Sex, Lies & Sweet Tea Page 19

  “And then back to his place?”

  “I doubt it,” I said quietly.

  “Why?”

  “Yesterday ended a little weird. We had a great day playing at Lone Oak around the pool. It was so cute, Mimi, he called Dax, Chief. We swam and had lunch. Dax took a nap in the shade and then Mac took him for a pony ride when he woke up.”

  “And?”

  “And then he took us home before dinner and he gave me a kiss on the cheek goodbye because Dax wouldn’t leave my side. I told Dax that Mac and I were just friends.”

  Mimi let out a heavy sigh. I could tell she was horrifically tired, and I was filling her day with gibberish.

  “I don’t need to be bothering you with the trivial stuff,” I apologized. “You’ve given me more advice than I deserve, Mimi.”

  “Than you deserve? Honey, I’m just giving you my opinion. You have to do what your heart feels. Not what others tell you. Follow your heart and you’ll never do anything for the wrong reasons.” Mimi looked me square in the eye. “Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Now,” she said, changing the subject. “Have you met my new hot doctor?”

  “Who is your new doctor?”

  “Dr. Kingston Giles. Sam, he’s like a soap opera doctor, only he really knows what he’s doing I suppose.”

  I started to laugh.

  “Seriously. This man is beautiful—black wavy hair, blue eyes—he really is tall, dark and handsome. Comes from a good family too. Just listening to his voice when he chats with me? Mmm, mmm, mmm. It’s so good, I almost need a cigarette after he leaves and I haven’t smoked since 1962.”

  “Mimi, I can always count on you for a smile.”

  “Honey, this man will make you smile.”

  “Mimi, I’m sure King Giles has made many women smile,” I said, raising a single eyebrow.

  “Ooooo, Sam,” she giggled. “I like what you’re thinking.”

  19

  MAC

  The last three days knocked around in my head all night, robbing me of sleep and my peace of mind. I missed my alarm and woke up in a panic. Instead of giving much needed attention to Case 56621, I was giving my attention to Sam and Dax.

  Friday and Saturday night were like nothing I’d ever known. I could fully be myself when I was with Sam. It felt familiar, like something I knew, but was missing. Yesterday, Sam and Dax made Lone Oak feel like home for the first time in a long time. I was falling in love with both of them, but I worried they may not have the ability to love me in return. I wanted to see her, but I didn’t want to seem needy. I was suddenly a grown man falling all over himself for a woman. What had become of me? I was Mac fucking Callahan. I didn’t dictate my life around anything but me, so why did I feel lost today without her?

  I was jonesing to call her, to text her. I picked up my phone and typed out:

  I know you don’t need a man, but I want to be the man you need.

  I couldn’t find the courage to send it. I was a pushover when it came to Sam—a wuss. Instead, I called the other woman who controlled me.

  “Hello.”

  “Yo, Micah. What’s shaking?

  “Did you get my voicemail on Friday night?”

  “I did. It was very helpful. Thank you.”

  “Intel is coming up with some pretty interesting information on our anonymous tips.”

  “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “We’ve traced the emails back to the originating IP address. They’re coming from inside Autumn Valley.”

  “Interesting. Someone’s a tattletale.”

  “It would seem so. I’ve got the background checks on the accounting department. Everyone is clean.”

  “Those bastards are too afraid of an audit not to keep their noses clean.”

  “What about the last couple of years’ tax returns? Have you emailed those over to me?”

  “Yes. No red flags as far as we can tell. What’s your next move?” Micah asked, lowering her voice. “Cause I’ve gotta tell you, Dan is getting a little bitchy around here.”

  “I’ll deal with Dan. Besides, I think I may take some vacation time after this case is wrapped and the paperwork’s completed—with the help of my amazing, ball-busting assistant, of course.”

  “Awww,” Micah sang with sarcasm, “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

  I laughed hard and it felt good to release some of the tension in my body.

  “Where are you going this time?” she asked.

  “I was thinking about just staying here for an extra week or two.”

  “You wanna spend your vacation time in Alabama?”

  “Yes.”

  “Holy shit. What’s her name?”

  “You know I don’t kiss and tell, Micah.”

  “C’mon, Mac,” she prodded. “This is me you’re talking to.”

  “Yeah, I know, but it’s different this time.”

  She groaned. “What the fuck? You’re in love.”

  “Why would you say that?” I asked, taken aback.

  “That’s what’s going on with you. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but now that I’ve heard your voice—”

  “What?”

  “You’ve fallen head over heels, balls out, one hundred percent totally in love.”

  I fell silent.

  “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m wrong, and I owe you a case of import when you get back to D.C. Say it. Say I’m wrong.”

  “Fine,” I agreed, giving in. “I might be.”

  “I knew it. What’s she like?”

  “Micah, I didn’t call to discuss my private life today,” I said, changing the subject. “I just need to wade through this investigation and close the case.”

  “I wanna meet her.”

  “If—and that’s a huge if—it ever works out, you may meet her.”

  “Why wouldn’t it work out? You’re Mac Callahan. The ladies stand in line for you.”

  “Micah.” I stalled on my next words. “She has a son.”

  “She’s a MILF?” Micah gasped. “Holy hell, Mac. I didn’t think you had it in you to care about a divorced single mother.”

  “She’s not divorced, Micah.”

  “She’s still married?”

  “She’s a widow.”

  There was silence on the other end for what seemed an eternity, and then she said the two words that could bring me to my knees. “Samantha Peterson.”

  “Yeah, well, I need to go. I want to look through the records at the IP address,” I said, clearing my throat and trying not to make a big deal.

  “Is she helping you with the investigation?”

  “She doesn’t know I’m here to investigate anything.”

  “If she’s clean, she could be a real help since she’s on the inside. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of that already, because I know you have.”

  “I’d like to keep her out of it.”

  “You use what you can in the field to get the job done. You’re the one who told me that.”

  “I’m well aware of my own tactics, Micah.”

  “Call me if you need anything else,” she said, knowing if she made another comment she might end up crossing the line with me. “Yak atcha later.”

  “Only if you’re lucky.”

  I hung up and glanced through the files once more. It was getting close to lunch, and I decided to go to Autumn Valley for an impromptu visit with James Miller. It was time for a shakedown.

  Feeling more like the old worthless Mac, I picked up the keys to the Range Rover. With a few notes in hand, I walked to the car and opened the back door to discard my suit jacket. There it was, a small Matchbox car belonging to Dax Peterson. I picked it up and examined it with care. He must have dropped it when I was getting him out of the car seat yesterday. I placed it in the front seat with me. Now I had an excuse to see Sam before tonight.

  I roared into Autumn Valley. Parking the car, I grabbed my suit coat from behind me and placed the tiny car in my front
pocket. Since it was lunchtime I’d check on Mom first, not wanting to tip off Miller. I followed the D wing signs hoping to run into Sam, but as I made the turn to Mom’s room, I knew I wouldn’t get the chance.

  I knocked on the open door and could see her sitting by the window, staring out into the gardens that surrounded the place. “Hello, Momma,” I said, hoping to get a response.

  “Hello,” she said with a sweet smile.

  She was dressed in a linen blouse with a red sweater carefully wrapped around her shoulders. Her classic pearls were around her neck, and as I took her hand to give it a kiss, I noticed she wore her emerald. “How are you today? You look so pretty in your red sweater.”

  “I’m fine, darlin’, how are you?” she chimed with the sweetness a lady can only acquire after years of knowing a wonderful life. “I was just watching the hummingbirds outside my window. Would you like to see?”

  “Yes,” I agreed, joining her, elated she was having a good day.

  “See?” Mom gestured to the bird feeder filled with bright red liquid. “They come in the afternoon for a snack.”

  “That’s wonderful.” I was happy she was finding joy in something so small.

  “There is one rather large one that sits on the top of the feeder. I think he’s a little greedy,” she giggled.

  “Is he keeping all the other birds away?”

  “I think he’s only keeping the other male birds away. He’s a charmer, that one.”

  “So the females are still coming to feed?”

  “Oh, you know,” she said, glancing at me. “You can’t stop a girl from getting what she wants. We always find a way. We’re tenacious.”

  “Yes, you are,” I agreed with her. “The lovelier you are, the more tenacious you seem to be.”

  She laughed out loud, placing her fragile hand over her mouth as she giggled. “You know, I know someone who is just like that hummingbird—the girls flocking to him, and all the other suitors keeping their distance.”

  “You do?” I asked. “Who might that be?”

  “My son.”

  I took a step back in shock.

  “The girls always loved my son,” she beamed. “So smart, so handsome—just like his father. He’s an attorney.”

  She doesn’t know who I am. “Momma,” I could barely squeeze the word from my dry mouth.

  “My boy is so handsome and smart and—”

  “Momma, I am Mac. I’m your son,” I said, interrupting her for the first time in my life.

  She gave me a confused look and closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head quickly as if she were trying to rid herself of her own thoughts.

  “Mom, do you know who I am?” I asked, kneeling beside her chair.

  “Of course I do.” She turned to look out the window again.

  “Momma, you’re telling me about myself.”

  “I just get confused sometimes.” She whispered the words as her body and mind seemed to shrink in the chair.

  “It’s okay,” I said consoling her. “I’m just glad you know who I am, that’s all.”

  “Yes.”

  We sat in silence for a few moments and I tried to regain my composure—I felt like maybe she was too. I knew in my heart my mom was somewhere inside the woman sitting across from me. I continued to stroke her hand and smile, willing her back. Finally, she spoke. “Do you know my son?”

  My heart sank, and I felt tears well in my eyes for the first time since I buried my dad. I swallowed hard and kissed her hand. “Yes, I know him very well.”

  I couldn’t leave her. I felt wildly compelled to be at her side. She was much worse than I ever thought. The good days were a masquerade of what was really going on in her mind. She was leaving me and I clung to her momentary lucid moments as if they were brilliant. I felt like I was watching her die from the inside out. Physically she was strong. Mentally she was letting go like a worn-out rope—slowly unraveling. I hung my head and prayed that wherever she was in her mind, she wasn’t afraid.

  “Good afternoon.”

  I looked up to find Marilyn Peterson pushing her walker through the door. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Peterson,” I replied, scrambling to my feet. “It’s nice to see you. Let me help you.”

  I took her arm as she carefully maneuvered her walker to the armchair in the sitting room.

  “How is my friend?” Mimi asked, slowly taking a seat.

  “Not too well today,” I confessed, unable to mask the sadness in my face.

  “We all have our days, don’t we, Nancy?” She asked the question in a booming voice, trying to catch Momma’s attention. “I don’t want to disturb your visit.”

  “You aren’t,” I said, taking the seat next to Mimi. “I was just hoping I would have a few more clear moments with her.”

  “It’s a funny thing, growing older. If you think about it, all of our beginnings and endings are pretty similar. In the beginning, some babies crawl first and then talk, some talk and haven’t even begun to sit up, let alone crawl. It’s the same with getting old, son. For some of us, our bodies go first, leaving our minds. And for others,” Mimi continued, taking Momma’s hand. “It’s the mind that leaves the perfectly able body.”

  I nodded, knowing if I tried to speak, I’d embarrass myself by breaking down.

  “You shouldn’t worry about your momma,” Mimi said with a smile. “We live a very comfortable life here. It’s really more than any of us could hope for at this stage of the game. We have constant care, we don’t want for anything, the people who love us are still around us, but we don’t have to burden them with our aging bodies. And most of all,” she said, making sure she had my attention. “We’ve lived full, wonderful lives.”

  “Thank you, Miss Mimi. That means a lot. I worry that she wouldn’t like the life she has now, if she were really aware of it.”

  “Listen, son, the best thing about being a good person is that even if you can’t remember who or how wonderful you are—everyone else does. We all come into and out of this world the exact same way. It’s what’s in between that matters.”

  I nodded again, holding in the flood of emotion twisting my gut and wringing me out like an old rag.

  “I know your mother feels like she’s had a full life. She loves you very much. She’s very proud of you. And your father—well, I think we know how much she cared about him.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I agreed, clearing my throat and looking away. “Even though she’d been diagnosed, I never really saw her true symptoms until my dad passed away.”

  “Honey, when you’re our age and your true love is gone, you wait out the days until you can be with them again.”

  I nodded, not knowing what to say.

  “Can you blame us?” she asked, smiling at me.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “I’ll sit with her a while. Why don’t you go on now, and the ladies will have a visit.”

  “Thank you, Miss Mimi,” I said, rising from the chair, grateful for her blessing to leave.

  “It was lovely to see you again, Mac.”

  “Yes, ma’am. It was nice to see you too.” I gave Mom a kiss on the forehead and turned to shake Mimi’s hand.

  “Mac? When you see Sam, will you let her know I’m feeling much better? She worries about me.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m seeing her tonight.”

  “I know, dear,” she said, turning her attention back to Momma.

  I left the room, slowly walking down the hallway, thinking about everything Mimi had said. In many ways I felt like I’d just been told to get my shit together—albeit very nicely.

  I remembered Momma’s advice to me: focus on being the right man, and you’ll find the right girl. I’d found the right girl, but I still didn’t know if I was the right man. I stopped at the bathroom to wash my hands and face. Was I, as Mimi put it, living a full and wonderful life? I stared into the mirror as I dried my hands, knowing the answer. It was time to get it together.

  *

  Walking into th
e administration office to have an impromptu chat with Miller, I was met by Stacy Little. “Good afternoon, Mr. Callahan,” she squealed.

  “Good afternoon.”

  “What can I do for you today?” she asked, walking around her tall desk.

  “I wanted to chat with Mr. Miller if that would be possible.”

  “Oooo, I don’t know if I can make that happen. He’s been in meetings all day, and Samantha Peterson has been taking up huge amounts of his time with questions, really putting us all behind.”

  I couldn’t contain my smile at the thought of Sam driving this little woman crazy.

  “Do you know Samantha?” asked Stacy, realizing she may have spoken out of school.

  “I do.”

  Stacy stood silent. “Well, you know,” she whispered, coming in closer, “I think she’s got a little something going on with Dr. Giles.”

  I shook my head and scoffed as if I didn’t care, but she just kept prattling on.

  “Well, I accidentally walked in on the two of them today in her office. And,” she suddenly lowered her voice again. “They were getting a little chummy if you know what I mean.”

  I didn’t say a word, but stared straight into Stacy Little’s face. What the hell? Sam and King?

  “So you’re saying I can’t see Mr. Miller today.”

  “Why don’t you leave your number and I’ll have him give you a call when he gets a chance,” Stacy replied, getting back to business.

  I ground the words out through my fake smile. “He has the number. Thank you for your time.”

  My head was spinning so fast I thought it might explode. Walking to the Range Rover, I tried to wrap my mind around what I’d just heard. Sam and King? Together? Sam wouldn’t be interested in King. He was too much of a player for her. Maybe I was too much of a player for her. Worse yet, maybe I was being played. Shit fuckin’ fire. So this was what it felt like.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. “Callahan,” I said.

  “It’s Dan. What the fuck’s going on down there? You’ve been off the radar for three days.”

  “Not off the radar Dan. I’m working the case the way it needs to be worked.”

  “Really? You wanna give me an update, cause I sure as hell haven’t received one.”