The Judge's List (The Whistler #2)(56)

But regardless of his problems, Gunther slept hard every night and attacked each day with enthusiasm and confidence. His zest for life was contagious, and if he found himself in the mood to fly in for lunch there was no way to stop him, regardless of what she had planned.

Waiting in the private terminal, watching the small planes come and go while sipping a cup of bad coffee, she both dreaded and looked forward to seeing Gunther. With both parents gone now, they needed each other. Both were single and childless and it certainly looked as if they would be the family’s last generation. Trudy, their mother’s sister, was trying to become the matriarch and getting too involved. Lacy and Gunther were united in their resistance.

But she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him, because he had too many opinions about almost everything. Since her car wreck, he’d had far too much to say about her lawsuit, her lawyer, their legal strategies. He thought she was wasting her time at BJC. He wasn’t too keen on Allie Pacheco, though this was a reaction to Lacy’s dislike of every girlfriend he had dared introduce her to. He thought Tallahassee was a hick town and she should move to Atlanta. He disapproved of her current car. And so on.

There he was, crawling out of a sleek little plane, bounding down from the wing with no luggage, no briefcase, a playboy out for a spin and a nice lunch. They hugged in the doorway and left the terminal.

As soon as he buckled up he said, “Still driving this cheap little thing?”

“Look, Gunther, it’s great to see you, as always. But the last thing I want to hear today is a steady stream of bitching about my life. Car included. Got that?”

“Wow, Sis. You wake up on the wrong side?”

“I did.”

“Did you see my airplane? Isn’t it a beauty?”

“I did. It’s lovely as far as airplanes go.”

“Bought it last month from a guy whose wife caught him cheating. Sad.”

Gunther was anything but sad. “What is it?” she asked, but only because she had to.

“A Socata TBM 700 turboprop, all the bells and whistles. Think of a Ferrari with wings. Three hundred miles an hour. Got a real deal.”

A real deal for Gunther meant that he had convinced yet another banker to make a loan. “Sounds exciting. Looks pretty small.”

“Seats four, that’s plenty for me. You wanna go for a spin?”

“I thought we were doing lunch.” Lacy had been his passenger on two occasions and that was enough. Gunther was a serious pilot who didn’t play around and take chances, but he was still Gunther.

“Right,” he said, suddenly checking his phone. When he put it away he asked, “How’s Allie? Still seeing him?”

“I am, hot and heavy. Who’s your new squeeze?”

“Which one? Look, I think it’s time for this guy to either make a move or move on. It’s been, what, two years now?”

“Oh, so you’ve got marriage all figured out?”

Gunther burst out laughing and, after a beat, Lacy did too. The idea of him giving advice on the romantic front was indeed humorous.

“Okay, no more of that. You talked to Aunt Trudy lately? Where are we going?”

“Home, so I can shower and brush my teeth. Didn’t have enough time earlier.”

“How can you dawdle around so on such a gorgeous Saturday morning?”

“No, I have not talked to Trudy. I owe her a phone call. You?”

“No, I’m ducking her too. Poor thing. She’s lost without Mom. They were best friends and now she’s stuck with that husband of hers.”

“Ronald’s okay.”

“He’s a creep and you know it. They really don’t like each other but I guess after fifty years they can’t get out.”

“Let’s talk about something else. How’s business these days?”

“I’d rather talk about Ronald.”

“Pretty bad, huh?”

“No, actually I’m killing it. I need some help, Lacy, and I want you to come to Atlanta and work with me. Bright lights, big city, much more to do. We’ll make a fortune and there are a dozen great guys I could introduce you to.”

“I’m not sure I want to date your friends.”

“Come on, Lacy. Trust me. These guys have money and they’re going places. How much does Allie make a year with the FBI?”

“I have no idea and I don’t care.”

“Not much. He’s working for the government.”

“So am I.”

“That’s my point. You can do better. Most of these guys are already millionaires who own their own companies. They have everything.”

“Yeah, including alimony and child support.”

Gunther laughed and said, “Okay, some of that.”

Of course his phone rang, and he was soon lost in a tense conversation about a line of credit. On Saturday morning?

He was still on the phone when she parked near her apartment. They went inside and she left him in the den as she headed for her upstairs bedroom.



* * *



—

Lunch was outdoors on a shaded terrace at an upscale restaurant, far away from downtown. Lacy talked the reservationist into an early table, primarily because she was still hoping to salvage some of her afternoon, alone. They were seated at eleven thirty and the terrace was deserted.