Picking Up the Pieces (12 page)

“The school still talks about it.”

I leaned back and grinned. “Scott and I came up with the whole plan.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Ask Mom when your slip-and-slide disappeared.”

She grinned. “Well, I’ll be damned. You
do
have some bad in you.”

“Everyone has bad in them, Savannah. It’s all in the execution and the intent.”

Her smile faded and I worried I was about to lose her. “Some days I’m so pissed at Dad,” I said.

She jerked up her head in surprise, but didn’t speak.

“His job was to make sure that people’s families are taken care of after they die and he screwed us over.”

“How can you say that, Mason?” she asked in tears.

“Because it’s true. He might not have meant to do it, but he did.”

“But you love him. And he’s dead. How can you be mad at him?” Her shell was cracking.

I leaned forward. “Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean I can’t be mad at him. I’m furious.” I stood and grabbed a rock, then threw it into the water. “You asshole!” I shouted. “You should have made sure we’d be okay!”

The stone hit the water with a thunk and Savannah watched me in horror.

I picked up another rock. “You said you’d be standing in the crowd when I graduated from Duke.” I threw the rock as hard as I could. “You broke your promise!”

Savannah jumped up and grabbed my arm. “You can’t be mad at him for that! He didn’t want to die!”

“Maybe not, but he’s still dead and I’m still pissed.”      

“If you love him, you can’t be mad!”

“Why not?” I asked. “I love you and I’m so goddamned pissed at you right now.”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“You are a beautiful, intelligent girl with a family that loves you more than you know and you are throwing your life away. So if I’m pissed at you, why can’t I be pissed at him?”

“It’s not right!” she shouted, tears streaming down her face. “We’re not supposed to be mad at him.”

I grabbed her shoulders. “Who says? Because you have every right to be mad.” I dropped my hold and picked up a stone and placed it in her hand. “Tell him how you feel.”

Horrified, she tried to shove it back at me. “No.”

“You’re mad at him, Savannah. It’s written all over you. Tell. Him.”

She half-heartedly threw the rock over the edge of the bluff. “You weren’t supposed to leave me.” Her voice broke. “I still need you, Daddy.”

I put another stone in her hand.

She threw it harder this time. “You promised me that you’d fix the flat tire on my bike.
And it’s still flat!
” she screamed.

I handed her another rock.

“You promised to teach me how to make your chocolate chip pancakes and you never did!
You liar!
”

She bent down and picked up her own rock and chucked it so forcefully, I worried she’d fall over. “You weren’t supposed to leave me alone!” she wailed. “You’re my daddy! You’re supposed to walk me down the aisle and bounce my babies in your arms.” She dropped to her knees. “You left me. How could you leave me?”

I dropped beside her and wrapped my arms around her as she sobbed. “You’re not alone, Savannah. I’m not Dad, but I’ll do all of those things for you and more.”

“But he promised he would, and look how that turned out.” She got to her feet. “He’s dead.”

I pulled her into a hug. “He meant it when he said it, just like I mean it now, but we both know I can’t guarantee I won’t die. Just like he couldn’t.”

She broke away from me. “Then what’s the freaking point of any of this? To love someone just to lose them.
What’s the freaking point?
”

I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t. My attempt to help her had only instigated a crisis of my own. What
was
the freaking point?

***

Savannah changed her group of friends and finished her senior year without much drama. Mom and I thought I’d gotten through to her somehow, and I had. Just not the way I’d planned. She’d taken my speech about finding sneakier friends to heart and was getting into more trouble than we realized at the time.

She tried going away to college, but came home halfway through the second semester of her freshman year after overdosing on Darvocet. And thus began a cycle of abuse and rehab, followed by a brief stint of productive behavior and then a relapse. Rinse and repeat.

But by the time she turned twenty-five, she seemed to have pulled herself together. She’d been clean for a year and was in her second year of law school. And then she met Joe Simmons and her world fell apart all over again.

She’d been seeing him for over a month when she called me and said she wanted me to meet her for lunch so she could introduce me to the guy she was dating.

“You’re kidding?” I asked, rushing down the hall. I was an assistant DA in Little Rock by then, and I was on my way to court. “You’ve kept a guy around long enough to introduce him to me?”

“Says the man who hardly ever dates.”

“I date.” I laughed. “I went out with a paralegal just last week.”

“And was there a second date?” she prompted.

“No. She was dull as dirt.”

“You can’t spend your life alone, Mason.”

“Agreed. I can’t see wasting my time on women who don’t hold my interest either.”

“But you have to get out there to find them! You’re not going to find a wife stuck in your office.”

“A
wife?
Who said anything about a wife? I’m just interested in sex.”

My statement drew the horrified glance of an elderly woman in the hall.

“You can lie all you want, Mason Deveraux, but I know you. You’re not a casual sex kind of guy.”

“Unlike you,” I teased.

“Not this time. Joe’s a keeper.”

“Joe, is it?”

“He has a sister. Maybe I’ll set you two up.”

“I think I’ll pass. Imagine how well our relationship would fare when you dump Moe a few weeks from now.”

“Joe. His name is Joe and I really like him.” She paused, turning serious. “I think he’s the one.”

I stopped short outside the courtroom and moved away from the door. “Really? You’ve only known him for a month.” Still, with all the men who’d traipsed in and out of Savannah’s life, she’d never once made that statement.

“Sometimes you just know.”

“Be careful with your heart, Savannah. Makes sure he deserves you.”

“I think you’re
too
careful with yours.”

“Maybe I’m counting on finding
the
one.
Just like you.”

“So you’ll meet him?” she asked excitedly.

“Of course. Name the time and the place.”

We met for lunch a week later at a restaurant close to the courthouse. I tried to mask my surprise when I found out that Savannah’s Joe was Joe Simmons. Based on his chilly reception, I presumed he’d heard of me too. In her excitement, Savannah failed to pick up on it.

Our conversation was stilted, both of us asking superficial questions and giving short responses. I studied him closely, watching for evidence that he loved her the way she obviously loved him. So far I’d seen no indication of that, which was making me angrier by the minute.

Savannah excused herself to go to the restroom and Joe and I stared at each other until I decided to be the better person. “It’s apparent we don’t care for each other.”

Joe raised his eyebrows and gave me a cocky grin. “You think?”

“But we both care about Savannah. I love her and don’t want to hurt her. I presume you want the same.”

He leaned forward. “Look, Deveraux. I don’t like you. You’re a stuck-up prick who’s fallen for his own PR.”

“Excuse me?” I asked, as politely as I could manage. “PR?”

“You know, the educated rich white southern boy who goes to an elite school, then comes home and plays boy wonder in the courtroom. Well, all you really are is a self-righteous shithead who threw out two cases I worked my ass off to build.”

I knew exactly which two cases he was talking about. “Maybe if you’d done it by the book, I would have had something to work with.”

“If I’d done it by the book, none of that evidence would have come to light.”

“Well we can’t use it anyway,” I said, “so what good did it do you?”

“I’m trying to get scum off the street.”

“And I’m trying to make sure the defendants are really scum who deserve to be put away.”

“Isn’t that the defense attorney’s job?” Joe asked.

Savannah returned to the table and stood by her chair. “Did I miss something?”

Joe got up and pulled her into a hug, then kissed her on the mouth. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

She held onto him as he started to pull away. “Is everything okay?”

He smiled down at her, finally showing her at least some of the adoration I’d been searching for. “Of course. I just got called in while you were gone. Can I still come over tonight? I can help you study for your test on torts.”

She smiled, a dazzling smile I hadn’t seen in years. In that moment, I decided that as long as Joe made her look like that, I could and would endure any shit he threw my way.

“He does know the torts you’re studying aren’t pastries, doesn’t he?” I asked dryly as she sat down.

“Yes.” She giggled. “He went to law school before he joined the state police.”

“Did he now?”

Joe Simmons was full of all kinds of surprises.

Chapter Ten

Joe

Savannah had been pregnant. With my baby.

For some reason, knowing that had far more impact than the knowledge that Hilary was currently pregnant. Maybe it was because she’d been farther along. Or maybe it was because Deveraux had said the baby was a girl. No matter the reason, Savannah’s baby was so much more real to me than the blob I’d seen on the ultrasound screen just that afternoon.

Mason leaned against the support post on my front porch, looking like he was about to murder me.

I sat down on one of the chairs on my porch, noticing that Mildred was peeking at us through the window across the street. I was surprised she hadn’t called Henryetta’s finest to check out the disturbance. The chief deputy sheriff dukin’ it out with the assistant DA. That was sure to be big news even if Henryetta didn’t have a gossip column in the
Henryetta Gazette.
Not that it needed one with Mildred butting in everyone’s business.

Violet’s porch light was on too, and it didn’t surprise me a bit when she came marching over to investigate.

“
Mason?
” she asked when she noticed him by the post, then her gaze turned to me and she gasped. “What in God’s name…” She spun around with her hands on her hips. “Punching Joe in Jasper’s last week wasn’t enough? You had to come over and beat him up at his own home? Does Rose know you’re here?”

“Leave Rose out of this,” Mason said, his voice pitched low.

“Leave her out of this?
Are you crazy?
” She stepped closer, jabbing her fingers into his chest. “Are you hurting my sister?”

“What?” Mason asked, obviously horrified. “No. Never.”

“Then why did I see bruises on her arm?” Mason didn’t answer, but Violet forged on, her voice taking on a menacing tone. “I swear to all that is holy, if I find out you’ve hurt one hair on her head, I will hunt you down and make you regret the day you ever laid eyes on her.” She paused. “Have I made myself clear?”

“You’re accusing the wrong person, Violet.” Mason swiped at the blood trickling down his chin. “People seem to be lining up to hurt her, but I’m not one of them. From her perspective, you seem to be the first one in line.”

“I’ve spent my entire life protecting Rose. Don’t you even start with me.” She turned to look at me. “Joe, do you want me to call the police?”

“Violet, in case you’ve forgotten,” I said, looking up at her, “I
am
the police. Everything’s fine here. Go on home.”

She looked unconvinced, not that I blamed her. It was pretty damn clear we’d been in a fight.

I stood, my stomach aching from Mason’s punch. “We’re clearing the air. If we’re both gonna live in this god-forsaken town, we have to learn to get along. Sometimes men get hot-headed and throw punches. It doesn’t mean it’s right, but this thing between Mason and me has been a long time coming. But we’re done fighting—at least the physical part.” I swung my hand toward Deveraux. “Right, Mason?”

“Yeah. That’s right.” His eyes hardened, negating his statement.

Not that I cared. Let him take a swing at me again if he wanted. I just needed Violet to get out of the way.

“Okay…if you’re sure.” She took baby steps toward my porch steps.

“Violet, go.”

I waited until she reached her driveway. Then I lowered my voice and said, “I meant it when I said we need to clear the air.”

“Shouldn’t you be running back to Hilary in Little Rock?” Mason sneered. “Isn’t that your MO? Leave her for a bit and use some poor woman before running to her? Savannah, Rose...and the others.”

I started to protest, but Mildred was dead center in her window now, not even pretending to be subtle about her snooping. “Can we do this inside where we’re not on display?”

He hesitated.

“Look, I don’t know what Hilary’s going to do, but I’m not going anywhere, Deveraux. I plan to stay in Fenton County. If you and I don’t come to some kind of agreement, we’re going to come to blows again. What if it’s in front of Rose? Do you really want to do that to her a second time?”

“Fine.”

I went through the front door, leaving Mason to follow me or not, not stopping until I reached the fridge and pulled out two beers. I handed him one as I sunk into the sofa, the sorry remnants of my dinner on the coffee table.

“Why are you here, Mason?” I asked as I popped the top off my beer. “Obviously, you’ve been saving that bombshell for a while. Why come tonight?”

“I’m trying to protect Rose.”

I snorted. “More like trying to protect yourself.” I took a long drag of my beer. “I bet Rose was horrified to hear that little nugget of info. Was that the deciding factor for her in choosing you?”