Inner Harbor

“I’ll take your word on that. For now.” She tapped one slim finger against the fabric of her skirt. “You mentioned two reasons. The cat charity and what else? What other reason do you have for marrying to get your grandfather’s money?”

How far did he take this pretended greed? The answer wouldn’t be silenced—far enough to do what his grandfather had asked. He owed him that. Russ thought fast.

“I have plans for the future. I want to expand my shop, develop more lines, maybe take on an apprentice while I travel, hold exhibitions. Silver’s expensive. It takes time to build up a repertoire, recoup your expenses.” He shrugged. “There are things I want to do with my life, and it takes money. Why shouldn’t I have what my grandfather kept for me?”

“Maybe. But still—marrying for money?” Her lips turned down in distaste. “It sounds so sad.”

“There are a lot of reasons to get married. Money isn’t the worst one. Besides, we wouldn’t be marrying for money.” It felt good to say that, emphasize it, even. “We’d be marrying because my grandfather arranged it. What’s so bad about that?” He stabbed his toe into the carpet, wishing he knew how to word that differently.

“Hmm.” She tapped her bottom lip with one forefinger. “Where to begin?”

“I’ve watched my friends get married, Annie.” Why not let her see some of the truth that had always driven him away from marriage? “They had no expectation of failure, but they still found themselves separating after a couple of years because their goals changed and the euphoria that carried them into marriage couldn’t sustain them through reality. Life is difficult. There are only so many hours in a day, so many years allotted to each of us. I don’t want to waste any more of them doing things I don’t enjoy. Why should I give up my inheritance to a cat home when it could give us both a measure of freedom?”

“Said that way, it sounds reasonable. I suppose.”

She didn’t look convinced. Despite her agreement, Russ knew Annie wasn’t comfortable with the idea of marriage, no matter how he worded it. He could see aversion written all over her expressive face. The question was, why?

“It is reasonable. I’m not the type to hang around anywhere for long. Too many things to do and see. That’s why I told you the truth up front.” Well, most of it. “I’m not out to cheat anyone. No secrets.”

She nodded sagely, her plucky grin back in place. “Well, for your sake, I hope your inheritance is big enough to allow you that kind of freedom.”

“Nine hundred eighty-five thousand dollars,” he told her bluntly, watching for her reaction, hoping to see the character Gramps had spoken of.

“Nine—oh!” She blanched, and her blue eyes seemed to swell with worry. “You mean you’ll lose all that money if we don’t get married?”

Guilt. Russ recognized it immediately. And wished he could abolish it. The last thing he wanted was for her to marry him out of guilt. He knew too much about that emotion already.

“Well, yes,” he admitted. “I wasted a lot of time trying to contest his will, but it’s rock solid. Anyway, Gramps would be mad if I did that. He must have had a thing about you.”

“A thing? About me?” Distaste flooded her face. “He was like my grandfather, Russ. He was sweet and honest, a shoulder when I needed one. That’s all there was between us. Friendship.”

Russ nodded. She was so transparent, so easy to read. A man would know exactly where he stood with Annie Simmons. She accepted others at face value. He had a hunch she wouldn’t try to change him. She hadn’t with Drew. She’d mentioned earlier that the boy still didn’t talk about his parents much, but she didn’t push him. When he was ready, she’d said. That spoke well for their future, didn’t it?

“Maybe friendship was part of it. But I still think there was something that made him come up with this idea, and it wasn’t me. Until he phoned me that last time, we hadn’t talked in quite a while.” And that was his fault, Russ admitted. He’d been ashamed, and embarrassed.

“What kind of ‘thing’ could your grandfather possibly have about me?” She seemed genuinely puzzled.

Which was odd. Gramps had said he would explain all of it to her. Russ considered relating what the old man had said to him but quickly changed his mind. Wouldn’t it make an already tense situation worse to admit that he’d spoken with his grandfather about her? That they’d discussed her behind her back?

“Did you hear me?”

Russ blinked, then nodded.

“Sorry, yes. I was just thinking of something he said.” What was the question? Why her? “Gramps claimed he got an impression of people the first time he met them. Knew right away whether they were guilty or innocent. That’s why he was so successful in his practice. People seldom managed to bamboozle my grandfather.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as if she were rehashing something from her past. Russ decided to probe further.

“Gramps met you several times, didn’t he?” Russ was flying by the seat of his pants. He knew only what she’d said about their relationship and what Gramps had hinted. But he’d sure like to find out more. “When you settled your mother’s estate—that’s how you met?”

“I went to his office for a number of reasons. I’d never done any of it before, you see. When my father died, your grandfather was also the attorney, but my mother handled everything. I barely knew him then.” She shook her head, sighed. “When Mother died, I had no idea how to proceed. Fortunately, her death wasn’t unexpected, and your grandfather had already been to town once or twice to have her sign some papers, so her estate was settled quickly, without problems. He was very kind to me.”

“I’m glad.” If he knew Gramps, and Russ had known the old guy very well, every t was crossed, every i dotted. In fact, if you read between the lines of Gramps’s last letter, Annie Simmons was like the granddaughter he’d never had.

“He visited me, you know. Every so often.” She nodded at his look of surprise. “Really.”

“For what, I wonder.” Russ frowned. “He never cared much for this town when I was a kid. Claimed a person could get snagged in the relaxed lifestyle and never make anything of themselves. One day last summer he was talking about the potential I’d find here. By fall he said he’d made a mistake in ever recommending the place and warned me away, said it didn’t have what I needed.” Which was one reason Russ had chosen Safe Harbor. He’d been fairly certain his grandfather would not interfere in his plans.

Suddenly he wondered how deliberate that move had been. Another of Gramps’s chess plays?

“I don’t know about that.” Annie blinked her surprise. “He only told me he had business in town. I never knew what it was. He’d stop by the house, have a cup of tea, and we’d talk.”