An Irresistible Bachelor(95)

When he closed the door behind him, he felt hollow and spent.

Not wanting to deal with anyone, he changed into running shorts, made his excuses to the people in the kitchen, and hit the gym.





Chapter 21





The next day, the prospect of Gerard Beauvais's arrival was all that got Callie motivated to go up to the garage. As she looked at Jack's ancestor, assessing and reassessing the mess she'd made, she was convinced nothing in her life was ever going to be right again.

And she was not looking forward to talking with Grace.

But it seemed like the only choice she had. Grace had a right to know what was happening with Jack and what he wanted to know.

Callie would have preferred getting the conversation over with as soon as possible. But when she'd gone down to the kitchen that morning, intent on getting her half sister alone, she'd learned that Grace and Ross were gone for the day on a tour of private Early American-art collections. With the party tonight, Callie was going to have to catch Grace the moment she returned.

To pass the time before Beauvais arrived, Callie decided to sort through the final box of documents, but she found herself walking from window to window, as if one of them might, against all odds, show her a view that gave her some peace of mind.

At nine o'clock sharp, Beauvais walked up the stairs.

"Thank God," she breathed.

They barely exchanged pleasantries before leaning over the painting and discussing various options. Finally, Gerard took off his reading glasses, sucked on one of the earpieces, and regarded her with his bright little eyes.

"It has to come off. The top layer of paint at the mirror must be totally removed."

Callie sat in her chair. She wasn't surprised by the conclusion but it hit her like a ton of bricks anyway. "Okay."

"At least we will find out what is under there." Beauvais smiled. "Which is something I have wanted to know for quite a while."

"You saw the imperfection in the mirror's surface when you examined it for the Blankenbakers, didn't you?"


He nodded. "I advised them that the portrait should be cleaned and they promised to follow through. Alas, they did not."

Callie looked down at the Copley. "I have to tell Jack."

"Tell me about what?"

She looked across the studio in surprise. Jack's expression was cool as he approached them. He was dressed in a suit, the sleeve of the jacket hanging loosely on the side of his cast.



"So that's your car, Gerard," he said. "I was wondering why there was a silver Audi in my driveway. How are you?"

The men shook hands.

"What brings you to Wellesley?" The question was more pointed than polite.

Callie looked at Beauvais, who inclined his head toward her ever so slightly.

"I've made a mistake," she blurted.

Jack's eyes narrowed on her and then moved to the painting. "What kind of mistake?"

She told him quickly and pointed out the area on the portrait. Jack's expression gave nothing away as he studied the damage.

"And what are you proposing to do now?"

"We've decided that removing the top layer of paint is the best course of action. We will make a further assessment once that is done, but a repaint is probably in order."

"How does this affect the value of the portrait?" Jack directed the question to Beauvais and the man tilted his head at an angle, now working the earpiece of his glasses with his teeth.

"It depends on what is revealed." When Jack frowned, the conservationist went on to explain, "There is an image under the paint that is rather curious."

Jack bent down closer to the canvas. "That dark shape might be something?"

"Indeed."

"And if it isn't?" he demanded.



Beauvais cleared his throat. "After restoration, I don't believe there will be any serious decrease in worth. It is such an important painting, the loss will be relatively small compared to its overall value."

"How small?"

"I would say one hundred to two hundred thousand dollars."

Callie felt the floor underneath her feet heave. If Jack came after her for restitution, that would wipe out the nest egg she'd planned on socking away after the project was done. Most conservationists were insured, but she hadn't bothered with the precaution. Couldn't have afforded it until Jack paid her, anyway.