Advice of Counsel (The Samuel Collins Series Book 1) by Debra Trueman Page A

after you
do your thing with Mrs. Howard?”
    “You’re afraid to leave me alone, aren’t you?” she said.
    “No.”
    She smiled and touched my lips with her finger and called me a
liar.  “Don’t worry, Sam.  For one, I’m not suicidal, and for two, I’m not your
responsibility. I don’t want you to think of me as some helpless girl you have
to take care of.  That’s not the kind of relationship I want with you. I’ve got
lots of girlfriends that I can call on if I need to, so please – you don’t have
to feel responsible for me.”
    “You have this way of coming up with the most bizarre,
off-the-wall comments that . . . Where do you come up with this shit?”
    “I don’t know.  I just say what pops into my head.”
    “Obviously.  Didn’t your mother ever tell you to think before
you talk?  Now, do you want to come over or not?  Because if you don’t, I’m
going to call some other girl and ask her to come in your place.  Where’s your
phone?”
    I made her laugh again.  “I’ll come over later.”  She kissed me
on the cheek and got off my lap, then she took my hand and pulled me to my
feet.  “You’re looking kind of scrawny.  You should eat something.”
    I pulled her over to me and hugged her again, and then we went
back inside and I gathered my coat and tie and put on my shoes and Landra
walked me to the door.
    “I’ll see you later,” I told her.  She leaned in and kissed me
on the cheek.  It was a harmless peck, but it was enough to make me want more. 
“Plan on staying for dinner and I’ll cook for you.”
    Landra smiled.  “That sounds great.  I’ll see you this
afternoon.”
    The truth was, I didn’t want to go, or rather, I wanted to take
Landra with me.  Not because of any of the reasons she had stated; but for the
simple fact that I liked her and I liked her company.  She was the first girl I
had met in a long time whose company I really enjoyed.  And I couldn’t think of
anyone I’d rather spend the day with.  She had turned back towards her house
and was already halfway inside when I grabbed her arm and pulled her back
outside.
    “Come with me,” I said.
    “Where?” Landra asked, confused.
    “I don’t know.  Home.  Somewhere there’s food.”
    “I thought you said you had tons of stuff to do today.”
    “Did I say that?  Well there’s nothing that can’t wait until
tomorrow.  Come on.  Come with me.”
    I’ve always been really good at arguing.  That’s why I make
such a good lawyer.  And I had a come-back for all of Landra’s excuses, both
legitimate and made up, for why she couldn’t spend the day with me, and in the
end, I prevailed.  I waited around while she showered and changed clothes and
by the time we got out of her house it was almost 11:30 and I still hadn’t eaten a thing.  I had rummaged through Landra’s pantry and fridge looking
for something edible while she got ready, but nothing looked appetizing.   We
loaded Landra’s paints and supplies into my Suburban and drove straight to Taco
Cabana, the unmistakable pepto-pink restaurant, with its palm trees and
tropical setting.  TC is a haven for late-night partiers with a craving for Mexican
food and a ritual for those nursing a hangover the next morning, and that day
was no exception.  The place was packed.
    We went to the drive-thru and I got my breakfast tacos, then we
drove back to my house to eat.  When we finished, Landra walked across the
street to Mrs. Howard’s house to do whatever she needed to do with her, and we
agreed to meet back at my house at 2:00 o’clock.
    I had gone into the kitchen to get some orange juice and I
noticed that the light on my answering machine was blinking.  The first message
was from a friend inviting me to a barbecue for later that afternoon, so I made
a mental note to call the guy back and decline.  I was mid-swallow when the
next message came on and what I heard made me choke on my juice.
    “Hey, Sam.  It’s Niki