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“What message?” Jake stood up and moved next to his brother.
“You didn’t tell him?” Carson’s surprise couldn’t be masked in that split second before he slipped back into his slimy, satisfied grin.
“Carson had me served with papers today in a childish attempt to keep me from running my practice. But since he’s got no claim on anything I do, I went fishing. I decided to deal with it tomorrow.” Tanner waved a dismissive hand toward Carson as if he was nothing more than an irritation.
Jake narrowed his eyes at their father, then wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Are you afraid your clients will all move to Tanner’s law firm and leave you? What a cowardly thing to do.”
Carson obviously hadn’t expected this response. He was accustomed to people cowering in fear at his big and powerful threats.
“It’s okay, Jake. When people in the Rotary and on the state bar association get wind of what he’s trying to do to me and my business, he’ll be even more disrespected than he is now. Andthat’ssaying something.” Tanner pointed a finger at Carson to make his point.
Carson blanched for a second. The bar association. Carson had power here in Cypress Bayou and maybe he had some pull here and there beyond, but not in the state bar. The hint of disbarment would shrivel him.
I had to give it to Tanner for slinging that threat, along with the Rotary Club, of course. But I kept silent, not wanting to add more gasoline to this potential fire. I could tell Carson had been bested, and he knew it too. But someone like Carson could never back down.
“I guess we’ll see who comes out on top, won’t we?” Carson narrowed his eyes at Tanner, and then shifted them toward me. “Too bad you threw in with this lot. He’ll take you down with him.”
I stood and stepped forward, my anger ignited. “I’m not afraid of you, Carson. You might be able to intimidate other people, but not me. Be careful with your threats and remember that I know the law. You’re not the only one who can litigate.”
Carson’s eyes flashed with an ugly anger. He pointed a long, bony white finger at me. “Be careful, little girl. Just be careful.”
He then stalked up the hill without acknowledging Leah at all.
*
Tanner
Tanner stifled thestrong urge to follow his father and physically drag him back down the hill and beat him to a pulp. Of course he wouldn’t, and could never, because that would give Carson the kind of sick satisfaction he longed for.
Jake demanded of both him and Carly, “Why didn’t y’all tell us what Carson had done?”
Tanner and Carly shared a look. “We refused to let him get to us. We decided on a plan and then went fishing.” Tanner tried to explain it to his brother. “It didn’t require anything other than what we did.” Jake, he knew, was protective of him and of Carly.
“Looks like it worked. He left here pretty riled up, didn’t he?” Carly pointed toward where Carson had gone. “Attention was what he wanted and when he didn’t get any, he came here to see why not.”
“Pretty smart thinking, you two. That kind of restraint is remarkable. I don’t think I could have done it.” Leah despised Carson for all the things he’d said and done over the years while she and Jake had been together, so she tended to get a little hotheaded in her response to him. The fact that she hadn’t said a word as she watched the exchange this evening amazed Tanner.
“I guess our surprise when you told us about the lawsuit worked in your favor. His face. I mean, that really was priceless, man.” Jake laughed and slapped Tanner on the back.
So few times throughout the years had Tanner or Jake been able best Carson when it came to a battle of wits or cunning. This was a small victory they could both appreciate.
“Anybody want peach cobbler and ice cream?” Leah offered, changing the sour subject.
They all chimed in and gathered back together at the table for dessert. But Tanner knew this wasn’t over by a long shot. With Carson, nothing ever was. At least for now, they could celebrate this small victory. What might it be like to have a father who behaved as if he truly cared about his children? The thought made Tanner more determined than ever that if he did have his own kids someday, they would come first in his life. Their hearts, emotions, and their well-being.
“So, any luck with finding the mystery woman for your client?” Leah asked once they were all eating the delicious sweets.
“We’re going to Leesfield tomorrow with Lisa to do some looking around for her grandmother, Marie Trichel,” Carly answered her sister.
“Wasn’t that where we caught all the catfish that time, Tanner?” Jake asked.
“We nearly sank the boat, they were so big.” Tanner laughed as he held his arms wide, emphasizing the size of the catfish they’d caught. It had been a stellar fishing trip.
“A fishy tale if I ever heard one.” Leah scoffed at his exaggeration.
It hit Tanner how happy and relieved he was that Jake had come home to stay. He’d recently signed a contract at Cypress General for a permanent staff position. Before that, Jake had traveled all over the state to help diagnose cases with his team. Now, doctors came to him for help with tough cases. They sent him blood work, test results, scans, and anything else needed to help their patients.
Jake’s team had a home base here and worked to help others without traveling, except on rare occasions. Now that Leah was back from Paris, they were always available as added support. Tanner hadn’t realized how much he’d missed them being together. As a family. Plus, it meant Leah’s family came as part of the network.
