The Virtuosic Spy 01 - Deceptive Cadence (46 page)

“Oh, who cares? I’ll be washing all the floors down here, anyway. What’s a little more mud?”

Kate came from her office, smiling at the disembodied bearded face peeking around the door. With a bashful grin, Jared’s eyes dropped to the floor and he shuffled inside.

“We haven’t seen you for breakfast, lately. Abigail misses cooking for you.”

“I been missin’ it, too.” Jared sighed. “Been kinda crazy up the house, with Dad and all.”

“Oh, his knee surgery! I’d forgotten.” Again, guilt poked a sharp finger into her chest. “How is he?”

“Doin’ okay. Ornery as hell, so I guess that’s good. He had fifty bucks on the ice-out contest. His last pick went by yesterday, so now he’s pissed about that, too.”

Kate laughed. “I only put down ten but I nearly cried myself when I saw the lake this morning.”

“What date is your last pick?” Jared’s eyes darted to her face and tailed away again.

“Today. Like, now.”

“Shit.”

They both laughed.

“Well, there you go.” Jared summed up the injustice with equanimity. He swept a hand through his mop-headed tangle of brown curls. “I better get back.”

Kate executed a quick maneuver to tuck the weekly check into his pocket. He was expecting it of course, but could acknowledge it only with a soft grunt and duck of his head. Holding the door as he left, her eye wandered to the corner of the hallway.

“Oh, wait a minute, Jared. Can you hang this back up for me on your way down?”

She lifted the wooden sign and gave it a final inspection.
Rembrandt Inn, Hartsboro Bend, Vermont
. Here at least, was an artistic
 
project
 
she’d
 
finished
 
without
 
paralyzing
 
seizures
 
of self-doubt. She re-painted the sign every year and its installation ordinarily signaled they were accepting guests.

Jared’s sleepy eyes widened. “You open already? Thought you stayed closed until May.”

“We do, but I’m taking on a long-term guest, and it sounds ridiculous but I don’t know when he’s getting here, or how, or if he’s still coming. I want to be sure he knows the place when he sees it. If he sees it. God almighty, why did I get myself involved in this? Just hang the sign. If he hasn’t shown by the time the ice goes out, I’ll take it down again.”

“Unless the ice don’t go out ‘til May.” Jared chuckled.

“Not even funny, Jared.” Kate reproached him with a teasing scowl. Not the least bit funny.”