56. Buried Treasure
56
BURIED TREASURE
Jake
I woke the next morning with a killer headache.
I wasn’t hungover. I’d only had one beer at the bar. If this was a breakup hangover, it sucked.
Everything sucked.
The case I hadn’t cracked.
The diamonds I hadn’t found.
The bonus I hadn’t earned.
The woman I’d lost. And, like the gems, I hadn’t figured out how to win her back.
I needed coffee. I needed to hit the gym, go for a run. Time to move and think. Then, I’d come up with a plan to say I was sorry and convince her how desperately I meant it.
Swinging my legs over to sit on the edge of the bed, I groaned and dragged a hand through my hair. A glint of silver on the nightstand caught my eye, and I looked closer through bleary eyes.
Was that…?
I picked up the delicate necklace by the chain and let it catch the pale morning light. The hint of a smile tugged at my lips.
Yes, that was exactly what I’d thought it might be.
And more—it was an answer.
I might not have solved the case, I might still need to eat crow with Andrew, but I no longer cared.
I knew what to do about the only thing that mattered.
I checked the time. Ruby would be busy with her tour most of the day.
Perfect. That gave me enough time. And I needed time to do this right. I wasn’t going to let her slip away.
I was up and out of bed in seconds. A quick shower, some coffee, and a full-formed plan later, and my headache was gone.
Fuck that breakup hangover.
I had a true treasure to retrieve.
* * *
My day was packed. Mostly with waiting. But I needed to get back to Stingray Town by four. Ruby’s tour would end at that time, according to the website. She’d be busy finishing and packing up, but I’d try to catch her a few minutes after the customers left. Interrupting her as she said goodbye would be a bad idea.
I finished my mission at a quarter to—right on time—and headed across the beach to the snorkel shop where Ruby’s tired but happy tourists were saying their farewells. From the sound of things, they’d loved the dive. And, no surprise to me, they loved their guide.
“This was my second dive there,” a man told her. “And today was particularly good. A great guide makes a big difference.”
“Aw, thank you, Hugh,” said Ruby, glowing with pleasure. I was so damn happy for her, I felt like I was glowing too.
“So. Many. Pictures,” said a young woman from Jamaica while flipping through the viewscreen on her camera.
“Would you tag me on social so I can see?” Ruby asked. “My brother is a photographer and he’ll be so jealous.”
“Of course,” said the woman. “I’ll link to my review, as well.”
Then there was the best remark of all: “We’ll have to do this again next year.”
I smiled, already picturing the well-earned positive reviews, pushing the spiteful ones down the queue and into oblivion.
I hung back by a souvenir shop near the snorkel store, waiting until the customers fanned out, catching shuttle buses or hopping on bikes. When the last one left, I closed the distance to her, wishing I could approach her with the same certainty I felt on other jobs. Finding a stolen Stradivarius was simple compared to this.
I was flying blind, on nothing but hope, carrying only a small canvas bag. Ruby would be well-justified to shoot me down.
But I was taking the chance.
She was on the dock, hauling a mesh bag of snorkels to her friend’s shop. I pushed past the fear that I’d lost her for good, took off my shades, draped them onto the neck of my shirt, and walked toward her.
As I drew nearer, she set down the last bag and turned my way with a did you forget something smile that froze when we locked eyes. It seemed an eternity while she processed who stood in front of her.
What was that spark in her blue gaze? I hoped it was the same damn thing I was feeling—a rush of joy and hope.
But then her expression turned neutral. Wary. Guarded. Self-preservation had kicked in.
She brushed one palm across the other and took a few steps closer, meeting me on the sand. I hoped it was a good sign, but when she crossed her arms and raised her chin, I knew she was done with me.
But I hadn’t come here for nothing. Go big or go home.
“Why are you here?” she asked, immediately on the defensive.
“I miss you terribly,” I said, stepping closer to the woman I wanted and desperately needed in my life.
“Okay,” she said, wary. She wasn’t going to make this easy. I wouldn’t have expected her to. Nothing worth having was easy.
Saying I missed her wasn’t enough, so I said what I should have said yesterday.
“You’re right, Ruby,” I said, echoing her words from the car wash. “I trust you, Ruby.”
Her eyes narrowed, hard as stone. “You’re just repeating the lines I gave you, Jake.”
“But they’re smart words,” I said, and she was fierce today, protective. “I did everything wrong yesterday. Every single thing,” I said, laying my emotions bare. “I was frustrated and foolish. I reacted to the past instead of the present and said things I regret. Things you didn’t deserve.”
She tilted her head, her gaze unflinching. “Did someone tell you I wasn’t in on it? The car heist or anything else?”
“ I told me that. I knew it deep down, but I figured out afterward I was focused on the wrong thing. I was obsessing over the diamonds we’d lost when I should have been listening to you. I’m so sorry I said you get too close to people like it’s a bad thing.” I gestured to the dock where she’d just said goodbye to her happy tour group. “The way you connected with those people—it’s special.” This was harder than I’d thought, pouring out my emotions in front of her unyielding gaze. I gripped the handles of the canvas bag more tightly. “It’s what I love most about you.”
“Yeah, but it can still be a bad thing.”
I shook my head. “It’s a good thing, Ruby. A great thing. You have a huge heart—you risked so much to help your mom. You care so deeply, and I love that about you. I was a fool who said stupid things, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Something in her expression softened. Her lips parted slightly. Her gaze grew less harsh.
Yes!
Emboldened, I kept going. “I should have told you right then that you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. That I care about you more than ten million in diamonds. That I don’t care if I ever solve this case. None of it is worth a thing if I’ve lost you.” I felt tossed about by the emotions storming inside of me. I was helpless against her.
She’d taken over my heart and mind.
She’d become the center of my world in a mere week.
And I’d let her get away.
“When you left me,” I said, “I realized you’re what’s most precious to me. You’re…everything.”
“Jake,” she said, softly.
Holy hell, was that a glimmer of hope?
I took another gamble, stepping closer to her, still speaking my heart. “I fell in love with you, Ruby. And I want to keep loving you. Please let me love you.”
There. That was all I could do.
Her eyes shone with emotion. “You,” she said, frustrated but affectionate at the same time.
“Me?” I asked, hopefully. Happiness surged through me, but I sternly warned myself that I hadn’t won her yet.
“You make it so hard to be mad at you,” she said, scowling, almost petulant.
“Do you want to be mad at me?” I teased.
“I did,” she muttered. Then she shook her head. “But I don’t. I can’t.” She gave a shuddering sigh. “I missed you.”
Three glorious words, and they felt like sunshine. I drank her in, the golden-blonde hair, the ocean-blue gaze, the adorable constellation of freckles on her nose. I wanted to kiss them all.
Most of all, I wanted to earn her.
“Give me another chance,” I urged, gentle but firm.
She closed the remaining few inches between us, uncrossed her arms, and cupped my cheeks in her hands. “I love you too,” she whispered.
Then nothing else mattered in the world but her.
I reached for her, unable to resist touching her warm skin. “I’m so in love with you.”
In seconds, her arms were around my neck, and her lips were on mine, and all the past was erased in a kiss that marked this starting over. Tender and warm, it melted my heart.
She broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to mine, keeping her arms laced around me. “I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to see you back home in Florida. And maybe to see you again in your room tonight?” She lifted a naughty brow.
“Makeup sex is a promise,” I said.
Then her gaze drifted to my hand holding the bag. Curiosity sparked and spread across her face. Right. Yes. My plan for the day.
I’d realized from the start that if my words didn’t win her back, this gift wouldn’t win her over either. I would have given it to her anyway, but now we could both enjoy it.
I offered it to her. “You left this in my room,” I said. “But I made a small addition.”
Her eyes widened, and she eagerly reached into the bag and pulled out a chocolate bar, laughing. “I left a chocolate bar in the room?”
I shrugged with a sheepish smile. “I’ve heard that chocolate goes well with apologies.”
“And remembered that Ghirardelli is my favorite.”
I grinned at her delight. “The real gift is in the little bag.”
“Oh?” Her tone turned serious as she fished inside the canvas tote and pulled out a blue velvet pouch.
“I had this made for you. Today,” I said, nerves racing, worried I’d overstepped.
Ruby tugged on the bag’s drawstring, dipped two fingers inside, and pulled out a silver necklace with a small charm.
Her charm.
“You said you thought it would look good with your birthstone,” I said.
She held it up to the sun, her lips parting in awe as she gently opened the treasure chest pendant, then gasped. “Jake,” she whispered reverently. “It’s gorgeous.”
Finding the necklace on the nightstand had seemed like the universe handing me an ace that I’d better not waste. I’d hustled over to Wayboard Street and bought a ruby from Montez, my favorite gemstone salesman. He’d set the stone quickly, with expert fingers.
So Ruby had her buried treasure after all.
The brilliant red gem sparkled, lit up from the sun.
“I love it,” she said.
Pride and happiness fought for dominance inside me. “Let me put it on you,” I said, and she lifted her hair. I unhooked the necklace then clasped it around her neck, letting it fall to her chest where I ran my fingers along the charm.
“Beautiful. Like you, sweetheart. Now, what do you say we spend the evening on the water? Charter a boat. Go for a sunset sail.” I lifted my brow suggestively, and she took the bait.
She ran her hand up my chest, grabbing the neck of my shirt. “Makeup sex on the boat?”
“What a brilliant idea,” I said.
“I’m all in,” she said, then came close for another kiss—a hot, deep kiss that sent a bolt of lust through my body, right there on the beach. I broke the kiss. Grinned. “Or maybe makeup sex now in the hotel room?”
In an instant, she was rushing to my car.
Screw diamonds. I had my Ruby.