Chapter 22

Having settled down in one of the wicker chairs on the back veranda, a glass of iced tea on the table beside him, he was deep into two of the book—where Colonel Chamberlain convinces a platoon of Union army mutineers to join his regiment—when his phone rang. It took a moment for him to return to the present day and answer.

“Hi, it’s me,” Martin said before laughing. “Martin, in case you don’t recognize my voice.”

“I do,” Ellis told him, his pulse speeding up. “Are you off work already?”

“Since it’s almost six, you better believe it. I’m home, waiting for dinner to finish cooking.”

“It’s that late?”

“Yep. Did you lose track of the time because you’re immersed in a new painting?”

“I wish. I was reading.” When Martin asked, Ellis explained why he wasn’t working.

“Okay. Knowing you, that must be frustrating,” Martin said when Ellis finished.

“I’m dealing,” Ellis told him.

“Good. Now the prime question of the moment. How do you feel about taking a cruise?”