Free Deadly Reunion by June Shaw Page A

empty glasses to me, and I handed them to our server. She gave me full glasses for all in return.
    Beside me, Randy snuggled closer to Tetter. She did not seem to mind and even giggled. She was beginning to resemble the Tetter I’d known from school—always laughing, sometimes a bit of a flirt. But back then she hadn’t been happily married.
    “We’ll start at three hundred on this piece.” The auctioneer aimed a pointer at a tranquil country scene with a bright blue outdoor table that kept drawing my eye to it. The spot of crimson flowers on a trellis near a fence made me also keep looking there. I understood why bidders might want this picture that sold for five hundred dollars to a woman on my right. I glanced behind to see other bidders.
    Gil sat three rows back, lowering his card with the number twenty-seven.
    I scooted back to sit with him. “You were bidding on that pretty picture,” I said.
    “I thought you might like it. But that other woman seemed to want it so much I decided to let her have it.”
    The woman he was so kind to rose on spiky red heels and sashayed over to sign for the painting. One section of her platinum hair fell to the plunging front of her dress.
    “What a nice person you are,” I told Gil.
    He nodded with a grin. “If you’d want any painting here, I figured that would be it. But I wasn’t sure you would want one. That woman did.”
    Sue and Jane left their places and with a few others, headed for the exit. Sue rolled her eyes at us. She sauntered on her own strappy heels toward the door.
    Gil watched with a man’s look of admiration. He faced me, raising his eyebrows. “Hmm, nice,” he said, giving his head a nudge toward the exit.
    “Oh, come on. She was a he.”
    “Still, she doesn’t look bad.”
    “Gil, she’s my aunt—who used to be my uncle.”
    He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll leave her alone.”
    “Good,” I said, almost certain he’d been kidding about being attracted to her.
    The auctioneer snagged my awareness by speaking quite loudly, showing off her new offering, a hideous canvas covered with scattered bits of body parts.
    I elbowed Gil. “I’m concerned,” I said, keeping my voice low.
    “What’s wrong?” His forehead wrinkled.
    “Look at them.” I jabbed my finger toward Tetter and Randy, who remained behind after other classmates left. The pair happily laughed with each other. As bidding began, Tetter gave her empty stemmed glass to a passing waitress, giggled with Randy, and accepted a new glass of champagne.
    “What’s the problem there?” Gil asked me.
    “Look at them. They seem giddy with each other.”
    He leaned his forehead against mine. Dropping his finger to my neckline, he pulled my top open an inch and peeked inside. “I like giddy.”
    “But they’re married. And not to each other.”
    He shook his head. “I know you’d like to save the world and keep everyone on the right path. But you can’t control everyone, especially in the area of romance.”
    “But—”
    “I know. Your inner urges tell you you’re in charge of fixing up couples.”
    “I do not. But Tetter is in a good marriage. She told me so,” I insisted as bidding increased on the body parts splattered on canvas.
    Gil was giving me his annoying smirk.
    “What?” I said.
    He blew in my ear. “Stay out of other people’s love lives.”
    I drew my head back. “I’ve fixed up some great couples.”
    “You did. What about the last ones you tried to fix up?”
    “Look at what’s happening this time.” I yanked up his hand holding the card.
    “Nine hundred once, twice, sold!” called the exuberant auctioneer. “This beautiful piece goes to bidder number twenty-seven.”
    Gil peered at his card with the winning numerals. He stared at me.
    I lowered his hand. “What a lovely piece you bought. I hope you have the perfect place to put it.” I marched out of the room. Away from him, I giggled. I knew the exact place I would put that canvas. Face down, under my