Coop glanced at Lexie. Even behind her glasses, he caught the little furrows in between her eyes and the concerned expression on her face. She obviously knew exactly what he was thinking. Or thought she did.
“Ricky, are you saying you have both ladies’ items?” Coop asked.
“Maybe.”
Lexie jumped up from her seat. “I’ve had enough. Do any of you remember that these items are stolen? Stolen. As in—aside from my grandmother’s wedding ring—the necklace, Coop’s ring and the bracelet don’t belong to you!” She paced back and forth in front of the trio, chastising them under her breath until she finally paused. “Sylvia, you’ve been taking computer lessons, right?”
Sylvia nodded. “Yes, ma’am, and I’m pretty darn good!”
“And, Grandma, something tells me that you already know more than you’ve let on to me, correct?”
Charlotte glanced away. “Maybe.”
“She’s been coming to the Apple Store with me. But she loved the time you spent teaching her, and she didn’t want to insult you by saying she didn’t need your help,” Sylvia said helpfully.
“I love our time together, too,” Lexie said, her voice softening. “But we can spend it doing other things instead of you pretending not to understand my instructions.”
Charlotte nodded, looking at her granddaughter with love.
“Okay, this is how it’s going to be. You two computer-literate women are going to do research. You’re going to find out who’s still living in the Lancaster family, return the jewels and hope they won’t press charges against an almost octogenarian and her cohorts who have learned their lesson. Right?” Lexie stared at each of them in turn.
They grumbled, but no one committed to returning anything. They did, however, focus on the last part of Lexie’s statement.
“I’m not going to jail!” Charlotte cried out, grabbing her chest.
“Calm down,” Coop said, recognizing the ploy.
“No more faking when it comes to your health!” Lexie exploded at her grandmother.
Coop rose and placed a calming arm around Lexie’s shoulder. He admired the way she had held on to her temper and her emotions through this entire ordeal and he was about to make it even easier on her. “It’s okay. I’ve actually done the research already and there’s good news. First, the statute of limitations has run out and they can’t be charged.”
Everyone’s shoulders slumped in relief.
“Coop, thank you.”
Lexie’s warm smile of gratitude settled inside him, expanding his heart even more. His feelings for her would be the death of him yet. “You’re welcome. And second, the Lancaster family is gone. There are no direct descendants.”
“So we can keep the jewels?” Charlotte and Sylvia asked at the same time.
Ricky kept silent. Coop knew the older man’s only interest lay in hiding his past. They hadn’t broached that subject. Yet.
“No, you may not!” Lexie said. “Those items don’t belong to you,” she said, clearly exasperated.
Once again, Coop had done his research. “There is a foundation the family established in honor of Harold Lancaster that channels money into inner-city programs to keep kids out of trouble and provide scholarships to those who want a college education. If you sell the jewels, you can donate the proceeds to a good cause. At least that way the money will go where the original owners intended.”
“But how are we going to publicly sell jewels without revealing how we got our hands on them in the first place?” Ricky said at last. Because his self-interest was finally at stake.
Coop had an idea. “Lexie, can I see you alone for a minute?”
Lexie shot the three a warning glance. “Behave!” she said, then followed him into the kitchen. “What’s up?”
He brushed her hair off her cheek. “Are you okay?” Despite knowing she would trample all over his heart, he couldn’t help but ask.
She nodded. “As long as I keep my breathing steady, I won’t hyperventilate,” she joked.
But he could see the strain and the disappointment etched all over her face. “It’s almost over,” he promised her, refusing to dissect that comment too deeply. “I was thinking that I can contact the Lancaster Foundation, tell them that I did some research on the ring in my possession and realized it belonged to them. I’ll also tell them I was able to track down the other missing pieces and I’d like to give them back—with the stipulation that no questions be asked about where they’ve been because the previous owners agreed to an anonymous return.”
Lexie paused in thought. “That might work,” she said at last. “I can’t thank you enough for keeping their names out of this.”
“I’m doing it for you.”
She visibly swallowed hard. “I know. And I appreciate that.”
“I don’t want your appreciation, Lexie. I want—”
“Well? Are you gonna leave us sitting out here all day?” Ricky bellowed from the other room. “These crazy women are threatening me.”
Nothing personal would be accomplished right now, Coop thought, frustrated. Especially since Lexie appeared relieved at the interruption. And she hadn’t picked up on the fact that Ricky had said Charlotte believed Coop was in love with her.
“Let’s go give them the news,” he said, walking out of the room without meeting her gaze.
He informed the trio, that if the foundation accepted the items without question, they’d be off the hook. But if they chose to make a big deal about where the jewelry came from, there was nothing Coop could do.
Lexie insisted on taking her grandmother and Sylvia home, thereby avoiding dealing with Coop and the unresolved issues between them.
Running away was something Lexie excelled at.
THE NEXT DAY Coop stopped by the Vintage Jewelers to collect the bracelet from Ricky. With much grumbling, the other man agreed to let Coop accompany him to the bank to get the item from the vault, along with Lexie’s grandmother’s wedding ring. With all three items now in his possession, Coop contacted the Lancaster Foundation and explained the situation to the president, who was overjoyed at the news. Coop handed the items over, officially ending his involvement with the ring.
What about his involvement with Lexie?
No easy answer there.
But he didn’t contact her. She knew he had something to say to her. He knew she didn’t want to hear it. She also had his Web site, which meant the ball was in her court. She’d have to come around or not.