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Tucker chuckled, a low sound that I felt more than heard. “That’s the spirit.”
I gathered my things and stood again, ready to finally face the basement. “Alright then, let’s go find ourselves some treasure.”
10?/?
dakota
After twenty minutes of searching Hope’s basement—which was a lot bigger than I expected and looked like the locksmith on Main Street’s shop, only dirtier and with no windows—we weren’t any closer to finding the treasure.
Much to my dismay.
Not that I wanted there to be stolen treasure in Hope’s possession, but existing in general? You bet your biscuits.
“Do you plan to break into every safe?” I asked, watching Tucker as he meticulously used the older man’s own tools to raid his many safes. The look of focus on his face was something else—intense, almost like he was unraveling a puzzle he couldn’t walk away from.
“If that’s what it takes, yeah,” he replied, his brows furrowed as he bent down over a safe that was taller than I was.
I huffed dramatically, using my hands to pull myself into a seated position on top of a silver safe we’d already busted into and then locked back up, disappointed to find it empty.
“Too bad we couldn’t train Gertie to sniff it out,” I mused. “That old girl has many skills, but sniffin’ out treasure ain’t one. Unfortunately.”
“Gertie?” Tucker asked over his shoulder, glancing at me with a quizzical look.
“The pygmy goat. Surely, you’ve seen her followin’ you around town since you first showed up.” His lips pulled into a line, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You have, huh? She’s about yay big, cute as a button, kinda scary at the same time?”
He harrumphed, which only made me grin wider before he turned back to the safe. “Yeah, I’ve seen her.”
“She’s kinda my little sister. If you ask my momma, anyway.” I swung my legs idly, feeling strangely at ease.
He grunted in acknowledgment but didn’t stop working on the safe.
“My daddy bought her from a local farm a little ways down the road after he broke my momma’s favorite Corning Ware dish,” I prattled on, the words spilling out in a playful rhythm. “But, ya know, it wasn’t just that it was her favorite. It was crazy valuable. Did you know some of those old Corning Wares can go for thousands of dollars these days, dependin’ on the design?”
“Nope.” His voice was clipped, but I could tell I had his attention by the slight pause in his movements.
“Well, it’s true,” I said. “So, Daddy bought her the goat as an apology, and for a minute, we called her Gertie the Guilt Goat. But she’s earned herself several other nicknames in the time since, on account of how helpful she can be in certain circumstances. Or how mischievous.” I tapped the edge of the safe with my boot. “Either way, too bad she isn’t here with the skills to help us now.”
“I’ve got the skills area covered,” he muttered, his hands moving deftly over the safe as it clicked and released. He straightened, the safe finally giving in to his expertise.
Perfect timing to prove his point.
I hopped off the safe I’d perched on and danced over to him, excitement bubbling up. “Anythin’?”
Tucker rifled through the contents of the large safe, his frown deepening. “No gold doubloons.”
“Shucks.” I pouted, hands on my hips as I peeked in beside him.
He looked down at me, his expression somewhere between exasperated and amused. “You’re…”
“Way too chatty?” I supplied, tilting my head with a knowing grin.
“Yeah.” He stood up straight, towering over me.
“Kinda obnoxious?” I asked with a playful wink, sensing the tension but enjoying the way he fought it.
The corner of his mouth twitched just enough to let me know he wasn’t completely immune. “When you wanna be.”
I laughed. “Makes me great sidekick material. Know what I mean?”
