by Lori Leger
If only she could go back and apologize for all the hell she’d given them during her late teens, sneaking out of the house, breaking curfew, sometimes drinking, smoking, and using the occasional drugs.
She remembered thinking her mother was a slave driver because she expected her daughter to help with the cleaning and cooking if she wanted the privilege of going out on the weekends. She thought her father was an ogre for not letting her sleep past ten o’clock on weekends.
She hated that they both expected better grades than B’s and C’s on her report cards, and also for her to be in mass every Sunday morning if she hadn’t made it on Saturday afternoon. They pushed her to excel, and although she had initially fought it tooth and nail, she’d eventually buckled down just so they’d stop their nagging. Thank God they’d nagged.
Her mind drifted to some of those other, so called privileged kids she’d hung around so she’d be considered cool. Bobby, whose politician father had pulled strings all his life to get him out of one scrape after another, was serving a twenty year stint in the state pen. While drunk, he’d run a red light and caused a serious accident involving a young a mother and her six year old son. The mother, whose husband happened to be a state senator, had been paralyzed from the waist down. The judge had ignored Bobby’s and his attorney’s pleas for leniency.
She thought of her best friend, Janice, the A-student, who had ended up in Vegas, prostituting to keep herself supplied with the heroin she craved. The summer after their senior year, Janice had begged Angelique to accompany her to Las Vegas so they could find jobs together and share the rent.
But of course, her parents, strict and un-cool beasts that they were, had refused to let her go. They hadn’t let her have one dime of her graduation and college fund money. She’d railed and pouted at how unfair they were being, and insisted she was old enough to do whatever she wanted. Her parents had won out, and Janice had gone without her. By the time Angelique had started a technical college two months later, her old friend was already prostituting.
Every time she thought of her old friend, a famous quote came to mind. There but for the grace of God, go I. Yes, the grace of God, and the persistence of her parents. She owed them both so much. She thought of the pain they were in now and the surgeries that would give them some relief. They would both need serious help and no way could she turn her back on them now that they needed her.
Her dad and Mike were deep in conversation about the New Orleans Saints and when they’d make it to the Super Bowl again.
Seated at her left, Marceline stared silently out through the clear glass separating them from the flora and fauna of early spring. Angelique leaned slightly toward her mother before speaking in a low tone.
“Mom, I want you to know that I’m going to transfer to the Lafayette office as soon as I’ve trained my replacement.”
Her mom gazed at her in obvious confusion. “But you’ll be spending all your paycheck on gas from driving back and forth, Angel. That won’t be worth it.”
“I’ll move back to Lafayette, of course,” Angel replied, simultaneously wondering if her old place was still vacant.
The mother paused as she studied her daughter’s face. “Honey, I know you’re worried about us, but our insurance pays for homecare after surgeries. Don’t do this because of your dad and me.”
Angelique set her empty coffee mug on the table next to her chair then faced her mom. She reached out and gently took hold of her mother’s hands. Those gentle but aged hands had comforted and cared for, as well as disciplined her throughout the years. She caressed them with soft strokes then raised them to her own face. “I’d do anything for you and pop, just like you both did everything you could for me.”
Marceline’s eyes filled with tears. “Angel, it’s not necessary.”
“I want to be here for you and pop, not just once or twice a week, but every day. Not another word about this, Mom.”
Her mother seemed to study her in that quiet way she’d perfected. “Have you come to any other decisions about your life yet, my Angel?”
Knowing her mother spoke of her unresolved love life, Angelique let her own gaze travel past her mother to Mike, who sat talking animatedly with her dad, three chairs over. She thought of her therapist speaking the words that had become her mantra over the past year. “You should learn to love yourself before you can love others, Angelique. If there’s something about you that you’re not happy with, change it, then move on.”
She watched Mike, knowing he wanted marriage and a family. She knew she could easily love him as a wife should love a husband. She closed her eyes and pictured Liam, finally healed from a devastating personal loss and ready to begin a new life with her. She could easily love him as well. Nope…still no resolution.
She smiled at her mother and tapped her own head with one forefinger. “It’s still up for debate.”
Angelique turned her gaze from the window to Mike, seated behind the wheel of his truck, as he drove them both back to his place. “I told mom I’d be moving back to Lafayette as soon as I trained my replacement for the Lake Coburn office.”
He shifted to face her, obviously taken off guard by her statement. “As much as that pleases me, I didn’t realize you’d found a replacement already.”
She gave him a sly smile. “I haven’t yet, but I’m hoping to meet her today. Do you think it’s too soon to meet Sarah Richard?”
Mike gave her an ear splitting grin. “I think she’d be thrilled to meet you today.” He reached out to take hold of her hand. “Thanks, Angel, this is going to mean so much to her.” He turned back to face the front but the grin stayed on his face.
Angelique stole furtive glances at Mike until the smile eventually faded from his face. Even then, his eyes reflected the joy he obviously felt as he maneuvered his truck through the moderate Sunday traffic toward the hospital.
As much as she hated to admit it, it bothered her that he could feel this intensely about the welfare of Sarah Richard. Could he be developing feelings for the young mother of twins? She felt uncomfortable even thinking it. What if his feelings for Sarah surpassed his feelings for her?
For the past six months, Mike had been steadfast in his attempts to win her heart. Maybe she had grown too complacent by thinking he’d wait for her no matter how long it took her to decide. Heat crept up her face and neck as the thought took shape in her mind. She turned to look out her side window until the uncomfortable heat faded. By then they were pulling into the hospital parking lot.
CHAPTER 13
Melanie had just brought Sarah back to her room after a visit to the nursery when someone knocked on her door. She reached for the handle, demanding the usual “State your name and business.”
“Mel, it’s Mike Harper and I have someone with me who needs to speak to Sarah.”
Mel stepped aside to let him use his pass key to open the door. For the second time, she stared in surprise at the visitor Harper had brought by the hospital. It was the same woman Liam Nash had been all over at Annie’s wedding last year. What the hell was she doing with Harper?
Mike gave Mel a quick introduction then led Angelique over to the bed where Sarah was seated. “Sarah, this is a good friend of mine, Angelique Baptiste. Angel, this is Sarah Richard.”
Angelique struggled to catch her breath as she got her first good luck at the woman that Mike was so concerned about. Now that she saw the poor girl, she could understand his concern. There wasn’t a spot on this woman’s face that wasn’t covered with a bruise or a nasty looking cut, and she was far too thin. Even through all of that, she could see the stubborn determination in the gaze Sarah fixed on her as Angel extended her hand.
“Sarah, it’s very nice to meet you. I hope you’re feeling better.”
“I am, thank you. I’m over the worst of it. Trust me when I say it looks worse than it feels,” she said, pointing to the bruises on her face. “It’s nice to meet you too, Angelique. What a beautiful name.”
Ang
el smiled and thanked her before taking her seat in a chair Mike placed next to the bed. “Sarah, Mike tells me you have experience in office management and you’re looking to relocate to another city. It happens that I’m looking for a replacement in our Lake Coburn office so I can relocate to our Lafayette location as soon as possible.” She spent the next ten minutes telling her about the workings of the medical facility, as well as her employer, Dr. Maze. She spent another ten minutes gleaning information about Sarah’s work experience and training.
Once Angelique was satisfied, she stood up and smiled down at the other woman. “It seems you’ve got the experience, even though you haven’t worked in a while. I’m certain you’ll have no difficulty learning the system. When you get out of here do you think you could get a resume ready?”
Sarah beamed up at her. “I already have one, but it’s at the women’s shelter where the twins and I were staying. They were going to help me find a job. When I leave here, I can go and pick it up. I don’t have a vehicle right now, and truthfully I don’t know how I’ll manage getting one. I’m not sure how the insurance company will settle since Troy’s name was on the title, but if I have to use the public transit system to get to work, I’ll do it. I only hope this Dr. Maze is willing to give me a chance.”
Angelique extended her hand again. “Sarah, I’m responsible for hiring my replacement, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re hired. The resume is just to put in your file. When you’re ready, give me a call.” She reached into her purse and handed Sarah a business card with her contact information. After answering a few more questions, she left the room.
Melanie watched as Mike followed the tall brunette out of the room. Angelique Baptiste. She’d heard Mike mention ‘Angel’ dozens of times, but she had no idea it was a shortened version of her real name. Everyone in the office knew he was crazy about her. They even had a pool going as to when he’d pop the question. She looked toward the door as he re-entered a minute later.
“Your company left?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, she went to speak to a friend of hers who works on this floor. When she’s through, we’ll leave.”
Melanie tried not to broach the subject, but her curiosity finally got the better of her. “I think I’ve seen her before.”
“She was involved in the Benjamin Bradford case a little over a year ago. He’d earmarked her as a potential victim.”
“I wasn’t talking about that, but I do remember it now. I think she was with that Nash guy at Annie McAllister’s wedding.”
Mike gave a shrug of indifference. “Could be,” he mumbled. “That’s around the time they got together for a few months.”
“I mean, they were only dancing and talking, but it seemed as if they were close,” she quickly explained.
He stared at her for a moment then grinned in understanding. “It’s okay, Mel. Angelique and I only started … ” He paused here for a moment, as if he weren’t certain how to finish, turning his gaze to his size fourteens. He lifted his right hand to rub the back of his neck and groaned. “Hell, I’m not sure what we’re doing, and that’s the damn truth of it.” His eyes glazed over for several seconds as though he forgot there were two other people in the room.
He chose that moment to snap out of his pondering and glanced up in time to catch them attempting to wipe all expression from their faces. His chest rumbled with laughter. “Am I that transparent?”
“Only a little,” Melanie admitted.
Sarah released a snort of laughter then wrapped her arms around her tightly wrapped ribs. “Oh, crap. That hurts.”
Mel and Mike burst into laughter and Sarah joined in. After they’d finally slacked off, Mike turned to his co-worker. “Don’t worry, Mel, I’m doing my damnedest to make sure Nash stays a free agent, in case you’re wondering.”
“Oh hell,” she groaned. “Am I that transparent?”
Mike grinned as he held up two fingers. “Only a little.”
A soft knock at the door interrupted them.
Mike opened the door to Angelique. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, but I wanted to let Sarah know that Dr. Maze is all for trying her out.”
Mike nodded, giving Sarah a big thumbs-up signal before he and Angel headed out the door.
Melanie locked the door after their departure and turned to see Sarah rubbing her sore ribs. “I guess we shouldn’t make you laugh for a while.”
Sarah smiled up at her. “It feels good to laugh. Especially since I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to do that again.”
Mel shook her head. “It must have been torture for you, thinking he’d come back any time to … ”
“Finish what he started,” Sarah continued, when Mel didn’t want to. “It was. I’ve never prayed so hard in my life, Mel. I couldn’t stand the thought of my babies growing up without me, but better that than them not getting a chance to grow up at all. And I kept wondering what his horrible neighbors would do if they found us.” She let her head fall back against the pillow. “He used our children to control me.”
“Cowards like him use anything they can to control a situation,” Melanie explained.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Sarah added before changing the subject. “So you’ve met Liam Nash before,” she said, wearing a smug expression.
Melanie raised her eyebrows. “We weren’t introduced the one and only time I’d ever seen him.”
“When he was with Angelique,” Sarah added.
“Yes … or Angel, as Mike calls her.”
Sarah lifted up her glass of juice in a toast. “Well here’s hoping Angel is out of Liam Nash’s picture very, very soon … And that you’re in it.”
Angelique stole another look at Mike, slightly bothered that the smile was still on his face. Knowing what kept it there didn’t help her mood.
Mike caught her looking at him and flashed a full frontal grin at her.
She gave him a half smile and turned to look out the window once more.
His smile faded as he mistakenly assumed the reason for her quietness. “Hey, don’t worry, Sarah and the girls will be fine now. You did a good thing today, Angel. Thank you.”
She turned abruptly and spoke to his profile. “Mike, I didn’t hire her because you asked me to, or because I felt sorry for her. I questioned her first; that was an interview. If she hadn’t told me what I wanted to hear, I wouldn’t have told her she had the job.”
“Oh … I thought,” he murmured, then stopped.
Feeling waspish for snapping at him, she reached out a hand to cover his as she tried to explain. “Look, it’s Dr. Maze’s business, not mine. I’m responsible for my replacement because I’m backing out of an agreement to work in the Lake Coburn office for two years. The truth is, I’ll give her a two week trial period, but if she can’t cut it, I’ll have to find someone else. I owe it to Dr. Maze and the other employees of the clinic.”
“I understand, Angel. I’m impressed as hell that you’re even willing to give her a chance. If you could see her with her girls—I should have taken you to see them; if I had, you’d feel like I do.”
She bit at her lower lip worriedly before turning to face him. “Mike, are you beginning to care for Sarah Richard?”
Mike’s jaw clenched as what she’d been thinking suddenly came to him. He pulled inside the nearest parking lot and threw the truck into park before turning to her.
“Yeah, Angel, I care for Sarah. I care because she’s an abused woman, I feel compassion for another human being, and I really hope she can turn her crappy life into a good one for her and her girls. I’d hoped you would feel the same way after meeting her.” He turned his head away from her and stared out the front windshield of the truck. “I guess I hoped for too much.”
“That’s not fair, and it’s a crappy thing to say to me,” she said, her irritation rising to a dangerous level, especially when he still didn’t look at her. “You know, I only met her for the first time thirty minutes ago,
and I hired her, without seeing her adorable twin girls. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
He continued to stare straight ahead.
Angelique tossed her clutch irritably onto the truck’s dashboard. “Enough, Michael,” she said in a tight voice. “Take me to my car.”
Her irritated tone seemed to jerk him out of his daze. He leveled a stern gaze on her, his brow furrowed with deep lines. After a few uncomfortable moments, he grinned smugly at her. “Be careful. Your skin tone’s beginning to match the color of your eyes.”
She swung around to face him. “What?”
“You’re jealous.”
“I am not,” she snapped, far too quickly. “But I do want you to take me to my car, please.”
Halfway to Lake Coburn, Angelique pried her aching fingers from her steering wheel and tried to ease the tension from her stiff shoulders. She’d left Mike’s place in the midst of an unusually icy silence, neither of them willing to concede to the other. She groaned loudly as she pictured his smug, satisfied expression as he’d given her one curt wave before turning his back to walk away from her car.
Angelique adjusted her rearview mirror and stared at her reflection. The color of her eyes seemed deeper, brighter than usual. Was it a result of the green eyed monster revealing itself? Was she jealous? Could she be possibly be so horrible a person to resent a woman who’d been through such an awful experience? An image of Mike hovering over the tiny figure of Sarah Richard flashed in her mind. She closed her eyes and turned from the mirror in annoyance as the truth slammed home.
She stared at the roadway ahead of her, half blinded by tears of shame and humiliation. Shame for feeling this way, and humiliated because Mike had seen through her pitiful attempts to feel justified before she’d realized it herself.
