Evening Stars. Susan Mallery

look great,” Nina murmured, trying not to sound surly. It wasn’t Andi’s fault that she was tall and thin and beautiful. Even with a baby on the way, her stomach was still flatter than Nina’s. Talk about unfair.

      “And I’m sorry I guilted you into coming to Pilates with me today.”

      “No, you’re not.”

      Andi grinned as she paused by her SUV. “No, I’m not. Thursday?”

      “I’ll be here.”

      Nina got into her car, grateful to have it back from the auto repair shop. One fuel injector doodad later, her wheels were running and her checkbook was lighter. Not her favorite kind of compromise, but stuff happened and Mike had to earn a living, too.

      She started the engine and thought longingly of heading home. Only she’d just hired Cindy and she needed to check on her progress.

      She drove down to the main road that circled the island, then turned left. As she sped north, she saw a familiar BMW coming in the other direction. Dylan.

      She thought of how she looked—hot and sweaty and not in a sexy kind of way. Her workout clothes weren’t the least bit flattering, and she was pretty sure she smelled. But it turned out not to be an issue. Dylan simply gave her a wave and kept on going. The truth was clear. Whether or not he was single, he sure wasn’t interested in her.

      Something she could live with, she told herself. It wasn’t that she desperately wanted to spend time with him. She supposed the deep-in-her-heart fantasy was that he would come crawling back, so she could dump him as heartlessly as he’d dumped her. Not mature, but at least somewhat honest.

      She turned into the parking lot by Blackberry Preserves. Cindy’s was the only car there. Nina walked over the gravel and went into the store.

      The first thing she noticed was the light. There was a lot more of it. Also, the air was fresher, without that heavy stuffiness that seemed to cover everything like mold. Prince’s “Kiss” blasted from an iPod plugged into portable speakers. Cindy was up on a ladder, a microfiber duster in one hand. As Nina watched, she expertly swirled the cloth around the crystals dangling from the chandelier.

      Rather than call out and startle her new employee, Nina walked to the speakers and slowly turned down the music. Cindy glanced over and grinned.

      “Yes, I love Prince. I admit it.” She scrambled down the ladder. “How’s it going?”

      “Good. This is impressive,” Nina said as she looked around. “The store looks great.”

      “I took down the drapes,” Cindy admitted. “They were blocking the light and more than a little dusty. There were some very suspicious holes in them. I folded them up into a box, in case you want to keep them, but I think they should be tossed.”

      “Not a problem. Toss away.”

      Cindy had pulled her dark hair back with a headband, and she wore jeans and a sweater rather than her stylish interview clothes. Still, she managed to look put together and elegant. Nina thought maybe years of wearing scrubs had squashed her fashion gene, assuming she’d ever had one in the first place. Her appearance had never much mattered to her. If she was clean, she was happy. Growing up, she’d never had time to pore over fashion magazines or worry about what was in style. Now she wondered if she’d missed her chance.

      Cindy pointed to the chandelier overhead. “I’ve been doing research. From what I can tell, that bad boy is Italian and maybe three hundred years old. If I’m right, it’s worth about ten thousand dollars.”

      Nina felt her mouth drop open. “I’m sorry, did you just say—”

      Cindy grinned. “Yup. Ten thousand. I could be wrong, of course. I was thinking of making a list of what could be high-end pieces, then talking to you about having a professional come up from Seattle and appraise them.”

      Nina stared up at the crystals and shook her head. “I doubt my mom paid more than twenty bucks for that. She’s not a big spender when it comes to inventory.”

      “She has a good eye.”

      “She got lucky. Let’s remember what else we have in here. It’s good Tanya didn’t know or she would have carted it away. Any other finds?”

      “A couple of sets of Depression glass. One is in amethyst. It’s beautiful and rare. I’m still working up a price. I also found a wonderful collection of cameos. Some of them look really old. Like I said, I’ll have a list put together for you.”

      Nina couldn’t believe there was a chance the store could actually be a moneymaker. Talk about an unexpected turn of events. Of course, it hadn’t happened yet.

      “I’m going to need some more cleaning supplies,” Cindy told her. “And the vacuum broke. I think I killed it with dust.”

      “Can you buy what you need and give me the receipts?” Nina asked. “I’ll write you a check the same day.”

      “Sure. I’ll stop by the store tomorrow on my way in.” She smiled. “So, you’re not going to secretly go behind my back and reclean what I’ve already cleaned?”

      “No.” Nina tilted her head. “Let me guess. Your mother-in-law does that.”

      “Yes, but with her, there’s no attempt to hide what she’s doing. And she loves to bring a cleaning rag out to my husband and show him the speck of dust or dirt she found.” Cindy sighed. “She really loves her son, but she doesn’t make it easy. I tell myself she can’t help it.”

      “I’m sorry about that.” Nina knew that in-laws could be difficult, but there was a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

      “It’s fine.” Cindy shrugged. “I tell myself she secretly adores me. It may not be true, but it helps.”

      Chapter Five

      “I’LL STILL WRITE ARTICLES,” Averil said, wondering if she looked as guilty as she felt.

      Maya, her boss, waved her hand. “Of course I want to keep getting articles from you, Averil. You’re one of my best, but we’re talking about your novel! I’m so excited.” Maya, a petite brunette with brown eyes and an easy smile, leaned forward. “OMG, I can’t believe it. You’re going to go away and write. I’m so envious. You’re from Blackberry Island, right?”

      Averil did her best not to squirm. She had asked for an indefinite leave of absence on the pretext that she needed time to finish her novel. Not a total lie, if one ignored the fact that before she finished, she needed to actually start it.

      “I grew up there.”

      Maya sighed. “Returning to the family home. You’ll be able to take long walks on the beach and write and just be in your head. I envy you. Not that I have any plans to write a book. Dear God, do you know how long they are? I have trouble with a three-part essay.” She smiled. “We’ll keep in touch via email, of course. And when you’re famous, I can say I knew you when.”

      Averil tried to smile, but she was feeling too much like a fraud. Still, she needed the time away to figure out what was wrong with her. Kevin was a great guy, she loved her job, so why wasn’t she happy? And why didn’t she want to start a family?

      Questions to explore over the next few weeks, she told herself as she rose.

      “I appreciate this,” she said. “You’ve been so good to me.”

      Maya dismissed the compliment with a shake of her head. “You’re talented, Averil. This is a great opportunity. I know you’ll use it to the fullest. We can always use your freelance articles. You know that.”

      Averil nodded. “And when I come back?”

      Maya hesitated only a second. “You’ll be a famous novelist.”

      “Right,” Averil said, ignoring the sinking sensation