“I heard you were one!” CJ flashed a smile.
“Actually, I build model ships. You’ve got to follow precise directions. The idea is to get as close to the real thing in miniature. So, not a lot of creativity but a lot of little slices from the Exacto knives if you’re not careful.”
“If you didn’t sniff all that glue, maybe you wouldn’t hurt yourself so much.” Donna could not resist teasing him.
“That’s why I need the cappuccino,” Steve roared. “Let me get you two gals some. Sit. I’ll be right back.”
CJ was taken aback at how friendly everyone was. And relaxed. Things in Boothbay Harbor were very different from Capitol Hill. “Is everyone always this nice?” she asked Donna, trying not to sound sarcastic.
“Yeah. Funny, eh? Once you get away from the world of politics or the corporate jungle, it’s a very different world. That’s why I can actually stand my job. I spent six years in the DC office, then in the Chicago branch. I kept putting in for transfers to some of the outer, smaller cities. Took long enough, but now I get to do the work I enjoy in a place that doesn’t suck.”
“Balance. That’s what life is about, isn’t it?” CJ was becoming increasingly aware of how different her life had been. And the decision about what to do with it next was beginning to look very different than it had only two or three days ago. She could probably get used to a quieter life somewhere other than Washington or any other big city.
“I think this air will help clear your head,” Donna reassured her. “It has a very therapeutic effect.”
Steve returned with two frothing cups and a stack of shortbread cookies. As he set the plate down, he made a confession. “I can’t resist them. My weakness.”
“Oh, Steve, anything that has sugar in it is your weakness. Or salt. Or pepper.” Donna enjoyed verbal jousting with her old friend.
Steve patted his girth. “Helps me keep my girlish figure. So, Carolyn, tell me about yourself. How long have you been studying Americana art?”
CJ tried not to fumble her words or her cover. “I only got interested in it lately. I’m a bit of a museum hound and was drawn to the Museum of the City of New York. I love the history, so I took a class that traced the growth through art. That’s when it dawned on me that there must be so many places in the US that have their own art, style, and artist colonies, and I decided that I wanted to do something that would perhaps lead to producing an encyclopedia of Americana art. And here I am.” CJ stopped talking because she had absolutely no idea where her next sentence would come from. Not bad for an impromptu reply, she thought, but I do not want to press my luck by saying something that would raise more questions.
“Great!” Steve’s big voice boomed again. “Have you studied any other parts of the country yet?”
Now it was getting tricky. “Actually, this is my first, so I guess you could call me a newbie. That’s why Donna thought doing cataloging for you would be a great way to get me on track.”
“So, how do you two know each other?” Steve was aware that Donna worked for the government, but he didn’t know in what capacity. Probably some sort of desk job, he assumed.
Donna jumped in with, “I was in New York at the Museum of Modern Art when they had the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. I met Carolyn at the cocktail party afterward. We struck up a conversation, and here she is!” Donna, too, had not expected a full-blown interrogation.
“Excellent! Well, we’re glad to have you, Carolyn. Follow me, and I’ll show you your work area.” Steve pushed back on the little chair, and CJ and Donna gave each other a side glance as if to say, “Dodged that bullet.”
CJ asked where the restroom was, and Steve pointed and said, “Through that door. First one on the right.”
“You seem rather fond of her.” Steve gave Donna a “what’s up?” kind of glance.
“I like her. She’s had a rough go. Lost her brother in an accident. Some guy was drunk on a Jet Ski and slammed into his boat while it was tied up at the marina. So she’s a little nervous about water. It was a lot of talkin’ getting her up here, so go easy on her if water activities arise, as you know they will.”
“Not to worry. I’ll keep an eye out for her.” Steve gave Donna his biggest heartening grin.
Once CJ returned, Donna excused herself. “I’ve got to be in Portland this afternoon. I’ll see you for dinner, Carolyn. Steve, don’t you work her too hard on her first day!” Giving a slight wave, she disappeared through the front door.
Steve led the way to the back of the gallery. “She’s a real peach.” He nodded in the direction of the front door. “Known her since she was a kid. Got some fancy job with the feds, but you probably know that. Not sure what she does, but she comes up here from time to time.”
“She’s easy to be with. We became fast friends after we met at the Wright opening. I lost my brother four years ago, and I was trying to be as social and active as possible. When Donna suggested I come up here, I was very apprehensive. Then I thought, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? ’ But then I did think about the worst thing that could happen. I almost changed my mind, but as they say, ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway.’ ” CJ realized she had already said more than she should, especially the part about losing her brother. How much background did people know? She made a mental note to herself to ask Donna about that.
The first four hours passed quickly as CJ tagged the paintings and recorded them in a ledger. “Steve, I know we said I’d only work four hours a day but I’d like to stay longer and really get a feel for the place and the art. You don’t have to pay me, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to dig in more.”
“No problem, Carolyn. Whatever works for you. You can also break up the hours any way you want. But heck, if you want to put in overtime for free, well, you won’t hear me doing any complaining!”
“Great. Would you also mind if I tidied up the mailroom?”
“We have a mailroom?” Steve looked surprised.
CJ let out a snort. “Uh, I think that is what the space is for. Shipping stuff?”
“It’s kind of our catchall room. I suppose it is a little disorganized, but hell’s bells, be my guest.”
CJ went back into the catchall room and agreed with his description. Just about anything that passed through the door ended up sitting in the room: empty boxes, balsa wood, several staple guns, bubble wrap, tape guns, tarps. For the first time in a while, CJ felt that she had a purpose, even if it was simply to organize a mailroom.
Around four o’clock, Maggie returned with a kid in tow. “Carolyn, this is Gina, my four-year-old. Gina, say hi to Carolyn.”
Gina gave a shy hello and hid behind her mother’s skirt. “I have one more. Gerry. He’s six. He’s playing at his cousin’s. You’ll get to meet the whole tribe next weekend. It’s our Windjammer Days kickoff! Wait until you see the parade of schooners! It’s breathtaking! All kinds of activities, food, music! You got here just in time!” Maggie’s enthusiasm was delightful. Her face lit up, bringing out the dimples and making her appear younger than her thirty-plus years. She was a tall, large-breasted woman, with brown, windblown hair, green eyes, and a jutting chin. CJ was not thrilled about the parade of schooners. Perhaps she should have gotten a prescription for Valium before she left DC, but then again, she’d had no idea she would be spending her summer harborside!
CJ took in Maggie’s animated persona. She figured she was in her early thirties. At least pretty close to her in age. Funny the differences in people even from the same generation. Maggie had a bohemian look with her long maxiskirt and peasant-style blouse, while CJ was conservative with her Talbots wardrobe. Artsy versus political arena. Like night and day.
She didn’t know if Maggie was married because there was no ring. She didn’t want to ask, either. Could be ugly.
“My husband Randy will be back from a charter fishing trip. He and his brother Derek run a boat business.”
CJ stifled an acid-reflux reaction. She thought to herself: Yeah, this is
going to be one helluva voyage.... Every stinking day . . . water. Maybe I should go to Reno. I wonder if it’s too late to change up. It’s the desert. Now, that’s what I call balance.”
“You okay, Carolyn? You got a little green around the gills.”
“I’m . . . I’m fine. I’m just a little squeamish when it comes to boating.”
“Wow. Really? This isn’t exactly the place for landlubbers!” Maggie was still being sweet but looked puzzled.
“I came here for the art,” CJ tossed in.
“Gotcha. Still kinda crazy, doncha think? Coming here?” Maggie gave her a vacuous stare. CJ was beginning to think Maggie was a bit of a twit. Then she remembered what Steve had said—scatterbrained.
“Yeah. Crazy.” CJ shrugged and gave the ceiling a “what am I doing here?” kind of look.
“Hey, not that it’s any of my business, but you married? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?” Maggie was getting very personal for only knowing CJ about four minutes.
“No. No. And, definitely not. ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with it,’” she added, mimicking a favorite line from Sein feld when referring to relationships among gays.
Maggie cackled at the familiar phrase. “Didn’t you just love that show? I watch the reruns all the time! Do people really live like that in New York? You’re from New York, right?”
CJ’s head was spinning. Too many questions. Rapid-fire. “Most shows don’t come close to the real thing, but Jerry’s apartment was pretty typical of a one-bedroom. Sex and the City? Ridiculous. And don’t even get me started on Friends. CJ laughed at her passion for accurate portrayals. “Sorry. Makes me nuts. I’m sure cops feel the same way. Even fishermen!” CJ was trying to change the subject from her life in the Big Apple before she tripped up. In addition, she wasn’t sure how much she was supposed to say about anything.
“Yeah. Boy, after that movie The Perfect Storm, Derek and Randy’s business tanked for a while. Even though the storm happened in ’91 most people hadn’t heard about it until that movie came out in 2000. I was still in high school when they made the movie, but we all grew up together. It was tough on them. But then things turned around slowly. Randy and I started dating a couple years later, when he had enough money to buy me a hot dog!” Maggie sure could talk, but that was better than having to answer too many questions.
“Your family is in the fishing business, too?” CJ thought she knew what the answer would be.
“Yep. My daddy was a fisherman.”
Of course he was, CJ thought to herself. Would there be anything they could talk about that was not related to the sea? Probably not.
CJ was getting antsy and glanced down at her watch when she remembered she needed to get the value of the painting for insurance. “Maggie, I packed up the painting with the envelope but you didn’t tell me how much to insure it for.” CJ pulled out the pad from the now neatly arranged mailing station.
“Fifteen thousand,” Maggie said calmly.
CJ tried not to look surprised, but she suddenly had a new respect for this gabby gal of the gulls. CJ was amused at her own alliteration but wasn’t about to share it.
“Got it. It will go out first thing tomorrow.” CJ tapped the pen on the paper.
“Wow. That’s great! It usually takes me two or three days just to find stuff in this room. Hey . . .” Maggie finally noticed the organized space. “Did you do this? I’ve been nagging Steve since forever to do something. It was a junkyard war zone in here. I swear, you could never find anything—”
“I’m glad you like it.” CJ had to interrupt. Maggie’s continuous chatter was making her ears ring. “I’m going to head out. I’ll be back here in the morning and send out your painting. Have a good evening.” CJ turned to walk out.
“Carolyn? Carolyn?” Maggie called.
CJ stopped suddenly, remembering that was her new name. “Yes? Sorry . . . I got distracted.”
“If you want to tag along with us Saturday, that would be swell. It’s me, Randy, Derek, and the kids for the parade and some food, then the kids go home with a sitter. It’s our big night out,” Maggie said with a warm, enthusiastic smile.
“Sure. But no water rides, okay? I’ll be fine watching from a distance.” CJ gave her the “promise me?” stare.
As if she read the clue, Maggie quickly responded with, “Promise.”
CJ let Steve know she was leaving for the day and walked back to the triplex, making sure she stayed on the side of the street farthest from the harbor. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she needed time to adjust. If she ever would. She thought about jogging, but that would also take her everywhere around the grand tidal basin. Maybe not a great idea. She heaved a big sigh, knowing that her phobia was getting the better of her.
As she neared her new living quarters, she noticed Donna’s car in the driveway and felt a sense of relief. It has been a stressful day but in a different kind of way. Today, instead of dealing with political intrigue and someone’s trying to kill her, she was crafting her fake identity, acutely aware that she needed to choose her words very carefully. She was also looking forward to seeing what Donna had procured from the wine shop, having given her a list of some of her favorites that wouldn’t break the bank. CJ had every intention of paying Donna back for whatever money she spent until Donna had reminded her that there was a modest expense account she could draw from. “Just don’t expect a bottle of Joseph Phelps every night!”
CJ took the stairs two at a time. If she wasn’t going to run, she could at least get her thighs fired up. “Is that a cork I hear?”
“You bet!” Donna had opened the bottle and began to pour them each a glass. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good. Cleaned up that mess of a back room for Steve. I don’t know how anyone could work in that space! Also had a little chat with Maggie, or should I say Maggie had a big chat with me! Wow, she’s a rapid-fire mouthful!” CJ wasn’t being unkind. Just making an observation.
“Yeah. She’s good folks. Nice family. And she’s pretty talented. Won a lot of awards but keeps it local. She loves being a mom, so this is the best of both worlds for her.”
“And her work isn’t cheap either,” CJ added. “Fifteen thousand for that painting she brought in!”
“Says the money’s for the kids’ college, although sometimes I think Randy would like for her to put it into the business. Those guys work really hard, and running a charter boat isn’t cheap.”
“Yes. She mentioned Randy and his brother Derek. She invited me to go to the Windjammer Days festival with them on Saturday. What do you think?”
“Great idea! You’ll get a real feel for the place that way.”
CJ was apprehensive about a few things. “Okay, but . . .”
“Yeah, I know. No water stuff,” Donna chimed in. “That will be hard to avoid, but you won’t have to go on the water. Just watch. The parade of schooners is worth the anxiety!”
“It’s not just that. How much information can I reveal? Obviously not the obvious . . . witness protection, somebody tried to kill me, maybe my boss was murdered. You know, the usual.” CJ was being playful. “I’m not the best actress, so give me some guidelines, please.”
“Keep it simple. You’re from New York. You’re on an assignment studying local art.”
“I think I got that part down already. Maybe throw in I just broke up with my boyfriend?”
“Did you?”
“If I had one, I would have.”
“What?”
“I have a list of jerks. That is something I am good at—meeting jerks. So if I had a boyfriend, I most likely would have broken up with him because he would have been a jerk.”
“There you go! Backstory!” Donna was egging her on.
“I can do a montage of assholes!” CJ lifted her wineglass and toasted the air. “Brilliant! I can create the perfect asshole.”
“Uh, that might be an oxymoron, no?”
CJ started to giggle. “I’ll add a tube of Preparati
on H to the story line!”
They each finished their second glass and decided to walk to McSeagull’s for dinner. As they walked past the many shops, Donna suggested that CJ check out the Art Foundation. It would help to beef up her character’s background.
“Good idea. I imagine there are several galleries I should visit. Good to know what the competition is doing.” CJ gave Donna a wink.
“It’s interesting how much arts-and-crafts stuff there is in this town, and most of it supports itself. Crazy tourists.” Donna nodded at a family of five wearing a variety of Boothbay Harbor T-shirts. “They’re everywhere.”
When they arrived at McSeagull’s, CJ fished for more information about Randy, Derek, Maggie, and Steve.
Donna gave her the same info she had heard earlier from Maggie about Randy and Derek’s having taken over the family business and The Perfect Storm. “It was a perfect crapshoot if you ask me. Strange. A family of fishing-boat and charter-boat captains. Derek and Randy’s dad and two uncles. Derek went to college, graduated, then came back to work on boats. Go figure.”
“I guess what they say is true about DNA. It’s in your blood.” CJ still wasn’t sure what was running through her veins. Though she had no talent for cooking, she did have a talent for organization. But she certainly did not get that from her mother. The only thing she had inherited from her mother was her taste for good wine. She supposed that in a pinch she could become a sommelier. But where was the fun in that? You only tasted it. You didn’t get to drink enough of it. CJ laughed out loud.
“Care to share?” Donna poked.
“Just wondering what’s in my blood besides a nice Cabernet Sauvignon!”
Chapter 20
It had been a week since CJ moved into her triplex, and she was settling in better than she had expected. The town was mellow and the pace was easy, but she was getting antsy about contacting Colin to see how far he had come with the mysterious money transfers. Before she left for the gallery, she and Donna were sharing their morning coffee.
Deep Harbor Page 20
