bones felt as though they were melting. That look was captivating. She turned away, trying to get control of herself. This was not Jordan. And if he were, she’d be furious with him.
“Come and fill me in. We can visit the cottage afterward and you can give me an estimate on time and cost for an appraisal.” His tone was almost cajoling. Maybe he also had some of that charm that Jordan displayed.
She needed to think this through. On the one hand, it was merely business. She could assess the paintings, do a written report and add some much needed funds to the coffers. She could handle that.
On the other hand, the man was a constant, vivid reminder of Jordan. Her emotions were still in turmoil. Could she forget the past and do the work without some emotional cost? And without becoming infatuated with the spitting image of the man she’d loved until three months ago?
She turned toward the door. “I need to get my purse and let Heather know I’ll be gone for lunch. But I can’t go to the cottage this afternoon, I have an appointment at two.” She would take this one step at a time. If she could manage lunch with Jed, it would give her an idea of how working with him might be.
“So we’ll discuss when you can schedule the appraisal over lunch. Get your purse, I want to look at the rest of these paintings.” He turned his attention back to the canvasses stacked in the rack.
Laura had a feeling she was making a mistake. She still held the envelope he’d given her. Maybe she could quickly read through the papers to make sure Jed was who he said he was. She couldn’t imagine agreeing to his demands and finding out later it was all false.
As she walked through the display area to return to her office, she was pleased to notice several people browsing. Heather stood by attentively, yet let them gaze at whatever they wanted without interrupting them. The gallery was located right on Harbor Street, the main thoroughfare of Miragansett. The colorful historic town was a tourist mecca in the summer months. Hugo had opened the gallery decades ago, before the current interest in old getaways swept the monied set. It was the best location in town.
Once inside her office, Laura opened the envelope. Inside was a copy of Jordan’s will. She had not been at the reading as he had left her nothing having written the will long before he met her. She’d been surprised a man that young even had a will. It was short and to the point—he requested his estate be liquidated and the money divided between his parents and his brother, except for whatever paintings of mine my brother Jed wants. He’d appointed Jed as executor.
“Probably because he’s the only one in the family who isn’t the artistic type,” she murmured.
The letter from the attorney outlined his duties and authority. Jed Brodie was the man to deal with, not Maria or Jefferson. And even if they wished to keep the paintings, they couldn’t. They’d have to purchase them from the estate. How ironic.
Laura reached into the drawer for her purse wondering how this would complicate her life. Nothing was ever the way it seemed when dealing with the Brodies.
CHAPTER TWO
JED stood near one of the large plate-glass windows at the front of the gallery gazing out over the busy street when Laura finally left her office. He felt like he was in some kind of time warp. His parents had not been overjoyed to see him. His mother accused him of deliberately staying away from the funeral. He’d explained about the timing of the message, but she refused to accept any responsibility on its delay, saying she’d told the woman who answered to have him call. It was more trouble than it was worth to keep repeating she should have mentioned it was a family emergency.
Sometimes he wondered how his mother made it in the real world. She expected everything to run according to her rules and when they didn’t, it was never her fault.
Being an artist was the cause. She lived that mystique for all it was worth. Jed remembered making meals when he was in high school so the entire family could eat. His mother would be lost in oil paints, his father in his studio working. Jordan had either been out with some girl or talking on the phone.
How did they manage meals now, he wondered briefly.
“I’m ready,” Laura said, coming to stand next to him.
He glanced at the woman his brother had been going to marry. He didn’t understand this relationship, either. Laura was not the type of woman he knew Jordan liked. She didn’t have big blond hair, wasn’t built like a Playboy bunny and seemed all-around stable. Her honey-golden hair barely brushed her shoulders. Her brown eyes held honest appraisal when she looked at him. She wore little makeup. Her dress was suitable for a successful businesswoman. Had his brother finally given up his bimbos and settled down with someone who could add stability to his life?
Or had he proposed to insure he always had a market for his painting? The cynical thought wasn’t fair to Laura. She was a pretty woman, as well as being a competent business owner. The gallery was obviously doing well. Maybe his brother had finally matured and had been ready to settle down. Jed had not seen him for the last five years. A man could change in that time. Maybe love was the key factor here. He’d heard love could change the world.
“Where do you recommend we eat?” he asked.
“Sal’s Shack has good seafood sandwiches. It’s crowded but there’s always a table somewhere,” she said. “Unless you have another place in mind?”
“No. I don’t know the area. My folks moved here when I was in college. I’ve been here for only a few visits since then.”
Jed opened the large glass door for her and followed her into the sunshine. The wide sidewalks were not crowded despite the number of people strolling along. It was late June, the beginning of the summer months when tourists outnumbered the residence five to one. The summer economy kept the town going year-round, but the other visits he’d made had been in fall. He thought he liked the place better when it wasn’t so crowded.
He looked at her. “Didn’t Jordan tell you?”
She kept her gaze forward and shook her head quickly. “I knew your family was a fairly recent transplant as Miragansett families go. But they were here before me, so they seemed like longtime residents to me. Jordan wasn’t much for talking about the past. He was always looking toward the future and what success he’d achieve when his painting took off.”
Or he’d make love talk. The hours they spent together were for the two of them, not talking about his family or the past.
“He was thirty years old, how long before his painting took off?” Jed asked.
Laura shrugged. She slipped dark glasses over her eyes. She didn’t want to talk about Jordan.
Jed tried not to let it bother him that his brother had not shared more information about their family with Laura, but he wondered what kind of engagement it had been. How could she agree to marry him and not know more about the Brodies?
“How long were you two engaged?” he asked.
“We were engaged for two months,” she said.
“And you knew him how long before that?”
She glanced up at him, her expression hard to read with the dark glasses. “Is that important?”
“Just curious.”
