“Are you seriously getting dirty with the tangerines?”
I jumped, dropping the oranges and then scrambling to pick them up. When I came eye-to-eye with Leanne, I dropped them back on the pile. She was still in her suit, looking sexy as fuck. “They’re oranges, and what are you doing here?”
“Getting groceries for dinner.”
“I was doing that. I told you I was going to cook, remember?”
“I know, but I thought you were going to cook something we already had. I figured I’d get you some fresh stuff.”
“I had the same thought.” I pulled her in for a belated hug, pecking her on the lips. It was sweet of her to think of me. “Hey, which of these are more like my girls?” She better pick the bigger ones.
Leanne studied them for a moment, stroking her chin. “Neither.” She spun toward the watermelons, and her eyes gleamed as she grabbed two the size of my head. “These are much more accurate.”
I chuckled. “You’re flattering me now, but I’ll still eat the hell out of them with you.”
We drifted around the store, chatting as we added more food to our shopping cart. Getting groceries was more pleasant with Leanne there. It felt oddly domestic, knowing we’d go back and I’d cook for her, and then we’d fall asleep and wake up together.
My life was so settled now, so calm in a way it hadn’t been for years. I’d been on the road nonstop for over half a decade, spending a week here and a month there. My mom often protested. Every time we spoke, she asked me to come back to Omaha. She was the only one who cared. Everyone else knew I’d visit them when it caught my fancy.
“You want to go to the Whooping Crane sometime?” she asked as we left the store. “We haven’t been there in a while.”
The dive bar was okay enough, but I found I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere of any bar too much when I wasn’t trying to get laid. “Not really.”
“All right. Just don’t want you to get bored.”
I laced my fingers through her, giving them a squeeze before we headed for her car. “I’m not bored at all.”
It was true, I thought as I got in the passenger seat. I hadn’t had more than a couple drinks in ages. Hadn’t been drunk since that night she and I met. And I didn’t even mind.
Leanne drove and I checked my phone. “We’ve been invited out tonight,” I told her. “If you’re interested in meeting some friends.”
“Friends? You have friends?”
“One or two,” I said dryly.
“Friends in town, I mean.”
“What, are you jealous?” I poked her. “You are, aren’t you? That’s adorable.”
“I’m not jealous,” she grumbled. “Curious, rather. I wasn’t aware you’d been socializing.”
“I’ve been here for six weeks now.” The longest I’d been in any one place for a while now. “I chat a little with the parents of one of my students. They asked if we want to get coffee.”
“Us? What did you tell them about me?”
She seemed completely ruffled by the idea of socializing as a couple. I might’ve been freaked out too, if I hadn’t been so amused by her fretfulness.
“Technically they asked if I wanted to get coffee,” I said. “But there’s two of them and two of us, so it only seems fair.”
“So you’d bring me along without even warning them?” Leanne turned into the condo driveway. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“I can text them right now and tell them my darling little tootsie puff is coming.”
She had her hand on the door handle, but she paused to gape at me before opening it. “Tootsie puff?”
I coughed a few times in an attempt to hide my laughter. “I mean, I can tell them you’re coming.”
“Maybe it’s best for you to go on your own.”
*
At eight on the dot, we arrived at the coffee shop where we were meeting Kathy’s parents. I hadn’t let up pestering Leanne all through dinner, and at last she’d agreed to come along.
“Can’t believe you’re dragging me on a double date,” she muttered as I pushed open the door.
“It’ll be fun.”
Spotting Tom and Cindy across the room, I waved hello. Leanne grumbled under her breath as we walked over to them. When we reached their table, she managed a polite smile.
The two were only about ten years older than me. Each was good-looking in their own way. In other days, I would’ve wondered if this coffee date was a prelude to a three-way proposition. But I was with Leanne now… and Tom and Cindy probably weren’t into that.
“This is Leanne.” I left the introduction at that, not about to define our relationship.
“I’ll get us some drinks,” she told me. “You want a mocha latte?”
“You know me too well.”
I gazed after her as she went up to the counter. After a moment, I remembered the other two. Cindy had one of those that’s so cute expressions on her face. My face went hot. She was wrong about us… I thought.
“How’s Kathy doing?” I asked.
“Good,” Tom said. “Aside from being terrified that you’re going to leave. She won’t stop talking about how she’s going to flunk if you take off before the end of the semester.”
“Ah…” Maybe I’d been a little too open about what my life used to be like. I hadn’t meant to make the kid think I was going to pick up and leave at any minute. “She’d be fine without me. She’s got a lot of brains, when she chooses to use them.”
“So you are thinking of going?” Cindy asked.
With Leanne ordering, I could be honest. I took a second to think about it. “Not soon,” I said. “And not without making sure Kathy’s ready to pass her English courses. I won’t leave her in the lurch.”
“That’s good to hear,” Cindy said thoughtfully. “I’m sure a lot of people in Newbank would miss you.” Her eyes flickered to Leanne, who’d just arrived back at the table.
She handed me my latte, and I took a sip as Tom asked, “What do you do?”
“I’m a defense lawyer.”
“Really!”
Tom’s evident surprise made me wince. He didn’t have to say what he was thinking for the implication to be clear. What’s someone like you doing with someone like BJ?
“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds,” Leanne hurried to say. “Not at all, in fact. It’s a lot of paperwork and legalese.”
“Surely it must all be worth it when you can get an innocent client off the hook.”
“You’d think so,” Leanne told Cindy. “Not necessarily, though. It’s hard to root for the ones who don’t even appreciate the work you put in.”
“Got some bad apples in your caseload?” she asked.
“To say the least!” She shook her head. “I’m dealing with the client from hell right now. Seriously, if you want to hear an hour-long rant, I’m more than ready.”
“Oh, I’m an accountant. Don’t get me started on clients from hell.” Tom laughed and nudged his wife. “And Cindy’s in logistics.”
“When a client decides to act up, there’s millions of dollars of supplies on the line,” she said with an eye roll.
I swallowed. “I… I’ve tutored some terrible students.”
The others went quiet and blinked at me as if I’d said something completely inane. “Not Kathy,” I said quickly. “She’s a delight.”
“Of course,” Cindy said.
Shut up, BJ. Be quiet and let the adults talk.
The discussion started again, Tom saying something about his job that made the other two laugh. I stared into my coffee, starting to wish I hadn’t brought Leanne here tonight. No – that I hadn’t come at all.
Tom and Cindy were both white-collar workers. I’d guessed that to some extent, but we hadn’t had an in-depth career discussion before.
As I looked around the table at the three of them bonding together, a sudden bitterness pierced through me.
Tom and Cindy were supposed to be my friends. Mine.
>
Yet one of these people was not like the others.
And just like always, that person was me.
FIFTEEN — LEANNE
As consciousness returned to me, all I knew was that my back hurt and my neck was stiff. I shifted, the position of my body letting me know I wasn’t in my own bed. When I opened my eyes, the sight of my office only told me what I already knew. I’d spent the night in my office chair. Again.
Heaving myself stiffly to my feet, I went into the desk drawer to find a change of panties. A few wet wipes would have to take the place of a shower. I glanced at the floor, wondering if it might be a more comfortable resting spot next time this happened. I ended up sleeping over at the office every so often, when the amount of work was too overwhelming to go home.
Usually the back pain was my main complaint. This time, it was being apart from BJ.
After quickly brushing my teeth in the bathroom sink, I returned to my desk. The Tripton files were still scattered across the keyboard, and I shuffled through them without enthusiasm. Randy had finally allowed me access to his financial records — my nonstop badgering had some effect on his hardheadedness, apparently. Or maybe it was the fact that the case was going to court in about a week.
Last night, I’d found nothing surprising until just after midnight. Then I’d wondered if I was too bleary-eyed to make sense of what I was seeing. Now that I was somewhat refreshed, I could take a closer look.
I opened the files on the computer and flipped back and forth between screens to compare them. There it was again. After months of similar transactions, one stood out — both the amount and who it was sent to. The transfer was for nearly half a million dollars, and it’d been sent to an account in Switzerland.
“You tricky bastard, Randy Tripton.”
No wonder he hadn’t wanted me to see this. If my suspicions were right, he was guilty of even more than he’d been charged with.
I flipped over to Google and checked out the name of the account he’d sent the money to. It took a few clicks to figure it out — the company was couched in layers of secrecy, one pseudonym after another. But eventually, I found it belonged to Randy himself.
Money laundering. Possibly wire fraud.
Something nagged at my mind from the case Randy had gone through with his old lawyer. I had a feeling the prosecution had touched on this possibility. With a heavy heart, I opened the transcripts and searched until I found the right portion.
There it was in black and white. He’d sworn under oath he’d never transferred money out of the country.
The sleazeball could also go down for perjury.
I took a breath, trying to calm myself. This wasn’t the end of the world. The prosecution didn’t know about this, and they weren’t likely to find out. If they did happen to, I was already a step ahead of them.
I was still trying to decide what angle to take when a voice came from behind me. “Stevenson.”
My boss didn’t sound happy. As I wheeled my chair around to face him, he didn’t look happy, either.
“Good morning, Omar. What can I help you with?”
Taking a step inside my office, Omar crossed his arms over his chest. “How’s the Tripton case coming?”
“Fine. I mean, he could be more cooperative, but that’s life, right?” I gave a nervous laugh, which Omar didn’t return.
“The partners and I have received complaints about your work,” he said flatly.
“From Tripton? What’d he say, I’m not giving him enough attention?”
“So you’re already aware of the problem.”
My stomach turned over. “You’re not siding with him, are you? He’s asking me for impossible things. I’m already spending disproportionate amounts of billable hours on his case. Surely you’ve seen my time sheet.”
“Be that as it may, the client isn’t happy.” Omar gave me a cold stare. “I’m sure you’re aware of how important this case is to your career. Keep the client happy.”
“I…”
Before I could think of how to respond, Omar was out the door. With a groan, I laid my head down on my desk. My chances of making partner were quickly approaching zero.
“You okay in there?”
Now Ingram was at my door, half-frowning and half-smiling. I would’ve been confused by the sight of me, too. I must’ve looked — and sounded — pretty ridiculous.
“I’m all right,” I told the paralegal. “It’s just this Tripton case. Omar’s pressuring me about my work on it. Meanwhile, Tripton’s done even more than they’re charging him for. The prosecution will have a field day if they find out about it.”
“They can’t bring more charges at this point, can they?” he asked. “Isn’t it too late?”
“They absolutely can. Even during the trial, they can change what they want to charge him with. They can amend the charges anytime before the jury starts deliberation.”
Ingram gave a low whistle. “Not good.”
“Nope.” I started to groan again but stopped, making a strange half-stifled sound instead.
“In brighter news, how’s the puppy?” Ingram asked.
My mood instantly brightened at the thought of Teensy. “Amazing. She’s going out for walks now. Taking baths, too.”
“She still fit in your hands?”
“I’ll show you.” I whipped out my phone, where I’d set her picture as my wallpaper. “Look how much she’s grown since you saw her!”
“She must be twice as big as before!” Ingram examined the photo closely. “Hey, whose shoes are those in the background? They don’t look like your style.”
True, the beat-up Converse were definitely nothing I’d ever wear. “Um… mind shutting the door before we talk about this?” I waited for Ingram to move inside the room before I continued. “You remember the girl I told you about?” His face was blank, so I elaborated. “The day we went to get Teensy, I told you about this… person I took home with me?”
“Right! You’ve been seeing that girl?”
My cheeks went hot. “She kind of… never left. She’s been living with me.” Apparently we were going on double dates now, too. Tom and Cindy even wanted to get together with us again.
“What?” Ingram seemed less shocked than amused, although that wasn’t much better. “Never in a million years would I have guessed you’d do something like that. It’s so spontaneous. And irresponsible.”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”
He stared into space. “That’s a while ago, though. You must’ve gotten that dog a month ago. Month and a half, maybe.”
“More like two months ago.” I wasn’t going to tell him I’d been counting the days.
“Holy shit. That’s gotta be the world’s longest one-night stand.”
Okay, my face was definitely red now. “We’re just having fun.”
“Two months seems like a long time for just fun.” He peered at me. “You want more from her, don’t you?”
“She’s amazing, Ingram.” I sighed, picturing BJ’s perfect face. “It’s never going to happen, though. She’s not the commitment kind of girl. It’s a miracle she’s stuck around this long.”
“If one miracle can happen, maybe another can. She must like you a fair bit if she’s changing her normal ways for you.”
I wanted to believe he was right… but I didn’t know if I could.
*
As I drove home that night, Ingram’s words were still on my mind. BJ and I had a good connection, and we fit well together. She wasn’t the woman I had pictured myself with, but she had found a place in my heart regardless.
Despite all my plans, I was more spontaneous than Ingram — and BJ — seemed to think. There was room in my life for adventure. For saying “yes” to something that would make me happy. Not everything I did had to be about furthering my career.
I turned onto my street. What if I asked her to be my girlfriend? The thought terrified me, simply because I didn’t know how she would respond. If she was a nor
mal person, the time we’d shared would indicate she had feelings for me. But she was far from normal. She operated on rules and logic I couldn’t understand.
It was still possible that she still saw me as nothing more than a convenient source of sex. But my own feelings had developed much more than that. Asking her to make this official would mean making myself vulnerable, opening myself up to hurt. I just wasn’t sure if I could live with myself if I didn’t do it.
My heart beat harder as I took the elevator to my floor. After spending last night apart, I was seriously looking forward to seeing BJ again. The texts we’d sent each other during the day weren’t enough. Feeling her lips, touching her skin… I was tempted to wait to ask my question until after we had sex. That wouldn’t be a good idea, though. I had to do it before I lost my nerve. Immediately, to be precise.
I unlocked my door, and Teensy immediately ran up to me. I picked her up and carried her. She was quiet for once, and I tiptoed toward the living room. BJ’s voice was barely audible, and I had a vague idea that it would be fun to sneak up and surprise her.
As I got closer, her voice became clear. “Still chilling here,” she said. “It’s a small town, but it’s not that bad.”
A thrill of pride went through me. I had to be part of the reason Newbank wasn’t that bad. I paused outside the living room door, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.
She must’ve been talking on Skype, because someone else’s voice came through computer speakers. “The one and only BJ staying in some crappy small town? It’s a loss to the world. To me, mostly.”
“What, you and Lisa split up again?”
“Better. She’s been talking about threesomes again. Seems she’s been thinking quite a bit about the last one.”
BJ laughed softly. “You’re the one who got jealous after, Bryan.”
My heart sank. Suddenly I was picturing this, and the images had me paralyzed where I stood.
“I’d be fine,” Bryan said. “The jealousy’d be more than worth it for the chance to get you in my bed again.”
“I don’t think I’m going to make it.”
“Why not? What’s some crappy little New York State town got over traveling?”
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