Kris glanced at her unusually silent companion. "You're awfully quiet. What're you thinking about?"
You. "Just about how nice this weekend has been."
Kris shot a quick smile at Shelby. "Yeah, it has been." And it had, with the exception of her unpleasant meeting with Gregor. Today they hadn't even had a tail to shake.
"I think you're gonna like Jimmy and Jason. Don't be surprised at anything they ask you, though. Mom probably told them I was bringing a spy to dinner."
"You are kidding?"
"Nope. She thinks everyone who works for the Company is a spy. She's not very thrilled about where I work."
"How come?"
"She thinks it's too dangerous. I've told her it's not. That was pretty much true, until lately." Shelby grinned ruefully. "I'm glad I don't have to explain away the stuff that's happened the past week."
Kris said vehemently, "It'll be over soon. That I can promise you."
Shelby looked at Kris, concerned. "Hey, it's not your fault."
I wish I were absolutely positive of that.
"There it is. It's the house right past the stop sign with the black Tempo in the driveway."
Kris pulled into the driveway of a white ranch style house with green shutters. She rounded the car, waited for Shelby to get out and accompanied her to the side door.
She positioned herself slightly to the rear as Shelby knocked on the door, opened it and walked in. A woman of medium stature resembling the picture Kris had examined approached them with a strained smile on her face.
"Hi, Mom. This is Kris." Shelby glanced at Kris. "This is my mother, Lisa."
Lisa looked at the tall woman standing in her doorway, casually dressed in jeans and a blue polo shirt that seemed custom made to fit her body. She was beautiful, but Lisa found herself taken aback by the woman's commanding presence and the intense blue eyes that met hers unwaveringly. So this is the woman. "Nice to meet you, Kris."
She then hugged her daughter tightly for several moments before finally releasing her. She ignored the puzzled look Shelby gave her, and said, "Why don't you both go into the living room. I'll get you something to drink."
Shelby smiled. "I'll get our drinks, Mom." Turning to Kris, she asked, "Coffee or Coke?"
"Coffee."
Shelby got two mugs from the cupboard and filled the two cups from the coffeemaker sitting on the counter. She handed one to Kris and led her companion into the living room.
Lisa watched them walk into the living room, anger and concern warring for control of her emotions.
"Shelby!!" Jimmy jumped up and hugged his older sister.
Jason watched the show of affection with amusement. "Hey, sis." His attention turned to the tall woman. "Are you a spy, too?"
Shelby started laughing. "Jason, how many times do I have to tell you I am not a spy?"
"I know. I know." He looked at Kris, curiously. "Are you?"
Kris quirked a half-smile and decided to play along. "I'm a field operative."
Jimmy piped up, "What do you do?"
"Whatever they need me to do." Kris grinned when Jimmy rolled his eyes.
Shelby said, "Hey, you two! Where are your manners?"
Jason and Jimmy both stood up, towering over Shelby. Jason was the taller of the two, and both had unruly dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Jimmy had a smattering of freckles across his nose and Jason a more mature face, but except for those small distinctions, they could have been twins.
Jason extended his hand, "Hi, I'm Jason."
Kris took the proffered hand gravely. "Kris." She repeated the exercise with Jimmy, then joined Shelby on the couch. Glancing at the baseball game playing on the television, she asked, "Who's playing?"
"Baltimore and Cleveland."
Kris winked at Shelby and engaged the teenagers in a lively conversation about baseball.
Lisa waited a few minutes to allow Shelby to greet her brothers before making her way to the living room doorway. "Shelby, could you help me for a few minutes?"
"Sure." Looking at her half-brothers, Shelby said, "Hey, come on you guys. Give Kris a break, would ya?"
Trailing her mother into the kitchen, Shelby watched as she closed the door. Her brow furrowed. "Why did you do that?"
"Because I want to talk to you privately. Jonathan was over here earlier." Lisa raised a hand and said, "Wait a minute. Let me finish. Then you can go off, if you still think it's necessary. Those are his sons. He has every right to visit them. He said he stayed away while he was on probation because he realized how wrong he'd been for all those years and wanted to find some way to make it up to us."
"Yeah, right, Mom. And how many times did he tell you that while you were married to him? A hundred? A thousand?"
"People change. I think he deserves another chance." When Shelby did not respond, she continued justifying her feelings. "The boys really missed him. They were so happy to see him." She looked at her daughter's disbelieving face, and mumbled, "He wants to see you, too."
Finally exploding, Shelby said, "It'll be a cold day in hell before I let that bastard near me!"
"You watch your mouth in this house!"
Shelby's eyes were flashing as she looked at her mother angrily. "He couldn't change in all the years he was married to you. All of a sudden you think he's seen the light? I can't believe you. That is so naïve."
"God is the only one who judges, not us. Our responsibility is to forgive and help those who need our help. If I can forgive him, why can't you?"
"He is a control freak, Mom. And he's sick. He'll never change."
Lisa's hazel eyes stared pointedly into Shelby's green ones. "I thought you told me your job was safe."
Puzzled at the abrupt change of subject, Shelby said, "It pretty much is."
"Pretty much? What does that mean? It is or it isn't."
Shelby felt her stomach tighten. "Why are you asking about my job?"
Lisa looked at her daughter accusingly. "Because you lied to me. You said it was safe and it's not. Why didn't you tell me you were shot at on Thursday?"
Because I knew this would happen. Shelby said defensively, "Who told you that?"
Tears began tracking down Lisa's face. "Jonathan went to visit you Thursday. He wanted to apologize and ask your forgiveness. He pulled into the parking lot just as someone shot at you. He said a tall woman knocked you down. Once he saw you were safe, he left because he just got off probation and didn't want to be there when the police arrived."
Shelby struggled with both anger and fear. Jonathan had been at her apartment complex. He knew where she lived. That in itself was frightening, but that he had been there the evening she was shot at, was even more so.
She took a deep breath, and hugged her mother. "Mom, don't cry."
"I'm so worried about you. I want you to quit that job. I've been worried sick ever since he told me this morning."
Shelby released the older woman, watching her intently. "He told you this morning? Why didn't he tell you before now? If he was there, why didn't he call you right away, Mom?"
"He naturally assumed you'd tell me. When he asked me about it, I had no idea what he was talking about." The accusation was clearly evident.
"I suppose you told him I was coming over today?"
Lisa nodded. "That's when he told me what happened."
"What kind of car does he drive?"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"A lot."
"A silver Cavalier. But I don't see..."
"The driver of a silver Cavalier is the top suspect in the shooting right now, Mom," Shelby informed her flatly.
Deeply ingrained defense mechanisms kicked in. "He would never hurt you."
Shelby raised her voice angrily. "What in the hell did he do for years, Mom? Did you forget about that already? Did you forget he threatened me at the trial? How do you know he's just not covering his ass by telling you I was shot at? There weren't any other cars around."