“I think I let him off easily. I hardly knew the man, and there he was asking me to live with him in New York. I said no, graciously. I can hardly remember our conversation, exactly what he said or what I said but it seemed natural that he left as soon as he did. We hadn’t any more to discuss.” She slapped her hands on the arms of her rocker. “No, it’s not about Simon. It’s about me. I hate making small talk with strangers, and sitting for hours signing photos tires me. I’d feel this way if I’d never met Simon.”

“I believe you.” Grace raised her hands, indicating no argument. “You didn’t want to have a New York show before you ever met Simon.”

Amelia slowed her rocker and smiled at Grace. “Thanks for remembering that. Tell it to Mike, so he’ll understand how I feel about this.”

They rocked in silence then, until Hannah said, “I’ve asked Max to have lunch with Bob and Zachary. And I asked Bob to try to get information out of Zachary, like what his interests are and what he thinks he might enjoy doing. Max thinks if he broaches the subjects, he and Zachary will end up arguing.”

“Bob’s the right person to do that. He can be very tactful,” Grace said. “His last work when he was in the army was with a SWAT team, talking down a hostage crisis, and that was way before we heard about hostage taking.”

19

It Never Rains—It Pours

The well-appointed Southern Meadows Country Club occupied a rise above the golf course. Max, Bob, and Zachary were escorted to a table near the huge expanse of glass overlooking the green. Once settled, they engaged in small talk about the weather—not too hot yet, too much rain for this time of year—and the quality of the golf course below, which Zachary knew nothing about and found boring. They studied the menu and ordered.

“Have you ever played golf, Zack?” Max had warned Bob about Zachary’s name change.

“It’s never appealed to me,” Zack said. “Seems silly chasing a ball.”

“It’s quite relaxing and pleasant out there on the course. What are your hobbies or interests?”

“They’re certainly not golf.”

Bob pressed on. “So what are they, may I ask? I’d be interested to know.”

Zack crossed his arms over his chest. “I ski, and I enjoy hiking and mountain climbing. I used to scuba dive, did that a couple of times when I worked on a cruise ship that traveled through the Red Sea.” He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, his face suddenly animated. “Great coral reefs there, an incredible world, quiet, colorful. Most people don’t know it, but the Red Sea offers some of the world’s best diving.”