Don't Cry Part 26

"It makes me feel stupid for ever thinking he cared about me," Zoe admitted. "And it makes me not care if I ever see him again."

"Hmm..." Audrey thought it best to be noncommittal about the subject of Dawson c.u.mmings. Zoe was a smart girl who had made a good decision all on her own. "Ice cream for dessert? I have Turtle Tracks and plain vanilla."

"None for me, thanks."

"Maybe later, when we finish with your science project."

"Sounds good. Maybe J.D. can join us when he picks me up. Would you believe vanilla is his favorite?"

"Is it?"

She couldn't be Zoe's big sister without a certain amount of contact with J.D., but she could keep that contact to a minimum. She didn't have to invite him for dinner or even for coffee-or ice cream-when he dropped Zoe off and picked her up. As a matter of fact, in the future, she would probably rearrange her schedule so that she could pick Zoe up at school and then drive her home later and thus avoid even seeing J.D. on most occasions.

Providing Zoe with a pleasant domestic atmosphere, teaching her how to cook, and helping her realize her own potential as a young woman did not require Audrey and J.D. to interact on a personal level.

"Do you like my father?" Zoe asked.

The question took Audrey off guard. "What?"

"I don't mean do you have a thing for him. I just meant you don't dislike him, do you? Sometimes, I'm not sure about you two."

"I barely know your father," Audrey said. No way was she going to admit to Zoe that there were moments when she detested J.D. and other times when she liked him a little too much. "And no, of course, I don't dislike him."

"J.D.'s not a ladies' man," Zoe said. "Oh, he likes women and he...well...he has s.e.x and all that." Zoe giggled. "Don't look at me that way. I'm fourteen, not four. I know when J.D. goes over to Holly Johnston's apartment, they do a lot more than hold hands."

"I'm not sure your father's love life is an appropriate subject for us to discuss."

"We're just talking in general terms," Zoe told her. "Nothing specific. Not that I know anything specific. Since I've been living with him, he's dated less than half a dozen women. Five, I think. Five in a little over a year isn't very many. And he's had an ongoing thing with only two. There was some woman named Denise back in Memphis when I first went to live with him, and for the past few months, it's been Holly." Zoe huffed loudly. "Holly's an A-Number-One b.i.t.c.h, if you ask me. And before you say anything, Holly doesn't like me any more than I like her."

"If your father is in a serious relationship with Holly, then you may have to find a way to get along with her."

Zoe snickered. "Serious relationship? J.D.? You've got to be kidding. You just wait and see if Dr. Woodruff doesn't come to the conclusion during our sessions that he's got commitment issues."

Audrey smiled. "Have you been psychoa.n.a.lyzing your father, young lady?"

"He's not so hard to figure out. He had a bad marriage. Got burned. Enjoys being a loner. The last thing he ever wanted was a kid messing up his bachelor life." Zoe stood, stacked her soup bowl onto her plate, and carried them over to the sink.

Audrey cleared the rest of the table, and together she and Zoe loaded the dishwasher. "I think your father is trying, but he just doesn't know how to be an instant father." She laid her hand on Zoe's shoulder. "You haven't exactly been helping him, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But it's not easy when it's obvious that he'd rather I didn't exist."

"Oh, I don't think that's true. Actually, I think he loves you, but he just doesn't know it yet."

"He doesn't love me. He just sees me as an obligation. He's not a bad man. He's got his principles and all. If he didn't, he'd have turned me over to social services and washed his hands of me."

"Then we agree that J.D. has some good qualities," Audrey said. "And I'm sure these sessions with Sally Woodruff will benefit you and your father. Given time, I think y'all will be able to build a solid father/daughter relationship."

"You're an optimist," Zoe told her.

Audrey draped her arm around Zoe's shoulders. "I try to be. Like right now, I'm optimistic in believing I'll be able to help you with this science project. The truth of the matter is that I'll probably do more observing than actually helping. I don't think a girl with your IQ needs anybody to help her with a simple science project."

Zoe looked at Audrey with affection. "You're very smart yourself, Dr. Sherrod. You saw right through my fabrication."

"Zoe, you don't need excuses to spend time with me. I'm here for you whenever you need me. And that includes our just hanging out together."

Zoe's smile widened, so bright and honest and filled with grat.i.tude.

When J.D. got home a little after seven, he tossed a frozen meal in the microwave, heated it for five minutes, and then wolfed it down with a beer before he settled in to work for a while. An hour later, just as his vision began to blur and he wondered if he might need bifocals soon, his phone rang. At first glance, he didn't immediately recognize the name and number, and then it hit him-Cara Oliver-she was Zoe's friend Jacy's aunt, the woman who had chaperoned the girls' trip to the mall.

"h.e.l.lo," J.D. said.

"Hi, J.D., this is Cara Oliver. I hope I'm not disturbing you, not interrupting anything important."

"Not a thing."

"How's Zoe?"

"She's fine."

"I wanted to apologize again about-"

"No need," J.D. a.s.sured her. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"Nevertheless, I feel guilty. Jacy's parents grounded her for a month, but I imagine Zoe's already told you about that."

No, Zoe hadn't told him. But then, his daughter spoke to him only when he spoke to her. "Actually, she hasn't mentioned it."

"Oh, well, I'm sure she will." Cara hesitated, as if she was considering what she was going to say next. "The other reason that I called...other than to apologize is...well...I was hoping you might want to go out for dinner. Sometime soon. I'm sure you're busy tomorrow night-"

"As a matter of fact, I am." I'll be giving Holly a good-bye f.u.c.k. I'll be giving Holly a good-bye f.u.c.k. "But how about Sat.u.r.day night?" "But how about Sat.u.r.day night?"

"Sat.u.r.day night would be great."

They chatted for ten more minutes. Small talk, which J.D. hated. But women in general seemed to feel it was necessary, especially pre, during, and post the first couple of dates. Cara gave him her address and the directions to get from his house to hers and told him how much she was looking forward to their date. And then J.D. sat back on the sofa and smiled. It was great the way women had no problem taking the lead and inviting a man out for dinner. If he recalled correctly, Holly also had been the one to make the first move. Holly, who was on her way out. And Cara, who was on her way in. An old saying came to mind: There are always more fish in the sea. There are always more fish in the sea.

His relationship with Holly had pretty much run its course, and they both knew it. She had become a little too demanding to suit him. And although he appreciated her unique talents in the bedroom and admired her barracuda lawyer's mind, Holly wasn't the kind of woman he needed in his life. In the future, any woman he dated more than a couple of times had to not only be s.e.xy, attractive, and agreeable to a no-strings-attached affair, but had to like his kid.

J.D. checked his watch. Eight twenty. He was supposed to pick up Zoe before ten, but since the drive from his house on Signal Mountain to Audrey's town house in downtown Chattanooga would take about fifteen minutes, there was no reason for him to head out now.

What the h.e.l.l. It wouldn't make any difference if he showed up a little early, would it? He might actually be able to help Zoe and Audrey finish up Zoe's school project.

Maybe he should shave and change his shirt. He had a heavy five o'clock shadow and his b.u.t.ton-down was wrinkled.

What was the matter with him? He was just going to pick up Zoe, so who cared if his shirt was wrinkled and he needed a shave?

J.D. grabbed his jacket, flung it over his shoulder, and headed out the door.

Since traffic wasn't bad, he found himself in front of Audrey's town house on Second Street twelve minutes later. The fashionable and expensive Walnut Hill townhomes were within walking distance of numerous restaurants and tourist attractions, including the Walnut Street Walking Bridge, the Hunter Art Museum, and the Art District, as well as the Riverwalk. After parking his Camaro and getting out, he wondered if he should think of an excuse for showing up more than an hour early.

"I had dinner downtown." "I worked late and came straight here." "I thought maybe y'all would finish up early."

By the time he reached Audrey's front porch, he had decided that if neither she nor Zoe mentioned how early he was, then neither would he. When he walked up the steps, the porch light came on, thanks to a motion sensor. As he approached the front door, he noticed a long, white rectangular box braced against the right side of the black iron railing that ran along both sides of the porch and down the front steps. He studied the box more carefully, then picked it up and saw the emblem of a local florist attached to the mauve ribbon circling the box. Someone, probably Porter Bryant, had left a bouquet for Audrey. Why leave it on her porch instead of delivering it in person? A lover's surprise?

The last time J.D. had bought flowers for a woman had been for his senior high school prom date.

With florist box in hand, he rang the door and waited.

Audrey opened the door and glanced from his face to the box.

Before she got the wrong idea, he said. "They're not from me. I found them propped up against the porch railing."

"Please, come in. Zoe and I were about to dip up some ice cream."

"Then y'all are finished with the...er...project?"

"A science project," Audrey whispered. "And all I did was watch her work and give her a little praise, which is all she really needed."

"Thanks."

Okay, so he should know more about Zoe's schoolwork, but short of giving her the third degree on a daily basis, he wasn't likely to learn one d.a.m.n thing about it. It wasn't as if Zoe volunteered any information.

After J.D. entered the small foyer, Audrey closed and locked the door and then took the florist box from him. Keeping her voice low and soft, she told him, "Zoe's project required a great deal of research. She finished the research tonight and we compared her findings. This weekend she'll write the paper. And in case you'd like to know, the topic is Design Considerations for Solar CellPowered Homes."

"That's a ninth-grade project? Things sure have changed since I was in ninth grade."

"The hope is that each generation will be smarter than the one before." Audrey smiled. "I a.s.sume you know that your daughter has a brilliant mind."

"G.o.d only knows where she would have gotten it," J.D. joked. "Carrie wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and I'm sure no genius."

Ignoring his self-criticism, Audrey said, "Zoe's in the kitchen. Come on back and join us. I understand vanilla is your favorite ice cream flavor, and it just so happens that I have a half gallon of vanilla."

"Lead the way." J.D. fell into step behind her.

When she opened the kitchen door, Zoe looked up from where she stood at the counter busily dipping ice cream into a crystal bowl. "You're early," she told him as she dug the scoop back into the container.

"Audrey said you're finished with your research for the science project. Solar power, huh? An interesting subject."

Zoe stared at J.D. and for half a second he saw genuine pleasure in her eyes. His daughter had been pleased that he actually knew not only what kind of school project she'd been researching, but knew the topic. And then realization dawned and that glimmer of pleasure disappeared.

"Audrey told you, didn't she?" Zoe glanced away and focused on putting ice cream in a second bowl.

"Zoe, would you please dip up some vanilla for your dad?" Audrey walked over beside Zoe and laid the florist box on the counter by the sink.

"Sure." Zoe glanced at the box. "I know he didn't bring you flowers, so who are they from?"

"I guess I'll have to open them to find out."

Audrey slipped the mauve ribbon off the box and lifted the lid. J.D. looked over her shoulder as she picked up the small card lying near the long stems of a dozen red roses. When she read the card, the muscles in her face tensed.

"Who are they from?" Zoe asked again as she placed the Turtle Tracks ice cream in the freezer and removed the carton of vanilla.

"Porter Bryant." Audrey crushed the card in half and held it tightly in her clenched fist.

Zoe didn't notice, but J.D. did, and he sensed that Audrey was not only displeased and annoyed, but slightly unnerved.

"A dozen roses," Zoe said. "How romantic. I don't think I've heard you mention him. Is he your boyfriend or something?"

"No. Porter and I dated for a while. We are...were friends."

Audrey dropped the crumpled notecard back into the florist box and left the box on the counter. "J.D., would you like chocolate sauce or nuts or whipped cream on your ice cream?" She removed another crystal dessert bowl from an upper cupboard and set it on the counter.

"No, thanks. I'll take it plain."

"Are red roses your favorite?" Zoe removed the lid from the carton of ice cream.

"No, actually, they aren't." Almost as an afterthought, speaking more to herself than anyone else, she said, "I've always loved white gardenias."

"I like daisies," Zoe said as she dipped into the vanilla ice cream. "And lilies and carnations. But I guess I like roses, too. But not red ones. Pink. That's my favorite color."

While Audrey and Zoe were busy discussing flowers, J.D. reached down inside the florist box, picked up the wrinkled notecard, and unfolded it. He read the message quickly and then dropped the card back into the box.

If you don't give us a second chance, you will regret it.Love, Porter Well, I'll be d.a.m.ned.

Just what did the message mean? Was the guy begging for a second chance or...?

Whatever was going on between Audrey and her former boyfriend was certainly none of his business. He had no intention of becoming involved in her personal life. But it was obvious that she didn't want anything to do with the man or his flowers; and the accompanying note had rattled her usually composed demeanor. Had Porter Bryant been hara.s.sing her?

J.D. hadn't been aware that she'd broken up with the ADA, but why should he have known? She didn't know any details about his love life. They didn't have the type of relationship where they shared that kind of personal information. Apparently Audrey had been the one who had ended the relationship with Bryant, and he was having a problem letting her go.

Not that it was anything to him one way or the other, but he was glad, for her sake, that she'd dumped Bryant. There was something a little too smooth and slick about his appearance and something a little too superior and condescending about his att.i.tude. A guy like that wouldn't take kindly to being told to "hit the road, Jack." Maybe the flowers and the note were just his way of trying to woo Audrey back into his arms.

But so help me G.o.d, if I find out that he's actually threatening her, I'll have a man-to-man come-to-Jesus talk with the son of a b.i.t.c.h.

Chapter 20

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Grace Douglas asked Wayne.