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canister. Empty. She snorted, low, sardonic. “It’s a conspiracy, I tell you.” She tipped the empty canister at her boss. “I’m going to Starbucks.”
    “I need you at staff, Suz.”
    “I’ll be back. But here’s my big input for today. You want Cowger back? Lower your bids.”
    “My bids are competitive.”
    “Sure, if you’re Remington & Co. You’re building your rep, Gage. It’s will-work-for-nothing time.” Susanna pressed the plastic lid back on the canister. “I need coffee.”
    As she passed Gage, he snatched up her left hand. “So, Adam didn’t propose?”
    “No, and you must be the only person on the island who hasn’t heard.”
    A crimson wash spread on his cheeks. “I did, but I wanted to hear it from you.”
    “So I could relive it all over again?” Nice.
    “Did he really say he found the right ring but not the right girl?”
    “Yep. Said we loved the plan more than each other.”
    “He’s crazy. If any two people—”
    “Needed a wake-up call, it was Adam and me. He’s right, Gage. I just never wanted to see it.” She headed for the stairs to get her purse. “I’ll be back in time for the meeting.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “I am.” She gazed down at him from the bottom step, a wash of tears blurring her vision. “Sad but okay.”
    “You sure?”
    “It’s just going to take time to get used to the idea of Susanna with no Adam.”
    “He’s crazy, you know, to let you go. Probably spent too much time in the desert.”
    “He seemed sane to me. Besides, he met someone else.” The words sounded strange and formed an odd twist in her chest.
    “Do you want to take the day off?” Gage said, soft and with sympathy.
    “No. Work grounds me. Reminds me that life goes on. Reminds me this is the life I’ve always lived when he’s been gone.”
    “Okay, but remember I need you tonight. If you need some time, take it during the day.” Gage leaned against the banister, looking up at her, his gelled black hair catching the light falling from the second-floor windows. “The Butler benefit … for the hospital wing. Our chance to get the landscaping. Mrs. Butler is big on doing business with people she knows, and having you there will win points with the selection committee.”
    “That’s tonight?” It would be black tie. She’d have to get dressed up, do something with her hair.
    “Yes, tonight. We need this job, Suz. Word is the hospital committee will go with the architect Mrs. Butler recommends. And that’s going to be us. A job like this will boost our resume.”
    Susanna stared down him. He was right. All hands on deck. And it wasn’t Gage’s fault she’d wasted twelve years with the wrong man.
    “Of course I’ll go.” She forced a smile and punched the air. “Take one for the team.”
    “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
    “I’ll drive myself.” Susanna dashed into her office and grabbed her bag, slinging the strap over her head.
    “I’m picking you up. I want to make sure you get there.”
    Susanna headed back down the stairs. “Fine.” Maybe a fancy benefit would be a good distraction, just like meeting Nate the other day. At the bottom of the steps she poked Gage in the chest. “You were the last one at the coffee pot, weren’t you?”
    “I’ll send Myrna out for more coffee.”
    Susanna jangled her keys. “Be back in five.”
    “For what it’s worth,” he said, “Adam’s a fool.”
    “Is he?” She paused in the doorway. “No, Gage, Adam’s no fool. But me? I’m not so sure.”

FOUR
    F rom the deck outside the leather-and-wood cottage library, Nathaniel watched a high, thin twilight bloom over the island. He tucked his hands into the silky pockets of his custom-tailored tux. The horizon reminded him of the purple and gold strata of a Brighton evening. It was fabled that if a man perched on top of Mount Braelor during a summer twilight, he could reach the Brighton sky, capture his destiny and make his fortune.
    For Nathaniel, his