Accidental Father by Nancy Robards Thompson Page B

willing to give up Liam tomorrow, either.”
    For once in her life, Julianne did something spontaneous. She pushed her chair away from the table, grabbed her purse and stormed out of the café.

Chapter Five
    A lex found his seat in the balcony of the theater. Even though the Continental Symphony Orchestra was a small orchestra, he wanted to be sure he had the best vantage point to see Julianne as she played.
    Alex had seen enough orchestra performances to know that as a flutist, Julianne would be seated in the row behind the strings, hidden by her colleagues. So, he’d exchanged the orchestra-level ticket she’d given him for a seat in the balcony.
    As he settled in, other patrons began to file into the hall and the musicians began to take their seats on stage, arranging music stands and warming upwith scales and various tuning exercises. Alex’s gaze immediately snapped to Julianne when she appeared from the wings as if he’d sensed her. Her hair was pulled back into a twist, making her neck look slender and elegant. She moved gracefully to her place, the silver of her flute brilliant against the plain black of her long dress. She settled herself on the edge of her seat, very much in the manner she had that first day in his office, and began the process of readying herself to play.
    It was a fascinating glimpse into the world of the classical musician. Into Julianne’s world. Though Alex had witnessed this pre-concert buzz numerous times before with different ensembles, actually knowing someone in the orchestra made him see it with new eyes.
    Her flute’s trill rose above the cacophony of the string and various wind instruments. She went into a series of scales played at a dizzying speed with deft precision.
    And this is only her warm-up.
    Julianne, like most of the musicians, kept to herself—in a sort of musical zone, it seemed. Cloaked in her typical cool aura, she didn’t seem to be bringing any of the upset from today’s lunch with her on stage.
    Of course not. She is a professional.
    Still, he was sorry he’d been forced to drop that unfortunate bomb on her so close to performance time. But there wasn’t any other opportunity to talk to her. He’d known she’d need a period of time to digest everything. Once she’d had time to put everything into perspective, they would discuss what would happen next: whether she would send Liam to St. Michel alone or if she would to come with him. The only absolute was that Liam would be going to St. Michel.
    Alex’s heart felt leaden in his chest, because he knew she probably wasn’t any happier now than when she’d left him at the restaurant this afternoon.
    She’d set the Bundy flute case on the table.
    â€œThank you, but I have to turn down your donation because it feels as if you’re asking me to exchange my child for a used flute.”
    â€œJulianne, don’t be ridiculous. I’m not trying to bribe or otherwise entice you to exchange your nephew. Don’t make a rash decision about the boy’s safety.”
    He could see his words weren’t winning her over so he changed tactics.
    â€œYou said yourself that one of your students could greatly benefit from this flute. In a similarway, Liam needs you to keep an open mind for his well-being.”
    The way she glared at him made it clear she didn’t appreciate the analogy.
    â€œHow can you even lump the two into the same category? They’re not even remotely similar.”
    It was a no-win situation. Of course the two were not even in the same category. The flute was junk; Liam was priceless. And that was exactly why he couldn’t take any chances with his safety, even if the thought of separating Julianne and Liam killed him.
    â€œJulianne, please be reasonable. Think about the implications of taking Liam back to Washington. Are you really willing to put him in harm’s way?”
    â€œHarm’s way? I have a