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said.
    “Craig? Is that you?” Briana pulled out a chair and sat down.
    “Sure is. I got your number from your mother. I wanted to know how you’re doing. Like I’ve said, I worry about you, Brie.”
    “Well, you needn’t. I’m fine.” Which wasn’t exactly the truth, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “How are things with you?”
    “Great. The market’s high so things are perking.”
    Briana pictured Craig Walker, Robert’s best friend, leaning back in his swivel chair at Fidelity Mutual Savings, the bank where they’d shared adjacent cubicles. His Armani suit coat would be hanging on his elaborately carved clothes tree and his Ferragamo loafers would be propped on an open desk drawer. A single man, Craig could afford expensive clothes. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said.
    “You didn’t tell me you were going to Nantucket. I could have taken off a couple days and gone with you.”
    She’d known for some time that Craig was interested in her. He’d asked her out several times even before the ink had dried on her divorce papers. But Briana had told him she didn’t want to ruin their friendship by trying to make something more of their relationship. Craig had accepted that good-naturedly and they’d remained casual friends.
    It had been Craig who’d somehow learned of the shooting and been there at the hospital during those horrible hours. He’d been wonderful, taking care of notifying people and making the arrangements she’d been too shattered to handle. In the four months since, he’d called frequently, as a friend might, to check on her. However, recently he’d resumed what could only be a more dogged personal pursuit. In coming to Nantucket, she’d hoped to put some distance between them so he’d get the message that she simply wasn’t interested. He’d been kind and helpful and she didn’t want to hurt him with a blunt rejection, but she also knew they had no romantic future together.
    “Coming here was kind of a quick decision. Mom probably told you that my grandfather has Alzheimer’s and had to go into a nursing home. He needed someone to look after his house and I felt I needed some time alone. So here I am.” That should be clear enough, Briana thought.
    “I’ve never been to Nantucket, but I hear it’s a great place to visit.”
    If he was fishing for an invitation, he would be disappointed. “Yes, it is, but it’s really crowded during the summer. I much prefer the off-season, the fall and winter.”
    “Surely you’ll be back before the leaves fall.”
    Briana found herself frowning. “I really don’t have any definite plans, Craig. I have to take things one day at a time.”
    “Of course you do. Are you sure you’re all right? You don’t sound like yourself.”
    Her annoyance rising, Briana got up and walked to the window, trailing the phone cord. “I’m fine, really.” She could see Slade stretched out on a lawn chair in the side yard next door, wearing only shorts, his eyes closed. Was he sleeping or passed out again? she wondered.
    Craig must have caught the irritation in Briana’s voice and decided to back off. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. I’ll talk to you when you get back, okay?”
    “Right. Thanks for calling.” Briana hung up the phone, relieved that Craig hadn’t been more persistent. If there was no chemistry, there simply was no reason to pursue a relationship beyond friendship, hoping something magical would happen. Boyishly handsome, a beautiful dresser, and apparently with plenty of money, Craig had his pick of any number of women. She wished he’d find one and soon.
    Curiosity drew Briana back to the window. She saw Slade slip on a pair of sunglasses and pick up a book from the grass. She couldn’t make out the tide, but it was an oversized hardcover. As she watched, he grabbed a tall glass filled with orange liquid and ice cubes. Straight orange juice or laced with vodka? For his sake, she hoped he’d skipped the hard