“All right! All right! We’ll clear out the attic.”
“You have to be kidding. You don’t have air-conditioning. The temperature in the attic would be well over a hundred degrees. That would be inhumane. Try again!”
And on and on it went. He had never in his life been the source of so much animosity. He had no idea that he had so many rights. All of which, it seemed, were being violated. He yawned and was about to doze off again when the party inside came to an abrupt halt. He jerked up just as the partygoers descended the steps and moved toward their cars. Alex, Estes, and Elroy brought up the rear, followed by a chubby little man in a wrinkled suit who turned out to be his personal advocate.
“So, am I going or staying?” Jake asked in a bored tone.
“You’re staying, young man,” Clarence Tremaine said firmly. “Just because you’re a criminal doesn’t mean anyone can strip away your rights. You will have your own room and bath. If you have even an inkling of a problem here, call me at this number,” Tremaine said, handing Jake his card.
Jake didn’t trust himself to speak, so he nodded.
“Well, bro, we settled that rather quickly. An hour on the job, and you had the world at your feet fighting for you. You won—how’s it feel?”
“Are you being a wiseass, Alex?”
“Yeah.”
“We were prepared to sue,” Estes said, or maybe it was Elroy. “As soon as they realized we meant business, they backed down.”
“I guess they hate me now, right?”
Alex laughed. “Hate might not be a strong enough word. Just let me say I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes for the coming year. You got any other housekeeping chores you want me to take care of before I leave? Just bear in mind that you called me; I didn’t call you.”
“Bite me!” Jake growled.
“Oh dear, don’t do that, Mr. Rosario. Human bites are worse than animal bites,” Elroy said, or maybe it was Estes.
Jake grinned. “Thanks. Now what?”
“Now you wait for every shitty work assignment those two women can come up with, and it’s yours. Do a good job now. Make me proud of you.” Alex guffawed as he made his way to his car.
Estes and Elroy patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, Jacob. The year will go by on winged feet.”
Jake slapped at a mosquito bent on sucking out his blood. He slouched back against one of the porch pillars and waited. And waited. And then waited some more.
Finally, Fancy Dancer came out to the porch. In her hand she had a glass of frosty iced tea. She handed it over and somehow managed to spill it down the front of Jake’s sweat-stained T-shirt. “Ooh, how clumsy of me. If nothing else, it should cool you off a bit. If you follow me, I’ll show you to your room. I’m sorry it took so long and you had to wait, but we had to get it ready for you,” Fancy said oh-so sweetly.
Jake wisely refrained from uttering a word as he followed her down a short hall, around a corner, then down a long hallway. Her face totally blank, Fancy opened the door. “I think you’ll be more than comfortable here, Mr. St. Cloud.” Then she turned and left.
Jake gaped. It was a huge room, with a big four-poster that was something short of regular height. The floor was bare. There wasn’t a lot of clutter; in fact, there was no clutter. Other than a rocking chair and a large armoire, nothing else was in the room. The adjoining bathroom had a claw-foot tub with a shower curtain. Everything was old but clean. Thin yellow towels hung on a rack near the tub. He’d need at least three of them to dry off. There were no electrical outlets to be seen.
Jake was transferring his clothes to the closet and dresser when he stopped and sniffed. The faint scent of roses wafted from the drawers where he was putting his underwear and shirts. “Oh crap!” This must be either the mother or the daughter’s room. He stopped what he was doing and ran out to the hall, shouting to Fancy.
Fancy appeared out of nowhere. “What? Doesn’t the room suit you, Mr. St. Cloud?”
“Whose room is it? Yours? Your mother’s? I can’t take your rooms. This wasn’t what I wanted. Don’t you have an oversize closet or storage room I can bunk in? All I want is a real bed with four walls around me. I can’t take your room.”
“You’re too late. The law says you get this room, so enjoy it. I hope you have nightmares every night you sleep in that bed. And for the record, it’s my mother’s room. She gave it up because I refused to give you my room. I was prepared for the contempt charge, but my mother wasn’t. That’s the bottom line. Now, you have five minutes to get down to the kitchen, so I can give you your assignment for the day.”
If ever there was a time when Jake St. Cloud felt like an out-and-out shit, it was then. He watched Fancy limp her way down the long hall. He watched as twice she had to reach out to steady herself by slapping her hand against the wall.
Damn, talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
Five minutes. He hustled.
Down in the kitchen, which looked like it was getting back to normal, Jake looked around, then leaned up against the stove and waited.
Once more, Fancy Dancer appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She must have a light step, he thought. He supposed that, what with being a dancer and all, she was light on her feet. There was no sign of her mother.
Fancy got right to it. “Do you know anything at all about kids, Mr. St. Cloud?”
“No, other than I was a kid once. Call me Jake. I think that will be easier.”
“Do you know anything about animals?”
“No, but I always wanted a dog. It never happened.”
“Today, you are going to scrub down the dog pens and the chicken coop. You will collect the eggs, wash them off, and bring them to the kitchen. Then you will patrol the yard with a pooper-scooper and clean up after the animals. There’s a deposit can for the waste. You’ll be in charge of that, but it will come later. We have six dogs, four cats, and a dozen chickens. You will give all the dogs a bath, dry them, then wash the towels and replace them in the locker for the next time you have to do it. The animals are crucial to the children. They’re every bit as good as therapy, as animals love unconditionally.”
In other words, the shit detail, Jake thought. “I thought the judge said I was to help with the kids. He didn’t say anything about animals.”
Fancy nibbled on her lower lip. “Do you think for one minute I’m going to turn you loose with kids when I don’t even know how you’re going to do with the animals? If you do think that, then think again. If you want to go whining to your legal dream team, go right ahead. Lunch is at twelve thirty. Today it’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apple wedges, carrot sticks, milk, and a raisin-filled cookie.” Fancy turned to leave.
“What if I have a problem with the animals?”
Fancy turned, an evil smile on her face. “Then, Jake, I guess you’re just going to have to solve it.”
What she probably really means, Jake thought, is if I’m so stupid I can’t take care of an animal, for sure I do not belong here. He supposed that was fair. And it did make sense. Legal dream team? Alex, Estes, and Elroy. He almost laughed out loud.
Jake sprinted down to where he knew the kennel and chicken coop were. Fresh eggs. He’d do that later. First, he had to meet the dogs and the cats. And when he did, he jumped back and said, “Whoa!” as a Doberman, a black Lab, and a Saint Bernard snapped at the chain-link fence. Two mutts and a little white fur ball sat at attention. The cats hissed and snarled as they took Jake’s measure.
A young guy who turned out to be a veterinarian assistant burst out laughing. “They’re always like this till they know you. The trick is to give them a treat; and whatever you do, don’t show fear. Here,” he said, handing over some chew treats. “Are you the new volunteer?”
Jake reached for the treats and handed them over. Tails wagged. The hissing and snarling stopped. “Yeah, I just got my marching orders. Where’s the pooper-scooper?”
The young man held out his hand. “Brad Loomis.”
“Jake St. Cloud. Where do I dump the... ?”
“Over there,” Brad said, pointing to a large barrel. “Did Fancy tell you that you have to throw a shovelful of lime in the barrel each time you make a deposit?”
“No, she didn’t tell me that. Got it. How much territory do I cover?”
“As far as the eye can see. The dogs like to roam during the day. They always come back when you blow the whistle; and then you have to give up another treat.”
“Okay, see you when I see you.”
Brad laughed. “Yeah.”
Chapter 5
Alex Rosario stopped at Starbucks, bought a latte, and instead of carrying it three doors down to his storefront law office, decided to go outside and drink it under the shade of one of the umbrellas set up on the sidewalk.
As he sipped the latte he didn’t really want, he tried to make sense out of what was happening to his life since Jake St. Cloud had entered it. In just twenty-four hours, it had been turned upside down. He felt as if he’d been torn inside out and things were changing at the speed of light.
Over the years, he’d known that the day would come when he’d meet his half brother, and he had endlessly rehearsed one snide, snappy comeback after another for that inevitable meeting. He’d planned on telling him to go to hell six different ways. First in English, then in Spanish, just to make sure he got the point. The scenario he liked best was the one where they had a knock-down, drag-out fight, with Alex coming out the winner. He’d had so many preconceived notions about Jake. And he’d been wrong on all counts. How was that possible? The need to blame someone was so strong, Alex wanted to punch something until he broke his hand. Who could he blame? Certainly not his mother because, if anything, she’d been an advocate for Jake. His mother never said a bad word about anyone, not even the sperm donor. Never. Ever.
He liked Jake St. Cloud and was pretty sure Jake liked him. And now he was going to have to wait a whole year either to have a relationship with his brother or not. Maybe relationship was the wrong word. He tried the word bonding in regard to his brother. That didn’t seem to quite fit, either. A brotherly something-or-other? No, that didn’t work. He wondered what he would have done or felt if Jake hadn’t stood tall and manned up in court. He would have lost respect for him, that was a given. Yet he’d been prepared to give it his all and try to get him off. What the hell does that say about me? The best spin he could put on it was that it was something one brother would do for another brother.
Son of a bitch! I was having a pretty good life until Jake intruded on it. Now, everything is turned upside down. Why in the damn hell am I suddenly feeling guilty?
Guilty! It made no sense. What did he have to feel guilty about? Absolutely nothing. Well, maybe over the years, when things were a little rough, he’d been a tad jealous of Jake. Just a tad, and the feeling never lasted more than a few minutes. When those feelings would surface, he’d always talk things over with his mother and his pastor, then he’d get back on track. Until the next time they wormed their way into his head.
He had a good life, a life he wouldn’t trade for anything in the whole wide world. Unlike his half brother, who seemed to be searching for what Alex had. How could that be? Jake had everything. Money blowing out his ears and all the women he wanted, if he could believe what he had read in the gossip columns. Jake had a car that most guys would cut off their right arm for. He grinned when he remembered the condition of the Porsche when he’d had it towed away. Jake was an engineer with two degrees, smart as they come. He knew the oil business inside and out. He was in demand as a consultant to the big oil companies and could name his price for those consultations. He’d made his way in the world, marched to the beat of his own drum. How could he fault someone like that? As far as he was concerned, Jake had it all. Until yesterday. And even then, if he was to believe Jake, and he did, his half brother had just found out about Alex and his mother and, within the hour, was on their doorstep wanting to help them. He couldn’t help but wonder, if he had been in Jake’s shoes would he have done the same thing? He gave himself a mental slap to the side of his head when the answer came up probably not.
Alex peered into his cup. Empty. He should go to the office, but that was the last place he wanted to go. He felt as though he should be doing something. What that something was he had no clue. His mother always said when you don’t know what to do, do nothing until you come up with the answer. Either you’re part of the problem, or you’re part of the solution. Alex shrugged and walked back inside and ordered another latte. He was back at his seat under the umbrella, taking his first sip, when he looked up to see Estes and Elroy Symon standing in front of him. Stunned, he stood, held out his hand, and motioned for the two to take a seat. He offered to get them coffee, but they politely declined.
“Do you have a few minutes, Mr. Rosario?” Elroy asked, or maybe it was Estes.
“All the time in the world. I was just sitting here trying to decide what to do about Jake or if there was anything I could do. What can I do for you gentlemen?”
One of the Symon brothers opened his briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of papers. He licked his finger as he flipped from page to page. “Ah, here it is. If you will just sign here on the dotted line, we can get on with business.”
Suspicion ringing in his voice, Alex asked, “Sign what? I’m a lawyer, as you well know, and I never sign anything I haven’t read.”
“Then by all means, young man, read away,” the brothers said in unison.
“Wait a minute here. It will take me all day to read through this stuff. Cut to the chase and tell me what it is. How did you find me, anyway?”
“We looked you up in the phone book, then we stopped by your office, and a young lady said we should try to find you here. Here we are. We might be old, and we might even look old, but we pride ourselves on being up-to-the-minute where business is concerned. What you have in your hands is Jake’s mother’s will. She provided for you and your mother. Of course, the names were blank until we were able to fill them in when we located you. We haven’t been able to close out Selma’s probate because this has been hanging over our heads since she died eighteen years ago. Now we would like to close it out. Is there a problem?”
“Well, yes, sir, there is. My mother and I don’t need or want anything from the St. Cloud financial empire.”
“Son, this has nothing to do with Jonah St. Cloud or St. Cloud anything. This is Jake’s mother’s estate. She was a fine, wonderful lady. I can’t be sure about this, but my brother and I think she did it for Jake because she didn’t ever want him to feel guilty that no one looked after you and your mother. She truly believed that one day you would surface or somehow Jake would find you on his own. Selma was always a forward-thinking woman. We also want you to know that Jake was relentless over the years in trying to find you and your mother.
“Please, don’t let silly pride interfere and ruin something that is meant to be quite wonderful. You must accept the inheritance. After that, you and your mother can do whatever you want with the money. Tell me you understand everything I’ve just said.”
Alex’s head started to buzz. He didn’t know what to do or say, so he just nodded.
“Then sign here, and my brother and I will walk all this over to the courthouse. We can start transferring assets and monies first thing tomorrow morning,” Estes said, or maybe it was Elroy. Alex signed his name on so many papers, he thought his wrist would swell to twice its size.
“Doesn’t my mother have to sign anything?”
“You have her power of attorney. We established that before we came here. We’re done now, and may I say that my brother and I are more than pleased that we finally put a lid on all of this and can breathe easier. It’s been a terrible responsibility weighing on us both that we couldn’t honor our client’s last wishes,” Elroy said. This time Alex knew it was Elroy because he’d been staring at him the whole time he was speaking.
“I don’t understand any
of this,” Alex mumbled.
“Yes, we can see that,” the Symon brothers said in unison.
“We took the liberty of working up a balance sheet for you. Actually, we did three—one for Jake, one for you, and one for your mother, for easier understanding.”
Alex’s hand was shaking when he reached across the table for the two sheets of paper. His eye went to the bottom line. That’s when he slipped off his chair and slid to the ground.
“I thought that might happen,” Estes said fretfully. “We should have prepared him, Elroy.”
There was no sympathy in Elroy’s voice when he said, “Well, he would have fallen off the chair at that point, anyway. See, he’s coming around. Help him up, Estes.”
Estes reached out a bony hand and struggled to pull Alex to his feet. The three men looked at one another, and they all smiled at the same time.
Alex reached for his coffee and drained it in one long gulp as the two old lawyers packed up their worn, battered briefcases. He couldn’t take his eyes off the two papers sitting in front of him. He had to fight with himself not to black out again. The two men were looking at him and saying something. He needed to listen, but it was hard to focus.
Both lawyers held out their hands. Alex extended his hand.
“Our hope is that you are the same caliber of young man Jake is. If you haven’t figured it out by now, we want you to know he’s a fine young man. He’ll never steer you wrong. For a little while he took the wrong path, but he’s back on track now. His feet are planted firmly on the ground, and he’s going in the right direction. It was that promise, you see, that he couldn’t fulfill no matter how hard he tried—and he did try, as we all did—that made him go off the track. What you do with your life is up to you. Give your mother our regards, young man.”
“I will,” Alex managed to say. “Hey, just for the record, I was doing just fine, and so was my mother, before Jake and you guys came into our lives. Yeah, we didn’t have enough money for the twenty-percent down payment on that air-conditioning unit, but we managed. Just so you know.”
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