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The only dark cloud on the horizon was the apparent difficulty Finn was having getting to talk to Evan about his paintings. Certainly there were none of them in the gallery, and though Izzy had assured Beth it wasn’t a problem and they didn’t need them, Beth was still a little disappointed.
They’d pull in bigger crowds, she was sure, if the world famous Evan McCahon had a painting or two hanging in the gallery. Plus, Finn had said he would help and he hadn’t told her that Evan had refused.
A tall, male figure caught her attention, but it was only Levi, heading in Indigo’s direction.
Momentarily diverted, Beth watched her friend suddenly scowl as Levi held out a glass of champagne each to her and Shirley.
Sneaky to get one for Shirley too, so it didn’t look like he was only getting one for Indigo. And of course the added pressure of Shirley looking pleased and taking the glass ensured Indigo had to take hers as well.
Beth leaned her elbows on the counter, waiting for the fireworks. But then Levi inclined his head, turned around, and walked away. Indigo at first looked surprised, then she scowled even more furiously, watching Levi the whole way to the door.
“One,” Beth murmured under her breath. “Two and…three.”
Exactly on the count of three, Indigo put her champagne down on a nearby shelf and headed straight for the door that Levi had just walked through.
Beth grinned. She wasn’t sure what Levi had done now, but she’d love to be a fly on the wall when Indigo caught up with him.
Suddenly there was movement by the door.
A tall, thin man in his early sixties, dressed in muddy jeans, a black-and-red-checked sweater-thing that everyone here called a “swanny,” and black rain boots (aka gumboots), came in with something large wrapped in a sheet under one arm. He had closely cropped salt-and-pepper hair, a face that was all sharp edges and hard angles, and eyes almost as dark as the man following him.
Beth’s heart gave the strangest leap.
Finn’s gaze connected with hers as if she was the only thing worth looking at in the entire place, and that raw, crackling electricity that seemed to spark whenever they were in the same room arced between them once again.
She ignored it the way she ignored her frantic heartbeat because the man in the swanny was Evan McCahon. And it was clear he’d brought one of his paintings with him.
Beth straightened as Evan came straight up to the counter where she and Izzy stood.
“I hear you wanted one of these to hang up,” he said shortly, banging the sheet-covered painting down on the counter.
Beth gave him her widest, most welcoming smile. “We did.”
“Well, you can have this one,” Evan said.
“That’s so amazing of—”
“Don’t thank me,” Evan interrupted. “Kelly was the one who did the convincing.” He jerked his head at Finn, who’d come to stand beside him. “He’s going to give me a bottle of his best Macallan.”
Beth didn’t know what a bottle of best Macallan was—some kind of alcohol likely—but she was very pleased that Finn had offered it.
“We’re very grateful,” Izzy said smoothly, pushing a glass of champagne in Evan’s direction. “I’m sure you have some ideas about where to hang it too.”
The painter narrowed his gaze first at Beth and then Izzy. “I didn’t want you ladies here, as you probably know. But Finn thinks this gallery nonsense will be good for the town, get some more money flowing to the people that live here.” His white brows came down, his dark gaze glittering. “I don’t like tourists.”
“There’s not much to be said for people in general,” Beth said, wanting him to know that she got where he was coming from. “Let alone tourists.”
His gaze darted to her and stayed there for a second, disturbingly penetrating. “No,” he muttered after what felt like a long time. “There isn’t.” He grabbed a glass of the champagne. “I’ll see where to put the painting. Don’t disturb me.”
“Wow,” Beth murmured as Evan stalked off to examine the bare stone walls. “How did you manage that?”
Finn leaned against the counter. “Evan likes whisky.”
“That’s it?” Izzy looked at him in some disbelief. “You promised him a bottle and he said yes?”
Finn lifted a shoulder. “It’s good whisky.”
She knew she was staring, but Beth couldn’t help herself. This was as close as she’d been to him since those hours upstairs in HQ, and his presence was doing stupid things to her heartbeat.
