Chapter Twenty-three 6 page

“This street seems a lot shorter from behind the wheel of my car,” Tully said, knowing she sounded rather pathetic.

Libby tugged on her hand to get her moving again. “I tell you what. I’m going to return the favor of you giving me a job.”

“How’s that?” Tully was enjoying the hand in hers more than the walk.

“By helping you quit smoking, as well as a few other things.”

Tully almost stopped moving. “Other things?”

“A little exercise isn’t going to kill you, and you can start by helping me move next weekend.”

“Move you? Don’t you have a gaggle of friends lined up dying to help out?”

Libby tugged on her hand again and quickened their pace. “I don’t have a gaggle of anything, but I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“Never mind about that.” Tully had broken a slight sweat, but she felt good. “Where are you moving to?”

“I’ve got it narrowed down to a couple of places. I just need to make a decision.”

Tully noticed that something in Libby’s voice sounded a little off. “How many classes do you have tomorrow?”

They were nearing the house again, and turning in meant their night was ending. “Two in the morning, then nothing until tomorrow night. Why?”

“I want to go see which place would be the easiest to move you into,” Tully said as they passed her driveway. “Another block?”

“Can we talk about civil litigation?”

“Can I smoke while we do?”

The glare Libby shot her way made her laugh.

“Kidding.” Tully put her free hand up.

They walked around the block four times before they’d finished their conversation, then Tully put Libby in her car for the night. “Call me when you’re done, and I’ll swing by school and pick you up.”

“You’re responsible for two people now, Tully. You don’t need to take on any more.”

Tully laughed and bent closer to the open car window. “Remind me to invite you the next time I go visit my mother. She’ll be happy to explain responsibility until you understand what it is.”

“What is it?”

“Some land on your doorstep.” She pointed to the files on the seat pertaining to the Hebert case. “We’re responsible for getting those people justice for their little girl. Then there’s responsibility you seek.” Tully turned and pointed to the house. “The kids I sought. Maybe I haven’t done such a bang-up job up to now, but they’re my responsibility.”

Libby leaned forward and rested her head on the steering wheel. “Where does that leave me?”

“In neither category.”

“Is that good or bad?”

Tully laughed again and suddenly realized how long it had been since she’d felt like this. Talking to Libby made her feel young, happy, like what she had to say mattered. The most absurd thing of all was that she felt desirable to another person, but she wasn’t about to dwell on that lest she lose the friendship she shared with Libby.

“You ask so many questions that it’s a good thing you’re going to law school. You’re in neither category because you didn’t land on my doorstep and I didn’t seek you out. You’re someone I want to help simply because I want to, Libby, but only if it’s agreeable to you.”

“It’s so very agreeable,” was the soft reply. “And it makes me feel like someone cares about me. I haven’t had that in a long time.”

The next morning the first thing Tully noticed was the smell of brewing coffee.

The first thing Bailey noticed when she handed her a cup was that the ashtray was empty.

“Thank God Mama didn’t take the couch,” Bailey said before turning and heading for the stairs.

By the time they were all showered, dressed and ready to go, Tully would’ve traded her car for a cigarette. She fidgeted so much that on their way to school Bailey called Roxanne and sent her out for some nicotine patches.

“Make sure you slap one on her the minute she gets there,” Bailey instructed. “Or someone might sue her for crabbiness before lunch.”

“Funny girl,” Tully said. She pulled up and parked the car, wanting to walk them to the gate on their first day. “I’m not going to embarrass you if I tag along for a bit, am I?”

“You’re not going to cry, are you?” Bailey asked in a teasing tone.

“I’ll try to hold myself in check.”

They were halfway there when Tully heard someone call her name and turned to find Libby. “Hey, guys, I came to wish you luck and bring you lunch.” She held up two bags and joined the laughter when Tully snapped her fingers at having forgotten.

“Thanks, Libby. And don’t worry, Mom. We would’ve hit you up for some cash,” Ralph said. “But this is going to be better.” He held up his bag.

“Good luck, buddy, and call me if you need anything.” Tully gave him a hug, but made sure it didn’t last too long. “You too, Bailey Bean. Just remember one thing, okay?”

“To be good?”

“To have fun, baby girl. I bet some kid in there is waiting for a new friend today.”

“You make me sound lame.”

Even Tully could sense that Bailey was nervous. “No one this beautiful, smart, and outgoing can be lame. I’ve known that about you all your life, and today, so will the rest of the world.”

With a piercing gaze that begged for reassurance, Bailey stepped closer. “Why do you think so?”

“Find your niche, darlin’, and you find your stride. Once you do, nothing can stop you.” Tully pivoted her so they were facing the front of the school. “In there’s your niche, and the rest is up to you, but I have faith in you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Bailey initiated the hug this time.

“Anytime.” Tully handed them some money anyway and waved one last time before she mock-reprimanded Libby. “And what are you doing skipping class, young lady?”

“I finished my first and the second got cancelled, so no lectures, thank you.”

“Thanks for remembering their lunches. You may spoil them.”

“Your kids are easy to spoil, so it wasn’t any trouble. Do you still want to go apartment hunting with me?”

“If you don’t mind being constantly interrupted by Roxanne and her barrage of phone calls, I’d love to.”

“If you’re busy—”

“I’m kidding, and if Roxanne needs me she won’t hesitate to call, believe me. Besides, I cleared my schedule to go with you this morning.” Tully opened the passenger side and waved her into the vehicle. “Where to first?”

In the first apartment a set of pipes came up through the floor in the corner of the bedroom and extended into the place upstairs. While they stood there a rat climbed one of the pipes as if he often used the water main as his personal stairwell.

“How about we try the next place?” Tully suggested.

After she shivered, Libby nodded.

They looked at four places, and Tully found something wrong with all of them, with good reason.

Sitting together outside the last place, Libby just stared out the window, appearing depressed. “I know what you’re going to say,” she told Tully.

“You do? That the Cubs have a decent shot at the pennant next year? You should be on the psychic hotline.” Tully put her hand to her chest and tried to look shocked.

“Stop it.” Laughing, Libby slapped her arm. “You were going to tell me I need to look in a higher price range. I know these places are pathetic, but they’re all I can afford right now.” Before Tully could even think to offer, she added, “And you’re not giving me a raise. You’re paying me way too much now for the amount of work I do.”

“Okay, I’m not giving you a raise, Scouts’ honor.” Tully felt almost docile as she answered, her fingers up in the correct position to make a Scout oath.

“You’re not?”

“You just told me not to.”

“Good.” The agreement sounded less than enthusiastic.

“I want you to look at one more place. Think you can handle it? I swear it won’t have anywhere near the number of roaches we saw at the last place when I switched the lights on.”

“You aren’t going to make the landlord lie about the rent, are you?”

Instead of answering, Tully started the engine and took a call from Roxanne, who asked her a number of questions. As they neared their destination, Tully gave her assistant the names of the people she needed appointments with.

“Did you forget something?” Libby asked when Tully stopped the car.

“I’m highly organized, so I seldom forget anything,” Tully joked. “Take a walk?”

After they entered the gate at the side of the house, Tully circled the pool and paused by the deep end.

“Did you want to take a swim break?” Libby asked.

“You may be doing just that if you don’t get over here. Before you say no, I want you to look at the pool house.” Tully opened the door to a large open area with a terra-cotta tile floor. At one end was a bedroom and bath, at the other, a kitchen. The small place was clean, full of light, and tastefully decorated.

“We started with a pool house that morphed into a guesthouse, that eventually Jessica wanted to convert into a home office,” Tully explained. She opened the refrigerator to an assortment of beer and sodas. “I think it’s a hell of a lot better than all those places we saw today.”

“This is generous…” Libby stood in the middle of the open space, light coming in from the wall of glass that faced the pool. “I love it. Are you sure?”

“The only question is—do we store your furniture or all this stuff?”

“It’s a deal only if you’ll tell me if it becomes a problem.” Libby imitated Tully by putting up her finger as if she were getting ready to rattle off a list. “You also have to promise to take a walk with me when you have time, and let me pay rent.”

“Okay to the problem and the walks, but no deal on the rent. Come on, Libby, don’t argue with me. I’m an attorney who thrives on arguing, and you know that the fewer expenses you have now, the quicker you’ll be debt-free after law school. Besides, it’s a pile of bricks in my yard, and maybe you’ll get the urge to cook a few more meals for me and the kids.”

The small house was anything but a pile of bricks, and Libby took the hand Tully offered. “Deal, then.”

Chapter Twelve

“Are you learning to relax?” Roxanne asked as soon as Tully walked into the office, Libby at her side.

“It would seem I’ve quit smoking, so I’m anything but relaxed.”

“That reminds me.” Roxanne ripped open the box in her hand. “Lift your sleeve for me.” She held up one of the patches Bailey had called about. Her eyes slid by Libby and she made no comment about her presence.

“Unless you can roll that up and light it, I suggest you stay away from me.”

“Uh-huh.” Roxanne just handed the patch to Libby. “Pasco got here a few minutes ago. I put him in your office.”

“Pasco?” Libby asked, poring over the instructions on where best to put the patch.

“Pasco St. John,” Tully said. “I use him to do all my investigative work.”

“I’m sure he can wait a few minutes.” Libby held up the patch. “I’ll be gentle, and it’ll make you feel better.”

Once inside her office, Tully made the introductions and asked Pasco to step out briefly so that Libby could minister to her. Wishing she’d kept her New Year’s resolution to work out, Tully rolled her sleeve up as high as Libby needed.

“Thank you,” she said as Libby’s warm fingers smoothed the small square flat against the back of her bicep. She couldn’t determine whether she was tingling because she’d bared her arm to Libby, because Libby had touched her so gently, or because she needed a cigarette.

“I’ll be out at my desk if you need anything.” Libby stopped at the door and added, “Thanks again for the pool house.”

“Get to work,” Tully ordered in a joking tone and laughed. “Rox, send Pasco back in, please.”

Tully thought about the man she would be working with on this case. Pasco St. John hailed from a long line of law-enforcement professionals, but had chosen to follow his father into his private investigating firm. Tully had known the nearly sixty-year-old jokester almost from her first day at Barnes, Corey, and Badeaux.

He had let her know that he enjoyed working with her because she knew exactly what information she was after and provided enough of a starting point to help him find it. And he loved to win as much as she did.

“Tell me you have something exciting for me to do. I’ve been nothing but bored out of my gourd lately,” he said in lieu of a greeting.

“I’ve got sex, betrayal, murder, and intrigue, bored man.”

He rubbed his hands together and settled into the chair across from her desk. “Whatcha got?”

Tully handed over the Hebert file, along with everything she knew about Kara Nicolas, then waited. Since Pasco was a voracious reader with close to a photographic memory, it wouldn’t take long.

“Sounds like a fairly common procedure, nothing the kid should’ve been dying over.”

“Give me the usual workup on Dr. Nicolas. I’m talking from the time the doctor slapped her ass to what she had for breakfast this morning.”

His eyebrows spiked. “You sound mad as a wet hen. Are you not telling me something?”

The nagging want for a cigarette was abating, and Tully expelled a sigh of gratitude that Bailey had thought of the damn patch. “We’ve worked together long enough for you to realize that some cases affect me more than others. I want to win this one for the Heberts. But you’re right, there’s something more.”

With a clear detachment from her feelings, Tully told him about Jessica’s new relationship with Kara. She still couldn’t talk about how she knew for sure just how close they were. Pasco listened, nodding every so often.

“I’m surprised you aren’t frothing at the mouth. You want to bring this woman down because you want Jess back?”

“Not even if she came with the ability to spit gold out of her ass.” Tully let some of her control go. “Once you meet Elijah and Simone Hebert, you’ll know why I want to win.”

“But bringing this bitch down will satisfy that part of your soul that wants to skin her slowly, am I right?”

“There is that.” Tully laughed as she found a copy of the file she’d given him in the pile on her desk. They spent the rest of the morning mapping out a course of action for gathering all the information Tully wanted. She gave Pasco a final set of directions and shook his hand as she showed him out. He had only been gone for a few moments when Libby stuck her head in and asked if she had plans for lunch.

“Not at this time.” Tully sat on the edge of her desk and smiled at her. “The staff treating you all right?”

“I was helping Jo and Frank with some research. They just left for lunch.”

Tully knew Frank and Josephine weren’t rude, so their not inviting Libby to go with them surprised her. “Were they meeting a client?”

“No, they’re just going down to the deli. They invited me, but I, uh, decided to see if you were free. If you have other plans—”

“Do I get to pick the place?” Tully noticed Libby blush, and the redder she flamed, the wider Tully smiled.

“Sure.” Libby’s voice broke.

Tully left her jacket in the office and walked Libby down the street toward the river. She rarely left the office to eat, but something about Libby’s innocent air was hard to say no to. Four blocks later they were approaching Magazine Street, and Tully grabbed Libby’s hand before she could cross.

“We’re going this way.” She pointed to the left.

Liborio, a Cuban restaurant a block down, was one of her favorites, and Tully had been hoping she could introduce Libby to it as a way of thanking her for all of her support. They blended in well with the rest of the lunch crowd, mostly from the nearby federal building and other area firms.

“I’ll have the Cuban sandwich, please,” Tully said, handing the menu back to the waiter.

“She’ll actually have the roasted chicken with a side salad, and I’ll have the same.” Libby smiled sweetly at the guy who was busy scratching out what he’d written and waited patiently for the blowup from across the table.

“Are you going to cut up the chicken when it gets here too?”

“That sandwich is, like, a gazillion calories over your limit,” Libby replied evenly, “so just accept the fact I’m looking out for you.”

“Uh-huh, and why does that sound like I’m going to be on a diet for the rest of my life? And don’t think I forgot the bit about me having a limit.”

Libby decided to change the topic. “Are the kids going to be okay with me living so close by?”

“I’m sure Bailey will love having you there to talk to, and Ralph is as easygoing as they get. I’m sure it won’t be a problem. If that’s your only concern, then feel free to move in whenever you like.”

Libby slowly stirred sweetener into a large glass of tea and felt the tightness in her chest loosen. She’d been on her own for so long that she constantly worried about the unknown. She worried about financially making it so that she had a place to live, about getting sick, about school, and about the future in general.

Tully seemed to be her exact opposite in that she didn’t act like she worried about too much. “I just don’t want to add any more to what they’re going through.”

“I want you to repeat after me.” Tully leaned closer and smiled. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Libby laughed but dutifully repeated the mantra. “The best thing that ever happened to me is that you love coffee.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to flatter me. I’ve already told you the place is yours,” Tully joked. “But if you must, then go on. I’m not going to argue about how wonderful I am.”

The days Libby worked in the office, they followed the same lunch routine. Libby usually tried to get Tully to actually leave the office, but sometimes they sat on Tully’s sofa and ordered from the deli downstairs.

When Roxanne came in with the day’s mail, she said, “Libby just got here, if you’re interested.”

Tully whipped her head up from her reading so quickly that, forgetting she was holding the pen so close, she drew a yellow highlighter line along her face. “Is it her birthday or something?”

“No.”

“Then why the announcement?”

Roxanne turned back to the door to make sure it was closed. “She looks like she’s been crying, and she didn’t come in and tell you hello like she usually does. I just thought something was wrong.”

“Order that veggie pita thing she loves from downstairs, and tell her I need to see her.”

When Libby stepped in and closed the door, her eyes did appear red and a bit swollen. “Have a bad morning at school?” Tully asked.

Libby shook her head and just leaned against the closed door.

“Anyone in the office giving you problems?”

Again Libby shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not usually this morose, but today’s my dad’s birthday, or should I say used to be my dad’s birthday.”

“It still is, no matter that he’s not here to blow out some candles. I’m sorry I haven’t asked before now, but could you share with me what happened to your parents?” Tully asked.

“When I was Bailey’s age, my grandmother died.”

“Were you close?”

When Tully took Libby by the hand to the sofa, she went willingly. “Not really. We didn’t see her that often, and my dad was always working, but she made the best peanut butter cookies.”

“Sounds like something you aren’t going to let me eat anytime soon.”

When the tease made Libby laugh, Tully felt like she’d finally accomplished something.

“They left to go to the funeral, and because I didn’t feel well, my mom let me stay home. On the way back, driving through a bad storm, an older man lost control of his car, crossed the center line, and hit them head-on. Neither of them survived.”

When Tully wrapped her arms around Libby, she sobbed into her shoulder.

“Sometimes their birthdays and the anniversary of their deaths blindside me. I always thought that if I’d been with them my life would be so different.”

“Oh, Libby, don’t do that to yourself. If you’d been with them you might have died too, and I’m glad you didn’t.” Tully pulled back enough to wipe away Libby’s tears. “What happened to you after that?”

“Since I had no other living relatives, the state had to put me in foster care until I turned eighteen. I went to five families in that time, and then I started working so I could go to school.”

The knock on the door stopped Libby from saying anything else, and she seemed embarrassed that anyone else would see her like this.

“Hang on,” Tully said, loud enough so whoever it was could hear her. “Do me a favor, okay?”

Libby nodded.

“Take off your shoes and get comfortable. I had lunch ordered for us, and I have a lot of reading to do today, so we’re going to stay in here and take it easy.”

While they ate lunch Libby told her the rest of the story. Her time in foster care had left her heart broken, but she never lost hope that if she was patient enough she’d connect with someone like her parents had.

After lunch Tully picked up her file and started reading as Libby stretched out and closed her eyes. Putting her head in Tully’s lap and squeezing one of Tully’s hands between both of hers, Libby fell asleep.

Chapter Thirteen

Once Libby moved into the pool house, she rode in to school with Tully and the kids most mornings, then caught the streetcar to work. Things had changed after that day in Tully’s office: Libby approached Tully more easily with different concerns, and Tully reciprocated.

Every evening except the two nights Libby had class, they walked and discussed whatever came to mind, if she didn’t need help with her homework. Other than the one night a week that Jessica spent with Bailey and Ralph, taking them out to eat and then dropping them off without getting out of the car, Libby had time to get to know the kids when they helped her cook dinner.

While Tully never replaced the dining room furniture and other pieces Jessica had taken, she did move into the guest room to sleep. Initiating other changes, Bailey and Ralph had set a new rule that Tully was happy to go along with: from six to eight every night no one would work. As a family they’d taken up biking, and when Tully bought Libby a bike, she joined them.

Tully was sure pedaling around the neighborhood would kill her, just as she’d thought walking with Libby would. But with every mile they covered, she began to discover her lost stamina as well as a closer relationship with the kids. What she was having a harder time ignoring was just how big a part Libby had become in all their lives. She knew instinctively that no matter what, Libby would never turn her back on Bailey and Ralph and the bond they’d formed, but something much larger did make her fear for the future.

No matter what Jessica thought about her being an idiot when it came to feelings and what it took to be an exciting partner, Tully was smart enough to know just how wonderful Libby was. Libby’s life had been more than difficult, but she’d come through it with an incredible insight into people and a rosy outlook on the future. It was only a matter of time before those attributes, along with her beauty, would attract someone’s attention and she’d move on to the kind of relationship she deserved in order to be happy.

The day that happened, Tully was sure that the pain of losing Jessica would pale in comparison to watching Libby fall in love with someone else.

“Can I tell you something without sounding rude?” Libby asked Tully after they had dropped the kids off at school. During the ride, she usually read something for school and Tully talked on the phone with Roxanne, but today Libby caught her before she could dial.

“Sure, what’s on your mind?”

“Those pants look horrible on you.”

Tully whipped her head around and stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“You’ve lost a lot of weight. You have to have noticed that your pants are getting baggy.” When Tully stared at her until the light turned green and the driver behind them sat on his horn, Libby started to get nervous. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“No. What else about me needs fixing?”

“New pants, new shirts, and new suits are a reward, not something that has to be fixed about you, Tully.”

“Shopping for new clothes is more of a penance than a reward,” Tully said, and visibly shivered.

“I’ll make you a deal.”

“Our last deal involved a lot of exercise, sweat, and giving up cigarettes.”

Libby laughed and leaned closer in. “That was a bet, not a deal.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Of course. Finish up early today, and I’ll take you shopping and help you get some new things.”

“You’re buying me some clothes?”

She pinched Tully’s side. “As if I could afford them, even if I don’t pay rent. No, I’m picking things out and you’re paying. I’ll be your personal shopper.”

“I see.” Tully grabbed Libby’s hand before she could pinch her again, and didn’t let go. “And what’s this service going to cost me?”

“Dinner at Le Jardin.” And one of the most romantic restaurants in the city, so hopefully the candlelight will make you notice I’m alive. Libby kept that thought to herself. “You know you want to, and the kids are having dinner with Jessica tonight so you don’t have an excuse.”

“Sure,” Tully said, blushing when her voice cracked on the word.

That afternoon the salesman at Brooks Brothers smiled broadly when Libby handed him Tully’s suit and pointed to a few more things for him to bring in to Tully, who was busy complaining in the dressing room. Unless she wanted to stroll out of the mall in her underwear, Tully would have to try on everything Libby picked out.

“How about this one?” He held up a navy pin-striped suit. “It should fit perfectly to wear out.”

“Good. She has a dinner date after this,” Libby said, loud enough for Tully to hear.

“Is this the last one?” A slimmed-down, tailored Tully stepped out.

As Libby looked her up and down, she was sure her feelings were written all over her face. This new Tully was a walking fantasy. Not that Libby hadn’t found her attractive before, but the weight loss had taken years off her face.

“Wow.” Libby couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“We’ll take all of it, I guess,” Tully told the hovering employee, who clapped his hands. “Come on, personal shopper, let’s take these to the car.” She bent her arm and offered her elbow to Libby.

After stowing their purchases they strolled through the French Quarter, since it was too early for dinner. When they were close enough Tully recommended the bar at the Bella Luna restaurant, and Libby agreed. Located in a large veranda to the side of the restaurant, it had a perfect view of the river. People talked softly and listened to the three-piece jazz band playing slow songs for their enjoyment.

“I’ve never been here,” Libby said after Tully handed her a glass of wine. The women at the table next to her had kept their eyes glued on Tully the whole time she’d been at the bar, and Libby was about to throw peanuts at them to make them stop.

“We’re breaking new ground together, then, because I’ve never been here either.” Tully sat next to her, her back to her admirers. The band swung into a familiar piece. “Do you dance, Ms. Dexter?” She put her drink down and held her hand out.

“Not well, but I think I can handle the slow ones.”

Libby followed Tully’s lead and spent the next four songs enjoying the feel of Tully’s arms around her and the sound of her heart beating. They swayed in place for the next song, still not talking as they watched the sun make its final descent.

“Your table’s ready, Ms. Badeaux,” said the host, sounding almost loath to disturb them.

“Thank you.” Without losing contact Tully stepped back a little so she could see Libby’s face. “How about dinner here, and I’ll take you to Le Jardin next week?”

Libby nodded and had to rein in the temptation to kiss her.

They fell into a more comfortable and normal conversation at the table, but as they walked back to the car Libby was sure of one thing. That night, both of them bathed in candlelight and enjoying good food, she had seen something new in Tully’s gray eyes—a little wanting and a lot of fear, which gave her enough hope to try.

When they arrived home, she helped Tully carry everything in from the car, then they walked together to the pool house. Tully kissed her forehead as they stood at the door and waited until she had let herself in locked up. But Libby didn’t move once the dead bolt slid into place. She wanted to watch through the French doors as Tully walked to the back door of her house, and was ready to come out again if she turned around.

“You might not be ready yet, but don’t run from me, Tully,” she whispered.

Tully made it to the house without turning back. With the summer break approaching for Bailey, Ralph, and Libby, and the information gathering for the Hebert case coming to an end, she was ready to draw her line in the sand. After only three short months she felt like a new person, ready to face her demons or slay them, depending on how others interpreted her actions.

With all she had going on, the one thing she strove for above all else was willpower. Young women like Libby didn’t fall in love with single parents in their forties, so Tully was determined to control her feelings. Libby deserved someone young and full of life to build a future with, not a cradle robber.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 451