Page 14 of Rescuing Carolyn

As we ate, we chatted about old friends, including some of my SEAL buddies and their wives we’d once been close with. When we were nearly finished with the meal, I asked a question that had me worried. “What are your next plans to investigate the recent problems at the store?” In the past few days, she’d gone back to the police station again, asking questions about the dead robber. His past, his known associates, any details they were willing to share.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I need to figure out how the person responsible could be doing all of this so I can stop him.”

“I know you want this resolved, but you do need to be careful,” I reminded her.

“I am being careful,” she insisted. “But I can take precautions while still being proactive. You know what the store means to me. It’s my mother’s legacy. She built it from the ground up by herself. No one is going to destroy it.”

All That Sparkles was more than just a store for her. Being part of the business made Carolyn happy. On top of that, the stakes were higher for her now that she was the one fully in charge. There was no chance at all of her backing down or letting this go. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. But that didn’t mean I wanted her putting herself at risk.

“Let’s talk strategy,” I suggested. “Whoever did that should be approached cautiously.”

“It can’t hurt to poke around a bit,” she argued. “So far I’ve just made phone calls and stopped by the police station.”

“And if this unknown perpetrator feels you’re getting close to him, what do you think he’ll do?” I didn’t want to frighten her, but I needed her to consider the possible consequences. I watched her face as she processed what could happen not just to her, but to Austin and her family.

“He’ll come after me…or worse,” she answered, speaking slowly. “I can’t just sit around and let it happen, though. What could he do next?” She shuddered, and my imagination went to some unpleasant scenarios.

“You’ll need help,” I declared. “Don’t forget, I said we’re in this together.”

She gave me a pleased smile. “Yeah, I know. And I appreciate it.”

I shrugged off her unspoken thanks. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I told her. “No one goes at these sorts of situations alone. The police have backup, and the SEALs work in teams. Always. It’s how it’s done. So I’ll be your backup. I don’t want anything to happen to you. So if you’re thinking of taking some kind of action, let me know. I’ll back you up. Got it?”

“Got it,” she agreed.

I breathed an internal sigh of relief. I didn’t think she’d deliberately put herself in harm’s way, but she could be impulsive, following through quickly on new ideas and new possibilities. It worked well for her professionally, but in a situation like this, it could lead to disaster.

“Where do we start?” I asked.

“The police won’t tell me anything more about the robber, so I need to follow another lead. Drew Castle at Castle Jewels has been after Mom and me to sell. He’s the only person I can think of who could be behind this. It makes sense, right? He wants to buy us out, so he tried to damage the business’s reputation and get it cheaper—with the bonus of putting us in the position to want to sell.”

“It makes sense,” I said, “but it still seems strange. I wouldn’t have thought he was the type for these kinds of dirty tricks.”

“No, me neither,” she admitted. “But he’s the only suspect who makes sense. I figure I should at least talk to him. Who knows, maybe he’s been having issues, too. It could be that there’s something else out there trying to put both of the town’s jewelers out of business.”

I nodded. “It’s worth asking. And just to confirm, you and your mom aren’t interested in selling?”

“Not at all.” She dismissed the suggestion. “And we’ve told him that repeatedly.”

“We’ll go there tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll act as your bodyguard.”

“That won’t work.” She chuckled. “Mr. Castle will think it’s ridiculous that I need protection. Not the right approach.”

Saying I was a friend seemed weak. I had another idea, but would she think I was using it as an excuse to push? What the hell. I was going to suggest it anyway.

“How about we say I’m your fiancé? That gives me an interest in your business and a reason to be with you.”

“I…” She stopped herself, her face going pale.

“It’ll only mean what you want it to mean,” I promised. “And we can drop the whole idea if it makes you uncomfortable.” Even though I’d love to be able to call her my fiancée again.

“I guess that could work,” she said slowly.

“Good.” I controlled my urge to smile. “Let me help you clean up.” Our empty plates sat on the table, ignored while we made plans. I gathered them up and headed for the sink.

“Wash or dry?” I asked, turning on the water and filling the sink.

“Dishwasher,” she said, bumping her hip against the appliance, which had the effect of drawing my attention to her body again. “Just rinse.”

---