Gotta Get Next To You (24 page)

In the past few years, Lee had longed to meet
a woman like Andrea. Someone he could let in. And now he couldn’t
even be sure she was for real. Once more he forced himself to admit
the possibility that she could be involved in a crime. Lee’s
stomach tightened. If she wasn’t, Andrea wouldn’t forgive his role
in bringing Denny down along with the gang. He’d have to get over
this infatuation. No way could it lead to anything lasting. Lee
knew all about good-byes. This would be just one more for him. But
he still had his son. Lee vowed to take off the coming weekend and
drive to Houston. The thought of seeing Jake’s eyes light up and
hearing him shout, “Hi, Dad!” soothed his ragged nerves. At least
for now.

***

Andrea sank onto the sofa at Gran’s house.
The pattern of yellow daisies and green leaves on the fabric
soothed her. It had been weeks since she’d been able to take a deep
breath and relax like this. The scent of baked chicken, hot rolls,
and lemon furniture polish was like a hearty “Welcome home!”
Although she did not regret getting her own place, her apartment
seemed sterile. Long hours at the clinic prevented her from adding
the lived-in domestic touches to it. There were at least five boxes
she still had not unpacked.

“I knew it. You work too much. Now you’re
about to collapse.” Gran squinted at her. “This is the first time
I’ve seen you in almost a month.”

‘Two weeks,” Andrea muttered.

“Still too long. And you’re losing weight.”
Gran leaned forward in the overstuffed chair that matched the sofa.
“These clothes are hanging off you, girl.”

“They are not,” Andrea said. She looked down
at the dusty pink skirt and white blouse. “Anyway, I could stand to
lose a few pounds.”

“Nonsense. Men like a woman with meat on her
hips.” Gran slapped one of her hips to illustrate her point.

“Then I shouldn’t have any trouble with
dates,” Andrea quipped. “And I’ll pass on those creamy mashed
potatoes dripping with gravy, thank you very much.” “What
foolishness! You been hanging around them northern women too
long.”

“Gran, you’re a southern snob,” Andrea
teased. “Anyway, I’ll have a helping of your delicious okra and
tomatoes and a salad.”

Gran wrinkled her nose. “Suit yourself.
Supper will be ready in a little bit.” She squinted at Andrea
again. “Now what?” Andrea tucked one leg under her. “Speaking of
dates, have you and Jamal been out yet?”

“Will you let me take care of my own love
life?” “What love life? I’ll never get to argue with Charlene about
your wedding at this rate,” Gran retorted with a grunt.

“I refuse, absolutely refuse, to have this
discussion, so drop it,” Andrea said in a crisp tone. She glared at
her grandmother.

Gran drew her shoulders up and clasped her
hands in her lap. “Fine. Snap at me for being concerned about your
happiness.”

“That’s enough, Gran dear,” Andrea said
through clenched teeth.

“You’re so grouchy because I’m talking sense.
You’ll be sorry you passed up that prize of a man, missy,” Gran
went on.

“I’m still bruised from the last ‘prize’ I
had.” Andrea grimaced at the thought of her ex-husband. “Or would
you prefer I heal quickly, like my mother? She moves to a new man
at the speed of light.”

“You’ve got a different temperament from
Charlene, always had.” Gran grew thoughtful for a few seconds. “But
she’s not as bad as all that.”

“Please! You always said Charlene is too
flighty, ready to jump from one thrill to the next.” Andrea
squirmed down against the cushions to get more comfortable.

“I know, but I wasn’t always right about
Charlene,” Gran murmured, more to herself than to Andrea.

Andrea looked at her sharply. Gran’s
expression was somber. She seemed to be looking inward. “That’s a
switch. I remember some of the shouting matches you two had.”

“I know, and I’m not saying she didn’t make
mistakes,” Gran said.

“More than just mistakes, Gran. Charlene went
after what she wanted no matter who got hurt.”

Gran looked at her, her dark eyes filled with
sympathy. “I know you blame her for making Louis unhappy.

But, sugar, there’s two people in a marriage.
Louis played a part in some of what went wrong.”

“Sure, he didn’t lie down and let her walk on
him. She wanted money and fine clothes. Daddy was a working man who
didn’t have cash to throw around.” Andrea had a bitter taste in her
mouth. “I don’t blame him for losing his patience and his
temper.”

“Don’t judge your mama so harshly, cher.
Louis had problems even before they were married.” Gran picked at a
loose thread on her flowered shirt.

Andrea frowned slightly. “I never heard
anything like that. What kind of problems?”

Gran was quiet for a moment as she continued
to fiddle with her skirt. “He was always kinda unusual even as a
boy. But Lord, Louis was crazy about Charlene! He followed her
around like a puppy from the time they were ten years old. Never
stopped either. Girls were wild for him, too. He had thick black
hair, long eyelashes, and hazel eyes. But he didn’t notice any girl
but Charlene. Like to killed him when his folks moved to Houston
when he turned thirteen.”

Andrea remembered the tall, gentle man with
the soothing voice. “Daddy was sweet and sensitive. Too sweet for
Charlene.”

“Yeah, ‘sensitive’ is one way to put it. You
know he came back to live with his aunt two years later just to be
near Charlene. Course, she was boy-crazy by then.” Gran shook her
head.

“Daddy never stopped loving her, even when
she hurt him,” Andrea said in a quiet, strained voice. “I remember
how he enjoyed talking about the first time he saw her. His face
would glow.”

Gran shook her head. “It was almost too much.
I mean the way he loved her so hard,” Gran said in an odd tone.

Andrea gazed at her. “He was devoted and
loving. Not what I’d call faults in a man.”

“Charlene used to say she felt like she
couldn’t breathe sometimes. I would tell her she oughta appreciate
the boy more. Funny how time changes things. Years later I saw her
side. It was too late by then.” Gran rubbed her hands together.
“Maybe things would have turned out different if I’d
understood.”

Andrea looked at her. “I don’t understand
what you mean.”

“Charlene and I argued over every little
thing. She tried to tell me about Louis, even dropped hints about
John Mandeville. Course, she didn’t come out and say who he was,”
Gran added quickly when Andrea’s eyes went wide. “I’d talk up
Louis. I must have told her a hundred times to be thankful such a
kind boy loved her so much.”

Andrea felt a stirring of unease but did not
know why. Maybe it was the tense expression Gran wore as she talked
about Louis. “And you were right.”

Gran gazed at her. “Louis made Charlene his
whole life, and not in a good way. Not for either of them. Charlene
can’t be tied down. Even as a baby she liked to run free. I never
was happy letting her be who she was. I tried to keep her locked up
when she was a child. But she’d sneak out and go down the road or
climb trees. I tried to change her. So all we did was fuss and
fight. Didn’t make a bit of sense.” Gran stared into the past.

“Charlene grew up and made her own choices.
You’re not to blame for the way she treated Daddy,” Andrea
insisted.

“I’m not saying I am.” Gran looked at Andrea.
“What I am saying is you need to understand your mama better. I’m
trying to explain why she’s like she is.”

Andrea’s grimace softened. “Honestly, I don’t
think she’s intentionally malicious. Charlene doesn’t consider
consequences. She sees what she wants and goes after it.”

“That may be true, cher. But like I said,
there’s al-ways more than one side to a story.” Gran pressed her
lips together.

Andrea felt a chill as though a winter breeze
had swept into the room. Gran’s words sounded ominous. “Are you
trying to tell me something?”

Gran was silent for almost a full minute. She
sighed. “I’m just saying it’s not fair to hold a grudge against
your own mama. You were just a baby. You don’t know everything that
went on between your mama and papa, no one does.”

Andrea stared at Gran. “There is something
you’re not telling me.”

“Have you ever asked her about what happened
between her and Louis or John Mandeville?”

“Neither of us would know where to begin. I’m
not sure it would change anything.”

Gran leaned toward Andrea. “Charlene is
scared of losing you forever. It’s up to you, baby. Talk to her.”
Andrea was surprised at Gran’s attitude. She’d always been so
critical of her middle child. It intrigued Andrea. Yet it
frightened her, too.

“I’ll think about it, Gran,” Andrea said.

***

Lee studied the drug logs and pretended not
to notice Denny had entered the records room. Denny stepped be-hind
a tall metal cabinet. He watched Lee for a moment, then backed out
and came down the hall again, this time making noise so as to be
heard. Lee shoved the log back in a drawer.

“What’s up?” Denny said.

“Nothing,” Lee replied with a grin. “Just
working hard.”

“Got some people that wanna meet you.” Denny
leaned against the desk and stuck his hands in his pants pockets.
“I told ’em about your contacts.”

Lee remained calm despite the adrenaline
rushing through his veins. “Sure. What time?”

“Not tonight. Friday. I’ll let you know what
time later,” Denny said tersely. He nodded with a grave
expression.

“Sounds good.” Lee held out his hand. Denny
slapped his palm against his and grasped it tight before he let
go.

“See ya.” Denny strolled off.

Before Lee could process this latest
development, Andrea appeared in the doorway. He smiled. Her thick
hair was tousled. Lee could imagine her tugging at it while
working. The woman was sexy no matter how she tried to hide it.

“Hey,” she said, “didn’t I instruct you not
to work long hours?”

“I don’t always follow orders. My teachers
used to say I had a problem with authority.” Lee stacked four
computer disks in a small storage container.

“Evidently.” Andrea walked further into the
room. She glanced around, picked up a few files, and gave them a
cursory inspection. “Denny tells me you’ve got over half the
patient histories stored in the database.”

“Yep. I’m up to M. It should be downhill from
here.

There sure are a lot of Landrys and
Leblancs,” Lee joked.

“Don’t celebrate yet. We’re big on Marchands,
Oubres, Thibodeauxs, and Trahans.” Andrea smiled at the mock look
of horror on his face.

“Damn! I wish you hadn’t told me that,” Lee
said, and put a hand to his forehead.

“Wait, I forgot about the Ricards and the
Rousselle clan.”

“You’re gonna give me nightmares.” Lee smiled
back at her.

Andrea had a devilish twinkle in her brown
eyes. “Oh, and then there’s—”

Lee put a finger on her lips. “Stop. I’ll be
up all night muttering letters of the alphabet.”

Her lips were warm and supple to the touch.
They stared into each other’s eyes. Lee remembered the feel of her
silky skin. Opening her blouse had been like un-wrapping a lovely
package. His breath caught when he realized she was staring at his
mouth. She felt the same way.

Andrea took his hand down slowly and held it.
“Sorry,” she said softly. “Didn’t mean to disturb your sleep.”

“Too late, you’ve already done it,” Lee
whispered, his voice hoarse.

Lee closed his fingers around her hand. He
did not want to let go. Everything else suddenly faded into the
background. The investigation, Denny, and the clinic were minor
details he would deal with later.

“So what do we do now?” he said.

Andrea blinked as though the question
confused her. “We had this talk a couple of weeks ago.” She made
only a token effort to pull her hand away.

For Lee, the most important thing in his
world at that moment was to hold on to her. “We didn’t really
settle the question, and I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“All the same complications apply,” Andrea
murmured.

“Then I guess we better talk again,” Lee said
quietly. “Dinner?”

Andrea blinked as though trying to wake up.
“I don’t know.”

He needed to be with her. “Please.”

She hesitated for only a moment, and then
nodded. “Okay, I’ll get my purse.”

“I’ll wait here.”

Lee watched her back up a few steps, then
turn and leave. When he was alone, unease crept through him. Every
minute he was near her, the tangle grew more knotted.

She came back, her hair now brushed into
place. His gaze traveled down the curve of her chin, traced the
graceful sweep of her neck and the round outline of her breasts
beneath her blouse. He thought of holding Andrea again so close he
could feel her heartbeat. The prospect made any possible
complications seem irrelevant.

“I’m ready,” Andrea said.

“Me, too,” Lee replied. He followed her
out.

Chapter 14

“I knew it was a good idea to let you
decide,” Lee said. He looked around.

“This place has excellent food and a nice
view.” Andrea nodded at the floor-to-ceiling windows ahead. “Bayou
Lafourche is gorgeous when the sun sets.”

They stood in the lobby of Savoie’s Seafood
House, waiting for a table. The restaurant was crowded even though
it was still early. All around were the clink of silverware and the
murmur of dinner conversations. A smiling waiter approached and
they were taken to a table near a window.

The waiter placed the menus on the white
tablecloth. “How is this? You could wait for a terrace table if you
prefer.”

“This is fine with me,” Andrea said when Lee
looked at her.