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14
Elizabeth walked into Bill's office at three o'clock Wednesday and dropped a folder on his desk. “There you go.”
He moved the folder closer and opened it. “What's all this?”
“Some information I’ve compiled. I just sent it over to the Oceanographic. I thought I'd print everything out so you could have a look.”
He slowly flipped through the pages. “You've even drafted a framework for assessing the risk of eutrophication and setting nutrient loading targets. Impressive.”
“Thanks. Um, just so you know, I’m taking off an hour early today. My sister is visiting from Boston. But I’m all caught up.”
“Okay.” He cleared his throat. “George said he and Charlotte were at your house last night. It's nice of you to let him use the darkroom. I hope he's being…respectful. You know, paying for supplies, and being polite. Is he?”
“He's fine.” He appeared relieved, and she eyed him curiously. “What's up with him?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what's his deal? Why are you always asking me about them?”
He shrugged. “I want to make sure he’s being a stand-up guy. I don't want him to impose.”
“He’s only there when it's convenient for me.”
“Okay. Well, thank you for helping him out. I know he appreciates it.”
He smiled, but she thought it looked forced. “Sure. No problem. Um, I’m going to go.”
“Enjoy the afternoon with your sister.”
A short time later, Elizabeth arrived home to find Jane and Caroline sunning themselves on her deck.
“By all means, make yourselves at home,” she teased. “How long have you been waiting for me?”
Jane rose and gave her sister a hug. “We haven’t been here long. How was work?”
“Fine, but I was happy to leave.” She turned to Caroline. “How are you, Caroline?”
“I'm well, thank you.” Caroline took in her surroundings. “This is very…quaint. It’s like a…a cottage.”
Elizabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Itisa cottage. But it’s home, and I love it.”
“So are we off to the market?” Jane asked.
“Sure. I need to change first. I have some suggestions for dinner, but we can talk on the way into town.”
Ten minutes later, the women were headed to the market in Jane's car. They parked at the public lot off Main Street and decided to poke their heads into some shops first.
Caroline began to amass a large amount of shopping bags, and Jane and Elizabeth laughed when she suggested a trip to the car to drop everything off before going to the market. As they walked in that direction, Jane asked Elizabeth about Will.
“How's his trip so far?”
“It's going well. He has a lot to keep him busy. He’s spending most of his time with his cousin Richard. I think they're going out tonight.”
Caroline's eyebrows rose. “William is going out with Richard?”
Elizabeth nodded. “That's what he said.”
Caroline chuckled and shook her head. “Nowthat'sa dangerous pair. I could tell you some stories—” She wrinkled her nose. “I may have said too much.”
