Dawn in Eclipse Bay Read Online Free PDF Page B

can get someplace if you want to go there badly enough.”
    â€œAnd you wanted to get where you are now very, very badly, didn’t you?”
    He did not know what to make of her in this mood, so he took another swallow of beer to give himself time to come up with a strategy.
    â€œTell me, Gabe, what do you do for fun?”
    â€œFun?” The question put him off stride again. He was still working on strategy.
    â€œAs far as I can tell, all you do is work. If work isn’t fun for you, where do you go and what do you do when you’re looking for a good time?”
    He frowned. “You make it sound like I never get out of the office.”
    â€œDo you?”
    â€œI’m here, aren’t I? This sure as hell isn’t my office.”
    â€œYou’re right. This isn’t your office. So, tell me, are you having fun yet?”
    â€œI didn’t come here to have fun. We’re here because you received a severe shock back there in Dr. J. Anderson Flint’s office. I figured you needed a glass of wine for medicinal purposes.”
    â€œThe only reason you’re still hanging around is because you’re trying to figure out how to get your sixth date. Forget it. Never happen.”
    â€œWe’ll see.”
    â€œPay attention, Madison.” She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “It will never happen because Private Arrangements is closed.”
    â€œSo? We’ll talk about my sixth date when you reopen on Monday.”
    â€œI meant closed for good. Today was the last day of business. As of five o’clock this afternoon, my firm ceased operations. Get it?”
    She was serious, he thought. “You can’t just shut down a moneymaking enterprise like that.”
    â€œWatch me.”
    â€œWhat about your clients?”
    â€œYou are the last one.” She raised her glass in a mocking little toast. “Here’s to you. Good luck finding yourself a robot.”
    â€œA wife.”
    â€œWhatever.” She took a sip of the wine.
    â€œWhy the hell would you want to go out of business? You’re a huge success.”
    â€œFinancially, yes.” She sat back. “That isn’t enough.”
    â€œDamn. You really are into this work-has-got-to-be-a-transcendent-experience thing, aren’t you?”
    â€œYep.” She propped one elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “Let’s get back to you and fun.”
    â€œThought you just got through implying that the two don’t belong in the same sentence.”
    â€œWell, let’s talk about your relationship with Madison Commercial, then.”
    â€œRelationship? Are you suggesting that the company is my mistress or something?”
    â€œThat’s certainly what it looks like to me.”
    He was getting irritated. “Is that your professional opinion?”
    â€œI’m a matchmaker, remember? I know a good match when I see one. Tell me, what, exactly, do you get out of Madison Commercial?”
    He was wary now. “What do I get out of it?”
    She gave him a bright-eyed, innocently inquiring look. “Do you think your relationship with the company is a substitute for sex?”
    She was a Harte, he reminded himself. Damned if he would let her goad him.
    â€œGot news for you. In case you don’t know, Ms. Matchmaker, there is no substitute for sex. What I get out of Madison Commercial is a lot of money.”
    â€œAnd power,” she added a little too helpfully. “But, then, the two usually go together, don’t they?”
    â€œPower?” he repeated neutrally.
    â€œSure. You have a lot of clout here in Portland. You mingle with the movers and shakers. You’re on the boards of some of the major charitable organizations. You know the players in business and politics. People listen to you. That’s called power.”
    He thought about it and then shrugged. “I do get stuck with a lot of board