A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 85



A little after noon, she went downstairs to fix a sandwich for lunch. She added a slice of watermelon, a handful of chips, and a can of root beer and carried her plate outside.

It was quite pleasant, sitting there with the sun shining down on her. A gentle breeze kept the heat at bay. She stared at the house, wondering how old it was and who had lived there before Dominic bought it. She hadn't thought of it before but now it occurred to her that he must be a wealthy man,which made her wonder why he hadn't bought Nightingale House. It seemed strange that he would live in a house he didn't own, and own a house he didn't live in.

Strange.She laughed at that. With Dominic St. John, everything was strange.

He came to her just before sundown. She was sitting in the living room working a crossword puzzle when he entered the room. Herheart skipped a beat when she looked up and saw him standing there, clad in brown leather boots, buff colored trousers, and a loose-fitting white shirt. He reminded her of a hero out of a Regency novel.

"This came for you." Crossing the floor, he handed her an envelope. It was addressed to her in care of aMaine post office box.

"Thank you." She opened the envelope and withdrew a sheet of paper. It was a letter from Mr. Petersen.

"Good news?" Dominic asked.

"Yes." She glanced down at the letter again. "Mr. Petersen says he's pleased with my work. He wants a dozen seascapes to be delivered within sixty days." She looked up at Dominic. "I don't have that many canvases."

"I will take care of it." "Thank you."

"I brought you something else, as well," he said.
"Oh? What?"

He left the room, only to return a moment later carrying a huge cardboard box and two smaller ones.

Tracyread the lettering on the cartons. One held a 36-inch television set; the others contained a stand and a combination DVD/VCR player, yet he carried the boxes effortlessly, as though they weighed no more than a pound or two.

Dominic set the boxes down and began opening them. He lifted the TV set out of the carton and put it on the floor. "Where do you want it?"

"Over there, I guess," she said, pointing at the wall across from the sofa. "We can move that table."

They spent the next few minutes assembling the stand and rearranging the furniture. Dominic plugged the set in and after a little trial and error, had the VCR hooked up.