Gift of Gold

to the spa.
    The blue and white tiled bathing room that housed the women’s spa was, as Verity had expected, almost empty. Caitlin Evanger was lounging naked in one of the bubbling pools. Another woman hovered near the edge with a stack of towels.
    “Hello,” Caitlin said pleasantly. “Another early riser, I see. Come and join me, Verity. We have the place to ourselves. I don’t believe you’ve met Tavi Monahan.” Caitlin’s sleek, gilded head turned slightly as she smiled briefly at the other woman. “Tavi is my friend and companion. She takes excellent care of me. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Tavi, this is Verity Ames, the owner of the restaurant I told you about.”
    Verity smiled. “Nice to meet you, Tavi.”
    Tavi nodded politely in greeting. “Miss Ames.” Her voice was gentle and calm, her eyes oddly serene.
    Tavi’s hair was dark brown with the faintest hint of silver at the temples. She wore it parted in the middle and pulled back into a simple classic twist. There was a quiet elegance about her, Verity thought. She wore a pair of brown well-cut slacks and a cream-colored pullover that went well with her olive complexion and dark, veiled eyes. Those eyes, Verity decided, were eyes of a woman who could hold an infinite number of secrets.
    “What got you out of bed so early, Verity?” Caitlin inquired politely. “Or do you always get up at the crack of dawn as I do?”
    “I am an early riser but generally not this early.” Verity smiled again as she started toward one of the changing rooms. She wondered if Caitlin noticed any outward change in her, then chastised herself for the juvenile notion.
    Halfway to the slatted booth she remembered she had forgotten to bring her bathing suit. She stopped.
    “Something wrong?” Caitlin asked.
    Verity cleared her throat. “No. I’ll be right back.” She went determinedly toward the booth, considering what had happened last night, it was probably high time she learned to lead a more daring lifestyle. The thought made her grin. She stepped into the booth, took off all her clothes, and returned to the pool wearing only a towel and a smile.
    She tried to appear nonchalant as she walked back to the pool. This sense of awkwardness about displaying herself was the price she paid for never having attended high school gym classes, Verity decided ruefully. But she was determined to get over it.
    She dropped her towel at the edge of the pool and stepped into the warm, foaming water. The mineral scent filled her nostrils. It felt very therapeutic. Just what she needed. Verity sighed and lounged back on the underwater seat.
    “It’s a sign of anxiety, you know,” Caitlin remarked from the other side of the pool.
    Verity arched her eyebrows. “What is?”
    “Waking up too early and being unable to get back to sleep. It can be very disturbing.” Caitlin leaned her head against a towel Tavi had placed on the edge of the pool. She closed her eyes. “I have endured the problem for years. Night after night.”
    “I’m sorry.” Verity wasn’t sure what to say. She felt a sudden welling of compassion for this strange woman. She sensed painful depths in her and wished she could offer comfort. “Have you, uh, seen a doctor?”
    Caitlin’s eyes opened again and she looked at Verity with cold amusement. “There is no need to consult a therapist. I know exactly what is wrong with me. I’m aware of the source of the anxiety.”
    “I see.” Jonas wasn’t the only one with ghosts in his eyes, Verity thought.
    Caitlin lifted a hand out of the water in a dismissive gesture and then allowed it to drop back under the surface. “It’s not all bad, you know. I do some of my best work in the dawn hours. Isn’t that right, Tavi?”
    “Yes, Caitlin.” Tavi’s voice was soft as she spoke to her employer. There was a trace of sadness in the words, but Caitlin seemed oblivious to it. Tavi stood motionless, holding the stack of towels. “Some of your best paintings have been completed just before dawn. But I’m not sure that the money you have made from them has been worth the price you’ve paid to finish them.”
    Caitlin grimaced. “One of the reasons I have employed Tavi all these years is that she is unrelentingly honest with me. Honesty is a rare trait in this world.”
    Verity thought of Jonas. “It’s nice to be able to trust the people one hires,” she said grimly.
    Caitlin gave her a speculative glance. “Are you having problems with