by Lori Leger
“Concerning me? You don’t think you talking to my father is my concern?” She climbed out of the bed, wrapping herself in her robe and looking for her slippers.
“Doc, what’s the problem?” he asked.
“I don’t like anyone sneaking around behind my back, Red. If I wanted that I could have stayed with Tanner.”
“Babe, I told you I wanted to contact him.”
Tiffany pulled a set of clothes from the tall boy chest of drawers, clothes she’d just unpacked the night before. “And I told you I didn’t want him to be a part of my life anymore.” She swung around to face Red. “Why the hell would you do this now?”
Red sat swung his legs over the bed and sat up. “Don’t you want to know what he had to say?”
“I don’t even want to hear what you have to say,” she said, her tone flat and hard.
The slam of the bathroom door echoed throughout the spacious room. Too dazed from what just happened, Red stared in shock at the closed door. At the start of the shower, he forced himself to rise from the bed, wondering how the hell to fix this situation he’d gotten himself into.
“Son of a bitch,” he mumbled to his reflection in the mirror. “You were warned, but you didn’t listen.”
<>
Tension, thick and heavy, pressed down on Tiffany’s chest as she tried to eat her supper. Red sat across from her at the snack bar with a bowl of gumbo in front of him. He pushed the spoon around, looking like he had no more of an appetite than she did. Married a little over twenty-four hours and already having our first argument…I expected this with Tanner but sure as hell not Red. She pulled her gaze away quickly as Red looked up.
“How’s the gumbo?” he asked.
“Good.”
“Need anything? More tea?”
“No.”
“Doc, I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
“I thought I was help…”
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she blurted, whipping around to face him. “I specifically told you I didn’t want anything to do with him…didn’t I?”
Red nodded. “You did…I’m an ass.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me,” she said, with an adamant shake of her curls. Tiffany’s mobile phone rang and she cursed lowly while reading the caller I.D. “Great…just flipping great.” She pushed her stool back from the counter and put her phone to her ear, all the while glaring at Red. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself, both mentally and physically, before answering. “Hello father.”
“Hello, Tiffany. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she said, not bothering to remove the iciness from her tone.
“Do you have time to talk?” he asked.
“I’m in the middle of supper.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll call back.”
“No, we may as well get this over with. I seem to have lost my appetite, anyway.”
“Aw…hell…”
“Talk, Dad. I have things to do.” When she began to load the dishwasher, Red placed his hands on her shoulders and attempted to guide her gently toward the hallway, presumably to the master bedroom. She pulled away angrily and sat instead at the island, giving him a brusque shake of her head as he shrugged then took over cleaning the kitchen.
The ensuing phone silence grew heavier, as neither she nor her father knew what to say next.
Daniel LeBlanc took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’m sure that your husband told you he came to visit me today.”
“Yes, he did…Not terribly long ago, actually.”
“He’s a fine man. You’ve chosen well for yourself.”
“He can be, when he listens.” She saw the obvious stiffening of Red’s shoulders at her comment.
“Have I called at a bad time?”
“Honestly, there will never be a good time, so shoot. Why the call?” Her father took yet another deep breath. Funny, he almost sounds terrified.
“Tiffany, I’m sorry for any part I’ve played in trying to get you to marry Tanner. That was wrong of us, I know that now. I spoke to your mother today and told her she’s not to interfere in your marriage, and you have my promise that I won’t either.”
“Thank you.” If there is a marriage after tonight.
“I also spoke to her about a few other things, like her refusing to pay your college tuition. I swear to you, I had no idea. I was a fool for leaving the raising of you and Drake to her. I always assumed she was doing what was best for both of you. I never dreamed she would do such a thing.”
Tiffany froze at his confession, anger suffusing her mind and body. “Are you trying to make me believe you had nothing to do with that?”
“I’m not making excuses, I know I dropped the ball and I know I have some heavy duty atoning to do. It’s my fault that you didn’t feel comfortable enough to come to me. Please believe me when I tell you that I am so terribly sorry.”
“Wait…Are you telling me you didn’t know?”
“That’s what I’m telling you. Whether or not you believe me is the issue.”
She remained silent long enough for him to ask if she was still on the line.
“Yes, I’m still here.” She bit her lower lip as Red turned in an agonizingly slow movement to lean against the sink and cross his arms. “How could you not know that?” she whispered her gaze locked on Red’s, trying to hold back tears that threatened.
“I had a law firm to run, Tiffany. I left the family finances to your mother, who probably paid some accountant to do them for her. Honestly, I assumed you chose LSU because you knew I’d gone there and it always made me a little proud. Now I see how stupid I was to assume that.”
“I…I didn’t even know you went to LSU,” she said, biting back tears. Red walked up behind her and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. She let them remain at her waist, hating the fact that she took strength from his presence. “I guess I have no choice but to believe you. It doesn’t matter anyway, it’s done.”
“It matters plenty, Tiffany. Is there anything I can do now to make up for it?”
“No.”
“I’ve told Red that I’d like to pay for your honeymoon if that’s okay. Anywhere in the world the two of you would like to go—all expenses paid and first class everything.
Tiffany’s jaw clenched at her father’s offer. Her first instinct was to hang up on him, but she forced herself to be civil. “Red and I both make plenty of money. We don’t need you to pay for anything,” she said stonily.
“I know that Tiff, I just wanted to do something. I’d really like to do this for you.”
She stood up suddenly, pulling out of Red’s embrace to pace the kitchen floor. She caught her husband’s eye, could tell by his grim expression that he was waiting for the explosion. She continued to pace silently, seething inside, until her father asked again if she was on the phone.
“Yes, I’m still here. I’m just thinking about your offer.”
“I hope you accept.”
She stopped pacing and her voice rose sharply. “Do you think that would make everything better?”
“Well…no…but I was hop…”
“Surely, dad,” she interrupted, “you can’t possibly think that after thirty-six years you can buy me off like I’m one of your business acquisitions.”
“No honey…it’s not like tha..”
“Don’t call me honey!” Tiffany’s voice shook with anger. “You don’t know me well enough to call me by any pet names.”
“I…I’m sorry Tiffany…You’re my daughter and I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“But you did! You do insult me by thinking I would even consider taking a dime from you after all these years! You insult me by thinking you can waltz back into my life after not giving a damn all this time. You and that woman who were both supposed to be caring for me and Drake...You ignored us the entire time we lived in that house and now you want to suddenly make it right? It doesn’t work that way, and I’ll be damned if
I’m going to let you off that easily!” She caught Red’s eye again, could see that he was near to bursting with pride for her. He had no idea how difficult it was for her to stand up for herself against her father. Her new husband was clueless to the fact that the only reason she could now was because of his strength and support, whether or not she liked that fact. She definitely did not.
“Tiffany, I…I am so…so deeply sorry,” Daniel sputtered. “That was not my intention at all. I have no excuse. I’ve been a lousy father and I know it’s late to just be learning this dad thing, but I sure would be grateful to you if you’d let me have a shot at it. I want to change for you and Drake. I want to be a better man. Please, give me the chance to do that.”
Tiffany turned her back on Red, finding it more difficult to be angry with him beaming down at her like she’d just won best in show. “I don’t know, Dad. If you suck at it, it won’t be good. I don’t think I need that kind of aggravation in my life…believe me I have enough here at home.” She frowned at the sound of her father’s heavy sigh of frustration, thinking this was it. He’d give up and hang up, in that order and she’d never hear from him again.
“I’m obviously not good at making myself understood over the phone. Would you mind if I paid you a visit? I could go over this weekend. Please, I sincerely want to change.”
Tiffany’s legs nearly buckled at his offer. She pivoted back and forth a few times, trying to comprehend what she was hearing from him, before stopping. “Look, I’m warning you now—unless you intend to keep up this new relationship you seem to want with me, don’t bother putting us through this. I don’t want to put forth an effort on someone who’s going to forget about us as soon he’s out of range. I want our children to know their grandparents, but if you neglect them like you did Drake and me, I’ll make sure you never see them. They’ll already have one set of wonderful grandparents in Gardiner, and they won’t miss you. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“I do, and I don’t blame you one bit. I deserve everything you throw at me and I understand that I’ve got a lot to live up to next to your new in-laws. They must be wonderful people to have raised a son like Red.”
“Vivi and Mr. Pete are wonderful. They’re like the parents I never had.”
She couldn’t help but smile when Red muttered a low burn comment from behind her.
Daniel groaned. “I know I deserved that, both your mother and I do, but it’s still difficult to hear it. So, can we meet somewhere to talk in person?” He suddenly sounded much older and completely exhausted.
Tiffany pulled away and paced the floor for several moments thinking about his request. Finally she spoke. “You can come over on Sunday.”
“Sunday is fine. I could take you both to lunch.”
“You can come as early as you want but be here no later than ten a.m. We’ll cook and eat here. The Saints will play at noon so you’re welcomed to stay and watch the game with us.”
“I’m an early riser, so I can leave here by six thirty and be there by nine. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine. Do you need the address?”
“I’ve got it. Thank you, Tiffany, I won’t disappoint you.”
“If you do, you won’t get another chance from me.” Her voice cracked slightly with emotion.
“I won’t—I promise.”
“We’ll see, Dad.” She ended the call and stood staring out the window into the darkness. She watched in the reflection of the window as her husband walked up behind her, felt his arms slip around her waist.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Did he tell you he wasn’t aware he hadn’t paid for my tuition?”
“That’s what he said. Apparently your parents haven’t communicated with each other for some time. Who was it that said if you didn’t go to law school, he wouldn’t pay?”
Unfortunately, Tiffany could recall the conversation, nearly word for word. God knows she’d replayed it enough times in her mind, holding down sometimes two jobs during college. “Mother told me. I never discussed anything with my father.” She turned to face him. “What else do you know about my father that I don’t?” she asked, still perturbed at him for going against her wishes.
He backed off, placing raising his hands as a barrier between them. “I’m not going to tell you a damn thing if you’re going to use it against me for the next fifty years.”
She took a step closer and poked her index finger into his chest several times to emphasize the severe repercussions of his actions. “If you don’t tell me now, McAllister, there won’t be a next fifty years.”
<><><>
Tiffany sat across from her husband, still shocked at all he’d revealed to her. “So my father is the one responsible for hiring Melinda?”
“Yes, he and your paternal grandmother—and he dared your mother to fire her. He said she hated Melinda because of it.”
“I knew she hated Melin, but mother hates everyone.”
Red reached out to her but pulled his hands back when she put her hand up to stop him. “I have a feeling there’s a lot you never knew,” he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.
“Yeah, well whose fault is that? I don’t trust him to do the right thing. He might start off okay, but I doubt he’s got the stamina for the long haul.”
“That may be, Doc, but you’ll never know unless you give him a chance.”
“Maybe,” she said, watching him crack his knuckles nervously. “And you…Do you have any idea how I feel about you going behind my back to set this up?”
He wiped his mouth and sat back in his chair, looking dejected. “I do now, but I swear I was only trying to help the situation.”
“You interfered, and you kept something from me, Red. I can’t have that.”
He nodded. “I know that now, and I can promise you it won’t happen again. You’re right, I should have run it by you first.”
She twisted her lips and squinted in concentration. What was she supposed to do now? She’d never heard Tanner admit he was wrong in the five years they’d dated, and longer than that, if she counted their childhood squabbles.
“Doc…Forgive me…Please?” he asked, pulling her gently to him.
She saw sincerity in his eyes, knew he meant it…for now, anyway. Was there a chance he was a man who actually learned from his mistakes, or would he eventually revert to a Tanner? Her heart told her to let it go, that he was nothing like Tanner. But her mind…ah…her mind told her otherwise. She pulled out of his arms, determined to show him she wasn’t a pushover for his blue eyes, soft words, and hard body. “Don’t let it happen again, McAllister,” she said, turning away from him. “I’m going to the room to call Drake.”
“Hey,” he said, grabbing one of her hands. “It won’t, but I want you to know how proud I was of you for standing up to your father like that.”
She paused, turning her head slightly toward him. “Tell me the truth, Red. Did I sound too bitchy with him?”
“You sounded like you wouldn’t put up with any crap from him, and you shouldn’t have to.” He whistled and rubbed one side of his face. “Hell, I could even feel the sting of that slap again. I think he was very smart calling you first.”
“I’m sure you had something to do with that.”
He squeezed her hand tightly. “Maybe—But I sure as hell am proud of you, Doc.”
<><><>
Tiffany threw herself on the massive bed and punched in the code for her brother’s mobile.
“Hey Tiff,” Drake answered.
“Hey little brother. Dad is coming here Sunday to talk. I wondered if you wanted to come too.”
“Aw, hell no. I’ve already had that talk with him, it’s your turn.”
“When?”
“This morning. It seems my new brother-in-law paid him a visit. After he left, dad came into my office and got all sentimental on me. He apologized for not being there for us then asked me if it was true about your coll
ege tuition. It blows my mind that he didn’t know about it. He asked if there was anything else that he needed to know before calling mother. He also asked if I thought you would be receptive to reconciliation.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That it was up to you. He asked mother for a divorce.”
“He did?”
“Yes, he told her he’d hurt enough people because of her and it was time he started living his life the way he should have been all these years.”
“He told you this?”
“No, she did. She called me to ask if I’d represent her.”
Tiffany’s jaw dropped in surprise. “You’re joking, right?”
Drake chuckled. “I wish I were.”
“What did you say?”
“Hell no! I’m not getting caught in the middle of that shit storm.”
“Good for you,” she snorted.
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t, but she doesn’t need to know that. Tiff, did you know that dad’s had the same mistress for twenty-eight years?”
“Really? Mother always implied he had a bevy of lovers.”
“No, that was more her style than his all these years, it turns out. He’s been with Leah Hanson forever. He bought a nice home for the two of them out in the country. She breaks horses and trains them. They keep a few for themselves out there. It’s a nice little set up.”
“Have you met her?”
“Several times over the years, but I don’t know if she knew who I was. She’s nice, but always seems a little sad.”
“Did they have any children together?”
“No, I don’t think she could. I think he wants to marry her. I don’t know how he could stand being married to mother knowing how happy he was with Leah all those years.”
“Everything revolved around money, Drake. He didn’t want to lose his precious business.”
“Well, Sis, he started with nothing.”
“So did I. I would have given it all up for Red if it stood in the way of us being together.”
“And he knows he’s got a job ahead of him when it comes to you. Were you rough on him?”