by Ali Vali
“Earl was one last concession Jimbo and I made for our father. He did business with Earl’s father when he was just starting out, and the dipshit’s son called and begged for a favor. It’s hard to believe, but Big Earl’s dad was a stand-up guy who built a reputable company one contract at a time. Our mistake was assuming the son would be the same kind of businessman.” Tucker glanced at the plate but walked back to the den. “Are you already looking for a new job?”
“I have some pipeline checks to do first, but while I’m stuck offshore, I thought I’d start my search. There’s no way I can quit until I have a new job.” She took a sip of her drink, liking that they were talking like adults again.
“Wow, Mann must be really pissed at you if you’re doing pipeline checks. That’s a rookie job.”
“It is, and he is, but I’ll survive. Is it going to suck, running the company with your nephew if he’s working behind your back?”
“Not really. I don’t think that’ll be a problem at all.” Tucker combed her hair back and tapped her fingers on the can she’d placed on the side table. “If I hear of any jobs going, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. You’re being kind when I’ve been anything but.” The pang of remorse she felt was genuine, and she hoped Tucker could see that. “Can I ask you something?”
Tucker smiled and nodded. “You can ask me anything, and would it be cheesy to say I missed you?”
“It isn’t if you mean it.”
“I do.”
“You’re Jim Bob’s sister,” she said, not really knowing how to start this conversation.
“I am…or I was. If you had a run-in with him, I apologize, but that had nothing to do with us.” Tucker’s gaze was steady, as if she had nothing to hide.
“I thought maybe you’d heard of me before and you…there’s really no good way to explain it.” Grady and Monique weren’t her secret to reveal. That was Monique’s job, whenever she was ready, and as far as she knew, Monique hadn’t reached out to Jim Bob’s family yet. But without saying that, it was hard to explain why she’d acted like a woman scorned. She sighed and stopped, unable to find the words.
“How about we start over and see where that leads us? I promise to listen and not be an asshole.”
“I’d really like that, and maybe I can owe you a drink somewhere that makes an original Hurricane.” She stood and took her can with her. “Thanks for talking to me, and I look forward to talking to you soon.”
“Good, thanks for the information. The news in the next week or so will take care of that without a lot of effort on my part.” The rain was still pretty heavy, so Tucker handed her a golf umbrella. “I don’t want you to get sick in case you have an interview anywhere.”
“I’ll bring it back.” If an umbrella fed her addiction to see Tucker, then who was she to argue?
“Jim Bob ordered about five thousand of them, so it’s my gift.”
Telling someone to drop dead really was a relationship killer, Willow thought as she stood at a total loss as to how to prolong her stay. She’d have to use this as a learning experience to maybe go with yelling kiss my ass next time. “Thanks, Tucker, and I really am sorry. I screwed up, and I don’t blame you for not wanting anything to do with me.” Tucker seemed to be the real deal when it came to someone you could love, and she’d be sorry for a long time she’d messed it up.
“Willow, stop.” Tucker handed over the umbrella, briefly touching her fingers. “I’ve been confused when it comes to you—I’ll admit that—but I haven’t been in a good place lately in general. Jimbo’s death rocked me to the core, and I’ve been trying to dig out. Eventually, maybe we can go out for that drink, and you can tell me what made you so crazy.”
“That’s a deal.” She stood on her toes and kissed Tucker’s cheek. Small steps eventually got you to China.
“Good luck with the job search.” Tucker glanced behind her when a car door slammed, and her face softened in a smile.
Whoever the gorgeous brunette was, she was a sign of one important fact. I’m too late. Willow slowly descended the stairs and saw the way the woman greeted Tucker before they disappeared into the house. “Way too late.”
Chapter Eleven
Tucker responded to Monique’s message about their get-together that afternoon, and they both agreed to leave work early, not wanting to wait. She took the morning off and headed to the store to pick up a few things for Grady. There wasn’t a lot you could pick for a six-month-old that he probably didn’t already have, but the shop owner filled a bag for her.
Monique arrived a few minutes earlier than they’d said, and Tucker went down to help her with the baby and the diaper bag. They waited until they were inside for Monique to hand Grady over, and Tucker couldn’t believe how haywire her emotions got when Grady put his head down on her shoulder.
“He looks like Jim Bob,” she said as Monique nodded and rubbed her arm.
“Jim Bob always said he looks a lot like you as a baby.” They sat on the sofa together and Tucker sat Grady on her lap to get a better look at him. “It was something he mentioned often, and he hoped Grady would turn out more like you. It really bothered him that his relationship with his other children wasn’t great.”
“His death came way too early for him to fix his relationship with Bubba and Tara, but there was more to that dynamic than we can all know.” Tucker wondered how much Jim Bob had shared with Monique, but considering they’d gotten engaged, it was probably all of it. “I think Ivy’s drinking had a major role in all the drama.”
“That’s what Jim Bob said, but we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”
Grady picked that moment to start a long string of baby talk, and Tucker was delighted. “Today’s about happy things.”
They spent the afternoon together talking and getting Grady to smile, and Tucker decided to test the waters about how serious Monique was about sharing Grady with them. “I know we said we’d wait, but would you mind if I called my parents and asked them over? This little boy would do wonders toward cheering them up.”
“Do you think they’d be okay with all this?”
“My mother’s a little…different, but they’ll be fine.” She watched Grady sleep on the blanket on the floor and hoped Jim Bob could see him from wherever he was. He’d really left a bit of himself behind, and her family had to rally around Monique and accept her as one of their own.
Her parents took no convincing to come over for dinner, and they cordially greeted Monique when she introduced her—until her mom got a look at Grady. “Augusta Delacroix, what in the holy hell are you thinking?”
“Mama,” she said, wanting to laugh when Monique’s eyes widened like they’d fall out. “Let me explain.”
“What’s to explain?” Her mom picked Grady up and held his head against her cheek. “You somehow got this young lady pregnant and decided to wait until now to tell us? Didn’t you think this might’ve been something your father and I needed? We already know you’re gay, for God’s sake.”
“You might want to slow down,” Tucker said.
“Slow down?” Her mom spoke through gritted teeth but she held Grady like he’d disappear if she eased up on him. “If you’d moved any slower, we’d have met your baby at his high school graduation. Either he’s a few months old, or he was a twenty-pound baby at birth.” Stella turned to Monique and smiled as if in sympathy. “Honey, you’ve got your work cut out for you when it comes to training this one. It took her father thirty years before he started to get it, which means don’t hold your breath thinking Tucker’s going to fall in line anytime soon.”
Monique looked at Tucker, her eyes still wide, and she was clearly speechless. Tucker shook her head, smiling. “Mom, sit down and take a breath.” Tucker guided her father to sit next to her mom.
“Congratulations, you two,” her father said. “He’s the spitting image of you, Tuck. What’s his name?”
“Guys, this is Grady, but he’s not mine.
”
“Tucker Delacroix.” Her mom’s voice softened enough not to use the stuffy first name, but the inclusion of her last name meant she was still peeved. “I did not raise you to be an asshole who shirks her responsibilities. I mean, your baby’s mother is standing right here.” She could tell her mother’s dressing-down amused Monique, but she did her best to hide her laughter behind her hand.
Tucker took a deep breath and plunged in. “Grady is Jim Bob and Monique’s baby, and Monique was his fiancée. I found out about both of them yesterday, so I’m not an asshole or shirking anything.”
Her parents looked from her to Monique, opening and closing their mouths a few times before her father finally found his voice. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Monique, but thank you for loving our son.”
Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. Just like that, her parents were on board. Maybe knowing Tucker had accepted her right away helped. Whatever the reason, Grady and Monique had the family they needed.
“Believe me, sir, Jim Bob was easy to love and will be impossible to replace.” Monique cried when her father hugged her, followed by her mom when she handed Bart the baby.
“I’m so sorry we didn’t know about you or the baby,” Stella said with her arm still around Monique. “You shouldn’t have gone through all that alone.”
“She’s not alone now, Mama, and neither is Grady.”
“Your grasp of the obvious is truly stunning, my love,” her mom said, and Monique laughed again. “Monique, do you have family close by?”
“My sister, but she travels a lot for work. She’s been a big help with Grady, though.”
They ordered in and enjoyed dinner together, as well as taking turns holding Grady until it was time for Monique to go or end up staying the night. At her mom’s urging, Tucker insisted on going with her and helping with the baby. Her mother wanted to drive home the point that Monique was now part of the family. As it happened, they didn’t live that far apart from each other, and Monique seemed happy that she wanted to spend time with him.
“Thank you for today, Tucker. You don’t know how much it means to me that you and your family want Grady in your lives.” Monique stood next to Grady’s crib with her and spoke softly. Tucker placed her hand on the baby’s back one last time before they went in the other room.
“I may have lost my brother, but it’s nice to have gained a friend. Trust me, it’s more than Grady that we want in our lives.” Monique smiled at that as she unzipped the small black bag on the side table and pricked her finger with something. Tucker was puzzled. “I don’t think we need to sign a blood oath or anything—I agreed to help you.”
“Sorry.” Monique laughed. “I just need to check my blood sugar since I’m diabetic. You want me to wait? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“No, go right ahead. Are you okay?”
“It’s been my curse since childhood, and it’s caused some health problems, but nothing too major. I try to take care of myself, so it’s usually under control.”
She glanced around the house and saw all the pictures of Grady and Jimbo, and it made her spirit lighter that he’d seemed to be happy here. The only photo that seemed out of place was a shot of a blonde woman holding a baby, with a toddler standing next to her. “Listen to my mother. You aren’t alone any longer, and while I don’t know much about babies, I can come and help out with Grady if you’re not feeling well. Heck, I want to do that even if you’re feeling good.” She smiled when Monique took and squeezed her hand. “I can start learning now so I’ll be ready whenever you need a break.”
“I would love that. How about I cook tomorrow, and you can take over bath duties? It was Jim Bob’s favorite thing aside from getting up to feed him at three in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.” She handed over a card with all her contact information on it. “But no matter what, you call me if you need anything. Trust me, if something happens to you or that baby, my mother will hunt me down with a switch.”
“Thank you, Tucker, from both Grady and me. He’s too young to know it, but he’s going to love you forever.”
“That’s something to look forward to, and the feeling will be mutual.”
* * *
Tucker sat in Jefferson’s office four days later and sighed when he handed her a bound document. “It’s the keys to the kingdom, my friend. The succession is complete, and the company is yours. My Christmas bonus this year should be awesome.”
“Thanks for finishing so fast, and I love you for all the late nights. This couldn’t have been easy, so your twenty-five dollar gift certificate to Walmart at Christmas will totally be worth it.” She put the file in her bag and hugged him. “Let’s get the rest of this done, if only to buy myself some peace and quiet.”
“Are you mad at me about Grady and Monique?”
Knowing Jefferson, keeping the secret must’ve killed him, but she understood his devotion not only to Monique but to Jimbo. “I understand why he asked you to stay quiet, but I don’t. You know what I mean? That Jimbo would think I’d judge him for that somehow is beyond my comprehension, but I don’t blame you.”
Jefferson walked her to the small conference room, and Tucker guessed it was twenty degrees cooler inside. She put her hand up when Ivy opened her mouth since she wasn’t in the mood for an argument. No one said anything as Jefferson placed some bound documents in front of each of them.
Tucker began, “Those are for your records pertaining to the trusts Jim Bob asked me to set up for you. From what Jefferson tells me, these are much more generous than what you’re currently getting monthly. It was Jim Bob’s explicit wish that the money be set up this way, and before you ask, I have no idea why. He didn’t give Jefferson or me an explanation for that in all his written directives. But legally, this is where we stand, and where it all stops.”
“What about the house?” Ivy asked. “It should go to my children. It’s what Jim Bob would’ve wanted as well.”
“The three of you seem to forget one important fact. I am a Delacroix too, and the house rightfully belongs to my parents. The only reason they moved out is because you and Jim Bob needed the room once the kids got older. I’m their heir, just like Jim Bob was, and it’s my home as well. I grew up there, in case it slipped your mind.” She was tired of the grab-all-you-can mentality. Her family should’ve been above all this, but money made people crazy sometimes. “That’s as simply as I can put it. The house is mine, and you go elsewhere.”
“You already have a house, Aunt Tucker,” Tara said. “What are we supposed to do?”
“This wasn’t necessary, but Tucker’s offered you her house, free and clear, with the ownership to be in Ivy’s name. It’s even furnished,” Jefferson said. “The offer will be good for as long as we’re in this room. If you accept, you have three weeks to move.”
“If we don’t?” Ivy appeared ready for battle.
“This is the court order giving you a week to get out,” Jefferson said, placing a sheet in front of Ivy.
“Jesus, Tucker, who knew you were such a bitch.”
“I did actually, but only when she’s provoked. The rest of the time she’s a teddy bear,” Jefferson said.
Ivy snapped her fingers at Jefferson. “Shut up, Jefferson, and tell me where to sign.” Ivy put some kind of mark on the page that in no way resembled her name, but Jefferson’s associate and secretary witnessed it, and that was one less item to worry about. “The only loose end is you, Bubba.”
“What?” Bubba seemed to know by his wary expression that whatever came next wouldn’t be good.
She handed over a pink slip officially ending his employment. “Think of this as either your get out of jail free card, or a breather to decide what it is you want.”
“You’re seriously firing me from my family’s business? Are you fucking kidding me?”
The only predictable thing about Bubba was his predictability. Temper was always his first go-to. He’d started with little tantrums when he was
about a year old, and he’d perfected his art, at least on his father. Bubba getting mad and flailing around was like Don Quixote tilting at windmills. It was entertaining as shit for about five minutes, but then you tried to distance yourself from the crazy.
“It’s the only thing I have left of my father.”
She could kill Jim Bob for leaving her with this sinking ship of fools. “So far I get the impression you’d be happier without the burden of having to show your face and try to look busy. You got enough money to do whatever you want without worrying about the business. You don’t actually have to work, which is good, since you don’t actually do anything.”
“That’s not fair. You and Dad never gave me a chance to show you what I was capable of.” When anger got him nowhere, trying guilt as a manipulative tool was the second go-to.
“Lose the pity face. I was raised by Stella, and you have no clue what guilt is and how to use it effectively. There isn’t a contract on our roster that requires a staff member who’s really good at Candy Crush, and that’s a major part of your skill set.”
“Stop making fun of me and admit that I’m right. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
“But I do, my dear nephew.” She dropped a stack of expenses in front of him as she stood. “Your grief counseling has really added up, and your choice of counselor is interesting. Is titty therapy a thing?” The receipts from Rick’s Cabaret strip joint on Bourbon Street were for more than twenty-two thousand. “One more lap dance and your dick’s going to fall off. And so you don’t think I’m a total bitch, these are on me.”
“I was entertaining—”
“Please save it and start praying you have enough inheritance for the rather large bill you’ll be getting.” She buttoned her jacket and smiled. Bubba and Ivy were pissed, but Tara was busy flipping through the information about her money.