by Emery, Lynn
“Oh.” Erikka wondered who this woman sitting in her bedroom could possibly be. She’d grown up watching Roz thrive on the attention of men, preferably handsome men with money. Everything Roz ever wore, right down to the color of polish on her toenails, was always calculated to draw male interest and female admiration. Women dressed to attract men and impress other women, that was the lesson Erikka had learned.
“I know what you’re thinking; an affair isn’t the way to make our marriage better. It’s not like I planned it.” Roz looked down at her still-lovely hands. She twisted the platinum wedding rings on her finger.
“You’re still seeing this man? Oh I’m don’t believe this.” Erikka threw up both hands.
“Sit down and take deep breaths, dear. You’ll feel better.” Roz patted the surface of the floral comforter.
“The world has gone mad,” Erikka said finally. She fell into the wicker chair across from the bed and gaped at her mother. “You’re trippin’. I’m upset, and you have this ‘It’s all good’ attitude.”
“I don’t take the prospect that my marriage might end lightly. I still care about Craig. But I’m tired of performing tricks like a trained poodle just to get him to notice me. For the past few years he’s taken me for granted.”
“So, you found someone else,” Erikka said. Her tongue felt numb just uttering the words.
“Woman to woman. Would you give up your new man to deal with Vaughn’s crap again?”
“Vaughn isn’t my husband.” Still, Erikka instantly felt her point as much as heard it.
“I know it’s tough, but don’t think of Craig as your daddy. He’s a man with faults just like any other man.” Roz nodded.
“Turning to someone else isn’t the answer. Not for either of you,” Erikka added, since Craig might be having his own fling. His long nights away from home on business didn’t seem so plausible suddenly.
Roz heaved a sigh and sat back. “At least we haven’t had the usual finger-pointing or shouting matches. After a cooling-off period, we might try marriage counseling.” ‘To be honest I’d feel better if you were your usual drama-queen self,” Erikka said without thinking.
“I beg your pardon,” Roz snapped, sounding more like herself again. “I don’t make scenes and scream at people. Even though Craig probably had a little bit on the side long before I met Hakeem.”
“Hakeem? Oh no you didn’t.” Erikka sat up bolt straight in the chair.
“Hakeem is two years older than you. He—”
“What’s his last name?” Erikka’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Hakeem Matthews. Yes, you went to high school together.” Roz did not seem the least bit embarrassed.
“I had a mad crush on him when I was a sophomore. You said he was too old for me, that he wasn’t going anywhere. You said his biggest career move would be from sweeping up a burger joint to working the french fryer.” Erikka’s voice rose with each word.
“Turns out I was wrong. Hakeem owns four franchise fast-food restaurants.” Roz nodded slowly when Erikka let out a squeak.
“Have mercy.” Erikka took a few minutes to recover. “Successful or not, think about the life you built with Craig. Vaughn and I had a few hot nights.”
‘Too much information,” Roz broke in, to stall more details.
“But we didn’t have years of marriage, children, and family to consider. No comparison.”
“Craig always talks about how I need to change, my mistakes, blah, blah, blah. Right now it’s not looking too good, but we’ll see.” Roz frowned. “Listen, you talk to Jaci. Leave out a few details though.”
“Let me guess, the part about you having a hot affair with a man half your age.” Erikka crossed her arms.
“He’s not half my age,” Roz said defensively. “Hakeem is so understanding. He offered to back off for a while before I even said anything. Even if it means losing me, he wants me to be happy.”
“What a saint,” Erikka wisecracked. “Except for that part about sleeping with another man’s wife, of course.”“You’re no angel, dear heart. I know all about that little week of whoopee with Jeanne Chabert’s husband.”
“Fiancé,” Erikka said quickly. All the same, she’d been checkmated.
“One month later he was her husband, and still calling you from the gossip I heard.” Roz waved a hand. “I set a bad example for you girls, I know. Just don’t worry about this. Whatever happens, you and Jaci will still have us both, with all our love as usual.”
“Right.”
Erikka did not feel any better as she accepted Roz’s kiss on the cheek. Her mother went on about dinner plans while Erikka tried not to feel like a lost kid again.
“Houston’s it is. I feel like barbecue. Let’s say sixish? I have a few business calls to make. I might be a single working woman soon.” Roz left without waiting for Erikka to answer. She already had other things on her mind.
Erikka sat stunned, staring at nothing in particular. “Hakeem?” she said aloud.
Chapter 16
A week later Erikka wanted to yank her hair out by the roots. Nadine was pressing her to
start work, yet she seemed stuck in Loreauville. The probation office had her paperwork all fouled up. She had to get their blessing once again, which made no sense. Both the judge and probation department had been suspicious of having her beyond their reach. Now they questioned her move back to New Orleans.
“Stupid friggin’ bureaucratic—” Erikka hit the keys of her laptop as though they were to blame.
Malik came into the den with a soccer ball tucked under one arm. “Hey, cuz.”
“Hi, shorty,” Erikka said. She gave the lanky youngster a smile.
“You in a bad mood, too. What are the odds?” Malik dropped the ball onto a chair.
“That thing better be clean, or Darlene will skin you.” Erikka nodded at the chair upholstered in a striped pattern. “And what odds?”
“I wiped it off.” Malik slapped the ball onto the floor anyway. “Mama came in, went straight to her bedroom, and slammed the door. She walked by me without saying a word. I don’t think she even saw me.”
“Maybe she had a rough day at work. Lord knows I can relate.”
Erikka clicked on an icon in the spreadsheet application and saved a file. She was going to wrap up her work with Ryan Wilson this week if it killed her. The wannabe player was tap dancing on her last nerve. Each day he tried to come up with reasons to be alone with her or to delay their work. Erikka was beginning to wonder how long she could resist smacking him. Better not. Her probation counselor would not be pleased, not to mention the judge. Sometimes life was just too hard.
“Go check it out, Erikka. I would, but—” Malik lifted a shoulder.
“But what?” Erikka started a final report. She swore when the pile of sheets on her lap slipped to the floor.
Malik gathered them for her. “I kinda messed up. The teacher overreacted, too, though,” he added quickly. “I mean, so I missed a couple of assignments. My final grades are still gonna be pretty good.”
“Malik, going down to a C average is not ‘pretty good.’ You’re smart.” Erikka was about to go on when it hit her. She sounded like all the adults that had lectured her through the years. That depressed her.
“I know. I promised Mama I’d straighten up my act. I’m gonna do two projects for extra credit during the summer break. She’s still kinda steamed.” Malik dropped heavily onto the sofa, another of Darlene’s rules broken.
Erikka winced and hoped the frame hadn’t cracked. Still, she resisted the urge to remind him. “I gotcha. You want me to risk getting chewed up and spit out.”
“Yeah, that’s about it.” Malik grinned. “Serious, though. Maybe she could use some help.”
“Well, it can’t be about anything you did. Maybe Brandon?” Erikka stopped writing about cash flow and expense projections.
“He usually tells me when they’ve had it out. Last time I talked to Brandon they were cool.” Malik stood. “I’m thinki
ng it’s one of those women things. Hormones. You can relate.”
“Malik, you must be through all your chores,” Darlene said sharply from the door.
He sprang to his feet. “Almost. Just takin’ a break. Uh, break over.”
“And get that ball out of here. You know where it belongs.” Darlene watched with a frown as he scooped up the ball and hurried out.
“Yes, ma’am.” He shot Erikka a significant look as he left.
“Malik thought you’d had a bad day. He was wrong. You’ve had a bitch of a day.” Erikka looked at her. Darlene’s face looked pinched with trouble.
“The center’s checking account is overdrawn. Checks bouncing all over like soccer balls.” Darlene waved a hand in the direction Malik had gone.
“Your bookkeeper and I went over your account last week. We got the United Way check deposited two weeks ago. Moved six thousand over for expenses and—”
“My phone has been ringing all day, Erikka. The bank president called me, too. Thank God Alexis is so understanding. She’s switched them over to the savings account. She’ll let us slide on the fees this time.” Darlene was about to go on when the phone rang. She left.
Malik came back a few minutes later, looking over his shoulder. “What’s up?”
“A normal bad day would be welcome right about now,” Erikka said, with a frown.
Darlene came back. “The interest-bearing checking account is empty, too.”
“Daa-yum,” Malik blurted out.
“There must be a mistake. Sixteen thousand dollars doesn’t just go poof. Not overnight.” Erikka went to Darlene. “Probably one of those slip-of-the-finger mistakes bank employees make. Just relax. I’m sure tomorrow they’ll track down the error.”
“Alexis has her staff working late to figure it out. I feel a migraine coming on. I’m going to take my pills and wait for Alexis to call me back.” Darlene pressed the back of her hand to her forehead as she walked out.
“Daa-yum,” Malik repeated when she was gone. “Somebody is partyin’ hard on that money.”
“The money is there. Like I said, it’s probably just a recording mistake. Those things happen a lot.” Erikka tried to make her explanation sound convincing.
“I could see a few hundred dollars, maybe a few thousand dollars. But that much? Daa—”
“Stop cussing,” Erikka cut him off. “All those zeros make it easy. I mean you put four instead of five. See?”“If you say so.” Malik gave a skeptical lift of his shoulders before he walked out.
For three hours Erikka paced around the house. She was unable to stay in one spot for longer than a few minutes. Darlene emerged from her bedroom several times, still dressed in the clothes she’d worn to work. Neither of them ate dinner. Erikka tried to nibble on crackers, but they tasted like dry paper. When the phone rang Darlene had come to the kitchen for water. She picked up the cordless just as Erikka raced in to join her.
“Hello, Alexis. Oh dear Lord no.” Darlene covered her mouth with one hand. She staggered back against the refrigerator as the phone slipped from her hand.
Erikka caught it just before it hit the floor. “Yeah, Alexis. It’s Erikka, Darlene’s niece. What the—” She listened, and then asked several questions. The savings account could just barely cover the checks.
“Everything I worked for just wiped out. My fault.” Darlene shook all over.
Malik strode into the kitchen and caught Darlene as she swayed on her feet. “Mama, what happened?” His voice shook.
“Listen, let me call you back. Right, right. No, we’ll take care of her.” Erikka hit the button and put the phone down to help Malik.
“Erikka, what is goin’ down? I’ve never seen Mama like this.” Malik’s big dark eyes were wide with fear.
“We’re having a crisis, baby. Something is funny with the money. Help me get her to that chair.” Erikka nodded to the kitchen table. Together, they managed to guide Darlene to it and ease her down.
“Over seventy elderly people won’t have meals delivered.” Darlene shook her head back and forth, tears streaming down. “No health screenings, no recreational programs. We can’t even pay the light bill.”
“How did it—”
“We don’t know, sweetie. But I’m sure we’ll work things out. Naturally your mama is upset, but she’ll be okay.”
“What can I do to help?” Malik seemed close to tears himself as he looked at his mother.
“Make us some of that herbal tea she likes. The one that’s supposed to be soothing,” Erikka said, thinking he needed to feel useful.
“You mean that chamomile orange flavor?” Malik went to the stove. He turned on a burner and put the water kettle on it.
“Right, that’s the one. Then go turn down her bed, draw die curtains in her room. You know, make it inviting for her.”
“Right.” Malik got out two coffee cups before he left, a man on a mission.
“God, what will I do now?” Darlene looked around the room without seeming to see anything.
“We’re going to meet with Alexis tomorrow, and we’ll handle our business.” Erikka rolled out those words easily enough. The trouble was she had no idea if they were remotely true. Still, she began to think of more assurances.
“This is a nightmare.” Darlene rubbed her forehead with a shaky hand.
“First we’ll figure out if this is a computer error.” Erikka stopped when Darlene looked at her.
“You think so?” Darlene’s brown eyes pleaded for a crumb of hope.
Erikka scraped around for one. “Happens more than you think. Even with all this fancy technology. Computers and people screw up. I’ve seen some whopping errors in my time.”
Darlene gave her a tremulous smile. “You’re just a kid.”
“I feel like I’ve lived my life in dog years.” Erikka went to the whistling kettle. She turned off the burner. “And you’re only forty-five, not that much older than I.”
Darlene watched her prepare two cups of tea without speaking for several moments. “I have to call the board president. Harold needs to know.”
“You want me to take care of it? I could tell them you’re ill.” Erikka glanced at her aunt’s stricken expression. That explanation would be all too true.
“No. This is my responsibility. I’ll call from the living room if you don’t mind.”
Darlene stood up as though she carried a heavy load on her back. Erikka started to insist on being with her for support, but Darlene shook her head. She watched Darlene walk out. Her efforts to stand tall tugged at Erikka’s heart. Immediately, Erikka started to come up with worst-case-scenario plans.
“I put out that lavender bath stuff she likes. The label says it calms people down. Let me know when, and I’ll fill the tub.” Malik rubbed his hands together. “Where’d she go?”
‘To call the board president.” Erikka could only imagine how that conversation would go.
“Oh shit,” Malik let slip, and then flinched when Erikka glanced at him. “I mean, oh shoot.”
She waved a hand. “Don’t sweat it. I’ve been saying that to myself since the first phone call.”
Malik straddled a chair, his arms resting on the back. “You don’t think they’ll blame my mom, do you?”“Course not,” Erikka said quickly as she chewed a fingernail. Her tone must not have been convincing.
Malik’s worried frown deepened. “She’s the director. She signs all the checks.”
“They have dual-signature checks if they’re over a certain amount,” Erikka said.
“Oh. Well, that means someone else had to know about all the money going out.” Malik’s expression eased a bit. “But—”
“Look, babe, go do your chores. You know Darlene. She’ll be asking about it if you don’t.” Erikka shooed him out before he asked even tougher questions. And she damn sure didn’t have any answers.
He stood. “Okay. I’ll check on y’all later.”
“You’re a good man to have around,” Erikka said, with a s
mile. Malik stood tall as he strode out, a pleased expression on his smooth, youthful face.
Darlene came back in. She seemed to have collected herself somewhat. “Is Malik okay? I scared the poor kid half to death, but it hit me hard.” She sat down in the chair Malik had just left.
“I told him to finish his chores or you’d want to know why.” Erikka put the now lukewarm cups of tea in the microwave. Thirty seconds later she took them out and joined Darlene at the table.
“Harold is going to meet us at the bank in the morning, first thing.” Darlene sighed as she rubbed her eyes.
“I won’t say something stupid like don’t worry.” Erikka patted Darlene’s arm, then took a sip of tea.
“Good. I’d be tempted to slap you if you did,” Darlene deadpanned. She heaved a sigh.
Erikka continued to drink her tea. They sat in silence for a long time. Malik turned on the light in the house as darkness fell. He made little noise when he fixed a snack, all but walking on tiptoes. As he flipped on the kitchen switch it was as though a light bulb went on for Erikka. She waited for him to leave.
“This isn’t your fault.”
Darlene got up and went to the sink. “I have to take responsibility. I’m the boss, and I should have known something was wrong.”
“We don’t know it’s not an error caused by a rogue computer or some careless teller.” Erikka looked at her critically. “You should be mad at the bank.”
“I’ve known Alexis all my life. She’s a good person. She’ll do what’s right.” Darlene kept her back to Erikka.
Erikka got a bad vibe from her. “Can Kelvin sign checks?”
Darlene drank the last of the tea from her cup and washed it. “Yes.”
“But y’all did change the account like I recommended, right?” Erikka had Darlene to comply with accepted accounting practices. ‘Two people have to sign all checks.”“I didn’t get around to it. With everything going on— We had to get the new policies in place, then I had a bunch of meetings.” Darlene wiped her hands with great deliberation, rubbing them hard with the dish towel.
