“He is a fool, you’re right about that. Maybe you could recommend a way for me to kill him?” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that, but Brendan Scott frowned and seemed to be giving it serious consideration.

“I’d suggest staging an accident. That way suspicion wouldn’t fall on you. I’ll put together some ideas for you, and you can pick one. A good drowning might be the answer.” He glanced toward the lake. “It’s the perfect spot for it.”

“He doesn’t swim, so he wouldn’t be in the water.”

“Better and better. Makes drowning more plausible. Also easier.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw, thinking. “Maybe a small boating accident?”

She laughed, which was something she rarely did when thinking about her ex-husband. “That would be terrible publicity for Forest Nest. And just so that we’re clear, I’m not asking you to do away with him.”

“I know. But occasionally it takes some of the heat out of the emotions to think about it.”

“Do you do that a lot? Plan the fate of people you don’t like?”

“Sure. It’s one of the perks of being a writer. Sometimes I give people a really grisly end.”

And now she was intrigued. “You actually put people you know in your books?”

“All the time. But they’re heavily disguised so no one but me would know who they are.” He gestured to the books on the table. “My last book has a character who may or may not bear a slight resemblance to one of my law professors from college. A truly miserable excuse for a human being.”

“You were a lawyer?”

“Yes, although I only practiced for a short time because by some stroke of luck my first book was accepted by a publisher. Which rarely happens, by the way. I got lucky. That part of my life was more fairy tale than horror story.”

“I can’t imagine writing a book.”

“At this moment, neither can I—hence the mess and my less-than-friendly approach with Lorna. But it helps to be here. You live in a great place.”

“I think so, but not everyone agrees.” She thought of Richard, who had moved to a city. “No bright lights. The nearest nightclub is an hour and a half away. In winter the roads are often impassable because of the weather, and in summer they’re impassable because of the tourists. To a lot of people, it’s not exciting. Which is probably why I like it.”

Maybe that was her problem. She wasn’t a very exciting person. She loved her family and her home and enjoyed baking and hiking. Was that wrong?

He studied her for a moment. “I live in New York, and trust me when I say city excitement can be overrated.”

She was flustered by the way he was looking at her.