Forever, Alabama

by Susan Sands

  He drove all the way home with the same goofy expression on his face. And the boner.

  Until his cell phone rang. “Hello?”

  “How did it go with Sabine?” It was his mother. He’d meant to call her and fill her in.

  “Oh, hey, Mom. We’re good. She’s got a pretty complicated situation on her hands, but you were right, as usual. I should’ve taken a breath and asked why she didn’t tell me the truth up front. I’m heading to New Orleans in a couple days to help her negotiate a divorce agreement with her husband’s attorneys. It could get tricky, since she doesn’t want to let on that I’m going to be there. Sabine believes he’ll be more likely to cooperate if she’s alone. He’s a pretty slick politician, a state senator, with connections.”

  “Honey, should you talk to Howard about this? I mean, I know you’ve had to deal with some pretty ugly characters in your line of work, but how do you know this guy’s not dangerous?” Mom asked.

  “Based on what Sabine says, he’s unpleasant, but not dangerous. But it might help to have some earpieces to communicate through, since we don’t want to let on that she has me there as back up unless things get ugly.”

  “I’ll put Howard on speaker.”

  “Okay.”

  “Son, I don’t like the idea of you both walking into a situation out of town with a slick politician without knowing more about this character. Do you mind if I do some background work on him?”

  “As long as you keep it completely legal, Howard. He’s also an attorney, so I don’t want to draw fire by blurring the lines and end up hurting Sabine.”

  He heard Howard’s deep rumble of laughter. “Don’t you know by now that my security clearance allows me to check out most anything and anyone without legal concerns? Of course, I only use my powers for good and only in situations where they would stand up to a certain level of scrutiny, should it come to that. Doing a background check through my information channels on a questionable politician and getting his history is just a quicker way than if you did it through yours.”

  Ben did have sources available who gathered information as well. “True. I’d like to avoid asking favors in this case from my sources, so if you’d check out Richard Habersham, Louisiana state senator, I would appreciate it.

  “I told Mom we could use earpieces and mics to communicate without anyone noticing, if you have access to the equipment. Habersham will think Sabine is there on her own, so I want to maintain contact at all times.”

  “If you can stop by tomorrow, I’ll outfit you.”

  “Thanks, Howard; I’ll give you a call when I’m on the way.”

  Sabine’s last patient of the day had left a message that she wasn’t going to be able to make her appointment, which caused Sabine to breathe a massive sigh of relief. Not because she didn’t want to see Mrs. Weed; it would simply make it easier to get home earlier to spend a little extra time with Rachel and Mom together before rushing off to New Orleans with Ben tomorrow.

  Poor Mrs. Weed had had a recent come to Jesus with herself—her words—and she’d recognized her deep-seated bitterness and disappointment within her life had permeated her relationships with others. Sadly, it had left her lonely, and with few friends. Of course, a few run-ins with townsfolk had also helped serve as a catalyst toward making this important step toward self-improvement.

  Today, it seemed that Mrs. Weed had scheduled a last-minute engagement with a new friend from the garden club. It had been a suggestion of Sabine’s that she try participating socially instead of sniping at people regarding their shortcomings or repeating nasty gossip in the aisles of the grocery store. It seemed the woman had taken her advice. Likely, Sabine would hear the result of the outing at their next appointment.

  As soon as she was able, Sabine gathered her things and locked her office. She was excited to see her sister. It had been nearly a year since Rachel had come home. Last time, she’d only stayed overnight, and then she’d been off to her next commission. Freelancing was a perfect profession for Rachel, especially at this time in her life. She had nothing tying her down—no husband or children. But Sabine also knew that Rachel struggled with commitment, even if that commitment was staying in one place for more than a few weeks. She was like a beautiful bird that loved to fly from place to place, but never took the time to build a nest.

  Mom had left a voice mail earlier to let her know Rachel had arrived safe and sound. Ben had sent her a quick text confirming their hotel reservation that Chase had made for the two of them. She dialed his number as soon as she got on the road.

  “Hey there.” He’d answered on the first ring.

  His deep and familiar voice caused an unexpected warming in her chest.

  “Hi. I was on my way home from work and wanted to check in with you about tomorrow.”

  “I’m headed over to Mom’s to get some equipment from Howard. Seems he has pretty much all the latest super spy equipment we could ever need.”

  She smiled. “Someday maybe we’ll find out his former job description.”

  “On his death bed, if we’re lucky,” Ben laughed.

  “Ha. Or not. He might take it to the grave.”

  “Well, lucky for us, he’s there to help. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly and we won’t need anything besides listening equipment, and Richard won’t even know I’m there with you.”

  “Hopefully he won’t. He was a jealous type, even though he cheated. He’s also the kind of man whose ego wouldn’t allow the thought that I would ever have found someone else besides him, or that there would be another man I’d prefer. I want to get the divorce well underway before he discovers that.”

  “What do you think his reaction might be if he finds out you’ve been with someone else?”

  She shuddered slightly. “I’m not sure. I hardly recognized him anymore when we spoke. He was a stranger, and I’ve been gone a long time. He was cold, but still behaved as if he owned me and could tell me what to do. In fact, I was surprised he was okay with my changing the hotel reservation. I didn’t tell him where I was staying. Of course, I didn’t know at the time, because Chase hadn’t yet made the reservation.”

  “We’re staying listed under my name instead of yours so he can’t find you. Just in case,” Ben said.

  “Good plan. If he thinks I’m alone, I wouldn’t put it past him to have me followed or watched.” Sabine was now remembering how her life had been in the political arena, and how much she’d hated it.

  “We’ll make sure that’s not possible. Even if we have to lose the tail or switch cars. I know it sounds like a movie, but I really don’t trust Richard, and I don’t want anyone watching you—us.”

  “I agree. And I remember how it was living in a highly political family and being married to a politician. High stakes, always, and underlying threats. We had security and drivers. He’ll want to offer me that to keep tabs on me.”

  “That’s it. How about we introduce me as your driver? I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about it before. That way, I can be nearby all the time. You can insist. And I’ll have to do your bidding.”

  “You’ll need to get a black suit and a hat. Perhaps a pair of driving gloves?” Sabine giggled at the thought of Ben working as her driver/security personnel.

  “I’ll be your bodyguard.” His tone suggested that and so much more.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll figure out a chauffeur’s uniform, and instead of renting a car with a driver for you, I’ll work on ‘borrowing’ a black town car from a rental company. Maybe Howard can help with that too. I just pulled into their driveway, so I’ll let you know how it all works out.”

  Sabine was sitting, parked in the garage, still talking on the phone. “I’m home too. I’d better go on inside and greet the prodigal daughter before they come out here looking for me.”

  Sabine pressed “end” on her phone, still smiling. Having Ben accompany her to New Orleans was probably the best-case scenario she co
uld have imagined. She’d hit the man jackpot with him, to be certain. Too bad it had taken her a while to wade through the stories of her patients to realize it. She’d developed an opinion of him based on her perception, not because she knew him personally. Lesson learned.

  Sabine heard them before she opened the door. They were laughing together, and it was wonderful to her ears. Mom’s was a light musical sound, so airy and bright, and Rachel’s laugh, like her voice, was a little husky and sultry. Sabine stood a moment and soaked it in. For about a second, because Rachel opened the door before she’d had the chance.

  “Hey, you. I thought I heard the garage door.” Rachel snatched her up in a big bear hug.

  “Put me down, you Amazon; I can’t breathe.” Sabine laughed.

  Rachel was nearly six feet tall, and looked like a supermodel, even in sweats on an ugly day.

  “Oh, stop whining; I’ve missed you, you little peanut.” Nobody would ever have called Sabine a peanut. She was a full-sized, full-grown woman. But the oversized one there made everyone and everything seem smaller than they were.

  Sabine had made it inside the house now and shut the garage door. “Something smells wonderful.”

  “I’m making your sister’s favorite, jambalaya and pecan pie,” Mom replied. “I didn’t expect you for another hour or so.”

  “My last patient of the day canceled, so I was able to get here a little earlier than I’d planned.”

  “Well, go change out of those awful clothes and shoes and get comfy so we can catch up on all the craziness and sex going on here in Alabama.” Rachel’s eyes twinkled as she turned Sabine by the shoulders and gave her a tiny shove toward the hallway from the kitchen.

  “What’s wrong with my work clothes? I have to look professional or people won’t take me seriously.” Sabine frowned back at her sister.

  “You look like an old woman. An uncomfortable, grouchy one. Go.”

  Sabine took the ribbing in good humor, understanding that Rachel, with her art degree and free spirit would wither and die if she had to put on a pair of sensible shoes and a suit, and keep office hours day after day, week after week. Though Sabine had to admit, her suits were awesome, and her shoes, well, they weren’t too sensible.

  So, she changed into far more comfy lounging clothing and flip-flops, her oversized sweatshirt covering her rear end. Its green Tulane wave logo splashed across the gray front. The yoga pants hadn’t been anywhere near a yoga studio lately, but it was time to get back to her workouts.

  Sabine sighed appreciatively over her braless status. Rachel was so right. This was way better. Just the three of them to laugh, eat, and catch up. Heaven.

  Though she wanted Rachel to meet Ben at some point before they left for New Orleans in the morning. She might have to wake up her late-sleeping sister if it came to that.

  “Now, don’t you feel better?” Rachel asked Sabine when she returned to the kitchen.

  “Yes. You were right. I’m so used to dressing like that I don’t always change the minute I get home. But I’m always so relieved when I do.”

  Rachel wore black leggings and a flowing, deep crimson T-shirt with a huge question mark graphic across the front. Mixed hammered silver and corded leather jewelry adorned her long, neck and wrists. She wore some sort of flat espadrilles that appeared they’d been purchased from the foreign village of origin a hundred years ago. Somehow, she managed to appear hippy-chic and elegant at the same time.

  “Will you look at my girls? I almost wish your father could see the two of you together. Almost. It’s such a shame he turned out to be such a rip-snorting disappointment, isn’t it?” Mom’s comment and question was a difficult one to address.

  Rachel and Sabine shared a glance.

  “Dad has disappointed us all, Mom. But he ruined your marriage and life together, so I know how frustrated you must be when we’re here together as a family and he’s not with us, and he’s the only one to blame,” Sabine agreed.

  “Yep, Daddy turned out to be a real ass face, didn’t he?” Rachel added.

  “Yes, indeed he did,” Mom agreed.

  “Alright, you two, no time like the present to hash this out. Dad’s parole hearing is next Thursday. Dad has requested/insisted that we all be present and put on a happy family face. I know we all think he’s a huge turd, but he’s going to get out of prison eventually. He can make our lives pretty miserable if we don’t do what he wants; y’all know that, right?”

  Sabine didn’t like the looks on their faces, so she didn’t wait for a response and kept talking. “I think we should go to the prison, appeal to the parole board on his behalf, and leave the chips to fall where they might. We will have done our part and he can’t say we didn’t. If he gets paroled, he’ll be grateful and, hopefully, will do as we ask and not cause a ruckus in our lives moving forward.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?” Rachel asked, her expression skeptical.

  “If he doesn’t get paroled this go-round, then it won’t be because we didn’t give it our best shot. That way, he won’t hold a grudge. It’s the last thing we all need. Mom and I are both trying to make big, obvious steps to move on. He’s going to see that and, hopefully, not try and cause a problem.”

  “Sabine is probably right. We should suck it up and go over and support him in trying to gain his release. He’s going to be free eventually. Might as well get it over with. I don’t want to live my life wondering when that’s going to be,” Mom said.

  “I just can’t even look at him yet,” Rachel said. “I’m still so disgusted by his behavior with those other women and how he treated Mom that he makes my skin crawl. Not to mention what he put our family through during his freak-show circus trial.”

  “That’s why we’ve been hiding out here. It’s also why we should support him. To keep him and James from telling the press where we are. It’s going to hurt Sabine if the community finds out who she really is. They’ll feel betrayed because she’s held their confidence for two years. There are so many here who are vulnerable because they’ve entrusted their deepest secrets and fears to her alone.”

  Rachel sighed, a long, put-upon sigh. “Fine. I’ll do it. But I won’t promise to pretend like I forgive him, because I don’t. I may never. He was our daddy. I trusted him with my whole heart. I idolized and worshipped him. I believed he did good work and put bad people in prison. I thought he was honest and true to our family—to our mother. He ripped my world apart. Sabine, you were a little older. But I was still starry-eyed about him. I believed in him and I fought the things they said about him. I defended him when the accusations came out.” A single tear tracked down Rachel’s cheek.

  “Oh, honey.” Mom gathered her up tight. “He did this to us all. You were the most vulnerable because you’d been so kept from the fray.”

  “I trusted him,” Rachel said. “But I’ll never trust him again—or forgive what he did to our family.”

  “You were his favorite. I have a feeling your being there is going to impact him the most. So, whatever you do, don’t let him see this anger. I know it’s going to be hard, but it will set him off. His ego is still his greatest Achilles’ heel, and in many ways he still believes he should be vindicated,” Sabine said. She understood, intellectually at least, that Rachel was her father’s favorite. It had always stung, but it had been easier to distance herself when it had all hit the fan. Rachel hadn’t been so lucky. She’d been devastated.

  “Our solidarity will be our strength. It won’t be easy, but when it’s over, we can come home, here to Ministry, and we’ll still have each other for support,” Mom said.

  The girls nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it. So, while you’re both here, I guess I should tell you that I’m going to be around for a little while, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course that’s okay; in fact, it’s better than okay. But you don’t sound especially thrilled about it. Is everything alright?” Mom asked.

  “Okay is a relative term, I guess. I’ve been living in an
apartment with my friend, Cheryl, just outside of Baton Rouge, keeping a low profile, kind of like the two of you. But every time I run into someone I know, either from college or from home, I have to answer a ton of questions about Daddy and our family. It’s like reliving the whole nightmare all over, every time.” Baton Rouge was close enough to New Orleans that it made sense Rachel might run into people she knew. Plus, many of her friends from home had attended LSU, and after graduation had stayed in the Baton Rouge area.

  “Well, we’re all about moving on with our lives over here. So, join the party. Were you seeing anyone in Louisiana?” Sabine asked.

  “Nah. I’ve got some personal commitment issues that are tough to work around right now. Like, I can’t commit to more than a single date with one person.”

  “Wow, sounds like you and Ben would have gotten along great.” Sabine laughed.

  “Until he found your sister. Now, he’s a changed man—can’t seem to get enough,” Mom said.

  “Mom.” Sabine scolded their mother for her bold words regarding her relationship. “Do you think you have room to talk? I actually caught you in bed with Norman. A daughter can’t unsee that, you know.”

  “Both of you are creeping me out right now.” Rachel covered her ears. “Can you imagine what pictures your words have placed in my mind right now? I’m going to have nightmares.”

  The three laughed together. “So, Mom, we haven’t discussed your new man yet. Tell me about Norman.” Then she held up both hands as if to ward off evil. “I mean, tell me about him as a person, not anything about him sexually or how he looks naked. Just getting that straight before you begin.”

  “Don’t be silly, honey. Of course I wouldn’t share any of our personal details. Though he does have a cute little dimple, right on his—”