Eclipse Bay

sure.”
    She smiled. “And maybe get tossed into jail by Chief Yates?”
    “Yeah. And that would put a real crimp in the only viable career plan I’ve got at the moment.”
    The broad, semicircular sweep of the bay began in the distance behind Hannah, near the treacherous waters of Hidden Cove. It ended somewhere up ahead in the darkness, at a jutting piece of land known as Sundown Point. There were no streetlamps on the long, curving bluff road that rimmed the restless waters of Eclipse Bay. The sparse lights of the pier, the marina, and the town’s tiny business district lay more than two miles to the rear, in the direction of Hidden Cove.
    Up ahead, Hannah could make out only a vast pool of darkness. Sundown Point was invisible in the all-enveloping night. She knew that a handful of cottages and homes were scattered along the heavily wooded bluffs, but she saw no illuminated windows. Her family’s summer place was nearly a mile from here, perched over a small, sheltered cove. Her aunt’s big house, Dreamscape, was at least another half mile beyond that.
    It was, indeed, going to be a long walk.
    She glanced back over her shoulder. The faint glare of a well-lit parking lot could be seen on the hillside. It emanated from a clearing in the trees above the town. The parking facility belonged to the Eclipse Bay Policy Studies Institute, a recently established think tank that had been built close to Chamberlain College.
    “My parents are up there at the institute tonight,” she said at one point, just for something to say. “They’re attending the reception for Trevor Thornley.”
    “The hotshot who’s running for the state legislature?”
    “Yes.” She was surprised that he was aware of Thorn-ley’s campaign. He didn’t seem like the type who paid attention to politics. But she refrained from making that observation aloud. “It looks like the event is running late. I may even get home ahead of Mom and Dad.”
    “Lucky for you, hmm? You won’t have to go into a lot of awkward explanations about why you came home with me instead of the jerk tonight.”
    She glanced at him, surprised. “I’ll tell them what happened in the morning.”
    He slapped his forehead with the heel of his palm. “That’s right, I keep forgetting. I’m with Ms. Goody Two-Shoes here. Of course you’ll tell your parents that you spent the night on the beach with me.”
    Shock brought her to a sudden halt. “I did not spend the night on the beach with you, Rafe Madison. And if you dare tell your friends down at the Total Eclipse Bar and Grill that I did, I swear I will…I will sue you. Or something.”
    “Don’t worry,” he muttered. “I’m not planning to announce to the whole town that we did it under Eclipse Arch.”
    “You’d better not.” She gripped her purse more tightly and started walking quicker. The sooner she got back to the house, the better.
    Rafe fell into step beside her again. She was intensely aware of him. She had walked this road many times over the years, but never at this hour. Crime was minimal in Eclipse Bay, but not completely absent, especially during the summer when out-of-town visitors flocked to the beach. She was very glad to have company tonight. The long walk home alone would have been more than a little nerve-racking.
    Half an hour later they reached the tree-lined drive that led to the Harte summer cottage. Rafe walked her to the porch steps and stopped.
    “This is as far as I go,” he said. “Good night, Hannah.”
    She went up one step and paused. It struck her that the strange interlude was over. A wistful sensation trickled through her. She stomped on it with all the ruthlessness she could muster. It was okay to have a few romantic fantasies about Rafe Madison. He was the most notorious male in town, after all—at least, the most notorious in her age group. But you couldn’t get serious about a guy like this. There was no future in it.
    “Thanks for seeing me home,” she said.
    “No problem. Not like I had anything better to do tonight.” In the yellow glare of the porch light his eyes were enigmatic pools. “Good luck with that five-year plan of yours.”
    Impulsively she touched the sleeve of his jacket. “Think about making some plans of your own Rafe. Don’t screw up your whole life.”
    He grinned. Without warning he leaned forward and brushed a quick, stunningly chaste kiss across her mouth. “A man’s got to capitalize on his strong points, and I’m so damn