Summer in Eclipse Bay

betray a friend?"
    "Things are different when it comes to
sex"
Jeremy said with ominous certainty.
    "Do you think so? I don't. Cheaters cheat and liars lie. It's what they do whenever things become inconvenient for them or when they can't get what they want in any other way. Most of the people I've known who can lie to your face have had some practice. Aunt Claudia always said that scamming people was an art form that required skill and precision."
    Jeremy looked grim. "Your aunt would have known, from all accounts."
    "Yes. The only thing I can say in her defense was that she came to regret a lot of the damage she caused. But we're not talking about her. Tell me about Laura. Looking back, can you recall occasions when she lied to you?"
    Jeremy started to say something but he closed his mouth before uttering a word. He just stood there, gazing at one of the landscapes he had painted.
    "How long did you know her?" she asked.
    "We were married three months after we met. She thought she was-" He stopped.
    "She thought she was pregnant?"
    Jeremy nodded. "It was okay by me, although my family was a little put off by the rush, and Grandmother was mortified. She's a little old-fashioned, you know."
    "Yes. I know."
    Jeremy grimaced. "She became my biggest supporter, however, after she found out that Laura came from a socially prominent family in Seattle. But as far as I was concerned, I was excited about starting a family. It felt right, you know? Nick had little Carson and I… Well, it didn't happen for Laura and me. Turned out she wasn't pregnant, after all."
    "She lied about it?"
    He shoved his fingers through his hair, looking hunted. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. I've sometimes wondered. She said it was a mistake at the time. The test didn't work properly or something."
    "How long were you married?"
    "Eighteen months. Like I said, her family was old Seattle money. Lots of connections. Her parents were never particularly thrilled with me. They felt she could have done better. Once or twice I got the feeling that maybe she'd married me just to defy them and then…"
    "Came to regret her decision."
    "Things got worse in a hurry when I told her that I was thinking of moving to Eclipse Bay. I said it would be a good place to raise a family. She hated the idea so I put it off."
    "You like it here. Don't you?" Octavia asked.
    He regarded the painting of his grandmother for a while. "It's strange, but I do kind of like it here. Feels like home, you know?"
    A
wistful feeling drifted through her. "Yes. I know."
    Sometimes feelings for places were wrong, she thought, but there was no need to go off on that tangent. Her intuition told her that Jeremy was, indeed, at home in Eclipse Bay. Like the Hartes and the Madisons, he had several generations of family history here.
    She had made the mistake of believing that she belonged in Eclipse Bay, too, but that had been wishful thinking on her part. She knew that now. Her search for home was still ongoing.
    "Just out of curiosity," she continued, "did Laura have a problem with you spending time on your painting?"
    Jeremy jerked slightly, clearly startled by the question. His mouth was a thin, hard line. "She called it 'playing artist'."
    "One last question. Did you see much of Nick while you and Laura were married?"
    Jeremy was quiet again for a while. Eventually he shook his head. "No. Things change when you get married, you know? Laura had her own set of friends. We hung around with them for the most part."
    "Yet she still found time to have an affair with Nick?" Octavia spread her hands. "Get real, Jeremy."
    "What the hell is this? You think you can just walk into this situation and analyze it without knowing all of the people involved?"
    "I know something about Hartes. Lord knows, they've got their flaws, but I honestly can't see any of the Harte men fooling around with another man's wife." She straightened away from the desk. "And after looking at your paintings, I know a bit more about you, too. You can see a person's personality and character clearly enough to translate it onto a canvas. Try looking at Nick with your artist's eye. Ask yourself how you would paint him."
    "Hell, you really have got it bad for him, don't you?"
    "My feelings for Nick have nothing to do with this discussion." She dug her car keys out of her shoulder bag and went toward the door. "But I will tell you one thing, Jeremy. I won't let you use me to punish him for what you think he did with