by Jo Leigh
Putting her phone in her purse, Cricket hurried her pace. She couldn’t afford to be preoccupied. Doing everything she could to pull herself together, she knocked on Penny’s door.
The woman opened it, looking sheepish. “We’ve got some company,” she said. “I should’ve warned you. Once they found out you were willing to talk to me, they all wanted to come. You’re one of us. Everyone trusts you.”
Cricket had to let that sink in. Because she’d just committed herself to leaving on Sunday, while the living room was standing room only. She knew a lot of the people there, but some of the younger people were strangers. Probably related to older folks who’d held the land forever.
Smiling at the hopeful faces, Cricket understood they’d all want to talk to her, get her to read their offers. Although it made her feel a little better to see half the folks were eating Penny’s famous homemade cookies. There was a table set up with tea, water and an assortment of treats, but Penny led her straight to the small card table in front of the crowd. There was one contract laid out.
For the next two hours and fifty minutes, Cricket barely had time to swallow. Everyone seemed to have questions, and none of them were too keen to let her finish a thought before asking another.
She focused on a few key sections: the lot sizes, the extant structures, proximity to the beach and the offering price. The more she looked at, the more she could see why these people were so confused. It was clear that the resort’s attorneys were taking other things into consideration—primarily the age of the owners. Lots of disparity between similar properties.
“The Gomeses live right next door to me, with their five kids,” Mr. Jonas said, his voice wobbling with his Parkinson’s. Cricket had known him and the Gomes family her whole life. “No offense, but their place is a mess, and even though our lots are the same size, they offered me two hundred thousand less. That isn’t right. Can they do that?”
“Unfortunately,” Cricket said, “they can. They’re under no obligation to be fair. It’s just business for the resort. I know these are big decisions to make, but the only thing I can tell you for sure is that you need a lawyer to represent you. Someone from Rhode Island, preferably, who knows this beach and how you all make your living.”
“That’s you, isn’t it, dear?” Hetty asked.
The murmurs of agreement from the rest of the crowd didn’t help things.
“I don’t have a license to practice in this state. And unfortunately, I have to return to my job this weekend. There’s no way I can look at all of your contracts. It wouldn’t even help you, since I couldn’t represent your interests.”
Hetty stood up. “Can’t you get one? A license, I mean?”
“Technically, yes, although not quickly. However, I really do have a job. And I can’t just walk away from it.”
“Now, hush up, all of you.” Penny stood in front of the table. “I asked her for advice, knowing she wasn’t an attorney in this state. I said that earlier, remember? Now she’s given us the advice, and that’s that.”
“But can’t you just take a look at my contract?”
Cricket wasn’t even sure who asked that. She didn’t dare, or it would end up with her in trouble. She simply couldn’t help everyone. “I’m so sorry. What I can do is ask around, see who I might know who could be a good fit for you all. Just please, no one sign anything yet. Okay? I’ll get back to Penny as soon as I can. Which won’t happen until I’m settled back at my office next week.”
Penny thanked her and led her out, shielding her with her smaller body, but it didn’t matter. Cricket still felt like hell leaving them like that. Just before she said goodbye, Penny handed her a bag of cookies.
“I made your favorites,” she said.
“Almond biscotti? You didn’t have to. They take so much longer than the others.”
“Don’t be silly. Now go, before this bunch is let loose. Have a safe trip home.”
“Thank you,” Cricket said. What she needed to do now was go straight to Ronny’s and have herself a little chat with her mother.
Victoria answered the door. She was having a wine spritzer wearing one of Ronny’s T-shirts, and little else. “Darling. I didn’t expect to see you today. I thought you were having your little meeting.”
Ignoring every word, Cricket put her purse on the dinner table. “You want to tell me what the hell’s going on? How did one of my work associates, whom you’ve never met, know that you had come here to help with Ronny? And how, exactly, is it that you were charged with talking some sense into me?”
“Oh, please. It was nothing. I’m here because I want to be here, that’s—”
“No. Stop. That’s not going to cut it. Not by a mile. I want to know the truth. Right now. All of it. Leave nothing out, because I will dig until I find out every last detail. You know I can and I will.”
Looking pale despite the color she’d gained beachcombing, her mother went to the kitchen and poured herself a little more wine. When she turned to face the music, she at least had the decency to look chastened.
“You know Declan—as a federal judge he’s crossed paths with everyone in the legal community. He knew two of the founding partners at your firm very well. Old, old friends from law school. Declan said something about you graduating from Yale to Scoffield at a cocktail party, and of course, he jumped on it.”
“Oh, please. Do you know how many bright, ambitious attorneys Ivy League law schools graduate every year?”
“Of course, but how many of them are endorsed by a well-respected federal judge?”
Next to none. Judges tended to stay away from that type of thing. Everything that had made Cricket uneasy felt infinitely worse. “Better give it to me straight.”
“There’s nothing more to it—”
“Like hell. Are you sure you want me finding out some other way?”
“Nothing. I—I may have asked Declan to put in a good word...”
“Christ.” Cricket felt sick. “I’m not like you, Mother. I’m independent. I earned my way through school, even at Yale. I don’t need to buy my way through life.”
Victoria’s eyes closed and she turned her head. Cricket knew she’d hit a sore spot, but she wouldn’t take the words back even if she could. She felt like a first-class fool. Utterly humiliated. God, Grant must have known from the beginning. All the senior partners knew. No wonder they felt free to manipulate her into doing anything they chose. They figured they could pull any string they liked since she’d been a charity hire.
“Well, I’ll give you an update so when you call Grant or Scoffield for your next check-in, you’ll know what to say. Tell them I said screw them. Screw them all. They can shove the rape case. I’m a damn good attorney. Let them give me lousy recommendations, I don’t care. I’ll find a job without their assistance. Or yours.”
Victoria seemed smaller with her hunched shoulders and pallid skin. No, it was her expression that had changed her. She’d never looked so defeated before.
“Please, Cricket, don’t shoot yourself in the foot. This is how it works in big law firms, that’s all. Everyone rubs everyone else’s back. It’s always been this way.”
“It never was for me.” Cricket wanted to weep, but she wouldn’t, not here, not now.
“I was only trying to help.”
Cricket shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t know me well enough to realize...” She swallowed hard. “Did Ronny know?”
“No. I never told him any of it.”
“Did he just hear all this? You know the walls don’t hide a thing.”
“He’s at the dock with Skip.”
“Do me a favor, don’t tell him. It would only break his heart, too.” Cricket grabbed her purse and walked out the door.
She took off her wedge sandals, not even enjoying the feel of sand between her toes. The tourists were back at play,
but with no swells, there were only a few kids out there, probably trying to learn to stand up on their surfboards. High tinkling laughter came wafting by, along with some kids shrieking in delight. Cricket couldn’t decide whether to tell Wyatt or not. He’d comfort her, of course he would. But then he’d try to convince her that her mother’s actions didn’t matter.
She wasn’t ready to hear anything kind about Victoria. She also didn’t want to drown her sorrows in booze, but if she’d ever needed a Scotch, now would be the time. When she got closer to the bar, she realized it wasn’t even open yet. He wasn’t going back to regular hours until the weekend.
Perfect. She sighed at the irony of finally being with a man who actually wanted to comfort her when she was too embarrassed to be comforted.
He might be upstairs, but the idea of climbing up to his apartment made her want to crumble right there on the beach. This was worse than being dumped. Worse than Grant’s betrayal. This was as if she’d gone to work every single day naked, and everyone saw, but no one said anything.
Two steps from the side deck, she realized Wyatt was inside the closed bar along with several waitresses, and they were all kicking out like the Rockettes, but with only one leg. The self-defense classes started today. On her drive to Penny’s, she’d imagined coming back to the bar, waltzing in and having a beer while watching everyone else sweat.
She stopped where she was, figuring she’d wait until they weren’t looking her way to dash up the stairs. Behind her, a car pulled into the parking lot. Becky’s Highlander. She didn’t spot the children in the back seat. If they were there, they were probably hiding after Becky slammed the car door so hard it shook the SUV.
Oh, God, Cricket hoped she didn’t want to talk about dinner tomorrow. The idea of socializing, and acting normal around anyone was the last thing she wanted to do.
Becky stomped up the first step, then came to a jarring stop as she saw Cricket off to the side. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I was just going up to Wyatt’s apartment.”
“Is he up there?”
Becky really looked steamed. Every time Cricket had seen her, she’d been well put together: hair neat, makeup on, clothes that flattered. But right now she was wearing jeans that looked a size too big, a navy T-shirt with a hole near the hem and her hair might not have seen a comb today. “No. He’s inside, teaching some of the staff self-defense.”
“That stupid man...” Becky tried on a smile, but it didn’t work. At all. “He checked into Ned’s background. And not just a quick internet search. Friends were teasing Ned asking if he was looking to get top secret clearance or something.”
“What?”
“I’m so furious I don’t even know what to do. Well, I know I’m going to strangle him, but after that, there are too many options. Treating me like I’m a child. For heaven’s sake, I’m not his responsibility. He needs to let it go, already. Let me be free to move on with my life.”
“Oh, man. That was a shitty thing to do. I don’t blame you for being angry. I’d hate it if he pulled something like that on me.”
Becky managed a brief smile.
“But,” Cricket said, knowing it was a risk, “even though I don’t know Wyatt all that well, it seems hard to believe he didn’t have the best of intentions. And yes, it was wrong, but I don’t think he would ever hurt someone he loved. Certainly not intentionally.”
Becky took the next step until the two of them stood together, still not in direct eyesight of the girls. They both watched Wyatt demonstrate a move that looked intimidating. “Don’t fool yourself,” Becky said. “You probably know him better than anyone.”
“No, that’s not—”
“I mean it.” Becky shook her head. “Wyatt’s changed so much in the last week, it’s crazy. Good crazy. I’d lost hope he’d ever let a woman into his life. I prayed it was the first step in finally getting over feeling responsible for Adam’s death.”
Cricket must have made a sound, because Becky stared at her, tilting her head with confusion. “You didn’t know?”
“He never said what happened.”
“I probably should let him tell you, but that could be the next millennium. Wyatt was in charge of the unit during a mission that went very badly. The information he received from headquarters was faulty, and even though he followed procedure, did everything right, including saving a lot of civilians, he lost the rest of the team. Including Adam. I’m sure you’re aware Adam and he were like brothers, but then, that’s what happens to SEAL units. They’re all brothers, and they never leave anyone behind. This time, Wyatt had to, or more civilians would have been killed.”
“Oh, my God,” Cricket said, although the whisper was carried away by the wind.
Becky’s eyes were moist. “To be honest, after that, I’d been worried he had some kind of death wish. In the beginning, I mean. Like going up in that chopper when it was too dangerous. When I confronted him about it, he denied it, told me he’d never been in danger. He claimed he was just helping out because the coast guard was bound by stricter protocols.” Becky sighed. “I told him right then and there if he did anything reckless, he couldn’t be around the kids, because they couldn’t take another loss.”
“What did he do?”
“He was devastated. I might as well have shot him point-blank. But I couldn’t back down. He had to understand that the kids were the first priority. He swore he was being careful, that he’d never endanger his life knowingly. He said he’d be hypervigilant, which was a bold claim to make for someone like him. But he’s stuck to his promise. I firmly believe he told me the truth that day. He just needs to be there to help. To do whatever he can, for whoever he can. My guess is that it makes him think if he can earn enough ticks in the saved column, he’ll stop feeling so guilty about his men. About Adam.”
“I knew there was something of the hero in him, but I didn’t understand until now.”
“No,” Becky said, “he’s the real thing. It’s not an act. But I hope he can let go of that scorecard so he can start his own family.”
Overwhelmed, Cricket didn’t know what to say. A quick look told her that the lesson was coming to an end, but that didn’t help her decide what to do next. Running away seemed the best option.
“I’m sorry I dumped my frustration out on you.” The anger had leached out of Becky’s voice completely. “I’m not going to talk to him now. I need to think things through. I mean, I was ready to call off tomorrow night’s dinner, but I don’t want to make any hasty decisions. Would you tell him that I’ll call him later? And do believe me when I say you’ve been so, so good for him. It’s the most alive he’s been in years.” Becky gave her a quick hug, and with a genuine smile she turned back to her car.
Cricket didn’t move. Not even when the bar door opened and some of the girls started leaving. The thing was, if she saw Wyatt, she’d end up telling him what had happened and be mortified. And if she didn’t see Wyatt, she’d fall apart.
Chapter Twenty-Four
SWEATING LIKE CRAZY, Wyatt walked out of the bar, Lila and Viv behind him. He was ready to head up for a shower and there was Cricket, on the way upstairs. She looked gorgeous in that green sundress that made her eyes look more gold than brown. “Hey, you.”
She seemed a bit startled at his voice, even though she’d been looking right at him. He guessed she was lost in thought. Hoped that was it, because he was starting to get the impression that something was wrong.
Shit, she’d called Grant today.
“Hi, Cricket,” Viv said, passing by them. “Did you see? We kicked his butt in there.”
“Did you?”
“Yep. Tell her, Lila.”
“Hey, she likes the old guy. Ease up.”
“Old guy?” Wyatt made sure he sounded wounded to the core. “Who you calling old?”
“Maybe if you stopped taking it
so easy on us,” Viv said, as she walked backward to her old VW Bug.
Lila whooped loudly. “Yeah. Stop treating us like girls.”
He shook his head, glad to see them in such good spirits.
“You look like they’re not exactly lying,” Cricket said.
“Honey, they whipped my ass. How about you come up with me and help me turn on the shower. I don’t have the energy.” He leaned over to kiss her, afraid if she got too close, she’d recoil in horror at how sweaty he was. “Sorry if I smell,” he said.
“It’s worth it. But yeah, you do need a shower.”
Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs, still convinced she wasn’t quite herself. As soon as they were both inside, he made a point of standing right in front of her before he looked her in the eyes. “What’s wrong, Cricket? And how come Becky ran off? I don’t understand why you two didn’t come in out of the heat.”
She shrugged. “We were just talking. Becky said she’d call you later.”
“Okay.” He wouldn’t push. “But I really do need to shower, and I’m prepared to wash you and pay attention to all those special places.”
“Thanks, but right now a cold drink sounds awfully good,” she said. “Can I get you one?”
She’d never sidelined him like this. Not once.
He waited till she got her drink. “Did you speak to Grant today?” he asked, his chest tightening at the thought she might be leaving earlier. He wasn’t ready yet.
“Yeah, I did.” She hid behind her soda can. “Go ahead and shower. I’ll tell you what happened after.”
“You don’t have to tell me a thing. Just come with me. Take off that pretty dress, and those tiny bikini—”
His cell phone went off.
“I’m not even gonna answer that, because I don’t have to.”
She picked up his phone and put it in his hand. “It might be important.”
“It’s a DC area code.” Curious now, he clicked on the call. “Covack.”
