One Love (40 page)

“
She doesn’t want to see
me.” Alex cut her off. He did not want the sting of dashed hopes
again. “She’d probably tell me stay out of her business if she
knew.”

“
But you won’t.” Shauntelle
spoke with certainty as she gazed at him. “I can tell by that look
in your eyes.”

“
No. She deserves better.”
Alex looked at her. “My father said I kept judging her and he was
right.”

“
Don’t beat yourself up
about it. I mean, you were with her through four or five attempts
to stop.”

“
How did you know?” Alex
said.

“
Honey, Baton Rouge is a
nothing but a big small town.” Shauntelle waved a hand. “My point
is you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”

“
Yeah, sure.” Alex did not
feel that way at all. Even now he wondered if the pressure would
get to Lanessa and drive her back to old habits.

“
You’re a modern knight in
shining armor. Not many guys would do what you’re doing for an
ex-girlfriend.”

“
And you’re a real lady.
Metoyer isn’t fit to kiss your shoes,” Alex said with
sincerity.

“
I agree totally,” she shot
back. “Now I’m going to cook your favorite, garlic roasted chicken
with mashed potatoes.” Shauntelle stood up.

“
Thanks, but I’m not good
company right now.” Alex stood, too. “I’ll go out and say goodbye
to the girls.”

“
Why go home to brood?”
Shauntelle pointed to the gray cordless phone. “Besides, you can
work your rescue mission from right here. What do you say? The
girls will be thrilled.”

His already weak resistance melted.
Nothing would comfort him more than the unconditional love of his
daughters. When they squealed with joy at seeing him, all sadness
faded. At least for a time.

“
You convinced me.” He
grinned at her. “And you’re right again. I’ll call dad and a few
other folks. They’ll be interested in what you told me.”

“
Good.” Shauntelle headed
for the kitchen.

Alex picked up the phone. Maybe this
would be the last thing he could do for her. She’d kept her vow to
live a different life. He could at least show his faith and
support, even if she never knew it. A few moments later he dialed
the first number. If nothing else, he would atone in this
way.

Chapter 20

“
What do you mean where is
Lanessa?” Jackie gazed at Robyn.

Robyn twisted her hands for the fifth
time. “She hasn’t been in or called.”

Jackie glanced at the clock on the
wall. It was two in the afternoon. “Maybe she decided to go
straight to a meeting and forgot to tell you.”

“
No way. I have all her
appointments right here.” Robyn pointed to the computer. “She
always calls me if there’s a change.”

Jackie chewed on a fingernail while
she paced for fifteen seconds. “I’ve got it, she’s with Jade. Maybe
they’re shopping for more baby junk.”

“
She would have let me
know,” Robyn insisted. “She’s missing. Lanessa’s been gone all
night.”

“
Calm down,” Jackie said.
“How do you know she was out all night? Lanessa probably went to
some swank party and didn’t get home until--”

“
I called her three times,
the last time after midnight.”

“
Girl, stop. When it comes
to partying, Lanessa is just getting started at midnight.” Jackie
started to laugh but stopped at the alarmed expression Robyn
wore.

“
Lanessa doesn’t party hard
on a work night.” Robyn’s lips trembled. “I don’t like it. It
doesn’t feel right, Jackie.”

“
Come on.” Jackie tried to
sound reassuring. She put an arm around the younger woman. “You’re
getting yourself freaked out over nothing.”

“
That creepy guy came by and
got her upset.” Robyn stared at her wide-eyed. “I think he
threatened her,” she said in a hushed voice.

“
What guy?” Jackie’s voice
was sharp.

“
Charles
Metoyer.”

“
Damn!” Jackie sat down
hard. “Okay, let’s not jump to conclusions. Tell me exactly what he
said.”

“
I didn’t hear it all, but
he said something about going after her.” Robyn pulled at her hair.
“I should call the police.”

“
Whoa, slow down now. Let me
think.” Jackie tapped one foot nervously. “Let’s call her family.
Like I said, she could be with her sister or her
parents.”

“
And say what? They’ll get
in a panic if I don’t know where she is. I see her almost every
day, more often than they do!” Robyn said.

“
Good point. But if I call,
I could say...” Jackie’s voice trailed off. “What?”

“
That you tried her at the
office and— That won’t work. They’ll wonder why you didn’t just
call me. They know I have her schedule hour by hour.”

Jackie snapped her fingers. “I know.
I’ll say she mentioned coming by their house after lunch and I
thought she might be there.”

“
Good, good.” Robyn nodded.
“Then say she must have run out of time and had to get to her next
meeting.”

“
Excellent. I’ll call Jade,
you call Mrs. Pellerin.” Jackie went to Lanessa’s phone.

“
Okay.” Robyn rushed off to
her desk.

***

“
Hello, Mr. and Mrs.
Pellerin. I’m glad you could see me.” Alex felt more than a little
uncomfortable sitting in their living room.

Not for the first time, he wondered
exactly what they thought of him. Mrs. Pellerin greeted him with
warmth. Mr. Pellerin, while not hostile, was more
restrained.

“
Of course we’re happy
you’re here. Aren’t we, Alton?” Clarice threw her husband a
glance.

“
Uh-hum.” Mr. Pellerin’s
response was more grunt than assent.

“
So how have you been?
Lanessa says your company is doing very well.” Clarice beamed at
him.

“
Well, I don’t own the
company--” Alex began.

“
You practically run the
place. Same thing. Besides, who knows? You could very well buy it
one day. A sharp young man like you.” Clarice seemed to have
already decided on his future.

“
Uh, yes. Maybe someday I’ll
own my own business,” Alex said.

“
What is it you do now?” Mr.
Pellerin wore the expression of a father examining his daughter’s
date, and not being especially impressed with his
findings.

“
Computer networks. We also
do customized systems for companies.” Alex tugged at his shirt
collar. Suddenly it felt too tight.

“
Humph, everything’s
computers these days. What happened to personalized service?” Mr.
Pellerin was about to launch into a long speech when his wife cut
in.

“
Don’t be silly, dear. We
can’t stay stuck in the past. Lanessa uses her computer constantly
and look how much it’s helped her.” Mrs. Pellerin still smiled at
Alex with affection.

“
My daughter hasn’t lost her
feel for getting to know people. She uses face to face contact just
as much.” Mr. Pellerin still eyed Alex. “Lanessa has always been a
good person.”

“
I certainly agree with you,
sir.”

“
She’s had her problems but
one thing about it, Lanessa doesn’t pass judgment.” Mr. Pellerin’s
bushy eyebrows were drawn down.

“
Now, Alton, really!” Mrs.
Pellerin glared at him.

Alex cleared his throat. “Mr.
Pellerin, Lanessa is one of the finest women I’ve ever known. I
care deeply for her. That’s why I’m here.” He watched the older man
consider his words.

“
Jade’s father-in-law called
me last night. He told me he’d talked to your father.” Mr. Pellerin
leaned back against the cushioned back of his chair. “Go
on.”

“
I just want to help
Lanessa. Do you know Charles Metoyer?” Alex said.

“
Not him, his uncles. Met
his daddy once. Don’t like ‘em.” Mr. Pellerin made his declaration
without hesitation.

“
They’re the richest black
family in Acadia Parish. I was in school with one of his aunts.
Vernise.” Mrs. Pellerin nodded. “They have a lovely
home.”

“
Charles Metoyer is trying
to destroy Lanessa’s reputation,” Alex said.

“
Why on earth would he do
that?” Clarice’s mouth hung open. She looked at her husband then
back at Alex.

“
Because she found he’s got
some scam going and he wants it kept quiet,” Alton said in gruff
voice. “And if I know my oldest daughter, she’s not backing
down.”

“
Which is the problem. And
she won’t be happy to know I’m talking to you about it.” Alex
rubbed his chin.

“
Nonsense. You’re wonderful
to want to help.” Clarice wore a serious expression now. “What is
this man trying to do to my Lanessa?”

Alex gave them a short summary of what
he knew. He separated facts from what was only conjecture on his
part. As he spoke, Lanessa’s father seemed to be taking in every
word and weighing it all carefully.

“
So Lanessa is sure to have
pieced together some kind of scheme to sell restricted goods. Now
they need to destroy her credibility.” Alex shrugged. “At least
that’s how I see it.”

“
Sounds like something a
Metoyer would do.” Mr. Pellerin wore a fierce look. “They walk over
anyone who gets in their way.”

“
My goodness! You have to do
something, Alton, Mrs. Pellerin said. “I don’t care who he is, he
won’t walk over us.”

“
Oliver and I have already
talked about this. He said Joe has some idea. So do I.” Mr.
Pellerin gave a sharp nod. “We plan to meet for breakfast tomorrow
morning.”

“
You see? Between the three
of them, we’ll put those Metoyers in their place.” Mrs. Pellerin
wore a slight sneer. “I never really cared for Vernise or her
sisters for that matter.”

Alex suppressed a smile. Mrs. Pellerin
reminded him of his mother in that instant “I’m glad to hear it,
Mr. Pellerin.”

“
We should be able to fix
‘em but good. Between our three families, we can do him real
damage.” Mr. Pellerin wore a dangerous look.

“
Thanks.” Alex started to
stand up when Mr. Pellerin waved him back down.

“
What’s this about you and
Lanessa?”

Before Alex could speak, his wife
answered “Don’t interfere in their relationship, Alton. After all,
they’re grown.”

“
Can’t believe those words
are coming from your mouth, Clarice. You’re the queen of dipping in
your daughters lives,” Mr. Pellerin grumbled.

The telephone rang before Mrs.
Pellerin could reply. She threw an irritated look at him before
crossing the room. “Hello? Hi, Robyn. No, Lanessa isn’t here.” Her
voice went down as she continued the conversation.

The mention of Lanessa’s name made Mr.
Pellerin turn his full attention on Alex. “Well?”

Alex took a deep breath. “Lanessa and
I have our... differences.”

“
Humph!” Mr. Pellerin raised
his thick eyebrows. “That’s a mild way of putting it. I know her
temper. And I also know you had a real noisy goodbye
again.”

“
Yes, sir.” Alex wondered
how much he knew. The older man’s next words answered the question
in his mind.

“
I don’t know details. But
the way she’s been so down it must have been bad.” Mr. Pellerin
stared at him hard.

“
For both of us,” Alex said
with sincerity.

This time was worse than the last. He
could not blame alcohol. The reasons now went to the very heart of
why they would not make it together.

“
I see. But you still care
very much.” Mr. Pellerin stroked his face as though working through
his thoughts. “Tells me maybe one or both of you is being
stubborn.”

“
It’s a bit more
complicated, sir. We have different values, different views on how
we want to live.” Alex shook his head.

“
Uh-huh. So you’re saying my
daughter isn’t good enough for you.” Mr. Pellerin tilted his head
to one side.

“
Of course not. It’s just
she’s not into... What I mean to say is Lanessa is used to a
certain lifestyle that I don’t agree with.” Alex could not help it.
He had to admit that he did not approve of Lanessa’s need for life
in the fast lane.

Mr. Pellerin pressed his lips together
and when he spoke again, his voice was gruff with emotion.” Look,
Lanessa was addicted to alcohol and she took pills. When I think of
how we almost lost her in that car accident...” He paused and
rubbed his hands together.

“
Sir, I
realize--”

“
Let me finish,” Mr.
Pellerin broke in. “I just want you to know I understand. Sometimes
things get broken and can’t be fixed. You just have to go on to
something new.”

Alex nodded slowly. “Yes,
sir.”

“
I’m sure she will.
Goodbye.” Mrs. Pellerin came back wearing a puzzled look. “That’s
odd. Robyn was asking me had I seen Lanessa.”