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“Hey.” Cullen looked up and wiped his hands on a towel hanging from the pocket of his work apron. “Good to see you, man. Thanks again for last night.”
Gaines extended his hand. “Don’t mention it. My pleasure.”
“So what are you two up to?” Cullen grinned.
“I’m giving him a tour.” Luna stuck out her chin as if to sayWhat about it?
“Oh. Right. Well, I’m sure if she tries to give you any trouble, you’ll be able to handle it, Marshal.” Cullen smirked.
“See. Always the comedian.” Luna stuck out her tongue. She grabbed Gaines’s arm. “Let’s blow this Popsicle stand.”
“You heard her. I guess I am at her mercy for now. Catch you later.” Gaines almost stumbled as Luna tugged him harder.
* * *
Luna spent a delightful morning with Marshal Gaines. He was fascinated with the glassblowing place called Hot Sand. They made everything from bedazzled pumpkins to tableware. He purchased a set of blue drinking glasses for his new house. His other fascination was with Jimmy Can-Do’s art. He couldn’t resist the baseball bat that was made of hundreds of pieces of cut-up cans. He must have stared at it for several minutes. “I wonder how he did this,” he said out loud.
“Your guess is as good as mine. At least we can watch the other artists at work. Jimmy does his in private, then puts them on display.”
“Interesting. The honor system.” Gaines nodded in the direction of the sign. The tag on the bat was $150. “Wow, that’s steep for recycling.” But he seemed incapable of putting it down. “It’s well balanced, and the weight feels right. About two pounds.” He looked around to make sure nothing was in the way. He planted his feet several inches apart, pulled the bat over his right shoulder, and took a swing. “Impressive. It’s remarkable that he was able to spell out the wordBASEBALLalong the side. Maybe from Budweiser, Stella Artois? Very cool.” He turned the bat over in his hand. “Carter would get such a kick out of this.”
Luna chuckled. “Oh,Carterwould get a kick out of it? I think Carter’s dad is getting a huge kick out of it.”
Gaines smiled. “You are so observant.”
“Nah. I got the vibe.” She laughed.
Gaines opened his wallet and took out a pen and one of his business cards. He wrote “baseball bat” on the back and placed it in the honor system box. “I guess this can’t be gift wrapped,” he said jokingly.
“Not here, but my friend Chi-Chi can probably help you out.” Luna gestured to the sign that saidSILVER&STONE. “Follow me.”
They walked past the other galleries. Gaines stopped in front of the Clay-More pottery studio. “I could use a set of dishes.” He peered inside.
“Who knew I was taking you on a shopping spree?” Luna laughed.
“Honestly, I hate to shop, and when I do, I have little time. This is a much better way to do it. And I’m supporting local artists.” Gaines was very matter-of-fact.
“Well, I am happy to see you supporting Ellie’s project. She worked extremely hard to make all of this possible.” Luna followed Gaines into the pottery shop, where he was immediately drawn to a set of cobalt-blue dishes.
He picked up a dinner plate. “Verywabi-sabi,” he said casually.
“OK. Now I’m really impressed. You know whatwabi-sabimeans.” She was truly taken aback.
“Japanese for simplicity and taking pleasure in imperfections.” He said it quite casually while inspecting the matching pieces. He reached into the shopping bag that contained the glasses he had purchased from Hot Sand. The colors were a perfect combination of blues.
“You are a very interesting dude,” Luna said with admiration.
“Why, thank you, Miss Bodhi. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I think of myself as a Renaissance man.”
“Bodhi?” Luna stopped in her tracks. She wasn’t sure what was more shocking, his knowing her nom de plume or that he considered himself a Renaissance man.
“I am in the law-enforcement business. I know someone who knows someone . . .” His voice trailed off as Luna finished his sentence.
“. . . who knows someone.” She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. “I guess I’d better be on my best behavior around you.”
“I think I can handle it.” Gaines looked her straight in the eye. It sent a little shiver down Luna’s spine. But in a good way.
Jennine, the potter, walked over to them. “Hi, Luna. Who do we have here?” She eyed the handsome gentleman who was handling her workmanship.
