One Love (30 page)

“
Almost eight. I can get
take-out and go back to the office. What else do I have to do?”
Lanessa muttered.

Far from what she’d led Ken to
believe, she had no plans. Lanessa steeled herself against a plunge
into self-pity. She tried not to think of Alex, the way his arms
felt around her body and the taste of his kiss. For the past three
nights Lanessa had stayed out late until she was past exhaustion.
Yet she always ended up alone with her thoughts of him.

Now she used sheer will to turn her
mind back to Paxton-Waite. After a few moments, she was successful.
She knew was she close to finding the answer that would make sense
of it all. After getting Chinese takeout from a popular restaurant,
she headed for her office. For some reason, she felt as though she
would put all the pieces together tonight.

“
I’ve got better things to
do with my time than feel sorry for myself,” Lanessa said out loud.
“Like spoil Metoyer’s fun and show Ken who I really am.”

Yet a small internal voice whispered
she was kidding herself. Lanessa gritted her teeth and set out to
prove it wrong. She would not think about Alex this night. It was
time she got over him for good.

Chapter 15

“
Sorry to hear about your
breakup, son. But you knew she wasn’t a stable young
woman.”

Joe St. Romaine settled into a padded
lounge chair on his patio. A babbling waterfall flowed into his
swimming pool. He sipped from a tall glass of tea with a dash of
whiskey. After a sigh of satisfaction, he looked anything but
sorry.

“
Don’t you start, too.” Alex
wore a grimace.

“
Your mother loves to cackle
‘I told you so’, doesn’t she?”

“
Oh yeah,” Alex said. “She
wasted no time.”

“
Yvonne is not one to hide
her feelings. She even tried to get me to help her keep you two
apart. I don’t have to tell you it brought back unpleasant
memories.”

“
She did what?”

“
Tried to get me in on some
scheme to break it up before you got too involved. Obviously all
she had to do was be patient. Not one of her qualities, though.”
Joe glanced up at Alex. “Oops, shoulda kept my big mouth
shut.”

“
I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Alex was furious all the same. “Damn! Why does she do this
stuff?”

“
Control. And her strong
conviction that she’s always right,” Joe said.

“
You know what else she did?
Invited me over and had Karin waiting to talk to me.” Alex stared
at the waterfall but was in no way soothed by the gentle
sound.

“
Is this breakup with
Lanessa because of something your mother did? If so, then I’ll have
a serious talk with that woman. It’s one thing for nature to take
its course, but if she’s interfered--”

“
No, our relationship
self-destructed without any outside help. As usual,” Alex said with
bitterness.

“
What did she do this time?
Back to drinking and partying, I suppose,” Joe said. He did not
pull punches.

“
No, not exactly. She’s not
drinking again. It’s just she can’t make time for anyone else these
days.” Alex looked to his father for support.

“
My grandchildren need
stability.” Joe put down his glass. “Frankly, son, I admit I was
worried. First you and Shauntelle divorced when the girls were so
young.”

“
We didn’t think staying
together was best, Dad.” Alex repeated the same defense he’d made
years earlier.

“
I know, I know. Your mother
and I made a sacrifice. Times are different now.” Joe waved a hand.
“we were pretty miserable for the last ten years of our marriage. I
can understand your decision.”

“
At last,” Alex said with a
slight smile.

“
I wasn’t that bad,” Joe
replied squinting at him. “But you know how I feel about a man’s
duty to his children.”

“
Yes,” Alex said quickly in
hopes of heading off the now familiar lecture.

“
You need a woman who can be
maternal and a good influence. Shauntelle is a wonderful mother.
But the right step-mother is important.” Joe shook a finger in the
air.

“
For sure. Felicia has been
a second mom to me,” Alex mumbled. He glanced at his father with a
twinkle in his eye. Felicia was seven years older than
Alex.

“
I heard that,” Joe snapped.
“My situation is different. You kids were grown when we got
married. Tia and Nia are still babies.”

“
I know what you’re saying.”
Alex grew serious again. “That’s what bothered me. Not that I think
Lanessa is a bad influence.”

“
Harumph!” Joe cocked one
busy eyebrow at him.

“
I mean it,” Alex insisted.
He looked off at the late evening sky. “She’s kind and generous.
Lanessa has never been a woman I wouldn’t want my kids to be
around.”

“
Except for the drinking and
so on,” Joe put in.

“
Of course,” Alex agreed.
Yet his mind was not on the negative at that moment. “It took
courage for her to get her life back together. In a lot of ways
she’s a great role model for the girls.”

Images of Lanessa entertaining the
girls with funny stories came to him. Despite their efforts not to
like her, Tia and Nia had warmed up to her. Lanessa had lured them
closer with her lovely smile.

“
Son, you’ve still got it
bad for the lady.” Joe picked up his glass again and drank from it.
“I can see it in your face.”

Alex blinked back to his surroundings.
Sentimentality was a foolish indulgence. Lanessa had made her
choice, as before.

“
It’s really over this
time,” Alex said mustering all the conviction he could. “Okay so
maybe I wish it wasn’t so. But we’re too far apart in some
important ways.”

Joe wore a wise expression. “I know
how it is. Sometimes you meet a woman who sets your body and soul
on fire.”

“
Lanessa... It just won’t
work.” Alex sat back against the green and white-striped
cushion.

“
If you say so.”

They sat without speaking for a long
while, two men who understood. Alex felt comforted by his father’s
sympathetic silence. He could always count on Joe to be a source of
quiet strength. Alex knew his mother would still be talking,
telling him what he should do. No doubt Yvonne had his future all
mapped out. Not Joe. As stubborn and imposing as he could be, Joe
had never been domineering with his children.

“
Hi all,” Felicia trilled.
She came from inside the house through the glass doors carrying a
glass of water. “Alex, it’s wonderful to see you.” Her curvy figure
was accentuated by the biking shorts and cropped
T-shirt.

“
Hi. How was the workout?”
Alex asked.

“
Grueling.” Felicia grimaced
for only a few seconds before her cheerful expression returned. She
bent down and kissed Joe’s forehead. “Hello, lord and
master.”

“
Very funny,” Joe replied.
His expression softened in a special way despite his
words.

“
Yeah, yeah.” She glanced
from Joe to Alex. “Why the long faces? The atmosphere is downright
morbid.” She plopped down in a chair next to Joe.

“
Alex and his girlfriend
went pf-fft,” Joe said in a low voice. “I’m trying to cheer him
up.”

“
Oh right. You’re a real
bundle of sunshine,” Felicia quipped.

“
Smart mouth,” Joe
grumbled.

Felicia waved a hand at him. She
turned to Alex. “Too bad about you and Lanessa.”

“
Thanks.” Alex was ready to
change the subject. He was beginning to feel like the object of
their pity. “How is the real estate game?”

“
At least she’s only
part-time now.” Joe squinted at her. “Don’t know why she wants to
work at all.”

“
In a few years I’ll be your
pretty, decorative young wife. Right now I’m making my own money,”
Felicia tossed back. “And business is great.”

“
You’re a dynamite
saleswoman.” Alex grinned at his father who glared at
him.

“
Don’t encourage her,” Joe
said in an undertone.

“
Thanks, son.” Felicia
chuckled. “I do okay.”

“
She’s doing better than
okay. Felicia makes as much as some folks selling full-time.” Joe
had grudging pride in his voice.

“
Which is the reason he only
complains every other day,” Felicia said.

Alex laughed at their back and forth.
Felicia knew his father well. Joe did not care about the money. He
had more than enough. What impressed Joe was the
achievement.

“
Speaking of land prices,
you were asking me about Metoyer a couple of weeks ago.” Joe turned
back to Alex. “Felicia says he turned down a great
offer.”

“
I didn’t know you handled
rural acres,” Alex said to Felicia.

“
We have branches in six
parishes. We’re short of staff in the St. James office,” Felicia
replied. “What’s your interest in the bad boy of
Acadiana?”

“
He’s dating Shauntelle and
one of Lanessa’s good friends. Mr. Metoyer is telling them both
they’re the only one.” Alex shook his head.

“
That’s his usual game,
sorry to say.” Felicia shrugged.

“
And Lanessa thinks he’s
hooked up with a company she’s dealing with. She thinks he’s up to
no good.” Alex frowned.

“
Metoyer is always up to no
good,” Felicia retorted.

“
She’d better be careful.
That family can be like angry yellow-jackets when you shake their
nest,” Joe cautioned.

“
Sounds like you have
firsthand knowledge,” Alex said.

“
I had a contract fifteen
years ago with the city of Lafayette.”

“
Yeah, you designed and
built a recreation center.” Alex remembered how proud his father
had been to finish the job. “That building is a work of
art.”

“
I won the bid instead of
his father, Phillip.” Joe’s expression was sour. “The man tried to
spread rumors I was under investigation by the state fire marshal
for shoddy work.”

“
You’re kidding.” Alex
glanced at his father. “I don’t remember any such talk.”

“
It was a dirty whisper
campaign. Besides, you were more interested in girls and basketball
back then.” Joe shrugged. “Oh he was undercover, but I traced it to
him and his brothers.”

“
So how did you fight back?”
Alex asked.

“
I have my own weight to
throw around.” Joe stuck his chest out.

Felicia leaned forward. “He hates to
say so, but your grandfather pitched in to help him kick butt.” She
smiled at Joe. “My big strong husband called his daddy.”

“
I had my own resources,”
Joe put in sharply. Then he lifted a shoulder. “Poppa did make a
few phone calls though.”

“
If I’m ever in trouble, I’d
want Poppa Victor on my side.” Alex nodded. Despite his
seventy-nine years, Poppa Victor was still a force.

“
That old man is like a pit
bull and stubborn as hell when you cross him.” Joe spoke with a
trace of affection.

“
Gee, Alex, who does that
remind us of?”

“
What did I tell you about
that smart mouth?” Joe laughed when she blew a kiss at him in
response.

“
Guess I should break this
news to Shauntelle.” Alex could see no other way though he wanted
one. He had another thought. “Dad, you said the Metoyers are
vindictive.”

“
I said they were low-down
s-o-bs willing to stoop real low to get their way. Vindictive is
too kind a word. They’re—“

“
I get the point,” Alex
broke in. “Maybe I better warn Lanessa to back off.”

“
She’d better not take them
on. Or she’ll need a whole army of men like Poppa Victor and more.”
Felicia was somber now. “Charles ruined a guy down in St. James who
opposed a zoning change. He’s bad news.”

“
What did he do?” Alex felt
a stab of anxiety. Felicia had a trace of fear in her
voice.

“
He financed a competitor
who sold cheap policies and undercut his prices. The man’s
insurance business almost went under. It still hasn’t bounced
back.” Felicia shook her head. “So unless she has to, advise her to
back off.”

“
Yeah...” Alex rubbed his
jaw. “Guess I’ll have to call her,” he said softly.

Part of him tried to pretend it was a
necessary evil. Another part of him looked forward to hearing her
voice. After all, he told his practical intellectual side, he had
to warn her. He was big enough to put their differences aside and
tell her about Metoyer. Felicia had given him important
information. The sooner he called the better. Alex was in a much
better mood for the rest of the day.

***

“
You idiot!” Dawson
spluttered. He was so angry his voice stopped and only his mouth
worked.

“
I’m not going to take that
from you. My father--” Ken shot from his chair.