“The desk. The one for kids?” I tapped the glass with my finger.
Josh pulled out a handkerchief and polished the area where my finger had touched the glass. “If you must know, I came across that particular desk at an estate sale north of here. The former owner claimed the desk was from the first schoolhouse in Idaho. Somewhere in the Lewiston area, I believe.”
My heart sank. If the desk really was historic, no way would Josh let me buy it for a few dollars. He’d be reaching out to the historical commissions and museums that dealt with that type of find. “I guess you want a lot for it, huh?” Then my evil side kicked in without me even batting an eye. “Aunt Jackie had her heart set on putting it in the children’s book section of the store. You know, so they could pretend to be in school, reading a book?”
“Oh, Jackie wants the desk?” Josh shrugged, an action that made his belly jiggle even through the black mortician’s suit he always wore. I didn’t remember ever seeing him in anything but a suit. Maybe he even slept in the thing. “I said the previous owner claimed the desk was authentic. My research has put it more in the range of desks used in the nineteen-sixties.”
I was going to hell for using the offer of my aunt’s affections to barter a cheaper price. Yet I pushed harder. “So it’s reasonable? I’d sure like to make Aunt Jackie happy. You know how she gets when she doesn’t get her way.” I held up my hands. “Not that I would blame you in any way for the desk being too expensive. A man’s got to make a profit. Aunt Jackie just doesn’t understand business.”
“You really shouldn’t talk that way about her. Jackie is an amazing woman.” He stopped, his face beet red. “I could let it go for three hundred dollars.”
“Two-fifty?” I hated to spend money on an impulse buy, but the desk would look so cute in the shop.
“Miss Gardner, this isn’t an auction.” Josh glared at me. I let my shoulders drop and heaved a sigh worthy of an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. His eyes flickered to the apartment over the shop. A perfect place for him to play Romeo to Aunt Jackie’s Juliet, except she was more of a modern theater girl.
I stepped around him and he grabbed my arm. “Fine, you’re killing me, but if I don’t take any profit, I could let it go for two-seventy-five. That’s my bottom. Take it or leave it.”
Smiling, I nodded to the desk. “Slap a sold sign on that puppy. I’ll bring over a check on Tuesday as soon as Toby starts his shift.”
“We have a deal?” Josh peered at me through his half-closed eyelids.
“Do I need to sign something? I’ll uphold my half of the bargain; you just don’t sell the desk out from under me.”
He nodded. “I’ll trust you.”
I thought about Josh’s ending words all the way home. Was our bond becoming more than the annoying shopkeeper next door? Was his and Jackie’s relationship turning more serious than I knew? I mentally added call Jackie to my to-do list. I didn’t want to be blindsided if Josh Thomas was soon to be Uncle Josh. The thought made me shiver.
When I reached the house, Greg’s truck was in my driveway. He sat on the top step of the front porch, reading the Examiner. My dog slept at his feet. Smiling, he folded the paper when I walked up. “I would have picked you up at the shop, but when I called, Toby said you’d left ten minutes ago. Take the long way home?”
I kissed him and sat down beside him. “Shopping.”
He frowned and looked closer at the only thing I had carried from the shop, my purse. “You shop light.”
“Actually, I shop heavy.” I went on to tell him about the new addition to the kids’ area for the shop. “I think the kids will love it.”
Greg nodded. “You could paint that short wall under the windows with chalkboard paint and the kids could draw, too.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” I thought about the corner of the shop where the kids hung out, reading books. It was small, but it might just work. “And we could advertise sales on the board.”
“I guess so.” He chuckled. “You’re always thinking like a business owner.”
“And what, you think like a dad?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. We hadn’t even talked about marriage, let alone kids.
“It’s possible.” He stood up before I could say anything else. “Come have lunch with me in Bakerstown. I have to pick up some supplies for the station and I’m tired of staring at a whiteboard that’s not giving me answers, just more questions.”
“So,” I started but Greg stopped me, holding up his hand.
“I’ll buy you lunch at that seafood place you love on one condition. No talk about the case. No questions, no comments, nothing. We’re just a couple having lunch.”
“Anything I want on the menu?” I raised my eyebrows.
He reached down and gave Emma a rub under her chin. “Anything. I need some time away from this to try to get clarity from all the white noise.”