“Greetings, one and all,” he said, grinning.
Though Maris guessed that the young man would once have had dark hair to match his eyes, he was completely bald. But the lack of hair did nothing to diminish his appeal. Outgoing and energetic, he had the build of a gymnast.
“I see I’m just in time,” he said, moving directly to the sideboard. He examined both wines. “Classics.” He eyed what Lydia was having, and then poured himself a Cabernet as well. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.” Then he took a plate. “What have you two been up to?”
Maris hesitated, hoping that Lydia would take the lead, which she did.
“I kayaked the bay today,” she said. That would explain her attire and the fact that she’d come in from the back, the location of the dock. “It was lovely, and the kayaks are in excellent repair.”
The previous evening, neither Julia nor Joseph or Audrey had come down for wine. It had just been the three of them, as it was tonight. Maris had learned that Lydia was a traveling salesman and a fitness buff. She sold all manner of water sports equipment. Ralph, on the other hand, was probably her ideal customer. He was a travel blogger and photographer, with a penchant for adventure and the outdoors.
“Really?” he said. “I haven’t been on the bay yet.”
“Well what are you waiting for?” Lydia chided.
He smiled. “Just getting my bearings.” He took a bite of the Gouda that he paired with the water cracker and a date. “Ooh, that is good.”
Maris smiled. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
Lydia turned to her. “Have you ever considered adding paddleboards to your kayaks?”
“Paddleboards?” Maris said, taking some chocolate to go with her Chardonnay. “Are those the things that kids use for surfing?”
Lydia grinned at her. “You’re thinking of boogie boards.” She set down her wine and pantomimed a canoe-rowing action. “You stand on the board and use a paddle.”
“Goodness,” Maris said, putting some cheese and dried cherries on her plate. “Like a gondolier.”
“Oh my god,” Ralph said, lifting his wine glass to her. “I can’t believe you said that. I’ve actually paddleboarded in Venice.”
Lydia almost choked on her wine. “You what?”
“Lydia,” he said, beaming at her. “Believe me when I tell you that I am living the dream. I make a living from my travel blog. I go where I want, when I want, and do as I please. And yes, I’ve paddleboarded the canals in Venice.”
“How do you make a living from a blog?” she asked.
“I sell advertising space, get paid for endorsements, give inside tips and product discounts to my newsletter subscribers, if they’re part of the inner circle. Some destinations will actually pay me to visit.” He took a sip of his wine. “I haven’t had to buy equipment in years. Companies just send it to me.”
“Wow,” both she and Maris said.
“That’s amazing,” Lydia said.
“You travel as well,” he said to her.
“Kind of,” she said, shrugging and looking at the ground. “I rep paddleboards and canoes up and down the coast.” But then she grinned. “But I adore my job. I love being able to introduce people to the things that really get me fired up: fitness and water sports.”
He smiled back at her. “Well there you go. You’re living the dream too.”
Lydia turned to Maris, as she filled up her plate again. “Speaking of which, would you like to try the paddleboard? I’d be glad to show you. It’s a completely different view of the bay than you’d get in a kayak.”
As Maris took more chocolate and placed it on top of a slice of cheese, she thought about it. “They sound pretty low maintenance.” Unfortunately, Maris had never particularly excelled at sports—or coordination for that matter. Then she gazed down at all the calories on her plate, before looking up at Lydia. “It’s probably something I should look into for my guests. ”
“Super easy to take care of,” the younger woman said. “You’ve got that right.” She looked at the travel blogger. “And you’re invited, Ralph. Just as long as you don’t leave us in your wake.”
He laughed, a warm and pleasant sound. “No, no. I’m not into speed. I’m in it for the experience.” He looked out the bay window to the last rays of the setting sun. “And after today’s news, I’ll bet we have the bay all to ourselves.”
Lydia was finishing her first glass of wine, and got up for a refill. “What news is that?”
“You didn’t hear?” he asked, taking a piece of the Gruyere. “That oil company representative was killed over at the rally today.”
Lydia was coming back with her new glass of wine, but stopped. “Here? In Pixie Point Bay?”
He nodded. “At the pier. It’s all over the internet.”
Lydia turned a shocked look to Maris. “Did you know about it?”
For a moment, she considered saying no. It’d been such a pleasant and distracting evening. But she could hardly lie. “I’m afraid so. In fact, the victim, Audrey Graisser, was a guest here.”
“Oh no,” Ralph said. “Here?”
Maris had that familiar sinking feeling in her stomach. “Yes, with her colleague.”
“Well,” he said, looking at Maris and then Lydia. “It looks like we’re in the thick of it.” He regarded Maris. “I’ll be blogging about it tonight. I don’t suppose there’s any light you can shed?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not,” she lied. She went to the sideboard and grabbed another handful of chocolate. “We’ll just have to wait and see what the authorities say.”
“Well they’d better hurry,” Ralph said. “The internet trolls have already come out, and the blame for her death is landing with the town.”
“What?” Maris said, incredulous. “The investigation’s barely started.”
Ralph had to laugh. “Like that’s going to stop anyone from voicing their ‘humble opinions’ and casting accusations.” Then he gave Lydia and Maris a quick look.
