Finding Isadora (21 page)

“
We’re splitting the duties,” Grace said. “The various organizations that support people with disabilities will put the word out and identify potential plaintiffs. Gabriel’s working out a list of questions, and volunteers like Jimmy Lee and I will contact the prospective plaintiffs. We’ll compile all the information then pass it along to Gabriel. He’ll interview our short list, finalize the list of plaintiffs, do the legal research, file the statement of claim, and so on. He and the disability organizations will work together on media releases, YouTube videos, and so on.”

“
Sounds like you did some good work last night.”

“
Yeah,” my dad said. “Fueled by Grace’s chili.”

Gabriel had provided the apartment, and Grace the meal. Almost as if they were a couple.

I studied my parents, who were leaning shoulder to shoulder watching Alyssa. They looked to be in perfect harmony. It wasn’t my business whether Grace and Gabriel got involved. If it didn’t bother Jimmy Lee, why let it bother me?

Deliberately
, I turned my thoughts in another direction. “What do you think about Alyssa helping out at the clinic after school now and then? There’s a high school girl who comes in to feed the animals, clean the cages, and do some other chores. Britt’s a sweet kid, a real animal lover. It would be fun for her as well as Alyssa.”

My mother reached out to hug me.
“Sounds wonderful, hon. I can bring her over … let’s see, probably on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don’t have any tutoring clients those afternoons. Does that work for you?”

“
Sure. I’m guessing you still haven’t told Gabriel about her?”

My parents didn
’t answer—and that was, of course, their answer. I hated being part of this conspiracy to keep Jimmy Lee’s lawyer from knowing what his client was up to. “You could be shooting yourself in the foot, Jimmy Lee.”

“
Hell, Izzie, look at the girl. Can’t have her going into the system.”

I looked, my heart gave a mushy throb, and I shook my head.
“No. But Gabriel might come up with a better alternative.”

Jimmy Lee shook his head.
“I know the alternatives. They aren’t good.”

I gave a sigh of resignation and hugged him.
“I love you, you stubborn man.”

He hugged back.
“Love you too, baby.”

Just after I got home, I got a call from Caroline Winston. She sounded sincerely concerned for her son
’s welfare and I did my best to assure her Richard’s intentions were honorable.

“
Eric’s father walked out on us,” Caroline said softly. “It shattered him. What happens if he gets too attached to Richard and Richard doesn’t stick around?”

“
I hear you, but…” I nibbled my lip. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Richard felt a bit, uh, neglected by his own father and—”

“
Yeah, he mentioned that.”

Oh. Richard really had been sharing confidences with this woman. Absurd to feel a twinge of jealousy. Quickly, I said,
“Then you can appreciate that he wouldn’t do that to your son.”

“
That’s what he said. It’s good to hear it from someone else, too. He seems like a really nice guy. I’ve talked to his parents—well, his mom and stepdad—and they say he’s, like, totally responsible.” The woman paused. “You’re his fiancée?”

“
Yes.”

“
Uh, can I ask how you feel about this? It’d mean him spending less time with you. Then, after you get married, you’ll probably have kids of your own and, well…”

“
You’re wondering if I’m the possessive type who’d try to stop him from seeing Eric? No, that won’t happen. I’d like to meet Eric myself, and maybe we can all do things together from time to time. No, Caroline, this is important to Richard. I support him totally.”

“
Thanks.” She gave a small laugh. “You’re nicer than I’d be if Richard was my guy.”

What did she mean by that?

“Well,” she went on, “I appreciate your being so open and generous. I’ll think this over, talk to Eric.”

I hung up, grateful I would never be in Caroline
’s position. When Richard and I married, it would be forever. It was so important to pick the right man, one you loved and trusted completely.

I felt a twinge at the thought of trust. Richard trusted me too, and of course I deserved that trust. No human being could avoid having a few lustful feelings for people other than our partners. The critical thing was to not act on them.

It didn’t surprise me when Richard phoned late in the afternoon and said they were still working on the merger, and were having pizza delivered to the office. I told him about my conversation with Caroline. “I think it’s looking good, sweetheart.”

“
That’s great. Now if only things go smoothly with Gabe.”

“
You haven’t had a chance to talk to him about the DNA test?”

“
And I won’t get it today. I’ll try to call him tomorrow.”

“
At the office?”

“
Sure, why not?”

Should I point out that the usually considerate Richard was being callous about hi
s father’s feelings? But then he didn’t believe Gabriel had much in the way of feelings when it came to his son. “Let me know how it goes.”

“
About dinner tomorrow…”

“
I’m afraid I’m working. Sorry.”

He sighed.
“It’s probably just as well. We have a big meeting with all the parties tomorrow morning—we’re getting everything ready tonight—and who knows what will come out of that? I’ll probably have to work, too. We really do have to find time to go apartment hunting. Maybe this weekend?”

“
Let’s plan on it.”

As we hung up, I envisioned Richard as a juggler, tossing balls in the air. And now he intended to add an Eric ball, so he
’d have to juggle even faster. Or maybe he’d reexamine his priorities. Maybe the partnership fast-track wouldn’t prove to be so important after all. For me, all I cared about was that he had a job he enjoyed, with a decent—and regular—pay check.

Having been given an unexpected free evening, I called Janice and asked if she
’d like to come over and cook dinner with me.

“
You’ve saved me,” she said dramatically. “I’m utterly fed up with my own company. What should I pick up on my way?”

“
I have some leftover pad thai and a bunch of vegetables that need to be used. What about a stir fry, over rice?”

“
Sounds good.”

“
Can you get some ginger? And I’m low on soy sauce. Shrimp, if they look good.” Janice wasn’t a vegetarian, but was always happy to respect my food choices. Just so long as I kept some caffeinated coffee beans in my freezer for her.

She arrived twenty minutes later,
petite and sleek in black leggings and a long pink top that brought rosy color to her cheeks. As we began chopping and slicing, she said, “How’s it going with Jimmy Lee?”

I brought her up to date, which took us all the way through dinner preparation. As we worked, Alice came and sat on the floor between us, shamelessly begging for shrimp. We tossed her a few, and I saved a handful for Peek-a-boo.

When Jan and I sat down at my small dinette table, she was chuckling over the way my parents had taken in Alyssa. “Your folks don’t give a damn about rules. I could never be like that, but I kind of admire them.”

“
I admire that they’re so committed to doing what they think is right. I just wish it didn’t get them in trouble so often.”

“
That’s definitely the down-side of breaking the rules.”

We shared other news, then she said,
“I’m going to miss this when you and Richard are living together.”

“
Oh, he’ll still be away a lot of the time. That’s the main reason we’re moving in together, so we’ll actually see each other once a day.”

“
Hmm. But Izzie, don’t you want more than that?”

“
Eventually. We have long-term goals in mind, so we don’t mind some sacrifices.”

“
You’re so practical. Me, I’d want more romance.”

The conversation was making me uncomfortable, so I changed the topic.
“Weren’t you and Martin having coffee yesterday?” He hadn’t been working today, so I hadn’t heard how it had gone.

“
Yup,” she mumbled, head down as she loaded her chopsticks.

“
And?”

She glanced up, her cheeks even pinker.
“He’s a nice guy and I think I can help him.”

“
That’s great! Thanks, Jan.”

“
Mmm.” She chewed, seeming to take a long time about it.

“
So,” I prompted, “you suggested some books for him to read, or what?”

“
Loaned him some of mine.”

“
Oh?” I processed the few things she’d said, plus the fact she was being uncharacteristically parsimonious with words. “He went over to your place?”

“
Sure. We couldn’t spend hours in a coffee shop.” She sounded almost defensive.

Hours?
“No, of course not.” I studied her closely while she busied herself eating, pretending she wasn’t aware of my scrutiny. Something odd was going on.

Finally, she looked up and glared at me.
“What?”

“
Jan, you’re not, uh, interested in Martin, are you?”

“
Of course not! He’s a kid.” She helped herself to more rice from the serving bowl, even though she still had a pile of it on her plate, then glared at me again. “Well, no, he’s not a kid. But he’s a lot younger than me. Anyhow, what if I were? You’re the one who’s always saying what a nice guy he is, and how much you respect him.”

“
That
certainly clarifies matters,” I teased. Well, how about that? Jan liked Martin. Did he feel the same way?

For a minute or two we ate in silence, then I said,
“Just to go on record here, I do think he’s a fine man. And normally I’d think a six year age difference is a bit much, but he’s way more mature than other guys his age. So, I’m just saying, if you ever did decide you’re interested, I wouldn’t think you were crazy.” But I couldn’t help wondering how she’d feel if she found out Martin had once turned tricks to finance his crack habit. Hopefully it wouldn’t matter, but Janice’s life had been more sheltered than mine and her parents were extremely conservative.

“
Hmm.” Another couple of minutes passed. “Does he date much?”

I held back a chuckle.
“He’s pretty busy with schoolwork, the vet clinic, and some volunteer work he does with First Nations kids. I’ve heard him talk about one or two young women, but it’s never sounded serious.” I also knew he’d spent a lot of time in therapy, trying to develop a healthy attitude toward sex and relationships.

“
Chinese and Cree.” She made a face. “My parents are still on my case to date nice Chinese boys. Guess there’s no way I could persuade them he was just a rather odd-looking Chinese guy?”

“
I think they’d figure it out,” I said dryly. “You’re saying you really are interested?”

She groaned and buried her face in her hands, her black hair waterfalling around her.
“No, yes, I don’t know. It’s too early to tell.” She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes in concentration. “But there’s this weird kind of … thing between us. At least it seems that way to me. Chemistry, or something. Even with Jeremy, although I was attracted to him, I didn’t feel that …
thing
. You know what I mean?”

Of course I did. It was the same
thing
I felt when I was with Gabriel. “You think he’s hot. And you think he feels that way about you?”

Another groan.
“How the hell would I know, Izzie? Remember me? I’m the one with the jammed radar.” She picked up her chopsticks and tapped them gently against the side of her plate. “Maybe you could find out for me?”

My turn to groan.
“I swear, when I suggested you tutor him, I had no idea it was going to get this complicated.”

She shrugged, then tossed me a mischievous grin.
“Ah, but life’s only interesting when it’s complicated.”

* * *

On Monday, I found it hard to concentrate on work, wondering if Richard had spoken to his father.

Late in the afternoon, Althea Fitzsimmons came in with Princess Anne. The woman was in black again, this time a pantsuit with a high-necked jacket. Her short gray hair was slicked back in the same mannish style she
’d worn at the fundraiser. In daylight, I noticed her eyes were large and jade-green, fringed with dark lashes. They were the most attractive thing about her.

The cat, on the other hand, was delightful
: a silver Persian with blue-green eyes and the gentle, friendly temperament that characterizes the breed.