Authors: Allison Leotta
It was a perfect Indian summer day. In a bright blue sky, the sun smiled down, just strong enough to warm her skin. The air smelled of soil, grass, and apples. At the edge of the garden, she found a row of butterfly bushes, which hadn’t been there earlier this summer. Dozens of butterflies danced around the cone-shaped purple flowers. A few blossoms had fallen to the ground; she picked one up and inhaled its sweetness.
She found Cooper in a field of sunflowers, shoveling loam from the wheelbarrow onto the ground. The yellow flowers were taller than him, with thick green stalks.
“These really grew,” she said. “When I was here in June, they were only waist high.”
He pitched the blade into the earth and straightened with a smile. “Every living thing reaches for the sun.”
“Not everything.”
He nodded and took the purple flower from her hand. He held it still in his palm. After a moment, a pair of butterflies, one orange, one yellow, flitted around each other and floated down to his hand. They landed on the flower and drank from it. Their velvety black antennae brushed against each other.
“I’m glad you found the butterfly bushes,” he said. “I planted them after the memorial service. You liked the flock of monarchs. And it seemed like an interesting experiment to see if I could get butterflies in Detroit.”
She looked from his hands to his face. His eyes were strikingly beautiful—lightest blue irises encircled by deep indigo—but what she liked most was how much kindness they held.
“It can only be a fling,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat. “Just two friends having fun. Until I go back to D.C.”
He stepped forward and tossed the purple flower to the side. The butterflies flew off into the sunflowers. He cupped her face in his hands and smiled down at her.
“For once,” he said, “try to enjoy the moment and stop making rules.”
He kissed her, lightly at first and then more deeply. She put her arms around his neck and pulled her body flush against his. His hands slid down to the small of her back and pressed her closer, as his thumbs traced her hip bones. He tasted like Honeycrisp apples. Then his lips were on her neck, exploring the soft skin between her ear and the hollow of her throat. She heard something that sounded like a purr and realized it was coming from her.
“Come on,” he said. He took her hand, and they walked back to the house. Sparky followed them. In the foyer, Cooper said, “Stay.” The dog sat on the tarp and watched as they went up the stairs.
He led her to a bedroom that had a polished dark wood floor, a white marble fireplace, and a new bed with a bright white comforter. The room was flooded with sunlight, which seemed to glow on the white walls. It was one of the few rooms in the house that had been fully rehabilitated. He shut the door.
She pushed off his flannel shirt and tugged his T-shirt off his head, then inhaled sharply. His chest was carved with muscles like the statue of David, but at his waist was a smattering of scars radiating upward. They made a pattern like fireworks—from the IED, she realized. She ran her hands over the scars, feeling their raised ridges beneath her fingertips. His breath came fast as his eyes met hers.
“You’d better see the merchandise,” he said softly. “And make an educated decision about whether you’re in the market for it.”
He pushed down his jeans and boxers and stepped out of them. He stood naked before her. He looked like an Olympic athlete who was missing a fraction of himself. His chest was broad, his waist
narrow, his legs muscled and athletic, except below his left knee, which ended in the prosthetic. The scars from the explosion were thickest around his knee and went upward, tapering completely at his stomach.
“You are beautiful,” she said. She put a hand on his erection and stroked it lightly up and down. “And the essential parts seem to be in excellent working order.”
“But wait,” he said. “There’s more.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, unfastened his prosthetic leg, and set it on the floor. She could see where his leg ended, below his knee, and the seam that closed off the skin. He met her eyes, a question in his.
She pulled off her own clothes and stood naked before him. The sunlight through the windows warmed her skin. She pointed to a small circular scar near her belly button.
“I had the chicken pox once.”
“Well, shoot. That’s a deal breaker.”
She laughed. He put his hands on her hips and brought his mouth to her stomach. His lips left an electric trail on the hollow of her belly.
She ran her hands over his shoulders, then pushed him back on the bed. She was dizzy with the excitement of meeting a new lover. She hadn’t done that many times in her life, and doing it with an old friend felt like a new adventure. They explored each other until she was out of breath and aching for him. He pulled her on top of him, and she looked into his clear blue eyes. What a luxury, to do something just because it felt good.
“No one will get hurt,” she said. “This is just two friends having fun.”
“This is totally fun.”
She slipped him inside her, groaned, and, for few minutes at least, stopped making rules.
44
W
hen Jody came home from work, Anna was in the kitchen, washing fresh vegetables for a salad and humming “Girl on Fire.” Through the window, Anna could see Cooper out in the backyard, grilling. Sparky sat on his foot. The sight made her smile.
Jody walked into the kitchen, set her bag on the table, and looked at her sister. “You guys finally did it, didn’t you?”
Anna laughed. “What makes you think that?”
“You’re humming. Your cheeks are pink. And you look happier than you have since you got to Michigan.”
Anna set an heirloom tomato on the cutting board and turned to her sister. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “We did it.”
“Eee!” Jody ran over and grabbed Anna’s hands and they did the same little dance they used to do when they were excited about something in elementary school. “I take it it was pretty good?”
“Amazing.”
“Hee hee.”
“I’m just, you know, worried I’m going to break his heart when I leave.”
“Oh, stop. He wants the same chance to have his heart broken as a guy with two legs. Besides, look on the bright side, maybe he’ll break yours.” Jody lowered her voice. “How is he . . . down there?”
“Impressive.”
“Good. I wondered if that was affected by the bomb.”
“But listen.” Anna glanced outside and saw Cooper transferring the meat from the grill to a plate. He threw a piece to Sparky,
who jumped up and caught it in his mouth. “I don’t know where I should sleep tonight. First off, I don’t want to abandon you.”
“No offense, sis, but if I had as much chemistry with a man as you have with Cooper, there’s no way I’d be in bed with you.”
“Thanks,” Anna said. “But, I don’t know, there’s a broader issue. Like, we’re living in his house already. I don’t know how this works. There isn’t room for the traditional let’s-see-each-other-a-couple-nights-a-week dating sort of thing.”
“Nope,” Jody grabbed a slice of cucumber and popped it in her mouth. “This is definitely not textbook. But here’s how I see it. This trial has taken you away from your life, your job, and your friends. You’re isolated out here in the middle of postindustrial nowhere, trying to clear your dumb-ass sister from a murder charge.”
“Hey, you’re not a dumb-ass.”
“Whatever. Take your pleasure where you can find it, Annie. You’re here. He enjoys you. You enjoy him. Until one of those things changes, just go with it. Right?”
Anna shook her head. “How do you make everything so simple?”
“Everyone has their talent.”
Cooper walked in carrying a plate of barbecued chicken. He looked at the sisters, huddled together by the veggies. “Uh-oh. What are you two conspiring about?”
“Just discussing what a ridiculously lucky guy you are.” Jody nodded approvingly at him. “Well done, Coop.”
“I am lucky.” He kissed Anna softly on the lips, making her cheeks flush with heat. “Let’s eat.”
That night, Anna went to sleep in Cooper’s new bed, spooned in his arms. He intertwined his fingers with hers and held her hand to her heart. His lips brushed her ear as he described the agricultural efficacy of ladybugs. She slept better than she had in months.
• • •
Jody’s approval of Anna’s romantic development didn’t translate into agreement on legal strategy, however. She still refused to let
Anna blame Wendy at the trial. Anna said, “Without that, I don’t know what our defense will be.”
They brainstormed, without coming up with any viable options. Jody asked if an alibi would be helpful. Anna reminded her that court rules prohibited attorneys from putting on any evidence they knew was false. “Besides, you already told the police you were with the coach that night. An alibi would just mean you lied to them,” she said.
And me
, she thought.
Over the next week, a few women contacted Anna and spoke to her about being sexually assaulted by the coach. Their stories were similar to Jody’s. Many were prepared to testify at trial, if the judge allowed it. Anna warned them that their testimony would likely be excluded. In the meantime, she helped them find counselors.
Kathy came over for dinner one night. Over spaghetti with meatballs they talked about the upcoming trial. “You know, I saw the coach at the casino a lot,” Kathy said. “He was a big gambler. Always at the high roller’s table.”
Anna made a mental note to follow up with a subpoena to the casino. “Thanks. Anything that shows that he was in debt is helpful.”
Kathy said, “There was a guy who threatened him once.”
Anna stopped, a forkful of spaghetti midway to her mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“I was on a bathroom break, and I passed Coach Fowler in the hallway. I knew who he was, but the coach didn’t know me. This man came over and jacked Coach Fowler up against a wall. He said, ‘If you don’t pay up, you’re dead. You’ll be an example to everyone else.’ Then he punched him in the stomach and walked away. The coach looked like he’d shit his pants. I asked him if he wanted me to get help but he said no.”
Anna glanced at Cooper, then Jody. They looked as surprised as she felt.
“Did anyone else see this?” Anna asked.
“No, just me. I’m sorry, I should’ve told you before.”
“What did the guy look like?”
“He had black hair that was in a widow’s peak, and a scar through one eyebrow. He wore a black leather jacket.”
“An extra from
Get Shorty
threatened the coach.” Cooper met Anna’s eyes, and she saw her own reaction reflected in his face. She appreciated that she wasn’t alone in her skepticism.
She thanked Kathy and told her she’d get back to her. But Anna wouldn’t call her as a witness if she could help it. She didn’t know who she would call. Five months until the trial, and she still didn’t know what her defense would be.
• • •
Over the following months, Jody continued going to work. When her belly started getting in the way, GM let her move from the assembly line to a desk job. She bought maternity clothes and a body pillow to drape her legs over at night, trying to stay comfortable as she got bigger.
Anna did her USAO work at the table in Cooper’s living room and occasionally helped him on the farm. She got to know De’Andre, Lamar, and the neighbors who had plots in his garden. She used to think Cooper might feel isolated out here, but she realized he was at the center of a community of people who were trying to make the city better.
With every person who told her how smart or creative Cooper was, she felt a little burst of pride. It was not the feeling a woman got with a friend she was “just having fun with.” It was the pride of ownership. She tried to shake herself out of it. He wasn’t hers, and she wasn’t his. This was just a fling until she went back to D.C. But she found that talking to Cooper over coffee in the morning was her favorite part of the day. Each time she looked up from her computer and saw him working outside with Sparky, it made her smile. She admired what he was doing with his life, and she appreciated that his presence made hers richer. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was falling for him. Obviously, she wasn’t. It was just a fling.
Every afternoon, after her prosecutorial work for the USAO
was done, she transitioned into defense attorney mode and worked on Jody’s case. Cooper occasionally came with her, when she needed a witness present for conversations. On lunch breaks, he would take her to see unexpected parts of the city: Eastern Market, a vibrant district filled with fresh food, flowers, and antiques; the Heidelberg project, a house covered in stuffed animals.
Anna went with Jody to her seemingly endless round of ob-gyn appointments. They learned that the baby was going to be a girl, and Jody hooted with glee. She soon went from looking voluptuous, to looking pudgy, to looking unmistakably pregnant. She and Anna took a prenatal class together. Anna wanted to throw her a baby shower, but Jody didn’t want one—yet. “You can throw me a shower once I’m allowed to attend without an ankle bracelet.” Anna hoped that wouldn’t mean when Jody was in prison.
When the nights grew colder, Cooper started building fires in the fireplaces to help heat the big old house. At night, he and Anna lay beneath a big white feather blanket and found increasingly enjoyable ways to keep each other warm. The embers glowed orange in the fireplace.
• • •
In early December, Anna got a letter from Detective Rob Gargaron, setting a time when she could go to the police storage facility and view the items from Jody’s search warrant. She arrived at the appointed time with Cooper. It was a warehouse in the commercial district. Inside, Rob was waiting for them.
“Hey, Coop. You’re a criminal investigator now?”
“Yep. Not sure if it’s a promotion or demotion from urban farmer.”
Rob glanced at Anna. “Seems to have some nice benefits.”
He led them past metal shelves covered with boxes and paper bags. In an open space in the middle of the warehouse sat a table covered in items that the police had taken from Jody’s house. Ironically, these were the only items that survived the fire.