Jayne Krentz: Summer in Eclipse Bay

He watched her for a while, fascinated. "Did I say something funny?"

"Yes." She yanked off the dark glasses and dried her eyes on the sleeve of her gold shirt. "Yes, you said something very, very funny."

"You know you're losing it when you don't get your own jokes."

She pulled herself together with a visible effort. The laughter faded into giggles and then shrank into a wide smile. Her eyes were warm and clear and bright with the remnants of her amusement.

"You're not losing it," she said. "We're just not quite in synch here. What I was trying to tell you is that I have never considered myself the type of woman who is capable of launching a barroom brawl."

"You're not."

"You're wrong. Clearly I must be that type because I did ignite that fight last night. The facts are on the record from dozens of witnesses, apparently."

He winced. "This is one of those no-win situations, isn't it? Any way I respond, I screw up big time."

She ignored that. "I like it."

"What? That I'm trapped in a lose-lose scenario?"

"No, that I'm the type of woman who has what it takes to spark a tavern brawl."

"Huh."

"I also like being the type of woman who inspires gossip in the beauty shop and creates great excitement in the supermarket aisles."

"Uh-huh."

"The type who ties men up in bed."

"And the type who lets herself be tied up in bed," he reminded her.

"That, too. Aunt Claudia would be so proud."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely. She was always telling me that I had to stop trying so hard to smooth things over and fix things. She said I should learn to raise a little hell. I'm starting to wonder if maybe that's the real reason she sent me here to Eclipse Bay. Not to repair the damage she did but to discover this other side of myself."

"Interesting theory."

"The thing is, how could she have guessed that I'd get into so much trouble if I got tangled up with you Hartes and those Madisons? You think maybe there really was something to all that stuff about auras and New Age metaphysics that she studied during the last years of her life?"

He folded his arms on his knees and savored the sense of relief that was washing through him. Octavia wasn't sunk in depression. She wasn't even pissed off. There was still hope.

"Wouldn't take a lot of metaphysical intuition and aura reading to figure out that sending you here to get involved with Hartes and Madisons would get you into trouble," he said. "A woman as smart as Claudia Banner would have been able to predict exactly what would happen."

The following morning Nick scrawled his name on a check and pushed it across the bar. Beside him, Jeremy signed his check with an artistic flourish and put it on top of Nick's. "Thank you, gentlemen." Fred snapped up both checks and put them into the cash register drawer. "Always a pleasure doing business with you. You're welcome back to the Total Eclipse any time. I like to encourage a high-class clientele."

"I don't think we'll be able to afford to come back often," Jeremy grumbled.

Fred contrived to look hurt. "This is the thanks I get for dropping all the charges?"

"You know damn well we didn't do two thousand dollars' worth of damage here the other night." Jeremy waved a hand to indicate the shabby surroundings. "Hell, the joint doesn't look any different than it did before things got exciting."

"You ruined my walls."

"Right, the walls." Nick lounged on a bar stool and folded his arms. He glanced toward the far end of the room, where the Willis brothers were busy with a tape measure and a clipboard.

The brothers were fixtures in town. For as long as Nick could remember, they had worked as general contractors, doing everything from plumbing to roof repairs. They were identical twins, but no one in town had any trouble telling them apart.

From his cleanly shaved skull to his crisply laundered overalls, Walter Willis was as precise and polished as one of the gleaming tools he wore on his belt. Torrance, on the other hand, wore his thin, straggling hair in a greasy ponytail. His work clothes were stained with everything from paint splatters to pizza sauce.

"What color are you going to paint the place?" Jeremy asked.

Fred pursed his lips. "I'm thinking taupe."

"Taupe?" Jeremy stared at him. "You're kidding, right? Taupe isn't the color you use for a bar."

"What color is taupe, anyway?" Nick asked.

"Who knows?" Fred said. "Walt over there suggested it."

"Forget taupe," Jeremy advised. "I'd go with dark green and maybe a warm brown on the baseboards and trim."

"Listen to him," Nick said. "The man's an artist."

"Green and brown, huh?" Fred pondered that for a while. "Walt said he'd give me a special on the taupe. Said he had some left over from a job he and Torrance did for one of the summer people."

"Don't suppose it much matters what color you use," Nick said. "No one will be able to see it in here, anyway, what with the low lighting and all."

Fred scowled. "Gotta keep the lights low."

"Why?" Jeremy asked. "So folks won't notice the size of the roaches?"

"Gives the place ambience," Fred said.

The door opened. For a few seconds the glare of daylight silhouetted the distinctive figures of Eugene and Dwayne. Then the door closed again.

"Don't think you need a lot of ambience to attract those two," Nick said. "Just spray a little stale beer around the place and sprinkle some aged French fries under the tables."

Eugene came to a halt halfway across the room and staggered a bit, feigning astonishment. "Well, as I live and breathe, Dwayne, if it ain't our good buddies, Harte and Seaton."

Dwayne, who had been tailgating his companion, collided with Eugene's backside and ricocheted off a couple of feet. He regained his balance and peered at Nick and Jeremy.

"Oh, yeah," Dwayne said. "It's them, all right."

"Dwayne and me was just over at the station talkin' to Sandy," Eugene explained. He lumbered into gear again, making his way through the maze of empty tables. "Saw you guys come in here. We want to buy you a drink."

Jeremy straightened warily. "Much as we'd love to stay and chat, Nick and I have appointments today. Isn't that right, Nick?"

Nick did not take his eyes off Eugene. "You want to buy us a drink?"

"Sure. After all that fun we had together, it only seems fair." Eugene reached the end of the bar and gestured expansively. "Beers all around, Fred."

Fred shrugged and set out four glasses.

"Gee, Eugene," Jeremy muttered. "We don't know what to say, do we, Nick?"

"Speechless," Nick agreed dryly. "What's this all about, Eugene?"

"Hell, me and Dwayne figure we owe you two something for covering the damages Fred, here, claims he's owed for the other night. Ain't that right, Dwayne?"

"Right." Dwayne perched on the stool next to Eugene. "Mighty generous of you."

Fred put a full glass down in front of everyone.

Eugene hoisted his glass. "Here's to good times."

"Good times." Nick picked up his glass and drank some beer.

Jeremy hesitated and then followed suit.

Eugene beamed. "Never thought I'd see you in a bar fight, Harte. Or you, either, for that matter, Seaton. Who'd have believed that you two would turn out to be just a couple of regular guys, after all? You ever believe that, Fred?"

"Wonders never cease." Fred walked out from behind the bar. "I'm gonna go talk to Walt and Torrance. I kinda like the idea of green and brown on the walls."

Eugene waited until he had moved off into the pool room where the Willis brothers were now working. Then he looked down the bar at Nick and Jeremy. He stopped smiling.

"You know, Dwayne and me, we never thanked you two for getting us out of the car that night we went into the water," he said.

"Forget it," Nick said. "That was a long time ago."