The Sassy Belles

by Beth Albright

  “Why the hell do you need safe, honey? Somethin’ else goin’ on?”

  “Well, don’t we have enough going on here?” I shot back sarcastically.

  “But you’re the legal diva here. Aren’t you used to a lot going on?”

  I peeked over the steam rising from my cup and met her eyes.

  “It’s just that…Sonny made me feel like it all wasn’t real. This, all of this—from Lewis, to the baby, to all those letters, even Dallas and her stirring the pot. It was all just too much and I went for something that was safe, predictable…an escape.”

  “Honey, I’m real experienced in this area. And the choice to kiss Sonny Bartholomew was not what I’d call safe,” Vivi reprimanded me. She took another sip and then without looking up from her cup, she spoke four words that stopped my heart.

  “Do you want more?”

  Once my heart stopped, it rose in my throat and choked me. I decided not to answer. I had no answer. I didn’t know the answer. So I sat. I could hear my own breath. A deafening silence fell over my kitchen. Seconds swept slowly by on the French country wall clock. My eyes fixed on it while I felt Vivi’s eyes burning a hole through my face.

  “Well?” Vivi was both asking and accusing simultaneously. A true talent and one only my best friend could get away with.

  “Oh, Blake. I knew you had never really gotten him out of your system. What are you gonna do?”

  I felt a tear, but it never spilled. “I love Harry. You know that, right?”

  “Are you trying to convince me or you?”

  The tear fell. “Sonny and I have a history, Vivi. It’s something else. I don’t know. It’s unfinished.”

  “Is he still married?”

  Silence.

  “If he is or if he isn’t, it makes no difference,” she continued. “He’s always loved you. Always wanted to devour you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s never stopped looking at you like that. He can’t even stand near you without getting a serious woody!”

  I stopped the tears and laughed. It was ridiculous of Vivi to bring it up, but it was true and it made me smile. He was always ready to take me the second he saw me. It was one of the things I loved about him. He made me feel so desirable. So beautiful and feminine. That chemistry had been there since we first laid eyes on each other back in the ninth grade.

  I decided that Vivi should know the whole story, so I told her about my plans to talk to Harry about a separation on our anniversary.

  “Oh, my God, I had no idea you were so unhappy. Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, I guess I feel more comfortable in the role of the strong shoulder, you know? I’m never good at sharing my own problems.”

  “It makes me feel good to help you, too, sometimes,” she said. “Listen, it’s obvious that this kiss with Sonny is not the cause of your problems with Harry—it’s a result of them. So don’t feel guilty. I think if there’s trouble with Harry, Harry surely knows it, too. This is something the two of you are gonna have to face sooner or later, because you can be damn sure Sonny isn’t going anywhere.”

  Vivi stood up and grabbed her brown Coach bag. “Don’t think too much about it. Let it go for today. I’m off to the baby doc. Can you imagine?” She kissed me on the cheek. “I just know Lewis would be happy.” She paused and smiled to herself. “He loves me, you know?” She took a deep breath. “Find my man, Blake. I know he’s not dead. He’d never want to miss all this.” She arched her auburn eyebrows and winked, patting her slowly changing belly.

  I watched her head to the porch and I heard the back door slam and her car leave my driveway. As the sounds of her car became more and more distant, I felt my namesake creep in.

  “I’ll just think about this tomorrow.” It was the Scarlett O’Hara way. “Tomorrow is another day,” and today was about finding Lewis.

  16

  By noon I was dressed with full makeup and ready for anything. Tight black pencil skirt and crisp white blouse, cherry-red lips and, of course, my pearls. I got to the office for a quick half hour meeting with the Myrnas. This whole mess was intensifying every day. They were pushing for us to get out of their way and let the bulldozers roll. No way was that going to happen. They had called first thing that morning and demanded a face-to-face meeting with me, wanting to know what I had found out about the real estate deal. I told them I had asked for the final bid to be sent to me and that put the whole thing on hold for now. I told them I should have the information very soon and we would call them to set up the next meeting. But they insisted they had to come by the office to hear that message in person. I spent the next thirty minutes with old man Myrna and his son going over the same damn details we’d discussed at our last meeting. I have to admit that Southern men have a knack for wearing you down with plain old perseverance. But it was not going to work this time. They were not going to wear me down. The historical society was counting on me and I would not let them down.

  “Those folks drive me nuts, Blake,” Wanda Jo said after the Myrnas had finally shut the front door. “I swear, I really don’t know how you put up with them. You are so patient.”

  “Not really, I just needed them to leave,” I said as I straightened my skirt. “I don’t have the new property bid yet. My lord, we just requested it this morning and they come barging in here. I swear, bulldozing is their middle name.”

  “Me, I got no patience anymore. Everyone gets on my nerves equally,” said Wanda Jo. We both laughed at her genuine honesty.

  “Okay, Wanda Jo, I’m outta here for now. I’m meeting Sonny and Harry at the University Club for lunch,” I said, grabbing my black patent Chanel bag and keys.

  “Well, that oughta be entertaining,” she said, full of scarcasm. “You know that boy still has the hots for you, Blake. Everybody knows it.”

  “Can I bring you anything?” I offered, smiling and hoping that she couldn’t see right through me.

  “Are you asking me to give up my plans for some KFC and The Price is Right? My lunch breaks are serious me time, honey. You go on to your fancy club and think of me sittin’ here with my chicken. Only the best for the help.” She laughed as she talked, walking to the back of the office where the TV was.

  I stepped out into the warm sun and got into my car. I kept thinking about where Kitty was on this whole Meridee thing, so I decided to give her a call.

  “Hey, darlin’,” she answered.

  “Hey,” I said, “have you talked to Meridee yet?”

  “Nope. She’s still on that damn gambling boat off Biloxi. We’ll have our answers soon, so don’t you give it another thought.”

  “Mother, I want to say thanks.”

  “For what, baby?”

  “Well…just for being there last night.”

  “You know that mamas just do what mamas gotta do. Love you.” I sat there holding the phone under my chin. “Love you, too, Mama,” I said in the silence. And I did. I was just beginning to realize how much.

  * * *

  I was feeling a little more courageous after talking to my girls…Vivi and Kitty. Today, they were two of the three strongest women I knew. Meridee, of course, was the third. I’d have to face Sonny and Harry sooner or later, since we were all working on a case together. I had to get my head on straight. It wasn’t ninth grade anymore. I called Harry as I was driving.

  “Hey, honey, where are my boys?” I froze, stunned. I cannot believe I just said that! They were already waiting for me at
the University Club, Harry said, so I told him I’d be there soon and then hung up as quickly as possible.

  The club was truly one of the most beautiful spots in town. I had my bridesmaids’ luncheon there. It was one of those old columned homes with the wide porches all the way around, shaded by 200-year-old giant magnolias. Men and women in black serving attire and white gloves waited the tables and kept the sweet tea flowing. The club’s specialty? The very best Southern cooking anywhere: fried chicken, of course, along with mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas, corn bread, turnip greens with a chunk of fat back, fried okra and corn on the cob. It made my mouth water just to think of it. Then there was the dessert tray filled with the most delectable, scrumptious Southern confections. Peach cobbler, lemon meringue pie, chess squares and, my personal favorite, red velvet cake. I drove up to the circular drive, parked and handed the keys to the valet, then ran up the front porch steps. A salt-and-pepper-haired gentleman greeted me with a smile.

  “Welcome, miss. Do you have a reservation?”

  “I’m meeting Mr. Bartholomew and Mr. Heart for lunch. I’m not sure which name the reservation is under.”

  “Right this way, miss.” He gestured toward the beautifully appointed dining room.

  The University Club was originally an old plantation house. A sweeping staircase commanded the front hall along with a cloakroom, a powder room and two parlors. Toward the back, behind the stairs, was a grand dining room full of original fireplaces trimmed with gorgeous moldings.

  I heard the sounds of crystal glasses clinking and silver tapping against bone china as I made my way down the spectacular grand hallway.

  I followed my host behind the grand staircase to the dining room and spotted Harry and Sonny at a table by a window. Both stood as I approached. Harry touched me first. Arm extended, he reached around my waist, pulling me into him for a quick squeeze and a kiss on my cheek. I was staring straight at Sonny. My face felt hot. Sonny stretched his hand out, so I leaned over and he pecked my other cheek. Uh-oh, I thought. Somebody’s gonna see that look on my face. Oh, dear God. Come down from holy heaven and punish me now. I am a bad girl. I am having bad thoughts.

  I needed to pull it together. “Hey, you two. What have I missed?”

  “Unfortunately, not much.” Harry replaced his napkin in his lap as he sat back down. He spoke in his usual professional tone, not making eye contact with anyone.

  “Yeah,” Sonny agreed. “Without more information, we’re gonna be back to square one here before long.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, adjusting myself in my chair. “Yes, iced tea would be great, please,” I said to the waitress who’d appeared by the table. “Un-sweet, extra lemon.”

  “The test results on those body parts showed they belong to a man by the name of Walter Aaron. Bonita is on the case. There was a barge accident about a week ago up the Warrior, north of here, and he fell off. I think he suffered a little slicin’ and dicin’ under the boat because of the propellers, which is why he turned up in the state he did. They’d been lookin’ for his body ever since the accident. Bonita is investigating it because allegations are that he was helped off. What we know for sure is that it isn’t Lewis.” The conversation and the iced tea flowed, as though nothing—but everything—was somehow different.

  Sonny looked at me, then glanced at Harry as he finished his last bite of corn bread. “Hell, Blake. We gotta keep digging.”

  “I’m working on a few leads,” I announced. “I’ll let you know when I figure anything out.”

  “What? You got something new?” Harry said, looking at me as if he should know this. As though he couldn’t believe I’d made progress without him.

  I ignored him. “Can’t we run the DNA on the cigarette butts with another lab? Maybe in Birmingham? There’s got to be the chance that we just missed something,” I suggested.

  “I thought of that, too,” Harry said, quick to insert himself into the plans. “Might as well. We have nothing else at the moment.”

  “How’s that Find Lewis campaign going?” I asked Sonny. “I hope Dallas is sending everything she hears to you. Are there any leads coming with any credibility?” I asked.

  “We did get a bunch of crazy calls sighting Lewis from here to Texas, but one call this morning caught my attention,” he answered. “I asked Bonita to follow up and get back to me. She’s working on it right now.”

  “Really?” asked Harry as he straightened his cuffs to hit the cuff links. “What is it? Where was it?” He never looked at us. His eyes were darting around the room to see if anyone noticed him.

  “That first call that came in the morning after the disappearance, the one that said they saw him at the Birmingham bank…that same bit of info has come in over and over. Seems like several people saw him at that same bank. I thought we should check it out,” Sonny explained.

  I had an idea. “Dallas said the call came in after Lewis went missing. What time was that call made exactly?” I asked. “It takes an hour or so to get to Birmingham. We could begin to figure out if these calls are credible simply by knowing the time they claim to have seen him. It needed to be at least an hour after the Lewis and Vivi ‘meeting,’” I said to Sonny.

  “Exactly what Bonita is working on right this minute.”

  Harry saw a judge he knew across the restaurant who was fixin’ to give him a big endorsement. He excused himself and headed over to her table, making his way around the dining room the long way so as to shake as many hands as possible. He was smiling and back-slapping; you’d never know we just came up with the first plausible lead in his brother’s disappearance. When Harry was out of earshot, Sonny spoke.

  “You okay?” he said.

  “Yes, actually,” I said, “doing great. You?”

  “I had a hard time sleepin’ last night, but uh, other than that…” He smiled at me. “Blake, seriously, I was thinking… You know, things look pretty good for Harry and this run for office. Have you thought about what it will really be like if he wins?”

  That was a stunning question. I felt a wave of shock and breathlessness bolt through me. Yes, I had been thinking about it, but when Sonny said it, out in the open, and it was hanging in the air between us, it choked me.

  “Well, yes,” I said, my voice trembling as I spoke. “I have…” I stopped midsentence and swallowed hard. “I guess I haven’t really thought about it in such a way as I…” I trailed off again. I couldn’t get the words out. I knew what he was asking. Did I realize that if Harry wins, I would be moving to Washington, D.C.? I would be leaving Tuscaloosa, my family, my practice. I couldn’t even imagine. Then, I suddenly realized, I would also be leaving Vivi…and Sonny. I felt tears coming and swallowed hard. I cleared my throat and took a sip of tea.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you, Blake. I’m sorry. I was just thinkin’, ya know? I mean after last night and…” Sonny was so sincere. He was leaning across the table wanting to grab my hands. He touched my wrist lightly, then retreated. We were trying to be discreet. This was one time I was glad Harry was soaking up all the energy in the room.

  “No, Sonny. You’re right. It’s all coming up soon and it is something I need to think about. I know it’s out there but I never really imagined it like it was real.” I smiled a fake smile and looked away at Harry laughing and talking. At that second, I couldn’t imagine moving to D.C. with Harry. I knew my life was in Tuscaloosa and I had some major decisions to make. Good thing I have nothing else going on in my life
right now, so I can give this my full attention, I thought.

  “Maybe he won’t win.” That broke the tension. We both laughed. Harry returned from his little impromptu campaign stump and sat back down.

  “Judge Shamblin will be publicly endorsing me at our next fundraiser. That is a big one. Her backing is superimportant to the strategy.” Judge Jane Shamblin was one of the Shamblin judges, a long line of judges for several generations. They were filthy rich and had a ton of political power. She and Harry had a mutually respectful relationship. Both of them sat on the zoning board for the city and I knew he needed her backing. A person with that much power and influence could mean the election. Harry took a sip of tea, proud of himself for all the lunchtime stumping. His cell phone rang and he put one finger in the air as if to stop us from speaking and slid right back out of his chair. It was Dan the man. “Yes, I got it, just now, uh-huh, she says by the next fundraiser…” He was talking as he stepped out on the side door to the sunroom. I looked at Sonny. He smiled a dry smile. He knew I didn’t want to leave Tuscaloosa, but he was gentleman enough to let me make my own decisions.

  “Blake, if you do wind up moving, just know there’s a cop here that’s really missin’ ya.”

  Sonny melted me. His curled-up smile and glistening brown eyes had me. I smiled as the waitress appeared again and filled my glass.

  Lunch ended with cobblers for the boys and red velvet cake for me. Then the three of us left the University Club, the valet going for our cars and me standing there stuck between Harry and Sonny. My past on one side, my present on the other and my future…well, maybe that was me, alone in the middle.

  17

  Somehow during lunch I had managed to hide a mountain of secrets. Sonny and me. All those Lewis letters. And the news about Vivi’s baby. The letters would start an absolute wildfire with Harry, and poor Meridee would be at the center of it. She had no idea. I could just see her on that boat, throwing dice and laughing hard with a salty margarita in her hand. She always threw her head back when she laughed. She loved the gambling boats on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She never bet much. Didn’t win much. Didn’t lose much. At least that I know of. Since reading those letters, I wasn’t really sure what I knew about her. That tiny woman had kept her secrets. And who knew if there was more to it than just those letters?