At one point I walked back and asked, “What do you see?”

“Details,” she replied.

“Like what?” I asked as she explored a seascape.

She pointed to the shore in the picture. “Do you see that shell?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see it the first time you looked at it?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s what I look for in a painting.”

“The shells?”

“Yes.”

“What if, let’s say, it’s a portrait of an old woman making bread in her kitchen? What do you look for?”

“The yeast.”

I had to blink a few times and think about that but I got her point.

It did not take her long to get involved with the local artists, some of whom she had already talked to last night on the telephone.

She introduced me by name and even explained that I was here to do a story for the L.A. Post on the Candlelight Tour. I have found in my travels that when I mention I am with the Post, there is an instant interest since the paper has so much clout. It was true in Mendocino too. I felt there warmth and friendliness. In fact, we met the hosts of the parties that Bette was invited to and they were kind enough to ask me to attend as well.

I left Bette a few times to go into other shops while she lingered with artists. I also found a public telephone and called Howie.

“It’s about time,” he admonished.

“Sorry, but we’ve been very busy,” I told him. He knew I was with Bette. Funny, how easy it was to simply say that I had run into a girlfriend from Yale who was a buyer of art and that we would probably be traveling together in the future. And then, on the other hand, how hard it was to tell Bette about him.

“How was the drive?” he asked.

“Just great.”

“The weather?”

“It’s cold, but then it’s Christmas time.”

We chatted on. He told me he missed me and I carefully changed the subject, asking him about his work. And so it went on until we said goodbye with a promise from me to call him tomorrow.

Later, Bette drove me back to the sea captain’s house before 2 p.m. She was brimming with her impressions of the high quality of art she had seen, talking a mile a minute. She wanted to go back to the galleries and see more, plus she had plans to go to a few homes for private screenings. We did not see any point in making plans for dinner since we would both be otherwise preoccupied but I did tell her that I would try to get to her reception by 8 p.m.

She gave me an extra house key and dropped me off with a quick kiss goodbye.

I did not have to wait very long for Alli and April to knock on the door. I invited them in. Alli introduced me to her girlfriend, who was as cute as Allie was, all dolled up in smart Christmas outfits. I led them into the living room to talk about what I wanted Alli to specifically shoot.

We went back to Mendocino Village and spent several hours photographing Christmas scenes in the shops and talking to local people about their holiday customs. We also visited the historical Ford House to soak up some of the county’s past.

I saw Bette’s Corvette parked along Main Street but then it disappeared. The space around me seemed empty without her. Alli and April were great to be with, however. We did have a good time and called it working. They were so in love, it was charming to see them interact, never touching each other but obviously connected.

We had an early, leisurely seafood dinner at the Café Beaujolais where it was cozy and relaxing but I kept wondering what Bette was doing, who she was with and if she was missing me as much as I was missing her.