One Love (36 page)

“
Something she put in the
report or found out is worrying them. Dickie didn’t know details.”
Joe’s heavy eyebrows were drawn down.

“
I told her to stay out of
his way!” Alex was angry again at the way Lanessa had reacted to
his advice. “She too damn stubborn!”

Joe used the cigar as a pointer.
“Metoyer is very angry. Besides which, those guys he got to invest
are not understanding types.”

“
What do you think he’ll
do?” Alex sat on the edge of his seat.

“
Try to destroy her first,”
Joe said promptly. “It’s what I’d do in his position.” He lit the
cigar with a silver lighter.

Joe St. Romaine was known as a strong,
even ruthless businessman. Alex never saw him in that way. In fact,
he’s been surprised as a teen to learn of Joe’s
reputation.

“
You would?” Alex stared at
his father with disapproval.

“
Well... maybe destroy is
too strong a word. But I’d try to make damn sure everyone believed
me instead of her.” Joe puffed on the cigar then blew out a stream
of blue smoke.

“
Once again she’s gotten
herself into a mess.” Alex shook his head. “Lanessa seems to
attract trouble like a magnet.”

Joe stared at him. “So what the hell
are you going to do about it?”

“
Me?” Alex looked at him in
surprise. “Lanessa won’t listen to me of all people. I tried to
tell her--”

“
Aw c’mon, son. Show some
guts,” Joe cut him off in a gruffly. “She’s your woman. You ought
to get out there and fight for her.”

“
I can’t believe you just
said that,” Alex said. “This isn’t Porgy and Bess, she is my woman
and I is her man. Lanessa would take a swing at me if I ever acted
like that.”

“
Bull!” Joe swept the cigar
through the air leaving a trail of smoke. He waved off his words as
though they were pesky insects.

“
Women fight for themselves
these days.”

“
I’ll say it again, bull.”
Joe put the cigar down.

“
You weren’t listening. I
tried to talk to her.” Alex jammed his hands in his pockets. “She
insists on doing it her way.”

“
That’s it? Because she’s
being a little stubborn you give up.” Joe grunted.

Alex spun to face him. “Lanessa is a
lot more than a little stubborn! And she made it clear it was none
of my business.”

“
There isn’t a woman alive
who doesn’t want a strong man to stand up and be counted when she’s
in trouble.” Joe rose from his chair and walked over to Alex. He
put a hand on his shoulder.

“
There’s nothing I can do.”
Alex moved away from him. He went to the window. His father’s
office had a view of the golf course. “Lanessa has made her
decisions, now she has to live with them.”

“
The girl’s got guts. That’s
one thing I always liked about her.”

“
You never approved of
Lanessa.” Alex turned to face him.

“
I never approved of her
behavior, no. But I’ve gotta admit, she always had style. Never let
anybody push her around.” Joe pointed at him. “Including
you.”

“
I never tried to push
Lanessa around,” Alex protested with heat.

“
If you say so.” Joe
shrugged. He joined Alex at the window.

“
Not once!” Alex continued
his argument despite his father’s early surrender. “Yes, I’ve tried
to make her see reason—“

“
Your way of thinking and
living you mean,” Joe interrupted.

“
We’ve had discussions.”
Alex glared at him with indignation.

“
Yes, I’ve had those kind of
talks with you. Like talking to your mother sometimes,” Joe
muttered.

“
What!” Alex was beside
himself.

Joe chuckled softly and led him back
to the chair. “Sit down, son.” He patted his back to soothe
him.

“
So you think I’m
domineering, that I push to get my way all the time.” Alex crossed
his arms. “It’s nice to know what you really think about me,” he
said in an injured tone.

“
You’re a fine man. But...”
Joe’s voice trailed off as though he was considering his words
carefully.

“
But?” Alex prompted him to
go on.

“
But a bit stuffy sometimes.
You’re into this staid way of living, routine.” Joe wore a slight
smile. “And Lanessa is... not.”

“
So I’m boring and rigid.”
Alex looked past his father at the wall.

“
Your words not mine.” Joe
chuckled. He grew serious again. “You know, your mother and I had
the same problem only in reverse. She was raised to be proper, to
follow social convention.”

“
Yeah, grandmother and
father were a bit snobbish.”

“
Hmm. I was a bit wild in
college, but I guess my family name got me in.” Joe sat back and
appeared to gaze back through time. “She was something else, your
mother. Fine as wine we used to say back then.”

“
I never knew you were wild
in college.” Alex smiled at him.

“
Yeah well, nothing too
serious. Yvonne was cool as ice when I first approached her. She
knew my reputation.” Joe laughed. “But she had a spark in those
hazel eyes.”

“
Mother? A spark?” Alex had
a hard time seeing this picture of Yvonne.

“
Sure. Yvonne let her hair
down. We went to discos, stayed out all night--” Joe broke off with
an embarrassed cough when Alex’s eyes went wide.

“
Don’t stop now.” Alex
rubbed his chin in thought. “Mother was into disco and boogie
nights, eh? I love it.” He grinned at his father.

Joe grinned back. “She could do the
Hustle like you wouldn’t believe. Yvonne and I had some great
times.” He lost the smile. “But her upbringing was
stronger.”

Alex gazed at his father. Joe wore a
wistful expression. Alex was struck with a realization. Despite his
tart jabs about Yvonne, Joe had really been in love with her
once.

“
Sorry, Dad,” was all Alex
could think to say. It was strange to think of his parents as
wrapped in their own romantic drama.

Joe sighed. “I was just as much to
blame. Anyway, let’s get back to you and Lanessa.”

“
Let’s not.” Alex leaned
back in his chair. “I know you’re trying to help, but—“

“
Okay, let’s get to the
heart of the matter. You want her? Of course you do,” Joe answered
before Alex could speak. He stared at him as though daring Alex to
deny it.

“
It’s not that simple,” Alex
mumbled.

“
Bull!” Joe said with
vigor.

“
Dad--”

“
I let pride keep me from
bending. Yvonne did the same thing. The result? We spent years
being unhappy. Don’t repeat our mistake.” Joe used his trademark
direct style to make his point.

It hit home with Alex. “I want to find
a way back to her. But...” his voice trailed off.

“
You’ve got it bad, son.
Okay, the old man is going to help you out.”

“
Say what?” Alex looked up
at him in alarm. “I don’t like the sound of this.” The last thing
he needed was another parent mixing in his love life.

“
You go to her rescue, show
her you care.” Joe slapped him on the back. “Women love that
stuff.” He walked to the desk and picked up his address
book.

“
I wouldn’t know where to
start,” Alex said. “That’s if I was willing to do
anything.”

“
Let’s see, I’ve got his
number in here somewhere.” Joe flipped through the pages. “Oh,
yeah. Daniel Corrigan could help, too.” He made a note on a slip of
paper.

“
I don’t have your contacts.
What do I have to do with Paxton-Waite? Nothing.” Alex stood up and
paced.

“
Her father will know quite
a bit. I’ll call Alton and... Isn’t her sister married to one of
Oliver Knight’s boys?” Joe asked.

“
Yes, Damon.”

“
Right. Fine young man. Ah,
here it is. Senator Trent.” Joe wore a look of satisfaction. He sat
down and picked up the telephone receiver.

Alex crossed to him and placed a hand
over the buttons he was about to punch. “Are you listening to
me?”

“
No.” Joe lifted Alex’s hand
from the phone. “There comes a time when a father must do what he
thinks best. Especially when his kid is acting like a moron,” he
finished in an undertone. Joe punched the numbers as he was
speaking.

Alex opened his mouth but could think
of no response. He was angry, frustrated and completely off
balance. His father seemed to be taking full advantage of his state
to forge ahead. While Alex paced the length of the office, Joe made
a series of phone calls.

Alex listened to his side of the
conversations. His father asked questions and made several pages of
notes.

“
Thanks, Dan. Yes, I’ll call
the senator tonight. Sure, see you on the course tomorrow.” Joe
hung up the phone. “Looks bad.”

Alex felt his heart race at the dark
expression his father wore.” What is it?”

“
Real subtle but just as
effective,” Joe said. He tapped his ink pen on the desk.

“
What are they trying to do
to Lanessa?” Alex stood with his legs apart, fists balled. “I’ll
splatter Metoyer all over this city if he tries to hurt
her!”

Joe looked at him with his eyes
gleaming. “Now we’re talking. But physical violence shouldn’t be
necessary. I’ve got a few ideas.”

“
Good. I want to start right
now.”

Alex forgot everything else. All he
could think of was protecting Lanessa. His father outlined a plan
to combine the influence of three powerful African-American
families. They would call Lanessa’s father and her sister’s
father-in-law. The St. Romaine, Pellerin, and Knight families would
make a formidable alliance.

“
We’ll need all the help we
can get.” Joe wore a frown. “It won’t be easy.”

“
And judging from what you
learned, we better move quickly.” Alex had another unpleasant
thought. “Damn, I haven’t even thought about
Shauntelle.”

Joe let out a whistle. “Good
luck.”

Alex raked his fingers through his
hair. “The women in my life are giving me fits!”

Joe laughed. “But they’re worth every
bit of trouble.”

Alex thought of them all. Tia and Nia
smelled so fresh and sweet when he hugged them close. The best
sound in the world was hearing them call him daddy. Shauntelle was
a wonderful mother and a good person. He owed her so much. How
could he stand by and let her be deceived? And for all his
complaints about her, Alex would always turn to his mother. She
would stand by him through any storm.

Then there was Lanessa. To taste her
mouth, kiss the silky skin all over her body was... indescribable.
Having her arms around him as they—

“
Alex, you haven’t heard a
word I said,” Joe said loudly. Then the older man smiled. “From
that look on your face, I’d say you were having sweet
memories.”

Alex took a deep breath to steady his
emotions. There was no sense in denying the obvious. “She’s a
special lady,” he said in a soft voice.

“
Then let’s help her.” Joe
took on his down-to-business demeanor.

“
Yes. I’m ready.” Alex wore
a hard look. “Metoyer is going to pay.”

***

“
Another one called.” Robyn
held out a phone message to Lanessa.

“
Let me guess, she can’t
make our appointment. Her parakeet has the flu or some sorry
excuse.” Lanessa’s gave a laugh that was laced with
bitterness.

“
Not far off.” Robyn balled
up the pink paper and tossed it in the trash can. “What the heck is
going on?”

“
My brilliant scheme has
backfired, that’s what.” Lanessa massaged the tight muscles in her
neck. She’d had a pounding headache for three days straight now. “I
gambled and lost.”

Robyn sat down at the desk. “Okay,
time to let me in on what you’ve been up to.” The young woman wore
a stern expression.

Lanessa sighed. “I guess you’ve got as
much at stake.”

“
You got that right. This
isn’t just another job. You make me feel like I’m a partner.” Robyn
lifted her chin. “And if some creeps are after us, I want to
help.”

“
Thanks.” Lanessa wore a sad
smile of affection. “But I don’t want you mixed up in another of my
messes.”

“
I won’t let anyone talk you
down, including you!” Robyn jabbed a finger at her. “Now tell me
what those scum suckers are up to.”

“
Between Metoyer and
Hargrove, our contracts are disappearing faster than Casper the
Ghost.” Lanessa picked up a stack of folders. “Suddenly seven
clients no longer need my services. You know how much money we’re
talking about?” She threw them down hard causing a loud
thud.

“
So forget them. We’ve still
got three jobs.”

“
Oh it doesn’t stop there. I
can’t get folks to return my calls. People who used to help me down
at the Archives Department are too busy to talk.” Lanessa rubbed
her eyes with both fists. “And I need those contacts to complete
the few projects left.”