Page 27 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“You do that. I’m going home to lie down a bit beforeSouthern Fried Homicide. You can put your quote under my front mat. And please make sure you put more than zeros on it, because you know I’m going to send you a check anyway.”
“Will do.” He looked closely at her. “You feeling all right? You look a little pale. Why don’t you sit down for a minute, catch your breath?”
She surprised all of them by actually sitting down in the stuffed armchair by the sofa. Merilee went over to Lily and, seeing she was on Facebook and not doing homework, closed the laptop. “We’ll talk about this later,” Merilee said quietly, watching as Lily’s eyes refocused on the room around her and the fact that she was no longer alone. “Would you like some more sweet tea?” she asked Sugar.
“Not unless you’re trying to kill me. But I would like a little tap water, please. Not too cold, not too warm.”
Merilee made the mistake of catching Wade’s gaze, his wide smile causing laughter to bubble in the back of her throat. She quickly left the room to get a fresh glass of tepid water for Sugar, then quickly returned.
Wade pulled out a measuring tape and stepped behind the sofa. “Just wanted to double-check a couple of measurements first,” he said, the metal tape rattling as he placed it on the floor. “I’ve got a whole bag of sugar and ketchup packets for you to add to your collection, Sugar. I’ve been on the road a lot seeing to my new properties up in Forsyth County, so I’ve been eating at a bunch of those fast-food places. I’ll leave the bag on your front porch when I drop off the invoice.”
Sugar’s chin went stiff. “I’m not embarrassed. Those things just get tossed out anyway. Might as well use them.” She took a sip of her water, her eyes focused on Merilee as if expecting a challenge.
“So,” Wade said as he moved the measuring tape to a new position on the wood floor, “I called my old work buddy I told you about, the one whose grandparents lived in Sandersville. William and Sharon West. They’re in a retirement village in Hilton Head now, but still really active. He asked if they remembered you, but they didn’t recall your name, either. It’s funny, though, how you’re from there and it’s such a small town.” He stood and hit the button on the tape so that it rattled as it was wound tightly into its casing, like a snake caught in a reverse hiss.
Wade tilted his head to the side. “What was your maiden name?”
“I really don’t see how—”
“It was Talbot, right, Mom?” Lily interjected from the couch.
“Talbot,” Wade said, slowly shaking his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell, either. It just drives me crazy when I can’t place a face or a name. Because I’m usually really good at both.”
“Or I look like somebody you used to know. I promise you—we’ve never met.” She wiped her hands on her shorts, feeling the sweat on her palms. “Why don’t you come show me what you want to do with the hallway?” She led the way, glad for the dim lighting so he couldn’t see her face.
While he was taking measurements, she heard another vehicle pull up in front of the house. Excusing herself, she walked quickly to the front door, knowing it could be only one of two people.
“Mom—Dad’s here!” Colin called from outside, his voice seemingly amplified through the screen door.
She found herself tucking her hair behind her ears and smoothing her shirt, licking her lips so they wouldn’t look so dry. She hated that she did this still, that she wanted to look nice for him. That she still believed she loved him. That she still wanted him back despite everything. She hated herself for this, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
“Daddy!” Lily shouted from the sofa, forgetting that she was supposed to stay off her hurt foot and limping to the door.
And then Michael was there, all sandy blond hair and tanned skin, his hazel eyes looking green because of the emerald shade of his golf shirt. It was an expensive brand, a shirt she hadn’t seen before. A brand he’d never worn. She tasted bile on her tongue, wondering if Tammy had bought it for him. Imagining the other woman helping him take it off.
“Hello, Merilee.”
And that was all it took for her heart to squeeze, her knees to soften. Despite everything that was between them, he still had that effect on her. He was a bad habit she couldn’t seem to break, reminding her of nicotine addicts who couldn’t give up cigarettes even after they’d been reduced to breathing through an oxygen mask.
“Hello, Michael.” Her voice sounded funny, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of swallowing first. “Did I mix up our schedule? I didn’t think you had the kids this weekend.”
“No, you didn’t mix it up. Lily e-mailed me and told me she’d hurt her ankle. She told me she was fine, but I wanted to come see her myself. I tried to call your cell to give you a heads-up, but it went straight to voice mail.”
She frowned, trying to remember when she’d last seen her phone. It had been so crazy yesterday, with the party and then being driven home by Daniel Blackford. And today she’d been so worried about Lily and getting her situated that she hadn’t thought to look for it.
“It must still be in my purse,” she said, heading toward the hall table, where she’d left it when they’d come in the day before. Holding her breath, she searched the little pocket she always kept it in, and then the rest of the purse, before giving in to the inevitable. “I must have left it at the Blackfords’.”
“I hope you locked it with a security code. It’s situations like these when you wish you had.”
She hadn’t. It was so much easier not to have to enter a code every time she wanted to turn on her phone. When she was at work it was always turned off and locked in her office, so it wasn’t something she ever worried about.
“Oh, Meri,” he said, rubbing his hands over his face. “At least tell me that you deleted the contact name ‘passwords’ on your contact list with all of your passwords. Because if anybody can get into your phone, that won’t be hard to find.”
This time she did swallow, not caring that he saw it, because she was too focused on not crying. She wasn’t sure why, but she thought it had something to do with feeling humiliated when all she wanted to do was appear strong and self-confident. To prove that he hadn’t diminished her by his dismissal. And she had failed.
Wade appeared from the back hallway, walking slowly, as if he was familiar with his surroundings and supposed to be there. “I don’t think her phone is in any danger at the Blackfords’. That neighborhood and those people are more likely to upgrade your phone before returning it than take it or mess with your passwords. Just saying.” He offered his hand to Michael. “Wade Kimball. Nice to meet you.”
He didn’t bother to explain who he was or why he was there or why he was coming from the direction of the bedrooms. Merilee had a strong suspicion that he was doing it on purpose and she felt herself smile.
