He paused, putting the spatula down and wiping his hands on the apron. Adele did her best to look pleading, and that must have worked, because Johnson took both her hands and said, “Adele, I assure you, nothing would make me happier than to help you with your problem. Husbands get protective all the time, there’s nothing to apologize for.”
She nodded, pretending to eat up his every word. “You will help us then?”
“I will make it my mission to do just that, Adele! Don’t you worry.”
“Thank you so much, Red! I can’t express how grateful I am!”
He smiled, shaking her hands.
“Excuse me,” she said quietly. “Where can I wash my hands?”
Johnson gave her directions, and she left the backyard. Inside, she met with Dan.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“He’s hooked for sure.”
“Time to reel him in then.”
He kissed her cheek and went outside, and Adele stayed behind, watching through the enormous glass windows.
Dan returned to the grill, where Johnson was hard at work again. Dan put a hand on his shoulder.
“Where’s Adi?” he asked.
“I believe she went to wash her hands. She said she’d be right back.”
Johnson was distant, not nearly as pleasant as he had been with Adele.
Dan said, “Red, sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“It’s okay. Georgina explained everything.” He half-turned, but didn’t stop flipping the meat. “I completely understand you Daniel. I’m glad you have reconsidered your position. I’m sure I can help you.”
“Yes, let’s do it. We’re ready to do whatever it takes.” Dan lowered his voice then, hoping what he was about to say wouldn’t hurt their case. “I don’t care about that lawsuit against you, Red.”
“You’ve read on that?”
“Of course. I had to make sure, you understand. I’ve come to the conclusion that that’s all a bunch of bullshit. I can tell you’re a professional, and wouldn’t do anything like that.”
Dan managed to sound convincing – like a complete idiot.
Johnson said, “Thank you for your confidence, Daniel. It means a lot. I’ll gladly help you with this.”
“Great!” Dan patted his shoulder and got lost in the crowd, actively meeting new people, making sure they everyone got a good impression. He met with Adele back at the house a little later. She had opened the wine they’d brought and was drinking from a tall glass.
“How’d mano a mano work out?” she asked with a smile, offering him a glass.
“We’re in. Everything exactly as planned.”
“Have you scheduled a session?”
“Not yet. I thought it would be appropriate if we both asked him about that. You know, like a happy couple.”
She smiled. They were a happy couple, weren’t they? No matter how she tried to deny it, they were good together. Not just the sex, either, although that was mind-blowing, but when they didn’t have to pretend, they were both better for it. Suddenly, Adele grabbed his hand.
“When I squeeze your hand, hug me!”
She set the glass down, and Dan heard movement coming from the backyard of someone entering the house. He felt Adele clench his fingers, and he curved his arms around her.
Adele said, “I’m so happy, Danny.”
“Me too, honey. It’ll be just fine, I promise.”
Johnson cleared his throat, and they both turned. “Excuse me.”
“It’s okay,” Adele said. “We were just talking about you.”
“Oh?”
Dan said, “We were discussing the treatment. When can we start?”
“We’re ready,” Adele added.
Johnson considered it for a moment, and then said, “We can start tonight, if you don’t have other plans, of course.”
Dan and Adele exchanged a look. Dan said, “That would be perfect.”
“Go easy on the wine, okay?”
“Deal,” Adele said a moved the glass aside. “We’ll be ready tonight, Red.”
“The food’s almost ready.”
He gave them a nod and went back outside, where a crowd had already shifted towards the grill.
“We should go,” Dan said.
“No, let’s just…”
They stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, just holding each other. Adele realized that all she really wanted was to be alone with Dan. With every moment of every hour the case became more unbearable. She couldn’t wait to go back to New York, to have him in her bed, in her living room. She wanted to have him all to herself, without any cases pressuring them into anything…
“We should go,” Dan repeated.
“You’re right.”
They left the house and joined the crowd, moving towards the smell of meat. They each received a plate and sat down at the edge of the yard, where nobody could disturb them. They ate watching the sunset, getting ready to go back into therapy.
Chapter 8
The party continued until ten, by which time most of the guests had left. Dan and Adele made some new friends, but most of them were as boring as Georgina and Paul, and talking to them was a special kind of torture. Adele counted hours until they could go upstairs with Johnson, to hopefully put an end to everything.
Once everyone had left, Johnson turned the grill off and Adele helped him collect all the dirty dishes, while Dan took care of the trash outside. He carried two plastic bags to the front of the property and returned to help them in the kitchen.
“It was great, Red,” Adele said.
“Yeah, very nice!” Dan agreed.
“Thank you. I try to invite everyone here at least once a week. It is important for people to feel they’re part of the community. In the end, that helps people be comfortable around here.”
“That’s good,” Dan said. “Thanks for inviting us.”
“No trouble. I see you could use a get-together.”
Yeah, right, Adele thought, I see you are full of shit. She arranged the dishes in the washer, while Red corked up leftover wine and Dan watched him, growing impatient. He wanted to get it over with as much as she did.
When the task at hand was done, Red said, “That about covers it, I think. Shall we?”
He gestured towards the staircase. Dan went first, and Adele followed, holding his hand.
They took the same spot on the couch as they did the previous time, and Johnson sat opposite them. Adele noticed there was a notepad next to him this time, and he produced a pen as soon as he was seated. He took down a note.
“So, where did we stop last time?”
Both Dan and Adele got confused, as they expected to get straight into the treatment discussion and not therapy. Adele wanted to bring it up, but Johnson spoke first.
“I feel we should start afresh here. Let’s not count the first session. So, let’s talk about you two. You seem to be happy?”
“We are,” Adele rushed to say.
They were in character, and Dan said, “Well, not really we’re not.”
“And what seems to be the problem?” Red asked. “This is just to establish the base, you see.”
With a sigh, Dan said, “We can’t have children, plain and simple.”
Adele nodded agreement.
“Okay. I see. Of course you’ve told me that already. Let me ask you this though, how do you get along? It is very important to maintain a healthy spiritual relationship, as well as a sexual one, for this to work. Conceiving a child depends as much on emotional condition of parents as it does on physical. We need to be sure that you two are peaceful and happy with each other.”
They exchanged a look, and Adele smiled lightly. She said, “We are. We are happy, Red.”
“That’s true,” Dan agreed.
“And the sex? Are you both satisfied?”
“It’s amazing,” Dan smiled.
“It is,” Adele nodded.
For some reason, she felt at ease t
elling Red all these things. It was therapy in the best sense, and she almost believe that Red Johnson was for real. The way he spoke and looked at them, it was obvious he was a trained professional. Of course, that did nothing to prove or disprove that he was guilty of fraud. So far, however, she trusted him wholly.
“Listen,” she said, “our life is great, really.”
“Okay, I trust you. That’s good to hear, Adele.” His gaze shifted. “Daniel, you love your wife, correct?”
It was an oddly phrased question, but Dan replied with no hesitation: “Of course. Adi is my life. If it were up to me, we’d have at least two kids already!”
Johnson uttered a short laugh. “I get what you’re saying, Daniel, I do. But we’ll get to that. What about you, Adele?”
At that point she was sure they’d been made. Obviously he had done his homework and figured out they were putting him on. Now he was testing the authenticity of their relationship, the same way the government does to prevent sham marriages.
She said, “I love Danny, Red, and nothing is going to change that.” She took Dan’s hand to emphasize the point.
“I see. Good, good. This means you two are half-way there.”
Dan was getting impatient, almost suspicious, and Johnson must have sensed that. He said, “Okay, seems like we have the platonic part covered. Good. If you don’t mind, tell me again about the methods you’ve tried.”
Adele did her best impression of embarrassment, while Dan recited the agreed upon history of their attempts at getting pregnant. All the while, Johnson was taking notes.
“I see. I have some vision regarding your situation,” he said, looking down at his notes. The pen was drumming on the couch, and that annoyed Adele even more than Johnson’s stalling.
Finally, he looked at his wristwatch and said, “Ooh, almost midnight. I think you guys should head home for today.”
Dumbfounded, Dan and Adele sat silent for a moment.
“But… what about the treatment?” Adele said, actually upset. She’d been hoping to nail the son of a bitch there and then.
“I need a day to figure out the exact properties suitable for you. I’ll also need your medical history.”
Dan’s grip on Adele’s hand tightened, but she relaxed. They had thought that part through and had fake medical records on hand, composed from those of the couples already suing Johnson. All was going well, as far as Adele was concerned.
“We get it,” she said. “Thank you for your time, Red. I expect good things to come.”
“Of course,” he replied. “I will contact you next week to set up a meeting. It is my understanding you’ll be around?”
“Yeah,” Dan said, “We’re going to be here for a while.”
He was audible frustrated, and Johnson knew it. There was a game of cat and mouse taking place, or perhaps it was that mano a mano bullshit Dan had spoken about, and either way Adele decided it was best for them to leave.
“Thanks again, Red,” she said when he was closing the door behind them.
“See you soon,” Dan added.
*****
At home (it was funny how she thought of it as of home), Dan got really furious.
“That motherfucker! He’s a piece of shit and he knows it! But no, he has to really toy with us!” He shook off his shoes and went to the fridge.
Adele followed. “He’s suspicious is all. He sees we’re not just some idiots with spare cash, so he really drags it out for us. I bet he thinks it adds legitimacy to his crap.”
“That’s the word, crap!” He poured a full glass and gulped from it.
Adele had some, as well. “Don’t worry. If he’s suspicious, then we gotta play along. If we make a mistake now we can pack our things and go home.”
Dan waited for his breath to normalize, then said, “You’re right. We gotta play him right back. Whoever blinks first, loses.”
“Well said!”
They clinked glasses and drank, both smiling. Adele seemed to have reasoned with him and calmed him down, which was good. If Dan got emotional now, he could really mess up the plan.
“What you said there…” Adele started, hesitantly.
“Yeah? You said the same thing.” He looked her in the eye. They both knew what they were talking about.
She said, “I think it might be true.”
“So do I.”
There was a long silence, but not the kind they had before sex. Both of them were considering everything, taking sips from their glasses.
“I’m tired,” Adele said. “Do you want to go to bed?”
“Sure.”
They finished the wine and went upstairs, both too exhausted to do anything else but sleep.
The next day they were at a bit of a loss. Waiting was the worst way of spending time, and at first they just laid in bed, fingers tracing each other’s bodies. Were they actually in love? As in real love? Adele had determined already that there was something more than just sex between them, but was it that much more? All she knew was that when she was with him it felt right.
They had breakfast on the dock, eating tacos that Adele had made and watching sailboats on the lake. Afterwards, Dan sent Johnson their medical records and was pacing the living room, getting worked up again.
“Worried about it?” Adele asked, meaning the documents.
“No, those are fool proof. We’ve practically broken a few laws forging that history. Not that anyone could prove it.”
“What is it then?”
“I just can’t get over the fact that he’s making us wait. A week has passed, I’m sure he had all the time to devise whatever miracle treatment he has in store for us. Especially considering that according to the case files, he’s given everyone the same bullshit advice.”
Adele narrowed her eyes. It was odd. And if that was true, then Johnson was indeed suspecting them. What if he tried to escape? She figured he wouldn’t. If he ran now, he would only make himself look guilty. The best course of action for him would be to play along, which made it the best course of action for them. In the end, one of them would win, and Adele was sure it would be them. Still, it seemed Dan was no longer happy with the way things were going.
He said, “I need to take a walk.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just up the lane. I need some fresh air. Don’t worry, I won’t go beat up Johnson’s sorry ass. Although…”
“Please, don’t.”
“Promise.”
He kissed her on the lips and headed outside, leaving her alone in the house.
Adele didn’t mind. Dan’s way of getting his mind off things was leaving the house – hers was to be alone in a quiet room. She hung out on the couch for a while, then went up to her bedroom. There was still one piece of business to take care of, and it loomed over her head like a gray cloud.
It took some time to bring herself to do it, but she did pick up the phone and dial Neil.
He wasn’t answering, and she was about to hang up when he finally did.
“What’s up?” he said. He didn’t sound excited, and she concluded he was busy at work (it was a Monday, after all).
“Hey Neil, how are you?”
“Working. How are you? Meg tells me it’s taking longer than expected?”
Adele explained the whole situation, from the first session to yesterday, not being entirely truthful about anything but the case. She felt guilty, and that made her feel like she owed him an explanation. She wasn’t able to confess what was going on between her and Dan, so she told him about everything concerning Johnson. Little of it was useful to Neil, she knew. He was the kind of a lawyer who worked with solid facts and conclusive evidence, not recollections of social encounters. Not in this case, at any rate. He listened patiently, she gave him that, but the final response wasn’t cheerful:
“So you got nothing?” he asked.
“Not really, not yet.”
“Well, I’m glad there seems to be some development, Adi. Looks like you
two are a good team.” He sounded bitter now, and it became obvious he knew.
She kept silent.
Neil said, “It’s true then, huh?”
“What is?”
“You know what is. Don’t act a fool, Adi, you’re better than that.”
She did know, and she was better. She said, “How did you find out?”
He laughed humorlessly. “You told me, just now!” There was another long silence, and then he said, “Honestly, it wasn’t that far fetched of an idea. You’re a hot woman, Dan’s a hunk of a dude. The two of you one on one in a cottage? I’d call it a safe bet.”
The revelation to Adele was that he didn’t sound hurt, and that she didn’t feel ashamed. It was as if they had just sounded out facts they were both aware about and agreed with. The truth was out, and it was simply good.
“Where do we go from here?” she asked, knowing the answer in advance – it was simple with Neil.
“We shouldn’t meet outside of work, Adi, for obvious reasons. But if at any point you need a place to sleep, you’re always welcome to crash on my couch.”
Neil was a good guy, even with all his kinks, and Adele felt silly for having worried so much about his reaction. She said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making it easy on me. It’s been a crazy couple of days.”
“I can imagine. Listen, I need to go, okay? Call me if there’s any movement on the case.”
“You got it.”
“I’ll see you back in New York.”
He hung up, and Adele put the phone aside. She wanted to cry, but her body wouldn’t allow that. She felt horrible, but at the same time she was truly liberated, free to proceed with her life without a grain of guilt or doubt. She could let herself fall in love with Dan, to take it to the next level, once the assignment was over.
She spent some more time coming up with ways to speed up the process, but nothing came to mind. The ball was on Johnson’s side, and he had full control of it. It was up to him to set up the meeting, which left them hanging for at least another day. She became convinced it was intentional on his part. He wanted them to doubt themselves, their story. Assuming he had cracked them, of course, which wasn’t outside the realm of possibility here.
Our Happily Ever After: BWWM Interracial Romance Black Women White Men (That Forbidden Love Book 3) Page 22