Page 51 of The Lady on Esplanade
“Not so fast.”She lifted an industrial-sized can of Aqua Net and began coating my hair, face, and vanity in a cloud of hair spray.I closed my eyes, knowing I was at the mercy of a professional, having seen her nail a fleeing cockroach in its tracks from five feet away with a stream from that same nozzle.I wasn’t sure if it was the stickiness or the overwhelming scent of the spray that had caused the insect’s demise, but it was definitely dead long before I’d found the courage to gather it in a wad of toilet paper and flush it down to its just reward.
I staggered from the room coughing and hoping my tearing eyes wouldn’t make my mascara run.
When I entered, Cooper stood, dislodging Mardi, who’d been happily snuggled in his lap—something Mardi didn’t do with just anyone.Cooper wore a navy cable-knit pullover on top of a crisp white button-down with khakis and loafers, which was all so different from the jeans and boots Beau wore most of the time.Although I had no idea why I was comparing the two men.
Cooper had been such an important part of my early years in Charleston—when, for the first time in my life, I had a family and a home and felt loved and protected—that seeing him now, after only a few days apart, made my heart beat a little faster.Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how the events of the past few days had worn on me, or how Sarah’s text had thrown streamers of worry and apprehension over my morning.Now, all of a sudden, Cooper was there, looking like the answer to all the questions I wasn’t even aware that I had.
He tilted his head, seeing in my eyes a need that even I didn’t yet recognize, and he held out his arms.“Nola,” he said.I allowed myself to be folded into his embrace, nestling into his warmth like a stray animal finding the comfort of home.“Is everything all right?”
I nodded, then shook my head against his jacket, not yet willing to pull back.“They think they’ve found Adele, Beau’s mother.”In as few words as possible, I told him about the discovery at Charity Hospital—for now leaving out Sarah’s phone call with her dead grandmother and my visit to Madame Zoe.I’d fill him in later.It wasn’t that he didn’t already know about Sarah’s abilities, or about any of the woo-woo stuff that usually happened around my family and me.His presence reminded me of the normal world, the one without wet footprints, and phone calls from the dead on disconnected landlines, and gold hoop earrings that dropped out of the air.And an angry spectral woman who lingered without detection until Beau saw her.But until I told Cooper about her, this was my safe place, there in his embrace, for however long I could make it last.
I continued.“They’re analyzing the remains now, but Mimi will know if it’s Adele before they do.She and Beau are supposed to go to the coroner’s office to retrieve the wedding rings today.Mimi’s already identified them in a photograph, but she’ll know for sure when she holds them.”
I felt Cooper nod before resting his chin on top of my head.I never remembered how tall he was until we were standing close, like now.He and Beau were approximately the same height, but Beau seemed taller in my mind—maybe because Beau and I were together a lot, so I was constantly reminded of how he towered over me.I just needed to spend more time with Cooper so I could adjust my frame of reference.
His voice rumbled in his chest beneath my cheek when he spoke.“Maybe Mimi will be able to see what happened to Adele.I doubt that will be easy.”
“It won’t be.That’s why Beau’s going with her.Not that it will be easy for him, either, but being together will help.There’s nothing worse than hearing bad news by yourself, without anyone to lean on.”
He held me tighter in unspoken understanding.
“I texted Felicity to see if she wanted to go, too,” I said.“To support Mimi.I know Mimi and Beau would wait if she did.Felicity responded with a quick no.And then, an hour later, she texted that going to the funeral would be about all she could handle.”
“Because seeing the Ryans will trigger her PTSD from the night of the fund-raiser?”
I shrugged.“Who knows?I don’t think she was aware of the demon battle going on in the attic, but finding out that she isn’t who she thought she was could still be a bit of a mental challenge.”Reluctantly, I pulled away.“Speaking of which, we need to get going so we have time to look at the house again before heading to the airport.”When I’d told him about my offer to pick Felicity up from the airport, and my plan to take an Uber, he had immediately offered to drive.
“Coffee, anyone?”Jolene emerged from the kitchen holding twomonogrammed go-cups, bright pink and lime green.She said their embellishments ensured that they would be returned.
“Thank you,” we said in unison as we each took a cup.Being Jolene, she knew that Cooper took his coffee black and I took mine with lots of cream and sugar.
Cooper dropped down onto his knee and held up a hand to Mardi.“High five,” he said.Mardi tapped his paw against Cooper’s palm.“Down low,” Cooper commanded, lowering his hand so that it was palm up, and Mardi placed his paw in Cooper’s outstretched hand.
“Good boy,” Cooper said as he used his free hand to vigorously scratch behind Mardi’s ears, taking them one at a time so as not to spill his coffee.He stood and shared a look of adoration with my dog.“Whoever owned him before spent a lot of time training him.I wonder what other tricks he knows.”
I remembered what Sam had told me about the deleted comments on the YouTube channel.Turning to Jolene, I said, “Samantha told me that there had been a few comments on the channel about Mardi’s previous owner but that they were taken down pretty quickly.Was that you?”
Her expertly shadowed lids covered her green eyes, then snapped open in a small blink.“Of course it was.I think it’s just someone looking to cause trouble.You know how hard we tried to find his previous owners.And he wasn’t chipped!That alone tells us that whoever had him before didn’t deserve him.Besides, he’s ours now and his name is Mardi Lee Trenholm.He has the monogrammed bed, bandannas, and sweaters to prove it.”
In a show of solidarity she picked Mardi up, and he rewarded her by snuffling against her neck.“See?He belongs to us now.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said, bending toward Mardi so he could lick my face.“But if they post any more comments, could you please let me know?I’d like to figure out who’s behind them, just in case.I hate surprises, especially the kind that spring out from behind a door, you know?”
“I will.Promise.I was just trying to save you some aggravationfrom someone who’s probably a troll and just looking to make someone else’s life as miserable as theirs must be.I’ll pray for them.But I will also open up a can of whoop-ass on them if they don’t quit.”
“Well, then,” I said, heading toward the door, “let’s hope that whoever it is takes a hint so we don’t have to see what that is, because it sounds serious.”
“Oh, it is.Believe me.”Jolene followed us to the top of the stairs, then watched as we descended to the front door.“Just ask my cousin Clyde.He wouldn’t stop beheading my Barbie dolls, so I put a mess of fire ants in the back pockets of his Wranglers.He couldn’t sit down for a week, bless his heart.Let’s just say he never did it again.”
“Good to know.”Cooper opened the door, and I looked up to say good-bye and saw Jolene waving Mardi’s paw.I blew them both a kiss and stepped out into the cool autumn sunshine.
A brand-new sporty navy Audi sedan sat in the driveway.“Is that your rental?”I asked, stepping close to admire it.He opened the passenger door and the distinct scent of new leather wafted out at me from the cream-colored interior.Obviously the car of a single man without kids or animals.I bit the inside of my cheek to get myself to stop thinking like Melanie.
“Nope.It’s mine.I ordered it online and had it waiting for me at the airport when I landed.Do you like it?”
“It’s very sexy.”I looked up at Cooper and stopped myself from addingLike you.That wasn’t the kind of thing I would say to a member of the opposite sex, regardless of how much I might think it.I couldn’t imagine that hanging between us on the ride over to the Esplanade house and then to the airport.
“Thank you.I don’t know about ‘sexy,’ but I do know it drives like a performance car, which I enjoy.”
