The casserole came out of the oven and was placed on the island. She took the plates out of the cabinet behind her and set a place in front of each stool for the pair of them. All done with little waste of movement. Then she gave him her usual demeanor.
“No need to apologize. I know exactly what you see when you look at me. And I can tell you that you know very little about the person I have become. We all have roles we step into each day. But there is one thing that needs to change. It is a little ridiculous to address each other by our formal titles…even when we’re alone. I will call you Parker…and you may call me Latham. Since we are unlikely to spend much longer in each other’s company, we won’t make it to first-name basis. That seems a fair compromise… Agree? Now, let’s eat.”
Chapter Five
They ate. They kept the talk to a minimum and off any topic that remotely resembled anything personal. Strictly business. And Rance was still kicking himself. Maybe his social skills were a bit lacking. Or maybe it was because this person across from him was the first to keep him on his toes in a long time. She was highly educated, more so than most. But given that he often dealt with some real lowlifes in his profession as a lawman, that wasn’t saying all that much. Maybe it was the sharpness of her wit or that she could match him in that and then some…something he wasn’t too keen on admitting. Or maybe—and this point jolted through his brain like a bullet train in that moment—maybe he found her intriguing in some other way other than on a professional basis.
He stood and took his half-empty plate to the sink, scraping the remainder into the disposal.
It had to be that his brain needed more down time than he realized. She was his job. Period. End of that discussion.
“Thought you were enjoying your sister’s casserole.”
“I did. Just guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach on that second helping. I’m going to check on things around the property and house before dark settles in. Leave the dishes in the sink and I’ll do KP duty when I come back inside. Only fair since you did most of the prep.” He dried his hands on the nearby dish towel and moved to the back door of the kitchen.
She made no reply, and he pushed through the door into the dusk of the oncoming evening. He had escaped. Then why did it feel as if he was running like some coward? The sooner that he got the all-clear call from his chief then the better for all. She could return to her world, and he would have his usual duty back. All would be right with the world again.
*
Erin finished the last of the dishes, rinsing and loading into the dishwasher, wiped the cabinets, and checked what might be best for breakfast the next morning. Something that would be fast and easy…just in case the much-awaited call would come and set her free. That was what was taking Parker so long on his ‘checking things out’ walk. Their conversation had been both illuminating and ill-fated. And she realized that she might have handled things better. Give her a room full of attorneys, fellow judges, spectators…and she could master it all. But one on one…not so much. She had always hated the mandatory small talk she grew up with. Often, Erin was simply required to sit or stand off to the side and listen as her elders…her father mostly…held court among his peers at the many social events he would host. Mostly, the events weren’t so much social as expected…like vying for an invite to a royal court. She used to envision them in that same vein.
And as she grew up, it was apparent that she was being groomed to partake beside her father. Not having a son, he had to make do with her. She escaped by going away to school and then she took the mandatory step and entered law school. She worked harder than anyone and made the top of her class. Then came an offer from the best law firm…always green-lighted by her father. She was still being groomed. Everything had to fall in line to support that. And when it became necessary for her to marry for the sake of this perfect plan, she made a supreme alliance with their political equal. Her father had praised her no end. And she basked in its short glow. And then she had an epiphany one day.
Attending a college friend’s wedding, serving as matron of honor, she realized that perfect was a double-edged sword. Everything was built on smoke and mirrors and handshakes. Overhearing a conversation between her father and her husband of less than a year, she realized this was all about gaining power. She was the pawn on the chessboard. Her father and husband were building their own empire. Erin had watched her friend and her friend’s fiancé, and that’s when she experienced the feeling of true envy. They were in love, and she had never known that feeling. Her life had been smoke and mirrors and playacting for whatever audience she needed to impress. That was what she and her father and her chosen husband had become quite expert at.
Her future had seemed bleak. The path would be whatever they chose…and she would go along, of course. Then fate decided to mix things up. She still remembered the moment the call had come and she had been rushed to the judge’s chambers while an ambulance had been summoned. Her father had suffered a major heart attack. His final words to her weren’t words of love or sorrow. He was still in charge. You know what you must do.
And she did. Clarity had arrived with the black cloth of mourning. Then the final destruction of blinders came when she did something out of character and decided to surprise her husband in hopes of finding out if their marriage could work and not just be a farce. She arrived at the hotel where a conference was to be held. She was told that he and his wife had been seen going into the bar earlier. Wife? A clerk’s mistake? She walked in and saw a very cozy couple in a darkened corner of the room. She turned and walked away and straight into the office of a very exclusive private detective agency. And she waited and she made sure she had given her errant husband more than enough rope.
All the while, she allowed an epiphany to take root, supplanting the woman she once had been. When her name was put up by her father’s cronies to take her father’s seat on the bench, and some very nice contributions in political pockets—all recorded by her for future insurances she smiled and accepted. And she proved herself and her ability owed nothing to anyone but her own respect for the law to be administered equally across the board. She took her oath to heart and protected it. Then it came time for own Emancipation Day from her husband. With friends and family…mostly his family’s friends and supporters, she’d handed him a wonderfully wrapped package. He opened the top of the box and then paled.
His gaze had jumped to hers. And she’d simply smiled. No words were needed. She turned to their guests and thanked them for coming and then told goodbye to them. Turning on her heel, she’d picked up her bag and her jacket, and walked out of the dining room, and out of the cold, opulent mansion for the last time. There had been no recrimination, no salacious headlines, and no haggling over possessions. Once he had seen the box containing files of color photos of him and his women, recorded conversations, and much more that finally involved a family cook and an illegitimate child…well, the divorce petition lying on top of it all was the cherry on top of the cake. His family knew who held the cards and who could play them whenever it pleased her.
Do whatever you must do. It became her silent mantra. She’d claimed the life she deserved. She’d made her own name the one people could speak of with some level of professional regard. And while her father might not agree that she had followed his version of his last words, she was content.
Since there was no television evident in the country cabin, she looked over the book selections in the fully stocked bookcase. And there were also ample decks of cards and board games ranging from Candy Land for the younger family members, she guessed, on up to master-level trivia games. She could imagine that Parker’s family enjoyed participating in such activities. And she felt a twitch of envy. She had been raised with family games of a different sort.
“What happened?” His voice surprised her as she had almost forgotten he was still outside. “I was going to take care of the kitchen duty. You didn’t…”
“I know I didn’t need to do it, but why not? It’s not like I’m swamped with reading briefs or sentencing reports. I do think I can manage to clean up the kitchen. I do my own most of the time.” She paused. “Don’t look so surprised. If it fits your image of me, yes, I do have someone who comes in four days a week—a housekeeper—and before she leaves for the day, she prepares something for dinner and leaves it for me. When I come in, I heat it up, eat, and then I clean up the kitchen for the next day. I’ve even been known to do the laundry. And to relieve stress, the lawn mower is a great alternative to taking a pill or seeing a therapist. Sorry to ruin your preconceived idea of me and my cushy society life.”
He shook his head as he moved into the living room where she sat on the floor with the games stacked around her where she had been looking through them. He lowered himself to the floor across from her, knees drawn up as his arms hugged them to his chest. “You’re right. It’s not easy to admit, but I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I do apologize.”
She nodded. “I get it. And I’m guilty also. I took you for an overbearing, ego-driven hot-shot lawman stuck with a duty that he didn’t ask for. I don’t put up with those types very well.”
Parker had a half smile when he took in her words. “So that was your first impression of me? I see. Should I hope that it’s improved even a little bit?”
“One can always hope. I’ll give you credit for the apology.”
“I see.” He fell quiet for a few moments. Then he smiled and nodded at the stack beside her. “So, what’s with the games? Don’t tell me you like board games?”
“I haven’t played many. But I can imagine it would be fun…with the right people. I guess you’re an expert at them?”
“Some more than others. But when my family gets together, we do like to get competitive. Especially when it comes to marbles. Ever play that?”
“I can’t say that I have.”
He grinned and reached for a large wooden board with colored holes on its flat top. “Then your education has been sorely remiss. If you think you’re up for it, we can play a game or two. I’m a good teacher.”
