Page 44 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
They were almost to her house when Parker said, “There has to be something in the jewelry box.”
She shook her head. “There isn’t. I looked in all of the drawers and stuff.”
“I’m telling you there has to be something in it. Nobody goes through what the suspect has done without searching for something important. When we get to the house, I need you to get the jewelry box. We’re going to find out what is so important.”
“Okay.” She just wanted this to be over. She wanted Odie home and this person to go away—far away.
Two minutes later, Parker wheeled into the driveway. The pickup hadn’t even come to a full stop, and she already had the door open. She had less than an hour to find the jewelry box and get back into town. Tonight, she was getting Odie back. She refused to accept any other outcome.
She ran to the detached garage. The side door was locked. She reached for her keys, only to realize that she’d left her purse in Parker’s truck. With a groan, she turned and ran back to the pickup.
Parker stopped in the driveway. “What’s wrong?”
“I forgot my purse.” She stomped past him.
After she retrieved her purse, she ran toward the garage. She slipped on some ice and fell on her butt.Ouch!
Parker rushed up to her. “Are you okay?”
No.She wasn’t okay. Frustration pumped through her. This was important, and she couldn’t even stay on her feet. When Parker held a hand out to her, she grabbed it and pulled herself to her feet.
“Thank you.” She headed to the side door on the garage.
When she stopped in front of the door, she reached into her purse. Why did she have so much stuff in it? She never really noticed before, but now it was impeding her search for the keys. Blindly, she moved her hand around in her purse. It appeared her keys had sunk to the bottom of her bag.
“What’s the matter?” Parker asked.
“Nothing.” At the very bottom, her fingers wrapped around her keys. “I’ve got them.”
She pulled the keyring out. Next was sorting through the keys. At last, she had the right one. But when she went to insert it into the lock, she noticed that her hand was trembling. She stabbed at the lock a couple of times and missed each time.
Parker’s warm hand closed over hers. “Here, let me give it a try.”
There wasn’t time to argue. She relinquished the keys. On his first try, he inserted the key and turned. The door opened. He flipped on the lights. Inside were stacks of cardboard boxes, so much so that she could no longer park her car in the garage.
Parker didn’t say anything, but he paused at the doorway like he wasn’t sure what to do. Heat warmed her cheeks as she brushed past him. And yet when she was in the garage, she wasn’t even sure where exactly she’d put the jewelry box.
When she glanced over her shoulder at Parker, she felt compelled to say something. “After my parents died, uh…my therapist suggested that I make some room for myself in the house. It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“Anyway,” she rushed on, “I wasn’t ready to get rid of the things. Losing them was still too fresh, so I moved the boxes out here. I promised myself that in a few months, I would go through them. But a few months turned into more than ten years, and I still haven’t gone through them.”
“Maybe you just need some help so that the weight of it all isn’t on your shoulders.”
Was he offering to help her clean out her garage? It sure sounded like it to her. Her gaze moved over the big boxes that were piled three and four deep. Maybe he was right. With a little help, it could distract her from all of the memories encapsulated in each box.
She tucked away the thought and moved to the boxes. Time was quickly ticking down. She ripped open the first box and peered inside. It had clothes that should be donated.Another day. Not today.She closed it. When she went to move it, Parker appeared by her side and took the box for her.
“I put the jewelry box in one of these. I didn’t want it to get damaged before I had a chance to work on it. But I can’t remember which box.”
“We’ll find it.” There was a note of confidence in his tone.
She hoped he was right because Odie was counting on her not to mess this up.
She continued opening box after box. After she’d worked her way around the garage, she was exasperated. “Why does everything have to be so hard?”
Tears burned the backs of her eyes. Parker reached out and gently pulled her into his arms. Her head came to rest on his broad shoulder.
