Buch lesen: «Other People's Business»

Chapter 1

“This file needs to be delivered to Rawlins and McGill right away. Mr. Whithers has to have this package before he leaves for the day, and I don’t have the time or the patience to wait for that bungling courier. Since you did the bulk of the work on the report, I’d like you to take it over, Ms. Nicholson.”

Autumn Nicholson glanced up from her computer screen and inconspicuously closed her message box. Ms. Barstow would skin her alive if she caught her surfing the Internet during working hours. It was Friday afternoon and near quitting time but her gray-haired boss wouldn’t care, she would ream her out all the same.

Ms. Barstow remained firmly planted in the doorway, cueing Autumn she was expected to leave, immediately. Thank God I didn’t duck out early, she thought, hastily packing her briefcase. She would have ordered me back to the office just to haul me over the coals.

Autumn checked the wall clock. She was going to get stuck in dreaded Washington, D.C., rush hour on her way downtown but it would be ten times worse on the drive home. After ribbing her best friend Melissa Grisbey about her tardiness for as long as she could remember, Autumn couldn’t afford to be late to her best friend’s dinner party. She was dying to tell Ms. Barstow to take the documents her damn self, but clamped down on her tongue. She valued her job and its hefty paycheck far too much to get fired, and if she gave in to her displeasure and told her boss what she was thinking, she would be first in line at the unemployment office come Monday morning.

After applying to more than fifty accountancy firms and wearing down the soles of her favorite pumps, Autumn had leapt for joy when Ms. Barstow had offered her the junior accountant position at the conclusion of her interview. She loathed the long hours, heavy workload and the fact that her office was the size of an airplane bathroom, but she had fallen in love with Monroe Accounting.

In her third year with the company, her assiduousness and devotion had paid off and she had been promoted to a senior accountant position. The title had come with a fifteen-percent salary increase, a lighter workload and an office three times the size of her previous one. Autumn was one of the most well-liked employees at the firm and no one worked harder than her or put in as many hours as she did.

Autumn knew her boss was overstepping her bounds, but she wasn’t about to give The Glacier any ammunition for mistreating her later on down the road. The steely-eyed, fifty-something woman had earned the nickname after unleashing a tongue-lashing on a snot-nosed intern at a staff meeting. In a matter of minutes, she had reduced the pro-wrestling-size man to a puddle of tears, and he’d quit on the spot.

Ms. Barstow was unreasonable and downright rude, but Autumn had learned from her just how far fierce determination, hard work and a no-nonsense attitude could take you. The Glacier could scare the pants off a grown man with just one look, but she was also insightful beyond measure, incredibly tough and highly esteemed in the accounting world.

Extending the bulky manila envelope, Ms. Barstow gave Autumn some final instructions. It didn’t matter what came out of The Glacier’s mouth, it always sounded as though she was barking orders. Take this. Hurry up. Leave now. Get there before five o’clock.

She should enlist in the army, Autumn concluded, doing up her three-button blazer and securing the locks on her briefcase. She’d be one heck of a drill sergeant.

“Have a good weekend, Ms. Barstow. I’ll see you on Monday morning,” Autumn called as her boss turned to go through the open door.

Ms. Barstow came to a halt. Eyebrows arched sky-high, her mouth curved disapprovingly, she pointed towards the envelope in Autumn’s right hand. “You’re not returning to the office after you drop that off? It’s only four o’clock.”

Autumn gulped. “I… I have a family engagement this evening and—”

“Very well,” Ms. Barstow said, continuing her soldier-like march down the hall, “get going.”

Your wish is my command, oh Cold One. After closing her office door behind her, Autumn stomped over to the glass elevators. She jabbed the down button so hard, her index finger cracked. Why do I have to drive halfway across town on a Friday afternoon? And where in my contract does it say I’m a courier?

An hour and some change later, Autumn eased her car out of the parking lot of the Rawlins and McGill law firm and fused into early-evening traffic. She slipped on her sunglasses, turned on her CD player and signaled her intention to make a right turn at the approaching intersection. With a heavy pull on the wheel, she bounced the car over the curb, landing with a thud, then made a left turn onto Canal Road, rounding the corner like an Indianapolis-500 driver, and slammed her foot down hard on the gas. If she hurried, she would have enough time to take a bath and spiral-curl her braids.

Singing along with Janet Jackson, Autumn drummed her slender fingers on the crown of the steering wheel. The sensual, heartfelt ballad reminded her of Tyrell. The last three months of their relationship had been about as stable as a teeter-totter, and just like Janet, she, too, was growing tired of being mistreated. Nine months ago, Autumn had felt like the luckiest woman alive. Tyrell had wooed her with dinners at five-star restaurants, called her five, ten times a day and impressed her with fancy gifts. But nowadays Autumn felt that her luck had dried up. Tyrell had changed; he was nothing like the man she had fallen for. As of late, she had seen a side of him she hadn’t even known existed. This new guy was cunning and deceitful, and he couldn’t find the truth if it dropped into his lap. But in the last two weeks, Tyrell had made an effort to change. He was trying to make things better, and she applauded his efforts. They were far from being a couple again, but Autumn was optimistic the arrangements she had made for tonight would turn things around.

Autumn continued down MacArthur Boulevard paying no heed to the construction markers or the posted speed limit. Humming softly, she made mental preparations of what she needed to do when she finally reached home. She was deciding which pair of sandals would complement her body-fitting halter dress best, when the steering wheel began to vibrate. Autumn gripped it so tightly her hands started to throb. She fought to maintain control of the viciously shaking vehicle. Finally, frustrated, she nursed the cantankerous car onto the shoulder.

When the car came to a complete stop, Autumn released her hold on the steering wheel. With trembling hands, she shut off the music and turned off the engine. She released the breath she had been holding and rubbed her hands gingerly over her face. Taking a series of deep calming breaths, she wondered, What the heck was that?

Autumn pushed on the hazard-light button before exiting the car. The air was pervaded with the scent of smoke. She quickly backed away from the car. But when a few minutes had passed without a stream of billowing smoke issuing from the hood and with no thunderous explosion, she walked around to the front of the car and popped open the hood. Autumn didn’t know what she was looking for, but she poked her head inside anyway. Everything looked normal. No smoke. No loose wires. No signs of serious damage. Autumn closed the hood and slowly walked around to the passenger side. Her mouth dropped open. Remnants of the back tire lay everywhere on the highway behind her, as well as chunks of broken glass, crooked nails and what looked like half of a hammer.

With a curse to Ms. Barstow for her needless delivery and to all construction workers on the face of the earth, Autumn wrenched open the passenger door. God, please let Tyrell be home, she prayed, ferreting around in her handbag for her cell phone. She tapped her toe on the pavement impatiently as she waited for the call to connect. Someone picked up the phone on the fifth ring. “Tyrell? Hello? Tyrell?”

“Uh… Yeah. Who’s this?”

“What do you mean, ‘Who’s this?’ It’s me,” Autumn said, the attitude heavy in her voice.

“Oh, hey.”

Autumn chose to ignore his lackadaisical tone. She would deal with that later. “Tyrell, I’m stranded on MacArthur Boulevard, and I need you to come get me.”

Silence.

Autumn was poised to repeat herself when she heard him take a deep breath and then yawn loudly and expansively.

“What do you mean you’re stranded?”

“My back tire blew out and I don’t know the first thing about changing it. You have to hurry, Tyrell, because I still need to go home and get ready for tonight.”

“I don’t know if I can, Autumn. I’m just waking up…and I have a splitting headache. I can barely stand up, let alone drive. Why don’t you call your brother? Or one of your girlfriends?”

“Because Isaac is the guest speaker at a business conference in Baltimore,” she explained, her aggravation mounting with each passing second. “Calling Yvette is out of the question because she lives too far away, and Melissa’s probably at home getting ready for tonight.” Autumn knew that if she called either one of her girlfriends they would drop whatever they were doing and come get her, but she didn’t want to. She wanted Tyrell, the man who claimed to care about her, to come to her rescue, not one of her friends. Besides, neither Yvette nor Melissa knew the first thing about replacing a flat tire.

“Why don’t you call Triple A? They’ll send someone right out and the tow truck driver will change the flat for you.”

Now Autumn remembered why she had dumped him the last time. Here was yet another shining example of why she was better off without Tyrell Wellman. It was almost six o’clock in the evening and he was still lazing around in bed. No doubt he’d gone clubbing last night and was now so hung over and sick to his stomach he couldn’t get out of bed. Some things just never change, Autumn thought, shaking her head sadly.

“Do you know how long it will take for a tow truck to get here? It’s rush hour on a Friday evening, Tyrell. I could end up waiting out here for hours.” Autumn was quickly losing patience. He was either coming to get her or he wasn’t. And if the latter came to pass, Tyrell could kiss the possibility of them ever getting back together goodbye.

He yawned again. “Why don’t you catch a cab back to your place and we’ll pick up your car after the party? That is, if I make it. With the way my stomach is churning, I may end up skipping tonight’s festivities altogether.”

Autumn shook her head some more as her face twisted into a frown. Leaving her car by the side of the road wasn’t even an option. It was a traffic-congested street, but there was no telling what would happen if she abandoned it. It could end up being vandalized, stripped or, worse yet, stolen. When Tyrell started to suggest another dim-witted idea, she cut him off in mid word. “Are you out of your damn mind? I can’t flag down a perfect stranger and catch a ride with them!”

“I can call my father and ask him to send his driver to come and get you. How does that sound?” Tyrell asked, sounding rather self-satisfied. But after a reflective pause, he reneged on the offer. “On second thought, I’d better not. He’s still pissed off at me for not attending his annual Politicians of Tomorrow fundraiser last night. Scrap that idea.”

Jacob C. Wellman, the African-American mayor of D.C., had expected his son to follow his political footsteps and carry on the family legacy. But instead of diving into the political waters after graduating from Georgetown University with a degree in political science, Tyrell had announced that he was taking six months off to “find himself.” Ten months had passed and the only thing he’d found were new ways to blow his parents’ hard-earned money. But Mr. and Mrs. Wellman didn’t seem to mind their son’s laziness. In fact, they supported his lifestyle by giving him a handsome monthly allowance and turning a blind eye to his destructive behavior.

“I don’t even know why I bothered calling you. I should’ve known you wouldn’t come help me,” Autumn said more to herself than to him. She raised her voice and spoke directly into the mouthpiece. “Don’t bother picking me up tonight, Tyrell. I’ll manage just fine at the party without you. I always do. Just stay home and nurse your hangover. And while you’re at it, lose my number permanently.”

“Come on babe, don’t start this sh—”

Click.

Autumn kicked a pebble into the ditch, imagining it was Tyrell’s backside. She was sick of him bailing on her when she needed him most. She deserved more than this. Much more. Autumn had never been first in Tyrell’s life, and, if she was honest with herself, she had never even rounded out the top five. There weren’t going to be any more chances for Tyrell and no amount of persuasion would change that. They were through. Autumn didn’t care if he got down on his hands and knees and begged like R. Kelly before a grand jury. Tyrell could grovel until he wore out the knees of his khakis for all she cared. She wasn’t taking him back. Sighing wearily, she clicked open the glove compartment and rummaged around inside for the roadside assistance brochure.

L. J. Saunders wasn’t a mechanic, not even car literate, but he didn’t feel right driving by the marooned motorist. What if the driver had engine trouble? Or was in need of medical assistance? The charring heat of the sun and the balmy wind made the temperature feel much higher than its seventy-five degrees and with traffic backed up for miles, the motorist could end up waiting for hours before help arrived. L.J. didn’t bother turning on the indicator light; it was broken, along with a host of other things on this banged-up truck. Cars whizzed by as he maneuvered into the far right lane, pulled up behind the stopped vehicle and threw his truck in Park.

Autumn was punching in the 1-800 number for roadside assistance when the crunch of tires on gravel reached her ears. She peeped out the back window just in time to see a dark-skinned man step down from a dilapidated truck. The battered vehicle looked as though it had been submerged in a pool of mud. The color and make were unrecognizable, and although Autumn tried, she couldn’t decipher a single license-plate number. The stranger wore an Atlanta Braves baseball cap, a soiled white T-shirt and equally filthy nylon shorts. He had a slightly crooked nose, which added to his mysterious aura, a faint moustache and a powerfully built body. He had the well-muscled shoulders and defined legs of a track star.

He’s attractive in a handyman sort of way, Autumn decided, eyeing him warily. She gripped her cell phone in one hand, and her car keys in the other. The man could be a serial killer for all she knew. Sure, he looked normal, but most serial killers did. Poised to dial 911 if the man made any sudden moves, she got out of her car and took baby steps towards the grimy-looking stranger.

Behind the veil of his Ray-Ban sunglasses, L.J. checked out the smartly dressed woman moving cautiously towards him. Her white fitted blazer and knee-grazing skirt were conservative, but the high-heeled, pointy-toe shoes were anything but. She moved towards him with a wealth of confidence and grace. L.J.’s eyes skimmed over her frame appreciatively. The woman had a pear-shaped figure and a perfect pair of legs. He had always been drawn to women with simple elegance, and that she had. Her skin was the color of lush, brown soil, her eyes a much lighter shade.

“What seems to be the problem, miss?” he asked, his voice coffee-rich.

Autumn’s shoulders tensed. He had a faint Southern accent and gave a slight nod when he stopped in front of her, but that didn’t count for much. Psychos, rapists and serial killers came in all different shapes, colors and sizes. What if he tried to assault her? Or snatched her necklace? With few options, and no help on the way, there was little Autumn could do. She was stranded and unless she was willing to hitchhike, which she wasn’t, he was all she had. Besides, she was on a busy road. If anything happened, she could easily flag down a car. Positive she was in no real danger, Autumn conquered her thoughts. She smiled at the stranger. In an attempt to calm her nerves, she joked, “I have a flat tire and I don’t know how to fix it because when my father was trying to teach me, I was busy inspecting my manicure.”

He chuckled, revealing a slim dimple in his chin. “Well, do you have a spare, Miss Manicure?”

“I think so, Mr. Mechanic.” Much to Autumn’s surprise, he burst into a hearty laugh. She joined in. Clicking open the trunk and stepping aside, she said, “Hopefully, it’s in here somewhere.”

Autumn watched him dig around in the trunk and stared at his hands. It was hard not to. They were filthy. Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears, You can tell a lot about a man by how he carries himself. Check out everything. His walk. His posture. Even his fingernails. Taking her mother’s advice, Autumn surveyed the man before her. His thin, ashy fingers were covered in nicks and cuts, a faint burn mark was in the middle of his left hand and dirt was lodged beneath chipped fingernails. Mud marred his jawline, but it was his wretched body odor that made Autumn’s stomach jolt. Mr. Mechanic was in dire need of a shower and the strongest deodorant money could buy. For a half minute Autumn thought of reaching into the trunk for the air freshener and slinging it around his neck. The smell was that bad. When the stranger tossed her a backward glance and caught her eyeballing him, Autumn buried her eyes in the trunk and pretended to be aiding in the search.

“Here we go.” L.J. pulled out a full-size tire and a steel jack and rested them against the bumper. “Can you close the trunk?”

Autumn did, then looked on as the muscle-bound stranger wheeled the tire with one hand and carried the jack with the other. She watched with keen interest as he jacked up the car and removed what was left of the tire without breaking a sweat. The sun beat down on them with no mercy, elevating Autumn’s anxiety with each passing second. Sweat trickled down her back, and her clothes were sticking to her body. The moisture between her thighs made her long for an ice-cold shower. She swept a hand across her forehead, grabbed the roadside assistance brochure from the passenger seat, and fanned wildly.

“You picked a prime time to get a flat,” he said as the blare of beeping horns rained down on them. Their cars were safely off the road, but heavy-footed drivers were forced to slow down as they approached the scene.

“I know and it doesn’t help that it’s the hottest day of April, either. I’m roasting out here.” Her stomach let loose a monstrous grumble. Autumn patted her stomach. She had more problems than she knew what to do with.

L.J. glanced up just in time to see her unbutton her blazer and fling it into the backseat. The sight of her alabaster lace camisole aroused thoughts of its softness under his fingers. He wondered if her toffee-brown skin was as smooth as it looked. She plucked at her camisole, lifted her mid-back-length braids off her back and rolled her head forward. The mindless act left L.J. gasping for air. He gulped down his desire as he rubbed the palm of his hand across his forehead. I must be getting really desperate to be lusting after marooned women, L.J. thought, giving his head a good shake. But the sight of trim, shapely legs crossing just inches from his face seconds later, made his mind wander down the road once again. He was definitely a leg man and this woman had a pair that could rival any Las Vegas showgirl’s. He was so caught up in his appraisal of her physique that he didn’t feel the wrench slip from his hands. The clatter snapped L.J. back into the here and now. Smiling away his embarrassment, he retrieved the wrench from the blistering pavement and went back to work.

Forcing himself to concentrate, L.J. worked for the next ten minutes without incident. He tightened the bolts and then kicked the tire to ensure it was secure and the pressure was adequate. He returned to the trunk, and once the young woman had clicked it open with her key remote, he heaved the damaged tire inside. At last, finished, L.J. dusted his hands, wiped them across the front of his shorts, and announced, “All done, miss. You can be on your way now.”

Autumn almost broke into song. If I rush, I can still make it to the party on time, she thought. Grateful to him for all his help, she reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. It wouldn’t be right to leave without giving the stranger something for his troubles. He had practically saved her life. Besides, he looked like he could use a helping hand. Autumn held out a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “Thanks. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I have.”

“Save your money,” he advised, repositioning his worn-out baseball cap. “It was no problem, really. I’m just glad I could be of some help.” Taking in her oval-shaped face and clear complexion, L.J. wondered how God could give so much beauty to one woman. He didn’t know if her skin had a natural glow or if the heat magnified it, but he was enraptured all the same. Her expressive eyes twinkling in the reflection of the sun dazzled him, but it was her cheek-to-cheek smile which made his breath catch in the walls of his throat.

Autumn shoved the money into his hands. “If I’d been at the mercy of roadside assistance, there’s no telling when they would have showed up. I wouldn’t feel right leaving without giving you something as a token of my appreciation.”

“I can’t take your money, miss.”

“But, I have to give you something,” she stressed.

“Then give me your phone number.”

Autumn’s eyes flickered. “Pardon me?”

L.J. cleaned his hands on the sides of his shorts again. He put on his most charming smile, stuck out his right hand and introduced himself. “My friends call me L.J.”

Disregarding his grimy hands and his outlandish request, Autumn slipped back on her Jackie O-inspired sunglasses. She was in no mood for idle chitchat, but she couldn’t be flat-out rude, either. After all, he had saved her. “Well, thanks again for your help, L.J.,” she said, trying out his name. “My best friend would have crucified me if I had missed her party.” She started to walk away, but stopped. Glancing over her shoulder, she asked, “Are you sure you won’t take the money?”

L.J. nodded. He didn’t need her money, but he wouldn’t mind taking her out. Nothing fancy. Maybe drinks at a nice bar or a quiet dinner. Not ready to let her go without the possibility of reconnecting, he asked, “What’s your name?”

Annoyed and uninterested, Autumn wanted to say, but instead told him she really had to go. She had an unruly stomach to feed and a party to get ready for, all in the next hour. Anxious to be on her way, Autumn began the trip back to her car. “Thanks. Bye.”

L.J. tugged the tip of his hat forward. He eyeballed her as she rushed over to her car. The swish of her shapely hips was mesmerizing. Ms. Flat Tire had a tight body and a face worthy of gracing magazine covers, but she was much too thin for his taste. L.J. liked his women the way he liked his steak: thick and juicy. But it was the first time in months that a sister, or any woman for that matter, had piqued his interest.

Don’t go there, he chided himself, ripping his eyes away from the curvature of her butt. These D.C. women are all the same. A bunch of uppity snobs. And Ms. Flat Tire was no different. She drove an expensive car, wore enough sparkly jewellery to require her own personal bodyguard and didn’t look like she had worked a day in her life. Probably some poor schmuck’s girlfriend, he decided as her car merged back into traffic.

L.J. didn’t know why he had wasted his time trying to step to her anyway. The last thing he needed was to get involved with someone like her. That was how he had landed himself in troubled waters the last time. Chasing a sister with a pretty face and a banging body without knowing who she was or what she was about, was just inviting heartache and strife.

When L.J. returned to his truck and turned the key in the ignition, it coughed like a senior with a serious case of bronchitis. He pounded the gas until the engine came to life. Two intersections later, he pulled up beside a two-door Infiniti. L.J. couldn’t resist peeking inside. It was Ms. Flat Tire. She smiled politely before returning her eyes to the road ahead.

L.J. didn’t want her to think he was sweating her, so he fiddled with the radio. He bobbed his head up and down as though he was jamming to an infectious hip-hop beat rather than a weepy Whitney Houston song. When the light turned green, her car lurched forward, leaving his sick truck and the other vehicles in her wake. The Infiniti disappeared into the sea of traffic and L.J. couldn’t help wondering where she was racing off to. What do you care? his conscience prodded. He didn’t. Women as a whole were a pain, but the ones in D.C. were a migraine. The opposite sex had caused him nothing but trouble and he’d had enough trouble to last a lifetime.