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"Gail got al 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 conte a purchase "In a few minutes"
"Gail lost her job in Seattle a couple of o 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 ed couple left a short time later with their newly acquired seascape wrapped in brown paper
Octavia set the security alarallery, and dropped her keys into the spacious bag that hung froiven a lot to be able to read his ain,The knowledge would only haveif 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 triuht, he see 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 beco the past teeks "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 race that was at once relaxed and purposeful Probably the way oing 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 hi risks she had ever taken in life had involved the buying and selling of art She trusted her intuition when it ca chances on unknown painters But she had always been cautious when it caot behind the wheel and closed the door The interior of the BMW suddenly felt overwhel her breath
"Couple of things you should know," she said carefully when he nition "The first is that, in case your grandfather hasn't told you, Claudia Banner was ine Instead, he twisted slightly in the seat and rested his right arlasses
"Want to run that past ain?" he said
"I'm related to Claudia Banner The woman who--"
"Trust me, I knoho Claudia Banner is"