Evening Stars

by Susan Mallery

  Nina groaned. “Seriously? They had you over?”

  “Uh-huh. It was great. He’s handsome. I wasn’t expecting him to be so ruggedly good-looking.”

  “He’s okay.”

  Andi hesitated. “Is this hard for you? Should I not fill you in on the details and tease you?”

  Nina wanted to say yes, but that was ridiculous. She squared her shoulders and instead said, “Of course it’s fine. Dylan and I were over years and years ago. I never think about him.” Or she hadn’t until this past weekend. Which was his fault. If he hadn’t stopped to help her, she would have been completely fine. And happy not to have him on the brain.

  Because he’d never called back. Not that she wanted him to. She didn’t. She wasn’t interested. But she would have enjoyed having him call so she could have told him that to his face. Or at least his ear.

  “He’s single,” Andi announced. “I asked if he was seeing anyone.”

  Nina leaned against the counter and clutched her coffee. “You didn’t.”

  “Why not? I’ve never met him before. Asking questions is a part of polite conversation. He didn’t have a date, so I asked if he’d left someone special behind, and he said no. It was a natural bridge to ‘Are you seeing anyone?’ He said he wasn’t.” Her smile was smug. “So it’s a clear field.”

  Nina held in a groan. “I don’t want a clear field. I’m not interested. What part of ‘it’s been decades’ doesn’t make sense to you?”

  “It’s been only one decade and you were both young.” Andi pulled the mug out of the microwave and dropped in her tea bag. “Oh, and his parents mentioned that they’d been instrumental in your breakup. They feel bad about that.”

  Nina felt a tic starting under her right eye. “You talked about me?”

  “Not a lot. But I think it’s interesting, don’t you?”

  “That my boyfriend let his parents dictate his love life? No. That’s not interesting.” Not that she was surprised by the admission. Dylan’s parents hadn’t worried at first. Nina would guess they’d assumed, once he got to college, the relationship would naturally end. But it hadn’t. He’d come home on weekends, and they’d spent breaks together. By the summer after his second year of college, the elder Harringtons had been pressuring them both. Nina hadn’t been about to give in, but Dylan had finally ended things with her.

  Which she supposed she could accept. What had really hurt was he’d tried to make it her fault. He’d said... She reminded herself it didn’t matter what he’d said.

  Andi pulled out the tea bag and set it in the sink. “He was a kid.”

  “He was twenty.”

  “Still, he wasn’t completely mature or he wouldn’t have let you go.” She smiled. “I liked him. He seems intelligent without being annoying about it.”

  Nina knew that was a reference to Andi’s parents, who were both brilliant. “I’m not going to be dating Dylan.”

  “Why not? You’re single. He’s single. What if the flame still burns?”

  “There’s no flame. There’s not even ash. I’m sure Dylan is a great guy.” After all, he’d stopped to help her long before he knew who she was. Which meant he’d been willing to have a stranger drip on his expensive leather seats. “But I’m not looking to get involved with him.”

  “You never date,” Andi started. “It would be fun for you to go out. I’m not trying to be pushy, but why not—”

  “You are being pushy. I can find my own guy.”

  Her boss shook her head. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “I appreciate that, but you can let this one go. Dylan and I are long over.”

  In the end, it wouldn’t matter, Nina told herself. Dylan hadn’t called, wasn’t going to call and she didn’t want him to call. Problem solved.

  Andi’s smile faded. “You’re my friend and I want you to be happy. Your whole life is work. Either here or dealing with the store. You take care of everyone all the time. It’s exhausting, and I’m just watching. I thought maybe a good-looking guy might be a nice break.”

  “I agree with the theory, but not with the guy.”

  Andi’s smile returned. “You’re saying if a handsome stranger swept you off your feet, you’d be open to it?”

  Nina thought about how long it had been since someone had shown interest in her girl parts. “I’d be begging.” A safe statement considering how few single men there were on the island. It was a family place. Most visitors came as part of a couple.

  “Then I’m on the lookout for a handsome stranger,” Andi told her.

  There was a loud bang as the upstairs door slammed. Andi sighed.

  “That’s Carrie’s bedroom door. She’s running late again.”

  Nina couldn’t remember a morning when the teen hadn’t been running late.

  Sure enough, there was the sound of someone rapidly descending the stairs, followed by a loud, “Mom? Where are you?”

  “Back here,” Andi called.

  Carrie, fourteen and still gangly, burst into the break room. She flung herself at Nina and hung on tight.

  “Morning,” Nina said, putting down her coffee and hugging her back. “I heard you’re late.”

  Carrie grinned at her, then turned to Andi and hugged her. “I know, I know,” the teen said cheerfully. “I need to get up earlier. See you guys later.”

  With that, she was flying toward the front door.

  When Andi had moved to the island, she’d bought the large Queen Anne that now housed her practice. She and her contractor, Wade, had fallen in love. Carrie had been a bonus, settling into her new life as a stepdaughter.

  The front door slammed. Andi sighed. “I need to have Wade check the hinges. One day she’s going to pull that door out of the frame.”

  “I think it’s a little sturdier than that.”

  Andi glanced at the clock. “Nearly showtime. Are we still on for Pilates after work?”

  “I have my stuff in the car.”

  “Great.”

  With that they went into the hall. Andi turned toward her office, while Nina went up front to make sure the computers had booted up correctly. Out the window she saw Carrie climbing into the SUV next door. Deanna, Andi’s neighbor, took her girls to school every morning, and Carrie joined them.

  Shared responsibilities, Nina thought. Balance. She understood the concept, even if she didn’t get to practice it much. Maybe in her next life she wouldn’t be the one who had to hold it all together.

  * * *

  “Point your toes, Andi. A little higher, Nina. Now slowly roll back down and breathe.”

  Nina collapsed back on the mat. The way her stomach muscles were protesting, a slow roll to the starting position wasn’t an option. She was hot and sweaty and knew she was going to be sore in the morning. Had it really been that long since her last Pilates class?

  She placed her hand on her rib cage and told herself that layer between her skin and the bones was necessary padding. Or maybe she should start walking on her lunch hour. The weather was going to get nice in the next few weeks. She could take advantage of that. Become fit over the summer.

  She rolled to her side and struggled to her feet. Andi was already up and smiling, as if the class hadn’t been difficult at all. Nina gasped for breath as she finally gained her balance.

  The workout room had an entire wall of mirrors. She made the mistake of turning sideways, taking in both her butt and her stomach. It seemed that extra ten pounds she’d been carrying since puberty had morphed into fifteen. She thought of the last of the brownies she’d consumed the previous night and vowed not to replace them. And she would start coming to mat class twice a week for sure.

  Too weak and sore to change back into street clothes, she shoved her bare feet into her sensible, white athletic shoes and shuffled to the parking lot. Andi walked with her, practically bouncing with extra energy.

  “I’m feeling so much better,” her friend said. “I’m glad that trimester is over. Now I have my energy back, and
I’m eating. I love being pregnant.”

  “You look great,” Nina murmured, trying not to sound surly. It wasn’t Andi’s fault that she was tall and thin and beautiful. Even with a baby on the way, her stomach was still flatter than Nina’s. Talk about unfair.

  “And I’m sorry I guilted you into coming to Pilates with me today.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Andi grinned as she paused by her SUV. “No, I’m not. Thursday?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  Nina got into her car, grateful to have it back from the auto repair shop. One fuel injector doodad later, her wheels were running and her checkbook was lighter. Not her favorite kind of compromise, but stuff happened and Mike had to earn a living, too.

  She started the engine and thought longingly of heading home. Only she’d just hired Cindy and she needed to check on her progress.

  She drove down to the main road that circled the island, then turned left. As she sped north, she saw a familiar BMW coming in the other direction. Dylan.

  She thought of how she looked—hot and sweaty and not in a sexy kind of way. Her workout clothes weren’t the least bit flattering, and she was pretty sure she smelled. But it turned out not to be an issue. Dylan simply gave her a wave and kept on going. The truth was clear. Whether or not he was single, he sure wasn’t interested in her.

  Something she could live with, she told herself. It wasn’t that she desperately wanted to spend time with him. She supposed the deep-in-her-heart fantasy was that he would come crawling back, so she could dump him as heartlessly as he’d dumped her. Not mature, but at least somewhat honest.

  She turned into the parking lot by Blackberry Preserves. Cindy’s was the only car there. Nina walked over the gravel and went into the store.

  The first thing she noticed was the light. There was a lot more of it. Also, the air was fresher, without that heavy stuffiness that seemed to cover everything like mold. Prince’s “Kiss” blasted from an iPod plugged into portable speakers. Cindy was up on a ladder, a microfiber duster in one hand. As Nina watched, she expertly swirled the cloth around the crystals dangling from the chandelier.

  Rather than call out and startle her new employee, Nina walked to the speakers and slowly turned down the music. Cindy glanced over and grinned.

  “Yes, I love Prince. I admit it.” She scrambled down the ladder. “How’s it going?”

  “Good. This is impressive,” Nina said as she looked around. “The store looks great.”

  “I took down the drapes,” Cindy admitted. “They were blocking the light and more than a little dusty. There were some very suspicious holes in them. I folded them up into a box, in case you want to keep them, but I think they should be tossed.”

  “Not a problem. Toss away.”

  Cindy had pulled her dark hair back with a headband, and she wore jeans and a sweater rather than her stylish interview clothes. Still, she managed to look put together and elegant. Nina thought maybe years of wearing scrubs had squashed her fashion gene, assuming she’d ever had one in the first place. Her appearance had never much mattered to her. If she was clean, she was happy. Growing up, she’d never had time to pore over fashion magazines or worry about what was in style. Now she wondered if she’d missed her chance.

  Cindy pointed to the chandelier overhead. “I’ve been doing research. From what I can tell, that bad boy is Italian and maybe three hundred years old. If I’m right, it’s worth about ten thousand dollars.”

  Nina felt her mouth drop open. “I’m sorry, did you just say—”

  Cindy grinned. “Yup. Ten thousand. I could be wrong, of course. I was thinking of making a list of what could be high-end pieces, then talking to you about having a professional come up from Seattle and appraise them.”

  Nina stared up at the crystals and shook her head. “I doubt my mom paid more than twenty bucks for that. She’s not a big spender when it comes to inventory.”

  “She has a good eye.”

  “She got lucky. Let’s remember what else we have in here. It’s good Tanya didn’t know or she would have carted it away. Any other finds?”

  “A couple of sets of Depression glass. One is in amethyst. It’s beautiful and rare. I’m still working up a price. I also found a wonderful collection of cameos. Some of them look really old. Like I said, I’ll have a list put together for you.”

  Nina couldn’t believe there was a chance the store could actually be a moneymaker. Talk about an unexpected turn of events. Of course, it hadn’t happened yet.

  “I’m going to need some more cleaning supplies,” Cindy told her. “And the vacuum broke. I think I killed it with dust.”

  “Can you buy what you need and give me the receipts?” Nina asked. “I’ll write you a check the same day.”

  “Sure. I’ll stop by the store tomorrow on my way in.” She smiled. “So, you’re not going to secretly go behind my back and reclean what I’ve already cleaned?”

  “No.” Nina tilted her head. “Let me guess. Your mother-in-law does that.”

  “Yes, but with her, there’s no attempt to hide what she’s doing. And she loves to bring a cleaning rag out to my husband and show him the speck of dust or dirt she found.” Cindy sighed. “She really loves her son, but she doesn’t make it easy. I tell myself she can’t help it.”

  “I’m sorry about that.” Nina knew that in-laws could be difficult, but there was a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

  “It’s fine.” Cindy shrugged. “I tell myself she secretly adores me. It may not be true, but it helps.”

  Chapter Five

  “I’LL STILL WRITE ARTICLES,” Averil said, wondering if she looked as guilty as she felt.

  Maya, her boss, waved her hand. “Of course I want to keep getting articles from you, Averil. You’re one of my best, but we’re talking about your novel! I’m so excited.” Maya, a petite brunette with brown eyes and an easy smile, leaned forward. “OMG, I can’t believe it. You’re going to go away and write. I’m so envious. You’re from Blackberry Island, right?”

  Averil did her best not to squirm. She had asked for an indefinite leave of absence on the pretext that she needed time to finish her novel. Not a total lie, if one ignored the fact that before she finished, she needed to actually start it.

  “I grew up there.”

  Maya sighed. “Returning to the family home. You’ll be able to take long walks on the beach and write and just be in your head. I envy you. Not that I have any plans to write a book. Dear God, do you know how long they are? I have trouble with a three-part essay.” She smiled. “We’ll keep in touch via email, of course. And when you’re famous, I can say I knew you when.”

  Averil tried to smile, but she was feeling too much like a fraud. Still, she needed the time away to figure out what was wrong with her. Kevin was a great guy, she loved her job, so why wasn’t she happy? And why didn’t she want to start a family?

  Questions to explore over the next few weeks, she told herself as she rose.

  “I appreciate this,” she said. “You’ve been so good to me.”

  Maya dismissed the compliment with a shake of her head. “You’re talented, Averil. This is a great opportunity. I know you’ll use it to the fullest. We can always use your freelance articles. You know that.”

  Averil nodded. “And when I come back?”

  Maya hesitated only a second. “You’ll be a famous novelist.”

  “Right,” Averil said, ignoring the sinking sensation in her stomach. Because while her articles would always be welcome, her job was less secure. In this business, there was always someone talented waiting in the wings. Something she worried about, but knew in the end she didn’t have a choice.

  Averil thanked her again and left. As she walked to her small office to pack up a few things, she thought how Nina would have rolled her eyes to hear that kind of praise. Her sister knew the truth. That any opportunity handed to Averil had a fifty-fifty chance of being tossed aside and wasted and that what others saw as
determination was merely a smoke screen to hide the truth. That Averil was simply one bad decision away from disaster.

  What she couldn’t help but wonder was if the decision to go home was going to make things better or worse.

  * * *

  Nina sat in the car in her driveway. After a very long day at work she was tired and cranky. Steady rain danced on the windshield. It wasn’t the best time to be on the phone with Deputy Sam Payton.

  “Seriously?” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “She was wanted?”

  “Uh-huh. In Spokane, mostly. An assault, passing bad checks and, of course, stealing. We’re looking at four or five felonies. She was being held on half a million in bail, and then was released due to a clerical error. Now that we’ve got her back in custody, we’re sending her over to Spokane, assuming you don’t want to press charges.”

  “She’s going away for a long time?”

  “My guess is close to ten years.”

  “I can put the stuff she tried to sell back in inventory?”

  “You can.”

  “Sold.” Nina opened her eyes. “Please, don’t let her escape again.”

  “I didn’t let her escape the first time. She’ll be driven to Spokane tonight, in custody.” Amusement crept into his voice. “You might want to run a background check on your next new hire. You can do it online for a few bucks.”

  Nina thought about Cindy, happily pricing and cleaning. There was no way she would believe the woman was other than what she said, but still...

  “Any sites you recommend?”

  “Sure.” He gave her a couple of names.

  Nina wrote down the info, thanked him and hung up. As soon as she got inside and changed, she was going to check Cindy Yoo and confirm she wasn’t a secret serial killer. Or wanted by any law-enforcement agency.

  She grabbed her bag and then dashed toward the porch. She was congratulating herself on not getting too wet when she stepped into the living room, only to be confronted by a steady drip in the corner.