Mending Fences

by Sherryl Woods

  “Who was that?”

  “Detective Rodriguez.”

  “He’s coming over?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you going out with him?”

  “Actually he wants to see you,” Emily said, watching closely to gauge Dani’s reaction. Sure enough, alarm flared in her eyes.

  “Why?”

  Emily debated using the fear she saw in Dani’s eyes as leverage, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. “He’s bringing pictures of his yard. He thought it would help you to start getting some ideas for the landscaping.”

  Dani’s relief was unmistakable. “That is so cool. I’m surprised you agreed to that, since it means I’ll get to do something I really like doing.”

  “This was a compromise,” Emily admitted. “He wanted us to come to his house for dinner, so you could take a look around in person, but I explained you’re confined to the premises.”

  “You told him I’m grounded?” she asked. “How could you? That is so embarrassing.”

  “I had to tell him why we couldn’t go to his house,” she said.

  “No, you just wanted him to know that I did something wrong,” she accused.

  “Why on earth would I want to do that?”

  “Just to humiliate me.”

  Emily sighed. “Sweetie, it is not my life’s work to embarrass you. Of course, if you’re too humiliated to face him or to take on this job, after all, I can explain to Grady.”

  “No! I want to do it.”

  “Then go upstairs and wash up. After that, you can help me set the table.”

  “What are we having for dinner? Maybe you ought to call Marcie. She could probably send something over.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Emily said. “Actually, Grady’s bringing dinner. It’s Cuban food his mom made.”

  “Awesome,” Dani said. “I’ll bet his mom is a great cook.”

  “And you would know that how?”

  “He wouldn’t bring us a meal she’d fixed if her food sucked, would he?” she asked reasonably. “He’s trying to impress you.”

  Emily smiled. “You probably have a point. Now hurry. You don’t want him to think that between us we can’t even set a decent table, do you? That would really be humiliating.”

  To her surprise, Dani ran back into the kitchen and hugged her. “Thanks for letting me do this job for Grady, even though you’re mad at me.”

  “I’m not mad at you,” Emily corrected. “I’m worried about you.”

  “You don’t need to be. I’m going to figure all of this out. And if I need your help, I’ll ask. I promise.”

  It wasn’t much of a concession, but it was a start. Emily supposed it would have to do…for now.

  Grady’s arrival just as they were pouring the iced tea seemed to improve Dani’s mood considerably. Emily watched as she eagerly drew him into the kitchen and took the various bowls he’d brought and set them on the counter.

  “Mom, you can heat this up, right?” she said. “Then Grady can show me the pictures of his yard.” She looked up at him. “You did bring them?”

  “In my pocket,” he said, giving Emily a wry look as he let himself be dragged over to the kitchen table.

  “You can spread them out right here,” Dani told him. “I cleared a space. And I brought down some of my plant books, so I can show you what I think will work. I’m guessing you want it to be really low maintenance, right? You’re probably not home a lot. Do you have a sprinkler system?”

  “Hey, slow down, kid,” he teased. “Why don’t you look through the pictures on your own for a moment, while I say hello to your mother.”

  Dani blinked. “Oh, okay. Sure. Don’t take too long, though.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Grady crossed the kitchen. “You want any help with that,” he asked, sneaking in a quick kiss after he’d determined that Dani was totally absorbed with the photos.

  Emily grinned at him. “I’m capable of heating a few things in the microwave,” she said. “It all smells delicious.”

  He glanced toward Dani. “Maybe you should put off heating anything for the time being. It won’t take that long and I doubt Dani will want to eat when she’s so totally focused on this project.”

  “Have I thanked you again for providing this distraction for her?”

  “I’m not doing it as a favor, Emily. Go take a look at those photos yourself and you’ll see how desperate I am.”

  “Still, it’s very nice of you to let her take a shot at it. It’s not as if she’s a professional.”

  “Which means she’ll suit my budget. Now stop trying to make me into some kind of good guy. This is just a smart business transaction on my part. Besides, I like Dani. She reminds me of someone.”

  “Who?”

  His expression turned sad. “Just someone I used to know,” he said.

  “But you’re not going to tell me any more than that, are you?”

  He shook his head. “One day, though. I promise.” He studied her for a moment. “You seem more cheerful than you did when we spoke earlier.”

  “I’m just relieved to see a smile on Dani’s face. Those have been few and far between lately.”

  “Glad to help.” His eyes locked with hers. “When are you going to agree to a real date with me, though? Just the two of us.”

  Her pulse stumbled. “You haven’t actually asked me on one,” she pointed out.

  He looked startled. “Really? How could that have slipped by me? I know I meant to.”

  She laughed. “Well, when you get around to it, then we’ll have something to discuss, won’t we?”

  “Of course, there is a lot to be said for coming by here and sharing a home-cooked meal from time to time.”

  “Even if you have to provide it?”

  “Sure. I like seeing you in your element.”

  “Then you should probably be peeking in the door of my classroom. Something tells me I have a better grasp on teaching than I do on parenting or homemaking.”

  “And I think you’re selling yourself short. This house feels like a home, not a showcase. And if you ask me, your kids have turned out okay.”

  Emily’s attention went to her daughter, who was totally absorbed with jotting notes on a legal pad, several of her plant guides open beside her. “I’m so worried about her,” she admitted.

  Grady tipped her chin up. “We can talk about it later, if you want. I may not spend as much time with teenage girls as you do, but I’m a pretty good listener.”

  She saw his compassion and was drawn to it, even more than she was by the heat simmering between them. “I’d like that,” she said quietly, then gestured toward Dani. “But I think your consultant is anxious to get started.”

  “But you and I have a date after dinner,” he said. “Right?”

  Emily couldn’t seem to stop the smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. “We do,” she said. And it promised to be a whole lot nicer and more intimate than dinner and a movie.

  At some point during the evening, Josh came home, looked at the gathering in the kitchen, then got a whiff of the Cuban food and immediately sat down at the table.

  “Where’d this come from?” he asked, scooping all of the leftovers onto his plate.

  “My mother cooked it,” Grady told him. “And if you think this is good, you should taste her pork roast or her palomilla steak.”

  “Count me in,” Josh said eagerly. He gave Grady a knowing look. “So, how come you dropped by and brought dinner?”

  “I’m here to have a consultation with your sister about my landscaping.”

  Josh looked dumbfounded, even as Dani preened. “But I thought…”

  Grady grinned. “Well, there might be a little more to it,” he confided with a pointed glance at Emily that made her blush.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” she said. “Josh, why don’t you take that food to your room and finish it? Dani, don’t you have homework?”

  “Trying to get rid of u
s, Mom?” Josh teased. “Can’t you take a little competition for the man’s attention?”

  “It is not about that,” she retorted.

  “Then why can’t I stay here and talk to Grady some more about his plants?” Dani asked.

  “Because you’ve already overwhelmed him with information. He’ll be seeing flowers in his dreams for a month,” she told her. “Give him a break.”

  “Oh, okay,” Dani groused, then glanced at Grady. “But we’re going to the nursery to buy some stuff soon, right?”

  “As soon as your mom says it’s okay, which I suspect means you’ll need to be on your best behavior for a while,” he told her.

  Dani rolled her eyes. “It’ll probably be months before she lets me out of confinement.”

  “Nobody to blame but yourself,” Emily reminded her. “Now, scoot. Both of you.”

  After they’d gone, Emily studied the man seated across from her at the kitchen table. He was starting to look awfully darn comfortable there.

  “What are you really up to, Detective?”

  He gave her an innocent look—or tried to. It wasn’t completely successful. “Me?”

  “Sounds to me like you’re trying to ingratiate yourself with my kids. Any particular reason?”

  “You may be the first attractive woman I’ve ever met who didn’t automatically assume that a guy’s presence and his attempt to be nice to her kids was all about making inroads with her.”

  “I’d be flattered if that were true, but I don’t entirely trust you. You had an entirely different agenda when we met and I suspect that hasn’t changed.”

  He winced slightly at that. “That’s not the best impression I could give you, is it? What’s it going to take to turn that around?”

  “A few straight answers,” she suggested.

  He sighed. “Okay, I’ll be honest. This is totally confidential though, understood?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m scared the case against Evan Carter is going to fall apart, despite the evidence we have. The kid’s a fast talker with lots of charm and no priors. He comes from a good family. Lauren’s a scholarship student from a lousy neighborhood. Even though her dad’s a minister, Ken Carter’s found a way to spin that into a negative, too.”

  “How?” Emily asked.

  “Wild child rebelling against all those rules. It’s a familiar stereotype and Carter’s taking full advantage of it. There’s a pretty active smear campaign going on around campus right now. So, that means it’s Evan’s word against hers and that can go either way in a courtroom.”

  “Is there anyone who can substantiate the rumors being spread about Lauren?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “As far as I can tell, they’d all fall apart under close scrutiny. Doesn’t mean the defense can’t find some way to get them mentioned in front of the jury, even if the judge turns right around and rules them inadmissible.”

  Emily saw in his eyes that he genuinely cared about the outcome of the case and finding justice for the victim. “You believe Evan’s guilty, don’t you?”

  “With everything in me. What about you?”

  “I don’t want to believe it,” she admitted. “Our families have always been so close. This is tearing all of us apart.”

  “What if this had happened to your daughter?” he asked quietly. “Would you want someone to fight for her?”

  “Of course.”

  He kept his regard steady and waited.

  “What?” she asked when the silence had gone on too long.

  “We both know it may have,” he said.

  The possibility made her sick inside. “I want to believe I’d know if Evan had done something like that,” she said. “But I can’t honestly say that I would. Dani’s withdrawn. She’s acting out in ways she never has before. Something’s definitely wrong and it’s tied to Evan. I do know that much.”

  “Did you know Dani paid a visit to campus yesterday looking for the victim?” Grady asked.

  Emily stared at him in shock. “Are you sure?”

  “We’ve had the campus police keeping an eye on the girl’s apartment. There have been some threats against her. Just talk, we think, but we’re trying not to take chances. Dani was spotted there.” He paused, then added, “Evan Carter saw her, too. He wasn’t happy.”

  “Oh, God, that’s where she went when we couldn’t find her and why she was so upset when she got home.” Emily felt her heart sink. “And you think that means…”

  “That Dani knows something that could help us blow this case wide open. According to the officer who saw them together, Evan was really upset when he found her there. He got right in her face.”

  “Oh, my God,” Emily said, picturing the confrontation.

  “Don’t worry. Dani held her own this time. But I need to talk to her, Emily. Or I can bring Naomi over here, if you’d prefer that she talk to a woman.”

  “No,” she said fiercely. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll force the issue now. It’s time. This simply can’t go on another minute.”

  To her relief, he didn’t try to dissuade her.

  “She’ll probably deny it,” he warned. “If something did happen, she obviously doesn’t want you to know.”

  “She’s my daughter,” she said, knowing there was a note of desperation in her voice. “She will talk to me.”

  “Okay, then. You’ll tell me what you find out?”

  She tried to stare him down, but he didn’t waver. Finally she nodded. “I’ll tell you.”

  He stood up then, but instead of heading for the door, he came toward her and bent down, touching his lips to hers. “Just so you know, when it comes to my reason for being here, it’s not all about the case. It probably should be, but it isn’t.”

  And then he was gone.

  19

  The nonstop tension was starting to get to Marcie. Even during the early years of her marriage to Ken, when they had struggled to make ends meet, when Ken had been putting too much pressure on himself to succeed, she had never felt the kind of unrelenting stress that overwhelmed her now. A part of her wanted to crawl into bed, pull the covers up and not emerge until this nightmare was over. Of course, she couldn’t. She was all too aware of her responsibilities to her family.

  Caitlyn, her beautiful, optimistic child, was an emotional wreck. She could see it in her daughter’s eyes every afternoon when she came home from school. Each day she looked a little more miserable, but she stoically denied any problems when Marcie asked, and flatly refused to consider homeschooling until the crisis passed. She tried too hard to become the buffer between Marcie and the outside world. She hid the newspaper when there was an article she thought would be too upsetting for Marcie. She’d even started sitting in the kitchen while Marcie prepared dinner, monitoring the evening news and finding some excuse to switch channels the instant any mention of Evan was made.

  Evan barely spoke at all. He still had the cocky swagger that drove Marcie wild and a sharp tongue to go with it, when he did deign to address her. Looking at him, she wondered what had happened to the smiling, agreeable boy he’d once been. Though she loved him unconditionally, sometimes she didn’t even recognize this sullen, disrespectful young man.

  Worse, she was increasingly fearful that he was guilty of raping that young woman. Even more troubling was her growing concern that he saw absolutely nothing wrong with what he’d done, only with the fact he’d been caught. And he was counting on his father to bail him out of the situation, rather than accepting any of the responsibility himself.

  As for Ken, just when they should have been pulling together, he was at odds with her over everything. At first she’d made excuses to Caitlyn for her father’s snappish tone and gruff demeanor, but she was losing patience with him. She knew he was feeling the stress even more deeply than she was and she did everything she could think of not to upset him, but nothing she did was right. She knew from experience that snapping back would only make things worse, so she’d bitten her tongue
so often lately it was a wonder the tip hadn’t fallen off.

  Not fifteen minutes ago Ken had taken offense at something she’d said. She had no idea what, since the conversation had been a totally innocuous discussion about dinner. He’d stormed out of the house saying he needed fresh air. Since Caitlyn had retreated to the safety of her room and Evan had gone out earlier without mentioning when he’d be back, she’d been left sitting all alone at their oversize dining room table she’d set for four, her nerves stretched taut, her stomach in knots. It was killing her that she couldn’t fix this. Fixing things was what she did, but the whole mess was beyond her. She didn’t even know the right starting point.

  Slowly she rose and began to carry the virtually untouched food into the kitchen. Annoyed by the waste and even more distraught over the situation, she started jamming the food into the garbage disposal, rather than tucking it into storage containers as she usually did. Ken returned just as she was angrily shoving the last of the vegetables down the disposal.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded furiously. “Do you think money grows on trees? I’m spending so much time handling this mess with Evan, I’ve had to cut back on my paying clients. We can’t afford to be throwing away perfectly good food.”

  She whirled around and glared at him, barely resisting the urge to toss the sponge she was clutching right into his reddened face. “Then you should have eaten it when I put it on the table,” she retorted. “As for Evan, maybe you should just let his lawyer do his job and stay the hell out of it!”

  “Are you crazy? I swear to God, you don’t have the sense—”

  “Stop it!” she shouted, the last frayed thread holding her temper in check snapping. “Whatever you were going to say, don’t! I’ve had it up to here with you demeaning me. I’m your wife, dammit! Your partner. We’re supposed to share things. You’re not supposed to treat me as if I’m some second-class citizen or a piece of property that’s outgrown its usefulness. You act as if I don’t have a brain in my head, as if I have no stake in what happens to our son.” She challenged him with a glare. “That’s right, our son, Ken. You don’t have a personal lock on loving him and wanting the best for him. Did it ever once occur to you that I might have some ideas that could help? Or, at the very least, that you ought to discuss your strategy with me, if only so I don’t inadvertently say the wrong thing?”