“Sophie,” her director said in a mournful voice. She sounded as if she were personally pained by just the sound of Sophie’s name.
“Yes?”
“In light of the new circumstances, when Merry Kade stops in today I’m going to tell her that I assembled the Providence display in the lobby.”
“The new circumstances?” Sophie asked blankly.
“I know you did the work, but I’m sure you understand why it would be better not to attach your name to it.”
“No, I don’t understand,” she insisted, but as the words left her mouth, a terrible thought struck her. People knew. People knew that she and Alex were sleeping together and it had created a new scandal. Maybe his mother really had put up cameras on the street. Maybe she—
“Don’t you think Merry might take offense?” Jean-Marie had dropped any semblance of concern and now looked only impatient.
“I’m sorry,” Sophie stammered. “I...I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your brother,” Jean-Marie said, her mouth as flat as her words. “Now...” She turned back to her computer, obviously dismissing Sophie. “If you’ll—”
“My brother? I have no idea what you’re talking about. What does he have to do with anything?”
“Honestly, Sophie, if you
can’t keep up with your family’s peccadillos, then I don’t know what to say. Your brother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Bishops this morning. I’m sure they’re understandably distraught, and I don’t want the library thrown in with your pile of dirty laundry. You know how important the support of the historical trust is to us. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”
Sophie would’ve liked to excuse her, but she couldn’t move. Her brother had filed a lawsuit? Against the Bishops? She just sat there, staring at her boss, mouth agape in undignified shock. The calm part of her brain told her to get up, close her mouth and leave. The shocked part was running around in mad circles, squealing like a panicked mouse.
Jean-Marie aimed a long-suffering look in her direction. It was the look she assumed anytime she had to do more than show dignitaries around the library or play solitaire on her computer. Sophie had seen it a hundred times, but it still snapped her out of her state of shock. The mouse stopped running in circles, Sophie closed her mouth with a snap, and she made her escape.
Lauren grabbed her arm and led her into their office. “You didn’t know,” she sighed.
Sophie shook her head.
“It only happened fifteen minutes ago, I think. You know Betty’s sister works in the county clerk’s office, and she called.... Well, never mind. Anyway, I was just about to text you, but I didn’t know if I should stick my nose into your personal business.”
“It’s not my business,” Sophie said numbly, but she knew it wasn’t true. It was her business now. Her awful, insane business. “I need to call my brother.”
“Yeah, go on. Jean-Marie won’t be out of her office again until lunchtime.”
That brought an automatic smile to Sophie’s mouth, but it felt stretched and unnatural. Lauren left and closed the door behind her, giving Sophie some privacy. She dialed her brother’s phone immediately, only realizing her hand was trembling when the phone shook against her glasses. He didn’t answer. She could barely find the words to leave a message.
“David, what did you do?” was all she said.
Sophie hung up and called her dad’s home phone number. When there was no answer, she called his cell, but it went to voice mail right away. He was out of range. He almost always was.
She didn’t leave a message for him. She couldn’t. She had no idea what was going on.
Shaking her head, she stared down at her phone. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t. The entire twenty-five-year scandal had been over, just one more weekend, one little dedication, and it would be done.
Now what was she supposed to do? Just put her phone in her purse and go to work?
She sent a text to David, repeating What did you do? He didn’t respond after thirty seconds. Or sixty. Or ninety.
Five minutes later she was still staring at the phone, waiting to hear anything. For one terrible moment, she considered calling Alex to ask if he’d heard something, but she recoiled from the idea. If he hadn’t heard yet, how would she explain it?
Oh, God. David had mentioned something about a lawsuit a few months ago, but she’d blown him off. She’d said no. She’d considered that the end of it.
She tried her brother’s cell again, then squeezed her eyes shut. This had to be a misunderstanding.
Still shaking, she slipped her phone into her purse and stood up to smooth down her hair and take a deep breath. She had work to do. She couldn’t break down now.