The Seafarer's Secret by Carol Ann Collins

Author:Carol Ann Collins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beaufort Books
Published: 2024-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE DAY BEFORE, Eva had received a call from Stefan to see if she’d like to have lunch together. She agreed, telling herself it was not a date but just two people getting together to talk about history.

There was a little deli named Ray’s near his office she’d never been to. When Stefan found out, he told her she couldn’t live on the Outer Banks if she hadn’t had at least one of Ray’s sandwiches, adding the owner’s grandparents were the ones who’d owned Sam’s Sandwiches. Before her breakfast in the diner, she’d been looking forward to trying Ray’s even if it was with Stefan. But after hearing Maxine talk about William the way she did, and the possibility that Catherine’s death might not have been an accident, she didn’t really feel like going out for lunch or looking at maps.

She ended up not calling Stefan to reschedule because it was too close to when they’d agreed to meet, and she hated it when people canceled on her at the last minute.

If Ray’s had been closer, she’d have walked. Or maybe not, she decided once she stepped outside and the humidity surrounded her like a hot wet blanket.

Stefan, on the other hand, didn’t look grimy at all, she noted, spotting him near the front of the deli. It amazed her how he managed to look perfect, standing there, waiting. All while wearing a light gray suit that looked tailor-made for him. He smiled at her approach.

“Good afternoon, Eva,” he said. “This time and place still work for you? You look a bit stressed.”

“Yes, the time and place are perfect,” she replied, thinking a bit stressed was an understatement. “Thank you,” she said when he opened the deli’s door for her. “And yes, I’m a bit stressed. Just a lot going on.”

“Not a good day for history?” Stefan asked.

“Just too much going on,” she repeated, not wanting to discuss Catherine’s death or its possible connection to Gabby’s with a man who was little more than a stranger to her.

After placing her order at a window, Eva picked a booth not far from the entrance. Once Stefan joined her, she asked about his job, not in a mood to discuss anything about herself.

If he noticed the subtle switch she pulled on him, he didn’t say anything. He launched into a story about the last conference he went to, keeping her entertained with the antics of his peers. He turned out to be quite the conversationalist, though that shouldn’t have been a surprise, she supposed, seeing as how he seemed to be good at anything.

She glanced around at the crowd gathered inside the small restaurant. There was an odd combination of people. Almost half of the crowd was obviously tourists, as expected on a summer day, but a small percentage wore business attire and the remaining looked to be year-round residents. It wasn’t usual for an establishment to appeal to that many people. Most of the places catered to one or the other.

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