The ding from the computer startled her and she inwardly grimaced at her lack of attention. Tapping away, she breathed easier when she discovered that his accounting system was not hidden, not encrypted, and not overly complicated. She quickly found the records she was looking for and popped in a different drive for transferring the information.
Glancing upward again, she could see a shadow underneath the closed office door and knew Junelle would not be able to see her in the office if she happened to come down the hall. Her heart seemed to beat in time with the clock as she kept track of how long it was taking. Only another couple of minutes.
Deciding to see if there was anything else of interest, she walked over to the credenza under his window and pulled open the drawers. There were files, but glancing through them, there was nothing of any interest to her. Hanging behind the door was a spare suit, including a crisply-starched and ironed shirt. A bookcase to the side held a few volumes of books on running a small business, the Smoky Mountains, and weddings.
Sitting back down at his desk, she opened the drawers, her eyes bugging out of her head at the sight of a gun. Unable to imagine why a wedding chapel owner would need a firearm, she quickly shut the drawer. Directly underneath was a larger drawer that she assumed held more files, but it was locked.
“Oh, hello, Junelle.” Her head jerked up as she heard Nolan speaking loudly from the hall.
“Yes, Elizabeth is still inside the ladies’ room, I’m afraid. The nerves were getting the best of her, and she’s got a bit of a tummy ache.”
“Oh, I am so sorry. I was going to tell you that I’m getting ready to leave for lunch, but Chester just came back saying that he’s going to use my computer to upload the pictures. As soon as he got home, he said his Internet was down. So, since he’ll be at my desk, I’ll say goodbye and wish you and your bride the best. I hope she feels okay in a bit. After all, you want to have a nice wedding night!”
Lynn heard Nolan chuckle, but she continued to hold her breath until he popped his head into the office.
“I know you heard that, but she’s gone. And Chester is busy so we should be good. How’s it going?”
“About two more minutes.” She hesitated, then decided she wanted his input. “Nolan,” she hissed, and he poked his head back in. “He’s got a gun in his top drawer and the second file drawer is locked.”
Checking over his shoulder, Nolan darted into the room and closed the office door. As he walked around to the back of the desk, she pulled open the drawer to allow him to view the gun. He simply nodded, pushed the drawer closed, and then pulled out his thin tool and quickly unlocked the latch to the files.
As he went back to his lookout position, she opened the drawer, finding the contents much more interesting. Several overstuffed but unlabeled file folders were inside. Scanning their contents, she grabbed her phone from her purse and began snapping pictures. She had no idea what the list of numbers meant but wanted to have the photographs to look at later.
Her drive had accepted all the downloaded files from the computer, and she retrieved it, shoving it back into her purse. Closing his laptop after shutting it down, she made sure to leave it placed on his desk exactly as she first saw it. She continued to rifle through the file folders for another couple of minutes, taking pictures of anything that appeared pertinent.
Nolan popped his head through the door again, and she whispered, “I’m almost finished. I wanted to get this as well.” Finally, placing all the files back into the drawer as she found them, Nolan locked it again. They stepped back, careful to perform a visual sweep of the office and, once satisfied it was all in order, they slipped back into the hall where he relocked the door.
Adrenaline pumping, they hurried out of the building, tossing a wave toward Chester as they left. Her heels tapped out a quick staccato as they rushed across the parking lot toward his truck. Opening the door, he lifted her into the passenger seat before jogging around and climbing inside. He started the truck, but before he put it in drive he twisted around.
She mimicked his actions, facing him, a lighthearted grin on her face. “We did it!” she whispered, her hand lifted to offer a high-five.
Before she had a chance to react, he reached over and cupped her jaws, pulling her forward slightly. “We sure as hell did,” he said just before his lips landed on hers.
10
Nolan had not planned on kissing her again. In fact, most of the day had not gone the way he’d planned at all. As a SEAL, he was used to meticulously planning then evaluating ever-changing situations and reacting accordingly. Somehow, with Lynn, he’d been filled with uncertainty and allowed the situation to progress. But, seeing her giddy smile as she lifted her hand in celebration of ‘we did it,’ he was overcome with the desire to celebrate.
Now, with his lips covering hers, he once again wondered what the
