As it turned out, there was more food than they’d expected.  Since Arthur had known what was in the will, he’d already had someone come in and clean the kitchen, breakfast room and conservatory downstairs as well as the library, two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. 

“I’m afraid these are the only rooms that are ready tonight, but I’m sure you’ll have your own ideas about the rest of the house.” 

They decided against the tour.  Gabbi insisted they go shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables to go with the basic pantry that had been stocked.  They would not be getting any money for at least a week, but Arthur offered to lend them some while they were waiting.

“No, but thank you, Arthur,” Moira said, shaking his hand.  “Gabbi and I have enough to get started, but we appreciate the thought, don’t we Gabbi?” she asked, looking at her pointedly.

“Yeah, sure we do,” Gabbi replied, still looking around the kitchen.  She was mentally measuring which appliances would go where and trying to decide if there was room for a wine fridge.  “That reminds me, we should get some wine,” she said absently to Moira.  

As Arthur started to leave, he turned and smiled.  “I almost forgot to tell you. There’s some wine downstairs in the cellar.  Probably at least a few bottles that would meet with a chef’s approval.”  Then he waved and walked out the front door, calling out, “My number is on the bottom of the paperwork if you need anything.” 

“It’s going to be dark in a few hours,” said Moira.  “If you want to shop in Anacortes, let’s get back in plenty of time to see if the lights are working.”

“Good idea,” replied Gabbi.  “In fact, we may want to grab a few flashlights.  Oh, that’s right, I don’t have any money.” 

Moira laughed.  “Well, I do.  I’d be happy to loan you a couple of hundred for the next few days.”

“A couple of hundred?” repeated Gabbi.  “Why didn’t you take Arthur up on his offer?  The guy drives a BMW.” 

“Gabbi,” Moira shook her head, “Gran wouldn’t have approved.  And if you need more money, I can loan you up to a thousand.  As long as you pay me back, when we can access the trust.”

“Never mind,” Gabbi smiled.  “I’ll just let you buy tonight, and I can go back down to Seattle tomorrow.  You going to be okay here by yourself?” she asked as they walked down the porch steps and out to her car.

“Sure, but why do you have to go back?” asked Moira.  “Can’t you just ask your bank to send you the money?”

“Probably.”  Gabbi smiled.  “But I doubt they’d want to send me my cats.” 

“You have cats?” Moira asked as they pulled out of the drive onto the main road.  “I’ve always wanted a cat.  And a dog.  And maybe even a horse.”

“Whoa, slow down,” Gabbi laughed, “no pun intended.

Moira smiled.  “Very funny.”

“But let’s start with two cats,” Gabbi said more seriously.  “A dog is going to have to like the cats, or it stays outside.”

“Fair enough,” agreed Moira.  “Now, let’s go get some food.  I’m starving.”

Gabbi laughed.  “You’re always starving.  Why don’t you check out the produce and I’ll look at the fish?”

“You just passed a grocery store,” Moira said, looking behind her.

“We aren’t going to a grocery store.  There’s a market down by the water, and it should be open until dark.”

They had more fun than Moira had expected, poking around the market, and they found a wonderful selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.  And the fish!  Gabbi decided on salmon, but she had to look at everything else before committing. 

“Let’s grab some wine,” Gabbi said, pointing towards a little shop off to the right.  “See if they have any Pinot Grigio.  From Washington State,” she added, “no California wine in the MacInnes home.” 

Moira smiled.  “I’ll do my best, but I’m not spending more than twenty dollars on a bottle of wine.”

Gabbi pretended to be shocked, but laughed as Moira made a face, then went into the shop.  She came back out with a bottle and a big basket.

“Look!” Moira walked over. “Strawberries.  Real strawberries and they’re wonderful.  The woman said a customer brings them in to sell with the May Wine and a few other items.  There’s enough for shortcake.”

“Forget the shortcake,” said Gabbi.  “We’re making daiquiris.  Go back and get some rum, and I’ll meet you at the car.”

“Yes, Capitan,” Moira joked, “but I expect an excellent dinner after all this.”

Moira was not disappointed.  Gabbi could definitely cook.  The salmon was amazing, served with baby potatoes and green beans.  And the Pinot Grigio was wonderful.  Gabbi was particular, but she did know her wines.

When Moira started to refill her glass, Gabbi shook her head.  “No more wine, we’re making daiquiris.”

“Tonight?” asked Moira.  “I thought you were going to make those tomorrow.”

“Oh no, tonight.  I think we need an icebreaker and daiquiris are perfect.”  Gabbi smiled.  “Have you ever had strawberry daiquiris...made with fresh strawberries?”

“No, I haven’t but they sound wonderful,” said Moira. 

Gabbi smiled again.  “Oh, they’re wonderful.  Come on, you can help.”

They tidied up the kitchen, which was large and dated, but Gabbi kept saying it had great potential.  Moira preferred the breakfast nook.  She couldn’t wait to see the views in the morning since it was too dark to see anything tonight.

When Gabbi found the blender in the pantry, Moira looked at it doubtfully.  “It seems a little old. Maybe we should stick with the wine.”

“Trust me,” Gabbi said with a smile.  “If it doesn’t work, we can always go back to the wine.”

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the library, a pitcher of daiquiris between them, and Moira was in heaven.

“This is the best drink I’ve ever had,” she declared.  “And I don’t even care if there’s alcohol in it.  This daiquiri tastes lovely.”

“Lovely?” asked Gabbi, laughing.  “I think the alcohol is already having an effect.”

“Maybe so, but I still say it’s lovely,” said Moira, smiling.  “Would you look at all these books?  I love this room.”

“Speaking of love, how is your love life, cuz?” Gabbi asked.  “Any boyfriends back home?”

“Oh, I had one,” Moira said, “but Craig turned out to be a cad.”

“A cad?” Gabbi laughed.  “You read too many books, cuz.”

“Impossible,” Moira stated, looking quite serious.  “I just can’t seem to find a guy who reads enough.  Or at least, not the same books I do.”

“That almost makes sense,” Gabbi said, smiling. 

Moira took a sip of her drink.  “He said she stopped by.  Stopped by and just happened to have a dark blue, satin nightgown on under her sweats?”

“What?” asked Gabbi, sensing there was more of a story here than she’d imagined.

“Never mind.  It doesn’t matter now,” Moira replied, looking into her glass.

“Nothing personal,” Gabbi stated, “but you look like you could use some help with your love life.”

“That is so not true,” Moira said, not wanting to admit how close it was to the truth.

“I mean you’ve probably had a few boyfriends, but not anyone really amazing, right?”  Gabbi couldn’t help teasing Moira a bit.  “I’ll bet you’re more of a doormat.  Step right up, walk all over me, and I’ll just be grateful for any time or affection you happen to show me.”

Moira just shook her head and drank another sip of her daiquiri.  “I don’t know why you always have to be so mean.  Don’t you know any other way to get attention?”

“Oh, I know how to get attention,” replied Gabbi, smiling, “and I will tell you all about it.  My last guy paid a lot of attention, but he ended up being a complete jerk. So, I had to kick him out.”

“The guy you threw out when I called the other day?” asked Moira.

“That’s the one,” replied Gabbi. 

“How did you meet him?” asked Moira.  “You must have really liked him to have him move in with you.”

“He didn’t exactly move in with me.  He just asked to stay on my sofa for a few days, which turned into a few weeks, and probably would have been months if I hadn’t booted him out.”  Gabbi laughed.  “I think it might have turned into something more if he hadn’t ended up crashing on my sofa.  I couldn’t really see myself getting serious with an unemployed musician…especially one with no desire to get a job or an apartment.  But when we first met, he made a very good impression.”

 

Gabbi told Moira all about it, down to the last detail.

The weekend of Seattle’s Bumpershoot festival, Gabbi had found herself with two days off from work.  She loved cooking but this restaurant job seemed like a dead end.  She decided to meet up with friends, get some food, drink a little wine, and just relax in the sun. 

Gabbi didn’t pay attention at first, when yet another local band walked out on stage, but the lead singer’s voice soon captivated her. He had long, dark hair that reminded her of an ‘80s rock star.  She smiled and enjoyed the music but when the band left the stage, she soon forgot about the singer.

When her friends wanted to leave, she decided to have one more glass of wine.  As she stood in line at the wine garden, she heard a voice directly behind her say, “You are truly a vision of loveliness.”

“Why thank you.” Gabbi replied, smiling as she turned. 

The singer from the band stood before her.  He offered to buy her wine and she accepted.  “I should introduce myself,” he began.  “I’m Darryl Hooks, lead singer of …”

“Hooks and Harmony,” they said at the same time.

He smiled, “You’ve heard of us then?”

Gabbi laughed. “Yes, I’ve heard of you.”

She held out her hand, but her eyes never left his as they shook hands. “I’m Gabriella McCrae.  My friends call me Gabbi.”

“Nice to meet you, Gabbi.”  He looked her up and down. “Would you like to walk back to the fountain with me?”

Gabbi smiled.  “That would be nice.”

They walked and drank their wine, discussing music and the Seattle night life.  Eventually, they ended up at the Monorail platform.

“Well, it’s been great talking to you, but I need to go home and feed my cats.” Gabbi smiled slowly. “So, I’m going to say good night.”

Darryl leaned towards her; his face so close to hers she could feel his breath.   His cologne seemed intoxicating as she breathed it in.  He looked into her eyes.  “Are you sure I can’t convince you to spend a little more time with me?”

As she hesitated, he leaned forward and kissed her.  

 

“It was a kiss that definitely got my attention,” Gabbi said, smiling at Moira, “but the next one was even better.”

Moira’s eyes were wide as she stared at Gabbi.  Not sure what to say, she finally decided on the truth.  “I don’t have anything to share,” she admitted, “since that one evening sounds more exciting than the last eight months of my so-called romance.” 

Gabbi smiled and shook her head.  “Oh Moira, you have had some romance, haven’t you?  Your love life can’t be that uneventful.”

Moira blushed a bit.  “You’d be surprised.  And I guess I’m not that sorry to see the last of Craig when I think about it.”  She tried out a small smile.  “Maybe, you’re right.  I do have a tendency to be a doormat,” she said, thinking of that blue nightgown.

Looking at Moira, Gabbi felt bad about her earlier comment.  Maybe it was the daiquiri, but she suddenly felt the need to say something nice to Moira.  “Hey cuz, don’t worry.  I’ll make sure you have more fun these next six months.” Surprising herself, she added, “I can teach you a few things, so you’re ready the next time an opportunity presents itself.  Or himself.” 

Moira almost spit out part of her daiquiri and had to laugh.  “Um, I guess I should say I appreciate that…but truthfully, it kind of scares me.”

Gabbi smiled.  “As it should.  You have a lot to learn but mainly, you need more confidence.”

Nodding her head, Moira was starting to see two, or maybe three Gabriellas, sitting across from her.  “I appreciate your, um, interest in my love life or lack thereof.”  Then, she collapsed into a fit of giggles.

“I think that’s enough rum for you,” replied Gabbi, reaching over and taking her glass. 

Moira was still smiling, but then jumped up and walked to one of the walls of books. 

“You know if this were a movie, there would be some secret passage or chamber, where all the special and important items were kept.”  She laughed and spun around, almost tipping over.  “Okay, spinning is a bad idea,” she admitted.  “But wouldn’t it be great if there was a secret compartment somewhere in a house this old?”

Gabbi laughed.  “I think you could hide plenty under the dust in the downstairs ballroom.”  But she was rather intrigued.  “On the other hand, if you wanted to hide something, all these bookshelves would be the perfect place.”

Knowing they had to get an early start the next day, they decided to get some sleep and look for secret compartments tomorrow.  Gabbi walked down to her room, thinking maybe it would be worth checking out the library more carefully…but tomorrow morning, she had to go back to Seattle to get her cats.  She didn’t want to leave them alone for too long, and she missed having them curled up next to her on the bed. 

Lying down, she fluffed up the pillows and wondered if she’d be able to get any rest after such an exciting day.  To her surprise, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.