Free Hurricane Bay by Heather Graham

said.
    â€œPoor thing. He never fell out of love, did he?” Cindy said.
    â€œMaybe not,” Kelsey said. “He still cares about Sheila, but he’s certainly gotten over her. He’s been doing all right. He’s great to look at, smart, has a good job. He was dating one of our models. Beautiful girl. But a man can move on and still think of his ex-wife as a special person. He doesn’t get down here that often, but he still thinks of the old gang as his friends. Funny, though. He said he’d been down about a week ago and heard that Sheila was around, but he couldn’t track her down. When I told him what I was doing with my vacation time, all he said was that he’d been down on business and hadn’t had a chance to really do anything or see anyone.”
    â€œMaybe he didn’t think it was worth mentioning. He must have come and gone really quickly. He didn’t see me, either,” Cindy said.
    â€œHe said he was down here with a client, just long enough for a drink and dinner,” Kelsey said. “Apparently he saw Nate, though. But Nate didn’t mention to me today that he’d seen Larry. That was strange, don’t you think? Especially when he knows Larry and I work together.” Kelsey had been musing aloud. She didn’t seem to mind that she had spoken in front of Cindy, but when her eyes touched Dane’s, she seemed to stiffen again.
    Somehow he had become the enemy. Things hadn’t been right between them for a long time. He hadn’t expected hugs and kisses, but even so, he didn’t want to be the enemy, not when it was so important that she listen to him. But she was in no mood for that now, so he might as well get going.
    Dane set down his beer bottle. “Gotta go,” he told Cindy, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
    â€œYou have to go? It’s early,” Cindy said.
    â€œI have an appointment.”
    â€œA date?” Cindy asked hopefully.
    â€œAn appointment,” he repeated.
    â€œAt night? Does it have anything to do with an exciting investigation?”
    Dane laughed. “Cindy, so far I have surveillance cameras looking for disappearing bait and a few other jobs that are equally mundane.” Well, that was both true and not true. He had taken a job with the principal of a local private school to tail a few of the rich teenagers who seemed to be getting their hands on a fair amount of drugs.
    He was pretty sure he had the answer to that one. It had been at the top of his list of jobs to pursue…until this morning.
    â€œWow, Dane, you’re just full of fire and energy,” Kelsey said. She was speaking to him but studying her beer bottle as she peeled the label from it.
    â€œSee you, Kelsey,” he said.
    â€œSure.” She looked at him at last. “It’s been great.”
    â€œHey,” Cindy said thoughtfully, as if she were totally oblivious to the last exchange, “you know, I’ve got a great idea, Dane. Why don’t you have us over for a barbecue?”
    â€œCindy,” Kelsey protested. “That’s rude. We can’t just invite ourselves over. And think about it. Dane likes his mundane lifestyle. I’m sure that’s just what he wants to do. Get out of his lounge chair and cook for a group.”
    Dane had the feeling that he could turn into Emeril and Kelsey still wouldn’t want to show up at his place to eat.
    But Cindy was persisting. “Remember in the old days, when you and your dad had those great cookouts. Maybe Larry can come down for the weekend, and maybe Sheila will even have shown by then. Nate can get another bartender on and come, and who knows who else might be around.”
    â€œWe’ll see, Cindy,” he said.
    He was startled when Kelsey suddenly seemed to rouse herself and let go of her hostility. She slid off her bar stool, approaching him, but pausing a distance away. “Actually, Dane, you know, it would be nice if