Porterville

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Chapter 30

Britt and Devon walked inside the Porterville police department. The two men had just finished their breakfast at the McKenzie cabin when Devon received a telephone call from Brian Poteet. The officer had told Devon he could have a short visit with Carol Taylor. They had already made a decision to return to town, so this fit in perfectly with their plans. An hour later they were greeted by Poteet.

"Hey, guys, good to see you," Brian greeted them at the counter.

"Thanks for the call," Devon said shaking the officer's hand.

As Brian unlocked the gate, he said, "The only way I could let you see her was agree to have her attorney present. I hope that won't be a problem for you."

Devon assured the officer he was okay with that. "Do you want to come with me?" he asked Britt.

Britt would have liked nothing better than to accompany his lover. However, he felt the man needed to face the woman alone. He said as much.

"You can wait in my office," Brian told him.

Britt stopped and watched Brian lead Devon to a closed door. The officer asked Devon something, and his lover gave a nod. Brian unlocked the door, and the two disappeared behind it.

Britt took a seat in Brian's office and began his wait.

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At the sound of the lock clicking shut behind him, Devon's mouth suddenly went dry. When Brian motioned for him to follow, Devon remained still. His feet suddenly felt like they were glued to the floor.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Devon?" Brian asked. "It's not necessary," he added.

"I'm fine with it. Could I have a drink of water first?"

He watched as the officer walked over to a water cooler. The man returned with a paper cup and handed it to Devon.

"Thanks."

Devon swallowed the cool liquid and said, "Let's go, Brian."

They came to another locked door. Brian pulled out a key, and suddenly they were inside a second room. It was much smaller and contained very little furniture. In fact, a table and four chairs were the only objects in the room. Two individuals, one man, one woman, filled two of those chairs.

Devon's eyes went immediately to the woman. Carol Taylor returned his look without blinking an eye. Brian suddenly called out his name.

"Devon, this is John Tillman. He's here representing Miss Taylor," Brian explained.

Devon glanced at the man. He didn't recognize the lawyer. "Mr. Tillman," he said.

"Mr. McKenzie," the man said in return.

Brian told Devon to take a seat. "You can ask Miss Taylor anything you like, Devon. However, if Mr. Tillman here objects to anything, you have to agree to drop the subject. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Devon answered with a nod.

He took a chair at the table directly across from the woman. He studied her face closely, not saying a word. Finally Taylor lowered her eyes.

"Carol?"

The woman looked up. "Miss Taylor to you," she replied.

"Miss Taylor, I only have one thing to say to you. My mother was never anything but good to you. I know that for a fact."

"You and I both know the woman was not your mother. Certainly you're not going to come here and defend her. She took everything from you. She robbed you of your rightful heritage."

"You do have a valid point there, Miss Taylor. Elaine McKenzie did some things that may well be unforgiveable. However, I can say one thing about the woman I knew as my mother. Although I wasn't her child to love, she did love and care about me."

"How touching," the woman said with a sneer. "Oh, that's right. You're not going to say anything against her. How can you, when she's left you everything?"

"If I remember correctly, you were present at the reading of her will," Devon reminded the woman.

John Tillman spoke up, saying, "I'm not going to let you discuss the terms of your mother's will, Mr. McKenzie. The benefactors of her estate have nothing to do with the situation at hand. It's a mute point."

Devon shook his head. "I disagree, Mr. Tillman. My mother's life was taken by the person she trusted the most. I believe I deserve an answer."

John Tillman turned to his client and said, "There's no harm in the question, Carol, if you choose, you may answer it."

"She was evil," the woman finally said. Her words sounded harsh coming out of her mouth.

"How was she evil to you?" Devon asked.

"She took the only thing good I ever had," she spit out.

"Are you referring to George Carson?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

Devon stood to his feet. "I could spend the rest of my life hating you, Miss, Taylor. But I `m not going to waste the energy doing so," he declared. "Something tells me my mother had nothing to do with taking Carson away from you. She had higher standards than that. Yeah, she may have made a mistake years ago, but that's something she'll have to answer for. Neither you nor I can be her judge."

"Aren't you the perfect son," Taylor fumed. She also stood to her feet. "Both of them got exactly what they deserved!" She slammed both hands on the table.

"I'm sorry for you, Carol. I really am," Devon added quietly. Turning to Brian, he said, "I'm good, Brian. Get me out of here."

Devon followed the police officer through the set of locked doors. Sticking his head inside the office where Britt was, he said, "I'm finished here, Britt."

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That evening Catherine told her son she was going to host a dinner party the following evening in her home. She told him she wanted to invite Devon and Alice, along with Brian Poteet as her guests. She asked Britt to telephone the invitations, and when he did, they each readily accepted. He told them what time the dinner was and returned to the kitchen where his mother was busily making a list of what she would need from the supermarket.

"Everything's set," he said. "Even Brian was excited to come. Evidentially he's heard how good of a cook you are, Mom."

Catherine blushed at her son's words. "Don't be ridiculous, Britt," she scolded. "Every cook in Porterville can outshine me."

"Now, Mom, don't be so modest."

"Don't you `now Mom' me," she bristled.

Britt held his hands up in defeat and said, "My bad. I'm going to take my shower."

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Britt came into the kitchen the following morning. He was surprised to find his mother still at the house. He poured himself a cup of coffee and headed for the kitchen table.

"Aren't you going to the Center this morning, Mom? This is your day to work, right?"

"It is," she answered. "I told the girls yesterday that I was going to take today off. Besides, they can do without me now and then," she added.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course it is. I'm not obligated to quilt every day," she reminded.

"Of course not," Britt agreed. "It's just that I've heard you say you don't like to leave the `girls' in a predicament."

"As I said, I'm not obligated."

Catherine offered to make her son breakfast, but he declined her offer. He drank a second cup of coffee and then returned to his bedroom to get dressed. When he rejoined her in the kitchen, Britt offered to help with his mother's dinner. She was offended and told him as much.

"I can certainly manage a dinner party this size," she declared.

"No doubt you can, Mom," he had said. "Just thought I could help a little, that's all," he added. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm sure you can find something more important to do," she said. "Have you started on your new book yet?"

"What new book?"

"The one that set all of this mess into motion," she answered.

"Oh, that book. Actually, no, I haven't."

"Then don't you think it's time you started working on it?" Catherine picked up her pocketbook and walked to the door. "I'm heading for the supermarket. Go take care of your business...whatever that may be. I have plenty to do when I return."

Britt left the house right behind his mother. For nothing else better to do, he drove to the newspaper office. When he stepped through the front door, he was surprised to discover Alice not sitting at her desk. He walked past the empty desk calling out to Sam.

"Hey, Sam, where's Alice?"

Sam Taylor was in the back room putting the next edition of the Beacon together.

"How's it going, Britt?" the old man greeted.

"Looks like you're by yourself this morning, Sam."

"That I am. Alice took the day off. You'll have to excuse me. I'm running behind."

"I'm sort of at loose ends for now," Britt told the man. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," Sam declared.

He told Britt what he wanted to do and disappeared from sight, leaving Britt to his assignment. He returned half an hour later to check on his helper.

"Looking good," he praised."

Britt worked the rest of the morning in the newspaper office. He finished his assignment just as the hands on the clock pointed to twelve noon. He called out and told Sam everything was done.

Sam came up to him and smiled. "I really appreciate your help, Britt. Thanks to you I'm back on schedule."

"You're the one who deserves the thanks, Sam. Hell, because of you, I discovered a lot of Porterville history this summer."

"Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing. Allowing you access to my files, I mean."

"I'll admit, some bad things turned up. Still, look at all the good that happened too."

"That's one way of looking at it," Sam agreed. He thanked Britt once more for his help and disappeared out of sight.

Britt got behind the wheel of his car and started the engine. Before backing out, he pulled his cell phone out and made a call.

"Hey, Alice," he greeted. "I understand you've taken the day off. Would you care to have lunch with me?"

Alice agreed, and Britt drove to her home. When he pulled into her driveway, he was surprised to discover she had a visitor. Britt braked his car behind Devon's vehicle and hurried up the walk. The door opened, and Alice greeted him with a smile.

"Come in, Britt," she invited.

"Why didn't you tell me you had company?" Britt asked. "I could have come another time."

Devon came up and stood behind his sister. "Get in here," he ordered.

Britt stepped inside the Cooper living room, where he received a hug from Alice and a kiss from Devon.

"I know you guys have a lot to talk about," Britt told them. "I really do wish you had told me Devon was here, Alice."

"You do realize we're family here," Devon pointed out. "If the love of my life and my sister can't both see me at the same time, then something is dreadfully wrong with this picture."

"How about letting the `love of your life' take you and your sister to lunch?" Britt asked.

Devon gave Alice a grin and asked, "How about it, Sister?"

"I would be delighted with both your company," she assured them.

"We probably should keep it light," Britt said as they walked to his car. "Judging from the size of Mom's list this morning, the woman is planning on preparing enough food to feed an army."

"I was thinking about giving her a call," Alice said. "Just to see if she could use my help," she added.

"God, don't do that," Britt groaned. "I offered her my assistance this morning. She read me the riot act; told me how much she was offended by my offer."

"I could grow to really love your mother," Devon told him.

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual," Britt assured him. "She's added you to the family as well, Alice."

"Then surely, if I'm a family member, she wouldn't be offended by my offer to help," Alice remarked.

"Thanks, but leave it alone," Britt said. "Where to for lunch?" he asked.

"Somewhere nice and quiet," Devon answered. "I have a few things I'd like to talk over with you two."

Over lunch a short time later, Devon asked, "Britt, have you given any more thought to my question?"

"Which question is that, Babe? There have been several questions brought up during the past few days," he reminded.

"Let's start with the one where I asked you to move in with me," Devon suggested.

Britt felt his cheeks go warm, and he looked across the table at Alice. His eyes remained focused on her. He didn't speak.

When his silence continued, Devon said, "I really don't think you need to ask Alice's permission to answer that question, Britt."

Alice suddenly realized that was exactly what Britt was doing. "Heavens, Devon's right. You certainly don't need my approval, Britt Williams."

"Would you be okay with us doing that? After all, Porterville's a small town," Britt reminded her.

"Well, I can assure you, it would not be a problem for me," she declared.

Devon looked at his sister and said, "Tell Britt what you and I were talking about when he arrived."

"Devon has asked me to move into the family mansion with him," Alice explained.

"Is that right?" Britt turned toward Devon as he asked the question.

"Damn straight," Devon answered.

"Did you give him an answer?"

"I told him I would think about it," Alice replied.

"I think you should," Britt decided.

"See, I told you he would like the idea," Devon said giving his sister a grin.

Alice turned to Britt. "This may work out well for Devon and me. This town is home to us. What about you, Britt? You've been gone for years. Isn't Oklahoma City your home now?"

Britt pushed his plate to the side. "I do like living in the City," he said. "And yes, it seems like home to me. I've been there for years. Ever since college days," he added. He gave Devon a look and added, "I guess I'm hoping to have the best of both worlds...Porterville and Oklahoma City."

"Don't you have a house somewhere up there?" Alice asked.

"Yes, on the north side."

They spent the next hour talking things over. Finally Britt drained his tea glass and stood to his feet. "Nothing has to be decided at the moment," he said. "Let's just enjoy the afternoon, guys." <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Catherine's dinner party pleased everyone, including her. Everything went off without a hitch. The meal was over and everyone had drifted into her living room. Britt, after asking his mother's permission, had chilled a bottle of his favorite wine. Catherine's guests were now enjoying a glass and pleasant conversation.

Brian Poteet was sitting next to Britt on the sofa. "So tell me, Britt, what are you plans now? Are you heading back to the City soon?"

"Well, actually, things are a bit up in the air," he answered.

Devon, hearing the police officer's question came over and stood near Catherine's couch. "I've asked Britt to move in with me, Brian," he said.

If Poteet was surprised, he didn't show it. He smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure your mother will be happy for you to move back to Porterville," he said giving Britt a smile.

"Did I hear correctly?" Catherine came over and stood beside Devon. "Are you really moving back home?"

"Well, perhaps to Porterville," Britt answered.

Catherine turned to Devon. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she reached out to give her son's lover a hug. "Bless you, Devon McKenzie."

Alice walked over and pulled her brother to her. "Devon has asked me to move in with him as well," she said.

"Oh my, this is wonderful! I can hardly believe..." Catherine's voice broke. The words she wanted to say seemed stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.

"Man, look out, Porterville," Brian said. "Things are going to be changing around here."

Later as he was leaving, Brian pulled Britt to the side. "I wasn't kidding, Britt, when I said changes were coming to Porterville." He looked closely at the man beside him. "You know, Britt, you did a wonderful job this summer helping Devon to find his real family. Be prepared," he said, "because I might just seek your services, should anything like this summer ever happen again."

"I'm sure this summer was an exception," Britt replied. "For the most part, Porterville is just a sleepy little town that keeps to itself."

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Much later Catherine allowed Alice to help her clean up. Britt and Devon offered their help as well, but the women assured them it wasn't necessary. Quite satisfied with the arrangement, the two men headed outside. The hot sun was gone and night had settled in, cooling things off. They each took a chair on Catherine's porch.

"Okay, one last time," Devon said. "Would you move in with me, Britt Williams?"

Britt reached over and placed a hand on his lover's knee. "I've been giving that question some serious thought," he said.

"And?"

"And, the answer is yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I want to move in with you; make a life with you."

"What about Oklahoma City?"

"I've been thinking about that as well."

"And?"

"I still plan on being in the City some. I have to, Devon," he said. "Most of my business associates are based out of the City. Surely there will be times where you can join me. I know you have a large company to run now, but it seems to run perfectly well at times without you being around."

"Oh, I'm sure I could manage time away," Devon assured him.

"Good. I was thinking about my house," Britt continued. "Since we'll need a place to stay now and then up there, we could keep it or sell and move into an apartment. It might be easier to have an apartment, since we will be here a lot of the time."

"As we said today at the restaurant," Devon reminded, "there are some decisions we don't have to make right now."

"That's true."

"I heard what Brian said to you as he was leaving. You think he was serious?"

"You mean about me giving him a hand sometime? Like I told him, this summer was an exception. Most of the time, Porterville is a sleepy cozy little town. Then again, who knows what the future might hold?"

"We know it holds a life for us," Devon whispered.

"Yes, it certainly does."

Britt leaned over and planted a kiss on Devon. The two were filled with so much emotion they were oblivious to the world around them.

THE END

Good things do have to come to an end, and hopefully the readers will be happy with Porterville. It's been a long, sometimes painful, journey, but I am very happy for Britt and Devon. I want to think my "fan club." You guys have written and filled me with inspiration from the moment the first chapter appeared on Nifty. You guys are the best! I have made many new friends along the way. Will this be the end for Britt and Devon? One never knows. Even as I write this letter of thanks, those two are beginning to tap at my brain once more. Time will tell, I suppose.

And last, but far from the least, I want my editor, Joe. You have certainly paved the road for me. I couldn't have done it without your help. I'm looking forward to working as the new projects begin to develop.

Mark Stevens