Dawn in Eclipse Bay

as he was reasonably discreet about it, I could ignore it.”
    Marilyn looked different this morning, Lillian thought. No longer the battlefield general with antifreeze running in her veins. More like a woman who has learned the name of her ex-husband’s lover. Hurt. Angry. Resentful.
    “I’ve heard about understandings like that,” Lillian said neutrally.
    Marilyn’s mouth twisted. “You sound very disapproving.”
    “Let’s just say I wouldn’t want a marriage based on that kind of unwritten contract.”
    “You’d rather be married for your family’s company, is that it?”
    It wasn’t easy but Lillian managed to hold on to her temper. “I don’t know why you came here this morning to tell me this, Marilyn. It’s none of my business.”
    “Don’t you understand? I had to talk to someone. I don’t know anyone else I can trust here in town. Not with something this personal. I certainly can’t talk to anyone on my staff. I would look weak and emotional.” Marilyn took a deep breath and exhaled, making a visible effort to compose herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made that crack about being married for Harte Investments. That was uncalled for.”
    Lillian lounged back against the counter. “Forget it. Not like you’re the first person to leap to the conclusion that Gabe is only interested in me because of Harte.”
    “Still, it wasn’t right. I apologize. I’m not at my best this morning. The thing is, even though I knew Trevor was sleeping with someone, I never dreamed it was Claire.”
    “You’re sure it was Claire who had the affair with Trevor?” Lillian asked.
    “Yes.”
    “How did you find out?”
    “Pure accident. I was going through some old expense account statements the other day, gathering data for my divorce attorney. I came across records of some reimbursements Trevor had made to Claire. At first I thought they were legitimate expenses associated with the campaign. Something made me dig a little deeper. Turned out the expenses were incurred at a series of cheap hotels over a period of several months. In each case Trevor and Claire had registered as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Can you believe it?”
    “Tacky.”
    “Very. Once I started looking, I turned up a few other unusual receipts. When it comes to sex, Trevor has his little, uh, eccentricities. Apparently Claire catered to them.”
    “I see. What did Claire say when you confronted her?”
    “She denied it, of course. Claimed Trevor must have been with some other woman, not her.”
    “But you didn’t believe her.”
    “No.” Marilyn rubbed her temples in a gesture of weariness that seemed uncharacteristic. “Naturally I had to let her go. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”
    “If I was absolutely sure of my facts.”
    Definitely should not have answered the door, Lillian thought. At the very least, she ought not to have invited Marilyn inside. But it had been impossible to ignore the bleak pain in the other woman’s eyes. The sisterhood thing.
    “I really shouldn’t have come here,” Marilyn said. “I had no right to dump this on you. But I woke up this morning needing to talk to someone and I couldn’t think of anyone else. You and I have a common bond.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “Gabe.”
    “ Gabe? That’s stretching the definition of a common bond a bit far, don’t you think?”
    Marilyn rested a hand on the windowsill. “Don’t worry, I’m not even going to try to take him away from you.”
    “Oh, hey, thanks. I appreciate that.”
    “I’m a pragmatic woman,” Marilyn said. “I don’t waste time beating my head against stone walls. You don’t have to think of me as your competition.”
    “Well, as a matter of fact I hadn’t thought of you in quite those terms.”
    “When I saw you two together that night at the old Buckley place I knew that I had no chance of ever resuming my relationship with him. You can offer him something I can’t.”
    Lillian felt her insides tighten. “I suppose you mean Harte Investments?”
    “I’m sure it’s not just the company,” Marilyn said. “He probably finds you attractive, too.”
    “Gosh. You really think so?”
    Marilyn sighed. “You want to know a little secret? I used to blame your family and Harte Investments for the breakup of my relationship with Gabe.”
    Lillian stilled. “I see.”
    “A part of me will always wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t been so obsessed with competing with you Hartes. Who knows? Maybe he