The humor in her tone relieved him. “That was insane. Is it always like that?”
“Sometimes. Though my life mostly doesn’t beg that kind of attention, thank God.”
“Did you hear the one guy? ‘Mia, did someone hurt you?’”
“I’ve heard worse,” she said. “But now that they got what they wanted maybe they’ll go away.”
It was obvious that pushing through that barricade had been a sort of breakthrough for her. She was almost aglow.
The thought of her leaving tomorrow wasn’t something he wanted to entertain. Somehow, in only a week, he’d gotten used to having her here. And, he admitted wryly, he’d definitely managed to develop a little crush on her. And he’d always said Molly was the fanciful one.
Mia chose an Italian restaurant situated on a quiet lot outside of town. It was a little late for supper, so there were only a few other guests. The hostess seated them at a booth for two in a private corner.
She ordered a chicken Caesar salad, and Levi couldn’t resist the baked mostaccioli. She laughed at their hasty exit from the inn, but Levi was still a little too irritated by the reporters’ nerve to take it so lightly.
When their breadsticks arrived Mia tucked into them, despite her earlier complaint about refined carbs. “Totally worth the calories,” she proclaimed.
“The best in town.”
There was still so much in Bluebell he wanted to show her. Not only restaurants she hadn’t gotten a chance to sample, but some of their popular attractions that had been too touristy for her to risk: Stone Gap Bridge, Pineview Bay, Summit Ridge. She was leaving Bluebell without having really seen it.
“I’m sorry we didn’t find the necklace in the attic,” she said, breaking the moment’s quiet. “I thought for sure it would be up there.”
“At least we found other interesting things.”
“They’re probably worth something, especially the furniture. Still, I really wanted to find that necklace. You should keep looking. It’s a big house. It might be somewhere else.”
“Maybe.” But the thought of continuing the search without Mia left him ambivalent.
“I’ve been wondering though...” Mia said. “Could the Livingstons have had a safe deposit box at the bank?”
“Didn’t the journal say that Paul made a safe place to keep it?”
“It said ‘Paul finally arranged a safe spot.’ If they’d put it in a safe deposit box she probably would’ve just come out and said so.”
“I agree. And I can’t see Dorothy putting it in a bank anyway. She seemed like the kind of person who kept the things she valued close to her.”
Mia looked thoughtful for a moment, and Levi wondered if she was thinking about her mother, clear across the country from Dorothy.
“I think you’re right,” she said finally. “But what about a safe in the house?”
“I’m sure we would’ve come across it by now.”
He finished his breadstick and washed it down with Coke. Mia sure was intrigued with that necklace. He wondered if that was all she was searching for. Or if finding her grandmother’s necklace was important for reasons other than the sheer value.
He had to admit he was enjoying this little project. Not just spending extra time with Mia, but also working as a team with her. It felt good to have a partner, especially when it seemed he was flying solo in so many other areas of his life.
“Will you keep looking after I leave?” Her eyes shone with too much hope for the question to come off as a mere inquiry.
He leaned his elbows on the table, the breadsticks forgotten. “Why does that necklace mean so much to you? I mean, I know it’s worth a lot of money, but...” He wasn’t sure how to tactfully point out that she probably had more money than Oprah.
“I know I seem a little obsessed. But I don’t know... The idea of finding something rare and valuable... It energizes me. Gives me hope.”
Shewas rare, Levi thought.Shewas valuable. Sometimes he wondered if she realized just how much.
***
Mia changed into her pajamas and readied for bed, exhaustion settling over her like a lead blanket. When she and Levi had returned home from dinner, there’d only been a few photographers in front of the inn. She was tempted to check the online coverage, but that usually only led to frustration.
