She missed him, especially after their conversation and kisses last night. Just thinking about it made her face warm. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Nate had loved her for over eight years. She could never accuse him of not being able to keep a secret.
The thought coaxed a smile onto her face just in time for Jenny to notice. She and Jordan were busy moving bars of soap from a cardboard box back onto the newly-repaired shelf. Jenny waved her over.
Bailey spotted Seth helping Rachel organize things on the main counter and made her way toward her friend.
Jenny handed a bar of green soap to Jordan, but her attention was on Bailey. “Judging from that smile and the way you can’t stop checking your phone, am I correct in assuming that things are going well between you and a certain individual you wish were here?” She waggled her brows.
There were far too many people within earshot to go into details. Instead, Bailey beamed and shrugged. “Maybe.”
With a triumphant grin, Jenny stood and gave Bailey a hug. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
“Mommy, look.” Jordan waved at the shelf of colorful soaps as though he were revealing a piece of art in a museum. “They look neat!”
“Yes, they do. Great job, sweetie.” Bailey got down to his level and gave him a big hug. “We couldn’t have done this without you.” She winked at Jenny over the top of his head and stood up.
Jenny nudged her in the side. “Hey, looks like Nate’s back. I hope he and Paris were able to get something useful. I half expected the suspect to show up here today. Kinda wish he had. Talk about walking into a lion’s den.” She laughed. “Go on, see what they found. Jordan and I are going to move on to the lotions next, aren’t we?”
Jordan stood tall, crossed his arms in front of him, and gave a definitive nod.
Bailey spotted Nate toward the front of the store. As soon as their gazes locked, her heart rate sped up. He picked his way through the volunteers until he reached her. “Hey, you.”
“You’re back.” She smiled up at him and lowered her voice. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” He motioned toward the front door of the store. “Can you step outside with me for a few minutes?” He took a watch from his pocket and held it out to her. “I thought you might want to look at this now that it’s been cleaned. I also wanted to tell you about the meeting with Mr. Tinsley.”
Bailey knew Jenny had Jordan. She scanned the room and spotted Rachel who looked up from her place with Seth, noticed them, and gave a wave.
“Sure, that would be great.” She followed him through the store and into the fresh air outside.
They sat beside each other at one of the picnic tables.
Bailey turned the watch over in her hand and marveled at how shiny it was. “Wow, you’ll have to tell me which jewelry store you took this to. This is seriously impressive.”
“I went ahead and had the jeweler fix the band. He said the pin had been bent horribly and that the watch had likely been forcibly removed from the wrist, whether purposefully or not.”
“Well, they did a beautiful job. It hardly looks like the same watch.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it if it weren’t for the inscription on the back. It’s faded, but you can read it now that the dirt and grime are gone.” Nate placed an elbow on the table that Bailey was leaning against, his wrist resting against her arm.
She brought the watch closer and had to squint a little to read the words.
“A father’s love never fades. - Dad.”
Nate scratched his chin. “We took photos of the watch along with the inscription and gave them to Logan at the precinct.” He went on to tell her about the conversation with Mr. Tinsley and what he’d said about his daughter and her boyfriend.
Bailey’s heart ached for the man. “That’s all so sad. Do you think there’s anything to his concerns?”
“He was pretty convincing. Logan’s trying to track down the boyfriend this afternoon. I don’t know if there’s any connection between him and the trouble you’ve been having, but if we can offer the poor father any closure at all, it’ll be worth it.”
Nate lightly rubbed her arm with his thumb. “I thought about you all morning. Couldn’t wait to get back. Has it been a good day?”
She leaned into his arm a little as she told him about all the people who had come by to help out. Most only stayed an hour or two, but there were enough volunteers to keep repairs and cleaning moving forward.
“I wish there was a way that I could really thank everyone for what they’re doing. I was thinking about opening for an extra evening and inviting them all to comeby. Maybe cook hot dogs and let people pick out a pumpkin to keep if they want to. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea and very sweet of you to want to do that.” He glanced at her hair. A section had fallen from her bun, and he gently curled it around his finger.
“I know. My hair is a mess.” She patted her head and finally released the bun. After gathering her hair again and smoothing it down, she twisted it back into place before securing it. When she’d finished, she found Nate watching her intently.
