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Authors: Antoinette Stockenberg
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tight upper arm for Joan to see. "This'll be fun. You can watch me from here. I guarantee I'll flush the son of a bitch out of his lair. That brooding author routine of his is beginning to get tired."
"Leave him be, Norah!" said Maddie. She was appalled by the tension in her own voice.
Surprised, Norah said, "No way, darling. If I'm going to save the lighthouse, I'll need his cooperation. The man doesn't really have a choice. Besides—why should you care?"
"I don't," said Maddie quickly. "Go right ahead and make a fool of yourself."
"Thank you. I reserve that right, though I don't usually take advantage of it."
A light bulb seemed to go on over Joan's head. "Norah! Do you really want to save the lighthouse, or do you just want to get this guy in the sack?"
"Wouldn't it be nice," said Norah, slinging her beach bag over her shoulder, "if I could do both?"
They watched Norah cross the lane and head for the beach by ducking down a right of way that ran alongside the shingled cottage opposite Rosedale .
Joan turned back to Maddie. Her expression, normally open and naive, was pinched with dread. "It's a horrible idea," she said, shaking her head. "She could fall off."
"Of course she'll fall off," Maddie said with a laugh meant to reassure . "That's the whole point."
"You know what I mean. She won't be paying attention; her mind will be on trying to get his attention. She could ... anything could—"
"Nothing will, Joan. Truly."
"But it's blowing out," Joan said, standing up so that she could monitor Norah's progress better.
"You' re making too much of this, Joan nie."
Joan scarcely heard her. " Where are your binoculars?''
"Uh, let me think."
They were sitting on the lowest shelf of the cupboard to the right of the kitchen sink window, from which Maddie had a view of the lighthouse. Could she direct Joan there without drawing down suspicion?
"I saw an Indigo Bunting feeding on the feeder in the front yard the other day," she l ied, "and I've been keeping the binoculars handy in case it comes back. Look around in the cupboards by the sink. I think that's where I left them."
"I'll see."
Even without the binoculars, Maddie was able to follow the progress of the bright pink and magenta sail as Norah kept a steady course for the water directly in front of the lighthouse. Norah being Norah, she wouldn't fall until she had to. And even then, she'd probably keep her hair dry.
Poor Dan Hawke. He didn't stand a chance. For one brief moment, Maddie put aside her resentment and longing and actually felt sorry for him. A genuine siren was about to come calling.
She has it all. Looks, money, brains, and confidence. Why didn't she ever have children? What an odd, odd thing.
Maddie thought of her own adored child (she did adore Tracey, despite the widening gulf between them). And she thought of Joan: everyone's favorite aunt, longing to have children of her own.
A mother's love. Was there anything stronger on earth?
"They were right where you thought," Joan said, reappearing with the strap of the binoculars looped around her neck. She refocused the lenses and peered in her nearsighted way at the horizon. "Is that her sail? The pink striped one?"
"Yes. She's fine. Although, why she expects him to realize she's in trouble after she manages to lose the fin is beyond me. He won't be able to see her if he's working at his desk."
Joan looked back at Maddie. "How do you know where he works?"
"I... often see a light on, on the side that faces my house. I assume he has an office set up there."
"Really. That's strange. You'd think he'd want to look out at the sea."
Maddie had had the same thought herself. Over and over again. "Maybe it's too big a distraction," she mumbled. "Anyway, Norah can sound like a banshee when it suits her. He'll hear her, even if he doesn't see her."
Maddie watched with her heart bouncing around in her throat. If someone offered her a million dollars to describe her own feelings at that moment, she'd
"Leave him be, Norah!" said Maddie. She was appalled by the tension in her own voice.
Surprised, Norah said, "No way, darling. If I'm going to save the lighthouse, I'll need his cooperation. The man doesn't really have a choice. Besides—why should you care?"
"I don't," said Maddie quickly. "Go right ahead and make a fool of yourself."
"Thank you. I reserve that right, though I don't usually take advantage of it."
A light bulb seemed to go on over Joan's head. "Norah! Do you really want to save the lighthouse, or do you just want to get this guy in the sack?"
"Wouldn't it be nice," said Norah, slinging her beach bag over her shoulder, "if I could do both?"
They watched Norah cross the lane and head for the beach by ducking down a right of way that ran alongside the shingled cottage opposite Rosedale .
Joan turned back to Maddie. Her expression, normally open and naive, was pinched with dread. "It's a horrible idea," she said, shaking her head. "She could fall off."
"Of course she'll fall off," Maddie said with a laugh meant to reassure . "That's the whole point."
"You know what I mean. She won't be paying attention; her mind will be on trying to get his attention. She could ... anything could—"
"Nothing will, Joan. Truly."
"But it's blowing out," Joan said, standing up so that she could monitor Norah's progress better.
"You' re making too much of this, Joan nie."
Joan scarcely heard her. " Where are your binoculars?''
"Uh, let me think."
They were sitting on the lowest shelf of the cupboard to the right of the kitchen sink window, from which Maddie had a view of the lighthouse. Could she direct Joan there without drawing down suspicion?
"I saw an Indigo Bunting feeding on the feeder in the front yard the other day," she l ied, "and I've been keeping the binoculars handy in case it comes back. Look around in the cupboards by the sink. I think that's where I left them."
"I'll see."
Even without the binoculars, Maddie was able to follow the progress of the bright pink and magenta sail as Norah kept a steady course for the water directly in front of the lighthouse. Norah being Norah, she wouldn't fall until she had to. And even then, she'd probably keep her hair dry.
Poor Dan Hawke. He didn't stand a chance. For one brief moment, Maddie put aside her resentment and longing and actually felt sorry for him. A genuine siren was about to come calling.
She has it all. Looks, money, brains, and confidence. Why didn't she ever have children? What an odd, odd thing.
Maddie thought of her own adored child (she did adore Tracey, despite the widening gulf between them). And she thought of Joan: everyone's favorite aunt, longing to have children of her own.
A mother's love. Was there anything stronger on earth?
"They were right where you thought," Joan said, reappearing with the strap of the binoculars looped around her neck. She refocused the lenses and peered in her nearsighted way at the horizon. "Is that her sail? The pink striped one?"
"Yes. She's fine. Although, why she expects him to realize she's in trouble after she manages to lose the fin is beyond me. He won't be able to see her if he's working at his desk."
Joan looked back at Maddie. "How do you know where he works?"
"I... often see a light on, on the side that faces my house. I assume he has an office set up there."
"Really. That's strange. You'd think he'd want to look out at the sea."
Maddie had had the same thought herself. Over and over again. "Maybe it's too big a distraction," she mumbled. "Anyway, Norah can sound like a banshee when it suits her. He'll hear her, even if he doesn't see her."
Maddie watched with her heart bouncing around in her throat. If someone offered her a million dollars to describe her own feelings at that moment, she'd
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