Deep Waters

pier and he's not open to offers."
    "Glad he decided to attend the meeting tonight. Nothing like having the new owner of the pier make a public statement to put the rumors to rest," Yappy said.
    "Right," Ted nodded. "Only way to stop the gossip—"He broke off at the sound of high heels clicking on the cement steps. "Evening, Phyllis. We were just talking about how the results of tonight's meeting should put paid to a lot of the rumors that have been goin' around lately."
    "If you believe that, Ted, you're in for a surprise." Phyllis came to a halt on the steps and pinned Charity with a seething expression. "A lot of fresh gossip is just getting started. Maybe you haven't heard it yet, but I'm sure you will soon enough after what happened tonight."
    Charity groaned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
    "You have to ask?" Phyllis gave her a derisive smile. "I should think you'd be able to figure it out for yourself. Everyone saw Elias Winters say exactly what you told him to say tonight. And everyone knows you're having an affair with him. People are bound to assume that you're sleeping with him in order to influence his decisions concerning the pier." Charity sucked in her breath. "That's not true." The men gaped.
    "That's an outright lie," Radiance declared. Bea drew herself up. "How dare you imply such a thing?"
    Phyllis gave her a grimly polite smile. "I'm only telling you what other people are saying. Personally, I don't believe a word of it, myself."
    "I should think not," Bea muttered. "After all," Phyllis said, "Anyone who knows anything about the Far Seas Corporation knows that Charity wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of seducing the president of that company with the goal of influencing his business decisions."
    "Christ, Phyllis." Ted looked pained. "That's playing it a little rough, isn't it?"
    She rounded on him. "You think I'm playing rough? Well, let me tell you, Winters is the coldblooded one. Charity may think she's in control of the situation, but my hunch is that Elias is just amusing himself with her while he bides his time waiting to close whatever deal he's brokering with his off-shore clients."
    Newlin frowned. "Just what kind of deal would that be?"
    Phyllis clenched her fingers around the strap of her leather shoulder bag. "I'm sure we'll all find out soon enough. But you can be certain of one thing. Elias Winters has no long-term personal interest in Charity or in Crazy Otis Landing. He's only here to make a profit."
    She marched down the steps and strode off toward the parking lot. The staccato click of her heels echoed in the light fog.
    Silence settled on the small crowd gathered on the steps.
    Charity gazed thoughtfully after Phyllis. "Does this mean I don't get to play the Ingrid Bergman role in the Whispering Waters Cove production of Notorious after all?"

13

    It's easy to see the reflections in the water. The difficulty lies in recognizing the truth when it appears there.

    - "On the Way of Water," from the journal of Hayden Stone

    Charity didn't see Elias waiting in the shadows of her front porch as she brought her car to a halt in the drive and switched off the engine.
    She was fumbling with her keys, her mind on the scene on the town hall steps a short while earlier, when she realized she was not alone.
    Elias glided out of the shadows into the weak glare of the porch light. If he hadn't moved, she would never have seen him at all. Her keys flew out of her hand as she started in surprise.
    "Elias."
    He caught the keys with a casual, precise movement. "Sorry."
    "Good grief, you scared me half to death." She snatched her keys from his fingers and stalked to her door. "What are you doing sneaking around my house?"
    "Waiting for you."
    "Too bad you didn't hang around the town hall steps, instead." She shoved the key into the lock. "You missed quite a scene."
    "What happened?"
    "Oh, just the usual—a nasty little skirmish between me and the mayor." Charity opened the door. "She won."
    Elias followed her into the house. "How?"
    "A one-two punch. First she accused me of sleeping with you in order to influence your decisions about the future of Crazy Otis Landing. And then she socked me with the news that my efforts at seduction were wasted. Apparently, you're just too darn clever for me to handle. According to Phyllis, you're using me."
    "In what way?"
    "She believes that you're amusing yourself with me while you bide your time waiting to carry out your nefarious plans for the