by Lacey Legend
Julia sighed at the other end. “I know. Shame though, isn’t it? I wonder if we could do some digging into this Genie Randles’ background somehow; without ruffling anybody’s feathers.”
“I don’t know anything about her. Just her name and that she is from St. Louis but left soon after she and Isaac broke up. She moved back to St. Louis recently and works at a diner and a call center.”
“Well, that’s something. I’ll do some digging and see what I can find out. In the meantime, I would find a way to spend as much time with those two as possible just in case she lets anything slip.”
“Thanks, Julia,” Ruby said before hanging up. “You’ve been a big help. We’re having brunch tomorrow. I’ll call you in the afternoon and let you know how it goes.”
“Do that.”
The two hung up and Ruby made a cup of valerian root tea to help her sleep. She had talked to Isaac and found out that he and Genie were going to a restaurant for dinner. That’s when they made plans to do brunch instead the next morning. They were going to meet at La Vie en Crepe, an American diner that served breakfast cuisine from around the world. They were only open until one and reservations were strongly recommended. Ruby set her alarm for a morning run and shower before the three of them carpooled to the La Vie en Crepe. Ruby had misgivings about Genie Randles, but couldn’t give voice to them yet.
Chapter9
At La Vie en Crepe the next morning Genie, Isaac, and Ruby were shown to a table next to a large picture window overlooking a rock garden. The waitress handed out elegant menus, printed on parchment paper and encased in small, leather binders with the name of the restaurant embossed on the front in silver. Genie looked at the prices and gave a whistle.
“This is almost as expensive as the place you took me last night,” she commented with a sideways glance at Ruby.
Isaac gave her a half-smile as he looked over the breakfast offerings. “This place got great ratings on Zagat’s.”
“Where did you end up going last night for dinner?” Ruby asked him.
“Imane,” Genie said, licking her lips and raising her eyebrows.
“You like Moroccan food, too?” Ruby asked, keeping her face devoid of any expression.
Genie shrugged in response. “It’s not my favorite, but I like upscale dining for sure.”
Ruby watched Isaac roll his eyes. “Isn’t she adorable?” he asked.
“What are you thinking about getting?” Ruby asked him, ignoring his quip.
“The apple cinnamon crepes with bacon,” Isaac responded. “With orange juice.”
The waitress came over and took their orders. Isaac placed his order, and then Ruby ordered the strawberry vanilla cheesecake crepes. Genie ran her finger down the menu and ordered the cognac du jour with creme brulee. Ruby cast a quick glance at the menu and noticed that the cognac du jour crepes were the most expensive item on the menu. The waitress smiled and walked away to put in their orders.
“So, when do you think we can meet Regina?” Isaac asked.
“I’ll call the babysitter this afternoon and ask her to come.”
“Oooh, I can’t wait,” Ruby said with delight. “I love children.”
Genie’s lip twitched almost imperceptibly. “Sure, if there’s time you can meet her.”
“Tell me more about her,” Isaac said. “What’s her favorite book?”
“She likes Green Eggs & Ham a lot,” Genie responded.
“Dr. Seuss is amazing,” Isaac said, thinking back to his own childhood. He wondered if the box of books he read in his own childhood were still in the attic of his parents’ home. He made a mental note to find out. The property was up for sale, but so far there had been no takers. The real estate agent was pressuring him to lower the price, but Isaac couldn’t bring himself to do it. Some part of him didn’t want to let go of the old homestead just yet.
“How about favorite colors?” Ruby asked Genie. “Mine were pink and red when I was little. I remember I had this little princess outfit my mother made for me and I wore it every Halloween for three years.”
Genie responded half-heartedly. “I don’t know. Purple I think. And dark blue. She likes jewel colors.”
“I wish you had told me about her sooner,” Isaac said wistfully. “I would have liked to be there for her first word and her first step, all of those firsts.”
Genie sighed and Ruby thought she saw the woman roll her eyes and purse her lips. “Well, you weren’t. You were gone.”
Isaac was shocked at the tone of anger coming through. “Look, Genie, if I had known—”
“What?” Genie asked in a low voice. “You would have defied your parents and let them cut you out of the will?”
Isaac’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Genie.”
Ruby watched the exchange silently, assessing Genie’s reactions to Isaac’s words. The woman’s expression didn’t match the heat of her statements. She sounded mad, but her face didn’t change, and her eyes didn’t flash as one would expect with genuine upset. It’s just a game to her, Ruby thought to herself and not for the first time. She was surprised that Isaac seemed so oblivious to the signs.
Genie smiled and reached for Isaac’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap on you like that. It’s just been hard being a single parent. I’m looking forward to her getting into the private school I told you about.”
“Private schools are nice,” Ruby said. “Tuition can be a bear though. My parents were going to send me to one, but they would have practically had to mortgage everything they owned.” She laughed at the memory. “I loved public school though.”
“That’s nice,” Genie responded and then turned back to Isaac. “That’s why I’m glad you offered to pay Reggie’s tuition. It’s going to be a huge help.”
Ruby’s jaw dropped. “You offered to pay her entire tuition to private school? That’s very generous of you, Isaac.” She then turned to Genie. “What does a year’s worth of tuition run at a private school these days?”
Genie’s eyes flashed at Ruby and her mouth became a hard line. “How Isaac wants to spend his money shouldn’t concern you. It’s for his daughter.”
Ruby didn’t let the woman ruffle her feathers. She continued, “Surely you don’t want Reggie to go to private school for only one year. She’s what, four? Five?”
“Six,” Genie said quickly, her face reddening.
“Well, then what you’re really asking Isaac for is to pay for at least five years of private school.” Ruby looked at Isaac and was surprised to see his eyes narrowed in her direction.
“We can talk about it later,” Isaac said. “Genie only asked me to consider paying the enrollment fee.”
“Yes, but if she’s working two part time jobs—” Ruby’s voice faltered and trailed off when she saw the look on Isaac’s face. The three of then continued eating in silence.
Isaac picked up the check and left the waitress a generous tip.
“Could we go shopping for a couple of new outfits for Reggie?” Genie asked.
“Sure,” Isaac responded as he started the car. “I’ll swing by your place and drop you off first, Ruby,” he said.
“Sure, okay. I have to get some writing done anyway.” Ruby sank back into the backseat and looked out the window as they drove to her house.
“What kind of writing do you do?” Genie asked.
“Romance novels mainly,” Ruby responded.
“Oh, like those little books you buy in dollar stores?”
“No,” Ruby responded. “They are full-length novels with character development, conflicts, and subplots.”
Genie laughed, but didn’t respond. Ruby glared at the back of Genie’s head, but said nothing.
“So, Isaac, what else are you thinking about doing with all your dough?” Genie asked, changing the subject.
“Well, I’m considering opening a non-profit.”
“You mean you want to just give your money away?” Genie looked taken aback.
“No,” Isaa
c said, “Not exactly. The non-profit would help children and adults from poverty-stricken neighborhoods learn to read and write. I did a ton of research and talked to my financial team before deciding that would be the best and most productive use of my time and money.”
“Don’t kids learn to read in school?” Genie asked. The car was coming to a stop in front of Ruby’s house.
“Not always. It depends on how much individual attention they can get from their teachers. And lots of adults, especially immigrants, need help with reading and writing English.”
“Interesting.” Genie looked in the rear view mirror at Ruby. “We’re here,” she said with a smile.
Ruby got out of the rental car Isaac had hired for the day and walked around to the driver side window. She leaned in and gave Isaac a kiss. He returned it, but not with the same heat as before, Ruby noticed. “Have fun,” she said to Genie, and stood back as the car pulled away. Ruby felt suddenly nervous about Isaac and Genie being alone together all afternoon shopping. She hadn’t been nervous before, but after she saw how upset Isaac got when she questioned Genie about the money being spent on private school, she didn’t know what to think. She sighed and went into the house to call Julia to see if she had been able to find out anything about Genie.
***
“Hey, girl, how was breakfast?” Julia asked when she answered the phone.
Ruby gave her a play-by-play of the entire morning, leaving nothing out.
“Wow,” Julia said when her best friend finished speaking. “What a bitch. I can’t believe she’s trying to get him to pay for five years of private school for a daughter he hasn’t even met yet.”
“I know! Normally I would never tell him what to do with his money. We haven’t been together very long so it’s really none of my business, but this has me genuinely concerned.”
“Well, I still have feelers out to see if I can find anything out about her for you. I hired a private investigator. He was able to find Judith Randles, Genie’s mother, but other than the grocery store and the corner bar, she doesn’t really leave the house much.”
“Hmm. Well that doesn’t really leave us anywhere,” Ruby said.
“I know. The investigator is also going to check county records to see if he can find a birth certificate under the name Regina Randles,” Julia told her.
“That’s a great idea. That isn’t something I can do from here, or I would have tried already.”
“You have to do it in person unfortunately,” Julia said.
“I hope she doesn’t get her claws too deep into him,” Ruby observed.
“What are you going to do if she really is his daughter? It could be a complete coincidence that she didn’t tell him before now.”
Ruby sighed, “I know. I’m going to feel like such a bitch if that turns out to be the case, Julia. But I really don’t think that little girl is Isaac’s. Oh well. The little girl will be here in a day or so. Maybe I’ll just have a conversation with her.”
“That’s underhanded,” Julia said with a laugh.
“Well if it gets the truth out in the open, I don’t see the harm in asking the little girl how old she is,” Ruby told her.
“Let me know if you need anything else, and I’ll let you know when I hear from the PI.”
Ruby tried to focus on her writing for the remainder of the afternoon, but found it hard. Her thoughts strayed often from the high flying danger her characters were finding themselves in, to the drama she was finding herself in. Ruby wondered, not for the first time, if it was worth it. She loved Isaac, but she didn’t think she could stand by and watch this woman take advantage. Maybe she would just have to get him alone and talk to him one-on-one. Maybe if Ruby framed her concerns in the right tone of voice, Isaac would be more receptive.
It’ll be better though if I have something concrete to show him though, she thought to herself. Mentally, she crossed her fingers that Julia’s investigator would be able to find something to put her mind at ease one way or another.
***
Amanda Johnson answered her cell phone that evening. It was her lawyer. “Hi, Bart,” she said brightly.
“Hi, Mandy.” Bart’s voice was deep and soothing, like hot chocolate on a cold night. “I tried calling Genie Randles several times. She has yet to respond.”
Amanda blew out an exasperated breath. “Figures. I went by her house yesterday morning and her car wasn’t there. It wasn’t there last night or this afternoon either. I’ll call Isaac and ask, but I bet she went to Texas.”
“We can’t arrange any DNA testing until we speak to her. Your nephew will need to find a lab to take a DNA sample from him as well.”
“I understand. Maybe I’ll just take a little drive down there ahead of schedule. I wasn’t supposed to go down until next weekend, but I want this mystery solved once and for all,” Amanda said with determination.
“I agree. We are looking for her daughter’s birth records as well,” Bart said. “Do you know where Regina Randles was born?”
Amanda looked at the ceiling, thinking hard. “Well, Genie left St. Louis after they broke up, and went to Nevada I think. Reno or Wells or some place. I honestly don’t know.”
“No matter. We can do a state-wide search for Nevada and Missouri just to cover our bases.”
“Thanks, Bart. I appreciate your help. I’ll keep in touch.” Amanda hung up her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts, coming to rest on Isaac’s number. She dialed it.
“Hey, Aunt Mandy!” Isaac’s voice came on the line.
“Hey there, Kiddo. How’s tricks?” Amanda kept her voice light-hearted.
“Been great! Genie is here. I called her after you gave me her number. Regina is going to be here tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“That’s great, Honey. Listen, I have a question for you.”
“Shoot,” Isaac responded.
“Do you mind if I come down a few days ahead of schedule? Do you have room?”
“Hell yeah! Come on down. I have three guest bedrooms; Genie is in one of them and you have your choice of the other two.”
“She’s staying with you? Didn’t you tell me you have a new girlfriend?” Amanda asked.
“Well yeah, but Ruby doesn’t mind. She understands.”
“Oh, okay,” Amanda responded. “Did Genie tell you what she and I talked about before I agreed to pass her message to you?” She heard Isaac sigh on the other end.
“No. I suppose it’s some warning about how she’s taking advantage of me for asking me to help pay Reggie’s private school tuition?”
Amanda’s jaw dropped. “She’s asking you to pay for private school? What is wrong with that girl? Is she there?”
“Yeah. She’s picking outfits out for Regina.”
“On your dime?” Amanda’s voice rose a notch, her anger getting the best of her.
“No,” Isaac answered after hesitating.
“That’s a yes. Let me talk to her,” Amanda demanded.
Isaac handed the phone to Genie who had an exasperated look on her face. “Hi, Amanda.”
“Don’t you ‘hi, Amanda’ me, Genie Randles,” Amanda said sharply. “You had better hold up your end of the bargain. I put you in touch with my nephew against my better judgment. Now you had better be on the phone with my lawyer tomorrow to arrange the DNA test.”
“What’s that?” Genie asked. “The connection is breaking up. Sorry.” She hung up the phone.
Amanda stared at her cell phone, fighting the urge to slam it to the ground. That little twit. She went upstairs to the spacious master bedroom and threw her suitcase onto the bed. She began stuffing clothing into it, mentally planning for the trip she was about to take. Amanda felt like she couldn’t get there fast enough.
***
Genie handed the phone back to Isaac and picked up several more outfits and set them in the basket. Isaac watched her tossing several outfits in without looking at the price tags. They were in La Petite, an upscale children
’s boutique, which Genie had chosen. Isaac took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I thought you only wanted one or two new outfits for pictures when Reggie gets here?”
Genie rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Isaac. Our little princess deserves nice new things, doesn’t she? We can afford it.”
We? Isaac wondered if his Aunt Amanda was on to something. He put a hand on Genie’s arm. “Do you have enough to cover the cost of all these clothes? This is a pretty expensive place.”
Genie looked surprised. “Oh, I guess I just assumed that you would want to buy these for your daughter.” She continued looking at him steadily.
Isaac closed his eyes, feeling tension building between his shoulder blades. He suddenly missed having Ruby’s arms wrapped around him. Isaac opened his eyes and shook his head. “No. I’m already considering paying the enrollment fee for her private school.”
Genie dropped the hand basket she had been carrying and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. Let’s go then. Reggie doesn’t need new clothes. I will, however, need the enrollment fee soon. I have to send it to the school with the application.”
Isaac nodded and they walked out of the store. Awkward silence reigned on the way back to Isaac’s house. Genie stared sullenly out the passenger window and Isaac stared straight ahead out the windshield. When they pulled into Isaac’s driveway, he handed over the house keys.
“I’m going to Ruby’s for a bit. Go ahead and let yourself in. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I need to smooth things over with her.”
Genie’s lower lip stuck out in a pout. “Smooth what over? She was way out of line trying to tell you what to do with your money.”
Isaac didn’t respond. He walked up the steps to Ruby’s front door and knocked loudly in case she was in her back office. She opened the door a minute later with a little smile.
“Hi there,” she said. “Where’s Genie?”
“I sent her into the house. I want to apologize for jumping down your throat earlier,” Isaac said. “Can I come in for a minute?”
