ONE SMALL VICTORY Page 16

  “Scott.”

  “What?”

  Rancor underscored the word, and Jenny took a quick breath to hold back her anger. “Alicia’s been looking forward to this all week. Could we just do it for her?”

  “Whatever.” He sat down at the table.

  “You could take your coat off.”

  “Whatever.” He rose and shrugged out of his jacket, then hung it on a peg by the back door; every movement dripping with repressed anger.

  Jenny bit her lip so hard she could taste the salt of blood. Let it be. He’s entitled.

  “Look what I found.” Alicia ran into the kitchen, her hands full of party hats and noisemakers.

  “Great. Now we’ll have a real party.” Jenny forced a smile and glanced at Scott, willing him to put on a happy face for his sister.

  “I’ll call Caitlin and tell her I’ll be late.”

  ~*~

  Later, in the darkness of her room, Jenny sat on the edge of her bed and rolled her shoulders to ease the tight knot that had plagued her all evening. Emotionally, it might have been easier to pretend that this was just another ordinary day. But just like her association with ‘normal,’ she was having a hard time remembering what ‘ordinary’ felt like.

  She supposed it was good that they had spent time telling stories and remembering this evening, but she wished that doing something that was supposed to be good for them didn’t have to leave her so emotionally battered. Her mother’s therapist was right about this grief business being hard work.

  And oddly enough, she discovered that she was out of tears for the night. So maybe that was the good part. And if they could get over this hurdle, maybe they could survive the next one, and the one after that.

  Jenny almost laughed at the ‘pie-in-the-sky’ tone that thought had. Ralph had always told her she was too idealistic for her own good. Maybe he’d been right.

  She shook off that thought and went into her bathroom, flicking the light on. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so battered if she took a long hot soak.

  Immersed in the steaming water a few minutes later, Jenny leaned her head against the back of the tub and closed her eyes. The faint aroma of lilac drifted on the steam and Jenny could almost believe in spring. Yes. This is definitely better.

  When her head slipped off the edge of the tub, Jenny came up in a spray of water. She hadn’t even realized she’d gone to sleep. How long had it been? The water was warm, so it couldn’t have been too long.

  Then she had a flash of memory. Steve had been kissing her and... Wait a minute. It wasn’t a true memory. It was a fragment of a dream. As other fragments presented themselves, she felt a flush of what she was sure wasn’t total embarrassment. Oh, God. I haven’t had these kinds of erotic thoughts in... She couldn’t even remember the last time.

  She quickly stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in the bulk of her robe. She had to get a grip on this whole personal thing between her and Steve. In their last phone conversation he had been all ‘business as usual.’ So she should keep it that way, too.

  Sounds good in theory, girl. But no way can it go backwards.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Yesterday, Jenny had spent an evening at home with the kids. After the tension of Michael’s birthday the day before, she thought they all needed it, and, for the first time in forever, they had actually enjoyed a few hours together. It had been so pleasant; Jenny was tempted to just say ‘screw it’ and stay home forever. But she’d gathered her resolve, girded her loins- or ungirded them was more like it – and headed out to meet her friendly neighborhood drug dealer.

  When she’d called Chico’s cell phone, she’d been surprised when Leon answered, but since she didn’t know what was considered polite in the drug business, she figured she wouldn’t ask questions. But her current goose bumps were caused by more than the chill night air.

  Leon stood just outside a circle of pale illumination cast by the security light at the edge of the deserted football stadium. He wore his usual baggy jeans and flannel parka, but something was different about his stance. Then Jenny realized what it was. He was still. No hip-hop jive tonight. His constant herky-jerky movements always made her think of a marionette, which somehow made him seem like less of a threat, but this absolute stillness was unnerving.

  As she tried to chase away the prickle of fear, she realized her analogy wasn’t so far off. Leon was somebody’s puppet, except the puppet-master seemed to be missing. And who was that strange, silent man whose mere presence made her more afraid than she’d ever been in her life. It was the same man who’d been there when Chico had ripped her off.

  Where the hell is Chico? Or do I even want to know?

  Since she couldn’t pretend not to notice his absence, Jenny tried to make her inquiry sound casual. “Where’s my man?”

  Leon opened his mouth, then glanced at the other man and quickly shut it.

  “He’s moved on.”

  He speaks. The melody of a long-forgotten hymn flashed through Jenny’s mind and she almost laughed at the incongruity of it. This man’s voice was anything but sweet.

  “Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”

  Oh shit!

  Turning abruptly, the man headed toward a dark Lexus parked in the shadow of a tree. Leon shuffled after him, and Jenny had about two seconds to make a decision.

  Oh, shit!

  Leon opened the front passenger door and motioned for her to get it. Then he hopped in the back as the man started the engine. He glanced over at Jenny. “Fasten your belt.”

  Oh, shit! He’s gonna fucking kill me.

  No he’s not, a more reasonable internal voice said. If he was going to kill you why would he care about a fucking seat belt?

  Marginally reassured by that way of thinking, Jenny snapped the hook as the car eased out to the side street.

  The man maintained his silence as he wove through the nearly deserted downtown streets, finally taking one that headed north. Then he turned east on Highway 360. Other than the hum of tires on asphalt, the only sound Jenny heard was soft rustles of fabric whenever Leon moved in the back seat. Now he seemed to be having trouble staying still, and she wondered if he shared her nervousness.

  The man driving neither spoke nor looked at her, and Jenny wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or not. His silence was anything but companionable, and she bit her lip to keep from filling the silence. That would never do.

  The miles and the minutes clicked by and after about forty of them, the man turned south on Interstate 75. It was a relief to be headed into a place with more traffic, and Jenny had a wild thought that maybe they were just going to drive in a huge circle. But to what purpose? Just so he could play this silent intimidation game?

  Well, it’s working damn good. She could swear if her heart beat any faster it would go into arrest. And her jersey top was drenched from her armpits down. She should never have gotten into this car.

  “I’ve got a delivery.”

  Startled, Jenny glanced over at the man. He still didn’t look at her, just kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes straight ahead. Weird. If she could ignore the ugly scar he could be her old driver’s ed teacher.

  Before she could even speculate as to where that bizarre thought had come from, the man exited the freeway and turned into the entrance of an exclusive gated community. He pulled up to the security area and punched a code into the box. A few seconds later, the massive iron gate opened and the car glided through.

  After winding down a few tree-lined streets that were flanked by large homes with flawless landscaping showcased by solar lamps, the man pulled to stop in front of a two-story Faux Tudor. Pale lights illuminated a precise row of holly bushes along one side of the front, and a large ponderosa pine stood like a sentinel a few feet from the front entry.

  The man dimmed the car lights, then glanced over his shoulder at Leon. “Take care of it.”

  Leon opened his door and slipped out. Jenny watched as
he walked to the front door, rang the bell, then moved into the shadow of the tree. Seconds later, the door opened and a man quickly stepped out. For a moment he was clearly illuminated by the porch light and Jenny drew in a breath.

  George? Carol’s George? Jenny didn’t want to believe it, but there was no mistaking the identity of the man who stepped into the darkness to meet Leon. Shadowed by the tree, his face was no longer distinguishable, but the actions were unmistakable. She’d gone through the routine too many times recently not to recognize the exchange of money and drugs.

  Oh, shit! George is buying drugs?

  Jenny tried to still the whirr of thoughts spinning through her mind. What was she supposed to do now? Should she tell Carol? Could there be some kind of mistake?

  Not likely. When the man turned and passed through the light again, Jenny recognized the green silk shirt she’d helped Carol pick out for George’s birthday last summer.

  She was hardly aware of Leon sliding into the back seat and the car pulling away from the curb. But she was thankful for the quiet as they passed through the gate and turned right on the access road of the interstate. Not that the driver’s silence helped her figure out what she was going to do. It was just that there was so much noise in her head, she was afraid any outside sound would cause some artery to blow.

  Expecting him to backtrack the way they’d come, Jenny was surprised when he turned right again at Highway 121. Another delivery? Or just the long way back. And was there some purpose to this little ride-along?

  “I’m Frank,” the man said, his voice startling her. “You’ll deal with me from now on.”

  He didn’t look at her so she wasn’t sure if he even expected a response. A sudden wave of relief rushed over her. Obviously he wasn’t taking her off to some dark corner to kill her. She risked a quick glance at Leon, who gave her a brief flash of white teeth, then he turned away.

  Twenty minutes later they stopped almost in the exact spot where they’d started out. Frank opened his door and waved at her in a dismissive gesture. “Take off now.”

  He got out and closed his door before Jenny could protest. She fumbled with the release of the seatbelt, pushed her door open, and stumbled out. Rounding the front of the car, she felt the heat from the engine. Frank stood a few feet away and she called out to him. “What about the arrangement I had with Chico?”

  “We’ll have to see.”

  Stepping closer, Jenny could see the impassiveness in his pale eyes, and she had this terrible dread that it was all slipping away. She couldn’t imagine why Chico was no longer there, and maybe she was better off not even speculating. But she did know she’d invested way too much to lose it all now.

  She took another step closer to Frank and spoke softly. “I’ve got a hundred grand for a buy. Either I do business with you, or somewhere else. Doesn’t matter to me.”

  His expression didn’t change, and Jenny resisted the temptation to swallow, willing the fear to stay down without that effort.

  “I’ll let you know.”

  She acknowledged with a brief nod. “Don’t take too long. My people are anxious.”

  Walking away, Jenny could swear there were two warm spots on her back where his eyes followed her. She kept her back straight and willed her knees not to give out. She couldn’t believe what she’d done. Pushing the sale like a freakin’ used-car salesman. “Buy now. I might be gone tomorrow.” I must be nuts.

  When she was finally in the sanctuary of her own car, Jenny couldn’t stop the tremors that shook her whole body like the aftershocks of an earthquake. She couldn’t decide if she’d blown it back there, or if perhaps she’d earned another level of respect. Either way, she hoped she’d know soon. This whole thing was getting way too complicated. And now she had the added problem of what to do about George.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Jenny was cleaning up after supper with Alicia’s help when the sound of the doorbell reverberated through the house.

  “I’ll get it.” Alicia dropped the dishtowel on the counter and hopped off the stool.

  “No. Let me,” Jenny said. “We’ve already talked about you not answering the door after dark.”

  “Scott let me once.”

  Jenny wiped her wet hands on the towel Alicia had put down. Wonder what else Scott allowed when I wasn’t here? “He shouldn’t have done that,” she said as she started out of the kitchen. “I’ll talk to him.”

  Jenny pulled the front door open and tried to mask her surprise. ”Mom?”

  “I came to make sure everything’s okay.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Oh I don’t know. Maybe the fact that I haven’t heard from you since Thanksgiving—”

  “I called.”

  “Yes. Once in three weeks. And Monday was Michael’s birthday.”

  The tight lines around her mother’s mouth told Jenny the woman was royally pissed. This was not going to be good. She stood aside and held the door open. “Come in.”

  Alicia spotted Helen the minute she stepped in and ran over. “Grandma!”

  Thankful for the momentary respite as her mother hugged Alicia, Jenny closed the door and leaned against it. Isn’t this a pisser. I’m supposed to meet Steve in an hour. How in the hell am I going to do that with this incredibly angry woman in my living room?

  “Alicia. Why don’t you take Grandma’s coat and hang it up.”

  Helen slipped out of her Bayberry and handed it to the girl. Jenny stepped away from the door. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Something warm would be nice. It’s a bit chilly tonight.”

  Boy, I’ll say. “I’ll make tea.”

  Alicia ran back into the living room. “We had a party Monday. For Michael. And I made the cake.”

  “That’s nice,” Helen said. “Had I known, I would’ve come.”

  Jenny was glad the sarcasm was lost on her daughter. And she wasn’t sure how to respond. This wasn’t a normal tact for her mother.

  “We have cake left. You want some?” Alicia took her grandmother’s hand.

  Jenny risked a glance at her watch. Fifty-five minutes and counting.

  “Is Scott home?” Helen asked.

  “In his room.” Jenny nodded toward the sound of rock music bumping down the hall. “Alicia, why don’t you tell him Grandma is here.”

  The girl looked a little dubious about letting go of Helen.

  “Go ahead,” Jenny said. “I think Grandma can find her way.”

  Alicia moved toward the hallway and Jenny motioned her mother to follow her into the kitchen. She put the kettle on to boil and pulled cups out of the cabinet. If she doesn’t say something soon, I may scream.

  The tension eased a notch when Scott walked in and gave his grandmother a quick hug. Then Helen managed a smile for Alicia. “Where’s that cake you promised me?”

  Jenny glanced at her watch again. Oh, shit.

  “Am I keeping you from something?” If her tone were any cooler icicles could’ve hung from it.

  “Uh...no.”

  The whistle of the tea kettle saved Jenny from any further explanation, and she turned away from her mother’s searching gaze. She poured the hot water over teabags in the cups while Alicia took the leftover cake to the table.

  The mood shifted as Alicia babbled on about a friend at school who might take her horseback riding. When her mother actually smiled, Jenny thought it would be okay to excuse herself on a ruse of going to the restroom. She hurried into her bedroom, picked up the phone, and dialed Steve’s cell number. He answered on the second ring.

  “I can’t meet you tonight.”

  “Jenny?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle. It’s just that my mother stopped by.”

  “I thought she was one person who wasn’t hassling you.”

  “She isn’t. At least not yet.”

  “Listen, if this is getting too tough, just say the word. We can s
top anytime.”

  Jenny sat down on the edge of the bed. The offer was tempting. No more lies. No more aggravation. But no more hope for vindication, either. “No, Steve. I’m not ready to quit just yet.”

  “Okay. You want to try for tomorrow night?”

  “Sure.” Jenny heard footsteps outside her door, then a soft knock. “I’ve got to go.”