the swiftest thing on two legs but she could hold her own. They walked down the hill to the beach.
“Vacationing or local?” Alexei asked her.
“A bit of both. I’ve been coming every summer since I was little,” Olivia answered. “You’re here for a visit?”
“I’m a bit of both as well. My father recently purchased a place here.”
“Oh, really? Whereabouts?”
“Out on the Marginal Way. The old Victorian.”
Olivia’s eyebrows went up. “Nice place. You’ve done a lot of renovating.” That was an understatement. The place had been turned into a palace.
Alexei nodded. “Maybe you’d like to see it sometime. It has turned out quite beautifully.”
Smooth, Olivia thought. “That might be nice.” They turned onto the walkway that would lead back up to the main street. “Are you spending the summer here?”
Alexei paused in the middle of the wooden walkway that spanned a section of the shoreline. He leaned on the railing and gazed at the sea. Olivia stopped next to him.
“For the most part,” he told her. “I’ll be back and forth. Travel is required as part of my work.”
“You travel quite a bit?” Olivia asked.
Alexei nodded.
“What do you do?” Olivia asked.
“I graduated from Harvard a few years ago…the business school,” Alexei told her. Olivia didn’t like Alexei’s Harvard name-dropping, which was obviously intended to impress her and she wondered what kind of business was supplying the wealth to nearly tear down the Victorian and create such a grandiose structure. Clearly this was only one of the Siderovs’ homes.
“Now I’m involved in the family business,” Alexei added.
“Doing?” Olivia inquired.
Alexei smiled. “This and that.”
“I see. Well, if I knew ‘this and that’ paid so well I would have majored in that,” Olivia said.
Alexei laughed and changed the subject. “So, are you spending the summer here this year or do you have to return to work?” he asked her.
“I’m staying for the summer.” She didn’t want to tell him about the antiques shop.
“And after that?”
“I’ll be starting law school at the end of August.”
“Ah,” Alexei replied. “A clever girl, are you?”
“I try to be.”
“How old are you?” Alexei asked.
Olivia narrowed her eyes. “Do you ask that question of everyone you first meet?”
“Only the ones I’m interested in,” Alexei said with a smile.
“It’s not the best opening line,” Olivia told him. “I’m twenty-one.”
“You have a young face. Although a beautiful one.” He tried to hold her eyes as he stepped closer to her, but Olivia looked away, embarrassed. A young face? What the heck did that mean?
“Where will you be attending law school? Somewhere here in Maine?”
Olivia was confused by what she felt were mixed messages from Alexei. One minute he seemed to be flattering her and the next he gave off an air of superiority that she found unattractive. She didn’t want to tell him the truth about attending law school at Harvard, so she lied. “Oh, just a small school. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
Alexei seemed about to press the point, but Olivia asked, “Where are you from?”
“All over,” he replied.
“Where did you grow up?” she asked.
“We lived in many different places.”
Olivia wondered why he was being so evasive.
“I’m going kayaking this afternoon,” Alexei said. “Perhaps you’d join me?”
Olivia was intrigued, but she felt a hesitation. This was a handsome man and she liked that he was paying her attention, but something felt prickly. Something about him seemed off.
“It’s such a beautiful day. It would be nice to have company. Especially yours,” Alexei said. He held Olivia’s eyes in his gaze.
Oh, why not , Olivia thought. “I was planning on kayaking this afternoon as well,” she said.
“Excellent,” Alexei replied. “I can pick you up.”
“Not necessary.” Olivia wasn’t ready to give him her address. That
“Vacationing or local?” Alexei asked her.
“A bit of both. I’ve been coming every summer since I was little,” Olivia answered. “You’re here for a visit?”
“I’m a bit of both as well. My father recently purchased a place here.”
“Oh, really? Whereabouts?”
“Out on the Marginal Way. The old Victorian.”
Olivia’s eyebrows went up. “Nice place. You’ve done a lot of renovating.” That was an understatement. The place had been turned into a palace.
Alexei nodded. “Maybe you’d like to see it sometime. It has turned out quite beautifully.”
Smooth, Olivia thought. “That might be nice.” They turned onto the walkway that would lead back up to the main street. “Are you spending the summer here?”
Alexei paused in the middle of the wooden walkway that spanned a section of the shoreline. He leaned on the railing and gazed at the sea. Olivia stopped next to him.
“For the most part,” he told her. “I’ll be back and forth. Travel is required as part of my work.”
“You travel quite a bit?” Olivia asked.
Alexei nodded.
“What do you do?” Olivia asked.
“I graduated from Harvard a few years ago…the business school,” Alexei told her. Olivia didn’t like Alexei’s Harvard name-dropping, which was obviously intended to impress her and she wondered what kind of business was supplying the wealth to nearly tear down the Victorian and create such a grandiose structure. Clearly this was only one of the Siderovs’ homes.
“Now I’m involved in the family business,” Alexei added.
“Doing?” Olivia inquired.
Alexei smiled. “This and that.”
“I see. Well, if I knew ‘this and that’ paid so well I would have majored in that,” Olivia said.
Alexei laughed and changed the subject. “So, are you spending the summer here this year or do you have to return to work?” he asked her.
“I’m staying for the summer.” She didn’t want to tell him about the antiques shop.
“And after that?”
“I’ll be starting law school at the end of August.”
“Ah,” Alexei replied. “A clever girl, are you?”
“I try to be.”
“How old are you?” Alexei asked.
Olivia narrowed her eyes. “Do you ask that question of everyone you first meet?”
“Only the ones I’m interested in,” Alexei said with a smile.
“It’s not the best opening line,” Olivia told him. “I’m twenty-one.”
“You have a young face. Although a beautiful one.” He tried to hold her eyes as he stepped closer to her, but Olivia looked away, embarrassed. A young face? What the heck did that mean?
“Where will you be attending law school? Somewhere here in Maine?”
Olivia was confused by what she felt were mixed messages from Alexei. One minute he seemed to be flattering her and the next he gave off an air of superiority that she found unattractive. She didn’t want to tell him the truth about attending law school at Harvard, so she lied. “Oh, just a small school. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
Alexei seemed about to press the point, but Olivia asked, “Where are you from?”
“All over,” he replied.
“Where did you grow up?” she asked.
“We lived in many different places.”
Olivia wondered why he was being so evasive.
“I’m going kayaking this afternoon,” Alexei said. “Perhaps you’d join me?”
Olivia was intrigued, but she felt a hesitation. This was a handsome man and she liked that he was paying her attention, but something felt prickly. Something about him seemed off.
“It’s such a beautiful day. It would be nice to have company. Especially yours,” Alexei said. He held Olivia’s eyes in his gaze.
Oh, why not , Olivia thought. “I was planning on kayaking this afternoon as well,” she said.
“Excellent,” Alexei replied. “I can pick you up.”
“Not necessary.” Olivia wasn’t ready to give him her address. That
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