“Don’t worry about it,” Jill said. “Get some sleep. Things will look better tomorrow.”
Christine seriously doubted it, but she forced a smile. “Thanks, Jill.”
“And it was good meeting you, Travis,” her friend said as Travis got up and helped Christine out of the booth. “Drop by my store anytime for a chat.”
Travis nodded and walked alongside Christine. He had his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her to the door. No one blocked her exit with Travis at her side. He made her feel safe and protected. If only he could make this whole mess go away.
“I’ve never been accused of anything like this before,” Christine said as they walked down the block to her home. “The people of Cedar Valley know me. How else would I have become bank manager?”
“This is my fault,” Travis said quietly. “My being here is causing a dent in your reputation.”
She glanced at him. The sidewalk was dark with a lone streetlamp, but she could tell the responsibility he felt weighed heavily on him. His head was bent and his shoulders hunched as he shoved his fists into his jacket pockets.
“I refuse to believe that,” she declared. “Someone is going to find that bracelet and everyone will feel guilty for blaming me. But tomorrow it’s going to be so hard to walk into the bank.”
“Then skip it,” Travis suggested. “Take the day off.”
Christine’s eyes widened. That was the last thing she should do. “I can’t miss work. I already had a three-day weekend.”
“I’m sure you have plenty of sick days. Use one of those.”
“The day after there was a missing piece of jewelry in the bank? Which most people think I’m responsible for? If I miss work, everyone will automatically think I’m guilty.”
“And if you go into work, you will have to deal with curious and angry customers. The bank is going to be a three-ring circus. That’s more reason for us to leave Cedar Valley for the day.”
Christine couldn’t shake the feeling that Travis wanted to escape Cedar Valley more than she did. He seemed restless and uneasy since he had walked into the bank earlier today.
“What would you like to do?” he asked. “I think we can find something on that bucket list of yours.”
“Travis, no.” She stopped walking. “I can’t leave. Especially not now.”
“This is the perfect time,” he argued. “Aren’t you feeling as if you’re under a microscope? That everyone is watching you?”
“Are you?” she countered.
“Yes.”
She shouldn’t have been surprised by his blunt answer. Travis obviously felt small-town living too confining. “What do you usually do when you feel this way?”
“I find another challenge. An adventure. There has to be something around here that we can do. It might take up a day or two.”
“Travis, I’m going to stay. I don’t expect you to.” Her throat tightened as she spoke. She didn’t want him to leave, but she knew she couldn’t keep him here. “You were already planning to leave before the bracelet went missing.”
He crossed his arms. “I said I’m staying here.”
“You say it as if it’s some form of punishment.” After what he’d said about his childhood, she understood his need to keep moving. Travis didn’t want to settle down and risk being like his grandmother. “I’m sorry that Cedar Valley isn’t exciting enough for you.”
He sighed. “That’s not true.”
Christine started walking again. “Oh, and that whole story about how your friend lost an emerald? You need to come up with a better excuse.”
“I don’t have to make excuses,” Travis said as he followed her. “If I want to go somewhere, I do it. If I want to try something, I do it. I don’t let anything hold me back.”
She knew that was a pointed reference to her. How she had dreams and plans but it was all talk and no action. “Then why are you still here?” She stumbled to a halt as a horrible thought occurred to her. “Do you think I took the bracelet?”
He paused. Travis opened and closed his mouth before looking away.
She reared back as if she’d been slapped. The man she trusted, the man with whom she had risked her reputation, didn’t trust her. “You’re taking quite a while to answer,” she said brokenly.
“I don’t think you took the bracelet,” he finally said.
“You don’t sound convinced,” she said tiredly as the fight went out of her. At least her friend believed in her. “Good night, Travis.”