Chapter 5

Meanwhile, at the Club Car, Fran hurried in and found Brian. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized as she took her seat. "I took a cab, and the driver kept muttering to himself about some woman named Casey who won't go out with him. It was the weirdest thing."

Brian chuckled. "Did he have an Italian accent?"

Fran nodded. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"It's a small island," Brian explained. "Antonio's a friend of mine, and he's been after my friend Helen's sister Casey ever since she came to Nantucket."

"Oh," said Fran, glad that mystery was cleared up. "So, Brian, tell me about yourself."

"Well, you know, I grew up on the island. My mother ran out on us when we were kids, and Dad wasn't much of a father, so I guess you could say Joe kind of raised me," Brian said.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Fran said, obviously touched. "You guys must be really close."

"We are, but sometimes we want to kill each other. Don't get me wrong, Joe's a great guy, but we're just total opposites. He can be....a little uptight sometimes. You ever know anybody like that?" Brian asked.

Thinking of Maxwell, Fran chuckled and said, "Yeah, you could say that."

"Anyway," Brian continued, "Joe and I have had kind of a rocky relationship. We didn't speak for six years after I ran off with his fiancee. But then she dumped me, and I came back to Nantucket, so things are more or less OK between Joe and me."

"Well, that's good to know. When we were at the airport earlier today, I met Helen Chappell," Fran said.

"Oh, yeah, Helen's one of my best friends. Joe and I have known her since we were kids. Helen used to have a weight problem, but you'd never know it to look at her today," Brian said.

"Weight problems, now there's something I know about!" Fran said with a laugh. "Food is a big thing in my family. All of us Fine women have a food obsession. My mother spends more time eating than she does with my father. Sometimes I wonder how they even managed to have me!"

Brian laughed. "You've got a great sense of humor, Fran."

Fran blushed slightly. "Yeah, well, with a voice like this, I pretty much have to, don't I?"

"I guess so," said Brian. "So, uh, after we eat, what do you want to do? Take a walk down by the beach, go on a tour of the island, what?"

"Actually, I can't stay out too late. I've got to make sure I'm back at the hotel to check on the kids. I'm just the nanny, but I love them like they were my own," Fran said.

"All right, well, how about I give you a ride back to the hotel?" Brian offered. "It's the least I can do."

"Brian, it's only 9:30, the kids aren't in bed yet," Fran said with a laugh. She could tell Brian didn't spend a lot of time taking care of kids.

"OK, then, what do you want to do? Your wish is my command," Brian said charmingly.

"We could go back to your place and talk some more," Fran suggested.

"No, we can't," Brian said. "Helen's spending the night. We wouldn't have any privacy."

"Oh, that's fine, I already know Helen, and I'd like to meet Joe, too," Fran said.

Meanwhile, Max had spent the last half-hour driving around Nantucket trying to find the Club Car. At last, he'd found it. He quickly parked the rental car and raced inside. He found Brian and Fran's table, and decided to stop for a moment and listen to see what they were talking about.

"If you're sure you want to go back to my place, it's fine with me," Brian was saying.

"Wasn't I the one that suggested it?" Fran asked. With that, they got up and left by the back door. Maxwell felt his stomach turn. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He knew she'd been upset about his flirtation with Helen, but he'd never dreamed she'd go so far as to sleep with another man in retaliation.