While Beau and I discussed the details of the rest of the finances, Chris left the room to grab one of the paralegals so they could start on the paperwork for me to sign my dad’s portion of the firm over to Beau and Chris. When I asked Beau to keep my daddy’s name with the firm, he agreed. Said he’d never consider removing it since Daddy was the one who talked him into starting the firm in the first place.
Most of Daddy’s money was going to charities in New Orleans. He loved this city with all he had. He’d been born and raised here, only leaving for vacations when my mother insisted on it. He used to tell me that he didn’t need to leave New Orleans to go on vacation; everything he loved and enjoyed was right there at home. So, I gave some to the homeless shelters, some to the animal shelters, set up an annual scholarship fund at Tulane Law since that was Daddy’s alma mater, and gave a chunk to Uncle Gary.
I saved some of the money and asked Beau if he could set up a trust fund in Landry’s name, making her the only person who could touch it once it’s in there. The fund will pay for her college tuition, books, and housing, once she is done with high school. If she chooses not to go to college, the money releases to her in set amounts on her 20th, 25th, 30th and 35th birthdays. I know that Kyler is well off, and that I’m financially comfortable, but life can change overnight and I don’t ever want her to have to suffer financially.
Once everything has been written down and Beau knows exactly how things should be split, he tells me that he’ll have everyone in the firm working on the paperwork because he knows I am ready to get home. Damn, I love that man.
He promises to call me when he has it all ready and guesses it’ll just be a day or two.
I give Chris and Beau both hugs and then head out. This meeting lasted way longer than I expected and it’s nearing dinnertime. I need to get back to the hotel, grab a bite to eat and call Landry before she goes to bed.
As I’m leaving, I ask Chris to walk me to the elevator, which he does without question. Once we get close, I ask him if he and Jenna will have dinner with me tomorrow night. I want to talk to both of them before I leave, and I know I will only be here a short time longer. He seems a little apprehensive but agrees, saying he doesn’t see a problem with it but he’ll have to run it by Jenna first. I tell him to shoot me a text after he talks to her. I stop and hug IdaMae on my way to the lobby. She already called a taxi for me, so I’ll wait outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Once back at the hotel, I order jambalaya and hush puppies to go. I ask the bartender to make me a hurricane in a big to-go cup. He chuckles but heads over to make it without hesitation. I’m not really a huge daiquiri fan, but you can’t come to New Orleans and not drink a hurricane. It’s a sin.
As I make my way up to my room, my phone chimes in my purse. I pull it out and see it’s from Chris. Jenna would love to join me for dinner, so he says he’ll make the reservations and they’ll pick me up at 6:00 p.m. I text him back and tell him that’s fine, but that whatever restaurant he picks better serve real Cajun food or I ain’t going. He responds with a “lol” and a smiley face. It’s weird that we are having such a normal conversation with all of the things that have happened in our past. I guess time does heal all wounds. It amazes me that I really am over what they did. I guess that’s what happens when you find true happiness. Everything else just doesn’t matter.
After putting the food in the microwave to keep warm and the hurricane in the freezer, I take a long, hot shower and put on my PJs. Dinner is great and even the hurricane is going down well.
My phone chimes and I reach for it, almost falling off the chair in the process. I guess I drank that hurricane a little fast. When I pull the text message, I’m confused at first because it’s a picture of Kyler and Landry walking out of her school holding hands. But when I see the number the message came from, my heart drops into my stomach. Jerrod! I almost drop my phone I’m shaking so badly as I hit the speed dial for Kyler. It rings twice before he answers.
“Hey, gorgeous. How was your day?” His husky voice comes through the phone loud and clear. I lose all ability to speak when I realize he and Landry are okay. I let out a breath and a sob tears from my throat.
“Carson, are you okay? What’s wrong?” He practically shouts into the phone.
I finally find my voice. “I’m okay, just give me a second to slow down my heart,” I whisper.
“You’re freaking me out. What’s going on?” he asks sternly.
I take a few long, slow, deep breaths before I answer him. “Jerrod texted me a picture of you and Landry leaving her school,” I tell him. “What was Landry wearing today?” I ask.
“Red jeans and a white and navy striped top with little anchors on it. Why?” he demands, sounding confused.
“The picture wasn’t taken today then. She was wearing jeans, brown knee-high boots and an orange sweater,” I say.
“She wore that a few days ago,” Kyler responds.
“I need to call Lopez. I’ll call you back,” I tell him, trying to control the tremble in my voice. Kyler agrees and tells me to call him after I get done.
Lopez’s phone only rings once before he answers.
“Ms. Breaux. What can I do for you?” he asks politely.
“He texted me a picture of Kyler and Landry leaving her school. I talked to Kyler about what Landry was wearing in the picture and he said the picture must’ve been taken a few days ago. I guess that means that psycho is still in Seattle. Either that or he has someone else helping him.” I am trying to hold it together, but it scares the ever-loving shit out of me that he is in Seattle again, watching the two most important people in my life, while I’m halfway across the country.
“Forward the picture to me, Carson. I’ll send someone over to Mr. Richards’ place to speak with him. He may want to hire a security detail for Landry,” he responds. My phone dings that I got a text.
I tell Lopez I’ll forward him the picture and that I’ll be home as soon as I can.
When I pull the text up, it’s another one from Jerrod.
J: I bet that got your attention didn’t it bitch? Enjoy your vacation.
I screen-shot the text and send it and the picture of Kyler and Landry to Lopez. He texts me back that I am, under no circumstances, to text him back. I know Lopez is still pretty pissed at me for responding to the message I got just as I was leaving to come here. I will admit I was not in the greatest state of mind before I left.
I call Kyler back through FaceTime on my iPad, explain my conversation with Lopez and that he will be sending someone over to talk to Kyler about security. We talk for a few minutes before his doorbell rings and he asks me to hold on a second. I wait patiently for a couple of minutes, and I’m starting to get nervous when I see him and Landry walk into his room.
He signs and speaks, “Lopez’s guy is here so I’m going to go talk to him. Why don’t you two get caught up on what’s been going on and I’ll be back soon.” He looks at me and winks and then Landry’s face fills my iPad as she yells “CC!”
She is signing so fast I can barely keep up with her. It makes my heart fill with joy when I see her smiling so big and know that she’s happy. Kyler has made her whole again. I was so concerned with how she would handle losing Lu, only to have a stranger thrown into her life and immediately moving in with him. She’s so much stronger than most adults I know.
She fills me in on all the things happening at school. Luke got in trouble because he pulled Lucy’s hair on purpose; Lucy got a new puppy (and now Landry wants one); her teacher’s sister is going to have a baby soon, so she will be having a new teacher for a few days; and Kyler lets her have ice cream almost every night if she eats all her dinner. I smile through the whole explanation and sign back every so often with “great” or “that’s cool.”
I can tell she is starting to get tired and I know it’s close to her bedtime, so I tell her to brush her teeth and to have Kyler call me back when the policeman leaves. She signs, “I love you,” and blo
ws me a kiss. Ending the call, I lie back on the bed. I am exhausted from the day, but there is no way I’ll be able to sleep until I talk to Kyler again. I hope he takes Lopez’s suggestion on getting security for him and Landry. I just don’t know what I’d do without them, and the thought of Jerrod being anywhere near them scares the hell out of me. It dawns on me quickly that if he saw them at Landry’s school, it’s likely he followed them to Kyler’s house, which means he knows where we live. I can only pray he assumes I don’t live there.
I’m starting to doze off when my phone rings, scaring me half to death. I chuckle as I answer the phone.
“Hey, handsome,” I answer groggily.
“Hi, babe. Were you asleep?” he asks with his voice a little deeper than usual.
“Nah, but I was heading in that direction.” I laugh. “What’d the officer say?” I ask, even knowing full well he was going to talk to him about security.
“Well, he asked if I’d noticed anyone suspicious lurking around or anything out of place in our house. I told him no. I know what Jerrod looks like, so I’d recognize him immediately. They still can’t rule out that Jerrod is in fact in Mexico and he doesn’t just have someone here helping him.” He pauses. “He also wants me to hire security for Landry and me.” He takes a deep breath before he continues. “What do you think about that? Do you think we should?”
The fact that he is asking me to help make that decision causes me to smile. I know that he is still fairly new at this parenting thing, but he is an amazing father, and I think maybe he doubts himself more than he should.
“Personally, I would feel a ton better about being away from y’all, even during the day when I am home, if I knew someone was watching over y’all. What do you think?” I ask him.
“I think it’s a good idea for Landry. I think I can handle myself pretty well,” he jokes.
“I know you can, but when someone has a gun, your ability to ‘handle yourself’ is limited,” I say gently, not wanting to hurt his dignity. I have no doubt that Kyler could handle himself in a fight. He’s muscular and I know he works out; I’ve seen him punching the heavy bag in the gym at his house. Totally wasn’t standing in the hallway peeking. Swear. The fact that Jerrod is crazier than shit is what scares me. That sick bastard no doubt will play dirty. He’ll use any means possible to get to me. I’m his target, not Kyler and Landry.
“I’ll think about it. I would just feel weird having someone I don’t know following me around all the time. But I’ll think about it since you’re so concerned,” he replies.
“Okay, all I can ask is that you think about it. I’m glad you do agree that Landry needs the security, though.” I pause. “I really miss y’all and can’t wait to get home. I think we got everything worked out today, and Beau assures me that they will get the paperwork done quickly so I can get home,” I tell him.
“Great. Landry has asked every day for the past few when you’re coming home,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
“I told her I’d be home soon when I talked to her earlier. Her signing is amazing, by the way. She told me so much about her days at school since I’ve been gone. Lots of drama happening in kindergarten.” I chuckle.
“Yeah, I’ve been getting the pouty face for the puppy. She ask you for a puppy yet?” He laughs.
“She may have mentioned Lucy getting one and how she wants one, too,” I respond.
“Well, we’ll talk about it when you get home. You sound exhausted, baby. Get some sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Good night, Ky,” I say sleepily into the phone.
He chuckles. “Sweet dreams, babe.”
I woke up this morning feeling refreshed. Yesterday had been one of the most exhausting days of my life, and I was glad that this whole nightmare was almost over. Today, I was refocused. I would be finishing up loose ends (i.e. paperwork), having dinner with Chris and Jenna, and then I was heading home to give my life a jumpstart.
I shower quickly, throwing on Capri jeans, a tank top and flip-flops. After throwing my hair into a messy bun, adding a little powder, mascara and lip gloss, I head out. This may potentially be the last day I’m here, and I need to pay a visit to Café Du Monde for breakfast. Beignets are a must.
I take a taxi over to the restaurant and the moment the smell hits my nose, I’m thrown back to my childhood. I order more than one person could possibly eat and then take a seat closest to the front so I can look out the windows. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the early morning crowd, listening to the old men and women telling stories about their youth, Zydeco music playing low in the background. This place reminds me so much of my family and growing up in New Orleans that it almost takes my breath away.
I enjoy my time relaxing and watching the comings and goings of Café Du Monde. Although the place is hopping, it brings me peace to watch the happiness these people have; lots of laughter, lots of hugs. This is what I miss about Louisiana; the camaraderie, the closeness to your neighbors, and the food, for certain. But I know in my heart that my home is now in Seattle. I will always miss New Orleans, and it will always be a part of my heart. But now that I’ve had a taste of the Northwest, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. It’s like Seattle “gets me”. I love everything about it, and my two favorite people in the world are there.
My mind wanders to the beautiful land that is just days away from being officially mine. I can already see my restaurant in my mind. The way the main dining area will be floor-to-ceiling windows, facing the ocean, where you can see the lighthouse in the distance. How there will be a beautiful wood patio where people can sit during the few months the weather permits it. I can picture the stainless steel, eight-burner gas stove, flat-top grill and stainless steel worktop. One of the things I’ve always wanted was one of those beautiful professional stainless steel refrigerators with the glass front door. I can picture everything down to the silverware that will be on the tables. My heart races just thinking about all of the things I have to do to get this project off the ground. I can hardly wait!
I finish up the last of my coffee and am heading back toward my hotel when my phone rings. Pulling it from my purse, I see it’s Beau.
“Hey, Beau. How’s it going?” I ask politely.
“Mornin’, Carson. I hope you slept well,” he replies.
“I did. Yesterday was exhausting and I passed out pretty early.” I chuckle in response.
“Well, we should have all the paperwork done and ready for your signature tomorrow morning if you’re ready,” he tells me softly, almost like he’s ready for me to break.
“I’m ready. Just give me a time and I’m there,” I say. Landry will be so happy that I can come home tomorrow! Maybe I shouldn’t tell them so I can surprise them.
“Would 10 a.m. work for you?” he asks.
“Absolutely. I’ll see y’all at 10 a.m.” I pause. “And Beau?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I can’t thank you enough for helping me arrange all of this. You were a great friend to my dad for many years, and there is nothing I can say to truly show my appreciation for you staying by his side while he was sick. Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough,” I tell him, trying hard to swallow the lump forming in my throat.
“It is my pleasure, Carson. Your dad was like a brother to me, which makes you my honorary niece,” he says gently. “I know you’re going back to Seattle, but please know that you will always have family here. We love you, Carson. We always have.”
“Thank you,” I choke out. It takes me a second to get my emotions in check. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Beau.”
“Tomorrow it is.” And with that, he hangs up.
I make it back to the hotel and decide to look into flights for tomorrow afternoon. I’m not doing another overnight trip, so if I can’t get all the way home tomorrow, I’ll wait until Thursday and leave first thing in the morning. After about ten minutes of searching, I don’t find anything that will get me home in one
day, so I decide to just book it for Thursday early morning flight out. I’ll be back in Seattle before 2 p.m., with only one stop in L.A. I book it quickly; happy to finally have a plan on when I’m getting home.
It’s still a few hours before I’m supposed to meet Chris and Jenna, so I decide to take a nap. Although I slept well last night, I am still a little tired from everything that’s happened over the past week. I set my phone alarm and lay it beside me on the nightstand. It doesn’t take long before I drift off, only to be woken up a short time later by my own screams. It’s been a while since I’ve dreamed of the night of the accident; I’m sure it’s the stress of this week that has made it resurface. No longer tired, I decide to take a quick shower before dinner.
I dress in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a chevron print blouse and a pair of tall boots; dressy enough for dinner but not uncomfortably so. I pull my hair back into a French braid, with a headband that matches my blouse. I do my simple makeup routine and with 15 minutes to spare, I’m ready. I check my phone for the first time since I woke up and see I missed a text from Kyler. Instead of texting back, I just call him.
“Hey.” He answers after the second ring, sounding winded.
“Hey, you.” I smile into the phone. “Sorry I missed your call. I must’ve been in the shower. What’s going on?” I ask.
Raising Landry Page 19
