Always glad to have someone else join their team, Clay offered his congratulations to Rank before moving to the chair next to Cobb. “Okay, let me help look at these financial documents. Maybe we can piece more together. Anything to bury Kincaid.”
24
“I know you’ve got something to say, so you might as well go ahead and say it,” Christina said, looking toward Amy. She had taken it easy for several days, even going so far as to cancel a few of her private lessons. Now, she felt ready to get back into the full swing of things, which was good considering the symphony had just completed its final, long practice before the last symphony of the season at the end of the week. Steven, Mike, and Jamie had all called to check on her. She hadn’t asked about Dunk, and Steven didn’t mention him.
Amy was driving them home from their practice and had been glancing nervously to the side the entire time. Scrunching her nose, Amy said, “It’s just that I have some news, and I don’t know how to tell you.”
Hearing the seriousness of Amy’s voice, she said, “Now, you’ve got me worried. Please, just go ahead and tell me.”
“It’s not anything to worry about… well, not exactly. You know my grandmother lives about an hour north of Portland. She’s gotten to a point where she could use a little bit of help. My parents have asked me to consider moving in with my grandmother. They understand I’d have to travel back to Portland during the symphony’s season and practices. But they said they’d make sure any living and travel expenses were paid for because it would save on having to get someone outside the family to stay with my grandmother at night. Plus, I’d save on rent and utilities.”
“Oh, Amy, of course, you’ve got to do it,” she agreed.
“Yes, but that would leave you without a roommate. And you’re my best friend, and I hate that we wouldn’t be living together.”
Christina sighed and nodded slowly. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll miss you like crazy. We’ll still see each other for practices and symphony nights, but I totally understand what you need to do.”
Amy glanced to the side again as she pulled into their apartment parking lot. “Can I ask about Clay? I wondered if maybe you two were ready to move in together.”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “We haven’t talked about it, but we both mentioned that it’s a real pain to have to go back and forth. In fact, Clay even suggested I keep some clothes at his place.”
“Would you consider moving to his house?”
“He lives close to his work, but it’s almost two hours to get from his place into downtown Portland where the concerts are. Even though our apartment is north of the city, the thirty-minute commute to downtown has been nice.”
“Maybe he’d consider moving a little south so that you’d have less of a commute.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, remembering when he told her the house he lived in now was not his forever home. “Maybe. We just haven’t had a chance to talk about anything like that. I suppose, for now, I’ll finish up the lease in our apartment even if you’re not there.”
She and Amy shared a late lunch, then she received a call from Amelia.
“Ms. Monroe? Can you come out to my house for my lesson this afternoon? My parents have gone out of town, and we were going to have our housekeeper bring me, but I thought maybe you’d like to come here instead.”
“Sure, there’s no reason for your housekeeper to drive you into town. It’s actually closer for me to just come to your parents’ place.” Since the Bennett estate was also on the north side of town, she quickly calculated that if she threw an overnight bag in her car, she could spend the night at Clay’s house.
Telling Amy what her plans were, she packed a bag, grabbed her violin and music satchel, and headed down to her rental car. The day was beautiful and all during the drive she pondered her living situation. She didn’t want Amy to feel bad for the move to help her grandmother, but considering they’d been roommates for several years, she would miss her. Sighing heavily, she thought about the changes in her life that seemed to be hitting her all at once. Am I ready to move in with Clay? She sat at a red light, a wide grin spread over her face. Glancing to the side, she realized the driver next to her probably wondered why she had such a huge smile. If they had a man like I do, they’d be smiling too!
Pulling through the gate of the Bennett estate, she spied the large home sitting on a green hill surrounded by carefully planted trees with water in the distance. Her gaze drifted to the guesthouse, and she sucked in a quick breath, thoughts of Jerry Kincaid hitting her. It had been obvious Clay battled with how much to tell her. While she had no idea why Jerry was being scrutinized, she trusted Clay explicitly and was glad he’d confided his concerns.
Once parked outside the large home, the housekeeper stepped onto the front veranda. Greeting her, she followed the housekeeper’s instructions and walked up the grand staircase to the family wing, making her way into Amelia’s room. It was large and bright with windows that overlooked the gardens leading down to the water. Amelia’s bedroom was as large as Christina’s entire apartment, and she grinned at the teenage decor. Bright-colored bedspread. Eclectic framed posters that ranged from vintage rock to the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Amelia was seated at her desk, books piled around her laptop. Twisting her head around, she called out, “Hi, Ms. Monroe!”
Smiling at the enthusiastic greeting she received, she asked, “Wow, what do I owe this reception?”
Laughing, Amelia said, “My parents are gone for the week, but Mom said that I could have a few friends over tomorrow if I get all my homework done, my English Lit paper close to being finished, and have my violin lesson.” Throwing her arms out to the side, she said, “That’s why I thought it would be better to have you come here. It saves me time to finish the paper!”
“Having friends over when your parents are gone is definitely motivation,” she grinned.
Amelia looped her arm through Christina’s. “Oh, you know I love you, Ms. Monroe. I’d be glad to see you even if it wasn’t a means to an end!” Glancing out the window, she added, “How would you like to go down to the guesthouse again for our lesson?”
“The last time we did that, the resident showed up!” Christina kept a smile on her face, but the idea of running into Jerry Kincaid held no appeal after knowing there was something fishy about him.
“Oh, there’s no chance of that. My parents are in New York City for some political event.” Amelia shrugged and added, “Mr. Kincaid, Mom’s secretary, and some of Dad’s aides went with them. I don’t mind, though, it’s kind of nice to have the house to myself occasionally.”
Christina barked out a laugh. “As big as your house is, I’d think you could get lost even if it was filled with people.”
“You’re right,” Amelia nodded. Her brow lowered. “That was a very elitist thing to say, wasn’t it?”
“It’s fine, Amelia. Actually, you’re incredibly down to earth considering your family’s heritage.”
“Mom and Dad always insist that I understand the advantages I have that aren’t offered to many. I know a lot of people think teenagers are young and silly, especially those who have privilege, but I try not to be.”