Erica couldn’t put into words how unsettled she felt. She knew what Kaitlyn said was true, but she still felt that she shared her home with a stranger.
As Kaitlyn pulled into her parking spot, Erica felt relief wash over her. Barrett Industries was her second home. She and the thriving family business had grown up together. Though she knew she would be walking into a storm when she crossed the threshold, she was looking forward to it. She needed something else to occupy her mind.
Erica and Kaitlyn had their own routines. Kaitlyn would go straight into the breakroom and fill her coffee mug, then she would grab a doughnut and head for logistics, who filled her in on the status of each job and the company gossip. Erica, on the other hand, needed quiet time to get her head in the game.
Erica and her older sister, Sharon, had always known what they wanted to be when they grew up. Sharon was going to be a lawyer/doctor/cosmetologist but graduated with a teaching degree. Erica said she was going to work with her dad, and that’s exactly what she did. Refurbishing chemical tank trailers and reselling them was not glamorous, but it was something that Erica and her father shared an interest in. Bob Barrett was a tough boss, but she couldn’t imagine working for anyone else.
Erica had no sooner switched on her computer when Bob entered her office. He walked over and kissed her cheek, then settled in a chair in front of her desk.
“We have a meeting with Todd Lowery this morning. Ellis has made a mess of the McKesson account, as I’m sure you well know.”
“Good morning, Dad,” Erica said with a hint of a smile as she studied her father. The wavy thick dark hair that he’d passed on to her had been trimmed, her mother’s handiwork, no doubt. Except for the worry lines etched in his brow, he looked rested. His slate-colored eyes were focused on her, and she watched as his worry lines seemed to go slightly deeper.
“Good morning, honey. Forgive me, how was the trip? You look a little pale.”
“Evidently, not long enough. It appears I’ve walked back into a crap storm,” Erica said, steering the conversation away from her.
“To say the least,” Bob said with evident frustration. “Todd showed up here on Thursday, made a six-hour trip with a crew, and there were no tanks.”
Erica groaned. “Were they still in refurb?”
“One was. The other two didn’t arrive until Friday. I met up with Kaitlyn before I came in here. She’s got a team going over the other two now. If we have any luck at all, they’ll be in good shape.”
“So we’re looking at a week before we’re ready to deliver?”
“Maybe more if we’re not so lucky.”
Erica leaned back in her chair. “Did Ellis give any reason why he dropped the ball?”
“Said he had too much on his plate.”
“Kaitlyn and I handle five accounts each. He has one, and his plate is overloaded?”
Bob raised his hands and let them drop into his lap. “He’s not a multi-tasker.”
They’d had this conversation over a hundred times. Ellis Polinsky was well past retirement age, but neither Erica nor her father had the heart to force him out. “What time is the meeting with Todd?”
Bob looked at his watch. “We have an hour.”
Erica nodded and made a few notes on the tablet before her. “Did he send his crew back?”
Bob nodded. “They’re on the payroll. He couldn’t have them waiting around here until we got our crap together.”
“Okay,” Erica said, then let out a long breath. “I’ll round up some contract drivers. If Todd wants to stay in town and oversee the work, we need to foot the bill on that. We’ll also have to compensate him for the wasted day’s wages for his crew. I’ll get with Kaitlyn and see what her estimates are. We’ll be ready for Todd when he gets here.”
“Good,” Bob said as he stood. “I need to make a few calls, but I’ll have Patrice let us all know when Todd gets here.”
Erica made calls and held impromptu meetings doing as much damage control as she could in an hour’s time. The distraction was what she needed, but thoughts of Ashleigh loomed in the recesses of her mind, waiting for the first idle moment to move in.
“That went well,” Kaitlyn said sarcastically when the meeting with Todd Lowery concluded.
“He has every right to be angry.” Erica slumped in her chair. “We dropped the ball.”
Kaitlyn wanted to say that Ellis dropped the ball but kept it to herself. She liked the old man, but cleaning up after him was becoming more difficult with every incident.
“We’ll have him on his way in a couple of days,” Bob said. “I think he was happy with the account reassignment. Now the question is, who wants it?”
“I’ll take it,” Erica and Kaitlyn said in unison, then laughed at each other.
“It makes more sense for me to take it,” Kaitlyn said. “You handle more than accounts, Erica. Let me relieve some of the pressure.”
“Promise to tell me if it gets to be too much.”
“Promise. There is the matter of lunch that needs to be attended to.” Kaitlyn looked at Bob, then Erica. “Where will we order from?”
“You girls have earned your kibble today,” Bob said with a grin. “I’ll have Patrice place an order at Belle’s. What would you like?”
“Jambalaya, and lots of it,” Kaitlyn said with a smile. “With garlic bread, don’t forget the bread.”
Chapter Five
At lunch, Ashleigh made the short walk home to check the spaghetti that she’d left on the stove to slow cook. When she moved to St. Francisville from Baton Rouge, she was lucky to land a job at the only doctor’s office in town. She was promoted a year later when the office manager retired, an accomplishment by default, but the raise did sweeten the deal. That the office was two blocks away from her front door was an added bonus. St. Francisville with its moss-laden trees and Southern charm reminded her of Savannah. Occasionally she missed her childhood home, but those times were growing less frequent.
As Ashleigh walked past Drew and Kaitlyn’s house, Drew stopped working her flowerbeds and fell in step with her. “I was wondering if you were coming home for lunch today.” Drew draped an arm around Ashleigh’s shoulders.
“I’m making spaghetti for dinner, and I need to check it,” Ashleigh said, knowing that Drew was not going to leave her alone.
Drew gave Ashleigh’s shoulder a squeeze. “I made taco soup, join me. It’s your favorite, and I added extra jalapeños just for you.”
Ashleigh hadn’t had an appetite since she saw herself prancing across the screen in the video that wrecked her life. She hated to hurt Drew’s feelings further by refusing to eat.
“Just let me check the sauce and I’ll be right over.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Drew said without letting her go. “I’m out of soda, and I wanna raid your fridge. Do you have any cheddar?”
Ashleigh pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. She held it open for Drew, who patted her cheek as she walked by. Ashleigh followed her inside and went straight to the stove. She stirred the sauce while Drew rummaged around in the refrigerator.
Drew helped herself to a drink and pulled a block of cheese from the crisper. She handed Ashleigh a soda and leaned against the counter, making it obvious she was trying to catch Ashleigh’s eye.
“I…um…looked you up online last night,” Drew said as her gaze swept over Ashleigh’s face looking for a reaction. “You probably don’t want to hear this right now, but I’m blown away. There was some old concert footage on YouTube. I had such a hard time making the correlation between you and the woman I saw there.”
Ashleigh never could make herself look at the footage. She hadn’t watched their one and only music video in its entirety. Her self-critique was brutal. She didn’t like the way she moved or the way she sounded. And after Kelly’s death, she couldn’t look at any of it again.
“You were quite the accomplished musician,” Drew went on when Ashleigh didn’t comment. “Vocals, piano, guitar, drums.
Was there anything you couldn’t do?”
“Control myself,” Ashleigh said, keeping her attention on anything but Drew.
“Come with me.” Drew tugged Ashleigh’s scrub shirt decorated with funny-faced kittens and cats.
Ashleigh followed her out the door, resigned to the fact that the conversation was inevitable.
“I read about Kelly Jasinski. The article implied that you two were lovers.”
Ashleigh was about to take a sip of soda but lowered the can from her mouth. Hearing the name on Drew’s lips made her insides turn to ice. The bright sun that shone on them as they walked to Drew’s house failed to warm her.
Drew pushed open the kitchen door and the smell of the soup filled Ashleigh’s senses. Normally, she would have run over Drew to get to the stove. She sank down at the table feeling slightly nauseated.
“Your song was huge. I had no idea that it topped the charts for three weeks,” Drew said casually as she moved about the kitchen. “I used to love it. It seems so strange to me that I sang along with you twenty years ago.”
Drew placed a bowl in front of Ashleigh and grated cheese over the piping hot soup. “This is really a fall and winter dish, but I was craving it. Notice that I’m going to continue to chatter until you interrupt me.”
“Drew,” Ashleigh said, picking up her spoon and stirring the concoction that she could not bring herself to eat.
“What happened to you, Ash?” Drew sat opposite her at the table.
It all came tumbling out in a rush as Ashleigh recounted what she’d told Erica the night before. She wondered when the tears would come and ruin her makeup, but they never did. She didn’t have anything left to shed after the previous evening. She was emotionally and physically drained and didn’t know how she’d find the strength to go back to work and finish the day.
“You just walked away and never looked back,” Drew said, dumbfounded.
“I couldn’t sing another note. I didn’t have another song in me to write,” Ashleigh said angrily. “Everyone expected me to forge on and I was frozen. The show couldn’t just go on for me. No one understood what it was like looking down on Kelly’s lifeless face and know it was all my fault.”
“How was it your fault?” Drew pushed her bowl of uneaten soup away. “Did you force her to take the drugs? Did you know she had a heart condition?”
“I’ve asked myself those same questions. No, I didn’t force her to do anything, and neither of us had any idea of her condition. I was there, though, drowning myself in a well of alcohol and drugs. It was her choice to participate, but she might not have gone to the lengths that she did if I hadn’t been right there with her.”
“Pardon me, but bullshit,” Drew said. “Sounds to me like she still would’ve done it with or without you. I understand that you feel responsible, it makes sense, but you’re punishing yourself unnecessarily.” Drew narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. “What else made you run?”
Ashleigh stared back at Drew as though she’d been caught in a trap that she was helpless to escape.
“You said you had a relationship with the guitarist, but you never say her name. I find that a little odd.”
“Alex was my first love,” Ashleigh said. The name burned on her tongue. Time had not erased the bitterness she still felt, even though it had obscured her memory of the pain that she’d never experienced before or since.
Drew smacked her lips. “Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter.”
“Are you thinking that I still pine away for her?” Ashleigh asked defensively.
“Do you?” Drew raised a brow.
“Absolutely not. At her best, she could never measure up to Erica.” Ashleigh stood. “I need to get back to work.”
Drew jumped to her feet and grabbed Ashleigh by the shoulders, forcing her to look at her. “This has been bottled up for twenty years. It’s time to let go of the guilt and shame and especially the anger. You’ve allowed these feelings to rob you of a career that looked very promising.”
Ashleigh smiled ruefully. “If I hadn’t been ‘robbed,’ then I’d have never met you or Erica. It’s worked out pretty well for me so far.”
Drew chuckled. “Well, that is true. What would you do without me?”
“I’m not spending the night here,” Kaitlyn’s voice said over Erica’s intercom. “It’s six. At six thirty, my car is pulling out of the driveway. I suggest you be in it.”
“I’ll meet you outside in thirty minutes,” Erica said. “Don’t leave me like you did before we went on vacation.”
“Then don’t be late, weenie.”
Erica reluctantly pushed back from her desk and stuffed a few things into her briefcase that she needed to work on. She would’ve preferred to remain at the office and take advantage of the quiet time to chip away at the mountain of work that had accumulated while she was away.
“What are your plans for this evening?” Kaitlyn asked when she climbed into the car.
“I’m gonna go over the Travis account. I didn’t have time to look at it today because of the McKesson deal.”
“Erica!” Kaitlyn said, glancing over. She veered off the main road and took the long way, causing Erica to grit her teeth. “Don’t you think you should spend some time with Ashleigh?”
“We’ll have the weekend for that. Right now, I’ve got tons of work to do and little time to do it.”
“You know what?” Kaitlyn said angrily. “You have no one to blame but yourself for Ashleigh keeping her history from you. Poor thing probably tried to tell you a dozen times and you had your face buried in that computer. A relationship takes work, too, ya know?”
In no mood to be lectured on relationships, Erica tried to keep her temper in check. “Drop it, Katie. I don’t need you to go Dr. Phil on me.”
“Don’t come crying to me when she—”
“Drop it!”
“I didn’t mean that,” Kaitlyn said softly. “You know I’ll always be there for you. But know this, after the tears stop falling, I’m going to remind you of this conversation.”
“Noted, now take the next street. I don’t want to take the scenic route home.”
Kaitlyn did as she was asked. When Erica got out of the car, they both mumbled a good night, and Kaitlyn drove home.
Chapter Six
Kaitlyn walked into the dark kitchen and noticed the pot on the stove. Dinner was ready, but there was no sign of Drew. She walked into the den, and in the corner sat her partner staring at the computer screen.
“Woman, what are you doing and why isn’t my dinner on the table?”
Drew leaned back in her chair and plucked the reading glasses from her nose. “Woman, what took you so long to get home and where’s my kiss?”
Kaitlyn chuckled and walked over to where Drew sat. She gave Drew a peck on the lips, then knelt beside her. “How was your day, love?”
“I got all the summer growth pruned in the front flowerbed and had lunch with Ash. I fixed the washing machine, so it no longer sounds like it’s gonna come through the wall and attack us. And in between playing on the computer, I took a nap like a bum.”
Kaitlyn gave Drew a disapproving look. “You’re hardly a bum. You get up and make my breakfast every morning. Cook my meals, do my laundry, and keep this house spotless.” Kaitlyn took Drew’s hand into hers and kissed her palm. “I’m spoiled rotten.”
“Do you really see it that way?” Drew asked as concern etched her face.
“Drew, honey, I’m one of the luckiest women alive. I go to work, and I don’t have to worry about what to cook for dinner. I don’t have to worry about getting home in time to cut the grass before dark. My clothes are always clean and in the closet. How many women can say that? I live a life of luxury because you provide it. So, yes, I truly do see it that way.”
“Thank you,” Drew said as the smile returned to her face. She leaned down and placed the sweetest of kisses on Kaitlyn’s lips.
“How is Ash?” Kaitlyn stood and rubbe
d Drew’s shoulders.
Drew groaned as Kaitlyn massaged the knotted muscles in her neck. “Ash has some big hurdles to jump. I’ll tell you about it over dinner.”
Kaitlyn leaned closer to the computer screen. “Is that her?”
Long dark red curls obscured the faintly familiar face as they hung down and covered one green eye. The smile was cocky as she stood with one hand on her hip. The jacket with the large shoulder pads hid the slight frame.
“Her legs look like toothpicks,” Kaitlyn said with a grin. “I like the boots, though.” Kaitlyn looked at the other women who stood alongside Ashleigh. “So this must be the rest of the band,” she said, leaning in for a closer look. “I never got the name Versal, though, what does it mean?”
“That’s the drummer’s last name, she founded the band. That’s her on the far right.” Drew pointed to the shortest member of the group. What she lacked in height, she made up in muscle. The sleeveless vest showed off well-formed biceps. She too had a head full of curly long hair.
“What’s up with all the curls?” Kaitlyn asked as she pulled Drew from her seat and toward the kitchen.
“Katie, you remember the eighties. That was one of the more popular styles. Long and curly, and always down over one eye.”
“Did you wear your hair like that?” Kaitlyn asked with a grin as she sat at the table. As long as she’d known Drew, her hair had been short, but long on top and always in her eyes. It was nearly all gray, but the style still gave her the appearance of someone who grayed prematurely. It was Drew’s height that had first caught her eye. At only five feet, Kaitlyn felt like everyone towered over her; Drew was only an inch taller. She would’ve liked to say that it was Drew’s blue eyes that captured her next, but in truth, it was how she filled out her jeans. Kaitlyn’s grin stayed on her face as she admired that rear end as it moved around the kitchen.
“I tried, but my hair is too straight, and I got tired of perming the shit out of it.” Drew set a bowl of soup in front of Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn’s empty growling stomach caused her to be rude, and she grabbed her spoon and began eating before Drew joined her. She smiled apologetically and mumbled around a mouthful, “Sorry.” She took another bite and swallowed before attacking the bread with the same gusto. “So tell me about Ash.”
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