range. “The detail on the feathers is amazing. It looks like a photograph.”
“Where would you rank it against the others?”
“Top three. My number one is the oil painting of the woman sitting by the fountain. The more you look at it, the more you want to know who she’s waiting for and why.”
Aunt Leigh nodded. “That’s what art is supposed to do: provoke thoughts and feelings.” She slid over in front of the next entry. “I’m not partial to seascapes, but this artist has captured the interaction of the waves with the sunlight.”
“It looks similar to the one hanging in my living room. I bought it at Riverside Art Market last year. I found out later the artist is my neighbor Claire’s brother. Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but did you make an appointment with your doctor?”
“Don’t trust me, huh? Yes, I called. My doctor is on a month-long European river cruise. I couldn’t get in until the last week of June.”
“Doesn’t he have a partner who could see you sooner?”
“It’s bad enough that I have to waste money on something I don’t need. I’m not going to make it worse by letting someone new have a go at me. If it makes you feel better, I haven’t had any tingling, numbness or headaches since we last talked. Like I told you, it was nothing.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t get your blood pressure up. I’m only asking because I care about you.”
She reached up and patted his cheek. “I know. You have to make allowances for a snarky old maid. I talked to Addison yesterday. She’s already working on the nursery. Nothing like getting an early start. The baby isn’t due until November.”
“Addison likes to be prepared. She had her wedding planned before Clayton got around to proposing.”
“I’m not sure she didn’t engineer that as well. Your sister leaves nothing to chance. You’ve been noticeably silent about your trip to Savannah. It almost makes me think something did happen.”
Reece had no intention of admitting he’d lost his heart to the woman who would likely become his stepbrother’s wife. It wasn’t just embarrassing. It was absurd. There had to be a way to reset the clock and start over. He refused to admit defeat. It had only been fourteen days, six hours, and twenty or so minutes. He could do this. He had to.
“I’ve been silent because there was nothing to say. To use your barnyard example, no chickens were harmed by the beagle.”
She jotted something down on the clipboard in her hand. “How do you know? I refuse to believe that walking science book has more charm and address than you.”
“Your bias is showing,” he said, lips twitching. “What has Wade ever done to you?”
“Not a thing. I’m sure among his colleagues he’s a regular Albert Einstein. I, on the other hand, find him nothing short of a snooze-fest. At your father’s wedding, I had to listen to a forty-minute lecture about jellyfish. Apparently, there are over two thousand species. He was well on his way to giving me chapter and verse about each one until I accidentally spilled punch on him.”
“Accidentally? Who are you kidding? As for Wade, he was probably nervous. You can be intimidating to someone who doesn’t know your bark is worse than your bite.”
“Nonsense. I can tell the difference between someone who’s nervous and someone who’s self-absorbed.”
Sylvie had made a similar observation about Wade. They both couldn’t be wrong, could they? It was a thought that gave Reece no pleasure. The only thing worse than Robin actually marrying Wade would be for Reece to have doubts about Wade’s ability to make her happy.
It was time to talk about something else. “I’ve got good news. I found a pilot willing to take my medical flight tomorrow. I’ll be able to go with you to the chamber music concert.”
To his amazement, his aunt blushed like a schoolgirl.
“It…so happens that Wilson is also going to the concert. He said I could ride with him.”
“I see,” Reece managed to get out, trying hard not to smile.
Aunt Leigh poked him in the chest with the eraser end of her pencil. “No, you don’t. I was thinking of you. If I go with Wilson, you don’t have to waste another afternoon hanging out with a middle-aged woman.”
Reece didn’t buy this excuse for a second. It appeared that Wilson was wearing his aunt down. Would wonders never cease? “I appreciate the sacrifice you’re making, but I