Share the Moon. Sharon Struth

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СКАЧАТЬ conversation, I didn’t expect to hear from your paper again. That’s why I contacted Will Steiner. He’s been a friend of the family for years.”

      Heat brushed Sophie’s cheeks, but she grabbed the opening. “I understand. Look, about what happened, I’d like to apologize for my reaction after the hearing.”

      He raised his light brows. “Oh?”

      “Learning your real identity surprised me.”

      The slight movements of amusement played at the corners of his mouth. “Does being surprised always make you angry?”

      “No. Being lied to does.” The angry snipe escaped without warning. “Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive me.”

      His face melted into a pensive stare. “Thank you, but I must confess something. I planned to apologize to you today. The first time we met, I wasn’t truthful with you.”

      A sarcastic sound seeped from Sophie’s throat.

      “I had a reason.”

      “So that made deceiving me okay?”

      He held up a hand. “May I finish?”

      She crossed her arms over her chest.

      “Buzz told me the town was split on the resort plans. I didn’t plan to mislead you. At the kayaks, after the way you spoke about how much you hated RGI….” He paused for several drawn-out seconds then his deep voice shifted, softer and more personal. “You hated me, too, for bidding on the land. I scrounged for any manner to stay in your good graces.” He dipped his chin and stared into his mug. “It’s tough to be the bad guy.” He looked up. “Especially when meeting a beautiful woman.”

      The hard finish of her prior opinion cracked. She hadn’t expect this, especially because he’d laughed at her flirting remark after the hearing. Her folded arms slipped apart.

      He stared. “Are we okay?”

      “Yes, of course.” Sophie tried to sound sincere but still didn’t trust him and had a job to do. “How about we start this interview?” Before he could answer, Sophie tipped her chin toward the tape recorder. “Mind if I record? You seem busy so this would be the fastest way to get through this.”

      “Um, sure. Go ahead.” His forehead wrinkled, some hesitation obvious.

      She pushed forward with questions about his background; how he got into the resort business. She wanted to get this over with since everything about this guy unwrapped her like a gift at Christmas. He discussed college at Stanford and how, a year before graduation, the idea for RGI developed with his college roommate and current partner, Ross Manson, during a semester abroad in Spain.

      “Why develop on Blue Moon Lake?”

      “Ross lives in Westport and fishes around there. One day we were discussing untouched and more remote places to build. He mentioned Northbridge. Kind of surprised me since my father’s family owned a home near the covered bridge. We only visited a few times, but those were memorable summers.”

      “Does your family still own the house?”

      “No. After our last summer there, Dad sold the place.”

      Veronica’s comments at ladies’ night took on some possibility. “Why? Sounds like your family enjoyed the location.”

      Duncan did a double-take on the question and frowned. “I don’t know.”

      Sophie scribbled, Dad sold a year after last summer in NB, then scanned her questions to give him a second with his thoughts. His uncomfortable reaction corroborated Veronica’s speculation that their son had something to do with them selling their lake home.

      He shifted in his seat. “There’s a reason I wanted you to do the interview today.”

      “Oh?” She lifted her head.

      He kept a steady gaze on her, yet his usual confidence seemed to have a slight tear. “We met back then. At the tackle shop.”

      “We did?” She searched through her memories of the summers she worked there. So many new faces but few really remembered. “Are you sure it was me?”

      His lips wavered and didn’t quite reach a smile. “Positive. My dad liked to fly fish, so we went there for our supplies. You have an older brother, right? Looks a bit like your dad?”

      “I do.”

      “One time we were shopping and you were having a big debate with him over the best dry fly to use in the spring. The discussion got heated and your father stopped talking to my dad and stared at the two of you. After about thirty seconds, you both caught on to the silence and settled right down.”

      She chuckled. “Dad’s stares have more power than most modern day weapons.”

      “You left quite an impression on me. Coming from the city, I couldn’t believe a girl knew so much about fishing. The girls from my school were focused on clothes and makeup, but you wore cut-off jeans and sneakers.”

      “I was a bit of a tomboy in those days.”

      He appraised her with a swift brush of his gaze. “Not anymore.”

      Either she blushed or someone set the heat to scorching. Sophie reached for her collar to loosen it, only to realize she wore an open-necked blouse.

      “Um, let’s see…” She eyed the pad and willed her body to cool down. “When you made the offer to the Tates, didn’t you think zoning would be an issue?”

      “Sure. Sometimes we have to rethink our plans.”

      “Or pursue zoning changes?

      “That too.”

      “Has your firm ever been accused of bribing officials on past projects?”

      He flinched. “What?”

      “The rumor at the hearing suggested possible bribes offered to zoning board officials.” She waited a few long seconds. “Has RGI had any other accusations of this nature?”

      He pressed his lips tight. “No.”

      While scribbling No bribery charges in the past—acted weird, she tried to think of a casual way to slip in a question about why Joe Dougherty might have been at the office.

      He stood and walked over to a credenza, returning with something in his hand. He extended his open palm. “Candy?”

      “No thank you.”

      He pocketed one but kept the other folded in his palm, watching her carefully as he took his seat. “You know, Sophie. I’m an honest man. I’d never bribe anybody.”

      “I didn’t mean to question your integrity, Mr. Jamie—”

      “Duncan.”

      “Okay. Look, I’ve been reporting in Northbridge for many years. When rumors СКАЧАТЬ