“God! He did!”
“It was so annoying!” Candace said. “We had a fight once, you know.”
“You did? You and Greg?”
Candace nodded. “I didn’t want you to ever know. It was not my finest hour. You know how we had to split holidays with his family? One of us got Christmas Eve and the other got Christmas day? And it was every other Thanksgiving? And the Adamses always had first choice. Well, I always had a problem with that whole idea—I didn’t know why we couldn’t all be together. I welcomed his mother and father and even his no-account brother and that whole crew. But I called your house, and he answered when you weren’t home yet. I told him I wanted to nail down the holiday schedule, the plans for when we’d get to host. He very sweetly told me that you were managing his schedule because he was in such demand that he didn’t even know which days were free, and you were the manager of his ‘events’ calendar. What a load of crap—all he did was go to meetings and dinners and play golf with potential investors.”
“That doesn’t sound like a fight....”
Candace looked down briefly where her hands with the perfectly manicured nails were folded in her lap. “I told him to kiss my ass. And then I just called you at the office.”
Leslie laughed with delight. “Really? That’s awesome. I wish I’d known that.”
Candace was quiet for a moment. Finally she said, “It was a long eight years of you promoting him, Les. He knew how to choose restaurants, music, order from the menu, and his plans for his future were a priority. Not your future, but his. Your dad and I sometimes wondered if we’d have to have you deprogrammed.” She shook her head. “He must have been some kind of wonderful in the sack.”
A burst of laughter shot out of Leslie, not because her mother had been so candid but because she’d been so wrong.
“How would you have felt about us if our marriage had lasted?” Leslie asked her mother.
“Leslie, it doesn’t matter how other people feel about your spouse! Don’t you see? You chose him, you had to live with him, he was your package to adore or be fed up with! Once you made your choice, I didn’t have a right to an opinion. Your grandma Petruso never much cared for me and she let me know it—I learned a very important lesson from that. And I made a vow never to be that kind of mother-in-law.
“But he’s not my son-in-law anymore and I don’t have to pretend to have any hero worship. All I care about is that you find the happiness in life you deserve.”
Leslie felt her eyes mist. “Every time I saw him with Allison it felt like a knife. I wonder how long I would have suffered like that if I hadn’t decided to leave Grants Pass....”
“It was obviously a good decision,” Candace said. “And I dreaded it so much....”
“It’s temporary,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll be back eventually, and in the meantime we’ll visit. I’ll admit something, Mom—I was thinking of coming up for a weekend and I hated the thought of not spending my time off with Conner!”
Candace ruffled Leslie’s curls. “Speaking of Conner, we don’t want to keep him waiting. Go tame your wild hair—your dad should be back any second.”
When they were all seated for lunch at a table in Jack’s bar, Leslie’s parents first asked Conner where he was from and whether he had any family. Right after that Leslie redirected the conversation before it could turn into Twenty Questions.
“Mom, tell Conner about your last cruise and the friends-for-life you made.”
Candace was only too happy to comply, and now, at the age of thirty-two, Leslie was rediscovering her mother. Candace was not the least bit wrapped up in herself, despite allowing the conversation to revolve around the activities of this retired couple. In fact, she gave Leslie a little wink before she embarked on a description of their Alaskan cruise.
Candace used the excuse to talk as a way of not having an opinion about Conner. And Conner asked questions. “Did you fish while you were in Alaska?”
“No, but we definitely ate some of the best fish imaginable. We nearly had to fight bears for it. We went to an outdoor restaurant built along a river where the bear fish!”
“You can see that here all summer,” the eavesdropping Jack said while delivering drinks to the table.
“Is that a fact?” Robert asked.
And of course Jack hung around a while to extol the scenic virtues of Virgin River. And while he did so, Conner slipped his arm around Leslie’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
After lunch, Leslie asked her parents if they couldn’t stay through the weekend.
“Not this time, honey. But if you get some furniture for that second bedroom, we’ll happily come back. I wouldn’t mind learning to fish if there’s a bear sideshow to go with it.”
After lunch, the Petrusos left Virgin River, and Conner went back to Leslie’s house. Once there, he pulled a shovel and stakes out of his truck.
“Paul ordered cement for your drive and I asked him to let me get it ready. I’m going to trench it out so he can have it poured this week.”
“I’ll help,” she offered.
“Nah,” he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Go find something relaxing to do. Read a book. Knit. Do you knit?” he asked. She shook her head, and he laughed. “Take a nap, then. I’ll be about two or three hours. Then I’ll grab a shower and make you a burger on the grill later, if you’re interested.”
“Always interested,” she said. “Why did you take this on?”
“I heard him mention it to Dan and I said I’d be happy to do it. I didn’t have plans. I guess there’s going to be a little building here, too. He wants to add on a covered carport with a storage closet. You knew that, right?”
“I knew that,” she said. “I didn’t know it would fall to you.”
“It didn’t, babe. I asked for the job. Now go find a way to kick back.”
So for the next three hours, while Conner sweated in the driveway, digging a wide path for concrete, Leslie sat on the porch with her feet propped up on the rail and a book in her lap. She didn’t get much reading done. She found herself watching Conner more than the book she held. And she smiled a lot. Because despite all their proclamations of finding themselves and working out their issues without becoming too involved, there was one thing she knew in her heart.
He was hers.
Nine
As Brie walked into the bar in the midafternoon she found her brother had removed all the glasses and liquor bottles and was giving the mirror and glass shelves a good cleaning. This was the sort of chore Jack liked to do during the time of day there were few patrons.
“Sparkling up the place, Jack?” she asked.
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to drop a load of old clothes off at the church. They’re getting ready for another rummage sale.”
“Haven’t they sold enough rummage yet?” Jack asked.
“It’s only disguised as a rummage sale. They hold back a lot of stuff they can just give away as needs arise, and what they sell, they sell so cheap it’s the same as charity. But the women’s group gets a little something for their kitty. Ness is playing with your kids, or hopefully taking a nap with your kids, and I thought I’d let you buy me a Diet Coke.”
“My pleasure,” he said, leaning over the bar to give his sister a little peck on the forehead.
“I’m not interrupting your cleaning binge, am I?”
“You are, but I don’t mind. I don’t get to visit with you that often.” He poured and served her the drink. “Seems like you’ve been busier than usual lately.”
“The county has kept me really busy. My part-time job is taking more than full-time. Just as well,” she shrugged. “There aren’t enough cases around here for a private practice anyway.”
br /> “But that’s how you like it,” he said. “The days of the overworked A.D.A. are not all that far behind you. You’ve always loved to work.”
“As a consultant for the local D.A., I usually don’t have such a full plate. It’s usually just here and there.”
“I haven’t seen much of you, that’s for sure. You must be over in Eureka all the time.”
“Plenty of domestics and sexual assaults right now for some reason, my unfortunate specialty. Anything interesting happening around here? Anything more upbeat than my line of work?” she asked.
“This is an upbeat kind of place,” he said. “Sometimes I feel like frickin’ Cupid. I think we got ourselves another romance, and man, I never saw it coming. But now that I think about it, it makes sense.”
“Oh?” she asked, taking a sip.
“Yeah. That friend of yours, Conner. And Paul’s old/new secretary, Leslie.”
Brie sputtered and choked. She tried to recover, but she coughed until her eyes watered; the cola went down the wrong pipe. It took her a couple of seconds, and then in a weak voice she said, “Really?”
“You all right?” Jack asked.
“Swallowed funny. Tell me about the new romance. You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. They were in here for lunch today with Leslie’s parents. Her folks drove down from Grants Pass for a quick visit and, I assume, to meet Conner. And it was a pretty cozy lunch. Conner had his arm around Leslie the whole time and the four of them seemed to hit it off. Another one bites the dust.” And then he laughed.
Brie cleared her throat and tried to appear nonchalant. “You said it made perfect sense. Why is that?”
“Oh, they seem right, but that’s just me talking. But here’s the gist—he’s here alone for work and she’s here alone to put some distance between her and her ex-husband. I assume they met at work and boom—hormones. Those really fun hormones—remember those? And there was the definite scent of satisfaction in the air. Those two are getting it on.”
“And that’s it? You saw them together and you assume…?”
“No, Leslie stopped by for takeout for two a couple of times and so did Conner, so I knew they were seeing some action with someone. I just didn’t realize it was each other. Seeing them together? It looks just right. I’ve always had a good eye for that sort of thing.”
Brie was stunned silent for a moment. Then she recovered and said, “Oh, gee, look at the time. I better get going.”
“You haven’t been here ten minutes! What’s the rush?” Jack asked.
“If I get home before Ness wakes up from her nap, I might get a couple of things done without the constant interference. Thanks, Jack. You’re a dream brother.”
“Oh, yeah? You could stay ten whole minutes if I’m such a dream.”
“I know you want to get back to your spring cleaning…”
“Oh, yeah, I was dying to do some more clean—”
But Brie wasn’t listening, she was on the move. She barely knew Leslie; she’d run into her a couple of times at the bar, but on neither occasion had Conner been with her.
She wasn’t quite sure where to go. To Leslie’s? She didn’t know where Leslie lived. She headed for the Riordan cabins, though she knew on a Saturday Conner might be spending his day off with his new girlfriend!
She was going to kill him!
When she pulled into the Riordan compound, it was just after four, and she saw him fishing in the river with Art. She pulled in, parked and plastered a cheerful expression on her face as she approached the two men.
“Hey,” she called. “Hi, Art. Hi, Conner.”
“Hey, Brie,” Art said. “You wanna fish?”
“Gee, thanks, Art, but I’m gonna pass. I wanted to talk to Conner for a second.”
“You sure?” Art asked. “I have another rod....”
She smiled at him. “You’re so generous, thank you. Not today.”
“I never seen you fish, Brie,” Art pointed out to her.
“But you’ve fished with Mike many times.”
“Uh-huh,” he said. “He’s good, too.”
“Conner,” Brie asked. “A minute?”
“Sure.” He reeled in his line and turned to exit the river. “Save my place, Art.”
He stood on the riverbank looking at Brie.
“Your cabin, please? It won’t take long,” she said, smiling the whole time. And then she turned to walk slowly back toward the cabins.
He caught up with her, his waders making a scrunching, squeaking sound with each step. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said. “Which one is yours?”
“Number four,” he said. When they got there, he leaned the rod against the outside wall and took off the waders. He opened the unlocked door and held it for her.
When they were both inside and the door closed, her expression went south in a hurry, and she punched him in the shoulder. It was not the force of the blow but her angry expression and surprise that caused him to take a backward step. “Hey!”
“Have you lost your mind?” she snapped. “You have a thing going with Leslie? Didn’t we talk about this?”
“Not exactly,” he said. “If you’re referring to telling me this wouldn’t be an ideal time to hook up with someone, I heard that. I couldn’t agree more. In fact, when you get down to it, it’s not an ideal time for anything!”
Brie got right in his face. “What are you thinking? You’re supposed to be flying under the radar as much as possible!”
“Yeah? Then you brought me to the wrong place! I’ve been helping erect the school, finish a friend’s house, hang out at the bar with your brother and work overtime for your friend Paul. I’ve been fishing with Art every week. Art depends on me fishing with him. And that’s the tip of the iceberg. This isn’t the kind of place where you stay a stranger for long.”
“But a girlfriend?” she said, an accusing tone to her voice.
“I didn’t plan that,” he said.
“Where’s this going? You going to just leave her high and dry when it’s time to testify?”
“No,” he said. “At the very least I’m going to tell her. Everything.”
Brie palmed the top of her own head and dug her fingers into her scalp, massaging. “Oh, God. And make her collateral damage, too?”
“How?”
“If the other side ever finds out who’s important to you here—”
“The list would be long,” he said flatly. “And it might even include you.”
“No. No, you don’t understand. The rest of us have a lot of other links—like for example, I’m married to a cop. Jack’s not exactly someone you love even if you like him. Lots of people worked on the school. But Leslie is alone....”
“No, she’s not. Paul and Dan look out for her, too. She’s not that alone and I’m not going to leave her stranded and like a sitting duck. Not going to.”
“You shouldn’t tell anyone anything until your testimony is complete and you’re finished with the court!”
“You know where I am, so what if the bad guys snatch your daughter? Would you tell them?”
“I’m not going to know where you are after then, which makes what I’m putting out for this effort the ultimate sacrifice!”
“You’re going crazy,” Conner said. “Stop it, it’s my job to go crazy.”
“Can you break it off?” Brie asked. “Before it gets any more serious?”
“No.”
“Conner, this could be bad for you. Emotionally bad, if you have to cut and run. It could be bad for her if anyone on the other team ever figures out there’s someone here you really care about. They could leverage her to get to you.”
“The
n maybe we should change the game plan....”
“Huh?” Brie said, startled.
“Just thinking out loud, maybe Danson Conner disappears forever and Conner Danson grows a new life in Virgin River. I have a hard time believing any of Mathis’s connections are going to figure out I’m here.”
“People will make the connection when you testify....”
“Maybe I won’t testify, then,” he said. “I can’t believe they won’t make a conviction without me—they have the car, the murder weapon, forensics.... Max said there’s other evidence, he just wouldn’t tell me what.”
“And an eyewitness, who led them to all the other evidence! Max will pull the plug on you! He’s not going to help you maintain this cover—he can’t. It costs the state money.”
“I’m working. I’m paying the rent on this cabin,” he argued.
“You think transferring all your identity and bank accounts was free? You think that truck you’re driving is free? And if you try to sell your Sacramento properties without a middleman like the D.A., Mathis is going to find out. At least we have to assume he knows how to get that information, even though it wouldn’t be through legal channels. Besides, you know it’s the right thing to do! If you don’t testify, you’re setting a murderer free, and even though he looks upstanding, if he’d kill once… Conner…!”
“Settle down. I know it’s the right thing to do. It also might be right to stare him in the eye while I do it.”
“And what the hell does that mean?”
“Hey—didn’t you tell me you looked the man who almost killed you in the eye and said, ‘He’s the one’? And did you change your identity? Hide in Virgin River? No, you pointed at him, put him away and got on with your life.”
She was shaking her head. “There was no evidence he was connected to dangerous people, people he could commission to come after me for revenge!”