“Is that why you were in Germany?” She pointed to a book on the seat between them about art confiscated by the Third Reich. August had dumped it there when he bolted up.

“I spent a month there tracking down a book. Now I’m going to New York to deliver it to the buyer.”

“Must be a pretty important book.”

“My buyer thinks so,” August said. “It’s a Gutenberg Bible. Dates back to about 1457. It was originally commissioned by a guy named Prince Hunyadi, who wanted to commemorate his victory at the Siege of Belgrade. After Hunyadi died, some of his subjects hid the book. No one knew where it was until about a year ago, when I was contacted by my buyer. He had a tip on where the book was buried. Turned out he was right.”

“I guess that’s not something you’d just send him in the mail.”

August chuckled. “Insurance wouldn’t cover it. Plus, I want to be there to pick up his check in person.”

Xandria smiled. “Must be a big one.”

“Enough to get me back on my feet, hopefully,” August said. “I’ve got to start saving up if I plan to get my son into college.”

“You don’t look old enough to have a kid in college,” Xandria said.

She was definitely flirting. He slapped on his Nicolas Cage smile again and ran a hand over his high hairline. “I’m not. Charlie is only eight.”

“Does he live with you?”

“No,” August said. “He lives with my ex. To be honest, it’s probably for the best. Business keeps me on the road constantly.”

Xandria fetched her purse from under the seat in front of her and pulled out a plastic sleeve full of pictures. “I’ve got two,” she said. “A girl and a boy.” She handed the pictures to August. “That’s Eric. And that’s Samantha. It’s driving me crazy not to be with them.”

“I know what you mean,” August said, glancing through the photos. The beach. The zoo. The carnival. August couldn’t help but feel guilty for not having similar pictures of Charlie. He handed them back to her. “Makes you think about what’s really important in life.”

A muffled ring came from Xandria’s purse. She excused herself from the conversation and answered the call. “Hello? Yeah. Everything’s great. We hit some turbulence, but hopefully it’ll be smooth sailing from here.” She placed a slender finger on her lips while she listened. “Okay. Yes. I will. Yes. See you soon.” She hung up. “Sorry. My horrible boss is always checking on me.”

“You get coverage up here?” August asked.