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“Children, there’s no need for all the dramatics,” Antoine said. “Just wait until you see what I have here.” He waved a crumpled piece of paper. As he made his way through the aisle lined with talking mirrors of all sizes and shapes, his pace picked up to old-dog speed.
He stopped at his roll-top desk and pushed loose stacks of papers aside. “Now, where did I leave those glasses? I can’t read a darn thing without them.”
The mid-afternoon sunlight streaming through the skylight bounced off something tangled in the older man’s shoulder-length flowing locks, making it gleam. “Antoine,” she said.
“Just a minute, Veronica, darling, I have to find my glasses.” A pile of folders jiggled precariously under his touch, nearly falling off the overcrowded oak desk.
“Your head.” She pointed a red-tipped fingernail.
“What about my head?” Papers spilled off the edge, joining a mountain of others on the floor.
God love him, Antoine was always a bit of a scattered mess.
She held back a giggle. “Your glasses.”
“Yes, my glasses, that’s what I’m looking for.” His face stilled for a moment then he ran his fingers through his wild mane of pure-white hair. When his fingers wrapped around the metal frame, he chuckled. “Well done, Veronica. Well done.”
He slid the wire-framed spectacles down to his nose. The thick lenses enlarged his sky-blue eyes to comic proportions as he scanned the words on his prized document. “I know it’s here somewhere... Lake Erie...magic beans...golden goose...amazing riches... Ah! Here it is. To work, the beans must be divided between three persons who work cooperatively to spin the spell and grow the beanstalk taller than the heavens.”
Antoine looked up, barely-leashed glee beaming from his baby blues.
Jax crossed his arms and kept his face averted. “You still need the magic beans.”
The antiques dealer dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a small brown glass bottle. He shook it gently and the contents rattled. “Got ’em.”
Any evidence of casual interest melted away from Jax’s six-foot frame as he straightened. “Where?”
The bottle disappeared back into Antoine’s deep pocket.
“Here and there. It took some doing, but I used my contacts to locate the beans. I found one in Brazil. Another came from Kenya. The last I received a week ago by parcel post from Finland.” He shook his shaggy head. “To think after all these years, I finally have them. And just in time too.”
“What do you mean, ‘just in time’?” Veronica asked.
Jax stepped closer to the desk, concern deepening the lines on his forehead.
Antoine shrugged. “I’m old. The doctors say the ticker just isn’t what it used to be when Chloe was still alive. She always made me eat healthy, all the green things and such. It seems the bacon has caught up with me. The doctors say it’s just a matter of time–maybe even months.”
Clenching her teeth, she focused on the spinning wheel in a back corner to keep the tears at bay. Rumpelstiltskin had used it for years to spin straw into gold. It had been her first major find with Antoine and Jax. They’d combed through historical documents, tracked down every lead and searched for years before finding it in the hollow of a dead tree in the Black Forest. After that, she had sworn she’d make her dreams of starting her own treasure hunting company a reality.
Antoine had believed in her, even when her family had warned her to give up her foolish dreams and join the other New York heiresses at charity balls and luncheons. More than just a professional mentor, Antoine had established himself as her friend and champion. She couldn’t imagine not having him in her life.
“Well, there has to be something you can do.” She chewed the inside of her cheek, hoping the pain would keep her from crying.
“Of course. Give up adventuring. Close my wonderful store. Live a life of calm on a beach somewhere. Oh, and eat more fruits and veggies, which in my case would mean any fruits and veggies.” He laughed at his joke. “Don’t be so glum. I’ve had a grand time treasure hunting. Especially with you two. You were my best proteges. I am so proud of how far you’ve come and I can’t imagine going on one last escapade with anyone but you two.”
Jax clapped a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “You should be enjoying your retirement, not running around searching for treasure.”
For the first time in a long time, Veronica was in complete agreement with her ex-fiance. If she could, she’d wrap Antoine in bubble wrap to keep him safe.
“That is the doctors’ recommendation, but I’m not following it. I’m sixty-eight years old and probably won’t see seventy. My wife is dead. I have no family, except for you two. I’ve searched my whole life for these magic beans. I’ll not give up the adventure awaiting me.”
Somewhere in the back of the vast antiques store, a grandfather clock bonged three times.
“Do an old man a great favor.” Antoine turned the full force of his blue eyes on them. “Come climb the beanstalk with me.”
Chapter 2
The full moon hung heavy in the midnight sky, illuminating a battered F-150 that’s best days were at least a decade ago. A sparkling new cherry-red BMW Z4 convertible pulled in beside it. Jax shook his head at the sight. Seeing his and Veronica’s cars side by side perfectly illustrated how different they were and always would be. He had to remember that next time he felt like jumping on the crazy train and kissing her. The girl was way out of his league.
