Octavia had awakened feeling inexplicably good again today, even though there had been no wild and crazy sex last night and even though she still had the same set of problems she'd had before life had turned so adventurous here in Eclipse Bay.
Gail also looked better today. She seemed cheerful, even a bit enthusiastic.
She was dressed in a dark, lightweight suit with a little scarf at her throat. Her honey-colored hair was brushed sleekly back into a neat knot at the back of her neck. Very formal for Eclipse Bay, Octavia thought. But then, she had come here to apply for a job.
"It's strictly a temporary position, I'm afraid," Octavia said. "I'm planning to sell the gallery at the end of the summer and there's no way to know if whoever buys it will want an assistant."
Across the street at the end of the block she could see Nick leaning against the side of his car, talking to Sandy Hickson at the town's only gas station. Just the sight of him, even from this distance, did things to her pulse. There was something deliciously compelling about the way the man lounged, she thought; a sexy, subtle, masculine grace that made her think extremely erotic thoughts.
Evidently the conversation with Sandy was a riveting one. She wondered if Nick was actively pursuing his investigation or just passing the time of day while Sandy put gas in the tank and washed the windshield. It was impossible to tell from this distance.
"I understand that you can't promise anything beyond the summer," Gail said quickly. "But this will buy me some breathing space to look around and try to line up something permanent up at Chamberlain or the institute. I really appreciate this, Octavia."
"Not as much as I appreciate your agreeing to take the position," Octavia said.
"I'm sure a few more questions will come up, but I think I've got the basics down. As I told you, I've had some experience in retail and I've always loved art. In a way, this is a perfect job for me. I'm going to enjoy it."
"You might as well start this afternoon. If you're free, that is?"
"Yes. Mom is looking after Anne. I'll give her a call and tell her that I've started working. She'll be very relieved."
"Good. I've got a lot of things to do in the next few weeks. I'm planning to move, you know. And then there's the Children's Art Show. Also, I have to get started on making arrangements to sell both branches of Bright Visions." The list of objectives had become her mantra, she realized. She ran through it in her mind whenever she felt dispirited or depressed about her life at the end of the summer. It kept her focused.
Gail hesitated. "I know it's none of my business, but do you mind if I ask why you feel you have to sell your galleries and leave the state?"
"I've been sort of drifting for a while," Octavia said. "Trying to decide what I want to do with my future. I don't have all the answers yet, but I've definitely come to the conclusion that I need to move on."
Gail nodded sympathetically. "Believe it or not, I know exactly what you mean. I felt that drifting sensation for a while after my divorce. It was hard to make decisions. But having Anne to support emotionally and financially did a lot to make me pull up my socks and move forward."
"I'll bet it did." She watched Nick across the street and thought that, whatever else you could say about him, there was no denying that he was an excellent father. "Nothing like being responsible for a child to help you put your priorities in order."
"True. Kids come first."
/ wonder if I'll ever have one of my own, Octavia thought. A picture of Carson's laughing face danced through her mind. She pushed it aside.
"I've got a question for you," she said to Gail. "Why did you come back to Eclipse Bay?"
"Anne has reached the age where she's starting to ask why her daddy doesn't come see her," Gail said. "I thought it would be good for her to spend more time with my father. The positive male role model thing, you know?"
"Yes," Octavia said softly. "I know."
Down at the station, Nick had straightened away from his car, preparing to leave. Anticipation crackled through her. She wondered if he was getting ready to drive here to the gallery to give her an update on his progress. Maybe she would suggest that they talk over lunch. Yes, that sounded good. A business lunch. She could leave her new assistant in charge of the gallery.
But Nick did not get behind the wheel of his car. As she watched, he started purposefully across the street, heading toward the entrance to the Total Eclipse.
"What on earth?" She stepped outside onto the sidewalk to get a better look. "Good grief, he's going into that dive."
"Who?" Gail came through the opening behind her. She glanced down the street with a puzzled expression. "Nick Harte?"
"Yes. It's almost lunchtime. Maybe he decided to pick up a sandwich there."
"At the Total Eclipse?" Gail wrinkled her nose. "Good way to get food poisoning, if you ask me."
"You're right." Intuition kicked in. "I'll bet he's following a lead."
Gail glanced at her with open curiosity. "It's true, then? Nick Harte is playing private eye for you and A.Z. and the others?"
"He's not playing private eye. He's making serious inquiries into the situation."
"Hmm. I don't know how many serious folks he's going to find inside the Total Eclipse, especially at this time of day."
"Good point." She'd been in town long enough to have learned something about the clientele of the Total Eclipse. "You know, I don't like the looks of this. Who do you suppose he's going to talk to inside that joint?"
"Well, there's Fred, the owner," Gail said.
"Of course." She relaxed a little. "He tends the bar. Bartenders always pick up useful tidbits of gossip. The hero in Nick's books often consults them."
"And if memory serves," Gail continued dryly, "you can usually count on finding Mean Eugene and his sidekick Dickhead Dwayne in there most days."
"I know who you mean. I've seen them on the street and in Fulton's occasionally. They're always together. I've heard the Mean Eugene name but I hadn't realized the skinny one was called Dickhead."
"Dwayne and Eugene have been buddies for as long as anyone can remember. They tend to reinforce each other's worst characteristics. Eugene calls the shots and Dwayne goes along. It is generally felt in these parts that anyone who would do whatever Eugene told him to do would have to be a dickhead. Hence the name."
"I can see the logic."