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clientele. Hannah and Carlos were there, and Erin knew several of the others already.
    “Gary’s not here yet,” Aleesha whispered.
    Erin chatted with Hannah while she sipped her champagne, and Aleesha glided among her guests chatting until a knock at the door took her back to the entry. Erin watched as she opened the door and let Gary inside. His appearance was more striking than it had been in the gallery’s uneven lighting. He was tan, muscular, and his blond hair was freshly trimmed. His pale blue sweater matched the color of his eyes perfectly. Aleesha handed him a drink, and as he looked across the room directly at Erin, his eyes brightened, and he raised his glass briefly toward her. His grin showed off the deep dimples in his cheeks. He continued talking with Aleesha, and Erin slowly made her way toward them.
    “Gary, you met Erin Holley the other night? Here she is.” Aleesha turned to Erin as she approached.
    “Yes, hello,” Gary said. He reached out his hand to her. “Erin and I are old friends.”
    Erin shook Gary’s hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
    “You too.” His eyes sparkled and lingered on hers.
    Another guest drew close and asked Gary to settle a little dispute about a gallery in Seattle, and he turned to Erin. “Would you mind?” He squeezed her hand and walked away.
    Erin wandered through the room listening to different conversations. Hannah and a few other women stood together in one corner of the room when Erin joined them.
    “I heard he’s been all over the world,” said one woman. “A friend of mine was at a party in the American embassy in Turkey and danced with him there.”
    Another guest leaned forward. “I hear he goes scuba diving in the Caribbean every year.”
    “What does he do for a living?” asked Hannah, glancing behind her to try to get a glimpse of Gary.
    “I’m not sure. Some kind of imports, I think,” said the other guest. “He makes a lot of money. He met his girlfriend skiing in the Alps.”
    “He has a girlfriend?” someone asked.
    “Not anymore. He left her a month ago. Actually left her in Spain. Rented a house for her, packed his bags, and left. I heard he paid for the house a year in advance.”
    “Really?” said a couple of the women in unison.
    “Well, I would love to dance with him in Istanbul … or anywhere,” said a guest. “He’s a very attractive man.”
    Erin looked across the room at Gary, where he was talking with a couple of men about, what? About tropical fish. Yes, he was a very attractive man. What kind of life he must live, traveling all over the world.
    Aleesha called everyone for dinner, and they strolled through the house, chatting and laughing. When Erin sat beside Hannah, Gary set his drink down at the seat next to her.
    “May I sit here?” he asked as he pulled out the chair.
    “Of course.” Erin sipped her water as he sat down.
    “I’m sorry I dashed off like that the other night,” he said.
    “That’s all right. I hope your meeting went well.”
    He laughed. “I survived. I was surprised to run into you there. It’s been so long. How have you been? Are you getting along all right?”
    “I’m doing okay.”
    He frowned and shook his head. “William was a good man.”
    “He was wonderful,” she said quietly.
    Gary picked up his drink and took a swallow. “I’ve really missed William’s friendship. I can’t imagine how it’s been for you.”
    Erin felt a moan begin to rise inside. “I’ve missed him so much.”
    He frowned and put his hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. I’m just causing you more pain.”
    She pushed her emotions back down and shook her head. “No, I’m all right. I never knew you and William were such good friends.”
    “Well …” Gary stammered a little and took another drink. “We saw each other a lot the year before he passed away.”
    “I didn’t realize …”
    “I was traveling a lot … but he helped me with some work issues.”
    Erin sipped her champagne.