Chapter 71

“Are you going to have time to take the Chunnel train to Paris?” Barbara said.

“Yes, indeed,” Tom said, “it’s part of the trip. I have two performances in Paris.”

“If you don’t mind my asking,” she said, “how much do you expect to clear on this trip?”

“After the artist management company’s commission and our out-of-pocket expenses,” he said, “I’ll probably clear just about enough to furnish the retreat when it’s finished.”

“You’re on the road so much, how will you find time to enjoy the retreat?” Jonathan said.

“As it happens, the organist and choirmaster at All Souls’ Cathedral in Asheville has a fondness for the beach. I’m hoping to persuade him to swap jobs with me for a couple of months next summer. He can live in our house in Jacksonville, and we can spend lots of time at the mountain retreat.”

“Do you think he’ll go for that?” she said.

“I sent him an exploratory e-mail last night suggesting a test run Labor Day weekend,” he said. “We’ll see what he says.”