“They will if you’re willing to advertise the name of their security firm on the entry door,” he said.
“Nick,” she breathed. “That’s far too generous.”
“The owner has a sister. She’s a small business owner, too. He knows how difficult it can be to juggle the books and the cost of security. His wife also happens to love Zephyr Gallery.”
“Tell me who she is and I’ll make sure to discount every piece she walks out the door with.” She let out a disbelieving laugh. “This is unbelievable.”
“Don’t worry about any intrusion or conflicts between the security installation and prep for the fundraiser,” he added quickly. “They can come in after hours and work on the new system. It shouldn’t take more than a couple hours to install. I’ll oversee everything, if it makes you feel better.”
“It might.” She smiled fully. “Thank you, Nick. I owe you.”
“That’s not how this works,” he argued. He placed a business card on her desk next to the silver cuff she had yet to touch. “I talked to Theo at the Dodge lot. This is his cell number. He’ll talk to you about financing a new or used vehicle. You’ve got the credit to secure a loan. He’ll cut you a good deal.”
She picked up the card, read the numbers, and shook her head. “You did all this while believing I was mad at you?”
“I haven’t forgotten what I promised,” he told her.
“No,” she said, running the card between her first and middle finger. “You’ve never broken a promise to me. Ever.”
He tried not to watch the movement. “Are we good?”
She bobbed her chin in a nod. “We’re good.”
He wanted to hug her. Would it be wrong to do so? Had what had transpired at the Bootleg certified that casual affection between them would forever be misconstrued? He tapped his knee before standing. “I’ll see myself out.”
He made it to the door before she said his name.
She had risen to her feet as well. He noticed her hands clenched on the edge of the desk. She seemed to hesitate, as if struggling for the right thing to say. At last, she settled for, “Thank you for lunch and…everything else. I do owe you. I don’t care if you disagree.”
He snorted a laugh, though it made him sad to think that that was their relationship now. Trading favors to keep the scales balanced. “I’ll call you when I talk to the security firm,” he said in answer. He eyed the cuff on the edge of her desk. She still hadn’t touched it. “Let me know if you need anything else in the meantime.” Without waiting for her reply, he turned away and took the stairs down two at a time.
* * *
“I appreciate you both taking the time to discuss this,” Nick said as he eased onto Chayton’s couch. He’d driven straight from Zephyr Gallery to the reservation for the prearranged meeting. Ava had gone to the hospital to check in with Fern while her mother babysat Gracie. Nick knew how close Ava and Sassy were. He didn’t want word of this getting back to her. Not yet. “I know you’re busy, so I’ll get right to the point.” He glanced at Jacob. “Did you find any information on Ryder?”
Jacob sat forward over his knees, elbows braced on his thighs. He clasped his hands between them. “I looked into him. He appears to be clean. But there was something weird about his background.” He lifted a hand to Chay. “I brought it to Chay to see if he’d draw the same conclusion.”
Chay picked up the discussion. “Ryder’s background is incomplete.”
Nick frowned. “I thought you could do a complete background check.”
“I can,” Jacob confirmed. “But if someone’s living under an alias, law enforcement sees only what they want us to see on paper.”
Chay nodded agreement. “Fletcher Ryder’s paper trail began three years ago.”
“Before that,” Jacob continued, “nothing.”
“You’re saying the guy Soledad’s dating is operating under a false ID?” Nick asked.
“More than likely,” Chay agreed.
“Which means he’s hiding who he really is?” Nick ventured. “Why would he do that?”
“Could be he’s hiding out from someone,” Jacob noted. “Maybe he witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to. Maybe he owes money to the wrong people. Creditors, loan sharks, gambling debts, etc.”
“Or,” Chay cut in, “he’s got a record he doesn’t want anyone to know about.”
“How do we find out?” Nick asked, his head spinning with possibilities.
