It was taking Levi forever. He’d parked in the shade behind the law firm and left her the keys. Mia put down the window and propped her foot on the dashboard.
Maybe it was good news that it was taking so long. On the other hand, he probably just knew the people inside. Small-town folks often liked to stop and shoot the breeze. Not like in LA, where you passed only strangers on the street, and when you did run into someone you knew, it was all polite smiles and promises of lunches that were never fulfilled.
Mia pulled out the journal and continued reading. Who knew, maybe her grandmother would mention the necklace again. Several entries later, the driver’s door opened and Levi slid inside.
Her eyes raked over his face for any clues as to his success. “What did they say?” Mia pulled her foot down from the dashboard.
He started the car and buckled himself in before answering her. “Well, for starters, I was wrong.”
“I’ve never heard that roll off a man’s tongue so easily,” she said playfully.
He gave her a wry look and adjusted the air conditioning. “Sorry it took so long. I ran into a buddy from high school.”
Levi put the car into Drive and pulled from the parking spot.
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” she said. “What did he say?”
“It’s good news, actually. Wills do become public after the estate is settled. And they’re stored at the clerk’s office. Although Robert said with this one being kind of old he didn’t know whether they’d still have it on hand. It might take a bit of patience to retrieve it.”
“But that’s great news! Can we go there next?”
“I’m one step ahead of you. I already called down there, and Connie’s looking for the record now. She said it would be in the basement, so she’s trying to hunt it down.”
Mia could hardly sit still. “We could have that will in our hands in a few minutes.”
“Provided she can find it. And even so, keep in mind, it might not tell us a thing about the necklace.”
She gave him a pointed look. “That would be good news though.”
Levi’s lips twitched. “Fair enough. Just trying to temper your enthusiasm with a little realism.”
Mia clutched the journal. “I haven’t found another mention of the necklace, but I’m not done yet. I hope it’s in the house somewhere. Wouldn’t that be something?”
“That it would. But chances are she left it to a friend or relative.”
“I hope not.”
“Well, we’ll know more soon enough.”
It only took a few minutes to get to the courthouse.
Levi reached for his door handle. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take.”
“I’m coming too.” Waiting wasn’t her strong suit, and she was tired of sitting in the car.
“You sure?”
She tugged her ball cap down. “It’s just the one woman, right?”
“Yeah, she pretty much has the run of the place.”
“All right then.”
The clerk’s office was a two-story brick building on the other side of town. Levi held open the door and Mia stepped inside, the air conditioning cooling her skin. The main room was small, containing only a few seats, a big table, and a mammoth-size copy machine.
To their left was a window that opened into an unoccupied office, bright with florescent lighting. The building smelled of old documents and burnt coffee. Dust motes danced in a beam of sunlight shining through the front window.
“She’s probably still downstairs.” Levi crossed the room and began looking at the old photos on the walls.
Mia followed on her crutches. There was a photo of an old mercantile with a couple standing out front. A black-and-white beach shot from the forties. An old dance hall, its parking lot packed with cars from the sixties.
“Look,” Levi said from the adjacent wall. “I forgot these were here.”
Mia hobbled to him and peeked over his shoulder. She smiled as her gaze scanned a collage of photos of the historic inn over the course of time.
Levi pointed to a photo of a young couple on the porch. “That’s your grandparents, right there.”
Mia gasped, leaning in close. She wished the photo were larger. But even in black-and-white she could see that her mom bore a great resemblance to her grandmother. And her grandfather was quite the looker, with his dark hair and confident smile.
Mia placed her palm on her chest. “I’d never seen them before. What a handsome couple.”
“I think you resemble her. Your hair color and the shape of your eyes.”
She took out her phone and snapped a couple photos. A few moments later she moved on to peruse the other photos, standing close to Levi.
His masculine scent enveloped her. Just a hint of wood and leather. Nice. She leaned forward a bit, drawing in a deep breath, then she lost her balance and toppled forward. She grabbed Levi’s arm.
He whirled, steadying her. “Careful there.”
“Stupid crutches.” Was that her voice, all breathy? His arm was thick and muscular under her palm. She should let go. She really should.
Let go, Mia.
He was close. So close the brim of her hat only allowed her to see as high as his lips. They were nice. Dusky mauve. The top one bowed nicely in the middle. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and that was nice too. She could almost imagine the bristly scratch of his jaw against her bare cheek.
He hadn’t moved back, and neither had she. Tension crackled between them. Her skin tingled, and her palms grew damp. His arm beneath her hand was hard and warm and—
“Sorry it took so long!” A short, round woman barreled into the room.
Mia jumped back, wobbling, and Levi steadied her again. She shot him a grateful look even as her pulse raced at the moment they’d shared.
“Howdy-do. Oh dear, what happened to your foot?”
“I slipped and fell yesterday.”
“You poor thing.” Connie waddled over to the table and set a bulky binder on it. She had a kind smile and cheeks that bunched when she smiled. “You’d better have a seat, dear. I just hate using crutches. Got new knees in 2012, and getting around was such a bear.”
Levi pulled out a wooden library chair for Mia. “Connie, this is a guest from the inn . . . um, Mia. Mia, this is Connie Harmeyer, our town clerk.”
Mia smiled and tugged her brim down. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, honey. You in town doing some family research?”
“I’m just taking a little break from work.”
“Well, where better than the Blue Ridge Mountains? It’s so lovely here in the summer.” She pushed up her glasses. “So, I brought up the records from 1986–1989. Paul preceded Dorothy in death, and she passed in ’86, so I think it would’ve been out of probate by ’87.”
The phone rang in the office.
“Excuse me,” Connie said. “You can just look through those—they should be in alphabetical order.”
“Thanks, Connie.” Levi took a seat next to Mia while the clerk went to answer the phone. “Sounds like we should start with ’87.”
Mia opened the large binder, setting it between them. The musty smell of the basement clung to the hundreds of papers filed inside. They were organized by month, then alphabetical order.
“April,” Levi said after a few minutes of browsing. He pulled a file. “Here it is. Dorothy Livingston.”
Mia made room on the table. There were several documents in the file, but it only took a moment to locate the will.
“It’s pretty thick.” Levi began reading, and a moment later he said, “It doesn’t look like the legalese was any clearer back then than it is now.”
“Will she let us take it?”
“I can make you a copy.” Connie was already bustling back into the room. “Will that work?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Levi said. “Thank you.”
Ten minutes later they were walking out with a copy of the will.
“Bye, y’all,” Connie said. “Tell Molly it was great seeing her at book club.”
“Will do,” Levi said.
“And tell her to bring that boyfriend of hers next time.”
“I’ll tell her. Take care now.”
When they reached the car they got in, Levi storing the crutches in the back seat.
“I don’t think she recognized you,” Levi said a minute later as he pulled out onto the street.
“Me neither.” Traffic was light. The sun glistened brightly off the lake, and the marina’s slots were filled with boats of all shapes and sizes.
Mia looked at the papers sitting on the console. She was dying to get at that document. She reached for it.
Levi snatched it up, his eyes still on the road. “Oh no, you don’t. We’ll read it together once we get home.”
She huffed, half impatient, half amused. “You are bossy. I’m the one who brought this whole thing to your attention.”
“And I’m the one who tracked down the will.”
“Only because I asked you to.”
“Well, it’s my necklace—or might be.”
Mia chuckled at the stubborn set of his chin. “And I’m sure it’ll look very nice on you.”
He gave her a droll look, but his lips were trying to smile. “I know just the outfit I’ll wear it with.”
The thought of that necklace around his very masculine neck made her laugh. “You wouldn’t be caught dead in that thing.”
“Maybe not, but it wouldn’t hurt my pride to auction it off.”
“So you’re admitting it could be in your house somewhere.”
“I’m admitting I’d be a fool not to find out for sure. We have the will, and we’ll know soon enough.”
“Don’t you ever like to dream?” she asked playfully. “It’s fun. You should try it sometime.”
“Somebody has to be realistic.”
Truth be told, she found this practical side of him kind of sexy. It was a big change from the actors she worked with. Most of them were more like her, in need of a good director to keep them all on track.
Plus, he had that crinkly eye thing going for him. She found herself looking for opportunities to provoke it.
Levi slowed as they approached the inn. “Uh-oh.”
Mia’s eyes followed his. A handful of people stood out front, cameras around their necks.
Her stomach dropped like an anchor. “Oh no.”
“Get down.”
They were too close. No choice but to drive by. “Ugh! How did they find me?”
“Duck down.”
She bent in half, muttering, “Déjà vu.”
He drove on, keeping a steady pace, his hand on her back. “Stay there. We’re almost past. They’re watching, but they can’t see you.”
Mia’s heart rate had tripled. She clenched her fists. What was she going to do now? Her respite was over. She had to deal with reality now, and she wasn’t ready for it.
“Let me get around the corner.” The car slowed and swept in a wide arc that followed the lake’s shoreline. Levi checked the rearview mirror. “All right, I think we’re safe.”
Mia came upright as Levi pulled over to the side of the road, a turnout for tourists who wanted to take in the beautiful lake view.
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “We could hang out someplace else for a while. Maybe they’ll give up.”
“They’re not going away, Levi. They wouldn’t have come all this way unless they were sure I was here, and they’re going to camp there till I come home.” She felt trapped. Tears pressed the back of her eyes. She couldn’t breathe.
“I’ll call the police.” He was already taking out his phone.
“There’s nothing they can do. They’re not breaking any laws. They’re allowed to stand on the sidewalk and shoot pictures and ask anything they darn well want.”
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“Tell me about it.”
He set down his phone and put his hand over hers. “You don’t have to go back at all, Mia. I have that buddy of mine with the floatplane. He can whisk you right out of here. I can mail your things to you.”
She looked out at the vast lake and on to the blue skies beyond. What he offered was tempting. But where would she even go? The thought of going someplace new, starting over, was exhausting. And besides, what good would it do?
“They’ll only find me again,” she said softly.
If she went back to LA they’d be there all the time, everywhere she went. She knew how these feeding frenzies worked; she’d seen other actors go through them. At least here they were on a deadline. They’d have to get back home eventually.
She looked at Levi. His steady gaze was calming. His presence was soothing. The thought of leaving him made her feel a little hollow inside. She liked the Bluebell Inn. She liked being where her grandparents had lived. She liked the little family that lived there now. And yes, she liked Levi. It felt as if she’d found a little piece of home—the kind she’d never had. And she was loath to give that up just yet.
Besides . . . she hadn’t done anything wrong. In her efforts to evade the vultures she kept forgetting that. And really, that ought to matter most of all.
Her chin came up as she focused on Levi’s piercing eyes. “I’m not going to let them intimidate me. I didn’t do anything wrong. Let’s go home.”
Levi’s mouth tipped in a grin. “Thatta girl.”
She drank in the approval in his eyes. It felt good to make him proud. But her ankle chose that moment to let itself be known. It throbbed with each beat of her heart.
Her ankle. The crutches.
“Ugh. I don’t want to hobble past them. It’ll start a whole new thread to this stupid scandal.” Exactly the opposite of Nolan’s advice not to feed the beast.
Levi glanced in the back where the crutches lay. He gazed out the window thoughtfully for a moment.
“I have an idea,” he said. Then he put the car into Drive.