Cimarron, Denver Cereal Volume 4 Read Online Free PDF

and family
were looking at one or the other of Mike’s gorgeous paintings. No
one had seen his entire collection. When Katy ran off to play with
Noelle, Jill took Jacob’s hand and led him to the middle of the
room. He held her in his arms.
    “ I don’t have anything to
say,” he whispered in her ear.
    “ You’ve been avoiding the
subject since it happened.”
    “ I’ve been a little busy
with Lipson and trying to keep the Castle from falling down,” he
whispered.
    She let the conversation lag on his lie. She
kissed his neck.
    “ Please let this drop.”
Jacob stepped back to look in her eyes. “I can’t talk about it. I
just can’t. Not now. Please.”
    She kissed his lips.
    “ I love you,” he said. “I
keep hoping my buddy Mike will paint you naked. Then I remember
that my buddy Mike is your big brother. Kinda spoils the whole
thing.”
    Jill laughed. For a moment, they fell into
their usual ease and levity. Jill’s eyebrows pinched together.
    “ Are you all right?” she
asked.
    He nodded.
    “ Just in your man
cave?”
    He burst out laughing. He pulled her to him
to hide from people’s looks.
    “ I need time to… sort out
my own mess. You know how I love to sort out messes,” he whispered
in her ear. “It just takes a while. Delphie has helped me, but I’m
on my own now. I…”
    He shook his head.
    “ I’m here. Maybe I can
help,” she said.
    “ I’d rather just love you.
If that’s okay,” he said. “I’ll get through this.”
    Unsure of what to say to her complicated
husband, she held him close.
    “ Wanna try the bathroom for
a quickie?”
    Jill laughed.
    “ Mike and Val are moving,”
he said. “Must be time to start.”
    “ Jacob…” Jill’s serious
voice brought his full attention to her. “You will tell me… when
you can?”
    “ I will. Don’t worry. When
I have something to say, you’ll hear all of it. You’ll hear so much
you’ll be sick of hearing me talk. Then you’ll say.” He shifted his
voice to imitate her voice. “…shut up, Jake. You go on and on and
on.”
    She smiled and kissed his lips.
    “ I love you,” he whispered.
“What do you think it would take to get Mike to paint you
naked?”
    “ A sudden frost in hell?”
Jill whispered.
    Laughing at the idea, Jacob took her hand
and they joined their families.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Sunday evening — 6:25
P.M.
    “ Are you ready?” Valerie
asked.
    Mike nodded but the panic in his eyes tore
at her. She straightened the collar of his new Frederec Martins
tuxedo.
    “ You look great,” she said.
“Frederec did an amazing job.”
    “ You look beautiful.” He
touched the flowing silk of her Martins gown. “Wow.”
    She hugged him.
    “ All you have to do is walk
around,” Valerie said. “That’s it. Let your amazing paintings speak
for themselves. They have a lot to say. You don’t have to say a
thing.”
    “ Except when people talk to
me.”
    “ You like people,” Valerie
said. “Everyone loves you. If you get stuck Jake or I or any of us
will rescue you. All of your friends and our family are already in
the gallery. Jill brought Katy. She’s always a good
distraction.”
    “ I wish Delphie was here,”
Mike said. “This is really her show. She and Jake made me start
painting and… I miss her. I thought she’d be here.”
    “ Me too.”
    Valerie kissed his lips and wiped the
lipstick from them. He held her to him.
    “ When we get home…” he
started.
    “ Yes,” she said.
    He took the hand she held out to him.
Together they walked to the front of the museum. Through the glass
doors, they saw a line that wrapped around the building and the
block. Mike nodded to the security guard.
    The doors opened.
    ~~~~~~~~ Sunday evening — 7:15
P.M.
     
    “ Glad we came?” Blane
asked.
    He looked across the room. There were so
many people that they hadn’t found their friends.
    ” You were right. I’m glad
to be here for Mike,” Heather said. “Plus, it’s fun to get dressed
up.”
    Looking down