"Why don't you girls go on back out to your Barbie sale party? Come on in the kitchen. I'm making dinner today for the hired hands. I gave Elsie the day off. I'll explain what I can. It's a long story and I've got to get on with the dinner preparations. I can work while I tell it for the thousandth time," Julie said.
Griffin might not even get supper. He might drop dead from the daggers shot from a red-haired woman's eyes when he walked through the door.
Laura and Melinda were glad to sit. Their heads were spinning faster than a ride at a carnival. From the looks of those two girls, Griffin had a hell of a lot of explaining to do in addition to whatever Julie told them.
"I'm Julie Donavan. Annie is my child. Lizzy is two days older than Annie. She does not belong to your son, Griffin, Mrs. Luckadeau," Julie began.
"That would be Laura, please."
"Then Laura it is. Annie is not Griffin's child, even though she and Lizzy look like twins."
Laura didn't know she was holding her breath until she let it out in a whoosh.
"She does, however, belong to Graham," Julie said. "So even though I never thought of her having paternal grandparents, I guess you are her grandmother."
"Damn!" Melinda said. "What are you doing here?"
Tears built up behind Laura's big brown eyes and ran like tiny rivers down her jawbones to drip onto the collar of her denim shirt. "There's a bit of Graham left in the world. Who are you and why didn't you bring her around before now?" Laura looked at Julie with accusing eyes.
"And what in the hell are you doing here now?" Melinda asked a second time.
Julie explained from start to finish, ending with the Dian story from the day before yesterday.
"And you honestly didn't move here to claim her birthright?" Melinda asked suspiciously.
"Hell no, I did not," Julie said. "I moved to the country to get away from everyone and to bring my daughter to a place where no one knew about her. I feel like I've been tossed naked into a rattlesnake den. I think maybe it would be best if Annie and I went to my parents for the rest of the holiday and got out of your way."
"I agree," Melinda said.
"I don't," Laura said. "Don't go. I'd like to get to know my granddaughter."
"Not me. She's here for something other than Saint Jo sunshine. I bet everyone in town took one look at Annie and thought she was Griff's kid, didn't they?" Melinda accused.
Julie started up the stairs. "They did, so I had to tell them that she was Graham's. I'm tired of hiding and sneaking around. I'll leave. Tell Griffin when he comes in we'll be staying with Miz Alvera when we return. I'll get the rest of our things at that time. Dinner is done except for the rolls. Three-fifty for half an hour. Surely you two can take care of the rest of it."
"Tell Griffin what?" He came in the back door with Chuck in tow. One look at Julie's face told him that she was upset and he was in trouble. A second one at the two women sitting at the table told him exactly why.
Melinda pointed at Chuck. "That she's leaving. Griffin, what in the hell did you mean letting her squirm her way into the house? Is that her kid, too?"
"No, he's my foster child. Julie is not his biological mother. And Julie is not going anywhere. I planned on calling you tonight, Mother. You are here a day early," Griffin said.
"It's Monday, isn't it? We always come on Monday," Laura said.
"Guess it is… and you've met Annie, and Julie told you the story? I was thinkin' you came on Tuesday, but I'm glad you are here."
Melinda crossed her arms over her chest. "She did and I'm not believing a word of it."
"Frankly, sister, I don't give a damn what you believe. Julie is staying. Lizzy and Chuck have been promised Christmas with Annie and they will have it," Griffin said.
Julie stopped halfway up the stairs. The whole bunch of Luckadeaus were crazy. They had another think coming if they thought they could tell her what to do. "I'll do what I want. You don't tell me what to do and neither does your family, Griff."
"Mother, do you want to get to know Graham's daughter?" Griffin asked.
"Yes, of course I do."
"It's Annie and Julie or nothing. They don't separate."
Melinda cleared her throat. "Griffin, I thought you had better sense. Especially after Dian."
He glared at his sister. "Melinda, that's enough."
Laura looked up. "Please stay. We apologize. It was just the shock and after Dian…"
"Don't ever judge me by that bitch. I'm here at Griffin's invitation. I can leave any time it runs out. I'm going upstairs for a few minutes before I start saying things that are very mean and ugly. I'll make up my mind while I'm there," Julie said.
The lump in her throat refused to budge. Hindsight was the only truly perfect vision in the world. If she could go back, she'd certainly do things differently. When she reached her room, she picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number.
"Hello, Julie. I love this caller ID thing," Deborah said with a lilt in her voice. "Did you change your mind? Are you coming home for Christmas?"
"Right now I'm not sure what I'm doing. Momma, what would you do if Eli had a child and you just now found out about it and he'd only just had a one-night stand with the woman?" she asked.
"Grandma came to visit, did she?" Deborah asked. "And did she accept you or throw a hissy fit?"
"She appeared with no warning and if Griffin hadn't asked me to stay, I'd be on my way to Jefferson in ten minutes," Julie said.
"Okay, first thing is that I wouldn't blame the child. I'd try real hard not to blame the woman, especially if Eli was dead. Am I doing all right? Do you need to come home?" Deborah asked.
"No, I think I'll stay and put up my dukes. Great great-grandma wouldn't have let a bunch of Cajuns run her out of Ireland, would she?"
Deborah laughed so hard that she got the hiccups. "We named you well. You don't have to prove shit to those people, Julie. Make them prove to you that they are worthy to even look at Annie."
Julie held the phone out and looked at it. "Momma, did you just say shit?"
"I did. I might pray about it later but it'll be a hell of a lot later. You are my child and by damn they can appreciate you for the wonderful person you are or else they can take their sorry asses on home to whatever rock they slithered out from under," she said.
Julie held the phone out away from her and stared at it for a minute. Was that truly her passive preacher's wife mother talking?
"Don't be so stunned. They're messin' with my kid now. How would you feel if Annie called you with the same problem in a few years?"
"I'd kick their sorry asses," Julie said.
"Okay, then, now you understand," Deborah said. "Stay and tell 'em all to go to hell on a rusty poker if you have to. I'm going now. I think that's enough bad words for one day. You make them prove up their worth before you trust her with them."
"You could come help me. I could make reservations at the hotel. I think the house will be full," she said.
"I don't think so. I'm going to stand back and let you take care of this. Call me if you need me, though. It's always good to be needed."
"Remember what you told me when Annie was born?" Julie asked.
"Of course. The same thing my mother told me. Once a mother, always a mother unto death," Deborah said.
"It's time for me to share or this wouldn't be happening, right?" Julie said.
"I think so," Deborah said.
"Sometimes I wonder why all this had to happen," Julie said.
"Sometimes it's hard to get an Irish lass's attention."
"Damn my red hair and name. Thanks, Momma," Julie managed a weak giggle.
"Any time. Good-bye and good luck."
Julie went back to the lion's den to face off with the vermin only to find both Laura and Melinda sitting on the floor dressing Barbie dolls with the girls. Griffin and Chuck had gone back to the barn.
Laura looked up. "Can we start all over? I'm Laura Luckadeau, Griffin's mother. And this is his
older and very much overprotective sister, Melinda, who speaks her mind before she thinks. We are glad you are here."
"I'm Julie, Annie's mother, and thank you for starting all over," Julie said coolly.
Julie went to the kitchen and continued with her lunch preparations. In between jobs she stole glances at the women with the little girls. Would the Luckadeau grand parents decide to press for grandparents' rights and take Annie away from her for a weekend a month, and a month in the summer? The thought gave her cold chills.
"Mother, we better let these girls finish their Barbie ball and get busy. We need to call the caterers and check on the guest list," Melinda said.
As they walked into the kitchen, Melinda flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Mother will boss, whine, and beg for the rest of the week to get what she wants and when the two-day sale starts, she'll be as sweet as honey to the buyers. She's damn good at what she does. Dian hated her for it. Oops! Guess I'm not supposed to bring up her name anymore."
"Don't be catty," Julie said. "I don't give a damn if you loved her and talk about her all the time and to her on the phone every single day. Griffin and I are friends. That's all there is to it. You won't make me jealous talking about Dian, so don't be coy or catty."
"You sure speak your mind," Melinda said.
"Always have and always will. Take it or leave it. I don't care one way or the other," Julie said.
"Dian saw Mother as competition rather than a friend," Melinda said.
"I don't see either of you as anything other than Lizzy's grandmother and aunt," Julie told them.
"And Annie's grandmother?" Laura said.
"We'll see," Julie said.
"Fair enough." Laura got up and went to the pantry. She returned with a notebook and a pen and picked up the cordless phone on the kitchen cabinet.
Julie couldn't wait to get Griffin off in a corner and tell him exactly how upset she was with him for unloading all this in her lap without warning. And especially for doing it without telling his mother about Annie.
*********
Griffin dreaded going back in the house that evening, even though he hadn't seen his family since the beginning of the summer and he always loved company. He'd played a dozen scenarios in his mind during the afternoon while he invented reasons for him and Chuck to stay in the barn.
He'd meant to tell Julie that they always helped with the sale, but he thought he had at least one more day. It wasn't easy talking to her when every time he looked at her all that was on his mind was making love to her. The desire he'd been fighting for weeks kept him tongue- tied and confused. He couldn't act upon the ache to feel her in his arms; not after she'd been with his brother, Graham, and had a child with him to prove it. Yet, he couldn't make it disappear.
So what? his conscience chided. She's a strong woman, a good mother, and you're damn sure attracted to her now, no matter what happened in the past. What was it he said? "The past is like Las Vegas; what happens there stays there."
He was glad to see the old red truck still sitting in the driveway when he parked his vehicle. So she hadn't let his sister's sharp tongue send her packing. That was good because she hadn't let them run her off and then it was bad because she would be gunning for bear—and he was the bear.
"She's going to be a handful," he said as he crawled out of the truck and made his way to house.
"What's a hamfull?" Chuck asked.
"You'll understand when you get older," Griffin said and went through the gate Chuck had left open.
"Griffin!" Laura said when he walked into the kitchen.
"You're still in trouble," Melinda sing-songed from behind the bar where she filled glasses with ice and set them on the table.
"Shut up and give me a hug," he said.
"Not until you've had a shower and shave and smell like a human," she teased.
"Daddy, Daddy, guess what? Grandma is Annie's grandma too acause your brother is her daddy," Lizzy paused and tilted her head sideways. "How'd that happen, Daddy?"
"You'll understand it when you are a big girl. Do you mind sharing Grandma with Annie?"
"No and she's going to share her grandma with me acause I don't have a momma's momma."
"Honey, you do have another grandmother. She lives in California with your mother, Dian, but you just don't get to see her. But that's nice that Annie is going to share her grandma with you, too." Melinda looked at Julie.
Julie stood in the corner of the kitchen, arms folded over her chest, with that look on her face that Griffin had seen twice before now—that day in her yard when Lizzy ran away and more recently, in the back of Mamie's store when Dian stole Annie. He had a feeling that today's look had nothing to do with children and everything to do with him.
"Please excuse Julie and me. We've got some things to talk about in the library," he said.
"I thought this was a platonic relationship," Melinda said.
"What it is happens not to be a bit of your damn busi ness, Melinda," Griffin said.
"Momma, she's got him talking like Graham did. Griffin used to be the good twin," Melinda pouted.
"Suck up your lower lip. I'm a big boy. I can even go to the potty all by myself," he said.
"I'm not so sure," Melinda said.
He ignored her and followed Julie into the library. He would have liked a beer but he'd be damned if his sister saw him getting a little liquid courage.
Julie paced from one end of the small library to the other. Three walls were covered floor to ceiling with filled bookcases. The fourth wall was glass and faced out into a small courtyard, where a white rock and cactus garden waited for spring. A wing back leather chair sat behind an enormous mahogany desk that took up a sizeable chunk of floor space in the middle of the room. She was at the far end of the library when he opened the door.
She turned and started firing questions at him at the same time. "Why didn't you tell me they were coming and why didn't you tell me what the sale involved and why didn't you tell them about Annie? And why did you leave once you did tell them and I had to face off with both of them alone?"
He sat down in the chair and double-clicked the icon on the computer to bring up his email messages. She crossed the room, reached over his shoulder, and deleted the action.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Don't you sit there and play with the computer when I ask you something." She had leaned in so close that a red curl brushed his neck and set off a rush of desire.
Yep, she was a handful when she was angry. Living with her would always be a nightmare so he should get that idea out of his head right now. But what a ride life would be with her. There'd never be a dull moment and she'd keep him on his toes right up until the time he died.
"I was going to tell you they were coming. I thought I had a couple of more days. I'm surprised they got here this early. I didn't want to tell you until the last minute because I didn't want you to take Annie and go home for the two weeks they'll be here. Lizzy would drive me insane without Annie around. Even with her grand mother and Aunt Melinda, it would be a nightmare. So if I didn't tell you until it was too late for you to make other plans, then I wouldn't have to deal with that," he said honestly.
She propped a hip on his desk. "You've had weeks to tell your mother about Annie and me and Graham. I had to do it and it damn sure wasn't easy or fair."
He grinned, the dimple in his chin deepening. She had the sudden urge to kiss those lips right above the damned indention but he wasn't getting off the hook with a boyish grin. No sir, she wasn't finished fighting at all.
"All you had to do was ask me to stay. I'm not so eager to separate them either, you know. They should have been twins. Either mine or yours. It's like they've found their other half," she said.
"Well, the way you act, I sure didn't know that. Hells bells, most of the time, I don't know what you'll do or say."
"Get used to it, honey. I'll never hold my tongue or my emotions again," she lied. Sitting so close to him
sent her blood to the boiling point and it had little to do with anger.
"We finished?" he asked. He hoped not. He was alone with her and he liked that.
"For now. We'll talk about this sale thing later. I thought it was a bunch of men who bought cattle and hauled them out in a truck," she said.
"Basically that's right. But it's an auction and a dance and a party and half the state including the governor will probably be here, so get ready to smile until your face hurts," he said.
"I'm not going to that thing. I'm just the hired help," she said.
"No, you are the mother of Graham Luckadeau's daughter and yes, ma'am, you will be attending and helping with the plans," he said.
Getting Lucky Page 21