by Alexa Davis
“So, George, what can you tell me about Tucker? I called and left him a message, but he hasn’t called back, just sent me a text saying he’s great and the he hoped I was having a good time.” I rubbed my face and shook my head when Callie offered me another beer. “I’d love a soda pop, if you have any,” I suggested. Callie brought me a tall glass filled with proper Texas sweet tea and I grinned despite myself.
“Tucker doesn’t have any new problems,” George said. “Just growing ones. Carl Jameson is still a senior partner at his law firm. That crazy bitch Sara moved on to her own life, finally,” he added and I toasted him with my glass of tea. “But Carl does everything in his power to make Tucker miserable even now, and now that Peele has died of a heart attack, not only did Tuck lose his mentor and friend, but his biggest ally at the firm too.”
I frowned. Peele had been a good guy, a few years older than Tuck, but still not old enough to die like that. No wonder Tucker didn’t want to talk about it. Losing one of his closest friends was bad enough, but a grown man being bullied at work, was ridiculous and skeevy.
“Well, all right then. That, is a much better place to start. Daniel could’ve just told me that when he demanded that I come home,” I complained.
“He used Tucker to get you here? He gets more like Mom every day.”
“Yeah, the guilt trips are getting epic in scale. But, I’m here now, and C.J. gets to meet the family. We’re all good.” I sipped my tea and smacked my lips, happy to be drinking sweet tea that didn’t taste like it had been strained through a dirty sock.
“Jackson, does Danny know C.J. is here with you?” Callie asked.
I looked at her, and tried to read the amusement on her face. “Uh, yeah. We’re going to brunch tomorrow, with Rachel. Why?”
“He’s gotten kind of funny about the family fortune. Just a word to the wise, you might want to lead with the ‘C.J. is a famous millionaire model,’” George said. “When we told the family about our surrogate, he was acting kinda, well…”
“Rude.” Callie broke in. “He was goddamned rude and demanded to know if we were gonna be asking for more money, since George already took some of his inheritance to start the business.”
“Hey, I talked to him and we squared it away. But, I think Dad’s puttin’ pressure on him and he’s trying to be responsible,” George finished, as Callie huffed and folded her arms.
“Callie still needs to have words with him before it’s completely done, obviously.” George rolled his eyes and patted his wife on the butt. “Go woman, putter in the nursery, you’ll feel better.”
It was Callie’s turn for an eyeroll, but then she winked at me. “You know, I think I’ll do just that. If you pass out like that poor girl did, before I’m done ‘puttering,’ have a good night.” She gave me a hug and walked back toward the bedrooms.
George and I sat for a while longer in front of the preseason football game that was on the TV, but I couldn’t keep track of who was playing and kept zoning out and jumping when George’s celebrations would startle me awake again, so he kicked me out of the living room and I staggered to bed, pausing long enough to shuck off my jeans before falling into bed next to C.J.
Callie was gone long before we woke, but I heard George puttering around in the kitchen. I followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and found C.J. already there, sipping her café au lait and quietly chatting with my brother. George handed me a cup as soon as I rounded the corner and I sank to a barstool and held it to my face, inhaling the delicious steam.
“Your brother,” She sighed.
“…Makes the best coffee in the entire world.” I finished for her.
She nodded and sighed again.
“That’s her second cup,” George laughed. “She may seem relaxed and happy now, but she’s going to be climbing the walls in about an hour.” He grinned at C.J. “I learned to make good coffee because in the Marines, you get thick, black, caffeinated oil. But, what I make, is like a quad-shot of espresso. You’re welcome.”
“The upside is, George, C.J. is a gamer, and gamers run on pure caffeine. What you make is probably going to get her to baseline. I haven’t seen the woman drink water since I’ve known her. It’s Diet Coke, beer, or energy drinks.”
She shrugged and nodded. “I grew up in a poor, rural part of the state. I got so turned off by tap water, I only drink water bottled, or like, triple filtered, reverse osmosis, blessed by God…”her voice trailed off into a chuckle, and I laughed too.
Coffee accomplished and feeling much more alert, I claimed the shower first, then got dressed while C.J. took over the guest bath. I texted Danny and he replied that he and Rachel were on the road and would pick us up at George’s so we could park my truck, and I pounded on the bathroom door to warn her that she had about twenty minutes until they arrived.
Honestly, once I knew what was happening to Tucker, I had instantly started planning what I could do to take Jameson down a few notches. All I needed was access to Tucker’s computer, and I could make it almost completely untraceable. That was the best part of an internal takedown; the server was open and ready to be used, and I could route myself through Jameson’s own passcodes, if I wanted. My fingers itched for a keyboard and my pulse sped up. I’d played enough football to know what it felt like right before game time when the muscles in my legs would hum with anticipation. It was the same when I was about to break through a security wall. It was, maybe, a little less exciting to break into Tuck’s network than, say, the Department of Justice, but a little comeuppance for a jerk always felt good.
“You ready to go?” C.J.’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“Yeah, just getting my shoes on.”
“You looked like Captain America about to take on Hydra by himself. What on earth were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I was Captain freaking America and I was about to take on a senior partner of the Hydra law firm and bring him down so the good guy could get a chance at being successful.”
“You’re going to hack the law firm Tucker works for?”
I remembered she was already asleep when we talked, and I filled her in on the details of Tucker’s ever growing problems with his career and place of employment. She agreed that Jameson was public enemy number one, and deserved a little trouble of his own.
“Of course, it isn’t exactly a big score or anything, so there’s no bragging rights,” I admitted wryly.
“Good. I don’t need you in trouble because you got someone’s attention again. Promise me, from here on, no matter what you do, there’s no bragging. No forum posts, nothing.”
I nodded my agreement. Her face was pale and worried, and I felt like shit for telling her about my past brushes with law enforcement. “I promise, I’m not going to get caught peeking at emails and getting Tucker some dirt he can use to increase his own power base,” I assured her.
“In your home town. Where everyone knows you and your family, and probably your history, because there’s nothing people love more than to gossip about other people’s troubles, or their flaws.”
I promised her that I would be very careful and not brag about an infiltration that any self-respecting thirteen-year-old could do. Fortunately, just as she opened her mouth to tell me exactly what she thought, Danny and Rachel burst in the front door and she was distracted with more introductions.
Danny gave her a huge hug and invited us both, formally, to an enormous family dinner that Mom and her personal manager, Patricia, were planning as he and Rachel left that morning. She stared at me, wide-eyed, and I shrugged. Big family meant big family dinners. At least by the time she was sitting at the table she’d know almost everyone else there.
We took off in Rachel’s Escalade, which had been a birthday present from Danny, and I thought back to what George had said about money. If Danny had spent money like that for a vehicle, then Dad probably had started riding him about the family investments. Poor Danny. I was once again reminded why being the youngest was not
such a bad position in the family. I wanted none of that responsibility.
“Nice wheels Rachel,” I commented, “What did that cost you in sanity with Dad?” I added with a chuckle.
Rachel groaned. “He’s still going on about it, even after I proved that my wages as the race vet for Texas Tango alone would have covered it.”
I choked back a laugh. “Aw, man, I’m sorry. It really is a great vehicle, and knowing the Hargraves, you’ll have it for many, many years to come.”
Danny sighed and nodded. “Dad’s getting on, Jackson. He’s taking things slower, and he’s forgetting more ever week, it seems. I know you’ve seen it.”
C.J. held my hand and gave it a quick squeeze. I knew she’d gone through things with her grandmother as she got older, I just hadn’t expected that my dad would ever start to get old.
“Yeah. I’ve seen it. But, I’m grateful that they have you guys to watch out for them and make sure the ranch still runs smooth.” I leaned forward, “C.J.’s an Okie, but she’s never been a farm girl. We need to get her on a horse.”
Danny nodded and Rachel laughed gleefully.
“That’s awesome. We’ll go for a ride, just us girls. How about it, C.J.?”
C.J. grimaced and sighed. “If you can handle a noob looking silly up on a horse, I’m game. I mean, I’ve sat on a few of them for photo shoots, how much harder can staying up there be?”
“That’s the spirit!” Danny chimed in. You’ll be a cowgirl before you know it.”
Brunch at the cafe was more fun than I thought it would be. Off the ranch, Danny was more relaxed and happy than I’d seen him in a long time. I watched years drop off his face as he sat and laughed with his arm around his pretty, young wife. I’d forgotten that Rachel wasn’t much older than we were, and already a successful veterinarian by her own right.
I didn’t say it out loud, but Danny was worn out from being the one responsible for the lives and wellbeing of so many ranch hands and family members, and the livestock and race horses, even the wild mustangs were in his care. I grew a new appreciation for all the unseen things my oldest brother did to keep the rest of us safe and happy. I was glad it wasn’t up to me, but maybe the little things I’d done around the ranch and the help I’d given him with his accounting and inventory programs helped a little. I made a mental note to check in with him when we got to the ranch, feeling guilty for walking away without checking on him.
The ranch might not be my dream, but it was my home, and I knew as well as anyone how difficult it was to keep that place going. I saw C.J. watching me, watching my brother. Her face was closed off, and I smiled at her. “No worries, good-looking,” I thought to myself, “I’m not going native on you.” But, I was going to see what I could do to help Danny, once I was done with Tuck.
37. Carina
The more of Jackson’s family I met, the more I envied his life. His brothers were generous and seemed happy to see me there with their brother, even though they were wary of the way we’d met and how fast they thought we were moving. I laughed to myself. I had friends who had met, married, and divorced in the amount of time I’d known Jackson. I had no intention of going that route.
Rachel and Daniel offered to have me ride back to the ranch with them and spend the day there, but I was a little nervous to be there with his parents without him to run interference. Jackson jumped in before I could respond. If I went with him to Tucker’s office, Jackson had a good reason to be there. I hid my sigh of relief behind my mimosa.
Austin was nothing like I thought it would be. I’d thought we were heading into the Sahara, a vast empty desert, with craggy chasms and tumbleweeds. Instead, it was green and lush, with a wide stream running through the park across from the little restaurant where we sat outside and ate under the shade of a large umbrella. I didn’t want to admit I was so wrong in my expectations, but when Rachel started talking about the live music scene in their downtown, and a whole street that was a party almost every night, weekend or weekday, I couldn’t wait to spend more time there.
“Jackson, I really like Austin.” I whispered to him when Danny and Rachel were talking to each other about their other plans. “I want to come back here when this is all done.” He looked at me and smiled, but didn’t answer. I looked all around me, trying to figure out why on earth he would want to be anywhere else, even if that’s where Stanford was, or where I was. I felt connected to the place, like there was something special waiting for me around every corner.
“I can see you thinking,” Jackson said, poking me in the side and breaking the spell. “What’s on your mind?”
“Do we have time to just see Austin? Walk around, drive around, I don’t know how big it is, but can I see more of it before we go?”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Sugar, how about you and me, tomorrow, go on an adventure. These are my stomping grounds, and I can show you the best shops, the best restaurants, everything.”
I nodded and glanced at Jackson.
“Hey, you don’t need my permission. I’ll just go over the bookkeeping program I was writing for Danny and make sure it’s doing its job. You girls have fun.”
“Oh, it’s a date!” Rachel clapped her hands. “I can’t wait. If you don’t mind, I’ll bring a friend, too. We don’t see as much of each other anymore, but she’s so much fun to spend money with.”
Danny groaned and Jackson rolled his eyes. “If it gets too bad, we can buy an extra suitcase for your finds,” he reminded me. I was ecstatic. The only thing that would’ve made Austin better was if Shelby and Nick were there too.
We took our time with brunch and ate far too much, but the others agreed that it was best just to pack it all in and not eat again until supper, because it was going to be more food than I’d ever seen on one table, and there were going to be hurt feelings if the matriarch and her housekeeper didn’t feel like I’d eaten enough to have enjoyed it.
Danny and Rachel took us back to George’s house, and we said goodbye after Rachel and I exchanged numbers. Jackson wanted to talk to Tucker, but after how much we’d eaten, he suggested a stroll through the park so I could look around, and he could stop feeling like he was about to deliver a food baby.
We wandered along the paths that crossed the stream, and watched people out biking, people dressed for business jobs eating their lunches on park benches, and others running the paths with their dogs, or playing with their children in the grass. Rachel had said Austin was a party town, but it seemed that there was something for every kind of person here.
“I could stream from a city like this,” I sighed. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how California grabbed you, when we’re not on the beach. I mean, beach beats everything else. But, wow, this place is really, really lovely.”
Jackson laughed and rubbed his neck. “Yeah, I always liked town. The ranch, for all those thousands of acres, always seemed too confined for me. When I was at school, I was involved with everything. The studying came easy, so I had lots of free time for fun, or trouble.”
I chuckled at him. “I bet you did.” There was a question I wanted to ask, but was afraid it would pick a fight. I didn’t plan on ever asking it, but in true C.J. style, I blurted it out during another perfect moment to ruin. “How were you single when we met? There’s nothing about you that’s given me that ‘aha’ moment as to why you were available to even start talking to me.” I held my breath.
“I had been seeing someone, but I never had a girlfriend I wanted to bring around the ranch, so when summer came, I always split with them.”
“Every year?”
“Pretty much, yeah. Far as my family is concerned, you’re my first girlfriend.”
“Well, no wonder they’re all acting like you’ve gone off the deep end. Thanks a lot for nothing,” I groused. He put his arms around me and kissed my cheek, when I wouldn’t let him kiss my mouth.
“Please, in about thirty seconds, you’re going to stop being mad at me, and start gloating about how
you’re the only one good enough to take home to the parents.”
I shoved him off me and punched him in the arm, making him wince. “Next step, is not boasting about how well you know me, even if you’re right.” I took the arm he offered and rubbed the spot where I’d hit him. “Got you good, didn’t I?”
“Yes, Carina, you certainly did.” Something in the way he said my name told me we weren’t talking about the same thing, but I let it go. I had managed not to ruin our moment together, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back for learning when to stop picking at things that didn’t matter. However, there was lots of time for me to still blow it, and remembering that, made my gut clench and my throat dry.
Suddenly, the sunlight didn’t seem quite so bright, and the symphony of laughter and conversations in the park seemed cacophonous and out of tune. I took Jackson’s arm and let him lead me back to his truck. All around me was a world I had never thought existed where weird people and art and individuality was celebrated and no one blinked when they saw someone who was different or creative, they just incorporated them into the whole. Jackson had worked so hard to get away from it, I wondered if he was with me, or if I was an easy excuse for leaving.
38. Jackson
C.J. had gone from being as happy as I’d ever seen her, including after her big win, to sad and closed off. It had to have been something I said. Tucker’s office was only a few blocks away, but with the doom clouds that had suddenly appeared on my horizon, I decided to drive in case she wasn’t up to meeting any more family.
We stopped at the front desk for our “visitor” tags and the security guy called up to tell Tuck we were there. Matt had been the front desk security since before Tucker was employed by his firm, so when he looked C.J. over on the sly and gave me the thumbs up, I just chuckled and nodded my head. My girlfriend looked a little better than she had, but the light had vanished from her eyes and I could see her jaw working as it clenched and unclenched.