“She was a natural,” Travis said with a smile. He admired Laurie’s ability to elicit information from him. He knew how to sidestep the questions. It was a technique he had learned while growing up. His grandmother wouldn’t leave the house and at times her fears were so great, she wouldn’t let him out, either. It was easier to make up stories and excuses than to reveal the truth.
But he wanted to know more about Christine and an incurable gossip was the best source. He had to give a little to receive something in return. Laurie wanted information, but her true mission was spreading it around. She was the expert on everyone in Cedar Valley and wanted him to know it. “You sound surprised,” he said. “Christine is a speed demon.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Laurie said with a frown. “Christine used to be like that. She was the kind of girl who climbed the water tower because it was the tallest structure in the area. Stood on her bike as if it was a surfboard and rode down the hill at full speed. But that changed once her dad ran out and she became the head of the household.”
Travis didn’t want to think of Christine as a carefree girl who had to grow up fast, but he instantly imagined a young woman trying to make ends meet. She would dress in clothes that were too old for her and take the role of caregiver seriously. A little too seriously.
He didn’t want to think about her navigating the adult world without any guidance. He needed to remember that she was a thief. Christine Pearson stole his friend’s emerald. Travis clenched his teeth as he recalled Aaron’s face when he had to admit he’d lost the stone. He had failed his friend—one of the few people in this world who mattered to him—and he had to make things right. He wasn’t going to find the emerald if he fell for Christine’s innocent act.
“What else did she do in Vegas?” Laurie asked.
“She was very interested in extreme sports,” Travis said, hoping his voice carried to Christine’s office. “The bigger the risk the better.”
“Christine?” Laurie said in a squawk. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person? You should see her investment portfolio. It’s about as low-risk as you can get.”
“She did a sky jump,” Travis revealed. He set his coffee cup down and reached for his cell phone. “I think I have a picture somewhere on my phone.”
Laurie chuckled and rubbed her hands together. “Oh, I wish Darrell could see this.”
Travis glanced up sharply at the older woman. “Her ex-boyfriend? Why?”
“Don’t worry about him, sweetie.” She gave him a knowing look and patted him on the arm. “There is no competition. That is over and done with. She would never take him back after how he humiliated her.”
Travis glanced at Christine’s empty office. He knew she was shy and blushed easily. She didn’t know how to attract attention, but did she avoid it because of an embarrassing experience? “What do you mean?”
“He had one too many beers at the bar one night,” Laurie said in a confiding tone, “and announced to the whole town that he was breaking up with her because he found her boring.”
“Christine?” Travis’s eyes widened in surprise. The woman had a thirst for adventure and an interest in everything. She couldn’t shake loose her cautious nature, but her excuses to avoid any risk were just as entertaining as watching her explore the world around her.
“That’s what he said,” Laurie said with a cluck of her tongue. “Especially in bed.”
His mouth dropped open. “Say what?” Christine had been magical and mind-blowing in bed. Nothing she did had been mechanical or predictable. She gave from the heart and had made their one night memorable.
“Hmm...you don’t agree?” Her blue eyes danced with triumph. “Good to know.”
Travis clipped his jaw shut. Damn, this woman was good. He wanted to shake Christine out of her hiding place with a few mentions about Vegas, but he wasn’t going to discuss that night. She may have had an ulterior motive taking him to bed, but it meant something to him. He wasn’t going to share that moment with anyone else.
“How did Christine respond?” he asked. Most women he knew would retaliate.
“Christine didn’t make a scene. She handled it with grace, just as we knew she would,” Laurie said with a hint of admiration. “Now I wonder if she went to Vegas to let her hair down. Prove to herself that he was wrong.”
Was that also why she took the emerald? Did she need to do something extreme, something illegal, to show that her ex-boyfriend was wrong about her? That made more sense to him than the other motives he had considered.