Ruffling Feathers

By Jane Greensmith
www.janegs.com

Copyright © 2002.
 All rights reserved.

Chapter 21 - Notes from the Crow's Nest

Addison Crowe, being small of stature and keen of eye, generally sought to even the odds by finding a high vantage point from which she could observe her world. More often than not, when Paul entered Corbin Sullivan's boat barn he would find Corbin's granddaughter perched atop a ladder or workbench—watching, listening, and firing zingers. And so it was that on the night of the Donovan gala to raise funds for the Maine Coastal Project, Addie was happily situated on a small balcony overlooking the main room. Paul had dubbed the balcony 'The Crow's Nest' when he was a boy because it provided not only an excellent view of the room but the acoustics were such that much of what was said below could be overheard in comfort and shadow.

Addie and her mother had arrived early. Technically, this was a MCP event and Ellen Crowe felt responsible for all going smoothly. She needn't have bothered. Gina had grabbed the reins of the party while it was in the planning stages, and had everything well in hand for show time. It was Paul who seemed at loose ends. Wandering around the house, waiting for the first guests to arrive, Paul's face wore a distracted look that neither Ellen nor Addie had seen before. Ellen noticed that occasionally he seemed to rise out of the fog to gaze at his sister with bemused admiration, but mostly he simply seemed to be in search of something to do with his hands.

Even after the party began in earnest and the Donovan driveway was a line of cars depositing locals and celebrities, politicians and scientists, Paul went through the motions as gala host but seemed oddly disconnected from the throng. From her crow's nest, Addie could hear Paul thanking people for coming. He thanked them for supporting MCP's efforts to crack down on polluting industries and crank up efforts to clean riverbanks and shoreline. Then he directed them to the gallery on the second floor where they could view the art collection he was auctioning off in silent bid that night. Before sending them inside he jokingly directed them to the bar where they could get in the right frame of mind to make appropriate bids on the paintings and sculptures he was offering up.

Addie didn't have much with which to compare Paul's performance, but she was sure he was the smoothest, most urbane sophisticate on the planet. His chat and his handshake, the way he would pat a man's shoulder or mock punch his arm, the way he would kiss a woman's cheek, leaving her breathless but chaste, all seemed to Addie like something she would see on an afternoon movie matinee. And to think that I've seen him hit his thumb with a hammer! She smirked to herself, happy that she alone knew the real Paul.

While Addie descended to refill her plate with crab cakes and quiches, she almost missed seeing Richard Clayton arrive. Next to Ma and Paul and Gramps, Richard was her favorite person in the world. He was so funny and he always gave Paul such a hard time—it was hilarious to see Richard tease Paul and Paul ignore Richard's rude remarks. Addie felt that she could really learn a lot from Richard.

Oddly though, Paul wasn't acting like he was all that happy to see Richard, almost like he had forgotten Richard was coming. Paul asked whether Richard had brought his girlfriend. Richard answered something about her having trouble with commitment, or was it contentment? Addie couldn't quite tell. At any rate, Richard was now a free agent again...whatever that meant. Addie decided that Richard and Paul needed some livening up so she missed the next part of their conversation while she lobbed peanuts at Richard. After the third one hit his ear, he looked up sharply and then grinned as he recognized the big brown eyes and lopsided smile that greeted him through the railings of the balcony.

"Hi, spy!" Richard tousled Addie's hair and sat down cross-legged beside her. Knowing Addie to be a bottomless pit, Richard wisely loaded up a plate with Gina's delectables, after first finding and kissing the cook herself. He stopped by the bar for a glass of sauvignon blanc and a Shirley Temple, and headed for the balcony that housed the precocious six-year-old.

"You gonna eat all that?" served as Addie's greeting to Richard.

"No, sport. We are." He handed her a fresh fork and they dug in. "Now," Richard began, between bites of lobster puffs, "Give me the goods. Who's here already, and how's the boy doing?"

"Paul's weirder than ever." At which point Addie cheerfully waved down to the man in question who had just happened to look up to see Richard joining Addie on the balcony. The spies shrugged at each other in high amusement as they watched Paul groan at the scenario going on above him. The doorbell rang again, and they watched him greet the next set of partygoers.

"Weird? How so?"

"He's just so out of it. Mom said that he's been spacey all week. He called her three times while she was down in Portland for that conference thing she went to. And then he didn't want to swim the cove today, even though Paul Bunyon Days is next week. And then when he did, he didn't even care about his time or update his spreadsheet or plot a new graph or anything."

"If Paul doesn't plot fresh data, then there's definitely something going on with him..."

"Oh, gross. Ick. Yuk." Addie hadn't spilled lobster sauce on her best overalls, nor had she dribbled blueberry compote on the carpet, instead she had just spied a statuesque blond in a hot pink sheath lay a wet kiss on Paul.

"Auntie Kirsten!" Addie and Richard moaned in unison. Richard was hard-pressed to keep his guffaws at whisper level as Addie went into a full-blown fake vomiting routine over the prospect of encountering her mother's older sister.

"Now you've got a date," Addie teased Richard.

"No, no, no," Richard replied back. "Now Paul's got a date!" And the two of them doubled over at the hilarity of the idea.

"I see she's escaped Marvin for the weekend. When was the last time your Uncle Marvin made it all the way up here?" Richard asked Addie.

"Not all winter anyway. He didn't even come up for Christmas so he didn't get to see Auntie Kirsten make a fool of herself over Paul. Like Grammy says, Kirsten may be Judge Malloy's trophy wife, but she's no prize."

Addie paused for a snack break while Richard recovered from her last remark. By the time both where ready to continue observing, Paul was ushering in a new set of people.

"Who are they?" Addie asked Richard.

Richard laughed. "I have a friend who calls them the family from hell...but they grow on you after awhile. The man with the nice face and goofy smile is Dave Landry—he's Paul's lawyer and just about runs Donovan Industries these days. He's the best friend, present company excepted, that Paul could ever want. The two women are Landry's sisters—the short one is Leila Hurst and the guy with her is her husband, Rob. I went to their wedding last year in Colorado—at least the reception—and I danced with the prettiest girl you ever saw...but then you don't want to hear about my sorrows, do you pumpkin?"

"Paul says you're too smooth for your own good."

"You and Paul have nothing better to do than sit around and discuss my love life?"

"You'd be surprised what we talk about..."

"What a pair of gossips!"

Addie wisely brought the conversation back to the Landry family, "Who's the tall lady?"

"That's no lady, that's Carol Landry. Dateless, as usual, just like me. Paul probably thinks she's too smooth too." Although Richard Clayton had been born with an easy temperament and sunny disposition and was not bitter by nature, Addie's relation of Paul's comment stung. It was Paul who had stolen Amy Hutchins from under his nose last summer and then had botched the relationship so badly that Amy had been forced to flee the country. At least that was the way Richard preferred to see it.

Paul summoned Ellen Crowe to his side and introduced the Landry party. Hmm, thought Richard, this seems to be a big deal. Richard knew that Paul and Ellen had spent a lot of time together since he had moved back to Carlisle Point. Gina had kept him up to date on Paul's moods and reported that Paul and Ellen had struck up a friendship that had apparently helped them both. Now Ellen was playing the hostess, tucking her arm inside Paul's and smiling graciously on the Landrys and Hursts. Carol Landry did not look amused.

Paul sent Carol and the Hursts off with Ellen and had a quiet word with Dave Landry. Dave took an envelope out of his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Paul. Paul opened it and read the letter inside. He quietly folded it up and put it in his jacket pocket, and then shook Dave's hand and then embraced him. Paul looked up at the Crow's Nest and gave Richard a thumbs-up. Addie thought that he looked like he had seen an angel. His face glowed with a happy radiance she had never seen before.

Richard patted Addie's shoulder. "He's a good man, that friend of yours down there. A very good man."

Addie looked up into Richard's eyes and grinned at him.

The number of arrivals was dwindling and Addie yawned, starting to be bored with her spying game. "Want to see the gallery, Richard? You should see what Gina and Paul are trying to sell tonight. Most of the paintings are really ugly, though there are some pretty flower pictures."

Addie and Richard stood up and started gathering together their plates and glasses, when Addie gave a small yelp. She pointed down to where Marion Chamberlain was stomping through the front door, "like General Patton with a flea in his ear," Addie giggled to Richard, quoting her Gramps.

Marion was another of Addie's special friends. Much like Paul and Richard, Marion liked Addie's no-nonsense approach to life and relationships, and she talked to her as an equal rather than the precocious little girl she was.

Addie watched Marion zero in on Ellen. "Ma's getting an earful for sure. Wonder who's crossed General Marion now?"

"He's a sly boots that one!" Marion's voice was clearly heard saying. "Humph! Paul Donovan is just about the last man I'd suspect of pulling that kind of a trick on me." Addie and Richard watched Ellen patiently listening to Marion, with the irritating little smile she gives me when I'm excited about something, Addie thought.

"When I told him yesterday that we had shanghaied Amy Hutchins and got her up here to cover MCP, he said, just as cool as cream, 'You mean the environmental reporter from NPR?' As if he had never even laid eyes on her. And then he offered to take her gunkholing tomorrow for us."

"And had he laid eyes on her?" Ellen asked so quietly, Addie could barely hear her.

"I'll bet you good money, he's laid more than eyes on that woman." And with that Marion stalked away, miffed at being taken for a fool.

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