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“Well, at least he took up an honorable profession after the war,” said Harry.
“I think Eddie and I are going to be spending a lot more time together,” said Bailey. King thought the man could not have been more obvious.
“I’m looking forward to that,” said Eddie with what seemed genuine enthusiasm.
You’re a good liar, Eddie, King thought.
Remmy reached out and took her son’s hand. “How you doing?”
“Just hoping for happier days, Mom.”
“Maybe you and Dorothea should go away somewhere, just get away.”
“Yeah, maybe we’ll do that,” answered Eddie with not a trace of interest.
King noted that the Oxley children had come inside when they saw their mother. As Lulu joined them, King excused himself, went to the bar, got two glasses of wine and headed to the rear porch to see Savannah while she was still alone.
The young woman was sitting on the couch staring into the fire that blazed in the fireplace at one end of the room.
“Long day for you, Savannah,” he said quietly.
She started and looked up, smiling when she saw who it was. He handed her one of the glasses and sat next to her. “A glass of Château Palmer can work miracles for the spirits. It’s a fine French wine.”
“ ‘Palmer’ doesn’t sound French,” she said, staring at her glass as though she could see images in it.
“He was an English general under Wellington who came to Bordeaux with his army around 1814 and stayed. He purchased a property that eventually became known as Château Palmer, and started producing wine, which goes to show that the grape, like the pen, is mightier than the sword.”
“I don’t know much about wine,” she said. “I’m more a Jack and Coke girl.”
“One can never go wrong with Jack and Coke, but if you’re interested in wine, I’d be glad to help you, although you could start learning right in this house. Your parents have a ten-thousand-bottle cellar. I nearly fainted with envy when I first saw it.” He took a sip of wine and watched her watching the fire. “I saw you with the Oxley children.”
“They’re nice kids,” she said quietly as she played with her string of pearls. “The little one, Mary Margaret, was bawling when she got here, poor thing. She really misses her daddy. I brought them out here. Mom and Ms. Oxley wanted to talk.”
“They seemed to have worked everything out.”
“I really thought Junior had done it.” Her eyes suddenly glimmered with a layer of tears.
“So did I, at first.”
“I know I wasn’t much help the other day.”
“You were still in shock. Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”
She nodded absently, and her nervous fingers played over her pearls. He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. She simply stared into the fire.
He finally rose. “If you need anything, anything at all, just give me a call.”
She glanced up and clutched at his hand. “How come you’re not married?”
At first he thought she was flirting with him but then realized she was serious.
He said, “I was, a long time ago, and it just didn’t work out.”
“I think some people are supposed to be alone.”
“You don’t think you’re one of those people, do you?”
She shook her head. “No. But I think my father was.”
