Sunset Bridge by Emilie Richards

Author:Emilie Richards
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2011-06-13T16:00:00+00:00

Tracy remembered when parties like the one at the Statler mansion had been a normal part of her life. She knew how to dress, who to talk to, how much to drink and how little to eat. The last two rules were irrelevant tonight. She was drinking sparkling water and eating everything in sight. The food was fabulous—not the least of it Wanda’s pies—and the water kept her cool, since she was not about to get into the pond-size infinity pool where some of the other guests were splashing and playing.

Derek Forbes had greeted her warmly and laughed when she reminded him of the party back in California. Then he’d dragged Wanda off to meet his friends, and for almost two hours Tracy had wandered and chatted and nibbled until she was finally full.

Now she stood in the shadows of the house admiring the twinkling lights that adorned the shrubbery and palms, and the jazz quartet that was playing just loudly enough at the edge of the patio. She was growing tired, and she imagined Wanda was even more so. Adulation could be wearing.

“I thought I recognized you,” said a male voice.

She turned to find Blake Armstrong beside her. “You’re Marsh’s friend,” he said.

Since Maggie had mentioned their dates, she knew more about Blake than he probably knew about her. She doubted Marsh had mentioned her at all. She put on a smile, gratified that he remembered their brief encounter.

“Yes, Marsh’s friend,” she said, and wondered if that could be said now. “And wow, do you look different.”

He seemed surprised. “Do I?”

She touched her hair in emphasis. “You were pretty shaggy last time I saw you. Long hair. On your way to a full beard.” Blake had curly hair, which a lot of men cropped nearly to their scalps for easy management. But now his was beautifully cut and styled, and she told him so.

“The shaggy look wasn’t the one I needed for this job, that’s for sure. Just takes a good barber and a little bit of gel.” He rippled his hands over his head in demonstration.

“Maybe we could convince Marsh to give your guy a try.”

“I’m guessing Marsh might cut his hair for a big donation to Wild Florida, but not for any other reason.”

She was more or less partial to Marsh’s ponytail; in fact, at the moment, she was more partial to the ponytail than the man. She laughed at the suggestion, and they chatted about the party and the food.

“So how’s the bridge going?” she asked. “When do you break ground? Or is that even what they call it when you’re building in the water?”

“Works for me. There’s a lot to do in advance, so we won’t start construction until well after hurricane season ends. I’ll be more or less part of the scenery for some time to come.”

She wondered how Maggie felt about that. Her newest tenant walked a fine line between sharing her life and keeping the truly intimate parts to herself. Tracy liked Maggie and enjoyed their conversations, but she was always aware that Maggie kept secrets.

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