A Dark Horse

by Cooper, Blayne

  Adele shrugged sheepishly. “Comfort food.”

  Natalie frowned a little and wondered if it was the chill in the air that brought on Adele’s need for warm comfort or something more sinister. While their argument had been unpleasant, it wasn’t cause for the lingering look of sadness in Adele’s eyes. Natalie was concerned and interested, but she also knew she needed to be patient. Now was not the time. Adele didn’t trust her enough to share anything too personal.

  Natalie searched her mind for a neutral subject. “Does, um, Georgia live here too?”

  “Nah. She has a place with her husband in Bywater.” At Natalie’s blank look Adele clarified, “That’s a neighborhood right nearby. She rides her old-school bicycle to work every day. You know the kind with the big wicker basket on the front and a shiny horn with a rubber ball on the end.” She shook her head with mock worry. “The way she uses that horn, I see a road rage incident in her future.”

  Natalie smiled at the fondness in Adele’s voice when she talked about Georgia. “She seems really nice and is clearly crazy about you. She’s not shy about showing it. Let’s see…” Contemplatively, Natalie tapped her chin with her index finger. “You’re such a smart girl. And such a good mother. And you have such a green thumb. And the inn’s customers all love you.” The light was too dim, but by the way Adele ducked her head, Natalie guessed she was blushing.

  “She said all that while showing you your room?” Adele groaned, clearly horrified.

  “And she said that you dance really well…” Natalie waited a beat before adding, “for a white girl.”

  Adele gaped, then spluttered, “She did not say that!”

  Natalie laughed softly, inordinately pleased with Adele’s flustered reaction. “Okay, she didn’t. But I’m guessing it’s true.” She’d seen that swagger the last time she was in New Orleans. Anyone with a walk like that is bound to be fabulous on the dance floor…and killer in bed. The tail end of that unexpected thought caused Natalie’s cheeks to flame.

  “I, uh…I wasn’t too bad before.”

  For a second Natalie stared wide-eyed, suddenly feeling hot all over. Then she realized that she hadn’t actually said the “in bed” part out loud to Adele. But why did Adele suddenly look so serious? Natalie replayed the conversation in her mind and the answer hit her like a ton of bricks. Her leg. Oh, shit. “So, um, now you’ll just have to focus on slow dancing instead and leave the crazy break dancing moves to someone else,” she said, and gave Adele a soft, apologetic smile.

  Despite Natalie’s faux pas, Adele seemed to relax a bit more. “I will.”

  Natalie leaned back toward the oven. It was still warm, and the scent of the food reminded her of weekends as a child when her mother’s cookie baking was a given. She didn’t bake for herself as an adult, knowing she’d only end up eating the entire batch of whatever she made. But that didn’t mean she didn’t miss the cookies.

  Natalie finished her sandwich and milk in two large swallows. Her stomach was happier and had settled. “It’s nice in here.” She glanced around the kitchen, though it was hard to see much in the wan light. “Comfortable and relaxing.”

  “Thanks. We renovated it last year. I’ve got tons of fancy furniture in the rest of the house, but lots of times I find myself on one of these barstools instead. Our customers aren’t normally back here, so it’s set up the way I like it and not so much for anyone else.”

  It seemed so strange to Natalie to think that Adele owned this inn and this was her life now. In her mind Adele was a detective. She didn’t just carry a gun and badge, those things were the trappings of the job, albeit essential ones. Adele helped people for a living. And anything other than that seemed out a place, as though Adele had settled for something less than who she was meant to be. It was like Sherlock Holmes taking a job as a kindergarten teacher, or a lion being employed as a house cat. It just didn’t work. Period. End of story. And just think how she must have felt to give it all up. The thought made Natalie’s heart ache.

  “Are you sure you own this place?” Natalie asked, feeling as though she must be missing some part of this puzzle.

  Adele’s eyes went round. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. If I don’t, I’ve been paying someone else’s light bill for two years.” The edge of her mouth curled. “Do you know something I don’t?”

  “No. I guess…” Natalie lifted one hand and let it drop. “I know you said you’re not a detective anymore.”

  Adele’s spine straightened.

  “No, don’t get mad…I remember you said you didn’t want to talk about it. And I’m sure this is a great job.” Natalie motioned around the room. “And this inn is gorgeous.” She’d always suspected Adele had means beyond what a couple of detective salaries could provide. Owning this place, unless it was leveraged to the hilt, and really, even if it was, was proof.

  “The Jacuzzi in my room?” Natalie closed her eyes and let out a low whistle of appreciation. “If I ever get married,” she paused and lifted a dramatic eyebrow, “and if you included meals—” Adele snorted— “I could totally have my honeymoon here.” Although, she acknowledged grimly, at some point remembering the horrible things that she’d seen in this city would likely kill the mood.

  “Lucky me,” Adele said dryly, one leg bouncing casually and restlessly to the beat of some internal drum in a way that Natalie keenly remembered. “Shall I book your rooms now? Or wait for swans to deliver the message that you’ve found your Prince Charming.”

  Natalie smirked. “Don’t hold your breath for the swans.” Then her brows drew together. “Are you sure you’re not secretly a private detective, or bounty hunter in addition to being an innkeeper?”

  Adele rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.”

  Natalie warmed to the subject. “Or assassin? Or spy? Or ninja? Or—”

  “Again, pretty sure. Why do you insist that my life must be an episode of Charlie’s Angels?”

  “I shouldn’t,” Natalie agreed. “But what about undercover social worker? Isn’t that what you went to school to do?” As far as she was concerned, those people pretty much fell into the superhero category. Natalie had no idea how they coped with such difficult jobs and circumstances. And that sort of work just seemed so…Adele.

  Adele shifted uncomfortably, and Natalie cursed her new, and astonishing, inability to successfully engage in small talk. “Of course, maybe your interests have changed,” she rushed to add. “I get that.” The current state of her own career flashed through Natalie’s mind, along with the hard choices she knew she needed to make. “Boy, do I get that.”

  “I’m finished with that part of my life.” Adele’s voice was serious, and Natalie wished that she’d turned on a light before she sat down. She wanted to study Adele’s eyes. “I’m none of those things you just mentioned, though I guess I’m flattered you see me that way.” Adele’s smile was genuine but a little melancholy. “It’s delusional, but I’m still flattered.”

  Natalie nodded with relief. Yes, that’s what she meant. Thank goodness Adele understood. Well, not the delusional part. But the part where she’d meant her joking questions as a compliment and maybe, admittedly, a gentle nudge toward an explanation.

  “Do you want one of those brownies?” Adele gestured to the pan that was still on the cooling rack. “They’re cool enough to eat now. But I think I’m going to wait until tomorrow for mine. Especially after the hot chocolate.” She poked at her own perfectly flat stomach. “Gotta spread out the cavities and calories…”

  Natalie gave her a disgusted look. “Ugh. You don’t need to spread out anything. You’re one of those lucky, almost-mythical women who can eat whatever she wants, aren’t you?”

  “Not always.”

  Natalie shook her head sorrowfully and sighed. “I am not so lucky.”

  “Whatever,” Adele scoffed. “We’re probably the exact same size.”

  “Probably,” Natalie admitted, though she couldn’t help but notice that Adele was a little bustier, though neithe
r one of them was underdeveloped in that particular area. “But I suffer for it. So I’ll wait too.” Natalie smiled warmly. “Thanks for the sandwich. I was about to faint from hunger.”

  “That won’t be the case for long. New Orleans is nothing if not the center of the world for delicious food. We have fabulous restaurants on every block. Trust me.”

  Natalie twisted her fingers together. “Will you show me one of those restaurants, tomorrow maybe?” When Adele didn’t answer right away she panicked enough to fill the silence. “That is, if Landry will be okay with me hogging up more of your time. I want us to have a fresh start. I meant my apology, and I get that you don’t want to help me now, and that’s okay.”

  Adele scowled and opened her mouth, but Natalie plowed ahead. “I’m not trying to change your mind about that. At least not right this second,” she admitted with blunt honesty. “And I do want us to be friends and spending some time together would be a good way to start, don’t you think?”

  Adele nodded once. When she spoke, her voice was nearly a whisper. “Landry won’t mind.”

  Natalie let out a relieved breath, remembering how uncomfortable she’d felt when Landry had announced his jealousy. Poor Adele had looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock. “Great. I, um, I can be a good friend when I want to be. I’m not the hothead my last departure from New Orleans made it seem.”

  Adele leaned forward, her elbows resting on top of the cool granite of the kitchen island, and her eyes picking up a glint of light from the window. “No?”

  Natalie shook her head, collected Adele’s dishes without asking, and loaded them into the dishwasher. “I’m really not. I was embarrassed by the way I had acted by the time I got off the plane in Madison, and I should have been.”

  Natalie nibbled on her lower lip for just a second before adding, “Even the woman I was dating at the time told me I was being a baby for running out in the middle of our conversation. She said I was lucky you were ethical and not some robot cop who didn’t care about the people she was serving.” Her stomach clenched as she steeled herself for Adele’s reaction.

  After only the briefest of hesitations, Adele looked down at her hands and swallowed. She glanced back up and quietly asked, “What did you do then?”

  The tension melted from Natalie’s body so quickly that she felt a little light-headed. “Broke up with her.” She didn’t bother to add that Hannah had been about as supportive as a bag of hair during that very difficult time.

  A rogue laugh burst from Adele. “Yeah, I can see that you aren’t a hothead.”

  Natalie winced. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best example of what I’m trying to say. But if it helps, I realized I was being a jerk again and came crawling back to apologize a few days later. I’ve been much better since then. Honestly.”

  Adele sighed and nodded. The grandfather clock chimed again, and she stretched her arms over her head, twisting a little. “I should go to bed.”

  Natalie wasn’t especially looking forward to closing her eyes again because of what might be waiting for her on the other side, but she could only put it off so long. “Me too.”

  Both women headed out into the hallway with Adele in the lead. “Adele?”

  Adele winced at the use of her given name. “I was angry before, and not just at you, when I said not to call me Ella.” She gave Natalie an apologetic look. “But, please do, okay?”

  Natalie’s grin was so broad it stretched her cheeks. “Ella, would you mind pointing me in the direction of someplace I can shop for clothes tomorrow? Once again, I packed poorly. You’d think I would know not to come down to New Orleans with less than a full suitcase…ever.”

  Adele thought about it long enough that Natalie began to grow uncomfortable, then she nodded and began walking slowly down the hall to her suite of rooms at the back of the house. Her limp was still very present, but not as bad as it had been directly after working in the yard. “Sure. I know just the place. Good night, Natalie. Have happy dreams tonight, okay?”

  Natalie watched her go and prayed that Adele’s request came true.

  Chapter Nine

  The next day…

  “If you’re making enough to share, don’t you think you should let her know so she can get it while it’s hot?” Georgia said, giving Adele a little glare from her spot on the barstool that Adele had occupied the night before. “Never mind. Instant grits are a sin anyway, having them cold couldn’t make them taste any worse.”

  The bright morning sun lit Adele’s face as she added grits to boiling water, then moved to cut up some fruit. She’d gotten a little color yesterday and her cheeks had a rosy glow. “They’ll keep. Besides, there’s no hurry. Natalie had a horrible day yesterday, and I’m not gonna be the one to wake her up.” She shook her knife in Georgia’s direction. “And you’re not either.”

  Georgia sniffed haughtily. “I would never wake a guest.”

  Adele made a face at Georgia’s statement. After last night, Natalie didn’t feel like just a guest at the inn, she felt like her guest. “Speaking of that, we’re not charging her for her stay. Our rooms aren’t cheap, and it’s not like she’s down here on vacation. You can just put the money back on her credit card or whatever.”

  “We’re priced just exactly right,” Georgia challenged with mock indignation. Room pricing was a familiar argument between them, and Georgia had won the last round. “What does she do for a living that makes us too expensive?”

  “College professor. And I’m not saying she can’t afford it. I’m saying we don’t need to charge her.”

  “That pretty girl is a professor?” Georgia’s eyebrows jumped. “She must be a smart one.”

  Adele hummed her agreement. “For sure. And she’s not a girl. We’re almost the same age. If thirty-seven is a girl, I’m looking forward to living to be a hundred and twenty.”

  “I thought you were just acquaintances? Since when do acquaintances stay for free?”

  “Since now.”

  Georgia’s dark eyes narrowed. “And since when do acquaintances look like they’re gonna strangle each other? I couldn’t believe my eyes yesterday. I haven’t seen you throw dirt since you were six years old. What’s next? Makin’ her eat worms?”

  Adele smiled as she sliced a banana, then gathered the pieces into a glass bowl alongside some strawberries. Wiping her hands on a towel, she gave the grits a quick stir. “I only did that to Jackson once.”

  “Ha!” Georgia stuck her fingers in the bowl to steal a strawberry slice. She popped it into her mouth, humming a little. “You only got caught feeding your brother night crawlers once, you mean.”

  Adele’s smile turned mischievous. “Same thing.”

  “Somebody’s in a good mood.”

  “Does it happen so rarely that you notice immediately?”

  Wisely, Georgia remained mute on the topic, though that in itself was an answer.

  The teakettle began to whistle and Georgia hopped up and gently bumped Adele out of the way with her bony hip as she reached for it. “So what’s the story with you two? I know it’s somethin’.”

  Adele sighed and looked out the kitchen window with unfocused eyes. “Her brother is…was Joshua Phillips.”

  Georgia froze. “What?”

  “Do I really need to repeat it?” The grits began to simmer. Adele turned down the flame beneath them and absently continued to stir.

  Georgia shook her head and went back to the island with the kettle and two teacups in hand. “I guess not. But I thought you walked away from all that, Ella.”

  When Adele didn’t immediately confirm Georgia’s statement, she looked a little put out. “Please tell me you’re not going to do anything that will—”

  “None of what happened at the NOPD was her fault, Georgia.” Adele’s tone was resigned but firm.

  “I know. I just worry about you.”

  “I get it.” Adele turned and pinned Georgia with a serious look. “I’m fine, okay? So nobody needs to worry. A
nd since I know you report back on how I’m doing to Mama and Daddy, could you share that tidbit too?”

  “It doesn’t make me an informant just because I tell your daddy and mama how you’re doing. It’s called conversation.” Georgia pursed full lips as she handed Adele a steaming cup. “But whatever you want. You’re the boss.”

  Adele snorted, and her shoulders relaxed. “Since when?”

  Georgia let loose a loud guffaw. “Well, at least you know who’s actually in charge. When I worked for your mama she used to tell me the same thing.” She winked at Adele. “It takes a big person to recognize the woman behind the woman. And since everyone’s in agreement that I am in charge, I’m decreeing that you take the day off.”

  Adele’s pale eyebrows rose. “What? We have too much to do.”

  Georgia eyed Adele speculatively. “Make that two days.”

  “I can’t!”

  “You can,” Georgia disagreed with utter confidence. “And even if we were too busy, you overdid it yesterday.” Her expression took on more than a hint of worry and she examined Adele carefully. “I haven’t seen you limp like that since you quit the rehab center.”

  “Georgia…” Adele warned. “I already have parents. And, I told you, I’m fine.”

  “Yes. Yes.” Georgia waved a hand in the air. “You’re fine and you and your ‘acquaintance’ can go be fine together, away from the house. I have Ross coming over to put a bid on the paint job anyway.”

  Adele’s eyes narrowed and she began to erratically stir the grits. “You know I don’t like that man. He’s a messy old perv who spends more time flirting than working.”

  Georgia gave her a crafty grin. “I enjoy the flirtin’, especially if it gets us a discount. Besides, you won’t be here to see it.”

  Silently admitting that a day off wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, Adele tossed the banana peel in the trash. “You’re lucky that I was going to be gone for a while this morning anyway.”

  “Aha! I thought you were dressed too nicely for replacing the trim in Suite Four’s bathroom.”