Dawn in Eclipse Bay

instead of, say, fun. A lot of folks don’t seem to get that.”
    “You ought to know,” she said.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “You’ve been working night and day since you were a boy to build Madison Commercial.” She smiled wryly. “Folks back in Eclipse Bay always said that you were a different kind of Madison.”
    “Different?”
    “One who might actually make a success of himself. You certainly proved them right, didn’t you?”
    How the hell had the conversation turned back on him like this?
    “All I proved,” he said carefully, “is that you can get someplace if you want to go there badly enough.”
    “And you wanted to get where you are now very, very badly, didn’t you?”
    He did not know what to make of her in this mood, so he took another swallow of beer to give himself time to come up with a strategy.
    “Tell me, Gabe, what do you do for fun?”
    “Fun?” The question put him off stride again. He was still working on strategy.
    “As far as I can tell, all you do is work. If work isn’t fun for you, where do you go and what do you do when you’re looking for a good time?”
    He frowned. “You make it sound like I never get out of the office.”
    “Do you?”
    “I’m here, aren’t I? This sure as hell isn’t my office.”
    “You’re right. This isn’t your office. So, tell me, are you having fun yet?”
    “I didn’t come here to have fun. We’re here because you received a severe shock back there in Dr. J. Anderson Flint’s office. I figured you needed a glass of wine for medicinal purposes.”
    “The only reason you’re still hanging around is because you’re trying to figure out how to get your sixth date. Forget it. Never happen.”
    “We’ll see.”
    “Pay attention, Madison.” She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “It will never happen because Private Arrangements is closed.”
    “So? We’ll talk about my sixth date when you reopen on Monday.”
    “I meant closed for good. Today was the last day of business. As of five o’clock this afternoon, my firm ceased operations. Get it?”
    She was serious, he thought. “You can’t just shut down a moneymaking enterprise like that.”
    “Watch me.”
    “What about your clients?”
    “You are the last one.” She raised her glass in a mocking little toast. “Here’s to you. Good luck finding yourself a robot.”
    “A wife.”
    “Whatever.” She took a sip of the wine.
    “Why the hell would you want to go out of business? You’re a huge success.”
    “Financially, yes.” She sat back. “That isn’t enough.”
    “Damn. You really are into this work-has-got-to-be-a-transcendent-experience thing, aren’t you?”
    “Yep.” She propped one elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “Let’s get back to you and fun.”
    “Thought you just got through implying that the two don’t belong in the same sentence.”
    “Well, let’s talk about your relationship with Madison Commercial, then.”
    “Relationship? Are you suggesting that the company is my mistress or something?”
    “That’s certainly what it looks like to me.”
    He was getting irritated. “Is that your professional opinion?”
    “I’m a matchmaker, remember? I know a good match when I see one. Tell me, what, exactly, do you get out of Madison Commercial?”
    He was wary now. “What do I get out of it?”
    She gave him a bright-eyed, innocently inquiring look. “Do you think your relationship with the company is a substitute for sex?”
    She was a Harte, he reminded himself. Damned if he would let her goad him.
    “Got news for you. In case you don’t know, Ms. Matchmaker, there is no substitute for sex. What I get out of Madison Commercial is a lot of money.”
    “And power,” she added a little too helpfully. “But, then, the two usually go together, don’t they?”
    “Power?” he repeated neutrally.
    “Sure. You have a lot of clout here in Portland. You mingle with the movers and shakers. You’re on the boards of some of the major charitable organizations. You know the players in business and politics. People listen to you. That’s called power.”
    He thought about it and then shrugged. “I do get stuck with a lot of board meetings.”
    “Don’t try to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. I can’t believe you would have worked so hard to make Madison Commercial such an important and influential company if you weren’t getting something very personal out of it. Something