“Ripples!” Clare craned her head in all directions and bellowed. “Are you gonna get that?”
“He and Ronnie are still out!” Came a voice from somewhere in the house.
“Are you gonna get the door then?” She yapped.
“Has Tippy broken your arms and legs?” The voice returned.
“No.”
“Then get the door. We’re kinda busy back here.”
“Fine.” Clare shoved herself up off the couch and waddled to the front door as the bell rang again. “I’m coming.”
Clare opened the door and looked at the dapper elderly gentlemen standing on the porch leaning on his cane with a smile on his face. “Good afternoon.”
“I already believe in Jesus. Now go away.” Clare started to slam the door.
“You must be Clare.” The man said.
The pregnant woman rolled her eyes. “That would be me. Ian’s not home. Go away and don’t ever come back.” She stepped back and started to slam the door, but the gentlemen was quick with his cane and kept it from shutting all the way.
“Hey!” Clare looked up at the man in shock.
“I’m David Turner.”
“Oh, I am so sorry.” Clare said and opened the door. “Please pardon the confusion.”
“We’ve never been formally introduced.”
“No, but as I’ve said Ian isn’t here. He’s supposed to be at still at the office, but I’ll tell him you dropped by.”
“Actually, Ian is in meetings and I came by to talk with you.”
“Oh?”
“May I come in?”
“Of course. Please do.” Clare stepped back allowing David Turner entry. She followed him like a puppy as he took a seat in a sofa chair by the couch.
“May I get you something?” When Turner thanked her politely and declined refreshment, Clare seated herself on the couch and informed him. “I gave the servants the day off.”
David Turner smiled wryly. “I’m sure that happened.”
“Ouch! Dammit, hold it tight son!” The duo heard the voice from the back of the house.
“I’m doing the best I can Jude.”
Clare blushed and tried to explain. “Renovations. We’re building a nursery on the first floor. It’s hard to find laborers with any couth.”
“You seem to be under the impression that I’ve never been here before.” Turner sat back in the chair as Rodie appeared from nowhere and jumped happily in his lap. “As you can see, you are mistaken.” He stroked the first purr out of the cat. “Hello, precious.” He said to her.
“That cat!” Clare leaned over and tried to swat her off the man’s lap.
David wrapped has arms tightly around the feline. “Rodie is fine, young lady. I look forward to sharing my lap with her every visit.” He looked up from the cat to Clare. “Which I do often.”
“Oh.” Clare folded her hands and rested them on her belly. “You wanted to see me about something?.”
“Yes.” Turner smiled. “How’s your mother?”
Taken aback, Clare stammered. “Uh….what…I…uh…”
“A simple question, young lady. How is your mother?”
Clare smiled. “Fine”
“Really?” He said raising an eyebrow.
“As fine as can be expected. I hated leaving her behind, but Ian wanted me…”
Turner cleared his throat and frowned.
“I do call every day.” Clare said. “Of course, she can’t speak, but the nurses hold the phone up to her ear so she can hear my voice. It’s so sad. Sometimes I think it would be better if the Lord just went ahead and took her home.”
“So she’s…?”
“In a facility back in Virginia. She needs constant care. She can’t do anything for herself, poor thing.”
“Yes.” Turner continued to deliberately stroke the cat and stare at Clare, making her increasingly uncomfortable. “Some of us are lucky in old age, others are not.”
“Is there something I can do for you, David?” Clare caught the look on the man’s face and immediately corrected herself. “Mr. Turner?”
“Young lady, I came here because I have been concerned about Ian.”
“Ian’s fine.” Her voice irritated at everyone’s concern over Ian, when she was the one who deserved all the concern. “He’s mad, of course, but as soon as he gets over it we can get married and I can start taking care of things. He makes such a mess of everything.”
“Miss Humphreys, Ian’s only problem right now seems to be you.”
“Excuse me?” Clare dug her nails into the arm of the couch. “I am not a problem for Ian. I’m the only one who can keep him in line.”
David Turner chuckled and looked down at the cat. “Since I’ve know Young Justyn, he has never once been late for a meeting, not had one idea that didn’t instantly turn everything gold or ever given HRT less than 250% of his attention when he was on the clock.”
He looked up at her. “Since you’ve thrown yourself on his doorstep, he is barely able to stay propped up in a corner and drool. I think your effect on him is quite different from the effect you believe you have on him.”
“Ian’s just…”
“Quiet.”
Clare’s eyes shot open at the soft, fearless power of the demand.
“My intention was to come here and give you a check.”
Clare smiled. “You think I can be bought?”
“Young lady, I know you can be bought but just in case I have an alternative way of getting you out of Ian’s life.”
“What? You gonna have me killed?” Clare laughed, then stopped when he smiled at her, never missing a stroke of Rodie’s gray fur.
“You know, Ian’s been abused, lied to, maligned and shot at. He survived it all, becoming even stronger. I feared he’d finally met his Kryptonite.” David Turner stood. “I was mistaken at my instinct to step in and take care of the problem.”
Clare looked at the old man with a look of satisfaction. “I don’t think Ian would take to kindly when he finds out you came here and threatened me.”
“You are absolutely right. He doesn’t need my help.” David Turner stroked Rodie one last time and slowly stood up. “You’re nothing. He’ll squash you like a bug. Please give him my apologies for thinking I needed to intervene on his behalf.”
He walked slowly toward the door, a dumbstruck Clare simply watching him leave.
Before David Turner closed the door behind him, he looked across the room and into Clare’s eyes. “If I were you, I’d figure out a way to save myself, but I doubt seriously you’re smart enough.” He smiled and tipped his hat. “You’re toast.”
Clare blinked as the old man shut the door behind himself. She turned her head slowly to the cat in the chair. Rodie licked her foot and then looked up at Clare. She hissed and dashed out of the room.
“Everything alright in here?” Billy appeared at the couch.
“Uh…yes…fine.”
“Have you seen my daughter?”
“Not since I gave her that little purse.”
“It was very sweet of you to think of her.” Billy smiled. “Thank you.”
“She’s a little wild, but she’s a good kid.” Clare managed to say with all the alarms going off in her head.
“Vonda Rae!” Billy shouted. “Where are you?”
Vonnie appeared at the top of the stair landing. “Right here, Daddy.”
“What are you doing up stairs?” He put his hands on his hips.
“I was watching TV in Uncle Ian’s room.” Vonnie grinned and pointed to Clare. “She was takin’ a nap…again…an’ I got bored. I dint wanna wake her up.”
“Alright, but you better not have messed in anything up there.”
“Me an’ Ralphie sat on the floor an’ played an’ watched cartoons.”
“We’ve finished up here for the day. Did you turn the TV off?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“You and Ralphie come on. It’s time for all of us to go home.” Billy left the room, daughter and dog following not that far behind.
As Vonnie passed her, Clare grabbed her arm. “Ian doesn’t have a TV in his bedroom.”
Vonnie wrenched her arm back. “You’re not allowed in there. How would you know?”
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