Good Woman Blues (14 page)

“Did it help?” Erikka looked at her in
surprise. Jaci had always been so sure of herself.

“Yes. Of course, trying to rule the world is
a hard habit to break,” Jaci said, with an impish grin. “I’m a work
in progress.”

“Girl, you were born more grown-up than I’ll
ever be.” Erikka shook her head.

“Give yourself credit, big sister. You’ve
accomplished a lot. I always admired you. I was just good at
keeping it a secret,” Jaci teased.

“You sure as hell were,” Erikka retorted. She
sat next to Jaci on the sofa.

“Did your dad call you when you were in the
hospital or since?” Jaci asked, her voice gentle, as though
touching a wound.

“That sperm donor is not worthy of being
referred to as a dad,” Erikka replied with a grimace. “Did that
answer the question?”

“Yeah,” Jaci said softly. After a few moments
she hopped up from the cushions and stood with both hands on her
hips. “Let’s brush off all this adult drama and have fun. I’ll make
the popcorn.”

Erikka stood and went to the bar. “Deal.
We’ve got soda in the fridge in here. There is a big plastic tub of
my gourmet Chex mix, too.”

“I don’t want to watch some icky sci-fi
thing,” Jaci said quickly.

“You loved the first Matrix movie,” Erikka
tossed back.

“I loved watching Laurence Fishburne. I’m so
over that crush. Let’s watch Brown Sugar. Taye Diggs is supafine.
I’m never going to get over him.” Jaci gave an exaggerated sigh of
delight.

“Poor Ben. He doesn’t stand a chance.” Erikka
laughed.

“I know reality from fantasy, dearie. How’s
Vaughn by the way?” Jaci rummaged in a cabinet behind the bar and
found a package. She tore open the plastic cover as she spoke.

“Please, I thought we weren’t going to
discuss no-show men who can’t be counted on. Not that I miss him
either.”

Erikka got out a tray. She placed two glasses
and small bowls on it.

“The dog,” Jaci said. “Good riddance
then.”

“We weren’t that tight anyway. Really,”
Erikka added, when Jaci gave her an appraising examination.

“You’re telling the truth.” Jaci put the bag
of kernels in and punched the timer on a small microwave.

“Uh-huh.” Erikka took the tray to the
cocktail table.

“With all you’ve got goin’ on you will find a
replacement. Once you move back home I mean. One thing about it,
you won’t find anybody in Loreauville,” Jaci said with a laugh as
she took out a large bowl for the popcorn and napkins.

Erikka pointed the remote and turned on the
DVD player. She thought of a man with soulful eyes and a troubled
past. “Maybe, but you just never know.”

Chapter 8

On Thursday, Erikka drove down the two- lane
highway looking for the landmarks Gabriel had given her. She
steered with one hand and held the sheet of paper with directions
in the other. “A Chevron self-service station on the left, turn
right. Go eight miles. Geez, I’m gonna end up in the swamp at this
rate.”

A large sign advertising swamp tours that
guaranteed alligator sightings seemed to confirm her suspicion.
Erikka cursed for the tenth time. Give her a complicated city map,
and she was fine. Driving out in the middle of nowhere unnerved
her. Cattle and a few horses grazed on the bright green grass of a
high levee to her left. On her right only a few hundred yards of
shrubs and trees separated the road from a winding bayou. A large
snowy egret poised on the bank as though waiting for a nature
photographer. Seconds later its huge white wings spread out, and it
took flight. Erikka watched in awe as it soared on invisible air
currents. The scene did have a pastoral beauty that she had to
admire. No wonder Gabriel loved working in such a setting. She
imagined his broad chest beneath a sleeveless T-shirt, brown skin
glistening with sweat. An interesting character, she mused.

After another few miles Erikka started to
wonder if she’d taken a wrong turn somehow. She sighed with relief
when she saw the cypress sign with Gabriel’s name carved into it.
Erikka turned into the driveway. Another sign pointed the way to
his workshop. Gabriel appeared in the doorway moments after she
drove up.

“Hi. Were my directions okay?” He strode to
the car and opened the door for her.

“Hello. Your directions were fine. When you
said out in the country you meant it.” Erikka grabbed her portfolio
from the passenger seat and got out. She locked the car, and then
followed him.

“I like the peace and quiet. I made coffee,”
he said over his shoulder.

“Bless you,” Erikka replied, with sincere
gratitude.

His baritone laugh rippled toward her like a
piece of gold satin ribbon and wrapped around her. Her jangled
nerves settled. When she stepped across the threshold into his
workshop Erikka gasped. A sculpture of wood at least six feet tall
reached up. The curves suggested the sensuous shape of a woman
though the piece was an abstract. Unable to resist, Erikka touched
it. She almost expected the polished dark surface to be warm as
flesh. Her expression must have mirrored her admiration.

“Thanks,” Gabriel said, without a hint of
conceit. “How do you take your coffee?”

“Black. You didn’t mention that you’re an
artist.” Erikka dropped her portfolio without noticing where it
fell. She walked around the sculpture twice.

“Don’t really consider it art. Just working
out my thoughts,” he said casually. “What I mostly do is
furniture.”

“I can’t imagine you haven’t had offers,”
Erikka said.

“A few. It’s not for sale though. I don’t
bring many people to my workshop.” Gabriel’s tone suggested he
valued privacy.

Erikka indeed felt privileged. She wanted to
question why he had invited her but decided against it. She looked
around when she could finally take her eyes from the stunning
sculpture. Smaller figures graced one comer as in a small exclusive
art gallery. Prints of bayou scenes hung on the wall as a kind of
backdrop. Gabriel walked over with two mugs and handed Erikka one.
His art emanated a passion that suggested heated embraces and
whispered intimacies. In a flash she sensed he’d been in love when
he carved them. In fact, the corner had a distinctly feminine touch
to it. Had he and his lover created this space just for them? If
so, Erikka could understand his reluctance to admit just
anyone.

“They’re superb.”

Erikka turned to him. His brown eyes gazed at
her. She looked away, feeling somehow exposed. The man was taken,
probably by a woman with smooth, perfect skin. They might as well
have met in the local library. She’d thought of the drive out to
see him in a ridiculous romantic way. Now all she had was a
half-empty gas tank and egg dripping from her face. She found her
portfolio on a small table.

“Let’s go in here.”

Gabriel led her through a door to a neat
office. A computer was on a desk. A fax machine sat on a table
along one wall. A window had a view of the water in the distance.
The round table in front of it had four chairs. He gestured to one
and sat down after she did.

“Basically, I need to get set up. I started
doing the books myself with the accounting software you
recommended. But I could use a little guidance.”

“If you’re not doing a lot of complicated
transactions, you might do fine. First, let’s discuss terms.”
Erikka gave him a list of her fees, including the first
consultation. An hour later she had a good idea of what would get
him on track. They eventually sat side by side at the computer desk
looking at the screen.

“Whew.” Gabriel rocked back in his chair. “I
can enter the figures, but I should use a professional.”

“I agree. Your sales have increased by 18
percent in the past year alone. Unless you like spending time doing
the books. Some business owners prefer it, at least until they get
really big.” Erikka scrolled through the spreadsheets of the
software program.

“No way. I like working with my hands, but
not tapping a keyboard for hours,” Gabriel replied.

Erikka glanced down at the long, tapered
fingers of his large hands. A sterling silver band with leaves
etched into it was on the ring finger of his right hand. She
briefly thought of the woman who must have inspired the sculpture
and felt flushed. Better get back to business. Discussing balance
sheets and dry numbers would no doubt help. Having Gabriel leave
for a while would definitely get her mind out of his bedroom.

“Right. Well, I can set up basic functions
here so you can track expenses and income. Then a set of statements
will be automatically generated. If you like I can do it now.
Should take me about two hours.”

“If you have time,” he said.

“I have plenty of time,” Erikka replied,
thinking of her stalled career.

“Great. I’ll make sure the coffee is fresh.”
Gabriel left the office and gently closed the door as though afraid
of disturbing her.

Erikka did not allow herself time to think of
him. Instead, she got to work. Two hours later she had the forms
set up. She spent another hour and a half walking him through the
menu. Gabriel caught on after getting comfortable with the
computer. Once Erikka showed him how he could save time, Gabriel
became enthusiastic.

“I’m beginning to realize why people love
computers.” Gabriel seemed proud as he looked at an income
statement he’d created with only a few prompts from Erikka.

“Less time on the books, more time in the
studio,” she replied, with a smile.

“Which explains why you have so much of it on
your hands,” he said. His long fingers tapped the keys.

“Excuse me?”

“Time, you mentioned having plenty of time.
With your skills, I’d think you would be busy all day with
clients.” Gabriel glanced at her briefly, and then looked at the
spreadsheet again.

“Not much to do way out in the country. Now
back in New Orleans—No, that icon computes the percentage formula.”
She pointed to the icon on the toolbar.

“Thanks. So, you moved from New Orleans. You
like small-town life, I suppose.” Gabriel tapped in figures on
projected expenses.

“Hardly. Now go to the next screen. Here, let
me show you.” Erikka moved the mouse around until the page was
complete.

“Great. Then why did you move to
Loreauville?” Gabriel said.

“Needed a break. I’m staying with my aunt for
a while. Eventually I plan to move back to the city.” Erikka nodded
toward the computer. “Any questions?”

“No, you pretty much answered them all.
You’re a great teacher.”

“Well, the software is pretty
straightforward. It tells you what to do. Just don’t freak out.
We’ve saved your important data. You can’t destroy anything.”
Erikka stood.

“Oh yeah? You don’t know how little
experience I have using a computer.” Gabriel looked at the desktop
warily.

“Relax. Just remember what I told you. Even
if you hit ‘delete’ the program will ask if you’re sure before the
action is completed. You can call me, and I’ll come to the rescue,”
Erikka said, as she sorted through the jumble of ledger sheets he’d
been using.

“You might regret that offer,” Gabriel joked.
He closed one screen and opened another, as though testing
him-self.

“You’ve done a good job of learning the
basics in a few minutes. I have faith in you,” Erikka said with a
smile.

“Don’t worry. I won’t call you after business
hours and interrupt your social schedule.” Gabriel glanced at
her.

“Such as it is in Loreauville. Come to think
of it, running spreadsheets might add more excitement than I’ve had
in weeks.” Erikka used a set of folders on his desk to organize a
few essential files. “Here, put these in a drawer and label them by
year. That way you can easily find your old hard copies.”

“You’re very efficient. Where do I sign?”
Gabriel took the folders from her and went to a metal file cabinet
in a comer.

“I really don’t think you need the expense of
an accountant. A bookkeeper could file the sales and income tax
forms for you. It would be cheaper.” Erikka began arranging more
files.

“I want more.”

Erikka’s heart skipped. When Gabriel dropped
the folder into a drawer and turned, his expression was blank.
Obviously abstinence had given her an overactive imagination and
libido, she mused. Erikka took a deep breath to get both in
check.

“I’m not going to turn down business if you
insist,” she said, hoping her voice was cool.

“If I hire an employee or two, then we’re
talking payroll deductions. If they’re full-time, there’s workmen’s
compensation.” Gabriel ticked off the points on the fingers of one
hand as he spoke.

“Don’t forget accident and liability
insurance. Carpenters hit their thumbs and drop blocks on their
feet, stuff like that,” Erikka added with a nod.

“I’m hoping to hire folks with a bit more
dexterity,” Gabriel said, and laughed.

“Careful interviewing and references would be
in order,” Erikka replied, with a grin.

“But you’re right. Even the most careful or
skilled workers can get hurt.” Gabriel rubbed his jaw. “I have a
lot of planning to do. See why I need you? Your professional
services I mean.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Erikka managed to maintain her all-business
mode. She felt grateful her pulse, heart, and other excitable body
parts didn’t kick in to supply some other interpretation. They
wrapped up the meeting with an agreement on her services. Gabriel
showed her more of his furniture to give Erikka an idea about his
business. He touched each piece with a kind of Zen-like reverence
for the wood. His voice grew soft as he described his work method.
Erikka found herself asking only a few questions, and those in a
hushed tone. A gentle breeze came through the open window. Gabriel
stood in a slant of sunshine for a moment. She noticed the
reddish-brown tinge of the hair on his bare forearms as he pointed
to a chair. All they needed was the sound of a water fountain and
New Age music. The workshop seemed to be an oasis of tranquility.
Then Erikka’s cell phone rang.