She didn’t recognize the artist’s name, but the paintings were beautiful. She lingered in front of one depicting an old gray mare knee deep in bluebonnets, a scene she’d seen from time to time over the years. She thought Cody might have chosen it, because it seemed too dainty for Rafael, in spite of his usual good nature. He’d gotten a call from his parents just as they were leaving to go eat, and told her he’d be down in a few minutes. Maybe he was right about them being able to keep a safe distance from each other. He seemed to be interrupted by business fairly often. She heard the door open, but Marie came across the room, her heels clicking loudly on the tiles. In spite of herself, Esme couldn’t help but compliment the shoes: tall, elegant heels in a popular taupe color. “Really pretty shoes, Marie,” she offered. Didn’t all the advice books say to make friends with your husband’s secretary? That thought almost made her snort, which probably wouldn’t have helped patch things up with the woman.
