Murder Most Maine by Karen MacInerney

nonchalant about the whole gorgeous ex-girlfriend thing.
    “Are you sure?” John asked.
    “I have to get up early tomorrow to get breakfast going,” I said.
    Vanessa stretched like a cat and checked her watch. “You know, it is getting late. I should probably head up, too.” Her eyes slid to John. “We’re jogging out to the lighthouse in the morning, if you want to come. It’ll be just like old times.”
    “Only with a lot more company,” I joked stiffly.
    John gave me a tight smile, but before I could pursue the lighthouse issue further, Dirk appeared in the doorway. His blue eyes took in the scene on the couch, and Vanessa stiffened slightly. At that moment, Cat came down the stairs and headed past us to join her friends in the dining room, evidently oblivious to the tense scene that was playing out before her.
    “What’s up?” Vanessa asked.
    Whatever charm Dirk had must have been used up on the women who were paying for the retreat, because his voice was brusque. “I need to talk to you,” he said to Vanessa, ignoring John and me. “Now.”
    “Of course,” she said, with an apologetic glance at John. She got up and hurried toward the glowering trainer, then turned back to John. “I hope you’ll join us tomorrow morning.”
    “Sure,” he said, unfolding himself from my sofa and stretching his lean torso.
    “Oh, that would be wonderful!” Vanessa said, beaming at him. Dirk didn’t look like he agreed; he put a proprietary arm around her, glancing over his shoulder at John, who was eyeing him with frank dislike. A movement at the other end of the room caught my attention. It was Bethany, standing at the dining room door, her face half in shadow. When she saw me looking at her, she stepped back out of sight.
    After Dirk and Vanessa left, I turned to John. “You and Vanessa are awfully chummy.”
    He shrugged. “It’s been years; there’s a lot to catch up on.” He glanced toward the doorway that she and Dirk had just disappeared through. “I get a bad feeling about that guy. The trainer—Dirk.”
    “Why?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. Something about how Vanessa reacted when his name came up. They’re supposedly partners in this business, but she didn’t want to talk about him at all.”
    That made perfect sense to me, assuming the rumors were true and Vanessa and Dirk were an item. After all, if you’re angling for your ex-boyfriend, you don’t generally want to talk about your current flame.
    “Do you know how long they’ve known each other?” I asked.
    “I don’t know,” he said. “But from what I’ve seen, I don’t like the guy. There’s something shady about him.” He stretched again and glanced at his watch. “I’d better let you get some sleep.”
    “What about the ‘to-be-continued-later’?” I asked, remembering this morning’s kiss in the kitchen. It had only been hours ago, but right now it felt like years.
    “You look like you’re pretty busy,” he said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. Which wasn’t quite what I had in mind. “How about we save it for a time when you don’t have a pack of starving guests to feed?”
    “Are you sure?” I asked.
    “Positive.” He kissed me again—this time on the lips, but so lightly I could barely feel it. “See you in the morning?”
    “Sure,” I said, feeling a gaping hole open up in my stomach. “Sleep well,” I said, trying not to sound hurt.
    “You too,” he said, giving my arm a squeeze and pulling on his jacket. When I heard the outside door close behind him, I stalked off to the kitchen.
    Gwen was there, nursing a cup of tea. “There is no way I’m going to Fernand’s tomorrow morning,” she said.
    “Why not?”
    She gestured toward the door John had just exited. A few raindrops gleamed on the wooden floor. “And let John revisit the lighthouse with Vanessa? Without you?”
    “The rest of the group will be there.”
    “And so will you,” she said.
    I bit my lip and stared at the carriage