Low Tide (12 page)

Brandon was more commonly known as Sport, so named because the only thing he’d ever been good at was athletics. He was one of Gregory’s few close friends and Bennett had barely tolerated him for years. He and Gregory had met as freshmen at Tulane and Gregory had brought him home for most vacations and holidays throughout their unremarkable educations.

Sport was a high-bred hanger on and parasite, much like Gregory had been. Always another great opportunity to make money, always another excuse for why it went wrong. He’d talked Gregory into investing in several doomed endeavors, which was part of the reason why Gregory had depended on Bennett for his livelihood, even at the age of forty.

Sport shook Patrick’s hand and exchanged a few words, then he waited for just a moment after the last guest had moved on, approached Bennett and held out his hand. Bennett found his white tee shirt and green Miami Vice suit inappropriate to both the occasion and the century.

“Mr. Boudreaux, sir. I’m really sorry about Gregory.”

Bennett shook the man’s hand.

“Thank you, Sport. It’s good to see you,” Bennett lied.

“When Craig called me in Atlanta…well, I got down here as soon as I could,” Sport said.

Bennett nodded again and wished him away. Sport glanced over at the rest of the family. Patrick had joined Craig and his family, and Lily was busy talking with the accountant’s pasty wife.

Sport leaned in to Bennett and spoke just above a whisper. “Mr. Boudreaux, I really need to speak with you. It’s important.”

“Well, we’re having guests over to the house,” Bennett said. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“I think we should speak privately, sir,” Sport said. “It’s about Gregory.”

Bennett regarded him for a moment, then gently pulled him a few feet away from the others.

“What’s on your mind, son?”

“Well, I really think we should talk when we have a little more time and privacy, sir.”

He waited for Bennett to respond, but Bennett seemed to be waiting for an explanation. Sport glanced over at the others to make sure no one was listening, then spoke again in a whisper.

“It’s about how he died,” he said. “And maybe why.”

“He killed himself, son. Gregory had a lot of problems.”

“Maybe,” Sport answered. “But I have some other ideas. Maybe some things you should know.”

Bennett thought a minute, then nodded.

“Alright. I’m going to be tied up the rest of the day and most of tomorrow. I’ll be going into the office tomorrow evening to do some catching up. Will you still be in town?”

“I can be,” Sport answered.

“Then why don’t you come by around seven or so?”

“Thank you, sir,” Sport said, shaking his hand again. “I’ll see you then.”

Bennett nodded and watched Sport stop to say a few words to the rest of the family. Bennett couldn’t help feeling, as he watched Sport walk away, that he had been burdened with more than his fair share of dumbasses.

Maggie’s parents had been fortunate to buy their property, on Hwy 98 just where it rolled into the west side of town, back when it was relatively cheap. It wasn’t the nicest stretch of road, a mixture of simple houses and commercial buildings, but Maggie’s folks had their beloved bay in back and they never spent much time in the front yard anyway. Last year, they’d thrown a big party to celebrate paying off their mortgage.

Tonight, Gray had done himself proud, grilling up some fine T-bone steaks and fresh Florida corn, which Georgia had supplemented with some salad and her famous mushroom rice. Everyone sat around the redwood picnic table on Gray and Georgia’s new deck, which overlooked the back yard and, beyond it, the bay.

The evening had been perfect for an outdoor meal. The rain that had threatened earlier had never materialized, and now, as the sun set over the water, there was just enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes away.

Maggie and the kids sat on one side of the table, her parents and Wyatt on the other. Several times during the meal, Maggie had found herself looking at Wyatt across from her and thinking that he looked right at home with the people she loved most in the world. It had unsettled her, but comforted her at the same time somehow.

“Y’all, this was the best meal I’ve had in a long time,” Wyatt said. “Thank you for having me.”

“Our pleasure, Wyatt,” Gray said. “It’s nice to have company.”

“I enjoy feeding people that like to eat,” Georgia added.

“Well, then you must be beside yourself tonight,” Wyatt said.

“Sunshine, I think it’s about that time, don’t you?” Gray asked.

“Ugh.” Sky rolled her eyes, but she was grinning.

Gray took a pull on his beer and winked at Maggie. “Wyatt, what is your position on Scrabble?”

“I’m in favor of it,” Wyatt answered. “Good game.”

“You’re doomed,” Maggie said, smiling. “Scrabble isn’t a game around here; it’s serious business.”

“You have time to play a game, Wyatt?” Gray asked.

“Sure.”

“How about you, Squirt?”

Sky made a face at her grandfather, then grinned. “School just got out. Who wants to spend two hours in English class?”

“Can we play Minecraft in the den?” Kyle piped up.

“Go on,” Gray answered. “After you help your Grandma clear the table.”

The kids got up and started stacking plates.

“Just remember that you were warned, Wyatt,” Maggie said.

“Ah, I’m not scared. I know lots of words.”

Georgia got up and started clearing the table. “Well, I play for kicks, but Maggie and Gray, they play for keeps.”

“Yeah, but Dad’s game has really slipped since he lost his lucky lung,” Maggie said.

Gray grinned as he got up from his chair.

“Maggie chooses to play a psychological game to try to gain some advantage,” he said. “It makes her feel more formidable.”

“Well, this should be fun,” Wyatt said as he stood up.

While Wyatt and Gray finished their beers on the deck and cleaned the grill, Maggie helped her mother rinse the dishes and load them into the dishwasher.

Georgia looked out the window at the men on the deck.

“I’m glad you brought him with you tonight, honey,” she said.

“Me, too. I think he gets lonely,” Maggie answered.

“So do you.”

Maggie focused on scraping salad scraps into the trash. “I have the kids. And you guys.”

“It’s not the same,” her mother said.

“It is what it is,” Maggie said with a shrug.

They worked without speaking for a moment, the running water and the rattle of dishes and utensils all that broke the silence.

“We miss David, too,” Georgia finally said.

Maggie swallowed hard and nodded.

Georgia looked back out to the deck, where Wyatt and Gray were laughing about something.

“But he’s a good man,” Georgia said. “And I think he cares about you.”

Maggie glanced out the window, too.

“I’m not sure. I mean, we’re friends, and we do have this flirtation thing going on, but I don’t know how to read other men. There’s always just been David.”

“Well, I read him just fine,” Georgia said. “He cares. And I approve.”

Maggie leaned a hip against the counter and fiddled with the dishcloth in her hand.

“I don’t know, Mom. Somehow, it still feels like it would be cheating. David still loves me. And I still love him, deeply, but I can never be
in
love with him again.”

Georgia reached over and tucked a strand of Maggie’s hair behind her ear. “I know. Y’all were peas in a pod since you were ten years old. That’s never really going to go away.”

“All I ever wanted was to have what you and Daddy have,” Maggie said. “I thought we had that.”

“Listen, honey. Your daddy and I have been blessed, but we’ve had our problems, too. Especially in the beginning. We almost didn’t even get married.”

“Really? Why?”

“Just typical stuff, but that’s a story for another time,” Georgia said, waving her off. “But we got a second chance, and I think you have a second chance, too. Y’all should go have a cocktail or something after the game.”

“We can’t exactly do that, Mom. He’s my boss, remember?”

“Well, then just go somewhere private. With the kids spending the night, it’s a perfect opportunity to be alone, just the two of you.”

“For what?”

“To just spend some time. I’m not telling you to sleep with him, Maggie,” Georgia said, laughing.

“Oh, Mom!” Maggie threw the towel over her face. “Go away.”

The Scrabble game was close, intense and taken very seriously, as per usual. Maggie lost by more than a hundred points, which both men remarked upon with some glee. Maggie blamed her poor performance on the fact that Wyatt stared at her frequently. When she’d catch him at it, he didn’t bother giving her one of his goofy grins. It made her extremely nervous. She wondered why she had no trouble tackling a wife-beater or taking a punch, but having Wyatt stare at her made her feel like a six-year old girl.

For his part, Wyatt gained considerable respect from Gray by losing to the older man by just a few points. He blamed shrapnel in his knee, but couldn’t be too specific about where he got it.

While Wyatt said his goodnights to her parents, Maggie went into the den to say goodbye to the kids.

Kyle was deeply involved in Minecraft, but Sky had apparently abandoned the game. She was lying on the couch, texting her friends, with her legs slung across her little brother’s lap.

“I’m leaving, you guys,” Maggie said.

Both of the kids looked up from their respective screens.

“Did you lose again?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah,” Maggie answered, then kissed the top of his head. “Be good for Grandma and Granddad, okay?”

“I will. Did you pack Stitch?” Kyle was growing up, but he still slept with his favorite stuffed animal.

“I did. I love you, you know.”

“I love you more,” Kyle answered.

“Oh, here we go,” Sky said.

“I love you ten times that,” Maggie said.

“I love you infinity times everything you say after this,” Kyle said. “Is Wyatt leaving, too?”