*Author's Note*
Thanks for reading, faving, following, and reviewing.
Time for some Tolbert and his cute daughter Sally Elle.
Maniac Monday Pt.2
Novella POV:
"Perry wants to see you in his office, sugar." Betty told me in her raspy smoker's voice from her spot behind the receptionist desk as soon as I stepped foot into the door of my uncle's small firm.
"Thank you for telling me, Betty." I replied with a polite smile before taking off down the hall to my uncle's office.
After a minute or so I walked into my uncle's office only to see him sitting at his desk reviewing a file. As I sat down in the chair across from his desk he asked me, "How's your friend on the verge of divorce doing? Does she need our legal services?"
"She's doing okay and no, she doesn't need a divorce lawyer." I told my uncle, offering him a polite smile along with a small nod of my head.
"Not yet she doesn't, but soon she will." Uncle Perry said knowingly. "I handled Tolbert's divorce so keep that in mind when it comes to your friend."
"Okay, Uncle Perry." I nodded, hoping to placate him and get him off of the subject of my friend's rocky marriage. Damn, Moses would tell my Uncle Perry I was with Meredith cause she's having marriage problems. Hacking bastard. "So, Betty told me you wanted to see me."
"Yes. Yes, I do." Uncle Perry quickly told me, his usual slick voice having a wave of apprehension laced into it. "Judge Wall Hatfield called me with a preliminary date. It's scheduled for next Monday."
"That soon?" I asked with wide eyes even though I wasn't shocked. I was merely acting that way so I wouldn't seem like I had a warning about this last night. Cap told me Wall was going to call either today or tomorrow with the set preliminary date, I knew it was coming.
"Yes." My uncle nodded before sighing, "Looks like we only have a week to perfect our defense tactic to get the case tossed out on ground of self-defense."
Before I could utter a word, the old white-haired hag Betty appeared in the doorway. Her hard eyes looked at me, softening ever so slightly, while she announced, "Novella, sugar, somebody's in the lobby to see you."
"Okay, Betty, I'll be right there." I answered the old woman, causing her to turn around and walk down the hallway.
"Go on, dear. Don't keep your visitor waiting." My uncle told me, his lips forming into a slight line on his foxlike mustached face, before going back to reviewing the large file in his hand.
Silently I nodded before getting up and walking out of his office, shutting the door behind me. My black high heels clanked against the floor was I walked down the hall towards the lobby. As I reached the end of the hallway by feet stopped as my gaze feel onto what I saw on the waiting couch, Tolbert with his daughter sitting on his lap.
Tolbert looked my way, no doubt having heard me walk into the room from the noise my high heels made, and quickly voiced up gruff, but smoothly, "Ella, hey, can I ask ya somethin'?"
"About your case?" I asked as I went over to him.
"No, no not that." Tolbert told me, causing my brow to rise up. "Could ya come to the school wit' me t'meet Sally Elle's Pre-K teacher?"
"Why?" I asked before thinking and registering what was coming out of my mouth.
"Cause Roseanna's busy wit' her own girl an' I need help wit' this school shit. I'm a shiner, ain't always able t'be 'round if the teacher calls up wantin' a meetin' or a nurse calls up sayin' she's sick."
"I get that, but why me?" I didn't know anything about kids and school. I mean all I knew about that stuff was what I read of my friends' Facebook and Instagram accounts.
"Cause yer nearby. I'm usin' Perry an' Roseanna's address t'get my girl into the elementary here in town. Pikeville's got the better schools in the county."
Tolbert, a guy that dropped out by time he was 16, was concerned about his daughter's education. Him wanting the best for Sally Elle was a bit shocking to me, I never expected him to be so worried about what school his kid went to or what kind of programs they offered, etc. Apparently, the Tolbert pre-fatherhood was a bit different from the current one.
"Okay, fine, I'll go with you to meet her teacher." I gave in due to my soft spot for the little girl.
Tolbert stood up, holding his daughter, while telling me, "Thanks. This is a big help to me."
"Hi, Ella." Sally Elle greeted me with a slightly sheepish and tired smiled. I could tell that the girl wasn't a morning person. She always seemed half-awake during breakfast the few days she spent at my uncle's when Tolbert was in lockup.
"Hi, Sally Elle. How are you this morning?" I asked, using one of those overly sweet voices that people often use while talking to small children.
"I's 'kay. Tired tho." The little girl yawned, resting her hair against her dad's shoulder.
"Wouldn't be tired if ya slept last night 'stead of bouncin' 'round the goddamn house." Tolbert snapped at his daughter, irritation evident in his smooth, but gruff, voice.
"Poppy, I was 'cited 'bout meetin' my teacher t'day. Weren't s'eepy." Sally Elle informed Tolbert as if her reason was the simplest in the entire world. Actually, come to think of it, her reason was pretty simple.
"Mhm…" Tolbert muttered before looking over at his Aunt Betty and telling her, "Let Perry know Ella helpin' me wit' my lil girl's Pre-K stuff. Okay, Aunt Betty."
"I'll let him know. Now go on an' get outta here." The old hag shooed us, waving her hand like she was squatting fruit flies going after watermelon at a 4th of July bar-b-que.
The ride to Pikeville Elementary was quiet. The only sound in Tolbert's old truck being the morning talk show on the radio. The parking lot of the school was crowded, so much that I bet a sardine can had more room, whenever we pulled in.
"Damnit t'hell. How'd we 'posed t'park in this shit?" Tolbert barked, smacking his hand on the stearing wheel before waving it around angrily.
"Poppy, ya sayin's bad words." The cute little ginger girl piped up, no doubt shooting her poppy a disapproving look.
"I know, sweetie. Poppy's sorry 'bout that." Tolbert sweetly told his daughter, quickly lookin' at her from over his shoulder. I could see her noddin' her head at him as I peaked into the rearview mirror. "Don't yer ass know how t'drive?" Tolbert rhetorically asked the driver of the car in front of us, that was going at a snail's pace. Slamming on his horn he barked, "Go, go on an' get goin' so I can park somewheres."
"Poppy yer gettin' mad." Sally Elle pointed out from her spot sittin' in her car seat behind Tolbert in the crowded older model double cab truck.
"Sally Elle…" Tolbert sighed warningly at his daughter before slamming down on his horn once more.
"Tolbert, over there." I nudged his arm before quickly pointing to an open spot. He just nodded and silently pulled the old pickup into the spot to the left and parked.
Tolbert got out of the cab and them pulled his seat up. While unbuckling his daughter and taking her out of her carseat he warmly told her, Well, sugar, let's go meet yer teacher."
"Kay, poppy." I heard her simply say while I waited by the front of the truck, slightly leaning my elbow on it.
"Come on, time t'get goin'." Tolbert told me before starting to walk across the parking to the school building, holding tightly to his little girl's hand.
Dear lord, this day was going to be something else. Why did I agree to do this again? Hopefully meeting the teacher goes smoother then pulling into the parking lot did.
All of the doors to the classrooms were propped open in the hallways, making it easier for the parents to shuffle their kids in and out of the rooms. The Pre-K and Kindergarten section was to the upper right of hallway of the building marked B2. Currently we were looking for the door marked Mrs. Bray, since that was the name of Sally Elle's teacher that on the printout sheet in the main office lobby.
"Here's yer class." Tolbert announced to Sally Elle as he pointed to the door we were looking for. "Let's get on inside." He said as he literally shoved his tiny ginger haired daughter into the doorway, walking right behind her.
Quietly I walked into the classroom, feeling a bit awkward to be honest. It was weird being surrounded by parents and kids meting a teacher whenever I was childless. My heels clicked against the linolemuin floor as I followed Tolbert and Sally Elle to the desk where a few parents and Pre-K students were gather. Quietly we waited for our turn to be able to talk to the teacher.
"Hi, I'm -oh my God Novella Landon is that you?" The teacher, an old high school friend of mine that I knew by Mary Robertson not Bray, gushed out as she rose from her desk and rounded it instantly to stand in front of me. "I thought you left for Louisville to study the law."
"She did, then spent some time in Bal'more 'fore movin' back 'ere."
"Tolbert McCoy, Sally Elle must be your little girl then." Mary remarked before asking, "So you got back together?"
"No." I quickly deadpanned while at the same time Tolbert quickly said, "Spark's still there."
Mary just looked between us quickly, a slight smile on her face, before crouching down to be eye-level with Sally Elle. "I'm your teacher, Mrs. Bray. It's nice to meet you."
"Hi." Sally Elle politely replied, a shy smile on her face.
Still using her friendly and high-pitched teacher's voice Mary told Sally Elle, "You're goin' to have fun and make some new friends in my class. Won't that be fun?"
Tolbert cut a look at his daughter causing her to just nod her head and squeak out a tiny, "Yea."
Mary smiled at the cute little freckled girl before standing back up to her full height, which was a few inches taller then me. "It's so good seein' you back in town, Novella."
"I'll walk 'round wit' Sally Elle, let ya'll catch up 'fore we gotta go." Tolbert remarked before grabbing a supply list off of Mary's desk and dragging his daughter off to look around the brightly decorated classroom.
Bray? Where have I heard that name before. That's right, on my birthday at The Barn. Looking right at my old friend I asked, "You're Ransom's wife, right?"
"Yes, I married Ransom right out of college." She answered with a wide, proud, smile before going on to say, "He's a detective. You might've met his partner Frank Phillips, he's married to Tolbert's cousin Nancy."
"Yea, I met him. That's where I heard the name Ransom Bray from."
"Ransom's originally from North Carolina, he moved here a year after we graduated from Pikeville High. He was a bounty hunter, but then befriend Frank and got help gettin' a job at the station."
"Oh." I simply said since I already knew that he was a bounty hunter from down in North Carolina's Blue Ridge before coming up to the Tug and being taken under Bad Frank's wing. I mean Frank told me on my birthday so…
"So, what's the story with you and Tolbert?" The brunette asked me curiously as she let her eyes drift over to Tolbert.
Why did there have to be a story? "Nothing, I'm one of the lawyer's working the self-defense case for him and his brothers."
Mary's eyes flickered back to mine as she firmly told me, "But it can't be nothing, you used to be madly in love with him. Don't tell me you're still not in love with him now."
"It's complicated, Mary." I sighed since it really was. The situation with me and Tolbert was cut and dry. It wasn't like some shit out of a Nicholas Sparks novel, more like out of Stephen King or something.
"You should give him the second chance he wants." Before I could say anything, Mary held her hand up and told me, "You can't deny that you still love him. If you didn't you would've found somebody to marry by now."
Seriously, she feels that I'm single and unwed cause of some kind of suppressed feelings for my first boyfriend? Fuck that bitch! Tolbert's not the reason I haven't gotten married yet. I went through 4 years of college and 3 years of law school, I studied my ass off to get my degree, pass the bar, and to land a good job. I worked hard after moving to Baltimore to ensure my place in the large firm I was hired at, which was a hard one to get into by the way. Shit, just cause I wasn't married by time I was 22 or 23 doesn't mean I'm doomed to be an old maid. Damn backwoods hillbillies still thinking in the 1882 mindset at times.
"Mary, I understand you're just trying to be helpful, but don't talk to me like you would've a decade ago. People change, I'm not the same girl I was before leaving for Louisville." I seethed before walking off to meet up with Tolbert and Sally Elle near a bookshelf in a corner.
After leaving the school Tolbert took us to grab a late breakfast at the local diner on Main Street. It was sweet to see him reading the kid's menu to his daughter, how a smile crossed his face as she pondered her choices. Just seeing Tolbert caring for and doting on Sally Ella tugged on my heartstrings.
I couldn't help but smile whenever Sally Elle finally made her decision, causing Tolbert to chuckle at her teasingly, "Should've known that. Ya always want them pancakes."
"P'ncakes my fav'ite, poppy." Sally Elle announced with a smile before grabbing the sheet of paper and the little cup of crayons that the hostess had left on the table for her amusement.
"I know, sugar." Tolbert smiled at his little girl, who was next to him, before looking straight at me and asking, "Ya still eat sausage an' pancakes, right?"
"Bacon and pancakes now, actually."
"Really?" He raised a brow while his face skewed up a bit. "But ya always got links when I used t'brin' ya here." He told me before scrunching up his nose and gruffly scoffing, "God, please tell me ya still eat eggs."
"I still eat eggs, Tolbert. Why wouldn't I?" I deadpanned, not finding his remark a bit funny.
"Dunno, why don't 'cha eat sausage links no more?"
Oh cause every Sunday for a few months I had a freakishly tall blonde cooking me bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Yea, I can't tell him that one. Instead I opted to go with the safe explanation of, "I didn't say I don't eat it anymore. I meant that given a choice between links and thick cut bacon now a days I pick the bacon."
"Links 're cheaper but guess since ya had a good paycheck back east ya weren't worried 'bout pricin'." He spat at me with a hint of mockery in his velvet timbre.
I furrowed my brows, a tiny red flag flaring up in my mind. "You seem to know a lot about my old job."
"Just what I'd been told by Roseanna an' Perry."
"Oh." Yea, that makes sense. Of course, they would tell him about my job.
Sally Elle poked Tolbert's arm with the blue crayon she was holding. Whenever he turned his attention to her she pointed to her paper while saying, "Look, poppy, it's a un'corn."
Suddenly a prideful smirk crossed over the gruff man's face. "Very good, Sally Elle. That's very good."
As I peered over the table to see the drawing the waitress walked up to our table. I vaguely recognized the blonde in her blue dress and white apron uniform as she took a notepad out of her pocket. With a small, but cheerful, smile she looked at me and said, "Novella Landon? Wow, never thought I'd see the day y'came back to the holler." I was trying not to stare at her as my brows furrowed while I tried to place why this waitress seemed familiar. My eyes locked onto a plastic nametag reading, Chloe. Ah, okay so somebody from high school then? I remember having a Chloe in my art class.
"Yea, well, you did." I snipped before putting on a fake smile and sweetly saying, "Now if you don't mind I'll take the pancake platter with thick cut bacon and scrambled eggs."
Chloe just nodded her head while scribbling down my order. Silently she turned her head to look at Tolbert and Sally Elle. "She'll have the kiddie's pancakes wit' links an' scrambled eggs. I'll have the pancake platter wit' links an' scrambled eggs. Add a biscuit on too."
"Okay. I'll have that out soon. I'll also be back wit' drink refills." The waitress informed us with a smile. "Oh, Novella, I doubt you know 'bout it, but our class has a r'union page on Facebook wit' details 'bout the upcomin' event. It's bein' held at Pikeville Hotel's ballroom end of next month." Chloe told me, a dumb, but friendly, smile lighting up her face.
"Oh, yea, thanks for telling me." I told her, hoping that would make her leave and put in the order with the cook.
Instead of leaving with our order the blonde waitress told me, "Make sure to sign up an' buy a ticket since you're in town. Oh, the c'mittee holdin' it wants pictures from ev'body t'make a slideshow. Make sure t'give either Sandra Masterson or Jessa Holtby your social media info."
"Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know." I told her through a fake smile as I watched the other waitresses walk around the diner, taking orders and delivering food.
Right after Chloe left to put in our order Tolbert looked at me and told me, "Darlin', I'll take ya to yer reunion. Be nice for ya t'rub it in all their faces that yer a bigshot lawyer."
"Thanks Tolbert, but I don't even know if I'm going or not yet." Most likely I wouldn't go. I only had a few friends in school and it wasn't like I was that worried about catching up with people. The girls I stayed close with were from my college sorority pledge class.
"Ya should go. I said I'd take ya." Tolbert pushed, grabbing his cup of coffee and taking a sip.
"I'll think about it." I tightly smiled, grabbing my own coffee cup.
"Ya wanna help me shop for school supplies after we et?" Tolbert asked before taking another sip of his hot drink.
Between drinking my bitterly brewed coffee, that had way too uch cream and sugar in it to calm it down, I remarked, "There's only a few things on the list to pick up, you don't need me to tag along."
"No, I don't, but I want 'cha taggin' 'long. 'Sides after we can take Sally Elle to the park 'fore ya gotta get back t'work."
"Yea, Ella, I wan'ya t'go park wit' me." Lil Sally Ella blurted out in a toothy smile, snapping her head up to look at me instead of the piece of paper she was drawing on.
Guess I'm tagging along with them after all. Sally Elle's too cute to look in the eye and say no to.
After eating breakfast, we went to the local Wal-Mart to pick up the supplies for the Pre-K class. Like I told Tolbert the list was small, the supplies needed for the class being: 24-count crayons box, 1 box tissues, 1 red plastic folder, 1 blue plastic folder, box classic washable markers, pack of glue sticks, 2 wood pencils, pair of blunt safety scissors. Tolbert grabbed all the cheap stuff that was marked 5, 10, 15, and 20 cents. No Crayola or Elmer's for his kid, the wasn't forking out more then what he had too. Hell, he even bought the cheap generic Wal-Mart brand of tissues for the classroom, no Puffs aloe nose friendly tissues from him either.
Once we were done shopping Tolbert took us to the park not that far from walking distance to Main Street and in turn my uncle's firm. Currently I was sitting on a bench next to Tolbert, watching Sally Elle play on the swing set. She was all smiles and giggles as she swung high up in the air, her ginger curls cascading in the wind.
"She loves this 'ere park." Tolbert's gruff, but velvety smooth, voice spoke up, breaking the silence between us. "I try t'bring her whenever we're in town." He informed me, which just caused me to nod and give him a thin smile. "Ya want chil'run?"
"One day, but I've never really thought too hard about it." I honestly answered him before returning my attention to keeping an eye on the swing set his daughter was on.
"Ya gotta get serious wit' a man an' settle down 'fore havin' a child tho." Tolbert remarked a bit sarcastically before his velvety timbre went down a tone as he asked, "Ya ever been serious wit' somebody other than me?"
"Kind of, I did see somebody for roughly 4 months give or take."
"Hmm…was he a good man?" Tolbert asked a bit quietly as he looked around the park.
A small smile formed on my lips as I answered with, "Yea, he was good to me."
"Did ya love 'im?" Tolbert asked, his usually gruffy and velvety smooth voice shaking and trembling, as he looked at me.
"I wasn't with him long enough to be madly in love with him, but I had feelings for him. I cared a lot for him, could've loved him." I still care for him, but the hot-headed ginger sitting next to me doesn't need to know that.
"So, what happened? Why didn't it work out?" Oh, so he hasn't figured out that I'm talking about Cap? Maybe he hates Cap so much that he can't contemplate the thought that I could've gone down a very serious road with the man.
"Life got into the way." I answered, causing Tolbert to silently nod and show his acceptance of my answer. "So, why didn't things work out with Mary Butcher?" I asked, taking the heat off of my tragic love life and placing it onto his.
"She walked out on me for a fuckin' a'coun'ant." Tolbert spat bitterly as if he's just had a slice of sour lemon in his mouth.
"Oh…" I awkwardly drawled out since I didn't really know what to say in response to that.
Tolbert just chewed on his bottom lip, his characteristic facial features slightly twitching. Slowly he turned his head to the side, his stormy eyes holding the gaze of my cornflower ones. "I never stopped lovin' ya, Ella. I left ya, but couldn't stop lovin' ya."
Hearing from Cap and other people that Tolbert still loved me was entirely different then hearing it come out of the horse's mouth. Tolbert admitting his love was like a bucket of ice cold water being dumped over my head, it was shocking upon instant impact.
A breeze began to pick up, slightly tussling my hair around my shoulders, as Tolbert softly looked at me. "D'ya still love me, Ella? Now be tru wit' me."
"You're my first everything, Tolbert. It's hard not to love you in some way, but I don't know if I can love you the way that you want me too. At least not now, not anymore." I confessed, causing Tolbert to look at me curiously while arching a brow. I let out a long and deep sigh before explaining, "Too many years have gone by. It's been a decade and we're both different people now."
"Maybe so, but we ain't that much diff'rent. I gotta lil girl an' yer tryin' t'keep my ass from fryin', but deep down we're still the same Tolbert an' Ella that fell in love an' used t'fool 'round off all them backroads in my pickup truck." I just shook my head as I watched a couple walk their child to the monkey bars.
Deep down inside of us there would always be that innocent part that fell in love with each other when we were young, but as I said before we changed. Him leaving me the way he did made me a bit leery, a bit cynical and distrustful in a way too.
Looking between the park's playground and me Tolbert spoke up and broke the newfound silence between us with the gruffly smooth announcement of, "I'd like for ya t'spend time wit' me an' Sally Elle. She needs somebody other then ma an' Roseanna. Ella, I trust ya wit' her."
Nodding my head, I tentatively told Tolbert, "Okay, I guess I can spend time with you two."
"Y'know I regret breakin' yer heart, if that means anythin' t'ya or helps."
"Then why did you do it?" I asked, my flowing voice sounding more cutting and bitter then I meant to portray.
"Cause I just had'a do it." Tolbert told me, his velvety gruff timbre sounding a bit sad and dejected. "I better get 'er home for a nap. Just call me sometime, we'll do somethin' 'gain wit' her."
"Okay." I nodded before getting up from the bench. As Tolbert stood up I waved to Sally Ella. "Bye, sweetie, I'll see ya later."
"Bye, Ella." The little girl chirped before jumping off the swing and running over to Tolbert, who was standing and waiting for her with one of those looks that screamed 'It's time to go home'.
Silently walked away from the bench and down the path to that would take me to the park's exit. Spending time with Tolbert and Sally Elle showed me that he wasn't a cruel and ill-tempered man all the time, that he had a heart. A heart that he claimed still belonged to me. Sad to say that a part of me felt flattered while another felt scared about Tolbert's softness and his love confession.
This wasn't supposed to be happening, it's been a decade and I shouldn't be getting twisted up by Tolbert. Damnit, why won't he just tell me why he broke up with me? If he's always loved me then his reason must be good, or is he just spinning me sweet words to placate me?
Damn, things are much easier with Cap. That asshole is blunt and honest all the time, just tells it how it is. I understand his reasons for not telling me his name was Hatfield or he was moving to the Tug Valley since the first thing people do when hearing either of those two things is turn up their nose and slap on a hillbilly stereotypical assumption. Hell, with Cap our problems were work and family related since he was a boldly honest man.
Tolbert though, it seemed, was hiding truths from me. He wasn't lying per say, but he wasn't completely truthful either. I felt something for him and that was frightening. In a way I loved him, I always would, but I wasn't sure if I could truly love him wholeheartedly like I had once done 10 years ago before my heart was shattered in a million pieces.
AN:
Looks like Tolbert wants an instant family with Sally Ella and Novella, but will he get his wish? Also is Tolbert really that oblivious and never knew that Novella was admitting her feelings for Cap, or was he playing dumb? Anyways Cap and Uncle Jim Vance are back in the next chapter. Oh yeah!