“Have you had dinner?”
“A slice of pizza on the way in.”
“Are you still hungry?”
He stood up and started to undress. “No. I just need some sleep.”
“Paul?”
“Yes?”
“Are the powers-that-be giving you a hard time at work?”
He unzipped his pants. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Although Paul’s tone was flippant, I knew that things had to be pretty serious—he hadn’t even kissed me. The tabloids had been running his photo, hinting that he was my lover, right along with mine ever since my release from jail. No company wanted one of its key employees to be linked to an accused murderess. This awful mess was going to cost Paul his job.
“I’m sorry,” I told him softly.
He was standing in his drawers now. “Don’t worry about it, baby. How was court this afternoon?”
I told him about Sarah Jane’s testimony and the change in Craig.
“What does Keith make of all this?”
“I have no idea.”
Paul crawled up on the bed beside me and kissed me three times—on the forehead, nose, and lips. “The brother definitely doesn’t show his hand.”
I sighed. “Not at all.”
His hand snaked under the nightgown and started rubbing my thigh. “We’re both all stressed out. Maybe there’s a way to work off some of this tension.”
My nose wrinkled. “Man, you didn’t even take a shower yet.”
He groaned and hoisted himself back to a standing position. “After that water hits me, I won’t be good for anything.”
“That’s okay,” I smiled. “We have hundreds of nights ahead of us, right?”
He paused in the doorway and our eyes locked. “You’re worried that I’m having second thoughts about all this, aren’t you?”
I nodded, unable to speak.
“Well, I’m not. Nothing is ever going to come between us.”
I blinked back tears of relief. “You’re the greatest.”
“I love you, too, Jackie.” He winked and left the room.
36
THE SHOWMAN, PART I
Paul and Mama insisted on coming to court the next morning even though I told them that it wasn’t necessary.
Ruth Champ was grinning like a Cheshire cat, and the sight made my stomach drop. What did she have up her sleeve?
And then Joe Long took the stand. He was wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and gray tie.