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“Listen, Jareth, I should run. I want to be sure I make it on time tonight. Text me if you find anything.”
“Thanks, Terri. Maybe we can get together tomorrow and go through these. I don’t want to take up any more time that should go to Hazel tonight.”
“You got it.” We hung up and I scrubbed at the back of my neck. It took everything in me to place the notebook back inside the box.
“How much more time, Elias?” I asked, noticing the cars around us slowing down.
“Not more than a few minutes. The traffic looks worse than it is.”
That gave me enough time to call Hazel.
“Jareth, where are you? You made a big deal out of tonight and you’re late.” Her usually bright voice was marked with disappointment.
“Sunshine, I screwed up. I’m sorry. Jess will pick you up and I’ll meet you there.”
“I was worried about you, not knowing what you’d find. I hated that you were alone.” A quick stab in my chest reminded me I should’ve been messaging her about my progress throughout the day. Of course, this amazing woman would immediately think of me even when she was clearly not happy about how late I was.
“You’re right. I should’ve contacted you. Sometimes I can be an idiot.”
“Sometimes?” She chuckled. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I think so.” A smile stretched my face.
“Should we just cancel and do this another night?” I imagined her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Definitely not.” Tonight was a big night for so many reasons. I needed to follow through and ensure that Hazel got her chance in the spotlight. I also needed to decide that if I couldn’t put her first, maybe the best way to protect her was to break things off.
We crawled through traffic. My leg bounced up and down as I tried to release my agitation. I kept glancing over at the box. My fingers itched to tear it open.
“We’ll be pulling up in just a minute,” Elias informed me. I checked my watch. There was still enough time to shower and get to the bar.
The moment Elias stopped the car I grabbed the box. “I’ll text you when I’m done.” I strode to the front doors and hurried upstairs, grateful I had kept extra clothes there for emergencies like this.
I’d just finished getting dressed when my phone rang on the counter in front of me. Bill Jones. With one last swipe at my hair I tapped the button to accept the call.
“Jareth?” he asked.
“Yes, how can I help you, Bill?” It was morning where he was.
“Ever since I saw you something’s been bothering me.”
A chill slithered down my spine.
“You said you hadn’t found your dad’s ring.”
“Correct.” My fingers gripped the edge of the quartz countertop. It would have buckled under my hand’s pressure if it had been made of flimsier material.
“I went back through those photos. You know the ones we looked at?”
“Yes,” I growled, my patience gone.
“It’s hard to tell, but I swear Terri is wearing it in the group photo of us. The one we took after your dad died. Maybe he found it or your dad gave it to him. You should ask if he has it.”
Hazel had been digitizing the loose photos yesterday. I swiped the screen of my phone until I got to the folder that held them. My finger shook as I pulled up and scrolled through each one until I found the one I sought.
“Jareth?”
“I’ll call you back, Bill.” I hung up not caring if I’d been rude.
