Scrimmage Gone South (Crimson Romance) (26 page)

“After you all along?” Tolly fought to sound kind and maternal. “What makes you think that?”

Apparently, no one had asked her this question before. She looked a little panicked. “Well, he would talk to me in the hall. And he always laughed when I made a joke. Also, he read poetry to me.”

“Poetry? Nathan read poetry to you?” Tolly searched her brain for a world where Nathan would willingly read poetry.

“Yes. Love poems. Shakespeare. Robert Browning. You know.”

Ah. That explained it.

“And where did this poetry reading take place, Jamie? Could it have been in his classroom when you were doing a poetry unit? Could he have been reading to the whole class when he was teaching?”

“Oh, that’s how it looked. But he looked at
me
!”

“I see. I don’t suppose there is any chance you might have been mistaken?”

“No. And I need to get my books shelved.” She turned her back on Tolly.

Tolly maneuvered around the cart until she was facing her again. “Jamie, do you know what I think? I think that Coach Scott hurt your feelings in some way. He wouldn’t even be aware that he did it, but maybe you wanted to talk to him and he didn’t have time. I know how that goes with him, when he has football on his mind.”

Anger flared in the girl’s eyes. Okay, it had been a mistake to try to be companionable.

Maybe it was time to take out the attorney voice. “Listen to me, Jamie. This did not happen. You know it and I know it. He will never go to jail. That’s not even in question.” She wished she was as sure as she sounded. “It’s hard enough to get a conviction when something really did happen. That’s a shame and you are making it harder for girls who really did have something like this happen to them. It’s an insult to them.”

Jamie put her hands over her ears. “I don’t care about other girls. I care about me. And it did happen. He did a bad thing to me. I have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t my fault. He’s an adult and I am a minor.”

“You keep saying that, Jamie. Keep on and you may make some people believe it — enough that you might even ruin Nathan’s career and good name. That’s a pretty high price for him to pay because he didn’t pay attention when you were talking. And a pretty high price for you to pay. A lot of people in this town love him and what he’s done for this football team. How do you think it’s going to go for you, if he has to leave town?”

“I don’t care. I was brave to come forward.”

Tolly nodded. “That would be true, if this had really happened. But it didn’t.”

For the first time, Jamie looked unsure.

“If you will take back what you said, admit that it’s a lie, I will do everything in my power to help you. I will go with you to the police. I will stand beside you.”

“You’re lying. You just want me to lie and get your boyfriend out of trouble.”

“No. I’m not lying. I swear I will help you. I can see where it might be hard to go to school here. I went to a nice private boarding school in Montgomery. I loved it there. My grandmother is on the board. We can arrange it so you can go to school there.”

“I am not lying! But even if I were, why would you do all that for me? Just to save Coach Scott?”

“No,” Tolly said. “It would be for you because I once told some lies and did something bad when I was about your age. I hurt someone and I know what it feels like to have to live with that.”

This time when Jamie turned her back, Tolly had the feeling it would be a mistake to continue.

“I am not talking to you anymore.”

Tolly stood silent for a moment. “If you change your mind, the offer is open.”

• • •

Harris had finally shared with Nathan what Jamie had told the police. At first he’d been righteously indignant, but now he was quiet. The thought of such things sickened him.

“Townshend tried to warn me,” he said.

“She mentioned that,” Harris said. “We didn’t have time to talk about it. Did she have anything concrete? That could be helpful.”

Who the hell knew? He had never given her a chance to tell him, had always gotten mad and shut her down. “Not sure,” he said. “I guess we’ll have to ask her, when she gets here.”

Just then the noise level outside rose. Nathan flew to the window.

“Don’t open that curtain,” Harris said, but it was too late. The street and yard was full of media types and Townshend was trying to fight them off as she made her way toward the door. Nathan bolted for the door — but this time Harris made it there first.

“Don’t go out there, Nathan.”

“Don’t you see how they are harassing her? I need to help her!”

“You don’t. She’s got it. Watch her from the side of the window where no one can see you, if you have to, but I promise you Tolly can navigate her way up that sidewalk.”

He had to admit she was handling it. Moving among them like a queen: a little smile on her face, hand held in front of her palm out. A shake of her head here, a gentle nudge of a microphone away from her face there.

She was on the porch when it happened. A greasy looking guy with a bad haircut grabbed her arm from behind. It startled her and panic flew all over her face.

No army ever assembled, let alone Harris Bragg, could have stopped Nathan from jerking open that front door, shoving the reporter off his porch, and jerking Townshend into a protective embrace. Maybe it was from habit, maybe it was because she was scared, or maybe it was just because she wanted to, but her arms went around him too. And every camera flashed and every TV cam rolled.

“Have some Sugar Smacks if you want,” Tolly said to Kirby as he began to rifle around in search of breakfast. “It’s been a rough night.”

And it had been. She and Kirby had sat up until well after midnight, so they had both slept in this morning. What did it matter if he went in a couple of hours late? She’d write him a note.

“Coach wouldn’t want me to have Sugar Smacks. That’s against the rules.” He removed the precooked turkey sausage and whole wheat bagels from the refrigerator.

“If I were a good mother-type-person, I’d cook you something,” she said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Might be kinder if you didn’t,” Kirby said with the slightest edge of humor. That was good.

Tolly sat at the table and fired up her laptop.

“Kirby, I want you to promise me something.”

“Yeah?” He put his hand on his hip and took that same tone Nathan used — the one that said,
Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. We’ll just have to see about that.

“When you get to school today, I want you to promise me that you will not say anything at all to Jamie. Don’t even look at her. Don’t get mixed up in this.”

“Hmm.” Oh, she knew what that meant too. That was her own signature
I’m not talking about this
sound. Nature or nurture, indeed. Their life was a case study waiting to happen.

“Kirby, I mean it. She is a very confused girl with a lot of problems. I want you to stay away from her.”

“I don’t see how you can defend her.” He slid his bagel in the oven.

“I am not defending her. It will make things worse for Nathan if you get involved. He doesn’t want that — not for you or any of the team.”

“She’s an awful person.”

“She’s — ” The laptop came to life.

Crap almighty. She moved the mouse to the news bookmarks and clicked through. It was bad, as bad it could possibly be. Worse.

That picture was everywhere. Not just local news either, not just regional. A common headline was
Debutant Lawyer Stands By Her Man
. There were many versions, with subtle differences depending on the exact moment the shutter clicked, but they all showed Nathan’s face over her shoulder with one hand pressing her pale head into his chest and the other outstretched to ward off interlopers.

All of the stories told the same basic tale — high school football coach accused of sexual misconduct. Some were neutral, some defended, some condemned. But none of them stopped there. They all told the story of the baby who had been abandoned by a Celestial Silk Glitter Star model and had gone on to be a world class athlete whose dreams died on a football Saturday afternoon. The headlines might have caused many people to read, but it was the picture that drew
everyone
in. No one looked away from a face like his.

Nathan’s face wore every emotion known to man — love, fear, anger, tenderness, and something unnamed that shouted,
Don’t you dare tread on me or mine
. And the picture left little doubt about who he considered to be
his
. Only, it wasn’t true anymore and it never would be.

Seconds — maybe less — after the picture was taken, Harris had grasped their arms and jerked them inside, ranting at Nathan to have to some sense. Later, after Tolly divulged that she had been to see Jamie, Harris had visited the same rant on her. Surprisingly, Nathan had said nothing. He’d just sat very quiet and held her hand. It had
hurt
to sit there and let him hold her hand as they explored, dissected, and speculated what the next step should be. It had hurt so bad because she knew she’d have to take her hand back and she might never touch him again. She couldn’t go back to him just because he needed her. It wouldn’t solve anything. But she would keep up appearances until this was over. If she didn’t, it would appear that she thought him guilty and that wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Before she left, she’d let him take her into his arms while Harris waited for her on the porch. It was a mistake.

“Are we okay?” he asked quietly.

It had ripped her soul to pieces but, this time, she could not give him the answer he wanted.

“You will be fine,” she said. “Harris will see to it. I will see to it. We are good lawyers and our mothers and our grandfather are better than we are. If we can’t get it done, we’ll send for them.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said.

“I know.”

“I’m not giving up on us.”

On a different day she might have told him that he already had.

“Miss Tolly?” Kirby stood with a bagel in one hand and a sausage in the other. Not a good time to impress on him the importance of using a plate. “What is it? You said things would look better this morning.”

“I did, didn’t I? Well — ”

The doorbell rang. She stepped in front of Kirby and made her way to the door. “Upstairs!” she said. “Right now! It might be a reporter.”

“Not leaving you down here.” He folded his arms over his chest and set his jaw. When did that happen? When did he think it was okay to put away that sweet obedient child and bring out this strange belligerent man?

No time for that now.

She barely cracked the door and was astounded by who she found standing there. She opened the door wider and said over her shoulder. “Go get ready for school, Kirby.”

His face went hard. She did her best to imitate Nathan’s
do as I say
expression. It must have worked, because he went upstairs.

Then Tolly stepped aside and admitted Jamie Fisher and her parents into her home.

• • •

“Jamie has something to say to you,” Christine Fisher said after they had settled into seats in the living room.

Jamie looked at the floor and back and forth at her parents.

“Jamie,” he father said sternly. “We aren’t going to say it for you.”

“I made it up,” Jamie said. “Coach Scott didn’t do any of that stuff. I got mad because I wanted him to dance with me when I was Homecoming queen and he told me he couldn’t dance because of his knee. Then he danced with you.”

Relief settled over Tolly like a warm blanket on a cold night. But relief wasn’t all she felt. There was anger and near hysteria. Oh, she wanted to rant, rave, and shake her. She wanted to tell her what a terrible thing she had done, how she had come so very close to ruining his life. But then she remembered that this life that had almost been ruined was a second choice life.
She
had ruined his first choice.

She called on the ice.

“I see,” she said.

“We cannot tell you how sorry we are about all this,” Jamie’s mother said. “We should have questioned her more.”

“Doubt your child? That would be hard,” Tolly said. “I know that and Kirby isn’t even mine.”

“Jamie said you promised to help her.” There was doubt in Mr. Fisher’s voice.

“And I will. She has made a mistake but her life isn’t over.”

“We think it best that Jamie not return to Merritt High. She mentioned a private school. We can afford to pay for it and her grades are good, but with the school year nearly half over … ”

“I can take care of that. And I would suggest some counseling.”

The parents nodded and Jamie looked at the floor.

“I’ll call the DA to come over,” Tolly said, “so you won’t have to go there.”

It wasn’t book club night but Lanie and Lucy were sitting at Missy’s kitchen table when Tolly went in the back door.

Lanie sprung to her feet and enveloped Tolly in a hug. “I don’t think we have been here for you, but it all happened so fast!”

“I have,” Missy said as she poured everyone a cup of coffee. “I’ve been there for her. I’ve surrendered my husband to the cause. I haven’t seen him in twenty-four hours.”

“I cannot tell you how sorry I am that all this happened,” Lucy said. “But it’s over now.”

“What made Jamie recant?” Lanie asked.

“Audrey Evans,” Tolly said.

“That sportscaster from Birmingham?” Lucy asked.

“Yes. Apparently, she and Nathan dated some between Lanie and me.” And maybe they would date again now. She seemed a decent sort. Not that Tolly had ever met her. Not that she didn’t hate her.

“I saw her with him at the country club,” Missy said. “She looks like Tolly.”

“Anyway.” Tolly added cream to her coffee. “She decided to take a different angle on the story. Usually, by the time a real sexual abuser is accused, he has had numerous victims and, once the cat is out of the bag, others come forward. Audrey nosed around. Flew to Texas and interviewed a whole slew of people where Nathan used to coach. Principal, parents, teachers, former students, and players. Of course, there wasn’t a whisper of scandal. So Audrey Evans showed up on the Fishers’ doorstep asking hard questions. When Jamie couldn’t stand up to the scrutiny, her parents figured out she was lying and the rest is history.”