About eleven on Thursday, Luke and Annalise were sitting knee to knee, checking out the second Meredith Long video when the office phone buzzed. “Luke, you have a visitor. His name is Tim Branzini.”
Luke’s jaw dropped. But he managed, “Send him up to the second floor. I’ll meet him.” He stayed seated.
Annalise said, “Wow, Luke. Go ahead.”
He hurried out the door in time to see the elevator ping open. Again, how much the kid resembled him was startling. “Hello, Tim.”
“Hi.” He stepped out of the cab. “I, um, is it okay that I came to see you?”
“More than. Let’s go to my office.”
Once there, Luke introduced Annalise. She’d stood. “Nice to meet you, Tim.”
“You too, Ma’am.”
“I think I’ll work in the conference room.”
Luke nodded. “Thanks.”
After she left, Tim asked, “Is that your girlfriend?”
“My coworker.”
He and the boy sat down at the table. “What’s going on?”
“My dad and I had another fight. My buddy Jerry Brinson was coming to D.C. for an interview at Georgetown for early acceptance. His parents are alumni. I, um, came along to talk to you about helping me get into the college.”
Luke knew about the alumni interview, but he held his tongue on it for now. “I overheard you telling your dad you want to go to Georgetown.”
“Yeah. I sent my application in already.”
Luke waited. Then, he asked, “Before we go any further with this, how long ago did you leave home?”
“Since five. I got up even earlier than my parents and left. I hitched to Jerry’s house.”
“So your parents don’t know you’re here.”
His face flushing with guilt.
“They’ll get worried.”
“I’m sorry about that, but this is my future, Uncle Luke.”
Uncle Luke. He never imagined he’d hear that. “Tim, I’ll do what I can for you, but only if you contact your father.” The boy frowned. “Or maybe your mother. She obviously loves you very much.”
“My dad won’t like it if I’m here.”
“We’ll worry about that later.”
“If, um, I call them, you’ll be in deep shit with Dad and I know you came to see us to make amends.”
“Maybe. But you have to contact them.”
Reluctantly, Tim took out his cell. Punched in a number. “Hey, Mom, it’s Timmy…I know…I’m sorry you worried. I’m fine. I’ll fill you in later. Is Dad there?” A pause. “Hey Dad. I’m all right. I came to D.C with Jerry…um, no, I’m with Uncle Luke now….” He handed the phone to Luke. “He wants to talk to you. Sorry if I made things worse between you.”
“I’ll deal with it. Hello, Seth.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Trying to figure out what’s going on with my nephew.”
“Did you know Timmy was coming?”
“Not at all. He showed up at my work.”
“Damn it, he’s not going to college. I need him here.”
Luke said, “Maybe I can help in this situation.”
“Help who. Me or Timmy?”
In the background, he heard, “Don’t you dare use your brother against your son. It’s blasphemous.” Marion had raised her voice markedly.
Silence. Then, “Let me talk to the boy again.”
Luke handed the phone to Tim.
After a bit, he heard, “Hell, Dad!”
Now Luke could hear his brother’s raised voice.
Then from Tim, “Listen, I wanted you to know I’m safe. I’m gonna stay here for a while.” And the boy hung up on his father.
“Do you think that was wise?”
“I’m doing this with or without his help.”
“What exactly do you want from me, Tim?”
The boy met his gaze unflinchingly. “I scheduled an alumni interview on Monday.”
“Where a relative who’s attended Georgetown goes with you so you have some pull in the application process.”
“Yes. Otherwise, I’d get lost in thousands of applicants who wanna go there.”
“And you didn’t ask me.”
His cocked his head. “I’m asking now. If you say no, I’ll cancel it.”
“First off, maneuvering me like this doesn’t set well with me. Don’t ever do that again. Second, I have to think about it for a bit.”
“Fair enough.” The kid sat back.
“Wait here.” He strode down to the small conference room. Annalise looked up when he entered. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He dropped down into a seat. The room sported comfortable chairs at an oval oak table.
“Not going well?”
Luke sighed and told her the gist of it.
Her face was soft with understanding. “That puts you in an awful position.”
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s an opening with Seth.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice.”
“I’m mad that he manipulated me like this. But how can I turn the kid away?”
“What does your gut say?”
“To help him.
“I can understand that. But…”
“What?”
“It could backfire on you. He could get into the university and Seth would be even more angry with you.”
“I know. But should I be that selfish that I’d let the boy down for my own benefit?”
“It’s a tough decision.”
“I can’t. I’ll do this. I feel I have to.”
“Then go for it." He stared at her. “So, I don’t get to see you again until Monday.” She worked at the law firm tomorrow and was leaving to spend the weekend with Hannah.
She pouted. “Oh, yeah.”
His hand crept over the table. Hers did too. He covered it with his briefly. “I’ll miss you.”
“Hmm, me too.”
* * *
At six the next night, Annalise walked into Hannah’s house. She’d caught an earlier flight and took an Uber to the farm. “Hello?” she called out.
Hannah’s black Lab, Prince, bounded out of the bedroom and over to Annalise. He recognized her and licked her hand. Hannah had taught him not to jump on people.
“I’m back here.” Hannah’s voice sounded strong, a good sign.
Prince led the way to Hannah’s bedroom. When they reached the entryway, the dog leapt up on her bed. Hannah was sitting up, her left arm raised on pillows, reading a manual. Two fans whirred above and the open windows let in scents of rich loam and just-cut grass.
Annalise leaned over and kissed Hannah’s head. “Hi, kiddo. How are you?”
“Hi, Sis. I’m surviving.”
Annalise scanned the room. Though the whole house was small, this was the biggest space. It held her bed, with a handmade headboard, a built-in set of drawers and closets on one side. The far side of the room sported a svelte desk and chair, with wooden filing cabinets in the corner. “I feel as if I’m walking into an artist’s show when I come here.”
Hannah smiled broadly. She was proud of her work. “I love this place.” She arched a brow. “Even if it would fit in a corner of your Maryland house.”
“Hush. You wanted small. And you made almost every piece of furniture in this place, Han. It’s breathtaking.”
“It took years, but I enjoyed the work. I’m glad I have just four rooms.” She pointed out the window. “One day, I might tear down the porch off to the side and make a sunroom. I’d also like to finish more of the basement. I’d need to make room for freezing and canning.”
“I’m sure anything you build will be beautiful.” Annalise parked her bag and asked, “What can I do?”
“Talk to me. I’m totally bored.”
“That’s what you get from not having a TV.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re right.”
“I could go buy you one.”
“Nah, but thanks.”
Annalise, dressed in a yellow sundress and sandals, dragged over the rocking chair from across the room. “So, Mom and Dad finally left?”
“Yes. Honestly, Dad was impossible. This time, I won. He insisted he was going to hire somebody to help around here, but I put the kibosh on that. I’ve been interviewing people, and meanwhile, one of my neighbors from the co-op has sent his two boys, who work with him, over every morning to milk the goat and deal with what I grow.”
“I’m happy you have that kind of support.”
“It’s been seven days. I’m hoping to choose a worker by this weekend. The last candidate is coming in any time now. You’re a bit early. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t at all.”
“You can stay if you want and listen in.”
The doorbell rang. “Sooner than expected.”
“Hello…” a male voice called out.
“Back here.” To Annalise, she said, “I told him to walk right in.”
Slowly, she got out of bed and made her way to the desk, reaching it as a man came to the bedroom. He had curly brown hair, hazel eyes and a beard which grew from his longish side burns. “Hi, to both of you. I’m Danny Larson.”
“Come and sit.”
Before he could, Prince’s ears went back and he growled.
“Yikes.”
“Prince, go sit on the bed.”
The dog obeyed immediately. Danny held out his hand.
Hannah shook then they both dropped down on chairs. Hannah set her arm on the pillow strategically placed on the desktop.
Annalise introduced herself, then moved the chair closer to them.
“Will you both be interviewing me?” he asked, a bit wide-eyed. Probably at seeing two of the president’s daughters together.
“No. I’m doing it. My sister’s visiting.”
“Either way is fine.”
“So, Danny Larson,” Hannah began. “I read your application but couldn’t find much about you on the internet. Tell me about yourself.”
Annalise noticed something odd flash in his face, but couldn’t decipher what it was. “I’m from out west. I grew up in a rural town in Montana, went to a small college there for agriculture. I hope to get my PhD at Cornell, but have to work to save money to do that.”
“Why did you move out here?”
“My brother lives close by.”
“I should be recovered enough on my own to take over in three months. Is that time line acceptable?”
“I can stay as long as you want.”
“Maybe he could, Hannah. You promised Dad you would.”
“Maybe. Now, let’s go on with what you know about all these areas of self-sustainable living.”
They were halfway down the list when Sasha came sailing into the room. In deference to the heat, she wore simple short overalls in a cool lilac material with a purple sleeveless tank top. Her hair was in a curly ponytail, making her eyes shine like amethysts.
“It’s so hot—" She stopped. “Oh, hello.”
Danny stood and turned. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He swallowed hard. And stared, hard. Finally, he eked out, “You’re so…you…Oh, wow, I’m sorry. I was just startled by how beautiful you are.”
Annalise hid a grin and Hannah bit back a smile. Sasha herself reddened profusely. She knew she was pretty, but in a quiet, demure way.
She gave a self-conscious laugh. “No worries.”
Annalise stood. “Why don’t we go make some lemonade in the kitchen, Sash, while they continue with the interview.”
“Sure. Nice to meet you Danny,” she said and they both hurried out of the room.
Once in the kitchen, they giggled like teenagers. “Holy cow,” Sasha said. “That never happens to me. It’s usually you who stop men in their tracks.”
“Well, you certainly have an admirer.”
“I wonder why.”
She took Sasha by the arms. “Listen to me, young lady. You’re as pretty as any of us. You don’t believe that but you should.”
Sasha ducked her head. “I guess I do. I do.”
Annalise sniffed. The scent of freshly baked dough filled the air. “How on earth did she make bread?”
“She didn’t. One of her neighbors came over and made it for her.”
Sasha crossed to the fridge. “Let’s scrap the lemonade, have a glass of wine and wait out here until he leaves. I want to know all about Luke.”
Annalise couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Thoughts of him did that to her now. She wondered how he was making out with Tim. She wished he’d call her.
* * *
“This place is great,” Tim said when they entered Luke’s apartment in an older neighborhood of D.C. about twenty minutes from TJP.
“I like it.”
It was smaller than Annalise’s spacious condo, but with a living area, galley kitchen and two bedrooms, it was big enough for him.
“I read people own their apartments here. Do you?”
“Yeah. I made enough money in advertising before I joined The Justice Project.”
“That kind of work is pretty cool. You help people get elected.”
Setting the big box of pizza down on the table, he inhaled the cheesy, pepperoni smell. “Hungry?”
“Famished.”
Luke remembered when, as a teen, he was always famished. And never getting enough food to eat.
“Should I be making you a salad too?”
“I think I can skip the greens for one night. We eat healthy.”
They ate crisp-crust pizza and drank coke, without saying much. After they finished, Luke leaned back in his chair. “We have to talk, buddy.”
Again, Tim’s face reddened. “I guess.”
“I’m not happy with how you arranged all this behind my back.”
The boy’s expression turned troubled. “I didn’t know what else to do. I want Georgetown, like you did. I have a 3.9 out of 4.0 average and got a 35 on the ACT.”
He knew those scores were amazing.
“I fudged and said you’d take me to an interview. As a relative.”
Luke remembered his own struggle to get in. Get scholarships. He didn’t want that for the boy. “If you promise never to do anything like that again, I’ll go with you.”
Tears formed in his eyes. “I-don’t know how to thank you.”
“Do you have an idea of what you want to do with your life?”
“Eventually, agricultural law.”
“Does your dad know that?”
“He doesn’t care.” The boy cleared his throat, clearly hurt by his father’s objection.
To break the moment, Luke said, “I’m surprised you didn’t try to get help from Annalise.” At Tim’s confused expression, Luke added, “Don’t you know who she is?”
“The lady you work with.”
“Her last name is Manwaring.”
“Like the guy who was president?”
“He’s her father.”
Tim’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”
Luke was amused. “Let’s table all that. We’ll get you settled in the spare room then…” He thought of something. “What do you usually do at night?”
“Study.”
“Do you have more exams?”
“No, I had five AP classes and already took the tests. I’m done for the year.”
“Hell, you’re an excellent candidate for Georgetown, Tim.”
“But I need scholarships and the interview.”
“So, no studying tonight.”
“Maybe we can catch some TV. There’s an Oriels game on tonight.”
Luke had followed the team. “You’re on, buddy.”
As they headed to the back of the apartment, Luke found himself happy at the prospect of spending a Friday night with his nephew watching a ball game.