The waitress brought him a glass of his favorite New Zealand sauvignon blanc. He thanked her with a smile. She was pretty enough. Young, too; no more than thirty-five, with nice legs.
He savored the wine while he waited. He’d arrived early and was already on his second glass when Shirley entered the restaurant. Standing, he greeted her. Always a gentleman, he helped remove her coat, then lightly brushed his lips against her cheek.
He recognized his mistake immediately. He’d moved too quickly for her, presumed too much. He needed to remember that.
“Sorry I’m late,” Shirley said, a little breathless, as she slid into the booth opposite him.
Caught up in his thoughts, Will had lost track of the time. A quick check showed that she’d kept him waiting twelve minutes.
“I’m afraid Tanni and I had an argument,” Shirley said, fumbling with her linen napkin as she placed it on her lap. Her face was flushed and he wondered if it was due to the dissension with her daughter or the cold.
Never having had children, Will wasn’t sure he should comment. “The teen years can be difficult,” he ventured, although he had little or no experience with that age group.
“She’s seeing too much of Shaw,” Shirley said.
Will motioned to the waitress to take Shirley’s drink order. He was pleased when she accepted his suggestion to try the New Zealand wine. “Bring us a bottle,” he told the waitress.
Shirley hurried to stop him. “Oh, no, that’s far too much! I’m sure I won’t drink more than a glass.”
“This is one of my favorites. What you don’t want, I’ll have.”
Shirley glanced at the parking lot.
He grinned. “Don’t worry, I walked. It’s only a few blocks from the gallery.”
“Yes. Walking…that’s a good idea.”
The waitress returned with a bottle, which Will examined. “My ex-wife and I visited the Marlborough region of New Zealand a few years ago and discovered their exquisite wines.” He hoped to put Shirley at ease and distract her from the difficulties she’d experienced earlier with her daughter. As he recalled, Tanni was sixteen or seventeen. She’d probably be out of the house soon, attending college in Seattle or elsewhere.
Shirley took her first sip and he could see that she liked the wine. Settling back in the booth, he studied her.
“Tanni and I seem to be at odds more and more,” she murmured, her eyes darting around the room.
Obviously this situation was weighing on her and she seemed incapable of setting it aside.
“I wasn’t sure I should still meet you for dinner,” she said. “I would’ve canceled if I’d been able to get in touch with you.”
Thankfully he must’ve already left the gallery and she didn’t have his cell number.
“This argument with Tanni is about Shaw, you said.” If talking helped her, then he was willing to listen.
Shirley gripped the stem of her wineglass and stared into the distance. “They’re constantly together. It’s…dangerous. Tanni’s at a vulnerable point in her life—she was close to her father and she misses him desperately. She and Shaw are too serious, and now that they discovered those remains, it seems everyone wants to question them. I don’t know how the press got hold of their names—probably from other kids at school,” Shirley said. “The sheriff asked Shaw and Tanni not to say anything but Tanni’s been tricked into talking to reporters more than once.”
Will sent her a look of sympathy. He’d heard about those skeletal remains; it’d been in the news for weeks. Every time there was the tiniest bit of information, it was blown out of all proportion, and interest was revived. One of the Seattle television stations appeared to be leading the way.
“You’d think, with economic problems, political scandals and natural disasters, there’d be more important things for them to report on,” he said.
“But that’s exactly why this story is so interesting to people—it’s a distraction. An escape. And it’s local.”
“Yeah, I guess so. And everyone loves a mystery.”
“Those reporters have made life for Shaw just as difficult,” she went on, “catching him at Mocha Mama’s, hounding him for more details. The poor kid doesn’t know what to say or do. It’s a mess.”
Will was finished with this topic—he didn’t have anything else to add—but she seemed preoccupied and unsettled. The more she mentioned the incident, the more agitated she became. “The sheriff’s doing what he can, but for heaven’s sake, those bones have been there for years and years!”
Will nodded; that was true enough.
“All this negative attention has drawn Tanni and Shaw closer together. I think they both need breathing room. A break from each other.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Will agreed. After a moment, he said, “Shaw’s a talented artist. Especially of portraits.”
“Tanni is, too,” she was quick to remind him.
“Definitely, although she doesn’t want her work displayed.”
“I don’t understand it. Ever since we lost…my husband, Tanni insists her work is for her alone. I’d hoped that once Shaw’s portraits were displayed in the gallery, she’d be willing to place a couple of her pieces there, too.”
Will had also hoped for that. Not because he felt her work would sell easily. It wouldn’t. Her paintings and drawings were dark, moody and didn’t really appeal to him. But he believed in presenting a range of work. And if he were to display Tanni’s art, he’d have more of an opportunity to talk to Shirley. Maybe not the most commendable of motives, but he couldn’t deny it.
“When I saw Tanni before Christmas,” he said, “I talked to her about putting her art in the gallery.”
“You did?” Shirley’s gaze shot to him.
“Yes. She’s as good as Shaw, and she’s more versatile.”
“She wasn’t interested, right?”
“Right.” He supposed that eventually she’d agree, but he hadn’t pressured her. The girl seemed to champion her boyfriend, wanting to give him the edge. She’d soon learn what a mistake that was, he thought cynically.