For Your Love

by Beverly Jenkins

  Trent seemed to have considered that. “Bobby, if there’s anything you don’t understand or you need explained, just ask, okay?”

  “Okay.” Buoyed by that, he asked them to explain zoning restrictions, what went into an environmental evaluation, and the reason to use solar panels instead of plain old electricity. Each question was answered thoroughly and patiently.

  As the meeting progressed, Bobby noticed the colonel checking him out every now and then, and he wondered what the marine might be thinking. Yesterday afternoon Crystal had stopped by for a visit and given them a rundown on the ­people they’d met so far, as well as some they hadn’t, like Payne. According to her, he’d been a hardass when he first moved to town, but had mellowed a lot since then. She attributed that to his wife leaving him for a while because of an old extramarital affair he’d had, and his parenting of the teen everyone called Brain. Bobby had no idea how he and the marine might get along, but he planned to keep an open mind.

  “You ever work a construction site, Bob?” Warren Kelly asked.

  “No.”

  “Then you’ll get your chance in the spring. During construction season it’s all hands on deck. We have a skilled trades crew, but everybody winds up helping out here and there. We’ll train you.”

  “Okay,” he said doubtfully.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine,” Barrett put in. “If you’re going to be Trent’s assistant, you’ll need to be a Bob of all trades.”

  The play on words made Bobby smile.

  Barrett patted him on the shoulder. “We won’t let you fail or fall. Promise.”

  Bobby could count on one hand the number of ­people in his past who’d offered him such a quiet gesture of assurance and support. The jobs he’d had in Dallas were bottom-­rung, and he might as well have been invisible to those higher up the chain as he vacuumed interiors at the dealership and parked cars at the hotel on the weekends. For the most part he hadn’t cared; the paycheck he took home every Friday was the only recognition he’d needed. But these three men were coming at him differently. It was almost as if he was the son or nephew they were grooming to take over the business. The thought surprised him. Hazarding a look Trent’s way, he found the mayor watching him with a knowing smile. It was as if he were silently acknowledging the conclusion. Bobby didn’t know what to do with that, so rather than attempt to figure it out, he turned his attention back to what Payne was saying about a high-­tech motion detector he wanted to add to the new buildings.

  Around ten o’clock, Trent rolled up the map. Kelly had a meeting with some suppliers, and as he prepared to leave, he shook Bobby’s hand. “Pleasure meeting you, young man. Looking forward to getting to know you and working with you.”

  “Same here, thanks.”

  With a nod, Kelly put on his coat and departed.

  “So what else is on the mayor’s agenda today?” Payne asked.

  “Promised Bernadine and Mal I’d help the Acostas move. Astrid has evicted them because Luis didn’t agree with her trashing the fire department contract. She’s probably standing on their front porch right now, screaming at them to hurry the hell up and get out.”

  Payne shook his head. “Her loss is our gain. I’m clear until after lunch. Do you want some help?”

  “That would be great. The more muscle and vehicles we have, the faster they can leave.”

  Bobby hadn’t met Acosta yesterday, but he had met Seabiscuit. “I’d like to help, too.”

  “Thanks,” said Trent.

  Bobby followed Trent and Barrett the short distance from Henry Adams to Franklin. Mal and his buddy Clay Dobbs would be meeting them there. It snowed last night and Bobby worried about spinning out or sliding off the snow-covered road, but he gripped the wheel tightly and drove as fearlessly as he could.

  The house they pulled up to was small and reminded him of the homes in his part of Dallas—­one story, with a porch and a postage-­stamp front yard. The interior was a sea of boxes, stacked bed frames, and dresser drawers still holding clothes. There were short, squat laundry hampers holding pots, pans, shoes, and toys. Luis Acosta sidestepped his way through the mayhem and shook their hands. “Thanks, guys. Really appreciate this.”

  From behind him appeared a statuesque older woman and two children. The little girl, in jeans and a Hello Kitty sweatshirt, appeared to be seven or eight, and the dark-­haired boy, who sported owlish black-­framed Harry Potter glasses, might’ve been twelve. Luis made the introductions. “My mother-in-law, Mrs. Anna Ruiz, and my kids, Maria and Alfonso.”

  Bobby wondered why no wife, but decided to ask Trent about that at a more appropriate time.

  Mrs. Ruiz’s dark eyes looked angry. “Thank you for your assistance. I can’t wait to leave this place.”

  Standing beside her, Maria looked on shyly. Alfonso, on the other hand, appeared as angry as his grandmother and nodded a terse, silent greeting.

  “Then let’s get started,” Trent announced.

  For the next hour they loaded the big, heavy items—­bed frames, dressers, a piano, a dining room table, its chairs, and as many boxes as would fit—­into the beds of the big pickups belonging to Trent, Barrett, and Luis. More fragile belongings—­boxed dishes and glasses, along with Maria’s pink-­and-­white dollhouse and a trash bag holding her collection of stuffed animals, went into the back of Mrs. Ruiz’s and Bobby’s SUVs.

  Once none of the vehicles could hold even one spoon more, it was decided that Luis and his son would return later to load up the last few items inside.

  They were standing on the porch, about to roll out, when Astrid drove up in her big, fancy gold Cadillac SUV. She stepped out wearing a big fur coat and approached them with a smile on her face that was as cold as the snow.

  “What do you want?” Mrs. Ruiz asked, her voice just as chilly.

  “I expect you to clean this place thoroughly before you leave. I won’t be able to rent it again if it reeks of beans.”

  In response to the nasty remark, Anna looked her up and down and in a withering tone scoffed, “And you profess to be a Chris­tian. Jesus must be very proud of you.” She stepped off the porch and ushered her grandchildren to her car.

  Astrid’s face was beet red. She turned on Luis. “If you want that security deposit back—­”

  He cut her off. “Keep it. Buy yourself a new husband. Let’s go, guys.”

  Behind them, Astrid screeched, “Luis Acosta, I’ll make sure you never work in a firehouse anywhere in this country ever again.”

  “Too late,” he called back. “Ms. Brown already hired me. Last night.”

  Bobby saw Astrid’s eyes bulge and her jaw drop. Chuckling, he started up his vehicle and joined the small caravan ferrying the Acostas to their new life in Henry Adams.

  Tommy had no idea how many days had gone by. Luckily there was a small flush toilet and a sink in the corner of the room. She’d given him an old sleeping bag and a ­couple of blankets, but there was no heat, and the room was like a freezer. She showed up once a day to toss him a bag of burgers and fries. And she always carried the shotgun. When he asked about the room, she said it used to house migrant workers. He thought he might be in her basement, but there were no windows and he was never allowed to leave, so he had no way of knowing for sure.

  What he did know was that the only person who might care that he was missing was his mother. He was her only child, but he’d taken off so many times in the past, she probably figured he’d show up again eventually and wouldn’t start worrying for a while. He also knew that if he really was on the Henry Adams surveillance tapes, the cops were looking for him—­but for how long was anyone’s guess. It wasn’t like he’d committed murder. He’d only dumped some vials of roaches on the store’s shelves, so they probably wouldn’t look very long. Besides, they wouldn’t really put him in jail for that. Would they? Either way, he couldn’t count on the poli
ce for a rescue. Since it looked like ol’ Horse Face would be keeping him hidden until she came up with a way to get out of this mess without implicating herself, he needed a plan to get away on his own.

  Driving out to Tamar’s to pick up Rita Lynn, Trent willed himself to relax. The Acostas were all moved in. Bobby was spending the rest of the day with Barrett, and Trent was off the clock, so he could spend the rest of the day with his mother. He planned to give her the grand tour of the new and improved Henry Adams before stopping in at the Dog for lunch. After that, he had no set plans in mind, so maybe they’d head over to his place and sit and talk until the rest of the family got home. In truth, it didn’t really matter. All he wanted was for the two of them to continue building their relationship as mother and son.

  The voice sync on his dash opened. “Hey, Trent?” It was Will Dalton.

  “Hey there, Will. What’s up?”

  “Just got a call from Luis Acosta. You helped him move this morning?”

  “Yes. He okay?”

  “Yes, but when he went back to pick up the last load, he found everything in a pile of ash smoldering on the front lawn. Said there was a strong smell of kerosene in the air.”

  “Shit. Astrid.”

  “That’s what he said when he called me just now, but with no witnesses, nothing I can do.”

  Luis said he’d be going back for a box of his kids’ books, the family Christmas tree, and a few other odds and ends. “What are we going to do with her?”

  “Not my monkey, not my circus, unless the monkey breaks the law.”

  Trent blew out a breath of disgust. “Okay.”

  “I hear you hired him as your chief last night.”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s a good man.”

  “Don’t know him real well, but that’s the impression I get. Since we can’t throw the monkey in a cage, anything else?”

  “Yes. Two things. First, Tommy Stewart’s mother has filed a missing persons report on him. It’s going on three weeks since she last saw him. Apparently he’s taken off before, but never for this long. Second, Nebraska law enforcement found his vehicle abandoned on a back road just on their side of the state line. Torched.”

  “He wasn’t in it, was he?”

  “No.”

  “Good. I wouldn’t want anyone dying like that. Do they think he set the fire himself?”

  “They’re still investigating.”

  “Okay, thanks for the update and for your patience with Bobby the other day. Much appreciated.”

  “No problem. Later.” And the sync went silent.

  In Trent’s mind, this entire mess was on Astrid. Once it was proven, the law firm the town retained to represent its interests would be slapping her with a civil suit for the damages and lost revenue incurred from the store’s closure mandated by the Health Department. With any luck she’d end up in the poorhouse, hopefully in a country far, far away. But they had to find Tommy Stewart first.

  His next sync call was from Lily, informing him that Reverend Paula had to leave town because of a family emergency back home in Oklahoma, and would reschedule their family therapy session when she returned. Hoping everything with their spiritual leader would be okay, and that somehow, some way, Devon would find the peace he needed, Trent drove on.

  As he put the truck in park in front of the house he’d grown up in, he pushed all the drama aside. Inside, two women, the one who’d given him birth and the one who’d raised him, were waiting.

  “So where are we going first?” his mother asked while locking her seat belt across her lap. “Nice truck.” She sounded impressed as she glanced around the black and gray interior, with its spaceship-­like dash. “I haven’t ridden in a pickup since high school, and never in one this fancy.”

  “Thought I’d show you the town, then go grab something to eat at the Dog.”

  “The Dog and Cow,” she said, chuckling.

  “The Dog and Cow.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “Nice place, though.”

  “All right, forward!”

  He steered onto the main road. Still not quite believing she was there, he kept stealing looks at her which she met with a smile.

  “Still can’t believe this is real,” she said.

  “Same here. Trying not to stare at you.”

  She reached up and squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, stare all you like.”

  It was one of those bright December days when the sun glistened off the snow-­crusted fields.

  “Haven’t seen this much snow since we moved away,” she said, glancing out her window. “Or been this cold.” She was wearing a red parka and a black knit hat. “This jacket is almost doing the job. Almost.”

  “When I lived in California I enjoyed the weather, but after a while I got tired of the sameness. Wanted to see the leaves change and the trees budding in the spring.”

  “Understandable, but I’ll take sameness over freezing any day of the week. Do your boys like winter—­do they ice skate and ski cross country, like Mal and I and our friends used to do?”

  “Yes. In fact, we’ll be setting up the town ice rink this weekend. Should be cold enough for it to stay frozen. Do you still skate?”

  “I do. Taught Val when she was little. The lessons came in handy when she was in New York. She loved skating at Rockefeller Center.”

  He was taking the long way into town, past Clay and Bing’s place.

  “Clay’s place, right?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Your dad said he was still here. His folks still living?”

  “No, they passed away when I was in LA.”

  “Sorry to hear that. They were nice folks. I wonder what ever happened to Genny Gibbs? Clayton worshipped the ground she walked on, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day. You probably wouldn’t know—­before your time.”

  He laughed. “She’s still in town.”

  “Get out!”

  “Yep. Still here.”

  “Oh, my goodness. I figured she’d be living in Paris or someplace. She so wanted to leave this little country town. Do you think we’ll see her?”

  “We’ll hunt her down if you like. She stays with Marie and Tamar.”

  “Marie Jefferson?”

  The skeptical tone made him turn. “Yes.”

  She had a slightly sour look on her face.

  “You and Marie didn’t get along?”

  “I got along with her fine. She didn’t get along with me.”

  He found this fascinating. “Why not?”

  “She had a thing for Mal.”

  His eyes went so large, he almost drove off the road. “Marie Jefferson?”

  “Yes, Miss My Family Helped Found This Town Marie Jefferson. Had a thing for him, just like Clay had for Genny. She couldn’t stand me. I thought it was funny. As the kids say today, it wasn’t like she was taking my man. Her and those stupid cat-­eye glasses she used to wear.”

  He didn’t know whether to be appalled or laugh.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Marie’s still here, too.” And, he almost added, wearing her cat-­eye glasses. “In fact, the new school is named for her. The Marie Jefferson Academy.”

  “Oh, hell.”

  “And she’s my Lily’s godmother.”

  “Shit.”

  His eyes grew even larger.

  “Sorry. I’m supposed to be trying to make a good impression. How am I doing?”

  The mischief in her eyes made him laugh again. “Is this the real you coming out?”

  “Possibly. I talked to my daughter last night, and the last thing she said to me was ‘Mom, now that you and Trent have found each other and you’re cool, please don’t be out there acting like a hot mess.’ ”

  “She know you pretty well?
”

  “You reach a certain age, and your children think they’re the parent. Which is fine, especially when I need her to bail me out of jail.”

  He almost wrecked the truck again.

  “Too much sharing?”

  “Let me park before you make us hit a snowbank.” He pulled into the Power Plant’s lot and parked.

  “What a beautiful building. What’s something this cutting-­edge doing here?”

  Before he could respond, she undid her belt and got out. He watched her shade her eyes against the low-­hanging winter sun and study the red architectural wonder. He supposed her interest was rooted in her being an artist. Its lines and structure had always appealed to his inner engineer as well. He cut the engine and got out, too.

  She was still taking in the building appreciatively. “How long has it been here?”

  “Almost four years now.”

  “My goodness, it’s beautiful. Who was the architect?”

  “I’d have to go in and ask. My office is inside.”

  “If I had to work a nine-­to-­five, I wouldn’t mind doing it in such a great place. Can we go in?”

  He made a grand gesture of offering his arm.

  Inside, she found the atrium entranceway just as intriguing. She took in the lush plants lining the floor and then raised her eyes to the skylight overhead. “How do you keep the snow off the glass?”

  “There are solar fibers threaded through it.”

  “Really?”

  “Top-­of-­the-­line tech in all the new buildings. Come on, let’s see if Lily and Bernadine are here.”

  “Mal’s Bernadine?”

  He nodded, and noted her hesitation. “Don’t worry. Bernadine’s a very classy lady. She doesn’t do drama. Promise.”

  CHAPTER

  9

  The sun was still shining when he and Rita walked back out to the truck. Just as he’d promised, she’d had nothing to fear from Bernadine. The Boss Lady had been warm and welcoming.