Page 12 (1/2)

"Sounds like you're cutting a lot of ties all at once," Nick said eventually "Is that wise?"

"I don't have any personal ties in the Northwest I didn't even alleries until a couple of months after Aunt Claudia died"

"You've only been in the area a little h to put down roots There's nothing holding ht Tiet on with her life

She looked out over the expanse of Eclipse Bay The sun was low in the sky It streaked the clouds gathering out on the horizon with oold

Nick drove without speaking for a while, concentrating on the road, although traffic was almost nonexistent on the outskirts of town

"Why did you coo to all the trouble of starting up a business in a small town in addition to one in Portland? That was a "

"It's not easy to explain Aunt Claudia talked a lot about what happened here all those years ago The uilty about her part in the feud I pro I could do to put things right"

"No offense, but just what the hell did you plan to do to eneration rift?" Nick asked dryly

She winced His obvious lack of faith in her feud- skills hurt for soht She had been a fool to think she could do anything constructive

"I don't know," she said honestly "I just decided to give it a whirl"

"I gotta tell you, that sounds da is, after Aunt Claudia died there wasn't anything holding ?"

"Yes"

"What about your job?" He flexed his hand on the wheel "A significant other?"

"I had a position in a s special And there was no particular significant other"

"Hard to believe"

"I was seeing soot so sick But it wasn't that serious, and we drifted apart when I started spending more and more time with my aunt He found someone else and I sort of went into hibernation By the time I resurfaced after the funeral, I had no social life left to speak of"

"Family?"

"Not in the San Francisco area My folks are separated Dad lives in Houston Moot other families Other lives We're not what you'd call close"

"So you just up and on"

"Yes" She wrinkled her nose "I suppose that sounds very flighty to a Harte"