The Gold Digger by Liz Tolsma

Author:Liz Tolsma [Tolsma, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781643527147
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Friday,

February 21, 1908

Nils drove into LaPorte, his ever-faithful Princess curled under a pile of blankets at his side. As he motored by Ingrid’s confectionary, his heart warmed. An OPEN sign hung on the door. He would visit her right away.

While he was home, he had sold a few autos. Enough to pay some bills and put a little cash in his pocket. Besides, he wasn’t going to be here long. He had put enough money aside to take a train to California if necessary, but he still had funds for a few nights at the Teegarden Hotel.

He’d even managed to make a payment to Gillespie, buying him time until the end of March to come up with the balance. Still, he would never have enough. All he kept doing was putting the man off and putting him off again. At some point, Gillespie would stop being so cooperative.

Once he was properly greeted by the staff and settled into his room along with Princess, his single bag set on the luggage rack in the corner and the heavy curtains pulled back to let in the daylight, he set off for Ingrid’s.

When he entered the shop, Ingrid was nowhere to be found. He rang the little bell on the counter and called for her several times before she emerged from the basement, a heavy apron over her dark blue skirt and her white shirt. She must have been in her darkroom. When she saw him, her countenance brightened, and her green eyes widened. “I’m so glad you’ve returned.”

“It’s good to see you.” And it was. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her. Her lilting laughter. The way she tilted her head when she concentrated. The lightness of her touch on his arm. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek, his lips on fire as he stepped back.

Ingrid’s eyes sparkled, and she didn’t throw him out on his ear. His advance hadn’t been unwelcome.

“Are you taking a day off from the candy business?”

She shook her head. “Since the holidays are over, business has been slow. I needed the solitude.”

“I’m sure. You told me in your letters that you sold a few more pictures.”

“I have. Two of them. Including the ones Klein bought of your brother’s car, that makes five altogether. He will have to hire me soon.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“I didn’t think you’d ever be back. You kept saying you were coming, and you never did.”

“Like I wrote, I had to deal with my business. Problems kept cropping up that I had to take care of. Always just before I planned to leave. This time, I’m only here for a few days, because I have a lead about my brother I want to check out. Add that to the information you gave me about my brother’s coat, and this was the logical place to start.”

“I haven’t seen or spoken to my sister since Christmas Day. She’ll have nothing to do with me. She’s even forbidden the children to visit here after school.

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