Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble

Author:Colleen Coble
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

Carly wanted to look as professional as possible for her meeting with William Taylor, and she smoothed the wayward strands of hair escaping the French twist at the back of her head. Her feet already hurt, unaccustomed to wearing pumps, and she couldn’t wait to ditch the navy skirt and white blouse for shorts and a sleeveless top. The sun beat down on her head as she waited with Lucas in front of the bank.

“You remembered to get the key out of your safe?”

“Of course.” Perspiration beaded Lucas’s forehead. “We could go inside, you know.”

“I wanted Mr. Taylor to be able to spot me easily.”

Lucas lifted his phone and studied the picture on it. “Bald guy, big mustache. Should be easy to identify. He’s a little late. Wasn’t he supposed to be here at eleven?”

She nodded. “His flight could have been a little late.” Noah had been fed before she left him in Isabelle’s care, but she didn’t want this to take all day either.

Or had he lost interest in the egg? Maybe he’d seen a red flag that indicated it wasn’t genuine. She rejected the idea—everything in her knew the egg was genuine.

A black Escalade pulled into the parking lot, and a man got out. He was in his thirties with blond hair and a clean-shaven face. The smile he turned her way as he stopped in front of her spoke of recognition. “Mrs. Harris? I’m William Taylor.”

Her answering smile faltered, and Lucas tensed at her side. She grabbed his forearm in a warning squeeze as he started to speak and shook her head. “You don’t look much like your picture on the website, Mr. Taylor.”

“Call me William. We all have fake pictures online. Privacy, you know.”

His explanation made sense, but she wasn’t convinced. “Could I see some ID?”

“Of course.” He whipped out his wallet and showed her his driver’s license as well as his official Willard Auction House card. “I’m eager to see the egg. Shall we go in?”

She glanced at Lucas, who raised a brow before he gave a slight nod. At least he’d be with her and ready to intercept any attempt at theft. They walked inside, and the rush of AC cooled her cheeks. After showing her documentation, Carly and the bank employee went back to get the box while Lucas took Taylor to a private viewing room.

Her pulse elevated as she carried the box into the room. She couldn’t wait to see the egg again. Every minute with it out of her hands had been an eternity. She set the box on the table between the two men and lifted the lid to reveal the contents. The opalescent egg gleamed in the overhead lights, and Taylor gasped.

He reached toward the egg, then drew his hands back. “May I?”

“Of course.”

He pulled on white gloves and lifted the egg out reverently. “Extraordinary,” he whispered. “Exactly how I imagined it.” He turned it around and looked at it from all angles, then pulled out a loupe to look at the details more closely.

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