We Can Laugh Together Too (Walnut Grove Trilogy) (6 page)

Livi of course, was privy to just one side of the
conversation, but she listened to Matt as he explained her situation concisely,
while regarding her reassuringly. Then he became silent as the agent replied,
apparently explaining her response in detail.

She watched as the corners of his eyes crinkled in a smile
now so familiar to her. “Thank you -- yes, yes, that’s absolutely clear, but
could I ask just one more favor? Mrs. Leonard’s her with me right now; could
you possibly repeat what you’ve just told me to her?” A moment later he thrust
the phone into Livi’s hands and she was greeted by a woman with a deep,
smoker’s voice. She could imagine a cigarette smoldering in the ashtray on her
desk.

The woman introduced herself and spent a few moments politely
commiserating with Livi over her predicament, then repeated almost verbatim exactly
what Ben Veiga had said to her.

When, eventually the call ended, she handed Matt’s phone
back and sat for a long time staring straight ahead, gathering her thoughts.
Then she exhaled deeply and bunching her right hand into a fist, smacked into
her left palm. “Yeeessssss . . . !” she exclaimed exuberantly, “now I’m
prepared to believe!”

Matt let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, you had me
seriously worried.”

♠  
♠   ♠

When they reached Buellton, Matt asked to be dropped at the
veterinary clinic. He felt he should touch bases with Doc Blair, then, provided
there were no emergencies, he promised to follow them to the farm in his own
vehicle.

Livi meanwhile continued in the Lexus and when they arrived
at the house, the driver opened the trunk and produced a large cooler, packed
with ice and containing three bottles of Veuve Clicquot and half a dozen
champagne flutes, which he carried into the house for her.

Uncertain of what she should do in the circumstances she
offered him a tip, which he immediately declined. “Not necessary,” he assured
her. “It’s my job to drive the car for Mr. Nichols, and driving you down the
Pacific Coast Highway wasn’t exactly a hardship.

“I couldn’t help hearing your phone conversations; I’m really
glad things seem to be working out for you.”

Livi touched his arm gratefully. “Thank you, thank you so
much, you’re very kind.”

As she watched the big Lexus disappear towards the road,
Matt’s SUV passed him, approaching the house. She went to meet him and he
jumped out and enveloped her in a hug.

“Doc Blair told me to come and celebrate with you. Er --  I
hope you don’t mind, but I told him why I wanted to go with you to your lunch
appointment today. I thought it best to be honest with him.”

“Of course I don’t mind, he’d have found out soon enough if
I’d had to sell the farm.”

As she spoke, Chrissy appeared from the house. “I thought I
heard you. I take it from your smiles everything went well. I’ve got some great
news too – the university sent a bunch of stuff about their outreach program
and they said they have vacancies for the last two weeks of July. Please Mom;
say I can go . . . please . . .”

Laughing, Livi started back toward the house. “I’ll decide
after I’ve read what they’ve sent. But first we’ve got some corks to pop.
Where’s Isidoro? He should be here too.”

“I’ll fetch him” Chrissy volunteered; she’d clearly decided
to be as helpful as possible, hoping it would further her cause.

Amused, Livi watched her run towards the horse-barn. “I
could be really horrible and hang this out for days, but I won’t.” She took
Matt’s arm. “Come on, let’s get some glasses filled.”

The expensive champagne was exquisite, and Livi allowed Chrissy
to join them with a small glass. At first, Isidoro seemed confused as to why he
was included, but after Livi explained they were celebrating resolving the
threat of her losing the farm, he was happy to accept a glass and join in the
toasting. After all, his job and home could have been in jeopardy yet again.

Two bottles quickly disappeared and eventually thoughts
turned to dinner. Matt volunteered to treat everyone at Burrito Loco on McMurray
Road in Buellton, but Livi was having none of that. “No way,” she said firmly.
“After the champagne we’ve drunk, we aren’t driving anywhere. We can either
barbeque or order a takeout.”

The consensus was for a barbeque. Livi urged Isidoro to
invite Rosa and Katia to join them, and he departed from the impromptu party,
promising to return with his family.

Livi went into the larder to fetch hamburgers, ribs, chicken
joints, and apple juice and barbeque sauce for basting. Matt fired up the big gas
barbeque and added a container of applewood pellets for flavor. Chrissy created
a huge bowl of guacamole with avocados, tomatoes, cilantro and various spices
and took it outside accompanied by a giant pack of tortilla chips. As an
afterthought, she remembered the cooler still full of ice in the kitchen, into
which she shoved various sodas, beers and spritzers from the fridge before
shouting to Matt to carry it outside for her.

Isidoro returned with his family bearing a big dish of
tamales and salsa verde, and with the scent of cooking in the air, the two dogs
quickly put in an appearance, politely awaiting any treats which might befall
them.

Into the midst of this happy gathering drove Doc Blair. He
explained he was passing and thought he’d stop by to congratulate Livi. Before
he knew what was happening, he found himself with a plate of ribs and chicken
in his hand.

The party extended until after dark and when eventually it
began breaking up, Livi eyed Matt speculatively. “Are you okay to drive?” she
asked.

He replied with a crooked grin. “I could say no, but
actually I’m fine. It’s hours since we drank the champagne and all I’ve had
since is a few Mountain Dews. No alcohol for ages.”

With Chrissy close by, he gave both of them a chaste kiss on
the cheek, then after making Livi promise to call him immediately after she spoke
with her attorney the next day, he climbed into his SUV and departed following
Doc Blair.

♠  
♠   ♠

Thursday dawned overcast, which was particularly unusual for
the time of year, and Livi hoped it wasn’t an omen for how things would go with
her attorney. It was still much too early to call him so she passed the time
walking the dogs, then reading the information Chrissy had received from the university.
It was encouraging in its detail, and she found it wearing down most of her
reservations. She realized that the way things were shaping up, she was going
to be totally alone on the farm during the second half of July.

Ultimately, with a cup of coffee before her, she picked up
the phone and dialed her attorney; his rather prim receptionist answered and
put her though. Initially she met with resistance; first he determined she was
wrong, then he clearly resented her looking elsewhere for advice which
ostensibly contradicted what he’d told her. But Livi was resolute, and in the
end he was left with no option other than to speak to Ben Veiga’s insurance
agent himself. She made him promise to call her back immediately he had done
so.

More than an hour passed before the phone rang, and Livi
guessed he’d spent much of that time reviewing what to say in order to redeem
his usual polished confidence, as clearly, she had shown it little regard.
After a good deal of blustering, he admitted that he’d
possibly
been
remiss in not seeking specialist advice before instructing her, and confessed
that in addition to the insurance agent, he’d also consulted with a law
professor with whom he was acquainted.

Livi realized that, having made her point, it probably
wasn’t in her best interests to antagonize the man further, so she hastily mollified
him, telling him she understood completely and hoped he could now resolve the
claim once and for all with a clear-cut rebuttal to Edward’s San Francisco
attorney.

She put the phone down smiling, and imagined how he would
artfully draft a letter, casting himself as the font of this new-found
knowledge. Good luck to him, the black cloud over her had lifted; her
attorney’s ego didn’t concern her.

Next she phoned Matt on his cell phone, but he was with a
client so their conversation had to be brief. She assured him she’d convinced
her attorney of her lack of culpability and agreed to see him immediately work
finished.

Livi’s final task was to inform Chrissy of her decision concerning
her participation in the veterinary college’s outreach program. After the
excitement of the previous evening, she was apparently sleeping in, but Livi knew
that under the circumstances, she would welcome being woken.

Chrissy threw her arms around her mother in delight. “Thank
you Mom! I haven’t stopped thinking about this since Matt first told me. Don’t
worry, I promise you won’t regret letting me go. And just imagine, I could go
back there in a few years as a veterinary student.”

Livi laughed. “That would be wonderful, but remember, it’s
going to be your first two weeks away from home. Are you sure you can handle
it?”

“Positive!” A frown suddenly crossed her daughter’s face.
“But with me gone you’ll be here all on your own, Matt will be gone too. Will
you be okay?”

“Of course I will. After all we’ve been through this year,
it’ll be a piece of cake.”

Chrissy swung her legs out of bed and snuggled close to Livi.
“What gives with Matt Mom? He seems to mean a lot to you.”

Livi caught her breath and stared down at her hands for a
moment, gathering her thoughts. “Yes he does,” she said finally. “Oh, Chrissy,
I didn’t plan for this to happen, believe me. Not a single day goes by without
me thinking about your Dad, I still miss him badly. But Matt’s a good person
too; he’ thoughtful and kind and generous. And he says he loves me.”

Chrissy thought about this. “Do you love him?” she asked
eventually.

“Yes I do.” Livi decided there was no point in beating about
the bush and neither was there anything to be gained from deceiving her
daughter. “I have to confess I do love him. Over the past couple of months
we’ve grown very close.”

“I thought so. Katia’s noticed it too.” Chrissy twisted the
hem of her tee-shirt in her hands. “Mom, don’t take this the wrong way – I see
Matt as a friend, you won’t ever expect me to treat him as a replacement for
Dad will you?”

Livi put her arms around her and held her close.
“Sweetheart, no-one will ever replace your Dad, not for you and not for me. I
was talking to Matt about how your Dad and I always seemed to be laughing and
he said, we’ll laugh too, but we’ll have different laughs for different
reasons. He was right. If it’s any comfort to you, I was in denial for a long
time, refusing to accept my feelings for him, but fate’s brought us together
and he makes me extremely happy. I know I make him happy too, so please, can
you accept that?”

Chrissy’s face was solemn and when she spoke is was little
more than a whisper. “Of course I can Mom. I didn’t expect you to never ever
have a boyfriend again --” Livi smiled at her teenage terminology and made a
mental note to inform Matt of his new title, “but now it’s happened, I need to
get used to it. Actually, I’ve wanted to talk to you about it for a long time,
especially after you went away for the weekend together, but until today, I
never knew how to begin.”

Livi hugged her again. “Don’t ever be frightened to talk to
me. Just sit down and begin at the beginning, it’s always for the best.”

♠  
♠   ♠

When Matt arrived after work, Chrissy had tactfully vanished with
Katia. Livi took him into the kitchen, sat him down with a cold drink, and
broke the news to him about her conversation with her daughter. As she spoke, a
broad smile spread across his face.

“Livi, that’s terrific. What a great kid she is. I know we
still need to be discreet, but now at least I can give you a kiss and hold your
hand in front of her.”

“Well, I suppose that’s what my – in her words – ‘boyfriend’
would do,” she replied, smothering a laugh. “That’s what you are Matt, my
boyfriend.”

He chuckled and reached across the table to her. “I guess
that makes you my ‘girlfriend’. Better start as we mean to continue then . . .”

♠  
♠   ♠

He took her to a quiet restaurant just a few miles down the
road where they both ordered a light meal. Livi listened attentively as Matt
told her about his day, but he was clearly anxious to move on to her
conversation with her attorney and its implications.

“So what was your impression?” he asked. “Is he going to hang
Edward out to dry?”

Livi laughed. “I sincerely hope so – I must admit he took
some convincing, half the battle was getting him to climb down off his high
horse, but once he’d called Ben’s insurance agent and some law professor, he did
acknowledge the error of his ways.”

“Well, let’s hope you’ve heard the last of it; I have some
news too. Last week I sent a letter to Michael Majors, the senior partner of
the veterinary practice I still hold a not insubstantial financial stake in.
It’s written into the partnership contract that I can’t sell my share of the
business to a third party before first offering it to the other partners, and
for nearly two years he’s been shining me on, telling me they were working on
finding another veterinarian they thought they could work with, and who was
willing to buy me out.

“To cut a long story short, last week I decided to bring
things to a head. I gave him an ultimatum, either they come up with a live
buyer, or I take care of disposing of my share myself; I think they’ve had long
enough, and I need that money to reinvest in a new partnership when I
eventually find one. He phoned me today – just after I spoke to you actually –
and reading between the lines I don’t think they’d done much looking at all. All
the partners are actually employees of the practice, that way they profit from various
tax advantaged benefit plans, so without me there working, I’m not drawing a
salary, yet my investment remains untouched.