Robin Alexander - The Secret of St. Claire

by Robin Alexander

  Chapter Ten

  The following evening found Nicole, Lindsay, Rose, and Alexis sitting around Nicole’s kitchen table with an empty pizza box. Nicole had a sleeping tabby in her lap, and Alexis was playing with a vivacious solid gray kitten. “What are you gonna name them, Ms. Nicole?”

  “I could do like Mrs. Crantz does.” Nicole looked down at the ball of fur. “Name them Gray and…Kinda Gray.”

  Alexis scrunched up her face. “Could you think of something else?”

  Nicole held up her hands. “I’m open for suggestions.”

  “Hmm,” Alexis said as the kitten in her arms jumped at a strand of her hair. “We could name this one Bounce.”

  “I like that,” Rose said, and Lindsay nodded.

  “Okay, he’s Bounce. Now what do we want to dub this little guy?” Nicole pointed down to the one in her lap.

  “Lazy?” Lindsay offered with a grin, eliciting a frown from Alexis.

  Alexis’s eyes widened. “Justin!”

  Rose and Lindsay smiled at Nicole sympathetically.

  “What about Bieber, so they can both have B names?” Nicole picked up the sleeping kitten and rubbed her face against his soft fur. “He looks more like a Bieber.”

  “Okay, Bieber.” Alexis was nearly bouncing out of her chair.

  Lindsay stood. “Nicole, thank you for the pizza and a lovely evening, but I need to get my kitten home. She has school tomorrow.”

  Rose looked at Nicole. “Do you like seafood?”

  “Love it.”

  “We’re having gumbo tomorrow night. Why don’t you come over?” Rose squeezed Nicole’s arm as she stood. “You can bring the bread.”

  Nicole glanced at Lindsay, who was looking at her with an expectant expression. “I’d love to.”

  Rose gave Nicole a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, Alexis followed suit. But she did not expect Lindsay to do the same. It came as a surprise when Lindsay wrapped her arms around Nicole’s shoulders and said, “Sleep well, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Nicole stood on her back porch with Bieber and Bounce in her arms, watching as the three climbed into Lindsay’s truck. The smell of Lindsay’s perfume was on her clothes, the memory of her arms still warmed her. Lindsay Juneau was the perfect recipe for disaster and heartbreak, but Nicole was already under her spell.

  *******

  “Um…good morning, Nicole.”

  Nicole glanced up as Deana timidly entered her office. “I can’t remember my password to get into the accounting system.” Nicole shuffled through stacks of papers on her desk. “I never can remember those things, and now I can’t remember where I wrote it down.”

  “There’s a black book in the right top drawer. The password is under A for accounting. Dr. Gary could never remember them, either, so I made a book for you out of habit.”

  Nicole sank into her chair with a grin. “Good job.”

  “Um…Nicole, have you been outside the front of your house lately?”

  “No, are newspapers and circulars piling up out there?” Nicole thumbed through the book.

  “You’ve been egged.”

  Nicole looked up. “What?”

  Deana began to fidget, obviously expecting an explosion. “Word’s out all over town that you took on Mark McCreedy. It doesn’t take a detective to know who threw the eggs at your house. It’s typical McCreedy mayhem, that’s what we call it.”

  Nicole sank back into her chair and drummed her fingers on the armrest. “The schedule is full today. I don’t have time to deal with this. Do you know anyone I can hire to get the mess cleaned up?”

  “My cousin does odd jobs when he’s not on shift at the plant. I can call and see if he’s available today.”

  Nicole nodded. “Please do.”

  Deana hesitated. “Don’t you want to take pictures of it, maybe call Miles to make a report?”

  “I don’t want to look at it.” Nicole waved a hand. “I’ll only get angrier. They’ve had their fun at my expense. Now they can move on.”

  Deana folded her arms, then stuffed her hands in her pockets, only to fold her arms again.

  “What is it?” Nicole asked with dread.

  “They don’t move on. Once they’re mad at someone, it’s for life. You might want to get security cameras or something. It might delay them until they get brave enough to knock them down.”

  “For a pack of brats?” Nicole asked angrily. “What does everyone else in this town do when they’ve incurred the McCreedy wrath?”

  “Nothing.” Deana shook her head. “Clean up, repair the damage, and hope the McCreedys get bored. Some people have filed charges with Miles, but their dad always covers for them. Tells Miles that the boys were home when the crime was committed, and Miles claims he can’t do anything. Mrs. Crantz is the only one they don’t mess with because she has a shotgun and a lot of rock salt.”

  “And if I shot a McCreedy with rock salt, I’d go straight to jail,” Nicole said disgustedly.

  Deana nodded sadly. “That’s about the only time Miles would do anything. He’s afraid of Kevin McCreedy, always has been. They went to school together.”

  Nicole sank lower in her chair. “Go call your cousin, please.”

  *******

  Tiffany Stanton looked worse than when Lindsay last saw her. Fatigue was still obvious by the way she walked, but added to the dark circles around her eyes was thinning of her face. She looked as though she hadn’t eaten in days. “How about a cup of coffee, Tiff?” Lindsay asked as Tiffany approached the counter of the store.

  “Yes, thank you.” Tiffany accepted a hug from Rose and sank down onto one of the stools.

  Rose remained close by and stroked Tiffany’s back like she did Lindsay’s when she was upset. “Honey, what’s going on?”

  “She’s pregnant.” Lindsay dropped the container of creamer she was holding and stared at Tiffany slack-jawed. Tiffany’s face was blank as she stared back. “And she’s only twenty.”

  Rose groped behind her for a stool. It nearly tipped over before she got a firm grip on it. She sat with a sigh. “What can we do for you?”

  Tiffany smiled wryly. “Help me bury him after I beat him to death.”

  “Let’s not even joke like that.” Rose continued petting.

  “I could hire Dr. Allen. I heard she beat Mark McCreedy to a pulp.” This time, Tiffany didn’t crack a smile.

  “That’s not true.” Lindsay came around the counter and pressed the cup of coffee into Tiffany’s hands. “She only pulled his hair because he did the same to Alexis.”

  Tiffany stared ahead blankly. “They egged her house. I saw it this morning when I took the girls to T-John’s for breakfast. You couldn’t buy that many eggs at Summer’s. The McCreedy chickens must be laying well.”

  Lindsay and Rose exchanged worried glances.

  “I guess Dr. Allen can’t help me then because Jake is as bald as a grapefruit. She could grab him by the nuts, though, and—”

  “Sweetheart, focus,” Rose said. “I know you’re in absolute agony, but you have your babies to take care of. Do you need a place to stay?”

  “I am focusing,” Tiffany said numbly. “Today, I burned all his clothes. There’s nothing but zippers and buttons in the backyard. Thank you for the offer, but I had all the locks changed on the house, and he’s shacked up with the baby he knocked up.”

  “Have you contacted a lawyer?” Lindsay took the stool on the other side of Tiffany.

  Tiffany nodded and looked down at her coffee. “Dad has a friend, he describes him as a ball-buster. His name is Peavey, and his motto is ‘Don’t get Peavey peeved or you’re gonna pay.’ Dad says I can expect a lot of alimony and child support by the time Peavey is finished with Jake.” A single tear slipped down Tiffany’s cheek and splashed in her cup. “This isn’t what I wanted. Is it too much to ask for a faithful husband and a loving father for my children? Now I have to start all over again and hope if there’s a next time, it’ll be better for me and the girls.
”

  “Life is starting over, baby.” Rose took Tiffany into her arms and looked over her shoulder at Lindsay. “If we stare at change too long, we miss the opportunities it brings.”

  “I don’t want this change. It’s too painful.” Tiffany sobbed. “I want my life back the way it was.”

  Rose continued to meet Lindsay’s eye. “You have a lot of loving arms to hold you up. All you need to do is pick up one foot at a time and walk in a new direction. One day, you’ll see that the journey wasn’t all that far. Something so much better awaits, I promise.”

  *******

  “Momma, how could you promise Tiff that there’s something better out there?” Lindsay asked later as they ate lunch in her office. “She may never meet another man, especially if she stays in St. Claire.”

  “Because there is.” Rose dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “She knew like everyone else in this town her husband was a philandering idiot. Do you think she was truly happy? It took him impregnating a twenty-year-old to make Tiffany take a stand.” Rose shook her head. “She wasn’t happy, but now she has the chance to be once her heart heals.”

  Lindsay popped a grape into her mouth and considered Rose’s logic and the point she made earlier about missing opportunity by staring too long at the change. Was that what she was doing? Was putting her life on the back burner motivated more by fear of being honest than her desire to protect her child and mother?

  “What are we going to do about Nicole?”

  The question was unexpected, and the way Rose looked at Lindsay made her nervous. “What about her?” she asked as her internal defenses rose.

  “This egg business. She’s suffering because she took up for Alexis.” Rose wagged a finger. “We can’t allow this.”

  I remember you wagging that finger in Mike’s face the other day when he said he was going to confront the McCreedys. What do you suggest we do—call Miles?”

  Rose furrowed her brow. “No, I’m calling in the big gun.”

  *******

  “Minx, I hear you’re having some McCreedy problems.”

  Nicole cradled the phone on her shoulder. “Hi, Mrs. Crantz. Bad news travels fast around here, doesn’t it?”

  “All news travels fast around here, good or bad, fact or fiction. Do you have a video camera?”

  “I do,” Nicole said as she lint-rolled her sweater to remove the evidence of kitten play.

  “Listen up and listen close if you want this problem solved. The McCreedys will be back tonight, you can count on that. When you hear from me, you get that camera and stay inside. Film those boys while they’re egging the house and talk the whole time so the recording will pick up your voice.”

  “I don’t think Miles is going to do anything, video evidence or not.”

  “You’re right, minx. Do your part and leave the rest to me.” Ruby hung up without a goodbye.

  Chapter Eleven

  With a loaf of French bread and another chocolate pie in her arms, Nicole knocked on Lindsay’s front door. Alexis’s face appeared behind the screen a few seconds later. She grinned toothlessly as she pushed the door open and took the pie from Nicole’s hand. “How are Bounce and Bieber?”

  “Wild,” Nicole said with a smile. “I played with them all day in between patients.” She followed Alexis toward the kitchen.

  “I’m trying to talk Mom into letting Peepers have a kitten to play with. So far, it’s a no-go.” Alexis looked over her shoulder. “Would you talk to her about it?”

  “Oh, no, you’re on your own. That discussion is between you and you mother.”

  “What discussion?” Lindsay asked as Nicole entered the kitchen.

  “Anything that falls under birds, bees, and kittens.” Nicole set the bread on the counter. “That’s fresh, according to Inga at T-John’s.”

  “Thank you, hon,” Rose said from where she stirred a large pot on the stove.

  Lindsay ruffled Alexis’s hair. “Sweetie, would you run next door to Grams’s and get the tea out of her pantry?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Alexis was out the back door in a flash.

  “We heard about the egging. I’m so sorry, Nicole,” Lindsay said sadly. “I’ll be happy to come over after dinner and help clean up.”

  “Thank you, but I hired Deana’s cousin, and he took care of it today. I’ll have to leave if Ruby Crantz calls. She’s up to something and has given me strict instructions to follow.”

  Rose chuckled but kept her back turned.

  “I’d love to know what you and Ruby are concocting, but I don’t want to discuss this in front of Alexis. The news will upset her and probably make her more frightened of the McCreedys.” Lindsay poured a glass of tea and handed it to Nicole.

  “Did she have any trouble today?” Nicole asked.

  Lindsay shook her head. “Mike was here when she got off the bus. He said the boys didn’t show.”

  Nicole grinned at Alexis as she came racing in through the door and dropped the box of tea bags on the counter. “Wow, you’re fast, kid.”

  “Thanks, I’m the fastest girl at school.” Alexis pushed her hair off her face and grabbed Lindsay’s glass of tea. She drank most of it before Lindsay could react.

  “Hey, no caffeine this time of night—milk or water.”

  “Sorry, Mom.” Alexis looked up at Nicole. “Everybody’s talking about you at school. Morgan Tinsley told them you beat Mark McCreedy up real bad. I didn’t tell them anything ’cause Momma said not to gossip.”

  Lindsay rolled her eyes.

  “I got that a lot at work today. At least now I know where it’s coming from.” Nicole winked at Lindsay. “Out of the mouths of babes.”

  “Okay, girls, everyone pick up a bowl and bring it to the table.” Rose handed the first to Lindsay, who passed it to Nicole.

  *******

  Once the gumbo was eaten and a healthy dent was made in the pie, Rose ushered Alexis up the stairs after she’d kissed everyone good night. Lindsay made coffee, and she and Nicole took their spots on the porch. “This is becoming a tradition,” Nicole said after she’d taken a sip.

  “I like it.” Lindsay smiled and stared out at the night sky. “Now tell me what Ruby said.”

  “I’m supposed to stay inside, get my video camera when she calls, and talk while filming whatever’s going to happen.” Nicole waved a hand. “That’s all I know.”

  “Lord, I hope she doesn’t shoot those kids with rock salt.”

  Nicole looked at Lindsay aghast. “She wouldn’t…would she?”

  Lindsay didn’t answer and shrugged instead.

  “She probably just wants the video. Maybe she can use her muscle to force Miles to do something or make the McCreedys stop. Ruby’s a shut-in. She’s not going to go out at night to load some boys up with rock salt.”

  “She’s a shut-in by choice.” Lindsay chuckled. “If there’s one thing Ruby Crantz would come into town for, it’s revenge. You better stay indoors because I hear rock salt stings like a bitch.”

  “Stop teasing me.”

  “I’m not, that’s the funny part.”

  “Ruby’s certain they’ll be back tonight. T-Roy, Deana’s cousin, said the same.” Nicole looked at Lindsay. “I learned something Cajun today. ‘T’ means little, so instead of saying little Roy or Roy Junior, they say T-Roy.”

  “You’re catching on, I’m so proud of you. Hang around the coonasses long enough, and you’ll start talking like one.”

  Nicole raised a brow. “Coonass?”

  Lindsay nodded. “I have no idea where that started, but that’s how Cajun folk refer to themselves.”

  “Then you’re a coonass?” Nicole grinned.

  “Only half. My coonass father married an Irish school teacher, and even Rose will spout out a Cajun word or two when she’s mad. She used to call my dad ‘coullion,’ which basically means doofus or dumbass, but that was only when she was irritated.”

  “I didn’t know Rose taught school.”

&nbs
p; “Yep, right up until Dad passed away, then she came to help at the store. I think she felt closer to him that way. He’d come home smelling just like that old place every night. It was a part of him.”

  “She must’ve been devastated. Both of you.”

  “We were.” Lindsay nodded. “I lost my father, and she lost her best friend.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The one thing I remember most about them was laughter. I’d go to sleep listening to my mother cackling over something he’d said. They were perfect mates, and each had a deep and abiding respect for the other.” Lindsay looked at Nicole and smiled. “They met in their senior year of high school, Mom had just transferred in. She used to say she didn’t like him the first time they talked, he seemed too cocky and arrogant to her. But my dad, he said he lost his heart the moment she turned up her nose and stalked off. They became friends one summer when she went into the store in search of a lawnmower part for her dad. It took two years for my dad to win her over, and after that, they were never apart until…”

  “I’m so sorry for you and Rose.”

  “Thanks.” Lindsay took a sip of her coffee. “It’s just one of those inevitable things.”

  Nicole nodded and looked away. “It still sucks.”

  They sat quietly for a moment, then Lindsay asked, “The contacts you wear, are they prescription?”

  “No, they’re just some disposable things I picked up to change my appearance.”

  Lindsay clutched her cup in both hands. “It’s a shame to cover up such beautiful eyes.” She blushed when Nicole looked at her. “I…my eyes are just shit bird brown. I’d love to have eyes that blue.”

  Lindsay could feel Nicole looking at her, even though she’d turned away. “You have lovely eyes regardless of the color. It’s the love they reveal, especially when you’re looking at your daughter.”

  “That’s a sweet thing to say.” Lindsay inhaled deeply. “Take them out, the contacts.” She glanced quickly at Nicole. “I’d like to think I’m looking at the real you.”

  Nicole complied with the wish and blinked rapidly when she looked back at Lindsay. “Better?”

  “Much,” Lindsay said with a smile. “You have to be more comfortable now.”