Good Woman Blues (8 page)

“Here she is, my wonderful niece. Y’all are
gonna love her.” Darlene appeared from a side door with another
woman by her side. “Carmel, this is Erikka. Carmel is our volunteer
coordinator.”

“Hi. Glad you could help us out.” Carmel
pushed her reading glasses up on her head. The slim frame pinned
her salt-and-pepper hair back like a headband.

“Judge Patchette asked the state probation
office to transfer my case. He volunteered me, but thanks.” Erikka
continued looking around.

“I love her sense of humor,” Darlene said,
with a tight smile that sent Erikka a clear message.

“I’m grateful for another set of hands,”
Carmel said with a laugh. “We have a dining area through there. For
now we still deliver about fifteen meals around town for folks who
can’t come here. The crafts room is to the right this way.”

The Rose Garden Senior Center didn’t have a
garden, much less roses. Though a valiant effort had been made to
decorate, the place still seemed sadly shabby. Erikka began to feel
just as dejected. The center started to feel like a metaphor for
the turn her life had taken. Fifteen minutes later, after a tour of
the small facility, Carmel led Erikka to Darlene’s office. Darlene
must have read her mood. She put an arm around Erikka’s waist when
Carmel left them.

“What’s up?”

“Everything is everything.” Erikka forced a
light tone.

‘Talk to me, girl.” Darlene shook her
gently.

“Look, I get to feel sorry for myself on
alternate Thursdays. Since this is Monday, I’m cool. Show me the
copy machine or dustpan. Might as well get at least the first two
hours of community service behind me.” Erikka turned in a
circle.

Carmel came back. “This is the perfect day
for you to start. We’re having a health fair Saturday. You can copy
the flyers, help me set up tables, and make phone calls.”

“Sounds good. See ya,” Erikka said to
Darlene.

“Yeah, well, if you need anything—” Darlene
seemed ready to follow Erikka around.

I’ll be fine.” Erikka waved Darlene back into
her chair on her way out. She turned to Carmel with a smile. “Show
me the work.”

Erikka got busy. She copied the flyers that
kids from a local high school would distribute. She found the
ancient computer that Carmel had used to design them. Within ten
minutes Erikka had livened up the look using the simple desktop
publishing program. Within the first hour Erikka made phone calls,
helped the recreation therapist put up her equipment, and set up
the crafts room for the next day. Time seemed to pass quickly. To
her surprise,

Erikka actually didn’t hate what she was
doing. Taking a break, Erikka sat outside on a shaded patio to
enjoy the sunshine. By the end of the day Erikka waited for about
thirty minutes while Darlene finished paperwork. On the drive home,
Darlene kept glancing at Erikka sideways.

“Sorry you had to wait for me. How did it go
today?” Darlene said.

“You need to relax, Darlene. I’m not about to
fall apart.”

“Okay, okay. So maybe I’m hovering a little
bit.”

“A little? I can feel your breath on my neck.
Take it easy.” Erikka grinned at her.

“Starting right now,” Darlene assured her.
“Uh, your boyfriend called.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Erikka said
promptly.

“Vaughn,” Darlene replied.

“I call him a few other names. Boyfriend is
not one of them, believe me.” Erikka stared at the passing
scenery.

“I checked my voice mail at home, and he left
a message for you.”

“Good for him. He won’t be hearing from me
anytime soon.”

Erikka only felt a small pang when she said
the words. The hurt had begun to fade. Besides, all Vaughn wanted
was to make a token effort. What little conscience he had demanded
at least that much.

“You’re being kinda hard on the brother.
Maybe—”

“No, I’m not. Let’s talk about something
really important, like what we’re going to have for dinner.” Erikka
turned on the car radio and snapped her fingers to the tune.

“That bump you just heard was me dropping the
subject of Vaughn for good,” Darlene said.

“The hint is finally taken,” Erikka tossed
back.

***

Two days later Erikka sat across from her new
employer giving him the bad news. For a one-time consultation fee
she’d done a preliminary review of his books. It had only taken two
hours for Erikka to realize what a bad job his bookkeeper had
done.

She had a hard time getting Ryan Wilson, six
feet tall, thin, and full of energy, to sit still for over ten
minutes. He tapped his fingers on the surface of his desk as she
explained what she’d found in his accounts. Erikka described the
mess in diplomatic phrases. Ryan’s jaw muscles worked into knots as
she spoke.

“Hell hath no fury.” Ryan slapped a hand down
hard, causing Erikka to jump.

“Excuse me?” Erikka wondered if she should
bounce out of there. Untangling his finances would be enough of a
headache. Dealing with a drama king, she didn’t need.

“Nothing. Forget about it. So, Monique brags
that you’re a genius. Gotta get those books straight in three
weeks. My investors are brutal. Dad and Mom will kill me.”

“Three weeks? If you want magic, call Sabrina
the Teenage Witch, not an accountant,” Erikka said. “Look, I’ll
need that much time to straighten out the accounts payable. Then
I’ll have to start on the balance sheets, then the accounts
receivable—”

“Damn.” Ryan pulled a hand over his face.
“This is what I get for trusting somebody.”

“You didn’t have checks and balances. Another
party, preferably a CPA, should review whatever a bookkeeper does.”
Erikka wondered how much experience the man had running a business.
“It’s too easy for someone with check-writing authority to abuse
it.”

Ryan sprang from his chair. “Oh hell no. If
any money is missing, I’m going to—”

Erikka stood and put a hand on his chest. The
guy looked like he was going out to smack somebody down. “Hey,
chill, I didn’t say money is missing. Just pointing out one of the
pitfalls of not having the right procedures in place.”

He blinked hard for several seconds, and then
took a deep breath. “Yeah, right. Sorry. Whew. Been under the gun
for the last few months.”

“I know how it is. You didn’t get this far
not keeping a clear head. Let me look deeper, get the full picture,
and we’ll go from there.” Erikka did not want some poor incompetent
bookkeeper’s blood on her hands.

“I think we’ll make a great team.” Ryan’s
tense expression gave way to a wide smile.

Erikka took her hand from his chest when his
gaze slid down her body. She moved away from him. “I can’t work
more than twelve hours a week, maybe fifteen tops.”

“Right. Monique and Vaughn mentioned you had
other obligations.”

“You know Vaughn?” Erikka did not like the
sound of that at all.

“Sure. So, anyway do what you have to. When
can you start?”

“How about Monday? I’m going to need office
space,” she added. Erikka made a mental note to ask Monique more
about this job.

“Perfect time to show you around. I just
happen to have two small offices you can choose from. This building
was the old library branch back in the day.”

Before she could respond Ryan slipped his
hand under her elbow. Moments later they were on their way down the
hall. Erikka couldn’t remember the names or faces that whizzed by.
They only stopped long enough for a speed-of-light introduction.
Ryan talked nonstop, mostly about his accomplishments and how this
station was only the beginning of his plans. The offices were at
the back part of the building. His full-time staff consisted of one
receptionist, a secretary, the station manager, and two production
assistants. The other four employees worked part-time.

“Right now we’re broadcasting eight hours a
day. That’s a step up. I started out just two hours a day a year
ago. We’ve got a gardening show, a cooking show, and more.” Ryan
strode through the tiny station like a media king.

“Interesting. Guess your signal doesn’t go
much past the surrounding area.” Erikka followed him through a
black door.

“All the way to New Iberia. We added power
five months ago. They’re on,” he said in low voice.

Erikka nodded, afraid to even whisper. Cables
snaked across the floor. A tall young man with red hair moved
around a camera on wheels following an older man waving a
Bible.

“The lessons in Revelation are clear, my
friends.” The man faced the camera with a fierce expression.

Erikka wondered how long it would take for
the evangelist to build his empire. Suddenly, Ryan had her by the
arm, and they were off again. They went past a glass booth where a
young woman sat in front of a panel of monitors and controls.

“This is Kris. This is our new accountant,
Erikka Ro- chon.”

“Hey, Erikka. Nice to meet you.” Kris gave a
wave, and then went back to working the panel.

“Hi.” Erikka leaned down to watch Kris
work.

“Don’t want to distract her. Well, that’s it.
We have two more studios. They’re pretty much the same as that
one.” Ryan led the way to his office without looking back to see if
Erikka was behind him.

“My office?” Erikka said.

“Oh right. Jocelyn, come here a minute,” Ryan
called through the open door.

His secretary came in. She smiled at Erikka,
and then looked at her boss. “Yes, sir?”

“Show Ms. Rochon to the office next to yours.
I think Elliot cleared the boxes out of there.” Ryan strode to his
desk and started going through a stack of messages.

“We did. I’ll show you.”

“I’ll be in Monday then,” Erikka said to
Ryan. He already seemed to have moved on to other tasks.

He came from behind the desk with his hand
out. “Great, great. Jocelyn will hook you up right.”

Erikka took it, and his long fingers closed
around her hand firmly. “Good-bye.”

“You’re part of a winning team now, Erikka. I
look forward to our association,” Ryan said. His left eyebrow
inched up as he stared hard at her. Then he let go and walked
away.

Erikka recognized that look only too well.
She’d never realized how flattering it was to have men, even jerks,
flirt with her. Without looking back, Erikka followed Jocelyn down
a hall.

“We’ve got a phone jack in there, but I’m not
sure if it’s hot. We’ll have to check it. I’ll get you some
supplies. I’ll be back in a minute.” Jocelyn looked at Erikka as
though asking permission to leave.

“Sure. I’ll be here.” Erikka smiled back.

The young woman disappeared around a comer
and down another hallway. Erikka opened the door to her new office.
One small window faced the back parking lot. A few boxes were still
in one comer. An oak veneer desk sat in the middle of the room.
Opening the door had stirred up dust. Erikka coughed and backed
out. She went in search of the water cooler. Two turns later she
was lost. Fortunately, she ended up out in the lobby. Erikka stood
behind four people waiting at the receptionist’s desk. The
receptionist switched between the constantly buzzing phone and the
crowd before her. The man at the head of the line stood taller than
the rest, his broad back covered by a denim shirt. The long sleeves
were rolled up to reveal his brawny forearms. Erikka recognized his
baritone voice.

“I have an appointment with Tavis Miles.”

The receptionist held up a palm until she
finished transferring a call. When she looked up the furrows in her
forehead smoothed out. “Sorry about that. Now what’s your
name?”

“Gabriel Cormier from Juste Bien.” Gabriel
bent down slightly to compensate for being so far above her.

“Hi, Gabriel. I’m Tyquiesha. Juste Bien?”

“French for Just Right. We build handmade
furniture and do custom carpentry work.”

“How nice. I’d like to see some of your work.
What’s your address and phone number, please? For the sign-in
register,” the receptionist added with a grin.

“Oh, please,” Erikka said, her comment louder
than she’d intended.

The man ahead of her glanced back with a
smirk. She cleared her throat and looked away in embarrassment.
Gabriel leaned on the desk with both palms flat on the wood-veneer
surface. Erikka had to admit she was surprised at him. He hadn’t
seemed like the kind to flash his manly charm at any flirtatious
female. Yet he seemed to eat up the attention. Tyquiesha pressed
several buttons on her phone and waited.

“Mr. Miles, your ten-thirty is here. Right.
You can have a seat Gabriel. He’ll be with you in a minute. Help
yourself.” Tyquiesha waved a hand to a table with coffee and
donuts.

“Thanks a lot, Tyquiesha.” Gabriel handed her
a card. “We’ll be opening a showroom soon at this location. Stop by
anytime.”

“I’ll do that.” Tyquiesha studied the card as
though she had all the time in the world. She beamed at Gabriel
again. When the man behind Gabriel cleared his throat loudly, her
smile lost a few watts of power.

“Yes, sir,” Tyquiesha said to the man, her
tone considerably less warm.

Erikka watched Gabriel stroll over to the
table. He put down the leather satchel he carried and poured a cup
of coffee. The denim shirt had a seam down the middle of the back
and was tucked into his jeans. His deep brown hair was long and lay
in tight woolly curls that brushed the collar of his shirt. Gabriel
took a test sip from the cup. Satisfied, he went to a window and
looked out as he drank more coffee. Erikka liked the way he moved,
like a man at ease with himself. She was used to men perpetually in
a hurry to go somewhere, like her ex-lover. Vaughn would have been
glancing at his expensive wristwatch every ten seconds. Gabriel
appeared content to wait. He didn’t pay attention to the other
people in the lobby. His manner suggested he did not want to
encourage casual conversation. He was wrapped in himself. Not
self-absorbed, but rather self-contained.