The Tea Series

by Sheila Horgan

  The guy pounded again. This time more insistent than the last, which is normal, right?

  “I think he’s getting frustrated. I should at least acknowledge him.”

  “Ms. O’Flynn, please do not acknowledge him in any way. Step away from the door.”

  “Okay. Hold on a minute. Teagan is still on the other line.”

  Before he could say anything to me I switched back to Teagan. “It’s one of Roland’s guys.”

  “At the door?”

  “No, on the phone.”

  “Who’s at the door?”

  “Still don’t know, but I gotta go.”

  “Cara, I swear to you, if I find out you did something stupid, I’ll never forgive you.”

  “I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’ll call you later.”

  “Don’t forget!”

  I switched back to Roland’s guy. Caught him in the middle of a sentence. Some observer. He didn’t even know that I’d switched over. That doesn’t help my confidence level.

  “Ms. O’Flynn, welcome back.”

  Okay, maybe he knew I’d switched over, but there was no reason to be rude.

  “I’m back. The guy is still here. He’s just standing there looking around.”

  “And after stepping back from the door, just how are you seeing that?”

  “Roland said that he put in a new door and new door jamb, and there is no way the guy is supposed to be able to kick it in.”

  “True. And if he pulls out the right gun and shoots through the door because he is aware you are on the other side of it?”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be. Ms. O’Flynn, please allow us to do our job.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll go sit on the other side of the room, not directly in the line of fire.”

  “Good. Your blinds are closed?”

  “Yes.” I walked over and closed the blinds. They’d only been open a tiny bit, no one could really see inside, but I guess if they tried really hard, they might be able to see movement.

  Your imagination is always worse during times like these. I couldn’t be sure what was going on outside, but I also couldn’t understand why the guy didn’t just walk away. If he was there by mistake, he should have given up by now.

  I heard some voices.

  I heard someone or something come in contact with my door. It wasn’t like they smashed up against it, more like they leaned really quickly, like catching your balance with a door.

  My phone guy was talking to me. “Ms. O’Flynn, we have a team there. The man at your door is being questioned. You can hang up the phone now.”

  “Questioned? Really? Why do these people just do what you say? You don’t really have any authority, do you?”

  “We don’t do anything illegal.”

  “That isn’t what I asked, although I’m not sure even that is true.”

  “Ma’am, it is human nature. People always want to tell their side of it, true or not. We just use it to our advantage.”

  “Yeah, I watch television, I know the cops lie, and they use psychology against you, and it’s legal.”

  “As long as you are not being threatened, the game is on.”

  “Yeah, well, there’s threatening, and then there’s threatening. Just the big SUVs and the big guys and the dark clothes. That is threatening.”

  “Ma’am, is there anything else you need?”

  “Yes, can you make a note somewhere that my name is Cara? You guys make me so nervous when you get formal on me.”

  “I’ll do that. Cara.”

  “Thank you.”

  I’ll admit it.

  I’m a rotten sister.

  I didn’t call Teagan back as soon as I hung up the phone.

  I made myself a cup of tea.

  Then I called Teagan.

  “Are you alive?”

  “I am. Roland’s guys showed up, and they are questioning the guy.”

  “How many guys does Roland have? They seem to be everywhere doing everything.”

  “Don’t remind me. So are we going on a road trip?”

  “Don’t you have to ask A.J.?”

  “I need to inform him, but I really don’t need to ask him. He’s so busy all the time lately that he won’t even notice I’m gone.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “I like that we are comfortable. I don’t like the whole drama thing that people do.”

  “Me too. When?”

  “Let me talk to A.J. I know I can get the time off work because I can always bring the laptop with me, and Adeline was trying to get rid of me anyway so that the bad guys would only have one point to focus on.”

  “Her?”

  “We aren’t going there. I’m not going to tell you what they have planned with Adeline because I promised Adeline I wouldn’t say anything to anybody, and if I say it out loud, my head might explode. The thought of three old ladies going after a group of idiots, even with backup from Roland and his guys, scares the heck out of me.”

  “Fine, so we go out of town, and when we come back, like magic, it will all be fixed.”

  “That’s my plan.”

  “I was being sarcastic.”

  “I know, but it’s still my plan.”

  “So when are we going?”

  “Soon. Mom and Daddy will be back in less than two weeks. If we are going, we need to go and get back before then.”

  “I can be ready tomorrow.”

  “Let me talk to A.J. and Adeline, but I’m sure I can leave tomorrow too. What time?”

  “Early is good.”

  “Sunup?”

  “Perfect. I’ll bring all the usual and an ice chest. I like to chew on ice while I drive, keeps me awake.”

  “That’s comforting. You’re already planning on falling asleep.”

  “Shut up, dingleberry.”

  “Just normal clothes?”

  “Yeah, I don’t plan on doing anything fancy.”

  “Great. Call me if anything changes.”

  I thought about calling Adeline, but decided it would look better if I were showing up at the hospital like a good little worried person, so I got ready and headed out the door.

  I even remembered to set the alarm and text A.J. — as promised last time everything went crazy — before I left.

  I didn’t see any signs of black SUVs or bad guys.

  Not that I would have noticed them anyway. Both contingents have a really bad habit of sneaking up on me.

  The visit with Adeline was nice. I made a point to cry on my way out of the room and all the way to my car just in case anyone was watching.

  Adeline not only gave me the time off to go to Texas, she offered to pay all of our expenses. When I declined, she made me promise to take Teagan out to a nice dinner and put it on my company credit card.

  There’s a Tex-Mex chain in Texas that Teagan told me she wanted to try, but I don’t know if they are in the town we’re going to with the jewelry store that Teagan is going to check out. I’ll have to remember to look it up online before we leave.

  I decided to drop in on A.J. and talk to him in person too. Maybe he could take enough time to run across the street and join me at the diner for a snack.

  When I got to the studio Suzi was in her usual spot, looking tired but happy. Happy is good. Tired is to be expected.

  “He’s in the office with Morgan. They’ve been up there for a while. You want me to call him?”

  “No, I don’t want to stop a meeting. I just thought I’d drop in and see if he could go across the street for a quick snack.”

  I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs. “He can do that.” He smiled. “Can you give me two minutes?”

  “Take all the time you need. I’m not in a hurry.”

  Suzi stood up. “If you’re going to be a couple of minutes, can I ask you to help me with something.”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “When did you start saying that
— ’What’s up?’”

  “I don’t know. Didn’t I always say it?”

  “No, you used to say, ‘I’m just sayin’.’ Now you’re saying, ‘What’s up?’ I haven’t figured out which one is more annoying.”

  “Annoying? Really? That’s not good.”

  “Cara, can you be tall for me? I need to reach that thing over there, I’m too short, and if A.J. catches me climbing on a chair, his head will explode, and I just don’t have the energy to clean that up.”

  “No problem.” I reached up and unhooked a huge sheet of fabric from a homemade pulley system A.J. set up right after he started working in the studio.

  “I hate that thing. It gets stuck all the time.”

  “It’s better than the old system. When A.J. first took over, we basically had to climb a ladder, arrange it, move the ladder, climb up and arrange the other side, back and forth until we got it straight. These things are so expensive you can’t believe it.”

  “Really? I just figured you guys bought curtains.”

  “Nope. Curtains aren’t tall enough or wide enough. Everything shows up, and A.J. doesn’t like to correct everything on a computer.”

  “I know, I get that lecture all the time.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, why?”

  “I don’t know. You just don’t sound like your normal self.”

  “I’ve just been thinking.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “Not really. The divorce is final.”

  “That is a good thing, right?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t have as much money as I thought I would have, and now that Barry is in jail instead of working a high-profile and very financially rewarding job, I don’t have his income to count on, and right after the baby is born I’m going to lose the medical insurance that his company allowed me to keep as long as I pay for it, but only until the baby is born.”

  “It’ll get better. Do you want me to talk to A.J. about a raise?”

  “No. He’s paying me about a dollar less than the absolute maximum I can get and still qualify for help from the county. I know everybody thinks it’s wrong, you should hear Gran on the subject, but I am going to sign up for every program that’s available and build a life for me and this baby.”

  “I don’t think it’s wrong.”

  “That’s a lie. I’ve heard you say it a hundred times. You think that people should support themselves. Work four part-time jobs if they have to. You don’t believe in all these programs.”

  “I’ve never said that, Suzi.”

  “You’ve said it a million times.”

  “No, what I said is that I don’t think it’s good for anybody to get in the habit of depending on someone else. If you become dependent on the government, then it is just a matter of time before you can’t take care of yourself. That’s why they tell you not to feed the birds, because they will forget how to find their own food. However, and it is a big however, I wouldn’t sit there and watch a bird starve to death just to prove a point, and I don’t think that accepting some help while you are working hard to make things better is wrong. As long as you keep working hard to make things better.”

  “Okay, well, now I feel better. I never get to really talk to you anymore. Remember Julie?”

  “Julie?”

  “You remember. She is the one I went to school with. She joined the Reserves as soon as we graduated so that she could continue. She got her degree, and she is doing really well. Really well. She gets paid what most people would consider a small fortune.”

  “Well, that’s nice.”

  “Not really. She’s what has me all freaked out.”

  “I’m lost.”

  “I was talking to her the other day. Ran into her at the store. She’s here visiting her mother for a couple of days so that her mom could get to know the baby. She has a little boy. Cutest kid ever. She said that she is living in a mobile home place, just like the one down on Beringar. How depressing is that? She said that she works her butt off. That’s good. She said she makes so much money that she doesn’t qualify for any assistance. That’s good too, right? She said that she was sitting on her little porch the other day — the air conditioner is broken again, and the landlord isn’t in the mood to fix it — and she’s watching the people across from her playing on their tablet. She can’t afford a tablet. The people across from her are on aid. She isn’t getting any help at all. She doesn’t qualify for low-income rent assistance or tax deductions or anything. By the time she pays all her taxes, which are high because she makes a lot, and then pays full price for health care and food and child care — and on top of everything she gets reduced hours once in a while because the economy still sucks, but her hours are not so reduced that she qualifies for help — she’s screwed. She’s making good money and living below the poverty line. And, Cara, she did everything right. She has a great education. She served her country. And she’s screwed. Where does that leave me?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say, so I didn’t say anything.

  “I just didn’t want you to think bad of me.”

  “Why do you care what I think?”

  “Because you’re you. I don’t know. It seems like you always know the right thing to do.”

  “Suzi, you must have me confused with someone else. I never know what to do.”

  “Funny how we never see ourselves like other people see us, huh?”

  A.J. arrived and saved me from having to answer.

  “Where’s Morgan?”

  “She’s still upstairs. She’s on the phone.”

  “Does she want to join us? You want to come, Suzi?”

  “Appreciate the offer, but I’ve got things to do here, and I ate a little while ago. I need to stick to small meals, or I get heartburn like you couldn’t believe.”

  “Full head of hair.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Gran says. I’ll see you later tonight. You want to come over for a cup of tea?”

  “I’d love to. I’ll text you when I get home.”

  “Perfect.”

  A.J. went upstairs to extend the invitation to Morgan. When he came back alone, I figured Morgan had declined his offer.

  “She said she needs to get home. Jordan’s got a thing tonight.”

  “Did you ever tell her what Jordan told you?”

  “We aren’t going there, Cara.”

  “I was just asking.”

  The waitress at the diner damn near killed herself getting over to A.J. to guide him to her station.

  She looked at me a little like I was dog poo on her shoe.

  A.J. said, “Kitty, have you met my wife, Cara?”

  I didn’t faint.

  I didn’t throw up.

  I just smiled.

  Kitty looked like one of those sad cat videos that pop up on the Internet all the time. I wondered if that is where she got her name. No one names their child Kitty, and it seems like a pretty old-fashioned nickname. I didn’t think we would ever become close enough for me to actually ask her the origin of her name.

  After she left, A.J. said, “Sorry. She just won’t leave me alone. I’ve told her a hundred times I am in a relationship, I’m not interested, all that, but she is convinced that I’m lying.”

  I leaned in. I couldn’t help the smile on my face. I whispered, “You called me your wife. You are lying!”

  “We can go to the courthouse right now and fix that. You could make an honest man of me.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “Wasn’t meant to be.”

  What do you say to that?

  Is he serious?

  Who says things like that?

  Fortunately Kitty came back with our drinks — I’m almost sure she spit in mine — and broke the mood.

  A.J. took a deep breath and got all serious. “I have a problem.”

  First he tells the waitress that I’m his wife; now he has a problem. This is turning out to be an interesting meal.


  “What’s up? Sorry. What’s the problem?”

  “Suzi talked to you?”

  “Yeah. She said I’m annoying.”

  “She was supposed to say that phrase is getting annoying. You are not annoying. Separate the behavior from the person. You tell me that all the time.”

  “You guys talked about it?”

  “Yep, she got the short straw.”

  “A.J., you could have just told me.”

  “I’m not the one that has a problem with it. It was mostly Suzi and Teagan.”

  “Mostly?”

  “Yeah, mostly.” He had the decency to look down and act all schoolboy shy and cute. “So, I have a problem.”

  “Good subject change. What’s the problem?” He didn’t sound all that upset.

  “I need to go out of town. I would have you come with me, but I don’t think there is going to be room, and I really don’t want to take two cars.”

  “No problem.”

  “I do not want you staying here alone. I’m not even sure I want you staying here with Teagan. No offense to her bodyguard abilities, but I went out of town last time and left the two of you together to protect each other, and it didn’t turn out so well.”

  “When are you going?”

  “I gotta go day after tomorrow.”

  “Perfect!”

  “What?”

  “The reason I dropped by was to tell you that Teagan and I want to do a road trip. We are going on a wedding ring hunt.”

  “Good. Jessie will be there. That makes me feel better.”

  “Jessie isn’t coming.”

  “He isn’t going to be there when Teagan picks out her ring? Oh, man, he’s gonna pay for that later.”

  “That’s what I said, but Teagan swears it doesn’t bother her and that they are the way they are and I should just shut up.”

  “She can think that now, but this is gonna come back and haunt him. Besides, you would think that he would want to be there.”

  “I know. You would think that she would want him there.”

  “I know. It’s kind of weird.”

  “Anyway, if you are going out of town, that makes it perfect timing. Another coincidence.”

  “Okay. I’m lost again. Coincidence?”

  “I’ve just been noticing how many coincidences there are in my life right now. It seems like I’m running into one after the other. My mom would have a lot to say about that, but she isn’t here to say it, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think.”