Love, Lies & The D.A. (14 page)

I don’t
want to tell her the truth, but I’ve never lied to my mother.

I look
at Bobby, and he briefly looks at me.

“Mom,
it was just an unruly reporter,” he says.

“Both
of you are lying to me. I don’t know what that was, but I know you well enough,
Bobby, to know you wouldn’t be this upset over some reporter.”

“Mom,
I don’t want you to worry,” I say, looking at her over my shoulder.

“Tell
me what’s going on,” she replies softly.

“I am
under investigation for Richard’s murder. The police think I have something to
do with his death.”

“That’s
absurd.”

“Exactly,”
Bobby retorts. “So there is no need for you to worry.”

“Have
you told them you have nothing to do with this?”

“I
have the best lawyers dealing with this. They hired investigators to conduct
their own thorough investigation.”

“But
have you told the police?”

“Her
lawyers do the talking for her. Both her lawyer and I have advised her not to
say a word to the police. Anything she says to them can be used against her,”
Bobby says.

“Are
you all sure?”

“Mom,
you and Daddy didn’t spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to send me to law
school so I can be unsure. I made sure I got her the best lawyer in the state.
He knows what he’s doing. In addition, I confer with him on a regular basis. We
have to trust him to do his job.”

“Sweetie,
why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Mommy asks.

“I
didn’t want you to worry. I still don’t want you to worry.”

“You’re
my daughter; how can I not?”

“Now
you understand why we haven’t said anything?” Bobby responds.

We
arrive at the house. As I get out of the car, my mother holds me in a warm
embrace.

“Mom,
please don’t worry. I’m going to be fine.”

 
At
least that’s what I’ve been telling myself.

“I
love you so much. I can stay here if you like… give you some support.”

“Absolutely
not. I don’t need a babysitter. I know you may not believe me, but when I
really need you, I do call,” I say as we walk into the house. “You all being
here, for example. I really needed to be around my family, so I called. Now you
all are here. You have to believe that. I’m fine.”

“Are
you sure?” she asks.

“I promise.”

The
anxiety dies down a bit, and I help my family pack in preparation for their
exit tonight. I know Bobby is really angry, but I also know him well enough to
know that when he’s like this, I should leave him alone. I notice Val has done
the same. She knows my brother well.

The
sun sets. I am surprised when Bobby comes out of the room and says he’d like us
to all go out for an early dinner. I’m a little unsure because of the run-in
today with the reporter, but I think if we have no interruptions, it’s how I’d
like to spend the night. Twice in one day is rather unlikely. We get ready,
pack the luggage in the car, and we are off.

We
visit a restaurant Bobby picked out in the mountains. It has beautiful hillside
views. We sit at an elegantly set table near the window. The afterglow from the
setting sun has created an exquisite painting in hues of reds and yellows in
the sky. It’s a lovely evening. The waiter comes by to take our drinks order,
and as he disappears out of view, Jonathan stands in his place.

“Hi,”
he smiles.

I feel
a jack hammer go off in my chest.

He
steps towards me and kisses me on my cheek.

“Merry
Christmas.”

“Merry
Christmas to you too.”

I
guess I have to introduce him, or my mother will most definitely call me out
for having bad manners if I don’t.

“How
are you?” I ask.

“I
walked in and saw you. Thought I’d come say hello.”

“Okay,
hello.” I blush. “Meet my mom—Cassandra, my brother—Bobby, and his fiancée—Val.
Everyone, meet Jonathan Kole.”

“It’s
a pleasure to meet you all,” he replies while shaking their hands.

“Are
you dining alone?” Bobby asks.

I look
at him in a what-difference-does-it-make sort of way.

“As a
matter of fact, I came to order some takeout,” Jonathan replies. “I just got in
from San Francisco.”

“Well,
perhaps you’d like to join us?” Bobby asks.

I
attempt to kick Bobby under the table, but my shin meets the bar under the
table instead, causing a loud thump and the table to vibrate. Bobby looks at me,
grinning. I hear Jonathan responding that he’d love to. I can’t express the
amount of pain I’m in. Bobby calls the waiter over and tells him we need
another place setting and chair.

Within
minutes, Jonathan is sitting between my mother and me.

He
then turns his head over his shoulder and whispers, “That shin of yours doing
okay under there?”

I try
to hide my embarrassment by smiling, but that’s a bit difficult when I can
actually feel the heat rise all over my body.

“Don’t
start,” I retort.

“So
Jonathan, what do you do?” Bobby asks.

I am
so annoyed. I can tell this night is not going to get any easier as time goes
by. My brother and Jonathan are going to have loads of fun at my expense.

“I’m a
criminal lawyer.”

“So I’m
I. Private practice?”

“Do we
really have to talk about work and all this nonsense today? It’s Christmas,” I
interject.

“Jay,
we’re just trying to get to know your friend. That’s all,” Bobby replies. A
sinister smirk crosses his lips.

“Are
you Jada’s lawyer?” Mommy asks.

“No.
His dad is,” I answer.

“Do
you work with your dad?” she continues.

I
sigh. I realize that this is getting me nowhere.

“I
used to,” Jonathan replies. “Now I’m a District Attorney.” Looking at Bobby, he
asks, “Where do you practice?”

“Miami.”

“Am I
going to have to sit here and listen to you law aficionados compare notes all
night long?”

“Jada.
Be nice,” Mom scolds.

The
waiter arrives to take our order, and I hope that when he leaves, the
conversation will change.

It
does. But—

“So
has Jada discussed her legal issues with you?” my mother asks.

“Mom.
No. His father knows what he’s doing.”

“I’ll
vouch for that,” Jonathan agrees.

“Do
you know the prosecutor that will preside over her case?” she continues.

“He’s
quite the shark from what I hear,” I reply. “But I haven’t been charged with
anything yet. You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

I am
afraid that this conversation is getting dangerously close to discussing
details of my case. I have a big problem doing that in front Jonathan, let
alone in a restaurant. I look at Bobby, hoping he’ll help.

“What
made you switch from private practice to public servant?” Bobby asks.

Thank
God.

“I
wanted to make a difference. I wanted to serve.”

“Wow…
how noble of you,” I mutter under my breath.

“If
taking jabs at me makes you happy, be my guest. Go ahead,” he murmurs over his
shoulder.

“You’re
making considerably less money though?” Bobby asks.

“That’s
true, but I made enough during private practice, and I’ve made wise
investments. That’s my way of giving back.”

“I’ve
heard nightmare stories from DA’s on their workload.”

“It’s
bad. I get to work at six or seven every morning, and most times, I’ll be lucky
if I leave by eight at night. I don’t work on weekends. I’ll work later during
the week if I have to, but my weekends are mine.”

“I
feel sorry for your girlfriend,” I blurt out, a little louder than I intended.

Everyone
at the table glances over at me.

“Well,
I don’t have one. So that’s not a problem,” he says, gazing into my eyes.

I’m
staring back at him, and for a moment, I feel like I’m in a trance and it’s
just him and me. I imagine his hand on my profile, and his lips leave tender
impressions on my cheek, but this time, he trails kisses until he reaches my lips.
The arrival of our food jolts me back to the present. Everyone is staring at
us.

I’m a
little embarrassed, and the gaze and smile from both Bobby and my mom tells me
that they were very aware of the moment between us.

“So
how long are you guys here?” Jonathan asks.

“We
leave for the airport once we’re done here,” Bobby replies.

Jonathan
looks over at me but doesn’t say anything. I know he’s wondering if there will
be a repeat of the last time Bobby left.

“That’s
too bad. It would have been nice to have you all over to get to know you
better.”

“We’ll
be back.” Bobby smiles.

“Do
you spend a lot of time here?” Val asks.

“My
second home is here. I leave San Francisco every second I get.”

“Don’t
you like it there?” Mommy continues.

“I do.
However, since becoming DA, it’s hard to have a private life. Or one where
people don’t want to discuss cases everywhere they see me. I’m just another
person here.”

“I
know the feeling. You should be careful. I was accosted by a reporter in town
today at Café Rus.”

“Are
you okay?”

“I’m
here. Bobby threatened him with a False Imprisonment suit.”

“Nice
going, Counselor,” he nods. “Do you know who the reporter was or where he was
from?”

“No,”
I reply. “He didn’t identify himself. I can’t say where he’s from either, and I
really wasn’t trying to carry on a conversation with him. He was creepy.”

He
looks concerned but doesn’t say anything further on the matter. We enjoy the
rest of the evening talking about fun times we shared with Daddy before he
died. For more than one reason, I don’t want tonight to end. I don’t want my
family to leave, and I want to spend more time with
him
.

Eventually,
we call for the check. Jonathan pays the bill before any of us can get our
hands on it. Everyone thanks him graciously then we all walk out together, but
he and I lag behind the rest of the group.

“Are
you going to be okay this time?” he asks.

“I
think so. The circumstances now are very different from when Bobby last left.
It was a rough time… you don’t get as attached after two days.”

“I can
come with you, if you like.”

I so
want to say yes, yes please be there, but I feel that I’d be setting myself up
for some sort of heartbreaking disappointment in the end. I look at him and
smile gratefully, but I never respond.

We
make our way to the car, and we all say our goodbyes. I notice him and Bobby
exchanging cards and having a quiet chat with each other before he joins us in
the vehicle. I start the car, backing carefully out of the space, and he waves
and watches as I drive away.

Within
moments, my mother says, “Young lady, you mind telling me what was going on at
that table tonight?”

“I
have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lie.

“What’s
going on between you and that young man?”

“Nothing.”

“You
have a crush on him, don’t you? Any fool with eyes could feel the tension
between you two. You like him.”

“Mommy,
I’m not having this conversation with you.”

I want
her to back off, but she seems determined.

“Just
by the way he looked at you, it’s obvious he likes you. I know Richard hurt you,
but I don’t want you to allow what that man did to scar you for the rest of
your life. You’re a gorgeous young woman. You deserve to be in a happy
relationship. You’re not getting any younger.”

“Well,
even if that’s true, a happy relationship wouldn’t be with him. It would only
end in disaster.”

“Why?
How can you be so sure about that?”

“It
just won’t.”

“That’s
not a legitimate reason. What’s going on? He seems like a nice young man. He
had that spark in his eyes every time he looked at you… I’m certain you like
him. Why won’t you give him a chance?”

I am
frustrated, and suddenly I hear myself spitting the words out.

“Because
he’s the shark District Attorney that would be presiding over my case.”

The
car goes silent.

 It’s not
often I see or hear my mother speechless. All of a sudden, she bursts out
laughing.

“I’m
glad you find this amusing, but I don’t.”