Mariah Stewart - On Sunset Beach

Ford nodded and took the hand that reached for his. “Tony. You’re looking good,” he said as they exchanged a man-hug.

“You, too. Thinner maybe, but good.” Tony patted Ford on the back, then turned to Carly. “Sorry. We used to … work together. It’s been a while.”

“It’s quite all right. I’m Carly.”

Tony nodded and looked around and got right to the point. “So is this the place?”

Carly nodded.

“You’re planning on displaying a fortune in art here?”

“I am. Assuming, of course, that you can secure it.”

“I can secure anything.” He walked around the room, mostly looking up.

“Take all the time you need,” Carly told him.

Tony took some measurements—walls, ceiling height, length and width of the room—with an implement he removed from his back pocket. He studied the doors and the windows, then, without a word, went outside.

Ten minutes later, Carly looked out front and saw him get into his car.

She frowned and turned to Ford. “You don’t suppose he’s leaving?”

“He wouldn’t leave without saying something. Maybe he’s making a phone call. Give him a few minutes. He’ll be back.”

Several minutes later, Tony came through the door.

“Okay, this is how I see it.” He walked Carly through his proposed system, where he would install cameras and sensors.

“How soon can you do this?” she asked.

“I can have this up and running in …” He appeared to be calculating. “A week. Ten days. No more. I’ll have to order a few things that aren’t normally available.”

“What does that mean?”

“He means stuff you don’t find in the average home security store,” Ford told her.

“Okay, then. How much do you think a system like this would cost?”

He gave her a number, and she almost passed out.

“Tony,” Ford said before Carly could find her voice, “I think you can do better.”

Tony scratched his head. “I don’t know, man, the kind of sensors we’re talking about are really pricey.”

Ford continued to stare at him.

“All right.” Tony tossed out a revised number. “That’s the best I can do.”

Carly thought over the other systems that had been proposed, none of which were nearly as sophisticated as the one Tony had in mind. Of course, none of them cost as much either. After all the renovations on the carriage house, there wasn’t much left in the budget. She’d have to go back to Ed and see what the town council was willing to contribute. The rest of it would have to come from the book sales.

“All right. Get me a written proposal, outlining exactly what you’re doing.”

“Uh-uh.” Tony shook his head. “If I outline what I’m doing and circulate that, then what’s the point? Someone could possibly figure out how to get around the system. Not real likely, but it could conceivably happen.”

“You have to give me an estimate for me to take to the town council.”

He nodded. “I’ll get you something you can use. It just won’t spell out all the bells and whistles.”

“Can you get it to me by Monday?”

“Sooner, if I can.”

Carly gave him her email address. “I really can’t thank you enough for coming all the way out here on such short notice.”

“Hey, anything for an old comrade-in-arms, right?” He bumped his fist on Ford’s arm. “Got time for a quick lunch before I head back?”

“I was just about to ask you the same thing. I know a great place just about a mile from here.” Ford turned to Carly. “You’re welcome to join us, of course.”

“Very nice of you, but no thank you. I have to get back to work.” She turned off the lights and followed the two men out the door, then locked up. “Thanks again, Tony.”

“My pleasure. Any friend of Ford’s, and all that.” Tony walked toward his car at the end of the drive.

“Where’s your car?” she asked Ford, who’d held back.

“I felt like a little exercise, so I walked over.”

“Thanks for whatever it was that you did to get him here so quickly.”

“You needed something really good, really fast. Tony’s the best, and I figured he’d do a favor if he could.”

“I appreciate it.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “We’re still on for tomorrow night, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“See you then …”

She watched him sprint to the end of the driveway and hop into the passenger side of Tony’s Jeep. Then, remembering there was one more thing she needed to do before she went home to work on the catalog, she got into her car and headed straight to Bling. There was a dress in the window just that morning that might be exactly what she was looking for.

THE dress in Bling’s window turned out to not work on Carly the way she’d hoped it would, but Vanessa had something else in mind.

“This one.” Vanessa brought a blue sheath with a squared neckline, front and back, into the dressing room and held it up in front of Carly. “The blue is almost the exact shade of your eyes and there’s just enough spandex in it to … well, you’ll see. You have to try it.”

Always happy to try on pretty things, Carly pulled the dress over her head, then smoothed it over her hips.

“There. What did I tell you?” Vanessa beamed. “It’s so close to perfection I can barely stand it.” She adjusted the neckline slightly. “Just tight enough, just short enough, and just low enough in front to give you a little cleavage without being, you know, slutty. I take it this is for something special?”

“I have a date for dinner tomorrow night.” Carly turned in the mirror to check the side view. Vanessa was dead-on about the fit.

“And you want to wow.” Vanessa nodded knowingly. “This is definitely the dress.” She slipped off the hair tie from Carly’s ponytail and pulled all of her hair to one side. “That’s the look you want. Sexy but ladylike. No man with a pulse could resist you.”

“Well then, I suppose I have no choice.” Carly grinned and Vanessa helped her out of the dress. “I’ll take it.”

Vanessa put the dress on a hanger and took it with her while Carly dressed in the clothes she’d worn into the shop. She was putting her hair back up as she walked out front.

“Do you need anything to go with the dress?” Vanessa asked as Carly approached the counter. “Earrings? Killer shoes? A bag?”

“Actually, I could probably use some of each. I didn’t expect to be going out, so I left all of my good clothes back home.”

Vanessa held up several pairs of earrings, and Carly reached for the dangly ones with the blue stones.

“I’d go with them, too.” Vanessa nodded and returned the other two pairs to the case. Her phone rang, but before she answered it, she told Carly, “Shoes are toward the back, and bags are on the right side of the shop. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Carly went straight to the shoes, and gravitated toward the highest pair of heels in the shop.

“When I said ‘killer,’ those were the ones I had in mind.” Vanessa leaned against a display. “What size?”

“Seven, please.” Carly couldn’t wait to put them on her feet. Metallic leather sandals that fastened at the ankle on the thinnest straps imaginable, the shoes were, in fact, killers.

Vanessa found the right size and handed Carly the box and stood by while she sat on a nearby stool and tried them on.

“I love them.” Carly stood and walked a few steps to make sure she could, in fact, walk in them. “They’re gorgeous.”

“Here’s a bag that works with them.” Vanessa handed her a clutch of soft, silvery leather.

“I’ll take it.” Carly took off the shoes and returned them to their box. “And the shoes and the earrings and the dress.”

She smiled all the way to the cash register. “Vanessa, your shop is amazing. There are places in New York that don’t have what you have here.”

“Thank you. Just for that, I’m giving you ten percent off.” Vanessa laughed. “Another ten if you tell me who the lucky guy is. If, of course, that isn’t too personal a question.”

“For twenty percent … sure.” Carly leaned on the counter and watched Vanessa tally up the damage. “It’s Ford Sinclair.”

Vanessa’s hand stopped moving and she glanced up at Carly.

“Grace’s son? Tall, rugged-looking guy? Dark eyes?” she asked.

Carly nodded.

“I don’t blame you for going all out.” Vanessa grinned. “I was wondering how long it would be before someone snagged his attention. I’m attracted to men like that myself.” She hastened to add, “Not that I’m attracted to Ford, per se, but my husband, Grady, is cut from that cloth, too. Too rugged to be classically handsome, maybe, but irresistible. And hot.” She wrapped the earrings in tissue. “Pretty boys have never really done it for me.”