Levi was already shaking his head. “This place has been through multiple renovations, Mia. The governor converted it into a house. Then we turned it back into an inn. It’s been emptied out a few times over. We’ve taken down walls and put up new ones. It would’ve been found.”
“Are you sure? Don’t you think a blue diamond turning up in Bluebell would be newsworthy enough you would’ve gotten wind of it?”
He seemed to weigh her words. “That’s a good point.”
“Is there anything left untouched in the inn? What about an attic?” Maybe she was grasping at straws, but she couldn’t help it. She felt like an archaeologist making a rare discovery.
***
Levi’s eyes slid over Mia’s face. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. The tense look she’d worn since she’d arrived was gone. She didn’t look tired anymore. She looked... alive.
All of this over a lost necklace. It was kind of cute. “You’re obsessed,” he teased.
She narrowed her eyes at him playfully. “You’re not taking me seriously.” Mia whipped out her phone and started tapping the screen.
Levi sat down on the chair next to hers. He could only imagine that this was a nice distraction from the messy state of her life right now.
“Here, right here.” She shoved the phone under his nose. “Blue diamonds can easily be worth one hundred thousand dollarsper carat.”
Levi read the information, then sat back, blinking. He let himself think about it for just a moment. Let himself dream that Dorothy had tucked the necklace under a secret floor panel somewhere and it could still be there all these years later.
That was about as long as he could push back his pragmatic side. “Chances of it still being here are pretty slim, don’t you think? Dorothy had to know the value of that necklace. Wouldn’t she have left it to someone in her will?”
“I don’t know, but it’s at least possible, isn’t it?”
“It’s probably long gone. And I have no idea how we’d even go about finding out.”
She bit her lip, drawing his attention to the pink lushness. She was a beautiful woman, no doubt. And he sure wasn’t the first to think it. But he wondered how many had seen her this intent. He could almost see the wheels spinning.
“Is there a way to get hold of that will and find out if someone inherited the necklace?”
“I don’t see how. Wills are private, and besides, that was a long time ago.”
“Maybe there’s a statute of limitations on those records.”
“I guess it’s possible. The will’s probably long gone by now though. There’s only one law firm in town, but I’m not sure how long it’s been around. I could check on that, I guess.”
“Would you?”
The grateful look she gave made him willing to do much more than run downtown and ask a few questions. Did she know the kind of pull she had? He gave his head a shake. What was getting into him? She was a guest. Just a guest.
But her excitement was contagious.
“Sure, I can do that.”
Mia shifted forward, closer. He caught a whiff of her soap or shampoo. Something clean and feminine. He drew in a lungful.
“Can you imagine what that kind of money could do for your inn, Levi? For your future?”
He loved that she was so excited for him. But he was afraid to even think about getting that kind of windfall. He didn’t like getting his hopes up needlessly. Life didn’t just go around handing you priceless treasures. He’d rather focus on the facts and maintain a realistic attitude.
Besides, Dorothy and Paul were Mia’s grandparents. Wouldn’t that make the necklace an heirloom that belonged to her? “You know, in the event we did find the necklace, it’s probably more yours than mine.”
She waved him off. “While it might be cool to have something of my grandmother’s, if we found it in your house it would rightfully belong to you.”
“I appreciate your generous spirit. And your enthusiasm,” he told Mia with a smile. “But one thing at a time. Let me check at the law office and see what I can find.”
“Can we go today?”
