Trey

When I step off the plane in Tennessee, I’m greeted by Mandy idling in a beautiful black Mustang convertible. Approaching the car, she looks like a different girl with her aviator shades, a white blouse and distressed jeans. A warm feeling passes through me the instant I see her beautiful face. She flashes me a subtle smile in spite of the sadness that has filled the day.

“Hey big guy… need a ride?” she asks as I toss my bag in the back.

“You look amazing and where did you get this sweet ride? I’ve always loved these old Mustangs. Is this a sixty five?” I ask, amazed by the nearly perfect condition of such an old car.

“This was Mom’s first baby.” She smiles reflectively, running her hand along the steering wheel. “It’s a sixty five K code.”

“K code?” I ask, unfamiliar with the term.

“It’s got the high performance two eighty nine. America’s original muscle car,” she says with a glimmer in her eyes. “Sit down and hang on!”

She drops the clutch the instant my door closes and burns through the first three gears, leaving a haze of burnt rubber lingering behind us. “Holy shit, woman!”

“Mom taught me how to drive.” She laughs. “Not many kids learn on a four speed, stick shift.”

“No shit! I didn’t drive a stick shift until I was out of college,” I reply, still feeling a bit stunned. Mandy on the other hand looks completely at ease with her hair blowing in the wind, as we fly down the highway toward Lynchburg. “The countryside out here is gorgeous.”

“Yeah, it is.” She glances around at our lush green surroundings. “You’ll love the place where we are holding the service for Mom.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” I tell her, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you made it home in time to see her.”

“She knew she was dying and had been waiting to see me.” A sad look washes across her face. “She was so nice to me last night and we talked about things that had been kept secret for my entire life. She even told me that she loved me.” In spite of the sunglasses, I can see tears instantly appear in the corner of her eyes.

“That’s good.” I caress the back of her neck, not really knowing what else to say.

“You don’t understand how big that was. She hadn’t said that to me since I was a little girl.” She looks at me in disbelief as a tear rolls down her cheek.

“My dad was the same way. I maybe remember him saying it two or three times, but I always knew he cared about us,” I reply, thinking back on my own experiences. “Even though he normally showed it by being a total hard ass.” I flash her a half-hearted smile.

“Mom wasn’t that way, she always just seemed indifferent. Even when I would give her a hug, she never really hugged me back. She would just kind of stand there like she was waiting for it to end,” she explains as we reach the Lynchburg city limits.

“I got a room at some bed and breakfast,” I tell her, pulling up my phone to recall the name of the place.

“You can stay with us.” She shoots me a look of disapproval. “We have plenty of room.”

“I thought it might be a little awkward with your dad,” I confess.

“If he’s uncomfortable, that’s his fault, not yours,” she says with a brief burst of feistiness.

“Well, let’s stop and check me in and we can decide later on.” I add, since I was actually thinking that it would be uncomfortable for me. I wasn’t really concerned about his discomfort. “Oh, did you get those letters sent?” I say, changing the subject.

“I stopped at FedEx on my way to the airport.” She reassures me with a wink.

“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.” I reach over and place my hand on hers.

As we come to an older, stately neighborhood lined with big old houses with those magnificent southern porches, I can tell we must be getting close to our destination. We swing up in front of a big, white one with four big columns on the front porch and two more on the right side. Mandy slams on the brakes, skidding up to the curb, nearly throwing me out of my seat. “This baby still stops as good as it takes off!” she says before opening her door and hopping out.

After walking across the well-worn floorboards of the porch, the creaking of the screen door announces our arrival. A gray-haired woman with a tight bun and thick black-framed glasses comes out to greet us. “Hello, I’m Peggy,” she says, reaching out to shake my hand.

“Hi Peggy, I’m Trey and this is Mandy,” I reply giving her a smile. “Is this your place?”

“It is,” she replies in a chipper voice. “After the kids were grown up and my husband passed, I needed to fill this house back up,” she explains as she leads us up a grand old staircase and down the hallway to a large bedroom. Like most homes that were built more than a century ago, there are plenty of creaks that go along with all the unique, intricate woodwork and beautiful hardwood floors.

“This place is beautiful,” Mandy comments, ignoring all the creaks and groans.

“Thank you, dear,” Peggy replies, opening the door to my room. “I hope you will find this to your liking. It’s the only one with a private bathroom.”

“It looks great,” I tell her, handing her a hundred dollar bill.

“I’ll just put the room on your credit card,” she says looking a bit bewildered.

“No, that’s for you,” I tell her with a smile.

“For what? All I did was show you to your room?” she continues, trying to hand the bill back to me.

“Just in appreciation for what I expect will be an enjoyable stay,” I explain to her. “I’ll make sure you earn it.” I smile and give her a wink.

“He’s used to staying at fancy hotels where you have to tip everyone,” Mandy adds, noticing that Peggy is not understanding my gesture. “He doesn’t understand southern hospitality, yet.”

“Well, if you need anything at all you just let me know,” the lady says, laying the bill on the corner of the bed before departing. “I’ll be up until eleven or so.”

I shake my head as she disappears down the stairs. “I’ll just leave her a tip at the end.” I push the door closed and take a step toward Mandy. “You know, I think southern hospitality should include a steamy welcome kiss.”

“I was expecting a kiss when I picked you up, but you were too busy checking out the car.” She cocks her head and narrows her eyes.

Without another word, I take her in my arms and gaze into those incredible blue eyes before taking her lips in mine. The heightened sense of electricity between us is a true testament to the fact that we truly missed each other in the past twenty-four hours. I kiss her hungrily and slowly back her up toward the bed. This is the first time that we have been in an actual bedroom together since the whole incest nightmare was put to rest. Needless to say, there is only one thing on my mind.

“You look awesome in those jeans,” I mutter, running my hands along the curve of her ass. “I like the boots, too.” Her black lizard skin boots and matching belt complimented her jeans perfectly.

“The jeans are quite a bit tighter than the last time I wore them. I’ve apparently filled out more than I thought.” She looks back and glances down at her ass.

“I think you look incredible, but right now I would rather see them on the floor.”

Mandy gives me a sheepish look before pulling off her boots and crawling onto the bed. I quickly kick off my shoes and join her. “I’ve been thinking about you ever since I put you on that plane yesterday,” I whisper before giving her a kiss on the side of the neck.

“I’ve been thinking about you too,” she replies hesitantly, seeming to stop short of saying all that is truly on her mind.

I sweep my hand along the side of her cheek and behind her head, lowering her gently onto the bed. The taste of her lips and her scent rile my senses as I kiss her lips with increasing fervor. The soft comforter bunches up around us as we nestle into one another. Floorboards creak once again in the hallway, making it feel like we are two teenagers making out in her parents house. I hesitate for a moment, trying to detect the direction of the movement.

“We’ll have to be quiet,” Mandy says with a twinkle in her eye.

Mandy

One of the most traumatic days of my life suddenly feels much more bearable since Trey arrived in town. The fact that he dropped everything and flew out here makes me believe that he truly has a good heart. Deep down, I know I should be back at the house helping Dad with food and making arrangements, but first, I need this little emotional escape. It feels so good to be back in his arms again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, sensing my wandering mind.

“I’m fine. I was just thinking about Dad, I told him that I would be back soon. I know he needs me to figure out food for everyone.” I close my eyes, trying to push the distracting thoughts from my mind.

“I think we should go help your dad get everything ready and then we can come back later and pick up right here,” he suggests as he runs his fingers down the front of my blouse.

“Seriously?” I ask in complete shock. “I’ve never witnessed a guy turning down sex.”

“I’m not turning it down.” He smiles. “I just want to be able to take my time with you, instead of being rushed.”

“Oh my God, you are making me so hot right now.” I lean in and give him another soft kiss on the lips. I’ve never wanted a man so bad in my entire life.

“And hopefully later on, old Gertrude won’t be wandering the hallway outside of our door,” he says with an annoyed glint in his eye.

“Her name is Peggy, but yeah, it’s a little distracting.” I decide he is right and sit up in bed. “Let’s go make some food.”

“I was thinking we could just buy some food. There has to be a catering business where we can place an order for whatever you need,” he says, as I pull my black boots back on.

“It’s not about just having something to eat, it’s about making some of Mom’s favorites. The things that she always loved,” I explain to him while making our way back down the staircase. “Our relatives and friends will bring food too, so we don’t need catering.”

“Okay, whatever you want. You’ll just have to tell me how I can help out,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders as we get back in the convertible. “It’s not like I have much experience cooking. I just thought we could do something like we did for Dad.”

“Abigail Kirsch did a fabulous job for Victor’s funeral, but he and Mom have or at least had very different tastes.” I laugh. “Your dad rode around in Bentley limousines while my mom was happiest in this old convertible. Don’t worry, you can hang out and talk to dad while Darla and I make the food.”

“Great. That should be interesting,” he says, throwing his head back against the headrest as I start the car and put it in gear. “Maybe we can talk about the affair he had with my mom.”

“Oh, knock it off!” I drop the clutch and punch it, jamming through the first three gears. “Holy crap this thing is still fast! Sorry for messing up your perfect hair.” I giggle.

By the time we reach Dad’s place, Trey seems happy to get out of the car. My phone is ringing in my purse, so I pull it out and roll my eyes. “It’s Harris again.”

“Just tell him you quit,” Trey says nonchalantly. “You don’t need that job anymore.”

“Hello, Mr. Sherman,” I answer while shaking my head at Trey and giving him a look of disapproval.

“I need an update on the Addison case,” he says avoiding any pleasantries. “Where are you at on that?”

“Well, sir…” I pause momentarily, trying to recall what I had told him in our last conversation. “I don’t have anything new to report on that since the last time we talked. I didn’t witness anything out of the ordinary on the Geneva trip, but it was cut short due to Victor’s death.”

“So we are dead in the water?” he grumbles, obviously shuffling through a stack of papers on his desk.

“I’m sorry, sir, but yes. I believe there is nothing to pursue for the moment.”

“Oh, with him being an Addison you bet your life there is something to pursue,” he declares. “We just don’t see it at the moment. Will you be in on Monday?”

“No, I won’t. My mom died this morning and we are having her service over the weekend,” I explain to him, choking up a bit. “I stopped out here to spend some time with her because she has been so sick.”

“Well, I heard you were in Monaco,” he sneers. Apparently he does read the online tabloids after all.

“I was there briefly, sir. That trip was also cut short.” I pause, not giving any further explanation.

“Yes, I read it was cut short due to an apparent overdose by the other Addison boy,” he says with a certain cockiness coming through. “Now they are thinking he may have been poisoned and that his brother may have staged it.”

“Trey had nothing to do with it,” I immediately fire back at him. “That I can tell you with one hundred percent confidence!”

“You seem to have gotten pretty damn cozy with this Trey. Did you have an ulterior motive going into this case? Looking back, you did seem awfully goddamn motivated to be assigned to it,” he replies with a suspicious tone in his voice.

“I’ll explain everything when I sit down with you in person, sir. Let’s just say that my dad and Victor had a falling out very similar to the one you had with him.” Trey is now standing right next to me trying to monitor every word of our conversation.

“That better happen soon, Amanda. I like you, but I won’t stand for any monkey business in the field,” he says with steely harshness in his tone. “If I feel you are involved in a cover up of some kind, I will make damn sure you are prosecuted and disbarred.”

His words make me feel as if the life force was just drained from my body. “Yes, sir. I understand. I will explain everything once I’m back in the office. It will all make sense to you.”

“For your sake, I hope it does,” he replies. “By the way, I’m sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. You and your father have my sympathy.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll be in the office next Wednesday or Thursday,” I reply trying to hold it together. “I’ll let you know once I get a flight booked.”

“You do that. Take care.” The phone goes dead and once again I am left with a stomachache and a feeling of dread concerning my future. What have I done? I look at Trey who is standing there with a smug look on his face.

“I know he’s going to fire me.” My mind begins racing, wondering if there is any evidence of a cover up. “Son of a bitch. What if he finds out?”

“Finds out what?” Trey counters, sounding instantly irritated. “I’m the only one who knows you saw the research report. Jake wasn’t there and Liv was totally fucking passed out. Remember?” He stares intensely at me with those dark brown eyes of his.

“I know,” I gasp, throwing my head back and looking up at the sky. “I just know what a bulldog Harris is and he definitely has some suspicions.”

“But he has no proof! I have the only copy of the flight recording and I’m certainly not going to incriminate myself.” He slaps his hand on the fender of the car. “There is no other proof!” He stops and continues staring intently at me.

“No proof of what?” Dad asks as he comes up behind us.

“Oh… hi, Daddy.” I say spinning around and giving him a hug.

He pulls back and looks me directly in the eyes. “Proof of what?” he asks with an unsettled expression.

“Proof that I committed insider trading,” Trey says in a very bold move. “Her boss hated my dad almost as much as you did. He has always been trying to nail dad for doing something wrong and since he’s gone he has now diverted his attention to me.”

“And?” Ray shrugs his shoulders wanting more details.

“And… he has nothing. I haven’t committed any crime, I might have had access to inside information but I never acted upon it. There was no stock transaction, so there is no proof of any criminal wrongdoing.” Trey says, completely blowing my mind.

“He has no proof,” I reiterate, giving Dad a shrug of my shoulders.

“Okay, wow. I wasn’t expecting anything quite that heavy.” Ray shakes his head and looks in the back of the car. “Don’t you have any bags?”

“Oh, I got a room at a nice little bed and breakfast in Lynchburg. I didn’t want to be in the way,” he explains.

“Peggy’s?” Ray asks, looking back toward me.

“Yeah, he tried to give her a hundred dollar tip,” I inform him with a sly grin.

“I’m sure you got that right back,” he says with a laugh. “She’s old school.”

“That’s what Mandy told me,” Trey replies. “Something about southern hospitality.”

“She’ll take good care of you.” Ray gives him a slap on the shoulder. “But one tip… even though she’s a good woman she is nosey as hell, so if you hear anyone out in the hallway make sure you keep your voice down. She gossips like no other.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.” Trey turns and cringes in my direction, obviously thinking that we may have dodged a bullet earlier.

Trey

Mandy and Ray have the menu all figured out by the time Darla shows up with her two kids. Maggie’s sister is bringing two salads, her sister-in-law is making sweet potato pie and Mandy is in charge of the corn bread.

“I’m going to show you how to smoke pork the Tennessee way,” Ray says, guiding me toward a large refrigerator in the garage. “We’re going to do a Boston Butt over hickory coals. We’ll start it this afternoon and it will be done about noon tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I reply, not really understanding much of what he is telling me. I have had my share of gastronomic experiences around the world, but real smoked barbeque is not one of them. I’ve had pulled pork sandwiches a few times, but nothing memorable.

“We’ll load it up with dry rub first. Don’t tell anyone, but I prefer a good Kansas City rub,” he whispers while covering the huge slab of meat with it.

“I promise,” I say, trying not to laugh out loud.

“Thank you for not saying anything to Amanda about our conversation the other day,” he says while carefully rubbing every part of the pork butt. “I’m not sure I could’ve faced her today.”

I stand frozen for a few seconds not knowing exactly how I should respond to his statement. When he looks up, I decide just to tell him. “Maggie apparently told her about everything last night. They had a long talk about all of that stuff.”

“What?” he blurts out with a look of shock on his face. “I was wondering why it got so damn quiet every time I came around. Son of a bitch!” He drags his hands across the front of his pants leaving behind a trail of dry rub.

“Maggie told her not to be mad at you. That she was okay with the way things had been,” I explain, reiterating what Mandy had told me on the phone the night before.

“So Maggie knew about everything? That’s just great,” he says, sliding the pork into the barbeque pit. “Now I feel like a total ass.” He closes the lid and wipes his brow with his forearm.

“Actually I think we are all better off knowing the truth. At least now Mandy and I both understand why Dad acted the way he did. Before this, Mandy thought he had just run you out of business out of sheer greed and I thought he was just an asshole,” I tell him very bluntly. “I honestly wish Mom would have leveled with me a long time ago. Things could have turned out much different between Dad and I.”

Ray looks at me with a pained expression caused by years of torment. “If we had it all to do over again, we would probably do a lot of things differently. I wanted to marry your mother before you were even born, but Darla was just a little baby. Maggie and I had a fight one night and she made it clear that if we split up, she would move back here and I would be dead to both of them. I couldn’t stand the thought of not being part of her life. ” A tear pops out of one eye and he quickly wipes it away. “I don’t regret raising the girls, but I have regretted everything else every single goddamn day for the last twenty years.” He opens the lid and stokes the coals in a long moment of silence.

“I understand,” I finally say, breaking the tension between us. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk away from your little girl.”

“It’s enough to crush even the toughest man’s heart,” he replies with tears now streaming from both eyes. “It’s right up there with spending the majority of your life with the wrong woman.” He wipes his forearm across both eyes and let’s out a huge sigh. “I gotta go get cleaned up before I get this shit in my eyes.”

I hand him a paper towel and say, “Thanks for the talk, Ray. You might want to have the same one with Mandy this weekend,” I add as we walk up the sidewalk.

“I will. I’m going to set both girls down tomorrow night and lay it all out,” he says before entering the house. “They have enough on their minds right now.”

“I agree. Tomorrow night would probably be better.”

“You know,” he pauses in the doorway and looks back at me. “I’m glad you turned out to be Victor’s son. I think you and Mandy will be good for each other.” He gives me a slight grin before turning and heading inside.

“Thanks, Ray.” I follow him into the house. “I appreciate that.”