Eclipse Bay

He angled his chin in the general direction of Rafe’s car. “I see you’ve got a visitor.”
    “We’re having coffee.”
    “Coffee sounds terrific.”
    She chose to ignore the unsubtle hint. “I’m a little busy, Perry.”
    The bright light of his smile dimmed a bit. “Hannah, I really need to talk to you.”
    “Call me this afternoon.”
    “This can’t wait.” Perry paused a beat and lowered his voice. “It’s important. Not just to me but to a lot of people here in Eclipse Bay.”
    She wavered. “What is it?”
    “It’s too involved to explain out here.”
    He moved past her with a breezy arrogance that made her want to stick out a foot and trip him. She avoided the temptation. If Winston was capable of good manners and restraint in the face of extreme provocation, she could do no less.
    She went thoughtfully back into the house and closed the door. Perry was already in the kitchen, introducing himself to Rafe.
    “I don’t think we’ve met.” He thrust out his hand. “I’m Perry Decatur. I’m with the institute. Sorry to interrupt breakfast. Hannah and I are old friends.”
    “Rafe Madison.” Rafe kept his fingers wrapped around his coffee mug and managed to overlook Perry’s outstretched hand. “I know all about your old friendship with Hannah. I was the one who walked her home that night eight years ago when she decided to end her date with you a little early. But I’m sure you heard all about that.”
    Perry blinked a couple of times and dropped his hand. But if he found the moment awkward, he gave no hint. “What a coincidence, the three of us getting together over coffee after all this time.”
    “Yeah, life’s funny that way, isn’t it?” The gleam in Rafe’s eyes was diamond-hard. “So, what do you do at the think tank?”
    “Vice President of Finance and Administration.”
    Perry removed a small gold case from his pocket and produced a card. When Rafe did not reach for it, he put it down on the table next to the empty syrup jug. He took one of the chairs, twitched it around, and sat down back to front. Very confident. Very much at home in this house. Hannah ground her teeth.
    “I’m the guy who deals with the donors and contributors who fund the research projects,” Perry said.
    “In other words, you hustle cash for the institute,” Rafe said.
    Hannah raised her eyes toward the ceiling, but there was no help from that quarter.
    If Perry was insulted by Rafe’s description of his job, he managed to conceal it behind a small chuckle. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but I really don’t have time to go into it now.”
    Hannah dropped down into her chair. “Why don’t you tell me exactly why you’re here, Perry?”
    “Well, I’d like to invite you to attend the reception for Trevor Thornley at the institute tomorrow night,” Perry said.
    “Thanks,” Hannah said, “but I’m not big on political receptions.”
    “This is an important event,” Perry said seriously. “Thornley’s going to formally announce his intention to enter the U.S. Senate race.”
    “So?”
    Perry pursed his lips. “Well, the thing is, when I heard that you were back in town, I more or less assured the director of the institute that I could convince you to come to the reception. It would look very good to have a Harte there, if you know what I mean. Your family has always carried a lot of weight here in Eclipse Bay.”
    Rafe gave a rude grunt and reached for the coffeepot.
    Hannah eyed Perry with renewed caution. “You promised your boss that you would produce me tomorrow night, didn’t you? And he’s going to be annoyed if I don’t put in an appearance.”
    Perry sighed. “I would take it as a great personal favor, Hannah. Tomorrow night is very, very important to me, careerwise.”
    “Who else is on the guest list?”
    Perry appeared briefly surprised by the question. But he switched gears swiftly. “The usual local honchos, of course. Plus all the folks who backed Thornley’s previous campaigns. We’ve also got some heavy-duty movers and shakers from Portland coming in. The big catch of the evening is Tom Lydd.”
    “Tom Lydd of Lydd-Zone Software?” Hannah asked.
    “One and the same.” Perry tried and failed to look modest. “I’ve been courting him for months, trying to get him to endow a research fund at the institute. I don’t mind telling you that the fact that he agreed to attend tomorrow night is a very, very good sign. I’ll have his name on