“I expect to have a few of those myself.”
“And then there’s the annulment,” Nick said.
“I already know about that.”
“What kind of private eye is so incompetent that he marries a woman who is married to another man?”
Vivian smiled and touched his hand. “A man who was born to be a hero. Why are you telling me all these things?”
“Damned if I know,” Nick said. “No, that’s not true. I know exactly why I’m telling you this stuff. I want you to know that I am probably not good husband material.”
She took her hand off his, turned to face the moon-swept sea, and gripped the pier railing.
“As long as we’re on the subject of marriage,” she said, “I don’t think anyone would consider me good wife material. I was involved in a scandalous affair with a renowned artist. I turned down the one marriage proposal that I received from a suitable gentleman. My neighbors in Adelina Beach will be happy to tell you they watched a parade of attractive, partially clothed men come and go from my cottage. On top of that I spent a few days at a resort hotel where I shared a room with a man who was not my husband.”
“Vivian—”
“Furthermore, I seem to be on the brink of launching a career in photography with a series of pictures of naked men. Pictures, I might add, that were labeled pornographic by the proprietor of one of the most respected galleries in California. In addition, rumors abound that I have betrayed my artistic ambitions by shooting crime photos for the press. And, last but not least, I was recently involved in a murder investigation.”
She finally ran down. She did not realize how tense she was until Nick gently pried her fingers one by one off the railing and turned her to face him.
“If you’re trying to convince me that I shouldn’t fall in love with you, you’re going about it all wrong,” he said. “It’s too late for the warning anyway. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.”
A quiet sense of joy rose from somewhere deep inside, filling her to the brim. She raised her fingertips to frame his face.
“I am very glad to hear that because I love you with all my heart and I think you areexcellenthusband material. In fact, I think you would be the perfect husband for me.”
Nick smiled his slow, breathtaking smile, the smile that heated his eyes and hit her senses like a glass of champagne. She suddenly felt fizzy and bubbly and excited and glorious.
“Are you asking me to marry you?” he said.
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I am asking you to marry me. I know it’s much too soon to think about the future. We’ve been through a lot of drama recently. The wisest course of action is to wait. Give things time to return to normal. I just wanted you to know how I felt—”
He silenced her with a kiss that burned through any other reasonable, conventional arguments in favor of delay that she might have managed to dredge up from the depths.
By the time he raised his head she was breathless.
“In case you’re wondering,” he said, “my answer is yes.”
Chapter 48
Why did you do it?” Lyra asked. “Why did you make the papers give you a photo credit for the picture of Fenella Penfield on the floor of her gallery? You always said if it got out you were shooting crime scenes it would ruin your chances of making it as an art photographer.”
Vivian picked up the pot and poured herself another cup of tea. “There’s no point trying to keep my night shift work a secret. I decided I might as well try to build a new career. I’m thinking of billing myself as a documentary photographer.”
Lyra gave that a moment of thought. “Well, it does sound a little classier than crime scene photographer.”
“That’s my theory,” Vivian said.
She and Lyra were sitting in the hotel tearoom, drowning their sorrows in oolong tea while they ate their way through a full tray of scones and dainty sandwiches. Originally they had intended to head straight for the bar and order a pitcher of martinis but it was only three o’clock in the afternoon. They had decided to save the martinis untilfive o’clock. Even a couple of wild women had to maintain a few standards.
“You think you’ve got problems?” Lyra helped herself to a tiny lemon square from the tiered serving tray in the center of the table. “I’m the one who has to tell the parents that I canceled the wedding to Prince Charming while they were out of town. Also, I’ve got to explain that story inWhispers.”
Vivian glanced at the afternoon copy ofHollywoodWhisperslying on the table. The headline was in large, bold font. WHOIS THENEWMYSTERYWOMAN INRIPLEYFLEMING’SLIFE?The photo showed the actor dancing with Lyra at the Paradise Club in Burning Cove.
“If it’s any consolation, you do look like a real mystery woman,” Vivian said.
Lyra looked pleased. “I do, don’t I? You’ve gotta love Hollywood. You can be anyone you dare to be.”
