The Bourbon Thief(39)

“Have a seat,” Judge Headley said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Let’s talk about the future.”

“Do we have to right now?” Tamara asked. She reached over and took Levi’s hand in hers. He had to hand it to her, the girl put on a good show.

“We do, in fact,” the judge said.

“We should,” Levi said. “Better now than later.”

Levi ran his hand down the front of his shirt, straightening the blue tie he wore to match his blue suit. He should have gotten a new suit. The last and only time he’d worn this one had been to his mother’s funeral.

“You seem like a sensible man,” Judge Headley said. “I’m sure you’ll understand when I say I’m not happy about this.”

“It’s not what I’d planned, that’s for certain,” Levi said. He could play the part, too. “But we have to do what’s best for Tamara.”

“Yes.” The judge nodded. “Yes, we do. A child needs a father. I know if Tamara’s father were still with us, this never would have happened. I blame myself. I should have been more of a father to you after Nash died. I know that’s what he would have wanted.”

“It’s not your fault,” Tamara said. “Don’t think that this is a bad thing. This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

“Well, I know your granddaddy’s up in heaven smiling. He wanted nothing so much in the world as to see you bringing another Maddox into the world. I would have liked for you to wait a couple years, but what’s done is done and many marriages that start out on the wrong foot end up working out. My own sister doesn’t like to celebrate her wedding anniversary for similar reasons, and she’s managed not to shame the family too much since then.” The judge gave Tamara a little wink.

Tamara smiled at him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“I know, sweetheart. I was young once, too. But your mother’s going to want to kill you and me both when she finds out.”

“I left her a note,” Tamara said. “It’s in her medicine cabinet so she’ll find it when she takes her sleeping pill tonight. How’s that?”

“Let’s hope she doesn’t get a headache or a stomachache before you two get yourselves somewhere she can’t find you. If I know Virginia, she will raise heaven and hell about this. I’d suggest—highly—leaving town.”

“We’ll be gone,” Levi said. “I’ll take care of Tamara.”

“What about the will?” Tamara asked. “What’ll happen with that?”

“It’s in probate. You two are legally married and expecting a child together. That will certainly speed the process up. Do you know when you’re due?”

“Seven months,” Tamara said. “If it goes all right.”

“Let’s pray it does. I think we’re looking at about three months until the will can be fully executed. In the meantime, everything is as it was.”

“Will Momma be able to sell the company?”

The judge shook his head. “Not with ownership under dispute. But you’ll still get your five-hundred-dollar monthly allowance. Will it be enough for you to live on?”

“I told you, I can take care of Tamara, sir.” Levi sat up even straighter. He didn’t want this judge or anyone thinking he couldn’t provide for his wife. A hundred and twenty dollars wasn’t much to live on, barely minimum wage, but Levi would bus tables if he had to before he’d borrow money from anybody.

“I was under the impression you lived in a stable loft.” Judge Headley raised his eyebrow.

“Only to save money, sir. I have a thousand dollars saved up.”

“You’re going to be a very wealthy man when all this is said and done.” The judge picked up a fancy blue pen and tapped it on the desk. “I’d hate to think that was the motive behind this blessed event.”

“It’s not,” Tamara insisted. “After Momma fired him when she caught me kissing him, I had to sneak behind her back to see him. I went to see him. I wanted to see him. I wanted to be with him.”

“I want Tamara to be safe,” Levi said. “Considering the circumstances, I think she’ll be better off with me than with her mother.”

“If I didn’t know her mother so well, I might disagree. But I do...” Judge Headley’s voice trailed off and Levi felt a pang of sympathy for the man. He, too, had been a victim of Virginia Maddox. Tamara said he’d been married when Tamara was conceived, a drunken night at a going-away party. He seemed like the sort of person who’d carry his guilt with him all his life. “You two find a safe place to hole up while I take care of things on my end. Let me know how to reach you. There’ll be forms and papers to sign when it’s all said and done.”

“I’ll let you know where we land,” Tamara said.

“It’s getting late,” Levi said. “We best be on the road.”

The judge had worked them in after his day in court ended. Now it was close to dinnertime and then it would be night. Levi’s first night as a married man. He had no idea where they were spending the night or even if they were spending it together or if they should spend it together.