Country Roads(56)

Desolation seared through him as he squeezed Jimmy’s hand and said, “I’ll be here as long as you need me.”

“I’m sorry,” Jimmy whispered. His eyelids fluttered closed, and he began to snore like a buzz saw. His grip on Paul’s hand loosened, and his arm dropped to hang over the edge of the bed. Paul picked it up and tucked it back under the comforter.

In the living room, he gathered up the bottles and found a plastic bag to haul them out in. He checked all Jimmy’s other hiding places, finding the other two beers and several travel-size bottles of Scotch.

Finally he sank down into one of the plastic-covered kitchen chairs, crossing his arms on the table. He put his head down and gave in to despair.





Chapter 16




I THINK YOU’RE ready,” Claire said, putting down the legal pad she’d been reading questions from. “I told Paxton you wouldn’t answer any questions you didn’t feel comfortable with, so don’t hesitate to take a pass.”

Julia slumped onto the gallery’s big couch. “Jeez, you mean there’s another question you haven’t thought of?”

But even as Claire had peppered her with questions, Julia kept thinking about Paul. He’d called her in the morning, saying he was still tied up and had arranged for Claire to prep her for the interview. His voice had been tight and apologetic. Julia hauled herself upright and locked her eyes on Claire. “Can I ask you a question about Paul?”

“You can ask. I can’t promise to answer it.”

“That’s fair. Last night we were at dinner when he got a phone call. From Jimmy. He said he had to take me back to the inn right away.”

Claire’s mouth tightened, and she crossed her arms.

Julia hesitated a moment but decided Claire’s disapproving stance wasn’t directed at her, so she continued. “He looked so…so bleak and unhappy and, well, I hate to see him like that. Is there anything I can do to help him?”

Claire glanced away, staring in the direction of a Len Boggs painting that Julia was pretty sure she wasn’t seeing at all. She pursed her lips, and Julia knew she was debating what to share with her. Claire gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head before turning back to Julia. “I can only guess about last night, so I think it’s better if you ask Paul.”

“I know it wasn’t his nephew, Eric, because I asked about him,” Julia said, hoping to shake loose some clue. “He really loves his nephew. His face lit up when he talked about Eric.”

“I think Paul sees his younger self in Eric, and he wants to keep Eric from making some of the mistakes he did.”

Julia wanted to ask what mistakes Paul had made, but she’d thrown enough questions at Claire.

Claire stared down at her pointed red pumps for a moment before she brought her gaze back to Julia. “I can tell you things that are public knowledge. Paul was on track to be partner at a big law firm in Atlanta, until his brother Jimmy’s marriage fell apart and he lost custody of Eric. Paul came back to Sanctuary and negotiated joint custody for his brother.”

Julia waited, but Claire added nothing further. Julia got the sense the other woman was trying to convey something she wasn’t catching on to. “Should I ask Paul about it or not?”

Claire bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

Julia huffed out a breath of frustration. These hints were almost worse than no information at all. Whatever Jimmy’s problem was, it was bad, but she couldn’t imagine Paul supporting him if he was doing something illegal or abusing Eric in any way. She needed to figure out a good angle to approach Paul from. Or maybe she should leave it alone, since subtlety was not her strong suit. She forced herself onto another sticky subject. “How did the phone call with my uncle go?”

Claire looked relieved at the change of topic. “He was charming but persistent.”

“And?”

Claire’s expression turned impish. “I was even more charming and persistent.”

“I wish I could have eavesdropped,” Julia said, feeling a weight lift from her. She’d been afraid Claire would be cowed or upset by her uncle, but she should have known better. Claire had sold high-priced art in the most competitive city in the world. She took a deep breath and asked the question she dreaded the answer to. “He didn’t try to persuade you to keep me away from the show?”

“Well, he expressed some concern about your ability to handle criticism, but I assured him I would run interference on that.” Claire turned serious. “Not that I think you need me to. You’re as strong a person as I’ve ever met.”