The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2)

When they stepped in, he saw why. Because all he saw was the painting.

The beauty on the rocks, the colors, the details down to the water streaming from the sounding whale.

And the magic in the globe.

He set the tube he carried on the worktable.

“She’s going to be worth the wait. Jesus, she’s… I haven’t got the word for her, and I’ve got plenty of words when I need them.”

He took his eyes off the art to look at the artist. “I knew you were good. I didn’t know you were this good.”

“I think she’s the best thing I’ve ever done, so you’d better take good care of her.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.” He stepped closer.

“Don’t touch!”

“Right.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’re right about the frame, and I can make one that suits her. I need the measurements.”

“Twenty-four by thirty inches, one and three-eighths deep.”

“Is that exact?”

“It is.”

“Okay then. Got it. You’d better see the design, because once I start, I start. No changing your mind.”

“When I make it up, I stick.” Cleo planted a hand on her hip. “When I make a deal, I keep it.”

“Then take a look, and make it up.”

The cat jumped on the back of the love seat, where she watched the dogs like a queen watched her subjects.

At the worktable, Owen slid out and arranged the drafting papers.

Cleo said nothing as she stared at the sketches, from port, from starboard, from bow, and from stern.

Carved mermaids swam up the sides. Another, hair flowing back, graced the bow.

Her mermaid, she realized. He’d replicated the face, the hair, on the boat she’d traded her for.

He said it to her, and now she thought it of him.

She hadn’t known he was this good.

“Unexpected,” she managed. Pressing her fingers to her lips, she turned away.

“Listen, you want something else—”

She just waved a hand, breathed out, turned back to him. The evening sun streamed in the windows behind her, shot a halo around her hair.

“I haven’t had my own pet or my own boat since I moved to Boston. Other things took priority. Like school, then getting my toe in a career. I moved here, and there was Yoda, so I had him, even though he’s Sonya’s. And today I got Pye. You knew where her name came from when I told you what I’d called her.”

“Sure. It’s a great movie. I like old movies.”

“Yeah, so do I. I knew you’d build me a boat that was sound, would handle well. A boat I’d enjoy sailing in the lovely bay. But I didn’t expect you to come up with one that speaks to me like that one would. Can you really do that? Those carved mermaids?”

“Well, yeah. Why would I spend time designing what I couldn’t build?”