She saw her cousin visibly crying, mourning the uncle she had seen as the innocent party. They reached out holding on to each other, each grieving for a different reason. Justin rest his hands on her, and Beaux’s on Lacy, occasionally squeezing shoulders offering support, but allowing the two cousins their connection in grieving.
The other guests formed two distinct huddles outside. One group was quiet having been alerted to the news already and were focusing on their job. The second group speculated about what was happening and were concerned for a long time friend. In time, Beaux went outside to inform them of the tragic news and they would have to end the party early. They gave their condolences and hurriedly cleaned up. The first group lingered as the others left and then took their positions.
Sara and Lacy remained at the dining room table, having not moved in two hours. Gone were the tears and they had retreated to their thirteen year old selves when the world held no perils.
“Remember our eighth birthday parties? We begged and begged for a petting zoo, so our parents finally agreed?” Sara asked.
“Yes, and then Jess Adams showed up even though we swore we wouldn’t invite her because she pulled my hair right in front of Ethan when she knew I liked him. The nerve of her showing up uninvited!”
“I have a confession Lacy. I was the one who invited her.”
“No! How come?”
“I was going to trip her and make her fall in front of everyone as payback for embarrassing you, but then the goat started eating Mindy’s skirt and I never got the chance.”
“You were so bad!”
Peals of laughter followed.
“I have a confession to make also,” Lacy said still laughing. “I went to my junior prom with Ethan and eight years later, I couldn’t help rub it in to Jess. She never changed you know, and had the hugest crush on Ethan all throughout high school. I didn’t like Ethan at all, but when he asked me to prom I couldn’t help but say yes. There were no boys I liked at the time so why not. Jess went with Buck Teeth Bobby and I made sure Ethan and I danced by Bobby and her plenty of times.”
“Lacy Landon, I never would have thought you had what it took to be so bitchy,” Sara laughed.
If the men were surprised by their woman’s behavior following such grievous news, they didn’t show it. Convinced the women were coping in the only way they knew, they quietly moved to the living room where they could have their own conversation while remaining in sight of the women they loved.
“Where do you think Sara’s mom is?” Beaux asked.
“It’s hard to say. Mrs. Landon has been flighty the last few years. There have been several times she has up and left for several weeks without telling anyone.” Justin answered.
“Do you think this is one of those times, despite the news of her husband’s murder?”
Justin shook his head sadly. “No, but for Sara’s sake I am hoping it is.”
“Me too. This mess feels like it will never be cleaned up. I am so afraid someone will come after Lacy again. I just want to start a life with her and we can’t do that until this is over.”
“Is is that serious already?”
“I was going to propose that night Jeff attacked her.”
“Talk about bad timing. I’m glad you and Lacy hit it off. For years Sara has been telling me the two of you were meant for each other. Once she knew for sure Lacy was coming for a visit, she wouldn’t let it rest”
“Sara always loved playing matchmaker even in high school. She just got lucky this time though I have to agree Lacy and I were meant for each other.” Beaux eyes drifted back to the dining room, smiling as he watched the mother to be of his child. “So, it looks like we’re going to be dad’s together.”
Justin was surprised then grinned at the possibilities. “In that case, we can learn to change diapers together.” A gentle laugh broke the tension they had been holding onto. They bemoaned the troubles of pregnant woman and drank their beers, bonding not just as best friends, but future fathers on an unknown path. When the conversation turned to the possibility of future children Justin had his own admission.
“Sara thinks she may have a half-brother somewhere.”
“She thinks?”
“She has overheard things during her parent’s arguments and doesn’t know for sure. Once, she asked her mom about it, but her mom said she was imagining things and the subject was never brought up again.”
“That is wild. Nothing would surprise me with that family though. It’s just a shame Lacy and Sara have to be dragged through it.”
“Tell me about it. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself in a situation like this. I don’t know if such a thing as happily ever after exists, but I’ll use whatever means necessary to protect Sara and our baby.”
Fireworks exploded off in the distance as the nation celebrated the birthday of her independence. Beaux and Lacy sat outside, watching the remote flares against the night sky. Lacy was quiet, scared and worried about what lay ahead. She was coming to terms with her uncle’s murder and couldn’t help but wonder if she could be next. Could life be so cruel to hand her everything she wanted just to tear her away? She reached out to Beaux, just needing to feel his presence.
“What will come of this Beaux?” she asked. “I feel the world is crashing down around us and we’re powerless to stop it.”
“I don’t know Lacy.” He wanted to give her platitudes and tell her everything would be fine, but they both knew there were no guarantees. “I can’t make promises that nothing else will happen and this will all blow over casually. What I can promise, is that I will be with you every step of the way. I will protect you and our baby with my life and one day, we will look back at this and see the trials we overcame and know that nothing in this crazy world has the power to destroy the love we have found in each other.”
She leaned into him, drinking in the protection and love he offered. In a time of confusion and grief, he was the only thing that made sense to her, the one person who wholly understood her and would never abandon or betray the trust she had put in him. The firework display ended and they went inside. The day had worn on them and they retired to bed early. As they lay flesh against flesh, Beaux traced his finger in circles around Lacy’s finger. With a deep, husky voice he promised “One day soon ma chère, when this is all behind us I will make you my wife.” With that pledge Lacy fell into a deep, content sleep knowing in this man, she had found it all.
The next morning, Beaux made breakfast while Lacy sipped her decaf coffee watching the news. She flinched at the coverage of a local, prominent businessman who had been murdered the previous day. Was Sara seeing this? Goodness, it was horrible seeing her uncle’s face flash across the scene with photos of crime tape surrounding his house. She went to the kitchen, unable to watch the rest. She sat at the table watching Beaux, thankful for his neutral choice of pancakes. Her morning sick remained at bay for now, but she knew it wouldn’t take much for it to return with a vengeance.
He brought a plate over setting it in front of her offering to get her another cup of coffee. She took the final sip from her cup and handed it to Beaux.
“That would be great, thanks. I missed this while I was back in Charleston. Even the decaf here tastes better than anything there. I didn’t know what I’ve been missing all these years.”
Beaux chuckled. “What can I say, we take our coffee seriously.”
“What do you have planned for today?”
“I have to stop by the bar and check on a few things. The manager does a pretty good job, but Jared or I still go over the papers and numbers on a weekly basis. Do you mind if we go?”
“Are you trying to torture a pregnant girl by taking her to a place where everything’s off-limits?” she teased.
“I’ll make a virgin daiquiri just for you.”
“I supposed that will have to suffice.” The easy banter was a balm for her soul. “I have to call the ob’s office today and set up my first appointment. Sa
ra really likes the office she is seen at so if they have any openings, I would like to go there.”
“That’s great Lace. Let me know when it is and I’ll go with you.”
“You’re a great man Beauregard,” she said with a wink.
“Don’t forget what happened last time you insisted on calling me that!”
“I remember all too clearly my dear, sweet wonderful Beauregard.”
“I warned you” he proclaimed as his lips met hers, tasting the remaining sweetness of breakfast. They pulled apart and went about their day.
When they got to the bar, there was a lunch rush, so Beaux jumped behind the bar to help. Does he ever know how to not help, Lacy wondered, but she didn’t begrudge the extra time. This was a part of Beaux’s life and now hers also. She sat in the corner when a waitress brought her over a virgin daiquiri. “Compliments of the owner,” she said as she sat the drink in front of her. Lacy laughed as she caught Beaux’s eye and he gave her his best melt your heart smile.
The lunch rush dissipated and Beaux brought Lacy into the back office with him. He was flipping through papers and Lacy tried to be quiet, but she felt unusually chatty today.
“Did you see Levi is back?” she asked.
“I saw him briefly. He pretty much keeps in the shadows.”
“How long have you owned the bar?”
“Jared and I bought it four years ago.” Beaux continued staring at the papers, distractedly answering Lacy’s questions.
“Where’s the bathroom?”
“First door on the right.”
“Can we have sex here in your office?” That got his attention and he looked up with surprise in his face.
Lacy laughed. “Leave it to a man not to pay attention until you say sex.”
“I was paying attention to you,” he lightly protested. “But now that you mention it, may I have been neglecting you.” He stood and moved towards her, taking the long way around the desk to lock the door. With lust filled eyes he kissed her lips. “I promise to pay attention to you here,” then moved to her neck, “and here” down to her breasts, “and here”, continuing to trailing kisses down her, until she was quite positive she had his full attention. When they finished, Beaux gathered the papers he still needed to review and they snuck out the back door before anyone could see their flushed faces and tousled hair, laughing all the way to the truck.
Chapter 12:
Mrs. Landon was still missing and now believed to be kidnapped or dead. Life and death must continue and the burden of funeral arrangements was handed to Sara. As she sat in the funeral parlor, she contemplated her life and everything she had known. She wondered about the half-brother born to her mom years before meeting her dad. Her mother denied his existence, but Sara knew. Did he know that his mother was missing? Did he even know who his biological mother was or that he had a sister? She had always wanted a brother, but her parents always told her they loved her so much they couldn’t possibly make room in their hearts for another child. Now, she wondered if they just didn’t want another complication to their twisted lives.
The public outcry of support should have been comforting. It should have soothed her knowing that in her father’s death she had an entire community of brothers and sisters reaching out to her. But instead, she wanted to scream and shout. Every time someone commented how strong she was, she wanted to yell back how can I grieve someone I never knew? Because in truth, the man Samuel Landon was as her father and community leader, was not the real Samuel Landon who existed behind doors closed off to Sara and the public.
Selfish as it may be, she had asked Lacy to come with her to the funeral home. They were both dealing with demons and only Lacy could understand the depth of betrayal she felt. Though neither openly acknowledged it to the other, they both knew their parents had swept them up in a web of lies and deceit. She heard Justin stand as he went to open the door for Lacy and Beaux. For a split second, she was envious at the glow on Lacy’s face. Beaux had been her constant companion and Lacy regaled in that, thriving on his attention. She on the other hand was pushing her husband away, shutting him out from her pain. Justin had done anything a loving husband should do and somewhere inside she could appreciate and love him more because of it, but for now, her heart was so raw she couldn’t let him near.
Lacy sat beside her clasping her hand around Sara’s. Some pain could only be understood by those also going through it. The director of the home brought two more chairs in the room to accommodate the men. As he flipped through pages of caskets and service options the anger rose from her chest and she couldn’t take it.
“Stop!” she shouted. “Just stop!”
The funeral director, accustomed to emotional outbursts from grieving family members, discreetly left the room, permitting the four remaining occupants privacy to sort out the state of affairs.
Justin reached out to her, but she rebuffed him.
“Justin and Beaux, leave the room please,” she ordered. “Lacy and I need to talk alone.”
Lacy sat still, eyes silently begging Beaux for an unknown understanding. Justin stood stationary until Beaux led him out of the room. Sara stood closing the door behind them as Lacy tried to reach through her friend’s defenses.
“I can’t do this anymore Lacy. We both know our dad’s lied to us. We know they never dissolved their “business” and we know there was likely never any affair. We know they are up to their eyeballs in drug trade and we know that they have put us in real danger.”
She paused, sucking in a breath, not use to being this assertive.
“Why are we hiding it from each other? Why not acknowledge it for what it is. I am so sick of the lies from everyone.” Lacy flinched as Sara hurled her words, with an obvious inclusion of her in the lies. She kept a physical distance as Sara continued.
“Let’s stop this song and dance routine of hiding what we know because we don’t want to cause any more pain. Our parents did enough hiding of information. I want better for our children.” Her statement was an olive branch extended to cover her outburst.
“I understand Sara. We only did it out of love. Our parents did it out of greed and power.”
“My dad is dead Lacy. He is dead and will never have a chance to tell us the truth and make things right.” Sara crumpled to the ground wracked with sobs as she became overwhelmed, finally able to grieve, even if just for the man she once thought he was. When the sobs subsided, she looked to Lacy who had sat down beside her.
“After all that has happened and all that we have found out, how are you able to still love and trust a man?” Sara asked.
Lacy thought for a long time before responding. “I have to believe that world is still basically good. I believe in love and I believe in Beaux and that requires trust. There is evil in the world that we will never understand, but the minute we stop believing in love, we allow the evil to expand. You have to search inside you Sara. I know you’ll find it again.”
The sky was dark and cloudy with thunder rumbling to the west. Rain clouds threatened to erupt at any moment and the humidity left the air stagnant and sticky. If ever there were a perfect backdrop for a funeral, this would be it. Lacy’s morning sickness was worse than usual today and she could barely sit up in bed. Beaux brewed a cup of herbal tea for her and brought it to her with a slice of plain toast. Setting the tray down, he positioned his self beside her and slid his hands up and down her arms, trying to ease the shivering that often accompanied the intense bouts of sickness.
“Beaux, do you think you can help me to the shower,” she mumbled weakly. “I really need to get ready for the funeral, but I’m not sure I can make it on my own.”
He lifted her up, carrying her to the shower. He remained by her, rubbing the lathered bubbles through her hair. He continued washing down her tired body, pausing at her womb. “Be nice to your momma cher bebe. Let her rest so she feels better.” Lacy fell in love with him all over is he showed her just how much he cherished her and this baby. When she
was clean, he helped her back to the bed, where she sat while Beaux pulled out the clothes she instructed. By the time she was dressed, her strength was returning and she was able to walk about. As she passed through the living room for another cup of tea, she stopped at the news on the weather report.
“Come in here Beaux,” she called. “There is talk of a hurricane.” He hurried to the room to watch the report with her. “They have tracked it to be a direct hit for us.” Lacy had seen her fair share of hurricane living in Charleston her whole life, but she would never be used to them.
“We’ll keep a close eye on it, but it is still a few days away. We can start some preparations tonight, but its path is likely to change before it gets to us, if it doesn’t fizzle out first.” Beaux’s lack of high concern was enough for her to not give it much thought. She tucked it away in her head and continued getting ready for the funeral.
The viewing was held the previous night and there was a tremendously high attendance from the community. Lacy was worried for Sara. Last night she was going through the motions, but her eyes were glassy and void of emotion. Justin had took the bulk of responsibility, making sure each guest was acknowledged and thanked for paying their respects. The service today would be simple. Sara had refused to participate in anymore preparation, so Justin and Beaux made the final decisions. For Sara’s sake, they opted for a short service open to the public with only a small group of Sam’s friends invited to the burial. Lacy had offered to stay with Sara for the night, but she denied the offer, saying she couldn’t take anyone else hovering over her. They had gone home, leaving a bereft Justin to care for his wife.
The Best Laid Plans (Brothers of the Bayou) Page 11
