Page 148 of The Homewreckers
“Knowing Trae, maybe something more oversized and contemporary for the fireplace.”
“We just got a huge new Bert John marsh scene,” Lynn said, pointing to a canvas leaning against the cash stand. “Really dreamy.”
“If this was my house, I’d totally buy that,” Hattie said. She turned to Leetha. “Can the guys shoot that? It’s my favorite piece I’ve seen.”
“We already did,” Leetha said.
“How about a grouping of these Chuck Scarborough collages?” Lynn asked. “He paints on the canvas, then adds bits of ephemera. His new series is beach-themed.”
“Definitely,” Hattie said, bending down to examine one. “These three will work in the dining room.”
“I’ve got a great Bellamy Murphy of palmetto fronds,” Lynn said, pointing to a large-scale canvas hanging on the back wall of the shop. “Just came in.”
“Fabulous,” Hattie said. “Someday I’ll own one of her pieces for my own place.”
“What else?” Lynn asked. “Accessories?”
“I need lots of books. Leather-bound if possible, but I’ll take whatever you’ve got. Coffee table books. Hmm. Maybe some giant hunks of coral or big specimen seashells? Candlesticks? Maybe some blue-and-white transferware platters for the walls above the bookshelves?”
Hattie read Trae’s list and within an hour they’d assembled a huge stack of goods and checked off almost everything.
“Six thirty,” Lynn announced. “Time to lock up and go home.”
Hattie gave the shop owner a quick hug. “You’re a lifesaver. You know Zenobia, our office manager, right? Will you send her an inventory of all this stuff we’ve borrowed?”
“Thirty days, correct? I can’t afford to have this much inventory out for any longer than that, Hattie.”
“Hopefully, the house will be sold much quicker than that, but yeah, it all comes back here by the end of next month.”
The drive back to Tybee took nearly an hour. Hattie spent the time thinking about how wrong she’d been to fly off the handle at Mo the previous night. But as wrong as it was to assume he’d leaked the story about her father, she decided she was right to regret sleeping with him.
Whether or not the network picked upHomewreckersfor a second season was immaterial. She wasn’t at all sure she should repeat the experience again. Sleeping with a business associate was always a bad idea. Even if the business associate was kind and funny and loyal and a great kisser. Especially if he was a great kisser, because then, who knew—you might be tempted to keep sleeping with him and making the same mistake over and over again.
Her phone was in the truck console. She considered calling Mo. She could admit that she’d been wrong to accuse him of talking out of turn. Much easier than telling him that to his face. Just as she reached for the phone, it rang.
Jinx. The caller was Mo.
She hesitated, then tapped accept.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. Where are you?”
“Headed back to the house with the rest of the stuff Trae needs to finish up. Leetha and the crew are right behind me. Why? What’s going on?”
“Not much. I, uh, wanted to talk to you. About last night. But every time I looked up today, there were too many people around.”
Hattie looked in the rearview mirror and saw the van with Leetha and the crew was two cars back. “I’m alone now.”
“First off, I would never purposely do anything to hurt you.”
“I believe you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. Mo, I’m sorry I jumped to such a stupid conclusion. I should have known better.”
“Well, yeah. Good. Glad we got that straight.”
