Crashing Into Tess (14 page)

“Well, you’re here early,” Lotts said
when Jake walked
into Green Forks that night. “Pool Tournament doesn’t start
till after eight. What’ll it be?”

“Bourbon, scotch, beer,” Jake answered tonelessly.
“That bad, huh?”
“I just dropped Cassie off. Vicki came out, waving a

copy of a police report, right in front of Cass, screaming
about a modification of custody. She’s still trying to find a
way to get to California with Cassie, after all this time.”

“What’s this about a police report?”
“Officer Ron falsified the police report to make it look
like I’d been drinking the night of my accident with Tess.
Alice warned me about it, but I wrote it off. Someone
complained to Tess’s insurance.”
“Tess complained that you were drinking?” Jake saw
shock and surprise on Lotts’ face, and he felt the same
twinge in his gut he’d felt on Monday.
That’s just about
how I felt, buddy, times ten. I almost made love to her, the
other night.
“
Hard to believe, but what other explanation could
there be?” he asked, still tormented.
Lotts slid a beer in front of Jake. “Here, guy. Start with
the easy stuff.”
Jake held up a hand. “No way. Ron will be scouting my
truck tonight, if he’s on. Vicki’s sure to be looking for more
ammunition.”
“Jake, you sound like a hunted man. Vicki’s riding you
hard, and Tess let you down. Possum’s the only way to call
their bluff. You gotta just roll over and play dead, and
things will settle down. Drink that beer, you’ll feel better,”
Lotts coached.
“How the hell did I get in stuff this deep, Lotts?” he
asked, sipping the foam from the top, then pushing it away.
“I don’t think it was any one particular thing, Jake.
Murphy’s law, more like. Couple little snowballs, and you
wind up under an avalanche.” Lotts set a ginger ale in front
of him, looking Jake in the eye. “This one is on the house,
my friend. Pretend it’s forty year old, barrel-cured scotch.
And keep thinking...Possum. You just play it cool. The
lawyers won’t get blood from a stone. I’m not at all
surprised at Vicki, but this just doesn’t sound like Tess.
What a shame.”
“
Alchemy tangled with barbed wire today. While Tess
was at the ranch to suture him, I about blew up at her,” Jake
said morosely. “She insists she didn’t contact her insurer.
I’d like to believe her, but who else would?” he asked
bitterly, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.
“You think Tess is lying? I don’t see why she’d lie,
man. She’s got to establish a professional reputation around
here. Seems like she’s damn sweet. Maybe a little high
octane for Green Junction.”
“She’s high octane all right, and my truck runs on
diesel. I fell hook, line and sinker into a whole lot of east
coast, ivy-educated trouble. And I have no idea how it’s
going to affect my time with Cassie. . . ” His voice trailed
off. He drained the ginger ale, and Lotts poured him
another. When Jake’s cell buzzed, Lotts moved to the end
of the bar.
After a few minutes, Jake ended the call. He turned to
Lotts, resigned. “Tess didn’t say anything to anyone about
the accident. Her parents got insurance receipts, and started
asking questions. Ron faxed a copy of the police report to
her mother. She’s going to file an objection to the police
report with Sergeant Fuller first thing tomorrow, and have it
sent to both insurers. I guess it might help.”
“Her parents?” Lotts asked quizzically.
“Lawyers, Lotts, more lawyers. The ivy-educated
tenderfoot’s parents are overprotective, east coast lawyers.
Doesn’t it just figure?” Jake said, shaking his head.
“Aw, man, they think they’re looking out for her.
They’re just lawyers, that’s what they do. From what Alice
says, Tess moved all the way out here to get some space,
and she feels like she needs to prove herself. She must be
pretty shaken up right now.”
“She is.” Jake winced at the pain he’d heard in Tess’s
voice, remembering the cruel way he’d lashed into her at
the ranch. He took a deep breath. “Tess did a damn good
job with Alchemy, I’ll give her that. I’ll bet he’ll only have
a light scar or two, she got the sutures that neat and pretty.”
Lotts gave him the once over, shuffling a stack of
coasters. “Aw, give her more than that. She’s got a crush on
you, and she’s got to be embarrassed as hell. And it’s not
going to make her new job any easier if the ranchers around
town hear about any of this,” he said, his words a question
as much as a statement.
“You think I would rat her out because her parents are
sharks? Never. I won’t mention this to anyone. Vicki might,
though.”
Lotts is a good friend, for seeing both sides of this
thing.
“Ah, everybody knows Vicki’s trouble. They’ll take
what she has to say with a grain of salt.”

Saturday morning, Tess got up early
and took Rhiannon
for a run. The sunshine was bright, but the chilly breeze
gusted, taking her breath. In the park, she found an upland
trail loop around town. Sheltered by aspen and pine, the
wind was bearable, and Tess logged five miles catching
scenic glimpses of the valley.

She hadn’t spoken to Jake since Thursday, but she’d
managed a long talk with Sergeant Fuller at the police
station the day before, telling him everything that happened
the night of her accident. He’d been open-minded, helping
her fill out a rebuttal to the report, faxing it to the insurance
companies, and somehow, she trusted him.
He doesn’t seem
like the kind of guy to let Jake take the fall for this.

After her run, Tess showered and dressed. Bea and Doc
were at the clinic for the morning, Alice was doing lab
work, and Tess was on call. Unless a ranch call came in,
Tess had the entire day to herself.
The entire day to think
about the bomb my parents have dropped on my life
.

She wished she could tell someone about Vicki and the
medicine chest, too.
But I’m really not sure what I saw, and
why would I want to make more trouble for anyone right
now, especially when my reputation is on the line, too?

Still, it worried her, thinking of Cassie.
And now both of
her parents hate me. I sure wish I could do more for that
kid.

To:
[email protected]
,
[email protected]
From:
[email protected]
Date: Saturday, October 20, 8:38 AM
Subject:

I’m just writing to tell you that other than being very
upset about your interference in my life, I am doing well.
Alice and I are going to the Hallowe’en Dance tonight, at
the Elks Club. It will be a good chance to meet the ranchers
and people from town.

I love you both, and I know you care ( too much!), but
it’s going to take me awhile to forgive you. I really need to
be on my own, with a chance to make my own decisions,
and if necessary, my own mistakes. I hope you can
appreciate that.

To:
[email protected]
From.
[email protected]
Subject: You are awesome.
8:41 am, Saturday, October 20

Sister,
Thanks for the calls this week. You’ve made me feel a
million times better. I seriously appreciate your
understanding and support. Hope this all blows over. Alice
thinks it will. Trick or Treat tonight will be tough. After so
many treats, it feels like I’ve been tricked.
Luvvya,

Tess tidied her apartment, unable to stop thinking about
the fun she’d had with Cassie, playing with Rhiannon,
making root beer floats. Recalling the million questions
Cassie always had for her, her eyes started to tear.
Okay,
I’m officially a complete wreck now.

“Ron gave Jake a breathalyzer test, after the accident.”
Alice said, eye-dropping a slide and peering into the
microscope. “You didn’t know?”

“Uh, no, I’d passed out and the ambulance people were
working on me, so I didn’t see that part. Jake didn’t smell
like alcohol when he was helping me, though.”

“Jake was at Green Forks for the pool tournament. He
stayed late, then spent twenty minutes helping me clean up.
Jake didn’t touch a drop of anything alcoholic all night,
Tess, I swear it. He drank two ginger ales, then water. I’ve
already told Sergeant Fuller.”

“He must have. Ron’s despised Jake for a long time.
When they were in high school, it was over sports and girls,
Lotts said, and now Ron’s jealous of Jake’s ranches, of how
everyone around town looks up to him. It seems like Ron’s
always wanted to stick it to Jake. He finally found a way to
do it.”
“I’m so angry with my parents for interfering, Alice.

My mother still refuses to understand why I didn’t stay in
Philadelphia to join a suburban practice on the Main Line
and marry Starchy Archie.”

“Starchy Archie?”
“My intended, as far as my parents are concerned.” Tess
sighed. It felt so good to unload on Alice. “He’s a junior
partner at my father’s firm. Six foot four, one hundred and
eighty pounds, red hair, freckles, not a bad guy, but
basically a total dork. My father is his mentor. Archie will
make full partner next year.”
Alice smiled sympathetically, but said nothing. “You
know what my dad always says about Archie?” Alice shook
her head. “He spends eight or ten hours with the guy at
work every day and thinks I should marry him, but all he
can say,” Tess pretended to take a club in her hands, took a
backswing, then swiping her arms in a wide arc, “is ‘That
Archie! He’s got a heckuva golf swing’!”
“Tess, that’s not so bad,” Alice admonished. “That’s
how fathers are. Your dad probably really likes him.”
“It’s repulsive, Alice, and it gets worse. After I joined
some fancy vet practice in the suburbs, Archie and I were
supposed to book a wedding at the Four Seasons, buy a
McMansion in Paoli, choose china, crystal and silverware
patterns, fill a classroom at the Friend’s Select school with
freckle-faced, red-haired kids, and divide summers between
a country house in the Poconos and a beach house at the
Jersey Shore. Can you see me in that life, Alice?”
Alice only smiled.
“My parents have built it up so much, Archie is
paralyzed by me. They kept inviting him to dinner at our
house, until he started freezing when I came in the room,
like a jackrabbit with halting speech. How can they have
bred me, born me and raised me, but have so little idea of
who I really am?” Tess wailed.
“Well, from what you’ve told me of your conversation
Thursday night, you’ve set some clear boundaries,” Alice
soothed, sticking another slide under the microscope.
“They’ll get it, I promise you. They may not like it, but
they’ll get it. Have you spoken to Jake?”
“I called him yesterday, to see how Alchemy is doing. It
was tense, but it wasn’t as bad as Thursday. Thursday was
brutal. I was so humiliated, Alice. It hurt that Jake didn’t
trust me. And he thinks Vicki will use the police report to
start some custody thing, again.”
Alice put a finger to her lips, and said quietly, “I think
she already has, from what Jake told Lotts.”
“Seriously? Ugh,” Tess put her head in her hands,
groaning with dismay. “Can’t Vicki see how much Jake
cares about Cassie? He must have been at least decent to
her, when they were married. I can’t imagine otherwise,
he’s a reasonable guy.”
“Vicki moved to Green Junction to live with her father
after her parent’s divorce, and Jake started dating her right
away. When she got pregnant with Cassie, he asked her to
marry him. They had this big wedding, but soon after
Cassie was born, Vicki decided that she hated her life in
Green Junction. She left Cassie with Jake, and went to
California to stay with her mother. He had to jump the
moon to get her back here, but as soon as he did, she filed
for divorce, and tried to get full custody of Cassie, so she
could leave again.”
“Sounds brutal,” Tess said, her eyes wide. “But I guess
I had some idea that it must have been.”
Alice continued, keeping her voice low. “There was a
prenuptial, but Vicki and her lawyers ignored it. She took
him to the cleaners, fighting over everything, and the
divorce took forever. It was only final last May, and the
custody agreement requires them to both live close by.
Honestly, Tess, Jake was devastated until you showed up,
and Vicki’s still furious that she can’t leave town.”
“And now my parents blew it for us,” Tess said
morosely. “Jake will never give it another shot, Alice, will
he?”
“It’s done, sweetie. Don’t blame your parents. Let
things calm down a bit, I bet he’ll come around,” Alice
reassured her. “Jake’s no fool.”
“I hope so. Thanks, Al.” Tess gave her a hug. “I left
pizza for you. I’ll see you later, right?”
“Yup, Hallowe’en party tonight!” Alice chimed. “I’ll
bring lasagna over, and your headband with bunny ears.
Any last minute cold feet?”
“Are you kidding me?” Tess assured her, faking
enthusiasm as best she could. “My feet are white like a
rabbit and ready to hop, Wonderland Alice,”

To:
[email protected]
From:
[email protected]
Date: Saturday, October 27, 4:43 PM
Subject: Parental Bomb Drop

It’s Hallowe’en, so shake it out, babycakes, and try to
have fun tonight ~I’ll be roaming the streets of the Big
Apple as Pebbles, with no eligible lion, tiger or bear in
sight. If you see Bam-Bam, send him my way! ( Can saber
tooth loincloths be dry cleaned..??)
Love, Sam Bam-Bam...Bam-Bam!

To:
[email protected]
From:
[email protected]
Date: Saturday, October 27 3:55 PM
Subject: Bam-Bam goes my heart

Pebbles,
Will play White Rabbit to Alice’s Wonderland...Hope
your drunken mayhem is Yabba Dabba Do, and you find all
the Bam-Bam you can manage....loincloth optional!!
Love You, Tess Bam-Bam...Bam...Bam...