glanced over at Paige. “See what?”
“I swear a light flashed inside my shop.”
Turning to face Old Things, he frowned. “Are you sure? It looks dark in there to me.”
“It was just for a second. There!”
A dim glow from somewhere near the rear of the shop appeared for a moment before it went out.
“Maybe a streetlight is reflecting off a mirror or something?”
“Then it would be steady since a mirror doesn’t move around the shop on its own.” Paige rounded his Jag and headed straight to the front door to rattle the knob. “The door is definitely still locked.”
When a light flashed again, this time in a zigzag pattern, Quentin swore. “Damn it! Whoever’s in there must have heard you. Stay here.” He sprinted down the side alley and took the corner at full speed. In the dark, he cracked his knee on the trash bin. “Ouch! Mother fu—”
A door creaked open, and footsteps slapped the pavement. A darker shadow fled toward the rear of the parking lot. By the time Quentin hobbled to the low fence marking the cliff’s edge, the intruder was halfway
down the stairs leading to the beach.
“Son of a bitch!” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone.
“I already called nine-one-one.” Paige stopped beside him and gripped his arm. “I guess he got away.”
Quentin gritted his teeth. “Only because I slammed into the dumpster. My knee hurts like a mother.”
When the roar of an engine sounded, they both turned to face the street. Moments later, a patrol car drove down the alley and stopped.
“That was quick.”
“Not quick enough.” Quentin limped toward the officer who exited the car. When a blinding light shone in his eyes, he raised a hand to shield them.
“Paige? What’s going on?” The light lowered as the cop approached.
“Hey, Chris,” Paige greeted the officer, a man they’d known since childhood. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but it isn’t. I had a break-in. The guy got away.”
“You saw him?”
“It was too dark to make out any details,” Quentin answered. “He ran down the stairs to the beach.”
When Paige headed toward the shop, the officer laid a hand on her shoulder. “I want you both to stay back while I check it out. Someone else could still be inside.”
She wrapped her arms across her chest and shivered. “I didn’t think of that. Please be careful.”
He spoke quietly into the radio at his shoulder as he approached the building.
“Are you okay?” Quentin slid an arm around her waist and held her close to his side.
“Sure. At least I think so.” She let out a long breath and leaned against him. “I wonder what that creep stole. God, this sucks. I have a feeling I’m not going to get those prawns anytime soon.”
“Really? Dinner is your main concern?”
“No, but if I think about the damage he could have done to some extremely valuable pieces while fumbling around in the dark, I might lose it completely.”
“If anything’s broken, you have insurance, but maybe he was a careful thief. I didn’t hear any crashes before he bolted out the back door. How much cash do you keep in your register?”
“None. I always lock it in my safe when I close up at night.” When the lights flashed on inside the store, Paige reached for his hand and held it. “Here comes Chris. Keep your fingers crossed the news isn’t too bad.”
The officer waved them over. “All clear inside. I checked upstairs, too, and your apartment door was still locked and hadn’t been tampered with. I called this in. One of my colleagues will head down to the beach to look for the perp, but he’s probably long gone by now.” Chris Long met Quentin’s gaze. “You said ‘he.’ The intruder was a male?”
“Definitely. He moved like a guy. The dude was probably my height but a little heavier.”
He pulled out his notebook. “You’re what, around six foot, a hundred and sixty-five pounds?”
“Close enough. The man I chased ran pretty fast, but it was only a short distance to the beach stairs. He could have been a teenager or an in-shape fifty-year-old.”
“Anything else you can tell me about him?”
“I think he had on jeans and athletic shoes with fluorescent colors. I could see the blur of his feet when he ran. Some sort of dark jacket. I couldn’t make out any other details.”
“Great. Thanks.” Chris turned toward Paige. “Did you see him?”
She shook her head. “I called nine-one-one while Quentin ran through the alley to the back of the building. He was gone by the time I followed.” Impatience gave her tone an edge. “Can I go check out my shop now?”
“Sure. You’ll need to make a complete list of anything missing. There’s no point in dusting the whole store for prints since the merchandise has to be covered in them. But if you spot anything out of place, we can check for a match to known criminals.” The officer held the door open. “Unfortunately, most experienced thieves are smart enough to wear gloves.”
“Let’s hope this one is an amateur or stupid.”
Chris pointed. “Is this how you left the storage area?” “It’s more crowded than usual back here because I’ve been processing new inventory.” Paige walked slowly around an armoire with one door ajar. “I thought both doors were closed, but I could be wrong since the latch is stiff. There’s nothing inside the chest to take.” She stopped beside a work counter covered in miscellaneous objects from china bowls to a branding iron. “I’d swear a few of these things have been moved, but I’m not sure which ones. I don’t think anything’s missing, but I can’t be positive without pulling up my inventory.”
“Don’t touch anything.” The cop laid a hand on her arm when she reached toward a cookie jar. “We’ll do a walk-through of the main room before you check your computer records.”
She headed toward the front of the shop. Her lips were pressed in a tight line, and the hands she clenched at her sides quivered. Quentin took one and squeezed it and gave her an encouraging smile.
“So far so good, right?”
Her responding smile seemed forced before she quickly looked away.
To his uneducated eye, the shop looked much the way he’d last seen it. Cluttered but not messy, the store reminded him of his grandma’s attic. He was pretty sure a feeling of potential discovery was the ambiance Paige cultivated. When she tugged against his grip, he released her and waited while she roamed between pieces of furniture to study shelves filled with an assortment of smaller items.
Fifteen minutes later, she returned to his side. “Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket, because boy do I feel lucky. I could swear nothing’s missing, and he obviously didn’t break anything in his search . . . if that’s what the break-in was about.”
“You think the perp was looking for something specific?” Chris broke off a brief conversation over his radio. “Any idea what, exactly?”
“I don’t have a clue.” She pointed to a small porcelain statuette of a woman in a bonnet resting on a nearby shelf. “That Hummel alone is worth a couple grand. How easy would it have been to slip into his pocket?”
Quentin stared. “Two thousand dollars, for that? I swear my grandmother has dozens just like it. Who knew?”
“Anyone who collects them. And potential thieves, you would think.”
The officer cleared his throat. “Well, then, since I’m sure a thorough search of your records will take some time, do you want to give me a call tomorrow once you’ve finished?”
“Of course.”
When Paige followed the cop toward the storage room, Quentin hurried to catch up. “How did the guy break into the building?”
Chris stopped at the open back door. Taking out his flashlight, he aimed the beam at the knob. “See those scratches. It looks like he picked the lock. You could use better security, Paige. A simple lock isn’t much of a deterrent.”
“Since I live upstairs, I figured that would make any potential thief think twice. Obviously, I was mistaken.”
He gave her an up and down look. “No offense, but you aren’t very threatening. Maybe if you had a guard dog for a pet, or a decent alarm system.”
“I used to have one, but I deactivated it. I kept setting the damn thing off by accident. If I didn’t live in the building, I’d reconsider.” She leaned against the doorframe, and her shoulders drooped. “Hopefully we scared the potential burglar off before he took anything, and he won’t risk coming back.”
“Let’s hope not. The department will notify other store owners in town to be extra cautious. We always have an increase in robberies during the holidays.”
“Isn’t that special? All in the spirit of giving, I’m sure. Thanks for your prompt response, Chris.”
“You bet. I’ll be in touch.”
After the patrol car cruised out of the back lot, Quentin guided Paige inside with a hand at her elbow and shut the door. “Now what?”
“Let’s see, I could spend the evening going through my inventory, or I could go eat prawns.”
He grinned. “Let m
e guess . . . I should start cooking?”
“As soon as I do something about this door.” Hands on her hips, she stared around the room. “Let’s go with an old-fashioned fix.” She took an ornate, straight-backed chair that was missing its seat out of the corner and dragged it to the door. “We can prop this under the knob.”
“Good idea.” Quentin locked the door then shoved the chair into place. “That ought to hold, though I doubt he’d have the balls to come back again tonight.”
“I’m not taking any chances. The lock on the front door is much better and has a deadbolt. We can go out that way.”
Before she could move, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged. “You need to take a deep breath and relax. I’m not sure if you’re going to break or explode.”
“Right now, I’d say it’s a toss-up.” She let out a long, slow breath. “Okay, I’ll try not to fall apart on you. Let’s get out of here. You can ply me with shrimp and wine, a perfect de-stressing combination.”
“You’ve got it.” Releasing her, he followed her to the door then waited on the sidewalk while she locked up. “Ready?”
“I should drive myself. Otherwise—”
“No, you shouldn’t. You’re still a little shaky. I’ll bring you home.”
“I’m not going to argue.”
Minutes later, they cruised through town. When Paige maintained a tight-lipped silence, sympathy for her filled him. The whole break-in had taken a lot out of her, and he wished there was something he could do to ease her mind. He smiled when an idea formed.
“Turn.” Paige pointed as she spoke.
“Huh? Oh, sorry.” The tires screeched as he took the corner into his new neighborhood. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“What’s on your mind?”
He slowed to turn onto his street. “A surprise for you.”
“Really? Seems like I’ve had enough suspense this evening.”
“Too bad because I’m keeping this a secret until it’s a done deal. You’ll just have to put a lid on your curiosity.”
“I’m too mentally exhausted to even wonder what the heck you’re talking about.”
He parked in the driveway of Nina’s old home. Across the street, lights blazed in the Victorian house Teague had bought when he and his daughter moved to Siren Cove.
Hidden Secrets Page 6