A laugh-snort slipped out, and she could not think of a good reason why she shouldn’t enjoy another kiss with Nolan. Closing her eyes, she wiped out all other thoughts as his lips took hers once again. The kiss was long and slow, building in intensity like the crescendo of an orchestra. It was not until Chester cackled aloud that they separated quickly, both blinking as though dazed.
“Alrighty, folks, I think I got enough pictures. I’ll get them out to Miss Junelle tomorrow and she can send the link to you so you can choose the ones you want.” Shaking their hands, they watched as he climbed into his old car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Her shoulders slumped and once again she was glad Nolan had his arm around her waist. “Nolan, this was nothing like what we planned.”
“I know, and I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Lynn. The only thing we could’ve done was to call a halt to it before it got started and then they would’ve expected us to leave. At that point, we would’ve had to try to break in to get into his office.”
Shaking her head quickly, she glanced toward the building they were standing next to. “No, no, we couldn’t have done that. The risk of getting caught would be too great.”
Feeling his gaze, she looked upward at Nolan. “I’ll take your lead ‘cause you have to tell me what to do now.”
“Okay, we go back in and stick to our original plan. We tell Junelle that we're going to use their restroom, and I’ll make sure that Errol’s office door is open. If it’s locked, then I can get it unlocked. You get in and do what you need, just like we planned. I’ll stay on the outside and run interference in case Junelle comes down the hall. Five minutes, right?”
“Yes, I just need five minutes.”
A smile spread across Nolan’s face, and she could not help but feel her shoulders relax. He was so handsome, so much more than when he was a teenager. She knew it was a sham, but also intended to keep one of the photos. Just one… to remind me of this day.
Following through on their plan, they walked back into the reception area, seeing Junelle behind the counter. She looked up with her ever-present smile and asked, “Are y’all finished with the pictures?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “We’re getting ready to head out, but would you mind if we used your restrooms?”
Waving toward the back, Junelle bobbed her head, her tall hair bouncing up and down. “Absolutely! Take your time ‘cause I know y’all have a little drive ahead of you to get to the resort.”
He reached down to link fingers with her again, and it struck her how easily they reached for each other’s hands now. So natural. So needed.
As they walked down the hall away from the front reception area and Junelle, their footsteps were muffled by the plush carpet. Errol’s door was closed, and she watched as Nolan slipped on a glove and pulled a thin metal tool from his pocket. She was stunned to see how quickly he was able to jimmy the door open. He turned to look at her, and for a second, it was as though she forgot why they were there. Seeing his lifted brow, she bolted into action, walking briskly past him into the office, confident that he would keep a safe watch.
He grabbed her arm, and she turned back, her brow lifted in silent question. He handed her a pair of gloves and the air rushed from her lungs, embarrassed at her forgetfulness. Nodding her thanks, she slipped them on.
Just as Sally had indicated, Errol’s office was neat and his computer sat on the exact center of his desk. Nolan had provided her with a touchscreen glove and she slid it onto her shaking hand. Sally had provided a password, although she admitted she was unsure it was the current one he used. Not willing to waste time, she reached into her small bag and pulled out the drive. Knowing it could reset the computer, she plugged it in and waited. Glancing toward the door, she sucked in a deep breath, praying Junelle did not come down the hall. Casting her gaze about the room, she discerned the best place to hide if necessary—standing behind the curtains on either side of the windows like in a cheesy murder-mystery movie.
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.