A Flicker of Doubt - Tim Myers [59]
She started for the door, and I told Eve, “I should be back in an hour.”
“What’s all this about?” Eve asked me in a hushed voice.
“She’s Cyrus’s sister. I convinced her to come to Micah’s Ridge to talk to him.”
“Are you coming, Mr. Black?”
The woman refused to call me Harrison. I decided to let it go.
I was expecting something nice, but not a chauffer-driven limousine. I joined her in back as the heavyset driver held the door for me.’
“Thanks,” I said. “I didn’t realize there was a chauffeur service in Micah’s Ridge.”
‘There isn’t I met the lady at the airport in Charlotte and drove her here.”
I couldn’t imagine what that bill would look like, but then again, I wasn’t paying it.
When Ruth saw I wasn’t getting in, she said from the back without showing herself, “Sometime today, Mr. Black.”
I tried to squelch my laugh, but the driver had no reaction at all.
As the car started to pull away, Ruth Nash said, “I debated bringing you along, Mr. Black. How can I be certain my brother doesn’t have a very good reason not to see you?”
“Ma’am, you go in alone and I’ll wait in the car. All I need to know is that he’s okay.”
She arched one well-sculpted eyebrow. “Mr. Black, enough of this charade. What is the real motivation behind your actions?”
“I told you, this started because of a land deal, but I’m sincerely concerned about your brother. You don’t care much for me, do you?”
“And is that important to you, that everyone likes you?”
“Blast it all, I’m not going to let you turn this around against me. I’m the one who called you, remember? I’m worried about your brother, plain and simple. There’s nothing sinister about my interest It’s called friendship, whether you choose to believe it or not”
We sat in silence for the rest of the ride to Cyrus’s place, which was just fine with me. I hadn’t cared for two words the woman had uttered since our meeting. If I wasn’t so worried about Cyrus, I would have told the driver to pull over and let me out
We were nearing Cyrus’s (dace when she finally spoke again. I may owe you an apology.”
“Just one?” I asked.
That finally cracked the icy exterior. “An excellent point, that Cyrus and I were raised to be cautious of anyone who claimed to want only friendship from us.”
“What a sad childhood that must have been,” I said.
She nodded. “While it was true we always had each other, it could be rather lonely at times. If Cyrus has indeed managed to make a friend in you this late in life, I’m pleased.”
“Don’t be too happy about it He wouldn’t see me, remember? If I’ve done something to offend him, tell him I’m sorry, would you?’
The car rolled silently to a stop, and I saw that we’d arrived. I started to follow her out of the car when she put a delicately gloved hand on my shoulder. “Mr. Black, would you do me a favor and let me see Cyrus alone?”
“Ma’am, he’s your brother. I’m just here as a concerned friend.”
“Yes, I’m beginning to believe that I’ll make up the losses due to your absence at4he candleshop when I return.”
“You see there? You just lost, me. I don’t want Cyrus’s money, and I don’t want yours, either.”
She said, “Oh dear, I’m not very good at this. I am trying, though.”
“Your grandkids must be scared to death of you.”
She smiled gently. “Actually they seem to be quite taken with me. I can’t say the same for their father, though.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I said
The driver stepped aside as she started for the door. “Aren’t you going with her?” I asked.
“It’s not part of my job description,” the man said.
“You don’t look like the kind of guy who memorizes the employee handbook. Why not give her a little moral support?”
“If you feel that way, why aren’t you going?”
“She doesn’t want me,” I said, “But she’d probably love to have you.”
As the driver and I were talking, Ruth went to the door and rang the bell. I recognized the man who answered, and after a brief but fierce conversation, she turned back toward us. “They turned me away from my own home. I won’t stand for it, do you hear me?”
“Yes,