Paradise for a Sinner (28 page)

Nell tossed the tabloid onto the table. “Poor Winnie, dumped by two men within a year. She must be devastated.”

“Despicable,” Nurse Shammy said.

“
Si
, de-vastated and what she said,” Corazon agreed, jerking her head in the nurse’s direction.

“Another one of my best players with his head screwed up by women!” Joe folded the newspaper and sent it sailing across the room.

“Now, now,” Brinsley intervened in his cool British voice that made all things seem reasonable. “Miss Winnie is from Shreveport, not New Orleans. There could be other errors in this article. We should not jump to conclusions until we have heard from both parties.”

Knox Polk squeezed his plump wife’s shoulders. “Now you quiet down. Like the Brit said, we don’t know the truth yet. Anybody heard from Winnie?”

“She’ll be at her sister’s home, I’m sure. I need to go over there,” Nell decided.

“Hold off on that. Adam is on his way here, and the Rev, minister or not, is going to want to take a piece out of him for scratching an itch with his sister-in-law. With all those church dinners under his belt, I don’t think he can do it. He might have a heart attack. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what a
cochonnerie
! I guess I need to handle it.”

“You should since you thought it was a great idea for Adam and Winnie to have an affair,” Nell agreed, and all the other women chimed in along the same line.

“Hey, like you and Mintay weren’t drooling all over Adam and saying how Winnie needed a fling. I’m going to the airport to pick up Adam and straighten this out. Corazon, those groceries need to be put up. Brinsley, the silver won’t polish itself. The rest of you, do what you do.” Joe found the truck keys, scooped the tabloid off the floor, and went out the door. At least, the airport would be quiet and free of accusatory women. He almost hoped Adam’s flight would come in late.

No such luck. The plane arrived right on time and debarked a smiling Samoan without an ounce of guilt showing on his broad, brown face. Joe shook his hand and gave him a friendly back slap. “Nice to have you out of jail and back in the States again, but we do have a problem.”

“Winnie?”

“
C’est vrai
. And speaking of the truth, you better take a look at this.” Joe offered his cornerback the tabloid.

“Winnie told the press this?” A big man never looked so hurt.

“I can’t say how they got their information. Those lowlife paparazzi are everywhere.”

“Is she staying with the Rev and her sister?—because I have to see her and explain. I know we pass their place on the way to yours. Drop me off there.”

“That might not be the best of ideas right now. What is your explanation?”

They made their way from the terminal to the short-term parking and slung Adam’s suitcase into the backseat. Adam climbed in the shotgun seat and closed the door before answering. “She found Pala naked in my bed.”

“A naked ex-girlfriend in your bed, that one is always hard to explain.”

“Winnie saw her and took off. We were supposed to come back together. I planned to give her this in Hawaii. Bought it in Honolulu where they have more selection than in Pago Pago.” Adam reached into the pocket of his black Sinners’ jacket and opened the ring box.

Joe whistled. “Nice rock.”

“A ten-carat canary yellow diamond with two white brilliants on the sides. Think she’ll like it?”

“Sure, if she doesn’t cram it down your throat first. According to that rag, she thinks you are marrying Pala after all.”

“No way! That is one crazy Samoan bitch. She rubbed ketchup on a bed sheet to show Winnie I took her virginity.”

“Crazy like a fox and hard to disprove.”

“I brought the sheet with me. I mean close up you can tell it is ketchup.”

Joe shook his head. “Won’t work. Could be any sheet.”

“Well, it has other stuff on it—like my DNA.”

“One thing I know about women. Lab tests aren’t romantic. They want to feel your innocence in their hearts. At least she still believes you didn’t murder Tau.”

“I didn’t, but I’m glad you weren’t called to testify since I said I wanted to kill him. That wore off when I realized he’d be stuck with Pala for life while I had Winnie. Hey, this is that gated place where the Rev lives. Pull over!” Adam made a grab for the steering wheel. Joe elbowed him in the side, but did turn toward the little guard hut.

“If you are sure you are ready. Honestly, I think I’d tell Nell your story and let her run some interference first.”

The elderly guard approached the truck. “Oh, hello, Mr. Billodeaux. Who is that you got with you?”

“Adam Malala, my cornerback.”

“Then sorry, I can’t let you in. The Reverend’s orders.”

“I can take him,” Adam whispered.

“He is carrying a gun, and you are a pretty big target.” Joe put on his best comradely grin. “I’ll come back after I drop Adam at my place.”

“Good idea.”

They circled round and came out on the highway again. Adam pointed out a break in the fence where a stream funneled through the golf course. “I could wade through there and get to the Rev’s house.”

“Sure, huge brown guy with wild hair wades onto the golf course of a gated community. If that guard doesn’t shoot you, someone else will, so I’m not stopping. We need to get Winnie out of there and away from the Rev who is probably pretty pissed at you.”

“I’ll just call and ask her to come over.” His attempt went to voice mail.

“Don’t leave a message! We won’t be able to get her to our place if she knows you are here. Right now she probably figures you are still in Samoa sipping out of coconuts with Pala and you called to make your breakup official.”

“You’re the quarterback. What’s the next play?”

“We lure her to Lorena Ranch. Let me think about it.”

They left the highway and took the back roads home, turning in at the gate right behind the van full of school children and passing Teddy as he labored along on his crutches with Nurse Shammy wheeling his chair in the rear. Teddy shouted, “Hey, Adam!” as they passed.

Joe grinned the way he did when the Sinners were about to execute a trick play. “There’s our key player, Teddy. Winnie is very fond of him. We use him as a diversion and then you take her down.”

“I don’t like using a little kid to get what I want.”

“Teddy will be in on it, like that night he and Stacy spied on you, but this time to do a good deed which might make up for the other.”

Joe parked the truck and Adam got down, wading into the crowd of children waiting to greet him. Macho and Titi raced around the corner of the house and barked. Knox Polk merely leaned against the van and waited to see what came next like a village elder.

“Your family makes me feel like I’m still in the islands,” Adam remarked.

Stacy was the first to ask, “What did you bring me from Samoa?”

Teddy puffed up beside her and blew a lock of sweaty blond hair out of his eyes. “Did you see, Adam? I walked the whole danged way up the drive on my sticks. I been working out.” Still, the boy fell back gratefully into his wheelchair. Freed from his crutches, he held up a fist for Adam to bump.

“How’s it going, my man? I think you grew since I saw you last.”

“Great! I got new boots and a bigger chair so I only look taller. Wish I was. Daddy Joe and Mama Nell are going to adopt me. I already picked out my new name—Teddy Wilkes Billodeaux. I’m getting rid of the Bear part because people tease me. I hope my mom won’t mind. I still worry about her, you know what I mean.”

“She left you in a safe place with good people because she loved you. Now she has to take care of herself.”

“I guess so.”

Adam squatted by Teddy’s side. “I need your help to plan a surprise for Miss Winnie.”

Teddy glanced all around with his big blue eyes. “Where is she? Mama Nell said you went on a vacation together.”

“We did, and I got her this ring, but she doesn’t know it yet.” Adam flashed open the box again.

Jude, always quick on the uptake, squealed, “It’s an engagement ring!”

Dean and Tommy rolled their eyes, and Dean remarked like a college guy whose best friend just succumbed to marriage, “Another one bites the dust.”

The girls mobbed around Adam and Teddy to get a look. Stacy leaned in coolly appraising Adam’s taste. “It seems to be of very good quality and will be attractive with her skin tones.”

“Thanks, Stace. Always good to know you approve. Now listen, Miss Winnie doesn’t know I’m here. She’s visiting her sister for a few days. We need to get her to come to the ranch. I want to give her the ring on our beach by those palm trees where we…like to hang out together.”

Stacy snorted but didn’t dare say a word when Joe gave her the eye. Dean and Tommy poked each other with their elbows. Joe shot them a settle-down frown. “We need all of you to keep the secret that Adam is here waiting for her. And we want a way to get her out to the beach without suspecting anything. Any ideas, team?”

Teddy raised his hand, wiggling his fingers like a star pupil with the right answer. “I know, I know! I can say I want to show her how I can walk on sand with my sticks. She’ll want to see that. Then, I lead her to Adam. He can crouch down in the bushes and jump out at her.”

“All good except that last part. We go with Teddy’s plan.” Joe clapped his hands. “Snack time.”

The children trooped into the kitchen where the healthy cookies and glasses of milk lined the table. They dug in and completely ignored the tribunal of women who glared at Adam, arms crossed under their breasts. Nurse Shammy moved to join Nell and Corazon and hurried to impart the news.

“I do believe Clive was right about the misinformation.”

“Clive?”

“Ahem, Mr. Brinsley. He is always impressively clear-minded. Adam wants to marry Winnie. He has a gorgeous ring to present—if we can get her to come here.”

Corazon’s posture softened. She held out a plate of cookies. “Welcome back, Mr. Adam. You want a snack? They got coconut in them.”

“Yes, please.” He hunkered down among the children and poured himself a large glass of milk from a pitcher on the table.

Joe moved to put his arm around his wife who had relaxed her stance, too. “Tink, we have a plan, but we need you to do your part. Call Winnie and invite her over here tonight.”

“Are we certain she is at the Rev’s?”

“Considering that the guard wouldn’t let Adam into Versailles, I’d say for sure. Grab a phone and work your magic, Tinker Bell.”

“Don’t call me that,” Nell answered automatically, but she picked up a cell and punched in a number she’d dialed so often she knew it by heart.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Hi, Mintay. Heard anything from Winnie lately?”

“She’s here,” the doctor whispered. “You read about her and Adam in the tabloids, I’ll bet. Dexter Sykes, you remember him always photographing Connor and Stevie and making a buck off of them. He sat next to her on the plane and put the story together, even conned her into posing for that picture. Anyhow, she doesn’t want to see anyone or go anywhere. It’s not good.”

“Maybe not as bad as you think.”

“You’d have to be here and know her better. With all that attention from Adam, Winnie was finally getting her confidence back. Now she’s returned to thinking she is always going to be second best.”

“She needs some distraction. Bring her over tonight to visit with the children. Tell her Teddy wants to show her his new skills.” Nell met Joe’s eyes. He nodded.

“Well, she did bring a whole suitcase full of souvenirs for your kids. You should see Riley in her lava-lava. She could be an island girl.”

“Tell her to wear it when she comes along tonight. We’ll have a little welcome home party and won’t mention Adam at all.”

“I’ll try. In fact, I will insist she gets out. See you around seven.”

Nell offered a thumbs-up to everyone in the kitchen. As she disconnected, they gave her a round of applause.

****

Winnie sat in Joe’s vast den and distributed her gifts from Samoa. Her sister, the brainy one who always made the right moves and married a wonderful guy, had been correct again. She needed to get out and get on with her life. She’d taken a fling with Adam far too seriously. If only she hadn’t gone to his village, witnessed his conflicts, she could have gone on believing that he was nothing but a happy-go-lucky guy who never worried about tomorrow. She hoped he’d made the right decision to embrace the
fa’a Samoa
and tired to wish him well. She wasn’t quite there yet, her sense of being used again to defy his parents still far too strong. As for Pala, she hoped the woman swelled up as fat as Adam’s mother in the coming years. The village maiden must have pursued Adam to the city, and that she could not forgive.

She presented the
’ava
bowl to Joe and told a little about the ceremony, grossed out the kids with tales of flying foxes, eating octopus tentacles and fried worms, and showed the girls how to wrap their lava-lavas. Teddy sat in his wheelchair right by her side proudly holding the best of the carved wood boats she’d brought for each boy. Choking only once when she described the
fiafia
where Adam danced for her and her alone, she lightened the moment by revealing he’d performed in a skirt of shredded leaves as a general part of the entertainment. That brought groans from the male sector.

“I don’t know. It could be very sexy,” Nell said, regarding her husband speculatively.

Joe Dean held up his hands as if stopping her mind from going there. “
Mais
cher,
Cajuns dance but never in leaf skirts. Can’t wait to tell the team about it though.” He got the chuckles he wanted, especially a great, booming laugh out of the Rev who knew about locker room razzing.

“Miss Winnie, Miss Winnie,” Teddy pleaded as soon as the laughter died down. “I want to show you how good I can walk with my sticks now, even in the sand. Let’s go to our beach right now.”

“That’s great Teddy, but I don’t think so. It’s dark out and getting late.”

Teddy threw his new mama a desperate look. Nell caught it smoothly. “Please Winnie, it would mean so much to him. Afterwards, we’ll have cake and punch and get the children to bed. The lights are on along the pathway, and it is a beautiful spring night.”