“I appreciate what you’re doing, Rachel.”
“No worries. If I can crack this nut, I might get a shot at a permanent primetime slot. I’m totally doing it for myself.”
I didn’t believe her for a second, but I let it go. She was the best chance I had at a sister-in-law so far; I certainly wasn’t about to alienate her right off the bat. Besides, if she and Conrad hit it off, maybe I could borrow her interns sometimes. It would be kind of like having my own. I could offer them college credit for exposing the seedy underbelly of the tile behind my toilet. It sounded reasonable to me.
“Would it do me any good at all to try to get Elena out of there right now?” I reigned in my wayward imagination.
“I’m not sure she understands what she’s gotten herself into just yet.”
“Should we kidnap her?”
“Not unless you want to go back to prison. Look, we have no hard evidence that she is in danger right now. How would you like it if someone kidnapped you because their gut feeling told them Charlie was a whack-job?”
“Well when you put it that way, it just sounds silly,” I frowned at the phone.
“It is silly. I know you are tired of running and tired of waiting. Just lay low for a couple more days and I promise we’ll have a direction for you to head soon.”
“Hey Rachel,” an idea struck me. “What do you know about Nathan Smith?”
“Not a whole lot. There’s some buzz about him being the savior of the GOP. To me, it seems pretty early for that kind of talk. He’s new on the scene. It’s just a matter of time until the skeletons in his closet start surfacing.”
“If I can point you in the direction of those skeletons, do you know anyone who’d be interested?”
“You’re a veritable wellspring of leads, aren’t you?” I could hear the smile in her voice. “Yeah, I might know someone who’d be willing to chase that down.”
“His wife is Charlie’s ex. She walked out on them when Cara was a baby. Now she’s trying to regain custody of Cara and spin it that Charlie’s some kind of beast… I did a little digging of my own, and their finances don’t quite match what they’re telling Uncle Sam. I had to leave before I could track it any further, but Charlie has copies of the paperwork. Actually, I have all of their files, I just haven’t had time to finish going through them.”
“Do I want to know how you have copies of all of the files?”
“Probably not. Do you want me to get them to you?”
“Sure. Do you think you could meet me in Baton Rouge tomorrow? I have someone I was hoping to introduce you to anyway.”
“Tomorrow? Yeah, I could probably do that,” there was a part of me that tensed at the thought of meeting Rachel. There was always the possibility that she was setting me up. But she was also my best chance at sorting this mess out. She gave me a voice, and that was worth taking a chance.
We set up the meeting and ended the call. I filled Mary in on the parts of the conversation she hadn’t been able to pick up. Then she asked a question I wasn’t really prepared for, even though it made perfect sense.
“Why don’t you leave Gabrielle with us for the time being?”
“That’s really sweet of you to offer, but she’s been pretty adamantly glued to my side for the past few weeks. And with not knowing anyone here, I can’t imagine she’d let me leave without her.”
“I don’t know. She and Nick seem like two peas in a pod. She’d have a friend her own age here. Mama would keep her up with her schooling. You know she’d be safe, and she’d have a bed to sleep in every night.”
“Her birthday is coming up,” I frowned. I’d missed a lot of birthdays. I wanted to be there for this one.
“Then make sure you’re back in time for it.”
“We’ll see what she wants. And I’ll have to speak to Conrad,” I put off the decision. I trusted Mary. I trusted her family. Really, it was selfish of me to hesitate. Being in one place for a while would be good for Gabrielle. And she’d be safely out of Daniel Winslow’s line of sight.
Mary let the subject drop, changing the topic to her unsuccessful job hunt. Even though her name had been cleared, the scandal hung over her head like a dark cloud that followed her everywhere she went. I suggested she move to Hampton, and the look I got in return told me the thought of leaving the tiny house on the bayou had occurred to her. For the rest of the day, I could see the wheels turning in her mind. I made a mental note of my own to see if Charlie would mind a temporary house guest, because I had a feeling we’d have one eventually.
That night, I slipped off to call Conrad. I’d intended to get his feedback on whether or not to leave Gabrielle with the O’Donnell family. I really should have expected the direction the conversation took.
“Why don’t you just stay there with her?” Conrad seemed completely exasperated by my obstinence.
“Because I have to be in Baton Rouge tomorrow afternoon,” I answered as if that were the most logical thing in the world. “And if there’s something I can do next to help out, I have to try. I can’t just hide here until it all goes away.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my life.”
“Oh, well, that makes total sense then.”
“Don’t be sarcastic. It’s not your strong suit.”
“I think I’m pretty good at it. And don’t change the subject. What’s in Baton Rouge?”
“A city. You really should know that, having grown up in Louisiana and all.”
“What’s in the city?”
“People.”
“Neena.”
“Actually, I don’t know what’s in Baton Rouge. A friend asked me to meet her and I’m choosing to trust her.”
“So, you meet Rachel once and suddenly you’re BFFs? Really?”
“BFFs? That sounds so wrong coming from you.”
“Hey, with a tween girl in the house, I know all about BFFs.”
“Okay, you have to stop saying that now. Besides, how do you know it’s Rachel?”
“Because Anjelita just finished harassing me for not giving her your number, and you’re with Mary. That leaves one other possibility.”
“That’s so sad. True, but sad.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself; you haven’t had many opportunities to mingle the past decade or so.”
“While I appreciate the consolation, I didn’t exactly have friends beating down my door before that.”
“Sure you did. They were just always boys. You would rather fish than paint your nails any day of the week, little sister. You were a total tomboy.”
“Good point. So what about Gabrielle?”
“You really have to meet Rachel tomorrow?”
“She’s going to help me with the whole Julie mess. She asked me to meet her there for some reason. If it means I can take something off of Charlie’s plate, yes, I’m going to meet her there.”
“When and where? I’ll meet you beforehand and we’ll go together.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“Not tomorrow.”
“Liar.”
“I think I feel a cold coming on. Best thing for it is a nice, long drive. Now where do you want to meet?”
“Meet me at the rest area on 10, just out of Baton Rouge. About eleven o’clock.”
“I can do that.”
“And Gabrielle?” I reminded him.
“I think she’d be safest and happiest right where she is. If Daniel Winslow came looking for her, those O’Donnell boys would keep her safe.”
“I hate to tell you, Conrad, but you have about three years, maybe four, before you’ll be trying to protect her from that youngest O’Donnell boy.”
“No, little sister, you and Charlie will be the ones doing the protecting. Go ahead and savor that thought.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow, you big galoot.”
“Love you, too. Tell Gabs I said hi.”
I couldn’t help smiling at the phone as I hung up. I had reall
y missed him all those long years at Dixon.
I took Gabrielle through the McDonald’s drive through that evening and parked the car overlooking the bayou so we could eat our hot fudge sundaes and talk.
“Alright, kid, here’s the deal. If you go with me, there is a very good chance Daniel Winslow will try to take you away from me for good. If you stay here with Louise O’Donnell, you can catch up on school, you’ll be safe, and I’ll be back in no time so we can try to start a normal life back in Hampton….”
“I’ll stay,” she interrupted me before I even really got going.
“What? Really? I expected a whole lot more fight out of you.”
“No, it’s cool. I have a friend here. Mrs. O’Donnell is a better teacher than you anyway.”
“I guess three or four years was too much to ask for,” I muttered. She was staying so easily because of a boy.
“Huh?”
“Never mind. I’ll leave tomorrow, then. You have my number; call whenever you want.”
“I will. Try to remember to answer it, though.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We ate the rest of our ice cream in silence. I was kind of sad. It hadn’t taken long to get used to the company. As instrumental as Charlie had been in my healing process, Gabrielle had brought her own measure of sunlight into my world. The baby in my stomach fluttered with appreciation. It seemed to like ice cream, too.
No matter how scary a boogey-man Daniel Winslow might be, I definitely had something worth fighting him for.
It was that knowledge that got me out the door at nine the next morning. The car ride was lonely, but short compared to some of the treks I’d made lately. And it was kind of nice to be alone for a change.
Conrad swept me into a big hug the moment I got out of the car. While I was grateful for his effusive greeting, the baby seemed to take exception to being squished and there was a flurry of movement in my stomach.
“How are you feeling?” Conrad set me down gingerly, looking me over to be sure I was still in one piece.
“Pretty well, actually. I love having a car. Thank you again. How are you?”
“Good, good,” he didn’t seem too inclined to expound on that. “So, where are we headed?”
“I just have an address,” I handed him the receipt I’d written the address on, with some directions scratched out below.
“I think I know where this is,” he nodded. “Come on, we’ll take your car. She’ll recognize mine.”
“You’re kind of hard to miss, doesn’t matter what car we take.”
“But I figure by the time she sees me, it’ll be too late for her to do anything about it.”
“You really don’t trust her?”
“I don’t know,” he shook his head. “I can’t seem to put two thoughts together around that woman.”
“Because you like her.”
“Shut up.”
“Just for that, you can buy me lunch on the way.”
“I only brought a fifty. That might not be enough.”
“I don’t eat that much,” I shoved him.
“Sure you don’t.”
“Whatever. Now I’m ordering a milkshake, too.”
“Are you having a baby or a tapeworm?”
“Shut up or I’ll tell Rachel you like her.”
“I don’t like Rachel.”
“Oh, I’m sorry… I meant that you love her,” I couldn’t help it. He was really fun to antagonize.
“You are such a brat.”
“Not my fault Daddy liked me better.”
“Oh look, Jack-in-the-Box,” Conrad turned on his blinker. I got the distinct impression he was happy to have a way to shut me up.
“Oh look, we aren’t the only ones who decided to stop for lunch beforehand,” I pointed out the rental car three spaces down. “I wonder who that pretty brunette is in the front seat. She’s getting out. I bet if we hurry, we can sit together.”
“Neena,” he growled a warning that I totally ignored. I hopped out of the car pretty quickly despite my added bulk.
“Rachel, how the heck are you?” I waved a greeting and absolutely beamed at her. She was cute as ever, even if she looked nothing like the polished creature I was used to seeing on the television screen. She wore jeans and a sweater. Her golden-brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and covered by a Tennessee Titans cap. Without the makeup, I could see the smattering of freckles that peppered her nose. The casual-wear made her seem somehow more real.
“Okay,” she answered a little hesitantly, her eyes fastened on the man unfurling himself from the low-slung El Camino. “I didn’t realize you were bringing Conrad.”
“I hope it’s not a problem. When he heard I was meeting you, he insisted on coming along. I think he’ll take any chance he can get to see you, truth be told.”
“Thanks for that,” he grumbled behind me. “Really.”
“Come on, sunshine. Rachel will never ask us to eat lunch with her if you’re going to be this crabby.”
“No, of course you should eat lunch with me,” she seemed as flustered as he claimed to be. I smiled. Even if I didn’t know what the rest of the afternoon held—lunch looked to be fun.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Of all the reasons Rachel Cooper could have asked me to meet her in Baton Rouge, I wasn’t prepared for the true one. I’d imagined a meeting with deep-throat, a trap that led me straight back to Dixon, or even some girl-bonding event like shopping.
I hadn’t considered a doctor’s appointment. But as we stood in the parking lot of the family medical center, Rachel explained that she’d made a few phone calls and a friend of a friend of a friend promised to give me a discreet, off-the-books medical exam.
“Why are you doing this?” I was completely humbled by the act of kindness.
“Conrad said you couldn’t go to the doctor because of me,” her voice seemed somehow small in that moment. “I couldn’t look myself in the mirror with that one on my head.”
“You were just doing your job,” I wanted very badly to reassure her. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Just say thank you and go inside,” Conrad’s voice seemed strained. I laid a hand on his arm and looked up at him. I could see that he was struggling to process this. It took away a major reason for keeping Rachel at arm’s length. Now he’d have to look elsewhere for excuses to hide behind.
“Will you at least go into the waiting room with me?”
“You should come. I bet you’ll get to hear the baby’s heartbeat,” Rachel motioned for him to join us.
“Charlie should be here.”
“Just be glad I’m seeing a doctor,” I sighed and grabbed him by the hand. “I bet if Charlie has his way, we’ll have lots of babies together and he can hear their heartbeat. Come on.”
Now that I was here, I was excited. Feeling the baby move had given me some reassurance that the little tyke was okay, but it would be good to hear that from someone who was trained to know what they were talking about.
“If anyone asks, your name is Gloria Whittle,” Rachel handed me a wallet—apparently one that could prove I was Gloria Whittle. I wondered idly how she and Conrad came up with documentation so easily. Maybe it had to do with having interns at one’s disposal. No, that wasn’t true. Conrad didn’t have interns. But he did have trainees….
“Hey Gloria,” Conrad nudged me when I didn’t react to the name. “I think Rachel is waiting for you to follow her to the front desk.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled and followed her as told. I was really just along for the ride. Rachel did all of the talking. I just initialed a few places and signed—very carefully—the name I was supposed to. Rachel assured me on the way back to the waiting room that everything we’d just done was for show so the front office staff didn’t ask questions. The chart would disappear after we were gone.
“Gloria Whittle?” a nurse popped her head into the waiting room and called. She looked around the room and called again when there w
as no answer. Conrad nudged my side and I stood with a start.
“Sorry. I must have dozed off.”
“No problem, honey. Just follow me. Does your husband want to come back when it’s time to listen to the baby’s heartbeat?”
“Brother, and yes, he does,” I answered for Conrad. “My husband is away on business.”
“Okay.”
I couldn’t tell if her tone meant she didn’t believe me or didn’t care. I’m not sure why I felt the need to assure her I had a husband. Maybe it was to remind myself; it had been so long since I’d seen him.
She took my weight, which made me immediately regret the large chocolate shake. Then she led me to a room, rattling off instructions all the while. Then I was alone with a paper dress and instructions to flip the black switch by the light when I was ready for the doctor.
Doctor’s offices everywhere seem to hold the same universal power over me. Whether I’m waiting two minutes or an hour, it feels like an eternity when I’m sitting in a cold room wearing a paper gown and feeling fat.
Thankfully, the doctor didn’t make me wait an hour. Not terribly long after I’d sat down to wait, she poked her head in and smiled at me.
“You must be Gloria. I’m Doctor Hoffner. It’s good to meet you.”
She was pretty and young and not what I pictured in a doctor at all. But as she instructed me to lie back and began to measure my belly, she chatted easily and I realized that I trusted her completely. After the examination, she reassured me with another smile that everything seemed just fine.
“I’ll just go get your husband so we can finish up here,” she said and was gone.
“My brother,” I corrected. She was already gone, but at least I’d cleared up any confusion the door might have had.
“So is this your first child?” she seemed to be mid-conversation as she reentered the room after a brief knock.
“Our first child together. We each have one child from… before,” the voice that answered made my heart constrict. I felt like someone was standing on my chest all of a sudden, and I might have let out an odd, garbled choke. I couldn’t seem to get a good breath.
“Boys or girls?” Dr. Hoffner asked conversationally.
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