Not so much.
He still considers her to be his trophy wife, even as she’s turned out to be a trophy who talks too much and spends even more, all of which started happening almost immediately after the big diamond was on her finger.
As a result of that—or should he think of it more as a cause?—he has a sweet, secluded place that only he and his sons know about, a small lake house over in Parsons that he uses for some of the women he has on the side, and whom he calls when his wife and his girls are out of town. And sometimes, truth be told, when they areintown, and he’s able to get creative with both scheduling and logistics.
And all of his girls sure are out of town tonight, over in Charlotte for a Kelsea Ballerini concert, not back until tomorrow morning.
All the time in the world to get it done tonight.
Briar sends one of his most loyal troopers, Bo, to pick up theyoung woman, Bo having been in his life even longer than Roof and Lynyrd have.
Briar sees the lights of Bo’s SUV coming up the drive at nine o’clock sharp. Bo knows as well as anybody who works for Briar Crockett, and probably better, how precise he is in all things, and the premium he puts on punctuality. The ones who’ve lasted with him all understand that, the way they understand the premium he puts on loyalty. Or they don’t last for too very long.
You could ask some of them about that, if you could find them.
Briar doesn’t wait for the knock on the front door, opens it wide as he hears her coming up the steps, smiling broadly as he does. The perfect host.
“You’re looking lovely tonight, Abby,” he says.
NINETY
HE POURS HER a glass of white wine, first thing. When Abby asks if Briar is going to join her in a drink, he says he might have a taste of Blanton’s in a little minute, just not quite yet.
“If you don’t object to me asking a personal question,” he says, “are you and Roof still seeing each other?”
Before she can answer, Briar grins at her, almost as if embarrassed by the way he’s phrased the question.
“Does that sound as silly to you as it does to me?” he asks, adding for emphasis, “Seeing him? Because by definition, and basic logic, two people in a relationship are seeing everything there is to see of each other, wouldn’t you say?”
Abby Wells blushes slightly as she sips some of her Sancerre.
“It’s more of a once-in-a-while type thing, I guess you’d say,” she says. “Me working for him just kind of came out of us seeing each other.”
“I see,” Briar says.
And is pleased to see her smile at his little play on words.She gets it,Briar thinks.Smart girl.
Probably why Roof picked her in the first place. His son has neverbeen the dim bulb people think he is. Just the way he likes it. Keeps people underestimating the boy.
“By working for him,” Briar says softly, “you mean spying on Silas Tucker, of course.”
She nods. “Pretty much from the time he got back to town, and pretty much keeping it low-key. I guess I should feel worse about it than I do, but most of what I’ve told Roof is probably stuff that would have come to him eventually, and to you. I just look at it as speeding up the process.”
She sips more wine.
“But Roof says you have something rather important to share with me tonight,” Briar says.
“Yes, sir, I do,” she says, and then recounts the dinner conversation at the Tucker house, everything Taylor Webb had said about Helene Mayes, how it sounded as if she was getting close to solving the hit on Taylor’s husband.
When Abby finishes, Briar says, “If you had to sum up the entire conversation for me, how would you do that, Abby?”
“Well, Taylor didn’t come right out and say it, Mr. Crockett, but it came across to me that Helene and her people are getting ready to declare war on you.” She sips more wine. “And soon.”
Briar gets up now, walks into the kitchen, gives himself a generous pour of Blanton’s, brings the glass back with him into the living room.
“Well, then,” he says, touching Abby’s glass with his own, “let’s drink to you, young lady, and a job well done.”
“Thank you,” Abby says.
