Summer in Eclipse Bay (Eclipse Bay #3)

"Gail got almost nothing out of the divorce, they say," Edith continued, oblivious to the unsubtle hint. "Word is her husband stashed all his assets on one of those little islands in the Caribbean, declared bankruptcy, and left the state. Never sees his daughter, of course."

"Poor little Anne," Octavia said.

"Ready to go?" Nick said pointedly to Octavia.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that her potential clients were still contemplating a purchase. "In a few minutes."

"Gail lost her job in Seattle a couple of months ago and now she's back here in Eclipse Bay. She's living with her folks while she looks for work. Money is tight."

"She's job hunting?" Octavia looked down the street. Gail's Chevy had disappeared around a corner. "Is that why she was in your shop?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I had to tell her that I just don't do enough business to warrant hiring an assistant. I gather she's tried several other places with no luck."

"Hmm," Octavia said.

Chapter 5

The middle-aged couple left a short time later with their newly acquired seascape wrapped in brown paper.

Octavia set the security alarm, locked the door of the gallery, and dropped her keys into the spacious bag that hung from her right shoulder.

Nick gave her an enigmatic smile and put on his sunglasses.

She would have given a lot to be able to read his mind at that moment, she thought. Then again, maybe it was better not to know what he was thinking. The knowledge would only have made her more tense. She was still wondering if this burst of recklessness was going to prove to be a disaster.

They walked together toward the parking lot. When they reached the BMW, he opened the door on the passenger side and held it for her. She searched his face quickly, looking for any concealed signs of triumph. She saw none. If anything, she thought, he seemed as wary as she felt.

Now that was an interesting development.

She collected the folds of her skirt in one hand and slipped into the front seat. "What did you do with Carson?"

"He's spending the evening with Rafe and Hannah out at Dreamscape," Nick said.

"Oh." She realized she had become accustomed to seeing Nick and Carson together during the past two weeks. "Will he be joining us for dinner later?" He smiled. "This is my date, not Carson's." He closed the car door very deliberately. She watched him walk around the front of the vehicle. He moved with an easy, fluid grace that was at once relaxed and purposeful. Probably the way most top-of-the-food-chain predators moved when they were going out to grab a gazelle for dinner, she thought. Fascinating, exciting. More than a little dangerous.

The sense of deep, sensual appreciation that swept through her caught her by surprise. She was still slightly awed by her decision to go out with him. Until tonight, the only big risks she had ever taken in life had involved the buying and selling of art. She trusted her intuition when it came to taking chances on unknown painters. But she had always been cautious when it came to men.

Nick got behind the wheel and closed the door. The interior of the BMW suddenly felt overwhelmingly intimate. She realized she was holding her breath.

"Couple of things you should know," she said carefully when he made to slip the key into the ignition. "The first is that, in case your grandfather hasn't told you, Claudia Banner was my great-aunt." Dead silence.

Nick did not fire up the engine. Instead, he twisted slightly in the seat and rested his right arm on the back. He watched her very steadily through his dark glasses.

"Want to run that past me again?" he said.

"I'm related to Claudia Banner. The woman who—"

"Trust me, I know who Claudia Banner is."

"Was. My aunt died a year and a half ago."

"I see." Nick waited a beat. "This is for real? Not a joke of some kind?"

"No, it's not a joke." She gripped her bag very tightly in her lap. "Does it change things? Do you want to call off the date?"

"My grandfather knows who you are?"

"Yes. Sullivan and Mitchell both know. They figured it out the night of Lillian's show." She cleared her throat. "Obviously they haven't told anyone else in either family yet."

"Yeah. Obviously." He tapped the key absently against the leather seat back. "Well, hell."

"Is this a problem for you?"

"I'm thinking," he said. "Give me a minute."

"Look, if you're that rattled, I can find my own way out to Thurgarton's place."

"It isn't a problem and I'm not rattled." He took off his dark glasses and examined her with cool, faintly narrowed eyes. "I just find this news a little unexpected, that's all. It raises a few questions."

"I know. I answered some of them for Mitchell and I can do the same for you." She glanced pointedly at her watch. "But not now. We need to get going. I promised Virgil I'd meet him and the others at six."

"Right." He turned back and twisted the key in the ignition. The powerful engine growled softly. "I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"The other shoe?"

"You said there were a couple of things I needed to know." He checked his mirrors and reversed out of the parking space.

"I'll be leaving town at the end of the summer."

He shot her a quick glance and she knew that the news had taken him by surprise.

"You're leaving Eclipse Bay?"

"Yes, I'm going to sell the gallery."

He seemed to relax slightly. He gave an understanding inclination of his head. "Not surprised the gallery here isn't working. Makes sense to concentrate on the Portland branch."

She watched the road through the windshield. "Both galleries are successful, as a matter of fact. But I'm going to sell both branches."

"Getting out of the art business altogether?"

"Not that easy." She smiled slightly. "It isn't just a business. More of a calling, I'm afraid. I can't imagine not being involved in art. A couple of months ago I was offered a position in a large gallery in San Diego. I don't have to give them my official decision until next month, but I'm leaning strongly toward accepting the offer."

"San Diego, huh?"

"It's not a certainty. There's also a possibility that I'm looking at in Denver."

"I see."

He drove in silence for a few minutes, piloting the BMW carefully through the small business district, past the pier, the town's single gas station, and the Incandescent Body bakery.