SOMEWHERE by the Sea

Disclosure

Vicky woke feeling great. A week after Baxter and Faith's amazing revelation, she no longer felt weighted by her brother's death. By some miracle he had remained behind to send her a message, and that message had not only been for her, but for Baxter and Faith, as well. It was time to stop existing and start living. She sighed and mused over the paradox that her dead brother had renewed her life. Because that revelation was too overwhelming to ponder at the moment, she decided to shower and dress and do something she'd been thinking about for a while.

She took her time dressing and then sat leisurely at the tiny table in her sitting room drinking coffee. Finally, she opened her laptop and typed two words into a Google search: Michael Wainwright. Her internet connection was slow and she held her breath while the response chugged out.

From her first meeting with Michael she'd felt attracted to him, and after their visit to the lighthouse, she'd gotten the notion that he was also feeling something for her. Maybe it was just friendship, but she'd welcome that. Perhaps they could become friends like she was with Baxter. It was time to expand her horizons. Michael had given the impression that he was a man of experience, so he was the perfect candidate for asking questions about the world beyond Somewhere. She might even consider taking him up on his suggestion that she have a showing of her artwork.

The landing page of her search flashed onscreen and she read the bio in the sidebar.

The CEO and major stockholder of Wainwright Resorts, Inc. is Michael Wainwright, III.

She furrowed her brow and clicked on the link. By the time she'd finished reading, she was livid, not only with Michael, but with herself for being so gullible. The part that hurt, however, was his passion for filling his resorts with the works of local artists, and since many artists had been discovered in that way, they clamored to be included among his collections. He'd told her, "I'm well connected to connoisseurs in the art world; yours will be seen by them."

Vicky felt ill. She had surmised that her paintings would be displayed in his home. But now that she knew his identity, there was only one conclusion. He wants to build a resort in Somewhere and hang my paintings there!

Grabbing her cell phone she tapped her contacts icon and located his name. He answered on the second ring. "Hello, Vicky. What a pleasant surprise. Have you decided to accept my offer of an art show?"

"Are you building a resort in Somewhere?"

He hesitated. "A resort hasn't been approved, but I'm hopeful it will be."

"And you're going to display my paintings there?"

Another pause. "Yes. They're wonderful."

"I want them back and I'll return every penny you paid me."

"I can't return them."

"Can't or won't?"

"Won't."

Vicky could hear tears in her voice when she said, "We don't want a resort in Somewhere and I adamantly don't want my paintings displayed there. It would appear as if I'd colluded with an enemy to destroy our town."

"You're being melodramatic. And I'm not going to destroy your town. I'm going to enhance it. I want to become part of it. That's why I purchased a home there."

Vicky swallowed her tears, inhaled deeply, and resolutely said, "Then I'll fight you every step of the way." Before he could respond, she disconnected.