Page 82 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
Mia couldn’t take this any longer. They were both getting upset, and she still had no idea what was going on. She gripped Lauren’s shoulders, forcing her to meet Mia’s eyes. “You aren’t making any sense. I need you to start at the beginning and tell me what happened.”
“You’d never believe me,” Lauren said miserably. “This is exactly what happened when I closed for Josie for the first time. What are the chances someone other than me robbed you tonight?”
That was a good question. Mia didn’t like the odds, but why would Lauren steal from her? It made no sense. And if she had, why was she curled up on Mia’s floor, too hysterical to speak coherently? This wasn’t the behavior of a thief.
“Look, I’m a lawyer at heart, okay? I always collect all the facts and hear both sides of the story before I make up my mind about something. So please, for the love of God, take a breath and tell me what happened.”
Lauren blinked, and then she sucked in a deep breath. “I was closing up, going through the routine the way you showed me, but when I opened the register, it was empty.”
“And where was Jordy?”
“They left a little while ago.” Lauren glanced wildly around the café as if expecting a thief with a bag of cash to leap out from under a table.
“Did anyone come into the café while you were closing?”
Lauren shook her head. “No, but I forgot to make sure the front door was locked before I went to wash my hands. Someone could have come in, but it doesn’t seem likely. I was only gone a minute. I…I’m the obvious suspect.”
“Would you please stop talking like that?” Mia gave her a little shake before wrapping one of her arms around Lauren’s shoulders. “Honestly, I’m offended that you didn’t even give me the benefit of the doubt. After everything we’ve shared, it never occurred to you that I might take your side?”
“But…I’m the only one here.” Lauren looked at her out of wide, terrified eyes.
“And did you take the cash?”
“No,” Lauren whispered.
“Okay then.” Mia exhaled harshly. “That’s all you had to say.”
“Really?” Lauren’s face crumpled, and she burst into tears.
“Yes, really.” Mia’s head was spinning, because what in the world had happened down here tonight? If not Lauren, who else could have possibly emptied out the cash register? It seemed unlikely anyone could have robbed the café during the time it took Lauren to wash her hands.
“Thank you,” Lauren gasped between heartbreaking sobs.
Mia tightened her arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “You’re welcome.”
“The police will think it was me,” Lauren said in a small, shaky voice, and she probably had a point there.
Perhaps, if Mia set aside her natural cool headedness and looked at the situation through Lauren’s eyes, she would panic too. At worst, Mia was out a few hundred dollars tonight. Hardly a catastrophe. But Lauren…well, the stakes were much higher for her.
“I think the next step is to call Jordy.” Mia tugged her phone out of her back pocket. “Let’s see if they know anything.”
Lauren said nothing, sobbing quietly next to Mia. She looked absolutely wrecked, like her whole world had imploded, and maybe it had, but not if Mia had anything to say about it.
“Jordy,” she said when the call connected. “Did you happen to check the cash register before you left tonight?”
“Oh shit,” Jordy said in her ear. “I totally forgot you said Lauren was going to close tonight. I was on autopilot while I was cleaning up, and I closed out the register myself. I hope she doesn’t think I did it because I don’t trust her.”
Mia exhaled, holding in a hysterical laugh. Of course, this was the simplest, most logical explanation, one Mia would certainly have reached on her own if she hadn’t gotten sidetracked by Lauren’s meltdown. “No worries at all, Jordy. I just needed to check.”
“You got it. Sorry if I caused any confusion tonight.”
“It’s fine, just a simple misunderstanding. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure thing. Good night, Mia.”
“Bye.” Mia set the phone on the floor and turned to face Lauren. “No one robbed the café. Jordy forgot you were closing tonight and closed out the register themself.”
“What?” Lauren gave her a blank stare. Her face was too pale, and her skin was so cold. She was probably in shock. That would also explain why she hadn’t made any sense since Mia came downstairs.
