by Ali Vali
“I was helping Jo and Frank with some research. They just left for lunch.”
Tully knew Frank and Josephine weren’t rude, so their not inviting Libby to go with them surprised her. “Were they meeting a client?”
“No, they’re just going down to the deli. They invited me, but I, uh, decided to see if you were free. If you have other plans—”
“Do I get to pick the place?” Tully noticed Libby blush, and the redder she flamed, the wider Tully smiled.
“Sure.” Libby’s voice broke.
Tully left her jacket in the office and walked Libby down the street toward the river. She rarely left the office to eat, but something about Libby’s innocent air was hard to say no to. Four blocks later they were approaching Magazine Street, and Tully grabbed Libby’s hand before she could cross.
“We’re going this way.” She pointed to the left.
Liborio, a Cuban restaurant a block down, was one of her favorites, and Tully had been hoping she could introduce Libby to it as a way of thanking her for all of her support. They blended in well with the rest of the lunch crowd, mostly from the nearby federal building and other area firms.
“I’ll have the Cuban sandwich, please,” Tully said, handing the menu back to the waiter.
“She’ll actually have the roasted chicken with a side salad, and I’ll have the same.” Libby smiled sweetly at the guy who was busy scratching out what he’d written and waited patiently for the blowup from across the table.
“Are you going to cut up the chicken when it gets here too?”
“That sandwich is, like, a gazillion calories over your limit,” Libby replied evenly, “so just accept the fact I’m looking out for you.”
“Uh-huh, and why does that sound like I’m going to be on a diet for the rest of my life? And don’t think I forgot the bit about me having a limit.”
Libby decided to change the topic. “Are the kids going to be okay with me living so close by?”
“I’m sure Bailey will love having you there to talk to, and Ralph is as easygoing as they get. I’m sure it won’t be a problem. If that’s your only concern, then feel free to move in whenever you like.”
Libby slowly stirred sweetener into a large glass of tea and felt the tightness in her chest loosen. She’d been on her own for so long that she constantly worried about the unknown. She worried about financially making it so that she had a place to live, about getting sick, about school, and about the future in general.
Tully seemed to be her exact opposite in that she didn’t act like she worried about too much. “I just don’t want to add any more to what they’re going through.”
“I want you to repeat after me.” Tully leaned closer and smiled. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Libby laughed but dutifully repeated the mantra. “The best thing that ever happened to me is that you love coffee.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to flatter me. I’ve already told you the place is yours,” Tully joked. “But if you must, then go on. I’m not going to argue about how wonderful I am.”
The days Libby worked in the office, they followed the same lunch routine. Libby usually tried to get Tully to actually leave the office, but sometimes they sat on Tully’s sofa and ordered from the deli downstairs.
When Roxanne came in with the day’s mail, she said, “Libby just got here, if you’re interested.”
Tully whipped her head up from her reading so quickly that, forgetting she was holding the pen so close, she drew a yellow highlighter line along her face. “Is it her birthday or something?”
“No.”
“Then why the announcement?”
Roxanne turned back to the door to make sure it was closed. “She looks like she’s been crying, and she didn’t come in and tell you hello like she usually does. I just thought something was wrong.”
“Order that veggie pita thing she loves from downstairs, and tell her I need to see her.”
When Libby stepped in and closed the door, her eyes did appear red and a bit swollen. “Have a bad morning at school?” Tully asked.
Libby shook her head and just leaned against the closed door.
“Anyone in the office giving you problems?”
Again Libby shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not usually this morose, but today’s my dad’s birthday, or should I say used to be my dad’s birthday.”
“It still is, no matter that he’s not here to blow out some candles. I’m sorry I haven’t asked before now, but could you share with me what happened to your parents?” Tully asked.
“When I was Bailey’s age, my grandmother died.”
“Were you close?”
When Tully took Libby by the hand to the sofa, she went willingly. “Not really. We didn’t see her that often, and my dad was always working, but she made the best peanut butter cookies.”
“Sounds like something you aren’t going to let me eat anytime soon.”
When the tease made Libby laugh, Tully felt like she’d finally accomplished something.
“They left to go to the funeral, and because I didn’t feel well, my mom let me stay home. On the way back, driving through a bad storm, an older man lost control of his car, crossed the center line, and hit them head-on. Neither of them survived.”
When Tully wrapped her arms around Libby, she sobbed into her shoulder.
“Sometimes their birthdays and the anniversary of their deaths blindside me. I always thought that if I’d been with them my life would be so different.”
“Oh, Libby, don’t do that to yourself. If you’d been with them you might have died too, and I’m glad you didn’t.” Tully pulled back enough to wipe away Libby’s tears. “What happened to you after that?”
“Since I had no other living relatives, the state had to put me in foster care until I turned eighteen. I went to five families in that time, and then I started working so I could go to school.”
The knock on the door stopped Libby from saying anything else, and she seemed embarrassed that anyone else would see her like this.
“Hang on,” Tully said, loud enough so whoever it was could hear her. “Do me a favor, okay?”
Libby nodded.
“Take off your shoes and get comfortable. I had lunch ordered for us, and I have a lot of reading to do today, so we’re going to stay in here and take it easy.”
While they ate lunch Libby told her the rest of the story. Her time in foster care had left her heart broken, but she never lost hope that if she was patient enough she’d connect with someone like her parents had.
After lunch Tully picked up her file and started reading as Libby stretched out and closed her eyes. Putting her head in Tully’s lap and squeezing one of Tully’s hands between both of hers, Libby fell asleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Once Libby moved into the pool house, she rode in to school with Tully and the kids most mornings, then caught the streetcar to work. Things had changed after that day in Tully’s office: Libby approached Tully more easily with different concerns, and Tully reciprocated.
Every evening except the two nights Libby had class, they walked and discussed whatever came to mind, if she didn’t need help with her homework. Other than the one night a week that Jessica spent with Bailey and Ralph, taking them out to eat and then dropping them off without getting out of the car, Libby had time to get to know the kids when they helped her cook dinner.
While Tully never replaced the dining room furniture and other pieces Jessica had taken, she did move into the guest room to sleep. Initiating other changes, Bailey and Ralph had set a new rule that Tully was happy to go along with: from six to eight every night no one would work. As a family they’d taken up biking, and when Tully bought Libby a bike, she joined them.
Tully was sure pedaling around the neighborhood would kill her, just as she’d thought walking with Libby would. But with every mile they covered, she began to discover her lost stamina as well as a closer relationship with the kids. What she was h
aving a harder time ignoring was just how big a part Libby had become in all their lives. She knew instinctively that no matter what, Libby would never turn her back on Bailey and Ralph and the bond they’d formed, but something much larger did make her fear for the future.
No matter what Jessica thought about her being an idiot when it came to feelings and what it took to be an exciting partner, Tully was smart enough to know just how wonderful Libby was. Libby’s life had been more than difficult, but she’d come through it with an incredible insight into people and a rosy outlook on the future. It was only a matter of time before those attributes, along with her beauty, would attract someone’s attention and she’d move on to the kind of relationship she deserved in order to be happy.
The day that happened, Tully was sure that the pain of losing Jessica would pale in comparison to watching Libby fall in love with someone else.
“Can I tell you something without sounding rude?” Libby asked Tully after they had dropped the kids off at school. During the ride, she usually read something for school and Tully talked on the phone with Roxanne, but today Libby caught her before she could dial.
“Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“Those pants look horrible on you.”
Tully whipped her head around and stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. You have to have noticed that your pants are getting baggy.” When Tully stared at her until the light turned green and the driver behind them sat on his horn, Libby started to get nervous. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“No. What else about me needs fixing?”
“New pants, new shirts, and new suits are a reward, not something that has to be fixed about you, Tully.”
“Shopping for new clothes is more of a penance than a reward,” Tully said, and visibly shivered.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“Our last deal involved a lot of exercise, sweat, and giving up cigarettes.”
Libby laughed and leaned closer in. “That was a bet, not a deal.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Of course. Finish up early today, and I’ll take you shopping and help you get some new things.”
“You’re buying me some clothes?”
She pinched Tully’s side. “As if I could afford them, even if I don’t pay rent. No, I’m picking things out and you’re paying. I’ll be your personal shopper.”
“I see.” Tully grabbed Libby’s hand before she could pinch her again, and didn’t let go. “And what’s this service going to cost me?”
“Dinner at Le Jardin.” And one of the most romantic restaurants in the city, so hopefully the candlelight will make you notice I’m alive. Libby kept that thought to herself. “You know you want to, and the kids are having dinner with Jessica tonight so you don’t have an excuse.”
“Sure,” Tully said, blushing when her voice cracked on the word.
That afternoon the salesman at Brooks Brothers smiled broadly when Libby handed him Tully’s suit and pointed to a few more things for him to bring in to Tully, who was busy complaining in the dressing room. Unless she wanted to stroll out of the mall in her underwear, Tully would have to try on everything Libby picked out.
“How about this one?” He held up a navy pin-striped suit. “It should fit perfectly to wear out.”
“Good. She has a dinner date after this,” Libby said, loud enough for Tully to hear.
“Is this the last one?” A slimmed-down, tailored Tully stepped out.
As Libby looked her up and down, she was sure her feelings were written all over her face. This new Tully was a walking fantasy. Not that Libby hadn’t found her attractive before, but the weight loss had taken years off her face.
“Wow.” Libby couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“We’ll take all of it, I guess,” Tully told the hovering employee, who clapped his hands. “Come on, personal shopper, let’s take these to the car.” She bent her arm and offered her elbow to Libby.
After stowing their purchases they strolled through the French Quarter, since it was too early for dinner. When they were close enough Tully recommended the bar at the Bella Luna restaurant, and Libby agreed. Located in a large veranda to the side of the restaurant, it had a perfect view of the river. People talked softly and listened to the three-piece jazz band playing slow songs for their enjoyment.
“I’ve never been here,” Libby said after Tully handed her a glass of wine. The women at the table next to her had kept their eyes glued on Tully the whole time she’d been at the bar, and Libby was about to throw peanuts at them to make them stop.
“We’re breaking new ground together, then, because I’ve never been here either.” Tully sat next to her, her back to her admirers. The band swung into a familiar piece. “Do you dance, Ms. Dexter?” She put her drink down and held her hand out.
“Not well, but I think I can handle the slow ones.”
Libby followed Tully’s lead and spent the next four songs enjoying the feel of Tully’s arms around her and the sound of her heart beating. They swayed in place for the next song, still not talking as they watched the sun make its final descent.
“Your table’s ready, Ms. Badeaux,” said the host, sounding almost loath to disturb them.
“Thank you.” Without losing contact Tully stepped back a little so she could see Libby’s face. “How about dinner here, and I’ll take you to Le Jardin next week?”
Libby nodded and had to rein in the temptation to kiss her.
They fell into a more comfortable and normal conversation at the table, but as they walked back to the car Libby was sure of one thing. That night, both of them bathed in candlelight and enjoying good food, she had seen something new in Tully’s gray eyes—a little wanting and a lot of fear, which gave her enough hope to try.
When they arrived home, she helped Tully carry everything in from the car, then they walked together to the pool house. Tully kissed her forehead as they stood at the door and waited until she had let herself in locked up. But Libby didn’t move once the dead bolt slid into place. She wanted to watch through the French doors as Tully walked to the back door of her house, and was ready to come out again if she turned around.
“You might not be ready yet, but don’t run from me, Tully,” she whispered.
Tully made it to the house without turning back. With the summer break approaching for Bailey, Ralph, and Libby, and the information gathering for the Hebert case coming to an end, she was ready to draw her line in the sand. After only three short months she felt like a new person, ready to face her demons or slay them, depending on how others interpreted her actions.
With all she had going on, the one thing she strove for above all else was willpower. Young women like Libby didn’t fall in love with single parents in their forties, so Tully was determined to control her feelings. Libby deserved someone young and full of life to build a future with, not a cradle robber.
But Libby made it hard. Those blue eyes just about did Tully in every time Libby turned them her way.
“Be strong, Tully, or you’ll lose a good friend,” she said to herself.
Chapter Fourteen
A week later Libby walked into the kitchen in the main house and found Tully standing at the counter drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper. Tully had gotten her hair cut shorter, a new style that curled slightly at the ends.
“Good morning, Counselor. New suit?” Libby accepted a cup, smiling at Tully’s obvious pride in her new coffeemaking ability.
“You should know, since you and Bailey are the ones who talked me into it. I wanted to look the part since it’s time to let our opponents know there’s a battle abrewing. I couldn’t go in there with baggy pants, especially after someone mentioned them.”
Libby smiled. The more weight Tully lost, the flatter her butt got, but Libby secretly thought it was adorable. She had started to notice all sorts of new things about Tully, such as her favorite dishes and how
Tully seemed to enjoy doing things for her.
Libby had a new desktop computer and a laptop to make her schoolwork easier, as well as a password to the online law library the firm used. She and Tully lunched together at least twice a week, and Tully indulged her when she continued to order healthy meals for both of them. In fact, if Libby mentioned that she liked anything, it magically appeared.
“The great pinstripes will dazzle them,” Libby teased. “But shouldn’t you wait until Monday?” It was Friday, the last day of class for Bailey and Ralph.
“I love having these initial meetings on Friday.”
Libby turned from the open refrigerator to Tully. “And that’s why?”
“I can lower the guillotine just enough for them to know what’s coming, then leave it hanging over their necks for the weekend. Frazzled nerves make for great negotiations.”
Libby put the fruit salad she had made the night before on the counter. It was one of the only breakfast choices, other than Pop-Tarts, that all of the Badeauxes enjoyed. “You’re going to settle?”
“I will for fifty million dollars.”
Libby laughed so hard she almost snorted as she handed Tully a bowl. “Tully, no one’s going to give you that kind of money.”
“Then I guess that answers your question. I’m not settling.”
“I think you’re spoiling for a fight.”
Tully put her hand up to her chest and gasped, “Who, me?”
They both laughed at the blatant lie.
“Contrary to what you may think, I am able to put my personal feelings aside when it comes to this case. But a good fight never hurt anyone.” Tully offered up a strawberry and smiled when Libby snapped it from her fork with her teeth.
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Libby said after she swallowed.
“I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about it. I know for a fact that you don’t have a bad side,” Tully said, sounding surprisingly flirty. The rumble from the stairwell cut their banter short as the kids ran down for breakfast.