smile back at him.
Lucas came up behind him and grasped his son’s shoulders with gentle hands. He noticed that my mood changed. “Jon. Why don’t you go hang out with Miss Carrie for a little while, okay?”
“Okay.” Jon ran off to find her.
Lucas motioned to the back door down the hallway that went past the kitchen. “Wanna join me outside for a minute?” I nodded and followed him out the door.
He took off his uniform jacket, sat down on the top step and motioned for me to do the same. I sat next to him as he draped his jacket across his knees. Perspiration was already creeping across our foreheads, and it was only 10:30. Lucas dabbed at his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Don’t get this kind of humidity in California, do you?”
I laughed a little. “No. Not in my part of the state, anyway.”
“Do you ever miss it here?”
If Clothilde had asked me that, there’s no doubt it would have been a loaded question. But with Lucas, I felt that was exactly what he meant. “Sometimes,” I answered. And it wasn’t a lie, exactly. I missed home whenever I thought of it, but I always intentionally made myself too busy to think of it.
“Clothilde’s been a rock through this whole thing,” he said after a reflective moment.
“And you?” I asked.
“Me? Don’t worry about me.”
“You and David were best friends, not to mention partners.”
He nodded. “I’m holding it together.”
And he was. I had been in California so long that a man crying in front of a woman wasn’t so unusual. Not that I ever minded it. But there was something to be said for the strong, silent types that breed so well in the South.
“I’m more worried about you,” he said.
“I’m okay.”
He nodded again, I’m sure knowing too well that I wasn’t fine, but allowing me to be strong and silent myself. The humidity was killing me at this point, but I wanted to stay outside with Lucas. It felt good to be with someone who didn’t want to pry. I felt comfortable with him, but that wasn’t exactly a good thing. I think that deep down I wanted an excuse to leave.
I broke the momentary silence. “What exactly happened? I mean, I know it was a car accident, but what caused it?”
He was quiet for a moment, composing his thoughts. “They were driving home from my house. We had a barbecue and Lyla and Jon played in the new pool I got. One of those above-ground pools, but a good sized one. We had a great time. They headed home around eight P.M. You know how dark it is on highway 167. They just went off the road. No skid marks. I guess it happened so fast there was nothing he could do.” After a thought he added, “It was strange.”
“Doesn’t sound so strange. Things like that happen all the time.”
He glanced at me, looking like he was struggling to tell me something else. “But Lyla—”
“She’s fine.”
“Exactly.”
I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
“She didn’t have a scratch or bruise on her.”
“That’s a good thing.”
He shook his head. “Leigh, you didn’t see that car. We had to cut it open to get David and Michelle … It wasn’t pretty. Lyla was in the backseat, crying and screaming …” He stopped, visibly shaken from the memory. “I was the first one on the scene because it was so close to my house. As soon as I heard it on the scanner, I didn’t even want to wait for the sitter to come. I grabbed Jon and left. When I got there, I told Jon to stay in the car. I ran over to the culvert their car smashed into and managed to get one of the back doors open. Lyla wouldn’t stop screaming. I reached in and felt for a pulse for them, hoping for one, but knowing they were already gone. I’ve seen enough of those accidents to tell. I got Lyla out, brought her to my car just as the ambulance was getting there and a couple of other squad cars. I held her, and they examined her. No
Lucas came up behind him and grasped his son’s shoulders with gentle hands. He noticed that my mood changed. “Jon. Why don’t you go hang out with Miss Carrie for a little while, okay?”
“Okay.” Jon ran off to find her.
Lucas motioned to the back door down the hallway that went past the kitchen. “Wanna join me outside for a minute?” I nodded and followed him out the door.
He took off his uniform jacket, sat down on the top step and motioned for me to do the same. I sat next to him as he draped his jacket across his knees. Perspiration was already creeping across our foreheads, and it was only 10:30. Lucas dabbed at his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Don’t get this kind of humidity in California, do you?”
I laughed a little. “No. Not in my part of the state, anyway.”
“Do you ever miss it here?”
If Clothilde had asked me that, there’s no doubt it would have been a loaded question. But with Lucas, I felt that was exactly what he meant. “Sometimes,” I answered. And it wasn’t a lie, exactly. I missed home whenever I thought of it, but I always intentionally made myself too busy to think of it.
“Clothilde’s been a rock through this whole thing,” he said after a reflective moment.
“And you?” I asked.
“Me? Don’t worry about me.”
“You and David were best friends, not to mention partners.”
He nodded. “I’m holding it together.”
And he was. I had been in California so long that a man crying in front of a woman wasn’t so unusual. Not that I ever minded it. But there was something to be said for the strong, silent types that breed so well in the South.
“I’m more worried about you,” he said.
“I’m okay.”
He nodded again, I’m sure knowing too well that I wasn’t fine, but allowing me to be strong and silent myself. The humidity was killing me at this point, but I wanted to stay outside with Lucas. It felt good to be with someone who didn’t want to pry. I felt comfortable with him, but that wasn’t exactly a good thing. I think that deep down I wanted an excuse to leave.
I broke the momentary silence. “What exactly happened? I mean, I know it was a car accident, but what caused it?”
He was quiet for a moment, composing his thoughts. “They were driving home from my house. We had a barbecue and Lyla and Jon played in the new pool I got. One of those above-ground pools, but a good sized one. We had a great time. They headed home around eight P.M. You know how dark it is on highway 167. They just went off the road. No skid marks. I guess it happened so fast there was nothing he could do.” After a thought he added, “It was strange.”
“Doesn’t sound so strange. Things like that happen all the time.”
He glanced at me, looking like he was struggling to tell me something else. “But Lyla—”
“She’s fine.”
“Exactly.”
I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
“She didn’t have a scratch or bruise on her.”
“That’s a good thing.”
He shook his head. “Leigh, you didn’t see that car. We had to cut it open to get David and Michelle … It wasn’t pretty. Lyla was in the backseat, crying and screaming …” He stopped, visibly shaken from the memory. “I was the first one on the scene because it was so close to my house. As soon as I heard it on the scanner, I didn’t even want to wait for the sitter to come. I grabbed Jon and left. When I got there, I told Jon to stay in the car. I ran over to the culvert their car smashed into and managed to get one of the back doors open. Lyla wouldn’t stop screaming. I reached in and felt for a pulse for them, hoping for one, but knowing they were already gone. I’ve seen enough of those accidents to tell. I got Lyla out, brought her to my car just as the ambulance was getting there and a couple of other squad cars. I held her, and they examined her. No
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