"Is that going to be all?"
Nathan looked up from the case he'd been perusing. A woman in a white shirt and jeans smiled at him from behind the counter. She was slim, perhaps a bit too slim, her face lined from a hard life, but her smile was genuine. A name tag on her shirt read Joan.
"Umm...yeah...oh that's nice," Nathan remarked as his eyes flicked back down into the display case.
"The autographed Jordan jersey?"
Nathan laughed, it was a full laugh and felt good.
"No. I am not much of a basketball fan. I meant that necklace."
"The silver cross?"
"Yes," Nathan said, nodding.
"Seems to be very popular today."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. A young lady was looking at it less then an hour ago."
Nathan felt his legs go weak and he placed both hands on the case. It had been Paige. He knew it. He didn't need to ask the woman what she'd looked like, he already knew.
My God, it really was Paige.
"Would you care to see it?"
Not trusting his voice, Nathan simply nodded.
The woman unlocked the case and withdrew the necklace, handing it over to Nathan. He felt a thrill run through him as he took it. Less than an hour ago Paige had held this very object. He was certain of it.
"Surprising, isn't it?" the woman asked with a smile, mistaking the expression upon Nathan's face. "Much heavier than it appears. It is definitely a quality piece."
Nathan continued to nod. It was a simple silver cross on a long silver chain. It was subtle in design, but gorgeous nonetheless.
"Which," she said with a sigh, "is why it has been in the case for so long. It's definitely more expensive than most people in an airport are willing to spend. I told Hal, our manager, that if people want fine jewelry then they will get it from a jewelry store. Which, amazingly, we now actually have in the airport. Of course he never listens to me, which I guess is why we have two crates of O.J. Simpson autobiographies sitting in the back."
"I'll take it."
"An O.J. autobiography?"
"No, this necklace," Nathan answered quickly before seeing her smile and realizing she had been joking.
"Are you sure?" she asked, lowering her voice a little. "I mean, I know the customer is always right and if Hal was here I would never even say this, but I am certain you can get this much, much cheaper outside of the airport. I feel bad enough gouging you almost three-fifty for those Rolaids."
"I'm certain. I want this particular necklace. This exact one. The money isn't important."
"Two questions. Where have you been all my life? And, are there any more like you at home?"
Nathan gave her a puzzled look.
"Joking of course," she said quickly when it was apparent that he hadn't gotten the joke. "Allow me to box that up."
Nathan reluctantly relinquished the necklace, but his eyes never left it during the entire time it was in Joan's possession.
"Is that going to be it?"
Nathan was about to say yes, but stopped and suddenly plucked a pack of gum from the shelf.
"This too."
He didn't flinch when she gave him the total, didn't so much as blink. He simply handed her a credit card and waited for her to run it through the machine.
As soon as he was out of the store, Nathan took the necklace out of the bag and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He then took two of the Rolaids, unsure though if he no longer needed them or if perhaps he'd be better served by downing the entire roll.
CHAPTER FIVE
Nathan decided not to waste anymore time wandering around the airport. He also decided not to waste anymore time wondering if the woman he had seen was Paige. There was no question that it was. How exactly that was possible he didn't know, it just was. He could puzzle out the how after. For now, he simply accepted it.
He worked his way to the correct gate and got in line for his boarding pass. His eyes darted around the surrounding area and the people seated around the gate.
"Can I help you?" asked a pretty, young woman behind the counter.
Nathan explained about his last minute travel plans and his need for his boarding pass. She said she'd be delighted to assist him and asked for his identification.
"Okay. Let me see, Mr. King. Yes, here we are."
"Uh...could you tell me who I'm sitting next to? I mean they were going to try and see if..."
The woman was nodding her head.
"Yes, I see the note here," she said pointing to her computer screen. "We were able to get you your requested seat assignment. You'll be in seat 12-B"
Nathan closed his eyes and felt the world whirl around him. He took a slow deep breath, reaching out to hold onto the counter to help steady himself. He couldn't believe everything was going his way. He opened his eyes, whispered a thank you to the woman and took the documents she offered him.