Healing Tea

by Sheila Horgan

  “Okay, I’ve heard enough. Let’s go find your partner and his crazy wife.”

  “You know if we go over to their house, the media might be outside.”

  “We’ll sneak in.”

  “How are we going to do that?”

  “I don’t know, Teagan. We’ll go all ninja and hop fences or whatever. I’ve never been to their house. There’s got to be a back way.”

  “They live over by Adeline’s old house, but in the cheap seats.”

  “Good, we can steal a horse from one of the neighbors, jump a fence or two, and ride right into their backyard.”

  “Great, we’ll be the horse thieves who saved the porn queen. Life just doesn’t get any better than this, does it?”

  “We said we wanted an adventure. Tell your assistant what we’re doing and make sure she has money to bail us out if we get caught. I’m not calling A.J., and the only other person I know with the resources to bail out two horse thieves is Seamus, and I am sure as hell not calling him.”

  “I won’t tell Rory you said that. He is a cop.”

  I may have stuck my tongue out at her.

  She didn’t really respond to that. “Lindsey it is. Give me a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay, I’m gonna go to the bathroom and meet you by the car. I’ll be saying a prayer.”

  “Good. Tell Mom to watch us while you’re at it.”

  “Oh, hell no! I have no idea what a paranormal grounding would be like, but you know as well as I do that if Mom found out about us planning something this stupid, we’d both be grounded for a month.”

  “Probably two. I’ll be there in a few.”

  We got as far as Baker and Braddock before the self-doubt kicked in.

  Teagan’s, not mine.

  Mine kicked in before we left the parking lot at her office building.

  Teagan pulled over.

  “Exactly what are we doing here?”

  “Finding your boss and his crazy wife.”

  “He’s my partner.”

  “Okay, finding your partner and his crazy wife.”

  “I got that, Cara. What I’m asking you is if this is a good idea. I’m not just some assistant at the office anymore. I’m a partner. If I go there, and the media is there, and they find out there is one more layer to this rather pungent onion, what is it going to look like?”

  “So, what do you want to do?”

  “I want to congratulate you on your brilliant idea for fixing this problem.”

  “What idea?”

  “Well, that would be the problem, now wouldn’t it?”

  It took me a second.

  “Oh, I get it. I’m supposed to volunteer to go over to the house so that if something goes really wrong, you can say it was just your crazy sister who has done things with Honey in the past, like when we got caught spying on that couple, and that you have no control over it.”

  “Oh, I forgot about the whole spying thing. Technically, Honey got caught, not you, but I like that touch. Makes it all the more plausible.”

  “Really? You want me to do this alone?”

  She gave me the same look she gave me when Tony Franci-whatever-the-hell-his-name-was stood her up at the swing set at the park and everybody started chanting, “Teagan is a vegan,” which now is no big deal, but back then was devastating.

  “Fine, but I swear to you, Teagan. You owe me. Big.”

  We drove in silence to the street she claimed was one over and one back from the Fisher’s. According to her GPS, it was possible, but I had a really bad feeling that I was gonna sneak up on the wrong house and either get myself shot, or worse, get caught by the media.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this. By. Myself. You owe me, Teagan.”

  “Yes, yes, I do. Bring your phone. And don’t get caught.”

  “I can’t believe this.” As I turned, I noticed a brown plaid backpack just behind the console between us. “I’m taking your backpack. Maybe someone that isn’t really paying attention will just figure I’m walking around trying to sell something.”

  “More likely they’ll think you are walking around with someone’s good silver in your backpack.”

  “You’re not helping, Teagan.”

  “Sorry. Besides, it’s not my backpack. It’s Jordan’s.”

  “Why do you have Jordan’s backpack?” I may have sounded a little jealous. The last few times I’ve tried to pull my auntie magic on him, he just wasn’t interested. Was he hanging out with Teagan? Really? He’d choose her over me? That can’t be right.

  Before I could spit all that out and embarrass myself, Teagan ignored my question and said, “And, Cara?”

  She actually sounded like the grateful sister she should be.

  I turned around, expecting her to say thank you in that way only a sister can. That way that says you are the best, and she is so happy that among all the sisters in the whole universe, she ended up with you.

  “You got a little something hangin’ out of your nose. Right side.”

  I slammed the car door and took off in what I prayed was the right direction.

  Why is it there are never good sidewalks in rich-people areas? I know they have drivers to get them from point A to point B, but you would assume they would want to jog around the neighborhood in their tight gear with their tight buns and their hair done, too.

  I slogged up about what normal people would consider a couple of long blocks. In this area, it was all pasture and gated driveways. Teagan had pointed out a clump of really distinctive trees. They were impressive on the GPS thing. They were huge in real life. That’s where she said I was to head through the field, or pasture, or whatever it is, and straight to the back of the Fisher’s place.

  My heart started to pump harder.

  I’ve done stuff like this before, but usually I have backup. I have Teagan, or on that misguided effort to help Honey, I had her crazy butt with me. This time, I was all on my own.

  Have I ever mentioned I hate being alone?

  With a purple passion.

  I took a deep breath. Figured if someone stopped me, I could just tell them I was lost and pissed off and a little bit scared. They would believe me, because it was completely true.

  I was so busy concentrating on looking out for fire-ant hills that I almost missed a huge, steaming — well, it wasn’t a hill, but it was a very big mound of horse excrement.

  If I had stepped in the pile, it would have been up to my anklebone, the one I almost broke when looking at the duckies with A.J. the night I fell in love with him. Wow, I’m going to have to think about that. Anyway, if I had horse poop all the way up to my anklebone, I feel very secure in the fact that no jury in the world would convict me of sistercide.

  I thought of a couple of interesting ways to pull off such a crime before I got to the fence that’s supposed to delineate the Fisher’s property from the neighbor’s.

  Teagan should come out and whitewash that fence. It could use it, and the fence may very well have saved her life.

  I walked down to where there was an upright post and hung the backpack by a strap while I climbed the fence.

  It looks so easy on TV. You see ranch people do it all the time. One foot up on the horizontal part, swing your leg over, hop off, and you’re on the other side.

  It didn’t work that well for me.

  Let’s just say I’m pretty sure I have a couple of slivers in places that should never have splinters, and I’m gonna have a bruise the shape of Kentucky on my right thigh.

  I really need to get into shape.

  I remembered to grab the backpack. I’m proud of that. Normally, that wouldn’t be a source of pride, but when I jumped off the fence, I got the attention of a really big and really mean-looking dog. He came flying at me. He was on the neighbor’s side of the fence, but the fence was no match for the dog. He could easily go over it, or under it, to eat me. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have stopped once he started, and since I’m so skinny, it’s all about the bones a
nyway.

  He had barked about four times when Honey stuck her head out the back door and yelled for him to shut up.

  I was so relieved she was there I couldn’t speak.

  “Cara? What in the world?”

  “Teagan’s been trying to call you guys.”

  “We aren’t answering the phone.”

  “Yeah, I gathered that. Can I come in?”

  “Sure, hun. Just let me tell my husband to make himself decent.”

  What? They’re in the middle of a crisis, and he has to make himself decent? What are they doing in there? What if some entrepreneurial person has a long lens?

  I sat on a very nice chaise by the pool and texted Teagan.

  Me: Honey just came out the back door.

  Teagan: Mr. Fisher?

  Me: He’s getting decent.

  Teagan: WTH?

  Me: No clue.

  Teagan: I’m coming over.

  Me: Good luck.

  Honey stuck her head out the door. “Come on in, hun.”

  She sounded like she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Whatever drug she’s taking, I want some.

  When Teagan arrived, she drove up to the house on their big circular driveway, said “no comment” a couple of times, and I opened the front door in time for her to step inside without breaking stride.

  “You look great. Reapply your makeup while you were waiting for me to be killed by the neighbor’s dog?”

  Honey laughed. “Thor? He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  I tried not to be annoyed. “Well, he’s very good at faking it.”

  Honey smiled. “We all gotta do what we gotta do, Cara.”

  I didn’t ask.

  Honey led the way toward the back of the house. Mr. Fisher was sitting on a lovely cream-colored leather sofa in what I assume is their family room. The sofa followed the wall in a very long L-shape. The sofa could easily seat twenty. I’ll bet it cost a fortune.

  “Cara. Teagan. What can I do for you?”

  I’m so proud of my sister. I thought for sure her head would explode. I thought for sure we would be cleaning up Teagan bits for days. There were knickknacks everywhere. It would have been a really big job.

  “Have you seen the news? You made it onto all three of the local letter stations.”

  “Yeah, I saw that.”

  “There’s all kinds of media out front.”

  “Yeah, I saw that, too.”

  “We have to do a bit of damage control.”

  “Probably.”

  “Are you okay, Mr. Fisher?”

  “I been thinking.”

  Teagan didn’t respond. I’m pretty sure she knew if she said anything at all, she would start a rant that would probably break up their partnership and might perhaps end with someone going to sit in jail for disturbing the peace at the very least.

  “I’m done.”

  “What?” Teagan’s attitude went from pissed-off-beyond-measure to worried for a man that she had known and respected since she graduated from high school.

  “I think it’s time for me to step away. I’ve been thinking about retiring since I lost my wife.”

  Honey didn’t say anything. When Mr. Fisher had lost the first Mrs. Fisher, he’d been completely lost. We figured that’s how he ended up with such a strange second Mrs. Fisher. But the way she looked at him in that moment, when he was most vulnerable, I could tell she truly loved her husband.

  “Closing the business?” Teagan sounded more sad than anything. She would be out of work, and her new partnership would have been pretty short-lived, but that company had been most of her reality since she started working there. She would miss it.

  I felt like I was the one that was going to cry.

  Honey couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

  For once, we appreciated it.

  “Oh, no, hun. He isn’t closing up shop. He’s just handing everything over to you. You can run that place with your eyes shut. He’s just gonna be a silent partner kind of thing. Me and Beanie, we’re gonna spend some time together, if you know what I mean.” She winked at Teagan.

  Mr. Fisher actually blushed, but he also smiled.

  Teagan flashed on horrified, and then went straight to her happy place. “Are you sure?”

  “I been thinking about it for a while now. This seems like the perfect time. It’s what I needed to give me a little push, ya know? I think it’s for the best.”

  “I think you should probably give it a little more thought.”

  “There’s nothing to think about. You can handle it. I’ll still be making some money from my part of the company. I’m prepared to give you an additional ten percent, since you’ll be the one runnin’ the place. Does that work for you?”

  “Yes. I think that is more than generous.”

  “I’ll call up the lawyers. We’ll just tell the media we’ve disassociated ourselves from the company, and that might help with the comments Honey made about the company backing her. If the public sees us walk away from the company immediately, they’ll think it’s because we don’t share the same beliefs.”

  Teagan didn’t say anything.

  “Teagan, I didn’t mean for this to happen, and I sure as hell didn’t mean for it to happen this way, but I believe this is all for the best. And for the record, if ever I had to choose between my Honey and the damn company, well, there just wouldn’t really be a choice.”

  Honey launched herself at him. For a mature woman, she moves pretty damn well.

  We left before they embarrassed themselves, not that either of us thought they would be particularly embarrassed.

  We got to Teagan’s car, unscathed, and drove off.

  About a mile down the road, Teagan pulled over. “What just happened?”

  “Seems you got a hell of a promotion.”

  She just sat there shaking her head.

  “You want me to drive?”

  “No, I got it. I just don’t understand anything that just happened. And I have no clue what to do next.”

  “If it were me, I’d call Jessie and tell him. Then I’d go to the office and call a command performance. All the people that are a part of it that can help you. Maybe, right after I called Jessie, I would call Gord.”

  “Gord? He hasn’t been with us that long.”

  “Yes, but he can tell his pastor wife that the people involved in the incident have left the building.”

  “Very good point. You drive. I’ll make some calls.”

  The only reason the car got to a full stop when Teagan dropped me off was because she needed to change over to the driver’s seat.

  She didn’t even go in the house to get her luggage.

  I can’t believe that in the last two days I’ve gone from depressed in Tampa Bay to sipping drinks in an outrageously expensive bar in Manhattan, back to the bay and trudging through poop-infested pastures and now back to my world. The world I love.

  THIRTEEN

  CAROLYN ANSWERED THE phone at eight thirty-seven the next morning. She sounded great. Her back must be completely healed to sound that good in the morning.

  I invited her to lunch.

  She didn’t hesitate.

  She suggested we meet at Brewster’s.

  I’m sure she isn’t aware that it’s where it all started for A.J. and me, but then, I didn’t know it at the time, either.

  Suzi and A.J. left for work together. The plan was for me to get some quality auntie time in with Evelyn, and at about eleven thirty, I’d head to the studio and drop off Evelyn; then I would be off to Brewster’s to meet Gran.

  I told A.J. I had a meeting with Adeline. I doubted that he would speak to his grandmother in the four hours between the time I called her and the time I’d meet with her. His schedule is really busy this morning, which is why I offered to take Evelyn for a little while.

  Evelyn cooperated perfectly. We played, which kept me busy, and when it was time for me to get ready, she fell off to sleep and stayed that way until about
five minutes before it was time to load her up into her car seat carrier thing.

  I’m glad that A.J. and I went out and bought one for my car. That way it stays installed all the time, and I don’t have to worry about putting it in there wrong.

  When I handed Evelyn off to Suzi, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Suzi did comment on how good I look today. She said that I seem more confident and happy than she’d seen me in a long time.

  Confident?

  Didn’t she see my knees knocking together?

  I made it to Brewster’s without running into anything. I am claiming that as a victory.

  Carolyn was there when I got there. She looks great. She gave me such a warm hug. Carolyn epitomizes grandmotherhood.

  We were taken to a table immediately. They really aren’t busy this time of day.

  Gran and I chitchatted about life, her trip, things going on with Anna and Adeline.

  When she reached for the sweetener to put in her coffee, I noticed that she was wearing the bracelet I’d given the girls.

  It made me ridiculously happy.

  She made it easier for me.

  That’s what grandmas do.

  “Cara, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?” She laughed. “I love that you invited me to lunch, but I thought maybe it was for a reason other than the joy of my companionship.”

  I took a deep breath. “My whole life, all I have ever wanted was to be nice to someone and to have them be nice to me in return. To love a man and have him love me as much. To build a life, a family, a tradition. A.J. is that man. With your permission, I would like to ask him to marry me.”

  Carolyn squealed with delight.

  “You have my blessing, Cara. There is nothing in this world that would make me any happier.”

  Within moments, the waiter showed up with a champagne bucket and beautiful glasses. In the bucket was a two-liter bottle of Pepsi.

  “You knew?” I couldn’t hold back the blush.

  “When the love of your grandson’s life calls out of the blue and invites you to lunch, you pray. I’ve been praying for this for some time, Cara.”

  I had to laugh. “I’m not as subtle as I thought, huh?”