Gabe’s eyebrows rose. “Can you tell me anything about what you’re doing?”
“I told you—I’m building a computer network.” Caleb pulled his baseball cap lower. “We’d better move before we get trampled by the crowd.”
Gabe sighed. The sooner they said hello to Natalie, the sooner they could leave. “There are now eleven minutes until the concert starts.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
He wasn’t so sure. There were a lot of people looking for somewhere to sit. They’d be lucky to make it back to their seating area.
They hadn’t walked more than a dozen steps when Caleb turned around. “Have you told Natalie that we know about the burglary in Italy?”
“No. I haven’t seen her since you called me this morning.”
Caleb seemed genuinely worried. “You need to tell her.”
“If I tell her, she’ll think we’ve been snooping into things we should have left alone.”
“It was investigative journalism. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t a homicidal psychopath.”
Gabe snorted. He already had one of those in his life. “You were being nosy.”
“I had the best of intentions. What if she thinks we only want to talk to her because she’s a successful artist?”
Gabe wasn’t sure when Caleb’s discovery had become his problem, but it was there all the same. And if he were honest, he’d sooner tell Natalie what Caleb had found. His friend was one of the nicest guys he’d met, but he loved drama.
And if there was one thing Gabe didn’t need in his life, it was more drama.
* * *
Natalie pulledher sun hat onto her head. “They’re coming.”
Brooke clambered to her feet. “He’s with Caleb.”
“Who?” Natalie frowned. She’d seen the tall man walking in front of Gabe before—she just couldn’t remember where.
“Caleb Andrews. He owns an IT consulting business and lives about twenty minutes north of you.”
“He looks worried about something.”
“I saw him when I was setting up my stall for the craft fair. Caleb organized the sound system for the concert. He’s probably hoping nothing goes wrong.”
Natalie smiled. “Is there anyone you don’t know in Sapphire Bay?”
Brooke looked around the field. “There are a lot of people I don’t know at the moment. But I’ve met most of the residents at the Saturday morning market. Even if they don’t have a sweet tooth, they buy my candy for their friends and family.”
Even though Natalie was a teenager when she’d left Sapphire Bay, she remembered the close sense of community, the way everyone looked out for each other. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that feeling until now.
Brooke sighed. “It’s not every day that you see two handsome men heading toward you. Why did you want to see Gabe?”
“I need to give him something.”
“Now?”
“It’s important. I was supposed to give him a whistle when I got back from my walk, but I was longer than I thought I’d be.” From behind her sunglasses, Natalie studied Gabe. His short black hair framed a face that was strong and kind. Brooke was right. In a quiet, unassuming way, he was one of the best-looking men she’d met. A restless energy surrounded him, drew her closer and left her wondering what was behind his steel-gray eyes.
She’d thought Caleb looked worried, but Gabe looked worse. “Hi, Gabe.”
“Hi.” He looked at his friend. “Caleb, this is Natalie Armstrong. My neighbor and owner of the cottage I’m renting.”
