Page 203 of Share with Me

“They’re still in Vienna, but they couldn’t find the you-know-what.” Brinley didn’t want to say it aloud. The place was crowded. Not just walls, but people had ears. Considering she had refused any security personnel around her—much to Dad’s protest—it was best if she stayed low key wherever she went on St. Simon’s Island.

“You mean the Stra—”

“Yeah.”Sigh.

“Now what?” Tristan tore off a piece of white bread.

“Now I pay to get it back.”

“Sounds expensive.”

Not much more than what Grandpa Brooks had spent in his lifetime to find it. The 1698 Damaris Brooks Stradivarius violin must return to the Brooks collection. And Brinley would do everything she could and pay any amount to get it back.

And Ivan will playAiron it for me. He promised.

Ivan again.

“What are you going to do the afternoon before the Fire-Pit Service Wednesday night?” Tristan asked.

Brinley checked her calendar. Meeting with Tobias Vega over another renovation job. An elderly couple couldn’t afford to fix up the home they had been staying in since they were married in the fifties. Brooks Renovations would do it for charity. She hoped the meeting would be over by five. The church event didn’t start until the sun went down.

“Since we’re not helping with the food, we don’t have to be there until six o’clock, right?” she asked.

“I want to get there early in case there’s something I can help with.”

“Good for you.” Brinley forked more beef, but knew she had to take the rest to go. The portions were enormous. She would be eating more delicious beef brisket for dinner tonight.

“Do you want me to pick you up at 5:45 p.m. then?”

“I don’t know, Tristan. I’m not sure when my meeting will end. I think it’s five but I never know with Toby’s schedule. I’ll let you know.”

Tristan seemed satisfied with the explanation. He looked nervous and then slowly began to speak again. “Brinley?”

“Yeah?” Brinley was sipping unsweetened tea.

“This is the third lunch we’ve had together,” Tristan said.

“Uh-huh.”

“I do enjoy your company, Brinley.”

Uh-oh.

“I know you agreed to go out with me. I hope it’s not because I’m safe.”

It’s exactly because you’re safe.“Look, Tristan. We’re not dating.”

“We could be.”

“I’m still recovering from my last relationship, and from what I’ve learned over the past years, it’s a bad idea to start a new relationship on the rebound.”

“I hear you.”

“The thing is that I am not sure if we’re right for each other.”

“We aren’t?” He looked shocked.

“I am seeking God’s perfect will for my life, and I need to focus on Him.”

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