To Jake’s practiced eye, the jewelry displays at the pawnshop near the motel needed additional items. He wondered if the store was strapped for cash. He was there to sell a silver ring he’d ‘found’ on the street, and worried he wouldn’t get the price he wanted.
At least he’d already sent Duprie a gift: an expensive bouquet that the saleslady assured him was correct for the occasion. Something about the language of flowers and pink camellias.
That had been a week ago. The time and distance had eased his guilt. It was back to business as usual.
And old man with several teeth missing shuffled out of the back room. “Can I help you?”
“You guys shutting down?” Jake asked. He waved a hand towards the case. “It’s a little bare.”
“Naw,” the clerk answered. “The owner got word of a string of robberies from shops in the city. He’s taking precautions.”
Not a good place for Jake to be. He didn’t want to work in the same area as another professional and somehow get tied into their quest. Or interfere with it. But he was too close to success to pull out now.
“I thought you guys had all kinds of hidden security cameras.”
“We do. But he’s in disguise—wears masks of people in that space show that’s so popular—and he’s coming in, smashing the case, grabbing what he can, and running.”
Jake knew of only one person who worked like that, a man by the name of Ben who operated on the west coast. They’d run into each other a couple of times, and Jake had pulled him out of a bad setup once, saving his hide. It never hurt to have someone owe him a favor.
“Well, be careful.” Back to business. “How much can you give me for this ring?”
The ten bucks Jake tucked into his wallet was more than he expected. The money would come in handy, but his actual goal had been to scope out the shop and see how open they were to buying items under the table. He was always looking for new markets. First impressions told Jake this one operated strictly by the law and wouldn’t be of any use to him.
Next on his list was finding a different motel. He had a rule about not staying in the same place for very long. Despite taking the waitress from the museum out for supper, he hadn’t gotten any new leads about the jewelry exhibit. He was bored and figured he’d waited long enough to make his next move on Duprie.
It was an excuse to see her again. But it was Wednesday, her night out with friends. He’d hold off, hit up a bar and make some more acquaintances instead. Not friends. There were rules to follow. Don’t get too close to anyone.
****
He double-checked that he didn’t smell like weed. If he’d known the bar suggested by the motel’s front desk clerk was a cop hangout, he would have gone somewhere else. But the beer was cold and cheap and as long as he sat in a corner and didn’t stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted, he’d be okay. His chances of picking up a woman were slim, because every one he eyed was either flirting with a cop or was an officer herself. But, by eavesdropping, he might learn a thing or two.
Except these cops were more interested in the baseball game on TV than talking shop. Not a word about the pawnshop break-ins. It was early in the season, but they were already betting on how far the Pirates would go. Jake didn’t know enough about the team to join in the friendly banter, so he pretended to read the newspaper another customer left behind. He limited himself to two beers before heading back to the motel. It wasn’t as nice as the last one, so he’d switch again in a few days. Or he’d rent a room in Oak Grove itself to be closer to Duprie on the off chance she’d agree to spend the night with him.
He shouldn’t be thinking like that. She was strictly business.
****
As he sat in his car across the street from the library, waiting for her to get off work, he knew better.
He waited to make his move, watching her as she walked down the stairs, not paying attention to anything around her. Anyone could have rushed up to her, grabbed her purse, and she’d never catch up to them. It was good that she lived in a small town where that sort of thing didn’t happen. He’d have to teach her how to protect herself.
There were lots of things he wanted to teach her. If he delayed stealing the book, he could do that. Or figure out a way to grab it and point the evidence at someone else. The challenge would stretch his skills, but he’d look like a hero in the end.
He was right behind her when she fumbled with her purse, looking for her keys, but she wasn’t aware of his presence. She unlocked her car, climbed in, and fastened her seatbelt without ever seeing him. When she went to close her door, he put his hand on the top of the frame so it wouldn’t swing shut.
She looked annoyed and tried again. It didn’t work. Jake didn’t hide the grin that creased his face. She finally glanced up and saw him. The smile that lit her face sealed his doom.
“Jake! I didn’t know you were in town.”
“I have a meeting in Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon. I thought I’d come early to see you.” He offered his hand to help her out of the car, which left them standing close enough together that he could count the individual pieces in her turquoise necklace.
A wrinkle formed in her forehead. “You won’t get in trouble with your boss, will you?”
How long would he be able to maintain the lie that he worked for a construction firm? “As long as I make it on time, he won’t care. Can I take you out for supper? Someplace easy so you don’t have to go home and change? That way we’ll have more time together.”
“You’re going to spoil me,” she laughed. “By the way, thank you for the flowers. You made my co-workers jealous.”
The Dairy Barn felt like a blast from the 60s, a teenage hangout from a TV show. Faded red vinyl on the seats of the booths, servers in short-sleeve shirts with white collars, and a jukebox in the corner. Jake imagined it playing music from Woodstock instead of recent pop songs. He speculated about the amount of cash the staff kept in their pockets. Easy enough to bump into one of them and walk away with a handful of small bills, mostly ones, but he didn’t work that way.
He hadn’t counted on Harmony being so popular. He’d been told countless times that he was attractive and garnered the stares to give some validity to the idea, but it wasn’t like the attention she received. Half of the customers and most of the staff stopped by the booth to tell her hi or ask her a question about the library. She was polite to all of them, but Jake read the telltale signs she would prefer to be left alone. It felt like hanging out with a local rock star.
“Ready to go?” he asked, putting his half-eaten burger on his plate. Harmony had only finished a third of hers.
She blew out a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think they’d be this busy.”
“Not your fault. We can ask for doggy bags and go sit in the park to eat. Or go to your place.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I’ll need to go back to the car and grab a sweater.”
Jake didn’t remember if there was a blanket in the rental car and he’d left his jacket at the motel, but she’d ignored his suggestion about stopping by her apartment and he wasn’t going to push her, as much as he wanted to. “We could go park somewhere and keep the heater running.”
“There’s the Point. I haven’t been there for years.” Harmony giggled. “It’s the teenagers’ make-out spot. It’s a little place on a hill above town.”
Heat flared in Jake’s veins. He raised a hand to get their waitress’ attention. “Can we get the bill and to-go bags?” he asked when she came over.
The waitress didn’t seem fazed by the request. When she returned, she brought along two large foam cups in a holder. “Harmony always gets a chocolate shake for dessert. I didn’t know if she planned on sharing, so I brought you one, too, for free. I noticed y’all were getting interrupted the whole time and didn’t enjoy your meal.”
Harmony stuck a straw into each lid. “That’s so sweet, Sally. Thank you.”
“Enjoy the rest of your night.” Sally leaned down and whispered something in Harmony’s ear. Jake strained to hear it, but only caught bits and pieces, not entire words. He waited until they were outside to ask about it.
“You have a lot of friends,” he said as they strolled to the car. He wanted to wrap his arm around her waist, but he was carrying the leftovers.
Harmony shook her head. “What I have is a bunch of older folks who think I still need to be looked after. When my parents died, half the town pitched in to help me get through it.”
Another story he needed to hear, but not this night, unless she wanted to share. He stayed quiet and let her take the lead.
“Do you like astronomy?” she asked as they reached the car.
It took him a minute to catch up to the abrupt change of subject. “Not really. I grew up in a big city, and the streetlights wash out the stars. I might find the Big Dipper but that’s the limit of my experience.” He unlocked the car and opened the passenger side door for her.
She waited until he climbed into the driver’s seat to continue the conversation. “Then you’re in for a treat. There are only a few clouds, and the Point is a great place for star-watching. I can show you how to find the North Star. Start slow.”
There were a few things he wanted to teach her. But not in a car. Doing it right required a bed. Or at least a soft surface where they could move with ease. “Sounds like a plan.”
It was just a dirt parking lot at the top of a large hill, but it had a sweeping view of Oak Grove spreading below it. Two other cars were there, but both left shortly after Jake and Harmony arrived.
It was still warm enough to lean against the hood of the car to finish their supper and not worry about jackets. Jake didn’t remember the last time he’d been on a picnic. Probably a school field trip. His mother didn’t have time for such activities when he was a kid. There’d been many days when he had to eat dry, cold cereal or nothing at all for supper while she was out drinking. When he got older, he’d figured out how to wrangle supper invites from friends or his Aunt Tillie.
They ate to the songs sung by birds and crickets. When he finished, he crumbled up his burger wrapper and stuffed it in the bag, then held it open so Harmony could do the same. To his surprise, she took the bag from him.
“While we’re at it,” she said. “We might as well pick up some of the trash other people have left.”
“Won’t the wind blow it away?” There wasn’t much garbage anyway, not that he spotted with a quick glance.
“That doesn’t make it any better. Then it messes up the woods. You don’t litter, do you?”
He had the feeling the answer was a game-changer. He answered with care. “Nope. I believe in leaving no trace behind.” For other reasons than a clean environment. “I don’t smoke, either.” A small white lie. He didn’t smoke tobacco.
She picked up a fast-food wrapper and put it in the bag. He didn’t see any way to get around it without offending her, so he joined in the hunt. The small bag wouldn’t take long to fill.
By the time they finished the chore, the sun had set, and a chill crept into the air. Another car parked on the opposite side of the lot and it made Jake uncomfortable, as if he’d been caught doing something illegal. Which was laughable, because that was part of his life.
He put the garbage on the floorboard of the back seat, then stood by Harmony. “So, how do we find the North Star?”
“It isn’t dark enough yet. But you can look for the evening star and make a wish.”
“The evening star? What’s that?”
She shot a sharp glance in his direction. “Really? You don’t know?”
He didn’t have to pretend and shrugged. “Nope.”
“Star light, star bright?” She raised an eyebrow in question. “The planet Venus?”
“What are you talking about?”
She turned to face him and grasped his hands. “Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight? Didn’t you ever wish upon a star?”
He shook his head, pulled her closer, and stared into her eyes. “No. What’s it do?”
“If you wish upon the first star you see, your wish is supposed to come true. But you can’t tell anyone what it was.”
“I’ve made my wish,” he said in a husky voice. “But only you can make it come true.”
The line should have worked. It had worked for him before.
But Harmony laughed and let go of his hands. “You’re slick. That sounds like it’s ripped from the pages of a romance novel. Didn’t think you were the kind of guy who read books to get hints on what to say to women.”
She’d hurt his ego, but he’d never admit it. “Do I get points for trying?”
“Two,” she replied promptly. “Two out of five.” Then she turned her back to him and, with a grand sweep of her right arm, pointed to the horizon where a sliver of light remained. “See the brightest star? That’s Venus, the planet, also the evening star. Turns out she’s the morning star, too.”
Jake put his hands on her shoulders and stood close enough to nuzzle her neck. “Isn’t Venus the goddess of love?”
“Yes.”
“And how do I make a wish?” He kissed her ear.
“Star light, star bright,” she said, with a hitch in her voice.
“Star light, star bright,” he repeated.