Good Woman Blues (39 page)

“Damn,” Erikka whispered low. So much for the
comfort of darkness. “I saw Kelvin with a woman. They were having
lunch in Lafayette.”

Darlene blinked rapidly, and not because her
eyes were adjusting to the light. “When?”

“Not long before the money went missing.”
Erikka watched her closely, ready to dodge any flying objects.

Instead, Darlene smiled, waved a hand, and
stood. “Oh.”

“I hate to spoil your calm mood. I guess he
called finally.” Erikka started to be puzzled by her lack of
reaction.

“Yeah, begging me to take him back. The
bastard,” Darlene said with force. Then she seemed to collect
herself. “I dropped his sorry butt just in time.”

“You broke up with Kelvin?” Erikka gazed at
her in surprise.

“I was starting to think maybe I was wrong,
but not now. He never cared about me.” Darlene wiped a large tear
from her cheek and went inside without looking back.

Erikka heard the television a few moments
later. She gazed out into the night and watched headlights glow
brightly, and then fade, as cars went by. Erikka wanted to offer
Darlene words of comfort, but had none to give. The Rochon women
had some tough days ahead.

***

“So, Darlene almost took Kelvin back. I can
just hear him trying to explain. ‘Baby, it was just business.’”
Hope shook her head in pity. “That one is about as weak as ‘That
was my cousin’, or the ever-popular ‘Hey, it wasn’t me!”

“Or my ex’s favorite, ‘Look, who you gonna
believe anyway, them or me?’ ” Karin chimed in with a sour
expression.

“Haven’t we all swallowed some guy’s lame
explanation at one time or another?” Erikka retorted.

“Yeah.” Karin sat back against Erikka’s sofa
with a pensive frown.

“Hmmph, I said those lines a few times. Okay,
more than a few,” Hope added, when Erikka and Karin looked at
her.

“Then I got more good news. My stepfather
moved out again. Roz says she doesn’t care, and she’s moving on.”
Erikka shook her head.

Terri bounced out of her chair. She danced
from foot to foot like a female boxer. “Listen, I’m with Roz. Don’t
let any grass grow under your feet. Keep moving.”

“Girl, you in serious shit-ass trouble if she
shows up in court like that,” Hope burst out when the door banged
shut.

“She’s just busy. You know how it is.” Erikka
stared at the door. It swung open again, as though Terri had heard
them.

“Listen, y’all don’t worry. I’m telling you
there is nothing to worry about, okay? Keys, keys, keys. Ha, got
’em. On my way. I’ll have it together, walk in cool as can be in
the morning. Really, don’t give me that look.” Terri pointed a
finger at Erikka. Then she blew more kisses and left again.

Karin came in, holding a huge mug with steam
rising from it. “I made chill-out brew. Where is she?”

“Deposition, had to run, nothing for us to
worry about. She’s all over it,” Hope said in a rapid-fire singsong
mimicking Terri.

“Goodness. At least she’s not nasty or
violent when she gets all manic,” Karin said, with a shrug. She put
the mug down on the cocktail table.

“You should have brought her that stuff in a
supersized soup bowl.” Hope pointed to it.

“I’m going to get screwed, skewered, fired,
and tossed in jail.” Erikka squeezed her eyes shut.

***

The next morning Gabriel sat next to Erikka
in court. The Layton employees had filed suit against the company,
Erikka, and her employer. Terri had told Erikka she didn’t need to
come, but Erikka said waiting to hear the outcome would have been
worse. Her bosses had chosen not to show. He placed a hand on
Erikka’s knee until it stopped bouncing.

“Your attorney is optimistic, a good sign,”
Gabriel said.

“Yeah, but you haven’t met my attorney,” she
muttered. She nodded discreetly to the counsel tables.

He followed her gaze. Two white men, both
tall and rangy, sat to their left. “They look okay to me.”

Erikka rubbed her forehead as she gazed at
the tips of her shoes. “Please, Lord, get me through this,” she
whispered.

Gabriel kneaded her hands apart and held on
to one firmly. “Just breathe in and let it out a few times. I went
through the same thing once, you know.”

“Thanks,” Erikka said, just as the judge
entered and sat down. Without looking at Gabriel, she squeezed his
hand.

For twenty minutes the judge and lawyers went
through their paces, taking care of legal housekeeping. Twice the
judge cut Terri off as she spoke. Gabriel frowned. The woman seemed
wired on something. He glanced sideways at Erikka after tugging on
her hand. Erikka looked at him and shrugged.

“Your Honor, here is our motion to exclude my
client from this action.” Terri strode up to the court clerk and
handed her legal-sized papers as she spoke. Still walking back to
the counsel table, Terri ran through her arguments.

“She was assigned the work by the defendants.
Further, Ms. Rochon’s work was supervised and approved by a
partner.” Terri cited several statutes.

“No need to go at the speed of light, Ms.
Collins,” the judge broke in. “We want a quick trial, but not that
fast.”

“Sorry, Your Honor.”

Terri managed to slow down her speech, though
not by much. By the time she sat down, everyone in the courtroom
looked exhausted. The judge stared at Terri with a pensive frown,
and then glanced over the motion.

“I’ll take it under advisement, Ms. Collins.
Anything else?”

Ten minutes later, Erikka and Gabriel
followed Terri out. Erikka gripped his hand.

“We’ve got a good chance,” Terri said, and
gave Erikka a thumbs-up.

“Why do you think so?” Erikka desperately
wanted good news.

“Frankly, the other side probably knows you
don’t have much money. More than likely checked your credit
history. Lewis, Calder and Brinkhaus, however, is known to have
deep pockets. With three offices in the United States and one
abroad? Better believe they’re the real target.”

Terri spun around when a tall Black man
walked by. “Hey, Steve. Got a minute?”

“Uh, not really. Due in court.” He kept
walking as he tapped his wristwatch.

“We really need to talk about that Wilkins
insurance case. You don’t want to hear it first in front of the
judge.” Terri gave him a cocky grin.

The man doubled back. “What?”

Terri turned to Erikka again. “I’ve got this,
babe. You just relax with your man. This is Gabriel, right? Oops,
hope it is.”

Erikka gave her a look that bordered on being
murderous. “Of course. There is no one else.”

“Of course. My bad. Me, you, later,” Terri
said to Erikka, using her hand to mimic a telephone. Before Erikka
could reply, she was headed off with the Black attorney.

“Honey, please,” Gabriel said. He rubbed
Erikka’s hand. Her fingernails bit into his flesh.

“What? Oh, sorry.” Erikka let go but still
stared after Terri.

Gabriel led her through the crowds waiting in
the hallways and out of the courthouse. They retrieved her car from
a nearby parking garage. By the time they got to Erikka’s apartment
he’d caught her anxiety. Erikka took off her jacket. Next, off came
her dress pumps. She collapsed on the sofa as though she couldn’t
have stood another second.

“That hearing went well,” she retorted with a
deep scowl.

“Actually it’s a good sign that your lawyer
is so confident,” Gabriel said. He sat next to her and put an arm
around her. Erikka rested her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah, confident is one description.” Erikka
rubbed her eyes.

Gabriel forced her hands down. “You’ll just
make your eyes even more irritated. Stay here.”

“Where are you going?” Erikka seemed
reluctant to let him go for even a moment.

“Be right back.” Gabriel went to her bathroom
and wet a cloth with cool water. He took it back to her. “Put your
feet up.”

Erikka lay with her head in his lap. She
sighed when he put the folded washcloth on her eyes. “You’re worth
more than your weight in gold.”

He kneaded her shoulders for several minutes,
and then moved to her upper arms. His massage did as much to calm
his nerves as it did to help her relax.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel. I shouldn’t have pulled
you into this madness. But it made such a difference, having you
next to me.”

“Don’t apologize. I want to help you face
down bad times. I agree with your lawyer. You shouldn’t worry about
this lawsuit.” Gabriel used the tips of his fingers to gently
massage her temples.

“I hope you’re both right. Of course, Terri
didn’t let me in on one part of her strategy.” Erikka sighed again.
She relaxed a bit more from his attentions.

“Which part?” Gabriel switched to her scalp.
He felt her shoulders go slack. Her head tilted back as more
tension eased from her body.

“She sorta shifted all the blame onto my
bosses. I might not have a job after today. Bye-bye apartment,
hello Loreauville. Again.”

Gabriel heard the catch in her voice. “As if
that would be such a tragedy.”

“Right. I’m sure Darlene would just love
putting up with me again. She was a real sweetheart, but my
grandfather had an old saying; fish and houseguests stink after
three days.” Erikka sighed, but not with contentment. “Besides, I
want my own space.”

“I know, baby.”

He stroked her thick soft hair. Erikka’s
smooth brown skin shone like burnished copper. She tugged the hem
of her silk tank top out from the top of her skirt. Gabriel bent
down and kissed her forehead. His hands moved down her arms, again
working out the tension. For the first time she did not flinch when
he touched the raised scar down her left cheek. What he wanted most
was to share each sunrise and sunset with her. When he felt Erikka
let go once more, Gabriel kissed her lips. Gabriel had never felt
so certain about a decision. Choosing the right wood, deciding on
designs, those things came easy. Relationships were harder. Until
now. He wanted to take care of her. Not that she’d let him most of
the time, but trying would be a pleasure. She’d give in enough to
make the tug-of-war worth the effort.

“You can stay with me. Not as guest. That way
we wouldn’t have to worry about that fishy smell.”

Erikka took the cloth from her eyes. She
stared up at him. “What did you just say?”

“Be my wife.” When she glanced away, Gabriel
felt the tension ease back into her body. Erikka’s chest rose and
fell faster as though she were breathless. He caught one of her
hands and pressed it to his lips to reassure her. She sat up.

“This isn’t the right time, Gabriel.” Erikka
dropped the washcloth without noticing it.

“Oh. I see.” Gabriel pulled back into himself
emotionally as he moved away from her.

Erikka wrapped her arms around his waist. “I
love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.” Gabriel rested his
chin on a cushion of her silken hair. He breathed in the flowery
scent of her.

“Right now quitting my job and leaving New
Orleans would be easy. But I’ve got unfinished business here. I
don’t want to use your proposal as an escape route.” “What’s wrong
with escape when you’re on your way to happy? Nice destination, if
you ask me,” he said gently. Yet he understood even before she went
on.

“Great vacation spot, but nobody lives there
all year- round.” Erikka tightened her embrace. “Listen, somehow
I’ve got to find a new way of handling trouble. I can’t just ride
off into the sunset. Not that I haven’t tried before. Just never
worked.”

“I really do see,” Gabriel replied. He hugged
her tight, loving her more at that moment and amazed that it was
possible.

“I need to face how much of what happened to
that woman and her child is on me.”

“Honey—”

Erikka placed three fingers against his lips
to hush him. “Don’t worry. I’m not trying to punish myself.”

Gabriel gazed into her eyes for reassurance.
Then realized he had to trust her. “Okay, but I’m going to ask
again,” he said.

“You better. Hey, I might beat you to it.”
Erikka winked at him.

The way she smiled at him smashed any
lingering doubt. Gabriel pulled her back into his arms. “We’re
gonna be just fine. You know what?”

“What?” Erikka said softly. She snuggled
against him as though seeking his warmth.

“We’ll get to our happily ever after. I don’t
care what that practical accountant inside you says.” Gabriel
rocked her to a rhythm inside his soul.

Chapter 23

“Let me get this straight. A rich man’s son
proposed, and you said no?” Roz put both hands on her hips and
struck a classic “sista-girl” pose.

Erikka sighed. “Look, I’m not feeling up to
one of your scenes.”

“What does that mean?” Roz snapped.

“I’m not going after men like they’re some
prize or a way out.”

Erikka bit down on the apple in her hand to
keep from saying too much. Roz followed her from the kitchen into
Erikka’s living room, which Roz had just finished critiquing. As
usual, she found room for improvement in Erikka’s choices.

“I don’t create scenes, and I don’t know why
you’re always telling me that. Another thing, why you insist on
staying in New Orleans is a mystery to me. This city is a mess.
Crime is out of control and those people you work for don’t
appreciate you. And what do you mean going after men like they’re
prizes? I caught that backhanded slap at me.” Roz ranted on,
proving that she definitely was up for a scene.

“Stop,” Erikka said loudly, with both hands
up.

Roz had taken a deep breath to go on. She
stopped, and they stared at each other for a few moments. “Craig
and I are getting a divorce.” She exhaled and sat down on Erikka’s
sofa, as though releasing a burden with her words.