Chapter Sixteen
Haley entered the Plaza and headed straight towards the restaurant. Just as she was about to go inside, she recognized the man leaving. "Chris?"
Chris looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Haley. Of all the luck! He pretended not to have heard her (although it wasn't very effective since he had already met her gaze) and walked straight ahead.
"Chris, I have to speak to you," Haley said, taking out the box with the engagement ring inside it, but he kept walking ahead. "Chris!" she repeated holding the box in front of him, but he moved to the other side of her. When she moved to stand in his way, he quickly went the other way and ran into the lobby and then out the main doors.
Haley stared after him incredulously for a few moments before going inside the restaurant. She sat down at the table where Nathan was waiting and after they kissed hello, she started to tell him about the encounter she had just had. "It was the funniest thing, really. I was only trying to give him back his ring," Haley said at the end of her story.
Nathan nodded, as if he hadn't seen the whole thing through the glass doors.
"So," Haley said, "what's the first thing that you want to talk about?"
"You remember last night when I was taking you home, we were discussing what to do with the statue?"
"Yeah. I mean, I definitely can't keep it, and it's dangerous for you to keep it with you too."
Nathan nodded. "I know someone who wants it."
"Everyone's always wanted it; Daddy would just never sell it."
"Yes, but this person still wants it now, even though the police are after it."
"Really?" Haley asked. "And they know? I mean, that no one else can know they have it."
"Yeah."
"Well…that sounds like one of the best ways to get rid of it."
"That's what I thought too," Nathan agreed. "But this person is leaving Tree Hill tomorrow, so I'll have to get it to them by then."
"That's fine."
"But what about your Dad?"
"He'll miss it, but after all the stress this whole thing has caused him, I think he'll be glad."
"Well, then, I guess it's settled."
"How did you meet him? Or is it a she?"
"It's a he," Nathan informed her, "I met him coming out of my brother's office."
"What does your brother do?" Haley asked, interested.
"He's an art dealer. He – I mean, the man who wants the Venus, - was there because he was hoping Lucas, my brother, could help him find it."
"Lucas doesn't know about it though, right?"
"Oh, no, of course not." Nathan shook his head.
Haley smiled. "You know, I never asked you – how did you know about it being a fake?"
"Well, at first it was a guess," Nathan began to explain. "That night you asked me I thought about all the reasons you might want to steal it, and I did some research on the exhibit – that seemed the most likely possibility. The next part I was lucky."
"How so?"
"I discovered a stain on part on my jacket and it was paint. Then, I realized it was from when my jacket brushed against the painting at your house. I went to Lucas' office – although he doesn't know – and used some of his equipment to test the paint. It was too new to have been an original."
"That's some handy detective work," Haley commented. "Have you thought about a change in career?"
"Are you asking me to get a job?"
"Well…I would never ask you to –"
"Because I've been thinking about it."
"Really?" Haley tried to stop the smile from spreading across her face, but couldn't.
"A little," Nathan admitted.
Haley leaned over and kissed Nathan happily. Then she picked up her menu and started leafing through it. As they thought over what to order, Haley suddenly said, "Maybe you should get a job as a guard."
"Why? Does the museum have an opening?" Nathan joked.
Haley giggled. "Possibly. And you do seem to know all the tricks. Plus, you looked hot in that uniform."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, as Haley blushed at her own words. "You should have told me that last night," he said.
"Why last night?"
"Well, if I knew that you thought that, I wouldn't have returned the uniform to the costume shop this morning."
A/N: I hope this cleared up any misunderstandings. If anything's still confusing for anyone, then mention it in your review and I'll reply to it. Oh, and I think someone asked what Nathan did with the statue after the stole it – well, he took it home (i.e. back to the Plaza). In his telephone conversation with Haley in the last chapter he said it was with him. The next chapter will be the end of this story!