by M. S. Parker
It was strange, how quickly I’d forgotten what it was like to be alone here late at night. It wasn’t the same, of course, as it had been after Allen died, but it was still too quiet, too empty. I wanted to text Jasper and ask him to come home so I didn’t have to eat dinner alone, so that I didn’t spend my time wondering when he would be here. So I could fall asleep in his arms instead of waking up when he crawled into bed behind me.
I didn’t though. The clinic was important and I didn’t want to become one of those women who couldn’t stand on her own two feet. Granted, it wasn’t like I didn’t have a good reason to need someone to lean on lately, but I still didn’t want to be that kind of needy person.
I was fine for the next couple hours and fine as I went into the kitchen to get myself something to eat. I’d made a casserole yesterday and there was plenty left so I spooned out a plate and stuck it in the microwave. As I went to the refrigerator, the house phone rang. I considered not getting it on the off chance that it was the Lockwoods, but they hadn’t called during the past week which led me to believe that they hadn’t discovered what Jasper and I had done, which meant they’d have no reason to call me.
I picked it up. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Lockwood?”
“Mr. Henley.” My stomach clenched and, suddenly, the smell of the casserole, which had been so appetizing, now made me want to throw up. I sat down on one of the chairs. I wasn’t sure my legs could hold me, no matter what my lawyer had to say.
“I apologize for calling so late, but I got the test results and didn’t think you’d want me to wait until tomorrow.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“The DNA isn’t a match.”
I closed my eyes and felt the tears make hot trails down my cheeks. It was all I could do not to actually cry with relief.
“Allen isn’t Jenny Vargas’s father.”
I hadn’t really needed the explanation, but I appreciated hearing it out loud just the same. I put my hand over my mouth and took a shaky breath.
She wasn’t Allen’s. He hadn’t had a child with another woman.
I wiped my cheeks. “Thank you.” The words came out as weak as I felt.
“I’m sure this is a big relief for you,” he said.
I almost laughed. No shit.
“But it’s not completely solving the problem.”
I opened my eyes and frowned. “What do you mean?”
Henley sighed. “I know this is giving you peace of mind because you know that was Allen’s DNA, but Miss Vargas is contesting where the sample of Allen’s DNA came from. She has an attorney who’s filing papers to force me to disclose the source, as well as who gave it to me.”
“I thought that was covered under attorney-client privilege?” I asked.
“It is,” he replied. “But as soon as I say that, they’ll know it came from you.”
“And they’ll just assume that I had something of Allen’s and handed it over.”
“That would’ve worked,” he said. “If the Lockwoods didn’t already know that you didn’t have anything.”
Shit. “They’re involved?”
“Not exactly,” Henley said. “But they did contact Miss Vargas at the end of last week and told her that they wanted to meet Jenny.”
Double shit.
I never should have told them about her. I should’ve just skipped over trying to do things the legal way and gone straight to the breaking and entering.
“They told her that they believed that Jenny was Allen’s daughter and that they’d help her prove it.”
The sick feeling in my stomach was back. “They’re behind it,” I said. “They’re the ones telling her to question where the DNA came from.”
“Most likely,” he agreed.
“So what do we do now?” I closed my eyes again and rubbed at my temples. “I mean, can they compel me to say where I got the...teeth?”
“Maybe,” Henley said. “Like I told you before, criminal law isn’t my area of expertise.”
“Do you want me to get another lawyer?” I really hoped not. I trusted Savill Henley, and there weren’t many people at the moment I could say that about.
“Not if you don’t want one,” he said, his tone firm. “I’ll talk with some friends of mine, get their opinion on things. I’m going to do whatever needs to be done to make sure this goes away.”
I nodded and thanked him automatically. There wasn’t really anything else to say. Maybe good luck? Hope things go well? My emotions were a chaotic mess. I was lucky I could even think well enough for gratitude. I hung up the phone after he promised to call me as soon as he knew anything new, but I didn’t move from where I was sitting.
Jenny wasn’t Allen’s.
He hadn’t lied to me about that. He hadn’t abandoned his daughter.
I should’ve been relieved.
I was relieved.
I pressed my fingers together to try to keep my hands from shaking. I needed to talk to Jasper. Tell him about the call. More than that, I needed to hear his voice.
I called his cell from the house phone, thankful that his number had already been programmed in. He didn’t answer though. It went to voicemail and I left a brief message, asking him to call me back. I frowned at the phone as I hung up. He hadn’t answered. That was strange.
I could’ve called the main clinic line. Jasper had given me the number yesterday, but I knew that Georgia would be the one who answered. I preferred to wait for Jasper to come home.
No, that was a lie. I didn’t prefer to wait for Jasper. I wanted him here. Now.
I put my head on my hands and waited to fall asleep.
Chapter 20
I was already asleep when Jasper came home, but him climbing into bed woke me as it always did. I rolled over before he’d even finished settling and pressed my face against his chest. He wrapped his arms around as I breathed in the smell of soap and him. The hair on his chest scratched against my cheek, but I didn’t mind.
“Jenny isn’t Allen’s daughter.” My words were muffled and soft, but Jasper’s arms tightened around me. “Henley called.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Jasper kissed the top of my head.
I nodded. “It’s not over yet. Aime’s not going to give up.”
“Then we’ll face it together,” he said. “But at least we know the truth.”
I nodded again and pressed myself even more closely against his bare skin. I didn’t want to talk anymore. I just wanted to sleep. As if sensing this, he didn’t say another word, only held me until I fell asleep again.
He was still holding me when I woke up the next morning. I still had a few minutes before my alarm was scheduled to go off and I spent them looking at him. He’d been working so hard lately.
I brushed some of his hair back from his face, letting my fingers linger on his cheek. I needed to be there for him more, let him know that I supported what he was doing. We were partners in this. It wasn’t all about him supporting me.
But I wasn’t about to wake him to tell him that. He needed to sleep.
I slipped out of his embrace and turned off the alarm before it could wake him up. I made sure to shut the bathroom door all the way and moved about as quietly as possible. It was the first time in a week that I’d been up before him and I left for school hoping that he’d stay in bed for at least a bit longer.
I’d actually slept well last night and now, in the daylight, I could see the positive side of things. Jenny wasn’t Allen’s daughter. That was a fact now. Aime could question it, and if I had to, I’d admit what I’d done to get Allen’s baby teeth, but no one would disparage Allen’s name. And no matter what I went through, Jasper would be there.
Class went well that morning and I texted Jasper at lunch. We managed to have a decent conversation before he had to go and I began to feel like things were finally going to get better. That my life was going to be okay.
I was partway through reviewing the previ
ous day’s math lesson when all hell broke loose.
It started when the door to my classroom opened. I assumed it was Principal Sanders coming in to see how I was doing. He’d done that quite a bit so far this year. Instead of him, however, a petite brunette came in, eyes narrowed and face flushed.
Shit.
“Aime.” I kept my voice calm as I started to walk towards her.
The way my classroom was set up, there were at least half a dozen kids between me and her, and the look on her face told me that I didn’t want anyone in her path, least of all my students. Any anger I had towards her was pushed aside. The kids mattered more than my own issues.
“If you need to speak with me, why don’t we step into the hallway?” I was surprised at how pleasant my voice sounded.
“You bitch!”
The whole class gasped. I was pretty sure some of them had heard the word before, but they all knew it was something they should never say.
“Aime.” I walked faster. I needed to get her out of the class and away from my kids. “Hallway, now.”
“Don’t you dare talk to me that way!”
I grabbed her elbow and steered her back through the door. I closed it firmly behind me and gave her a slight shove so that she was a few feet away. I didn’t want her anywhere near me.
“You’re a vindictive little whore!” She spat out the words. “You stole Allen from me. I’ll be damned if you get his money too. I’m owed that!”
“You need to go.” I crossed my arms over my chest to resist the impulse to slap her. “This is for the courts and lawyers to decide.”
“Like I’m going to let that happen.” She stalked towards me. “I warned you, you cunt, what would happen if you didn’t give me what I wanted!”
“We both know that Jenny isn’t Allen’s daughter...”
I didn’t even see the punch coming. I would’ve thought she’d be more the type to slap and scratch. Instead, she threw a right hook that caught me right across the jaw. I swore as pain burst across my jaw and I stumbled backwards. The second time she swung, however, I was ready and I grabbed her wrist, twisting it up behind her back like Mitchell had taught me years ago. She cursed and struggled, but she was small enough that I was able to keep her contained until the school’s security guards came running.
My school day came to an abrupt end as the security guards took Aime to the principal’s office. I wanted to go back in and calm my class because I knew they had to be terrified after watching Aime. When the principal gave me a strange look, my cheek gave a throb and I remembered that she’d hit me. Yeah, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for the kids to see me like this.
“You’re going to need to get that looked at,” Principal Sanders said. “You’re bleeding.”
I automatically lifted my hand, wincing as I touched my cheek, then bringing it down to see my fingers sticky with blood. Aime must’ve been wearing a ring.
“I’m fine,” I protested, trying to ignore the pain in the side of my face.
“If you want to press charges against her for assault, you’ll want medical records to show what she did.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. And I was going to press charges. It wasn’t just about how this would make Aime look bad in front of the court either. I was seriously worried about Jenny. A mother swearing in front of her daughter was her own business. A mother using her daughter to try to get a pay-off was despicable. A mother with that kind of temper could be dangerous. I had no proof that Aime ever hit Jenny, but after what she’d just done, I wouldn’t have put it past her. She obviously hadn’t cared about behaving violently in front of students. And how the hell did she get in the front doors?
I considered calling Jasper, but as the ambulances were pulling in, I sent off a deliberately vague text instead. He had enough on his mind and it wasn’t like he could do anything right now.
Aime showed up at school. I’ll tell you more when you get home.
By the time the paramedics had finished looking at my cheek and bandaged it, I’d gotten a response.
Stay there. I’m on my way.
Relief went through me. I’d been prepared to deal with this alone, but it was nice to know I wouldn’t have to.
“Shae!” Gina grabbed me in a hug, nearly knocking the wind out of me. “What the hell happened?”
I gave her the brief run-down after disentangling myself from her embrace. I watched as her eyes widened, then narrowed.
“I’m going to kick her ass.”
She started to turn towards the school and I reached out, grabbing her arm. I would’ve found it funny if I hadn’t known she was serious. Considering that before she’d become a teacher, she’d trained as a boxer, I didn’t doubt she could do plenty of damage.
“She’s under arrest, Gina, and I’m pressing charges. It’s all taken care of.”
Gina scowled, her eyes flashing. “I can’t believe Allen ever dated someone like that.”
“It was nearly ten years ago,” I said. A part of me thought she had a point, but I didn’t say that. “A lot can change in a decade.”
She didn’t have time to respond, however, because the school doors were opening and two officers came out with Aime between them. She didn’t struggle as they escorted her to the police car, but she did give me the kind of glare that could only be described as deadly. Another officer came my way and I was relieved to see that he was a regular uniform, not either of the detectives I’d had the pleasure of speaking to before.
“Mrs. Lockwood, a word?”
I gave him a tight smile and nodded. I was really getting sick of having to give statements to the police. I kept mine as short and to the point as possible, unable to keep myself from looking over at the entrance for Jasper’s car. I’d just finished telling the officer about how I’d pinned Aime’s arm behind her back when I saw the car. My heart gave a thud.
“Is that all?” I asked.
The officer followed my gaze and smiled as Jasper got out of the car. “Yes, ma’am. If we need anything else, we’ll call you.”
I barely heard the last part as I was being enfolded in Jasper’s strong arms.
“Oh, baby,” Jasper murmured as he gently touched the side of my face. “We need to get some ice on that.”
“I’m okay,” I said. I tightened my arms around his waist and let the safety I felt with him slide over me. “And you’re here, so I’m good now.”
Before either of us could say anything else, my cell phone buzzed. It wasn’t a text though. It was a call. I would’ve left it, except I was waiting for Henley’s call. I managed to get my phone out without leaving Jasper’s arms.
“Mr. Henley?”
“Shae, you’re not going to believe this. I think I may have just found a huge break. Do you think you can go into work late tomorrow? I need you to come by the office.”
I looked over at Principal Sanders who was talking to the same officer I’d given my statement to. “I think that can be arranged. What time do you want me there?”
Chapter 21
Part of me wished that Mr. Henley had told me over the phone what he’d found, but another part was glad that I didn’t have yet another thing to deal with at the moment. My cheek was throbbing, my nerves frayed. All I wanted to do was go home.
Jasper took me to the house and insisted on redressing my cheek. I didn’t think it was necessary, but I knew it was something he needed to do. He hadn’t been there to protect me, but he could care for me now. After he was done, I told him everything that had happened.
We had a quiet meal and what would’ve been a relaxing evening if I’d been able to stop wondering what Henley had for me. I knew Jasper was thinking about it too, but we didn’t talk about it. We didn’t speculate. We sat on the couch together and tried to distract ourselves from what was coming. It wasn’t until we were in bed, in the dark, that Jasper asked about it.
“Do you want me to come with you tomorrow?” He had his arms around me, his finge
rs tracing lazy circles around my nipple. It was a hard point under my thin cotton nightshirt. “I’ve got almost everything organized at the clinic. I can go in later.”
I shook my head. “No, you should finish things up this week so you can open next week. Mr. Henley said it was something good.”
“You’ll call me as soon as you leave?” His voice was starting to take on that thick sound that happened just before he fell asleep.
“I’ll call you,” I promised. My own eyelids were heavy.
He made a sound that I interpreted as a thank you and his arms tightened around me as his breathing slowed. I let myself relax back against him and I gradually slipped under.
Mr. Henley didn’t usually start seeing clients until nine, but he’d asked me to come in at eight. I wasn’t sure how long the meeting would take, but Principal Sanders had assured me he’d have me covered for the whole day. I had plenty of sick days so I didn’t have to worry about that. I figured I’d see where things went with Henley and decide then if I wanted to head in to work for the rest of the day. If I didn’t feel like it, maybe I’d go see if Jasper wanted to go out to lunch.
There were two other cars in the little parking lot when I pulled in and I recognized the small red one that belonged to Henley. The other one looked like a rental. I parked next to that one and headed inside. Gloria, Mr. Henley’s receptionist, gave me a wide smile and waved me in to the lawyer’s office. She was on the phone, so I didn’t stop to chat like I usually did. I’d been in here enough over the last few months that I’d gotten to know a bit about her family. She had a grandson in the Marines, a pug named Domino and was going to go on a cruise in the spring.
I knocked on Mr. Henley’s door, opening it after he called for me to come in. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw that he wasn’t alone.
Henley was sitting behind his desk and another man was sitting in one of the two chairs across from him. They both stood when I entered. The other man was tall, easily over six feet, and his lanky frame made him seem even taller. He had that gaunt look of someone who’d lost a great deal of weight in a short period of time. His clothes hung on him despite the fact that they’d obviously been tailor-made for him. They were clearly expensive, but now they were worn, used. His sandy brown hair was short and thinning, his dark eyes intelligent.
