Summer in Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz Read Free Book Online Page A

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