Chapter 24

Lionel’s POV

Today will be a great day.

For the first time in weeks, I feel lighter. After reassuring the girls and making a plan, I was a little more like my old self. Confident and assured.

I could not bring the girls with me this time. It would be past their bedtime. But perhaps that was for the best anyway.

I needed to have a conversation with Nan to come up with a solution together. If I wanted to have a real talk with Nan, we would need some privacy. And what better way to have complete my goals than a private dinner?

I figured Nan would like a refreshing night out. Frankly, I would have been glad to give Nan some pampering all the time. She deserves it.

I had never met a harder worker than Nan. Nan had patience and put up with a lot. I had noted this when we first met and saw it more and more as time went by.

I wanted to show Nan how much the girls and I appreciated her. That I saw her dedication to her work and perseverance. To provide for her in any way I could.

Most of all, I wanted to see those stormy grey eyes sparkle. To watch that pink mouth widen into a toothy grin. For her scent to turn warm, sweet with happiness.

The thought of that made my gums ache faintly. With the urge to claim. I ignored this.

I had gotten good in these past few weeks at ignoring my primal instincts. I just hoped this display would be enough to make Nan realize how much she misses us.

I had the perfect plan. Today would be great. I did not even attempt to stop the smile breaking out onto my face as I drove.

I should have heeded the famous saying: Man makes plans, and God laughs.

Maybe I would have been more prepared for the loud, chaos I would be walking into….

Nan’s POV

I wanted to bang everyone’s heads together.

The reason the caterer and planner were fighting was a lack of communication. The planner was angry was because there were no main entrees. I privately agreed that was a huge problem.

But according to the caterer, no one had communicated with the company on what the main entrees would be. As in no one had reached out to the caterers. Both parties were positive that the other was wrong.

I took a deep breath. “I understand the issue. But instead of assigning blame, why don’t we work together to fix it?”

There was still no satisfaction from either of them, but at least no one was yelling anymore. After checking the bride’s planner, the matter was quickly resolved. If not making everyone rush.

Then everyone was hurrying off to their own tasks. Once again, I stand there alone. ‘Please,’ I pray, ‘let the rest of this week go quickly.’

Looking around, I see that no one is paying attention to me. So, I pull out my phone to view Lionel’s message again. My eyebrows furrow in thought.

I didn’t want to sound ungrateful or possibly offend Lionel. Some part of me likes the idea of a surprise. Finally, I consider that a simple reply would be best.

From Nan

That sounds great. I can’t wait to see what you have in mind. See you soon. Drive safe.

From Lionel

I will. See you soon.

That girlish sensation swept over me once again. As a grown woman and mother, it was infuriating. It was exciting.

Life is looking up, even if it is not as perfect as I hoped. But I would not give into my fear again. I would face my fears and feelings head on.

I must try. For the girls’ sake. I owe it to myself, to the girls, and to Lionel.

At my resolve, the constant squeezing pain in my chest lessens some. It feels like I could properly think and breathe for the first time in weeks. By just being true to myself and my desires.

Another commotion breaks out for the second time that day. I feel exasperated. Are you kidding me?

I walk over unhappily in the direction of this new ruckus. A headache brewing around my temples. I would probably need aspirin before the day was over.

To my displeasure, I see that the disturbance comes from my office. What had happened in the few minutes that I had been gone? The man’s voice coming from inside sounds panicked.

I walk inside and see Eillen, the storage manager, and our supervisor. There is a serious look on all their faces. Worry fills me.

“Excuse me? What’s going on?” I ask.

The storage manager answers. “It’s missing! How could this have happened?”

“What’s missing?” But my question goes unanswered. Our supervisor was trying to calm the freaked out man.

“I’m sure it’s here. It’s probably just in a different spot than usual. Let’s try looking again.”

But the storage manager refuses to be reassured. “I’ve looked everywhere. Ask that girl, she’s the last one who had it.”

He points to me. I am very confused and alarmed at this point. The supervisor turns to me.

“Nan, do you have any idea where the heirloom is? He came to pick it up, but we could not find it. We need to get it stored.”

I blink. “I put it in my desk drawer for safe keeping. It should be there.”

“Unfortunately, we already searched there. It was not there.” She grimaces.

That could not be. I walk over to my desk and yank out the drawer. The box is there.

“See, I put it in this box. It’s…” I trailed off.

The box was empty. No necklace in sight. I did not know what to say.

The supervisor is grim. “Nan, someone has to stay with the items until the storage manager arrives. Where were you?”

I stammer. “I did! I made sure someone was always here.”

The storage manager scoffs. “You sure did not! You were not in the room when I got here!”

The implication stings.. He was right. I had left my office.

I protest. “Yes, but that was only because there was a loud fight outside between one of the planners and the caterers! I was resolving the situation.”

“And made a bigger mess in the process! You should have waited until I got here!” He spits out.

Now I’m getting angry. “So why didn’t you get here faster? I waited 20 minutes, you should have been here in less than 10!”

Seeing that we are going in circles, our supervisor puts a halt to our disagreement. “That’s enough. Now, Nan, please explain your perspective of situation so we can get to the bottom of this.”

At her light scolding, I cool down. It takes me a few seconds to get my thoughts together. Then I speak.

“I put the necklace in the box, and then in my drawer. I stayed here for 20 minutes, discussing topics with Eillen. And then the commotion broke out.”

Eillen said nothing, but nods when I mention her.

“So I asked Eillen if she would stay in the office and watch the belongings. She said yes, and I went to see what was going on. That is exactly what happened.”

Our supervisor looks at Eillen. “Eillen, is this correct? You agreed to watch the items?”

“Mostly. I talked with Nan, and I agreed to stay behind and watch the items. Nobody came by.”

“Mostly? What do you mean by that?”

Eillen glances at me and then looks bashfully at the floor. “I don’t want anyone to get into trouble.” She mumbles.

The supervisor is not as sympathetic. “Eillen, if you know something, you should speak up. Our reputation as a company is at stake.”

“Well, just before I came by, I saw Nan acting strange. I thought I saw her trying to put something into her bag. I’m sure I was just mistaken.”

Her face is the picture of innocence as she damns me. That liar. How dare she?

“She’s lying. I would never do something like that.” I snarl.

The storage manager is livid. I can see the disappointment in my supervisor’s eyes. “If that is the case, please show us the inside of your bag.”

Confidently, I grab my messenger bag. I would show them all that Eillen is a liar and a thief! I place my bag on the desk for all to see.

Upon opening it, my confidence fades to shock and horror. Right there, on the very top…is the missing necklace.