86 Avenue du Goulet (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 3) by Peggy A. Edelheit Page A

thought was coming, and then I felt a tap on my shoulder.”
    “What? Was he asking permission to kiss you?”
    I laughed. No! “Now, guess who it was?”
    They both asked simultaneously, “Who?”
    I looked from one to the other. “You won’t guess.”
    “Should we even try?”
    “Not in a million years.”
    “Then tell us!” Crystal demanded, impatiently.
    “Clay,” I replied, my voice low and even.
    After I set that name out there, there was silence. You see, Clay and I had a relationship well after Stephen died, but I just couldn’t make myself commit to anything permanent. I had to sort my life out first and decided that the couple thing should be set to the side, knowing we both had to figure out what each of us really wanted. Plus, I always felt he might not stay, anyway.
    He had always warned me upfront that he was a restless spirit. I knew that going into our relationship. Looking back, I sometimes thought my decision to walk away from him might have been a preemptive strike from getting hurt in another relationship.
    Maybe he felt the same way, because he took off for parts unknown once I voiced the slightest doubt about “us.”
    So when I took off for Ocean City, New Jersey to write my next book, he had already taken off, who knows where? To tell you the truth, I sort of expected it, that’s why I left town, too. Neither one of us were ready to commit. Even so, this time apart gave me time to think that maybe we both made it too easy for each of us to opt out.
    The minute I saw him last night I knew Martine had been working behind the scene, arranging this whole surprise, thinking she knew what was best for me. Maybe she did. I sure had been thinking a lot about him lately, mentioning him several times to her in private. She knew I’d be here tonight with the girls. And the old town isn’t that big, either. He’d have no problem finding me.
    “…Talk about a game changer,” Martha finally said.
    Crystal looked at me kind of skeptical about where this was going. “Now, what would he be doing here?”
    “You know, I asked him that myself,” I said.
    “Well, what did he say?” Martha asked eagerly.
    “He leaned in close, edging Philippe away, whispering in my ear, ‘I came to take care of unfinished business’.”
    Martha started fanning herself. “Whew! That’s hot!”
    “I’d like to meet this stud muffin.” Crystal said.
    “Hey, the two of us had no real commitment.”
    “Running away solved nothing,” Martha pointed out.
    “…Maybe I’ve reconsidered my priorities.”
    Martha looked at me closely. “Does he know that?”
    I shifted uncomfortably. “…Well, no, not really.”
    “So you’re having second thoughts?” Crystal asked.
    I shrugged, then smiled. “I guess I’ll just have to see.”
    “Hey, why figure the whole thing out now?” Martha asked. “Why not let it play out and see where it all leads?”
    “Look, if I drop Philippe cold, I’d get nowhere as far as learning something about Forniet. On the other hand, if I string him along, then it would further my investigation, but it might screw up any future possibilities with Clay.”
    “Or it might prove more interesting,” Crystal said slyly.
    I nodded, agreeing. “And it might be worth the gamble.”
    Martha sat there, chuckling. “I’d say in your case, that as far as the two of them are concerned, all bets are off.”
    What did I have to lose?
    “Let the games begin!” I announced.
    Now, what were the odds on me regretting those words?
    But wait, I digress. Our conversation wasn’t over yet.

 
     
     
    Chapter 48
    A Ticking Time Bomb
     
     
    I sat up. “Last night was like watching a ticking time bomb countdown between those two.”
    “Sounds like a case study in testosterone!” surmised Martha. “Like two bucks marking their territory.”
    Crystal was sipping some 1664 beer from a bottle with a slice of lime floating inside. She was never about the wine and couldn’t be bothered about