by Essie Lang
As if. Instead, she said, “I’ll remember that. I do have another question though.”
His smile broadened.
“I’m embarrassed to show my culinary ignorance, but what is a moilee?”
He chuckled. “That’s a perfectly allowable question, Shelby. It’s a South Asian dish featuring shrimp and chunks of white fish, I choose to use halibut, sautéed in a coconut milk mixture and served over Basmati rice. Delicious, if I do say so myself.”
“It does sound tempting, though unusual for an Italian restaurant.”
“I like to surprise my guests, and myself also. I try to switch up some of the menu choices to keep them coming back.”
He gave her a dazzling smile again and then left her to peruse the menu. After making her choice, she sat wondering why there was no one else dining in this room, though it did sound like some diners might be toward the back of the house. Maybe the late diners all came here. She gave her order to Blake when he returned, deciding not to have a second glass of wine, and then watched the pedestrians passing by on Market Street while she waited.
To her surprise, Felicity Foxworth was climbing the front stairs, on the arm of a well-dressed, well-groomed man. He looked to be in his midfifties, although Shelby couldn’t see much of his face since he was hunched over, talking intently to Felicity, who seemed to be thoroughly engrossed in what he was saying. Shelby couldn’t see where they’d been seated but did wonder if that was Felicity’s husband. But that couldn’t be, since Amanda had said Felicity was interested in Duncan. Or was that a bit of malicious gossip? She didn’t know anything about the woman, she realized, other than that she owned a store.
By the time her Seafood Moilee arrived, Shelby had almost finished her glass of wine, but a small basket of warm sourdough bread that had come with a dipping sauce was empty. She probably shouldn’t have finished it all, but it tasted so good. She eyed her meal with delight and eased a forkful of the fish into her mouth. Absolutely delicious.
She took her time, enjoying the delightful mixture of flavors along with the setting. The night felt truly special, even if it was a dinner for one. After dinner, she finished the last sip of her espresso, then sat back feeling relaxed and content. She should have come here sooner; in fact, she’d gladly make this her go-to spot, except that Drew might get the wrong idea. That wouldn’t do.
She seemed to have conjured him up, because the next thing she knew he was sitting across from her.
“I really enjoyed that, Drew. You’re a terrific chef.”
He grinned and did a quick bow of his head. “Music to my ears, Shelby. I thought I’d take a quick break. We have a large birthday party coming in later, so this might be my only chance tonight. I’m glad I can take it with you.”
She felt flustered. Flirting wasn’t her strongest skill, if that’s what they were doing. What about his girlfriend? Was she reading too much into this? She had to admit, she was flattered by the attention. But she wouldn’t let it go to her head. Or at least she’d try not to.
“I should probably get going and let you get prepared for the onslaught.”
He nodded. “Okay. Thanks for coming and for being so appreciative. A chef loves it when the food is praised, you know. This is on the house, by the way.”
“No, I couldn’t accept that.”
He put out his hand to stop her from opening her purse. “If this were a date, I’d insist on paying, and since I really would like to take you out, please let me at least treat you tonight.”
She couldn’t think of a thing to say, so she simply nodded. “Thank you.”
He followed her to the door. “I really mean it about a date; it’s just that things can get crazy here. I do manage to sometimes get a personal life, though, so if you don’t mind a last-minute phone call sometime …” He left the question hanging.
“I’d enjoy that,” she answered with a smile, and realized she meant it. But what about his girlfriend?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Duncan Caine was on Shelby’s mind the next morning as she got ready for work. She’d meant to find out more about him the day after the board meeting, but somehow the week had gotten away from her. What she most wanted to know was why he had been so snippy with her at the board meeting. He didn’t even know her. And why had he been “out of sorts,” as Felicity had said, for a couple of weeks? About the same amount of time that Loreena had been dead. Was it important? Shelby wondered as she filled J.T.’s dish and put it on the floor for him.
The cat had been sitting just a foot away from the mat she’d recently bought to put his food on and sauntered over to give her offering a sniff. It looked like he couldn’t decide where to start—with the dry or the canned. Shelby sympathized. She often had trouble deciding about her food, also.
She picked up the phone and gave Edie a quick call. Even though Edie seemed to be avoiding her, Shelby needed information and if that meant phoning her, so be it. “Hi, Edie, how did it go at the store yesterday? I tried calling last night.”
“Oh, I guess Trudy told you. It went fine, though. I really enjoyed being with the customers again. How did you find meeting with a sales rep and doing the ordering? Exciting, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but also tiring. I’m finding I still have a lot to learn about the book business.”
Edie chuckled, which Shelby took to be a good sign. It was almost as if there hadn’t been any tension between them. Perhaps Shelby had blown it all out of proportion in her own mind.
“I’ve also been wondering,” Edie continued, “how did you find the board meeting?”
Shelby filled her in. “I want to talk to Duncan Caine a bit more. Where can I find him?”
“Duncan? He’s a funny bird, or at least he thinks I’m a funny bird and doesn’t really have that much time for me. But he owns the real estate office on Market Street, Caine Realty. It’s at the fork in the road before you get to the Cornwall Brothers Store Museum. Don’t mention my name and you should be fine.”
Shelby couldn’t tell if Edie was kidding or not, so she let it pass.
“Do you think he’d be there today? It is a Saturday, after all.”
“I think he lives there. Not really, of course. But it seems to be his home away from home.”
They hung up shortly after that, and Shelby glanced at the clock, deciding she’d stop by Duncan’s office on her way in to work. It would be just a short detour.
She quickly got dressed and went in search of J.T. He was stretched out in the window in her living room, soaking in some serious sunlight. She decided to leave him in for the day even though it would be good wandering weather. She just hated to move him when he seemed so pampered and happy. If J.T. was unhappy with the situation, she was willing to listen to his complaints later. After work.
She walked quickly over to James Street and then along Market until she found Caine Realty. The office looked small from the outside, although the building itself was a large two-storied old stone structure. It had to have been around for decades, she mused as she checked for traffic before crossing the street. The building looked to be divided in two, each side mirroring the other. Caine Realty took up the right-hand side, while Modern Pine Interiors occupied the adjacent space. As she approached the front door, she could see Duncan through the window, sitting at a desk, talking on the phone. She hoped he was in a good mood this morning.
She opened the door, and he looked up, then back down, but not before she’d noticed the scowl. Hmm, maybe not such a good idea after all. She wandered to the wall and checked out the many photographs of current listings, amazed at the prices on some of the vacation homes. She knew her budget would never stretch that far.
When Duncan finally hung up, she approached his desk, a smile on her face. “I’m sorry to just drop in like this, but I wanted to see you before I went in to work.”
“You looking to buy?” He sounded hopeful.
“Uh, no. I’m renting right now and probably will be for some time.”
>
He stood up. “You know, I’ve offered your aunt a good price for that house she’s living in. I don’t have a buyer, but I’m willing to take a risk. You know what she did? She turned me down flat.” His scowl had returned.
“Well, it is the family home, and she’s lived there a long time. Where would she go?”
“A condo? Apartment? Old folks’ home?”
Shelby swallowed her retort. Old folks? That would get Edie’s blood boiling for sure. Time to change the topic.
“I found the board meeting the other day very interesting.” She turned to look at the numerous listings again. “Have you been a member for a long time?”
“Why do you want to know?”
She willed herself not to throw her hands up in the air in total exasperation. When she looked at him, she noted the suspicion in his eyes. “Just curious. The group seems to work so well together, like you’ve all known each other a long time.”
“That’s because we have.” He looked like he’d won a point, although she hadn’t known they were competing. “We all grew up here. You really do need to know what this town is all about before you take on the challenges of such a board.” He sat back down and eyed his phone.
Oh boy, was that directed at her? She knew she’d better make this quick. “I could see how upset you were when Loreena’s passing was mentioned. I’m sorry for your loss.”
His head jerked up. “What are you talking about? We are all upset, equally. I’m no more upset than anyone else on the board. Why would you say that? What are you getting at?”
That you’re protesting way too much, for starters. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this would be such a big issue, or is it a nonissue? I’m confused.”
He stood abruptly. “I had known Loreena since we were kids, so of course, I was upset. When you live in a town the size of Alexandria Bay, you know everyone you grew up with. Those relationships are important. It gives a sense of history. And, as you know, we served on the board together. Now, I don’t know what you’re trying to infer, because that’s what it sounds like you’re doing, but that was the extent of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have important work to do.”
He walked over to the door and held it open for her.
“Thanks for your time,” she said as she slipped past him. He didn’t answer, but she felt his eyes on her as she crossed the street. That’s when she finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
* * *
Her conversation with Duncan kept creeping back into her mind throughout the day, no matter how hard she tried to stay focused. After a particularly noisy set of customers had left the bookstore, all of them seniors, Shelby noted, she found herself thinking that she really needed to talk to someone who knew more about Duncan Caine and Loreena. If there was anything to know, that is. But who?
Felicity Foxworth, that’s who. She had been very pleasant at the board meeting, after all. Besides, Shelby didn’t have a clue where else to start. Another call to Edie got her Felicity’s contact information. Edie hadn’t even asked what it was about, Shelby noted, hanging up. She must have guessed, or else she was avoiding a longer conversation that might end up with more questions about Merrily Cox.
By the time Shelby had locked up the store at the end of a busy afternoon, she had formulated some questions in her mind. Her next stop, once she got back to the Bay, was at the Gallery on the Bay, Felicity’s shop, which was, surprisingly, right next door to home base, Bayside Books. Shelby guessed that they had probably just missed running into each other on several occasions, seeing that their stores shared the same main entrance. She realized, once again, that she hadn’t really gone about integrating herself into the community very well since arriving.
On the shuttle back to the Bay, she asked Taylor, who seemed to be fitting in just fine with the locals, for any background information about Felicity and her gallery.
“You mean, you haven’t even met her yet?”
“I met her at the Heritage Society board meeting, but I do feel odd about not yet having dropped into the gallery. Or shop. I love looking at artwork.”
“Well, it works both ways. She could have come in to see you. It’s not as if you just moved to town or started working in the bookstore. I’m sort of surprised she didn’t, because she’s a great gossip. Oh well, I guess she’s had a lot on her plate with her dog and all.”
“What about her dog? Is this something I should ask her about?”
“She’d be delighted. She has a bichon that she treats like her baby and shows him, so she’s often running around the state appearing at the different dog shows.”
“That must be quite a commitment. Who takes care of the gallery when she’s not there?”
“Chrissie Halstead.”
“You mean the Chrissie who’s also taking Loreena’s place?”
Taylor shrugged and pushed her reading glasses onto the top of her head. With the white cotton blouse she’d buttoned to the collar and the spring-toned multicolored scarf casually wrapped around her shoulders, she looked very professional. Shelby avoided glancing at her own green tunic top and casual cream pants. She felt so dowdy sometimes.
“What can I say?” Taylor continued. “It’s a small place; people and jobs often overlap. There are a couple of part-timers on staff, just like at the bookstore.”
“Hm. I gather Felicity never had children, the usual source of cheap labor.”
“She never married, much like Loreena. They used to chum around a lot until Loreena suddenly got a serious boyfriend.”
Shelby turned her head and looked at Taylor. A font of information. She wondered who that man was that she’d seen Felicity dining with. “Why haven’t you told me any of this before?”
“You never asked me. You’ve been more interested in what Chuck knows or says,” she said with a “got you” smile.
Shelby nodded. “I guess that’s true. Is there anything else?”
Taylor looked like she was giving it some thought. “Nothing important, I guess. Anything else would be gossip. It’s better that Felicity fill you in on all of that and the love triangle.”
Shelby looked sharply at Taylor again, who gave her a quick smile and wiggled her eyebrows. Shelby remained deep in thought until they reached shore, then they walked together toward the bookstore. Taylor turned right on Church, headed toward home.
Shelby opened the front door of Bayside Books and stuck her head into the bookstore to say hi. She thought it might look strange to Trudy if she happened to see Shelby going into the gallery next door without stopping by. Trudy looked up from the computer and gave her a small wave. “Just finishing up, then I’m heading to Edie’s.”
“Of course,” Shelby said under her breath. No invitation for her. She was definitely feeling a cold shoulder from Edie. In a normal voice, she added, “Have a nice evening. I’m going to take a look at Felicity’s shop next door.”
The sign at the Gallery on the Bay said it was open for another twenty minutes. Shelby pushed the door open, hoping she’d find Felicity, not Chrissie, at the store. The fates were with her. Felicity looked up from a letter she was reading and smiled.
“Why, Shelby. So nice to see you again. Welcome to my little shop.” Felicity wore her almost-shoulder-length hair tucked behind her ears. It looked like she’d recently come from a salon, with maybe a touch-up to remove any errant signs of gray in her coal-black hair. She was obviously proud of her appearance, and that included the mint-green pantsuit she wore.
Shelby could hear a small dog barking behind a closed door toward the back of the shop.
“That’s my Wainright Walton the Third. He’s such a friendly lad, but I find it difficult to do my day-end tally when he’s poking around, so I give him a nice liver treat and encourage him to have a rest. Would you like to meet him?”
“For sure,” Shelby said, hoping the fact that she was gritting her teeth wasn’t apparent. Shelby was even less a dog person than she was a cat one. Her dad had never ev
en allowed neighbors’ dogs in their yard. She had always supposed he’d had a bad experience with one, and over time, she had come to adopt the same resistance to them.
Felicity walked quickly across the floor in her ballet flats. Shelby thought they were probably ideal for the finish on the hardwood floor, then looked at her own shoes, covered in who knows what from the island. She hoped the floor would survive her visit.
Felicity opened the door and knelt down, shoving her face into the furry back of a white curly coat. When she stood up, the dog waddled over to Shelby and gave her a thorough sniffing. Shelby wasn’t sure if she was allowed to touch the dog, being a show dog and all, but Felicity looked encouraging, so she leaned over and gave him a quick pat on his head. His nose snapped up, and she felt the cold sensation on her wrist before snatching back her hand. “He’s so, um, cute.”
Felicity nodded her head vigorously. “Isn’t he just! He’s a three-time winner in his class at the dog shows. I guess he can stay out with us now that he has a visitor.”
Shelby forced a smile and sidled over to the counter. Felicity followed, as did Wainright.
“I hope you don’t mind my dropping in like this. I wanted to have a little talk with you, but I realize this is probably not a good time of day. You must be busy closing.”
“I’ve just finished,” Felicity said. “If you’d like to just take a look around, I’ll finish putting things away, and then we can go across the street for a coffee, if you’d like. I often like to end my day with a treat.”
Shelby nodded. “That would be nice.”
She glanced around and noted that the artwork ran the gamut from oil to watercolors and charcoal sketches. The gallery seemed to go in strictly for traditional artwork, or maybe anything mixed-media or experimental was in the back room. A variety of small sculptures decorated the various tables, along with ceramic dishes and figurines. Hanging from a few small tree branches were about a dozen Christmas ornaments. Two glass balls attracted her attention. A closer look showed they were scenes from around the Bay, and a small sign attached to one branch gave the artist’s name and stated that they were hand-painted. Shelby would definitely be back for a selection to add to her Christmas tree.