A Week From Sunday (13 page)

“Sure. A fella in my condition has got lots of time for it.”

“That’s good.” She smiled warmly. “Because I’m sure there will be plenty of reading to do for your schoolwork. If we’re going to have you graduate with your class, we’ll need to get started as soon as possible. Maybe I should talk to one of your teachers so that I’ll know what to instruct you in.”

“You’re going to teach me?”

“I’m qualified. I graduated from Centenary College.”

“What good is it going to do for me to graduate?” Jesse groused. “Even if I were to get my degree, it won’t matter. It’s not like anyone will hire me. Who would want a cripple?”

“If you keep thinking about yourself in those terms, that’s all you’ll ever be.”

Jesse turned his head away from her and looked out the window. If Lola had her way, she’d be leaving soon. He didn’t want to get too fond of her.

“Do any of your friends visit?” Adrianna asked.

“Not all that often. They’re all busy with baseball practice after school. It’s not like I blame them or anything. Who’d want to spend time with a cripple when you could play ball?”

“Jesse Baxter!” she exclaimed as she strode back over to the bed. Even as her tone was harsh, he could see that her eyes were soft. “I’ve had just about enough of that nasty word. If you say that word one more time, I’m going to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“At least I won’t stink,” he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Adrianna couldn’t help but laugh at the joke. “Then I’ll have to come up with something that will be a true punishment. How about if every time you say that word, I’ll give you extra schoolwork and make you go without supper? Is that harsh enough?”

“Going without supper wouldn’t be a punishment. Even Cowboy won’t eat some of the slop Lola fixes.” Hearing his name, the dog got up off of the floor and came to lay his head on the side of the bed. Jesse’s hand reached for the animal’s head and scratched lightly behind his ears. “It’s pretty bad sometimes, isn’t it, Cowboy?”

“How did you come to give him that name?” Adrianna asked.

“I guess it’s because I’ve always wanted to be one,” Jesse explained. “Besides, the name suits him. He likes to roam far and wide when he gets the chance, and he doesn’t mind eating whatever’s handy. One of us should be able to see something outside this house.”

“Did you hear him growl at me when I first came in this morning?”

“That’s because he wasn’t sure of you.”

“I’m not sure of myself,” Adrianna admitted. “I don’t know what my duties here are . . . not exactly, anyway. I know that I’m to spend time helping you and play the piano at the tavern, but as for the housework, I’m clueless.”

“If you listen to Lola, you’ll be expected to do it all.”

“Lola wasn’t the one that hired me. I don’t owe her anything. My debt is to your brother, and I intend to pay him back for the inventory that I destroyed.” She moved over to the windows and gazed out into a sunny sky. “It’s a beautiful day. This afternoon, we could go out onto the porch, and you can tell me more about this town.”

From a crack in the door, Lola looked into the room, her eyes hatefully locked on to the woman who was ruining her life.
That bitch!
She’d been listening for several minutes, and it was obvious that the slut was doing her damnedest to turn Jesse against her. The stupid boy was falling right into her trap! That little shit had better watch what he said! If everything went as she planned, the rich bitch would soon be gone. If he were to ruin her chances with Quinn . . .

I’ll make his life miserable! After all, I’ve done it before!

Chapter 11

A
DRIANNA SAT IN
a wicker chair on the porch, the mid-afternoon sun warming her face. Looking through the leaves on the elm trees, she could see a strand of wispy clouds spread out across an otherwise flawless sky. At this time of the year, the weather felt comfortable; it would be a few more weeks until the humidity of the wet land became clinging and unbearable.

Jesse sat on the porch beside her. She’d had to cajole him to come outside, but she’d finally managed to break his reluctance, and they’d wheeled his chair out into the fresh air. He was thumbing through another of his magazines, but she could tell that he was enjoying the day. Even Cowboy had gotten into the act; he lay on his back in the grass, the sun warming his belly.

“This is much better than that stuffy old house,” she muttered aloud.

“Mmmm.” Jesse grunted absently, licked his finger, and turned another page.

The other thing that was pleasant about this beautiful day was that she was out from under Lola’s watchful eyes. After they had taken their retreat outside, Lola had remained in the house. Once, Adrianna had caught a glimpse of the housekeeper as she’d peeked out of a window, but so far she had left them alone. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

Adrianna had stood to go back into the house to fetch the two of them some iced tea when the front gate swung open, and a familiar figure strode up the walk wearing a jaunty, small-brimmed hat.

“Salut, mes amis!”
Gabe called. “What a beautiful day,
n’est-ce pas
?” The Cajun’s smile was as bright as the weather. He bounded up the short steps and then leaned against one of the porch columns, his thick arms crossed over his broad chest.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. LeBlanc,” Adrianna greeted him.

“Oh, no, no, no,
mademoiselle,
” Gabe chided with a shake of his head and a cluck of his tongue. “The only Mr. LeBlanc I have ever known is my father, and I’m afraid that he hasn’t been seen in these parts for many a year. You must call me Gabe,
chérie,
or I will think
mon père
has returned from the dead.”

With a laugh, Adrianna agreed. “Gabe it is, then.”

“Much better.”

“How is your hand today?” Adrianna asked.

“It would be a lie for me to tell you it does not hurt.” He shrugged. “But I am sure that it will not be long before I am as good as new. Besides, I believe a trip or two to the doctor’s office will make up for any discomfort.”

“Good excuse for you to visit the doc, huh, Gabe?” Jesse snickered.

“There’s nothing worse than a smart-mouthed kid,” the Cajun said and winked at Adrianna. Then, back to the grinning boy: “I see that you are deep into the latest
Argosy
. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that
Monsieur
Hammett is one fine writer, no?”

“Do you read pulps too, Gabe?” Adrianna asked.

“But of course! Jesse and I share them.”

For the next fifteen minutes, the three of them sat on the porch and talked, first about the mystery stories, then about the town of Lee’s Point. She learned that Gabe lived with his mother and a sister a few miles out of town on the bayou in a house his family had lived in for generations. It was easy for Adrianna to talk to him. She found him extremely likeable; his personality was warm and inviting. However, the thing that endeared him to her was the way in which he brought Jesse into the conversation. To him, Jesse was just another person, not a boy in a wheelchair who needed his pity.

“I thought it might be a good idea for us to go to the Whipsaw,” Gabe said to Adrianna. “You should play a song or two and get used to the piano.”

“I really should see what I’m getting into,” she said, grinning up at Gabe.

“You’ll be sorry,” Jesse chided.

“There are a couple of songs that are popular right now,” Gabe explained, ignoring Jesse’s pointed comment. “They’re the ones that are used for the sing-along. I dug around
pour trois heures
until I found the sheet music for most of them. But not to worry, if you can read any music at all, with a little practice, you’ll play them better than me.”

“She’s a lot prettier than you, that’s for sure,” Jesse joked.

“You’d best watch yourself or I’ll roll you down these steps.”

As the man and boy joked with each other, Adrianna felt her heart beat faster. What was she getting herself into? She hadn’t lied when she’d told Quinn that she could play the piano, but she doubted that the patrons of the Whipsaw would enjoy listening to Mozart or Chopin.

But still . . .

“Why don’t you come along with us, Jesse?” Adrianna asked.

“Aw, no,” the boy said with a shake of his head. “I’ll just stay here and read. It’s not like I can do anything to help and besides, I’ll only slow you down if you have to push me.”

“Nonsense!” Adrianna insisted. It seemed to her that too often, Jesse used his handicap as an excuse to stay in the house, locked away from the world that he could still be a part of. Not this time. “There’s no reason that you can’t come along with us. I’m not going unless you go. Besides, you’re part owner, aren’t you? Don’t you want to see how big a fool I make of myself?”

“Yeah, but—”

“I do believe she is right,
mon ami,
” Gabe interjected with a wicked grin. “You should come.”

Jesse looked back at both of them with a face full of indecision. He seem to want to argue more, but instead turned his head to look back through the windows into the house. Adrianna couldn’t be sure, but she thought he might be weighing the idea of going to the Whipsaw against staying behind with Lola.

“All right,” he finally nodded, “but I want a Coke from the mercantile, and Cowboy comes, too.”

“D’accord!”
Gabe laughed heartily. “My treat!”

As Gabe pushed Jesse’s wheelchair down the sidewalk, Adrianna and Cowboy walked alongside. She gazed out from under the shade of various businesses’ awnings at Lee’s Point. The town was nearly empty. A handful of automobiles and a couple of pickup trucks were parked here and there. An older woman carrying a nearly overflowing bag of apples puttered along on the other side of the street.

“This is a quiet little town,” Gabe remarked as he followed her gaze.

“Have you lived here long?”

“My whole life. My great-grandfather was one of the first Frenchmen to come to these parts. He was a trapper and moved up and down the small rivers and creeks in search of game. He and his brother made a fortune selling their pelts.”

“What happened to all the money?” Jesse blurted out.

“Je ne sais pas.”
Gabe shrugged. “I don’t know. My father used to say that they had been swindled out of it by some Americans who came to the area, but I’d bet they spent it all on drink and wild women.”

“I’m sorry,” Adrianna said. The talk about family fortunes struck a nerve that was still raw. Her father had worked all his life to amass his wealth, and she was certain that Richard Pope had swindled him out of it. Regardless of how it had happened, she was much like Gabe’s great-grandfather; what once had been hers was now in someone else’s hands.

They stopped at the mercantile and bought Jesse a bottle of Coca-Cola that he greedily drank, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Even though Adrianna was certain that he would never admit it, she could tell the boy was enjoying being away from the house. She noticed that one of the clerks at the store had stared rather rudely at the wheelchair for a moment, but Jesse either had not seen the look or chosen to ignore it. Either way, she knew that this was a positive step in reintroducing him to the world.

As they left the mercantile, Adrianna glanced at the cars parked in front of the bank. One of them was a black Packard, like the one Richard often drove. She stopped as if her feet were glued to the sidewalk. A wave of fear washed over her. Was he here? Had he found her? She lingered behind Jesse and Gabe, scarcely breathing. Then she saw a woman come out of the bank and get into the car. She took a deep breath of relief and scolded herself for her fear. She had no doubt that Richard was looking for her, but why would he come to a town like Lee’s Point?

After the mercantile, Gabe led them to the garage where Adrianna’s car was being repaired. Delmar was covered in grease and as silent as he was filthy. As he grunted and nodded to Gabe’s questions, Adrianna wheeled Jesse over to where they could get a look into the garage.

“Wow!” Jesse exclaimed. “Your car’s a wreck!”

Still shaken after seeing the Packard, all Adrianna could do was stare at her vehicle as the accident played itself out before her eyes. The memory of the sickening crash and the shattered glass raining down from above made her cringe. Still, she could see that some improvements had been made; a couple of dents had been hammered out and a tire had been replaced.

“Delmar says he had to order a few parts,” Gabe said as he joined them.

“Does he have any idea how long the repairs will take?”

“He can’t say for certain, but things can be a mite slow in these parts. This isn’t like Shreveport. It can take weeks for a letter or a package to find us here. Who can say when it comes to car parts?”

“You might be stuck here longer than you think,” Jesse added. She couldn’t tell by his tone if he meant it as a taunt or as a note of condolence. She’d resigned herself to staying in Lee’s Point for as long as was needed. At this pace, would she
ever
leave?

“The Whipsaw is just down the street.” Gabe smiled, showing even white teeth.