Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela (31 page)

Nick hastened to soften that pronouncement. He leaned forward and, in

an urgent whisper, explained, ―Like I told you before, most abusers…

they aren‘t like you, they don‘t wanta change, and they aren‘t… they

couldn‘t even if they wanted to.‖

Logan studied the parking lot briefly before turning to Nick and

asking, ―But Trudy believes otherwise, huh?‖

―She believes it‘s worth a try some of the time. And she‘s had

some
limited
success,‖ Nick admitted. He gulped some root beer before

admonishing, ―That‘s why you gotta be firm with her, Logan. You

gotta convince her there‘s no hope for saving your marriage, or she‘ll

be like a bulldog—won‘t let go.‖

―Tell me ‘bout it,‖ Logan sighed.

―Thought any more about what you‘re gonna say?‖

―Same as I said last time. I don‘t wanta go back to Linda… but

stick to my guns this time.‖ Logan let out a puff of exasperation,

grousing, ―She‘s been asking for weeks what it is I want, and then

when I finally tell her, she don‘t listen!‖

―Yeah, well, this is her pet cause, reuniting families.‖ Nick ran a

hand through his hair as he elaborated, ―After all, she wrote a whole

goddamn book about it.‖

―She did?‖

―Yep, a bestseller in our field. There‘s an autographed copy on

my bookshelf at home.‖ Nick didn‘t find it necessary to add that the

only part of the book he‘d ever read had been Trudy‘s inscription on

the flyleaf.

Their food arrived just then, and Nick took advantage of the break

to change the subject. He pointed to the T-bird that could be seen in the

parking lot. ―Can‘t wait ‘til it looks as good as it runs. Where should

we get it painted?‖

Logan chewed his meatloaf while he seemed to consider the

subject. ―It‘s a shame—the best place I know is back home in Elco. The

guy used to do a lotta work for me.‖

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189

―Maybe we should take it there.‖

―Nah, gotta be a place closer…. Let me think about it.‖

The topic of conversation drifted to Logan‘s continuing efforts to

find a mechanic position in North Braddock, and on to work in general,

and finally got around to Nick‘s mom. At last there was some small bit

of good news on that front, and Nick gladly gave it. ―I saw her doctor

yesterday, and he‘s talking about moving her out of the hospital.‖

―She‘s comin‘ home?‖

―Not right off. They gotta move her to a nursing facility first, ‘til

she gets stronger.‖

Their plates were cleared, and Nick started teasing his companion

about dessert. ―You gonna have some pie?‖

The look on Logan‘s face suggested that he‘d never heard a

crazier idea. ―After that meal? No way.‖

―Come on.‖ Nick flicked a hot glance from under his sooty

lashes. ―We‘ll work it off later.‖

Logan‘s ready laugh spoke of the success of this celebratory

meal, though he protested, ―Not if I explode first.‖

―But the pie here—‖

―Is the best in the city,‖ Logan finished, provoking a shout of

laughter from Nick.

Nick was just about to agree that they should skip dessert and

head back to his place for the next event on the evening‘s schedule

when he saw Dave Acken enter the restaurant. His friendly smile

quickly faded when he saw that Dave was closely trailed by the

imposing bulk of Larry Gerard. Bringing up the rear was none other

than his wife, Trudy. Nick instinctively dropped his head and hunched

forward as he calculated their chances of remaining undetected.

Logan, whose back was to the door, noticed the change in Nick

immediately. ―What?‖

Before Nick could answer, Dave‘s voice could be heard booming

down the aisle. ―There they are! I knew it.‖

Dread squeezed a steel band around his heart as Nick suddenly

found their cozy booth surrounded by the last three people he had

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expected—or wanted—to see. He flicked a glance across the table and

knew the jig was up; Logan looked as guilty as a murderer caught with

a smoking gun in his hand. Somehow Nick found the courage to nod

and greet the group nonchalantly. ―Hey, guys. Didn‘t expect to see you

here tonight.‖

Dave and Larry were both smiling widely, but Trudy‘s face wore

a suspicious and guarded frown. Larry clasped Nick on the shoulder

with a meaty, dark-skinned hand as he exulted, ―Can‘t keep you away

from this place. I guess I‘ve more ‘an made back every double order of

fries I ever slipped you.‖

Mustering up a wan smile, Nick said, ―You‘re the one who‘s here

on his night off.‖

The ever-genial Dave jumped in to explain, ―That would be my

doing. Trudy and Larry took me out for my birthday to this place

nearby.‖ He paused and glanced at Trudy, asking, ―What was it

called?‖

―Dish,‖ Trudy supplied. ―It was Nick‘s suggestion.‖ Her voice

unusually cool, she added, ―It was every bit as good as you said…. Oh,

and Tish says hi.‖

Nick just nodded, not daring to check how Logan was faring as

Dave informed them, ―So we was passing by on the way back, and I

spotted the T-bird in the parking lot. Had to stop in and congratulate

you two on getting it running.‖ He turned his attention to Logan next.

―Guess you figured out that problem with the valve seat heights, huh?‖

No longer able to avoid looking at Logan, Nick watched him

stutter out an inaudible reply and felt compelled to say to the Gerards,

―Logan has been helping me with the Thunderbird.‖

Larry greeted Logan directly and offered his hand while Trudy

said, ―Is that right?
Funny
you never mentioned it before.‖ She turned

to Logan, spearing him with her annoyed gaze. ―
Or you
.‖

Nick‘s guilt was submerged under a wave of irritation at being

treated like a couple of naughty schoolboys, and he quipped, ―Guess

my last few biweekly reports have been light on details about
my

personal life
, huh?‖

Seeming to play along, Trudy drawled, ―Yes. I guess we can

rectify that at our eight a.m. meeting tomorrow.‖

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191

Since there previously had been no morning meeting scheduled,

Nick got the message loud and clear. He took a deep breath before

asserting calmly, ―I‘ll be there.‖

―Good.‖ Trudy nodded at the duo in the booth before saying to

Larry, ―Honey, we‘ve already kept the sitter waiting, and we still have

to drop Dave off.‖

Larry laughed. ―Just more money for her.‖ But the group quickly

said their goodbyes and left.

After watching them move to the door and tracking them out to

the parking lot, Logan turned to Nick and barked, ―She knows.‖

Nick didn‘t bother refuting the assertion. ―Well, she suspects,

anyway.‖ They paid the bill in gloomy silence.

On the short drive back to Acken‘s shop, Logan asked, ―What‘re

you gonna tell her?‖

The question echoed the one that had been playing through Nick‘s

mind, and he‘d come to one solid conclusion. ―The truth.‖

―The truth?‖ Logan leaned into Nick‘s space, warning, ―It ain‘t

just your truth to tell.‖

He made no answer until the T-bird was safely parked in the

garage. Nick cut the engine off and turned to Logan. Quietly but firmly,

he asserted, ―I‘m not going to lie to Trudy.‖

Logan leaped out of the car, yelling, ―What the fuck! You didn‘t

have any problem with me lying to her!‖

Nick bounded out and raced around the T-bird to face him. ―I

never asked you to lie.‖ More calmly, he added, ―What‘s the point,

Logan? You said it yourself, she kno—‖

―She can‘t prove anything.‖

―It doesn‘t matter.‖

Logan sagged back against the frame of the car, folding his arms.

His eyes on the floor, he defiantly enunciated, ―It does to me.‖

―Why?‖ Nick leaned down to try and read his eyes. When they

flicked back up, Nick was cut by blue steel.

―If she can‘t prove it, then she can‘t tell anyone.‖

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―What, are you nuts? You think she‘s gonna let this go if I tell her

we‘re just friends? A friendship I‘ve deliberately concealed from her

for months?‖

Logan pushed off the car and started pacing the floor, muttering

angrily to himself.

―What did you say?‖ Nick demanded.

Stopping right in front of him, Logan avered through gritted teeth,

―I said, I knew no good would come of all of this.‖

―No good!‖ Nick yelled back. ―No good? Is that what I‘ve been to

you?‖

―You don‘t get it,‖ Logan snapped, then shook his head wearily

as he explained more quietly, ―You don‘t have anything to lose.‖

Nick took a deep breath, biting back every vicious word fighting

to get out of his mouth. When he had better control of himself, he

glared at Logan, asserting, ―I guess you‘re right. I‘m sure not losing

anything important.‖ Nick tossed the keys to the shop at him, saying,

―Lock up, will you? I‘m going home. Alone.‖

As he stalked to the door, a snarl followed him out. "Good! We

should‘a been doing that all along. Then none of this would‘ve ever

happened."

Nick ignored the salvo and drove back to Observatory Hill in

muted, stoic fury, wondering how a bright, glittering day had shattered

so quickly—and irrevocably.

Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela

193

Chapter 14:

For Every Truth There Is an Ear

For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it.

—Ivan Panin

SUNDAY night at eleven p.m., Nick trudged slowly home, sweat-

soaked after a long run but still unsure whether or not sleep was an

attainable goal. He barely remembered traversing the lamp-lit trails of

Riverview Park, so occupied had his mind been with doomsday

scenarios, each one more catastrophic than the last.
Trudy’s gonna

reprimand me for sure. Maybe even fire me… and the job market for

counselors isn’t exactly jumping. I could lose the house—then Ma

won’t have a place to come home to…. Good thing I wasted my savings

on that stupid car.
He immediately shook that reflection off, since it

brought his train of thought to an unwelcome stop named Logan Crane.

Suddenly the contemplation of financial ruin was more attractive than

thinking of his still-silent cell phone.

A short while later, Nick stared sleeplessly at his bedroom ceiling

and attempted to calm his raging fears.
Trudy won’t fire me. She can’t!

It’s not like I broke any clear-cut rules. If she tries to, I’ll… I’ll sue her

ass off.
Abruptly, he was inspired to jump out of bed and dig out an old

boyfriend‘s business card—one who specialized in employment law

and was known in the gay community for anti-discrimination suits.

When Nick finally found the card tucked into a desk drawer, he

clutched it like a talisman and laid it carefully on his dresser. He hadn‘t

spoken to Mark Billings in almost four years, but they had parted on

very amicable terms, and Nick felt slightly better for having taken some

kind of action.

When he dressed for work the next morning, Nick was still

girding his loins for battle, already mentally arguing with Trudy in his

head.
I can’t believe you’d do this to me, after all I’ve given to this

place.
Not bothering with any kind of breakfast, Nick filled his travel

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mug with coffee and headed for ACC at 6:20 a.m., since pacing in his

small kitchen wasn‘t accomplishing anything. Once at work, he decided

to use the extra time to dig out his last few performance reviews. Trudy

had written them and was fully aware that his ratings had all been

exemplary, but Nick planned to go in armed with as much ammunition

as possible.

He was scanning e-mails without comprehending a single word

when his desk phone rang at five minutes after seven; the LED screen

indicated that the call was from Trudy. Nick picked up, saying, ―Good

morning, Trudy.‖

―Good morning. I saw your Jeep in the parking lot.‖

―Uh huh.‖

―So… you‘re here, I‘m here. Let‘s do this thing.‖

Nick was almost tempted to ask Trudy when she had started

talking like Tony Soprano but found the joke died in his parched throat.

―Okay. I‘ll be right there.‖

When they were seated across from each other in Trudy‘s office,

she cleared her throat and said calmly, ―I‘m not going to beat around

the bush. What‘s going on between you and Logan Crane?‖

Though he had been preparing for this question for the last twelve