I Heard A Rumor (27 page)

Chante hoped so as well. When she heard the click of cameras and Liza cursing, she knew that the media was running with this story. “This is some bull,” Chante muttered as she crossed over to the window. The street was lined with media trucks. She saw a Mustang zoom down the street, followed by Jackson's SUV.

“You all need to get off the property and give Miss Britt privacy,” Chante heard Liza say, then slam the door. “Damned vultures,” Liza said when she returned to the living room.

“I hope Zach and Jackson can make it inside without a problem. I saw them pull up while you were shooing the media away.”

Liza looked out the window. “They aren't leaving,” she said. “And it looks like the police are coming in with Jackson and Zach.”

Chante sighed. She wanted to give her statement and get the hell out of Dodge. “Good, maybe Zach and I can be far away from here before midnight.”

“Getting away is a good idea,” Liza said. “But you know that when you come back, the reporters are still going to have questions.”

“Then I guess you're going to have to write a nice statement for me requesting privacy.” Chante took a sip of her wine.

“You're lucky I love you or I'd send you a bill.” Liza winked at Chante and picked up her wineglass.

“I know. But you also know I can't afford you right now,” she replied. Liza crossed over to the door when she heard a knock. Chante was so excited to hear Zach's voice. Putting her wine down, she crossed over to him and hugged him tightly.

“The detectives want to talk to you,” Zach said. “But if you're not up to it . . .”

“No, I would tell my own client to give a statement while it's still fresh.”

“Zoe said if you need her to help you with the case, she's willing to do whatever you need.”

“Tell your sister thanks, but I'm hoping I won't need any help and the DA will get it right—if it even goes to trial.”

Zach kissed her forehead. “We're not going to worry about that.”

“Excuse me, Miss Britt. I'm Detective Marcus Thomas.”

Chante extended her hand to him. “Please call me Chante,” she said.

“I'd like to take your statement. Mr. Harrington gave us his at your office, and I understand that you two are going out of town for a little while.”

Chante nodded and led the detective into the living room. She almost regretted the half-empty bottle of wine she and Liza had left on the middle of the table.

“I didn't drink all of this by myself,” she said when she noticed the detective looking at the wine bottle.

“After the day you had, it would be understandable.”

Zach wrapped his arm around Chante's shoulder as Detective Thomas began asking her about what happened inside her office. As she told her story, Zach could feel her tense up. He gently stroked her arm as she spoke, and his touch seemed to calm her.

“One last question,” Detective Thomas said.

“What's that?”

“When's the wedding?”

Chante looked from the detective to Zach. “What?”

“I see a lot of couples in my line of work, and I have to say, you two have some amazing chemistry.”

“Put Montgomery away and you'll be on the VIP guest list,” Zach said.

“Miss Britt, thank you for your time,” Detective Thomas said as he rose to his feet. “And if there are still a bunch of reporters out there, then I will threaten to arrest them if they don't leave.”

“Thank you,” Chante said. Zach rose to his feet and escorted the detective to the door. Then he turned to Chante.

“Go pack,” he said.

She gave him a mock salute, then headed for the kitchen, where Jackson and Liza had been hanging out.

“Everything all right?” Jackson asked as he sipped a cup of coffee.

“Yes, we can finally leave now,” Chante said. “I just hope no one has a clue as to where we're going.”

“While you were talking with the detective, your grandmother called, and she is really mad at you. I told her you would call her, and she said she's going to take you over her knee,” Liza said, then handed Chante her phone.

Chante burst out laughing. “And I thought she was still on her cruise.”

“Are you going to see your mom?” Liza asked.

Sighing, she shook her head. Typical, her Grammy cared more about her than her mother did. Chante wouldn't be surprised if her mother was trying to figure out how to keep this story from the neighbors for fear of embarrassment.

“I'll think about that later. Zach told me to pack a bag, and I wanted to thank you both for being here for me.”

“Chante, you're family,” Jackson said. “And your dude Zach is cool. He really cares about you. And he's a much better man than me because I think I would've pistol-whipped Robert until the police got there.”

“Ooh, don't talk like that,” Liza said. “You know when you go all Batman that gets me hot.”

“Oh, Lord,” Chante, said then rolled her eyes.

“Do we need to put a fire out before heading back to Raleigh?” he asked with a seductive tone to his voice. Liza nodded. Chante shook her head.

“Just lock up when you leave! Liza still has a key.” Chante went upstairs and packed two bags. When Zach walked into her bedroom with a smile on his face, she was so ready to go.

“I see Liza and Jackson have made themselves at home,” he said with a chuckle.

“Still in the honeymoon phase, I guess. If you're ready to go, so am I. My grammy's threatening to spank me.”

“Now, you know that's my job,” he quipped.

“You are so bad,” she replied. “Let's go.”

 

 

The ride to Charleston was quite uneventful, and Zach was thrilled. Chante slept most of the way. He imagined that her adrenaline rush had worn off and she needed the rest. It was a good thing Chante had loaded her grandmother's address into the GPS before she went to sleep. Zach wanted her to rest as long and as much as she could. When he pulled into her grandmother's driveway, the place looked totally different from when they'd hidden out in the cottage before. The renovations were complete, and the house looked as if it belonged on the cover of a home and garden magazine.

“Chante,” he said as he put the car in park, “we're here.”

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at the house. “It feels good to be home,” she said as she stretched her arms above her head. “Why did you let me sleep so long?”

“Because you needed to?” he said with a shoulder shrug. The porch light flickered on, and Chante opened the passenger door as an older woman stepped onto the porch. Zach was barely out of the car by the time Chante was up the steps and embracing the woman.

“Girl, do you know how worried I've been about you? And the news made it seem as if you were dead. I thought I was going to have to slip your mama a sleeping pill. And who is Zachary Harrington?”

Zach cleared his throat. “That would be me,” he said.

The older woman let Chante go and then wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. “You saved my baby.” She took a step back. “And you're so handsome. Very handsome. This is the kind of man you have babies with.”

“Grammy!” Chante exclaimed. “Zach, you have to forgive my grammy, Elsie Mae. She is something else.”

“Chante Britt, you know I speak my mind, and I don't care. Come on, let's go inside before we become dinner for the mosquitoes.”

“I like her,” Zach whispered to Chante.

“I knew you would.”

Elsie led them into a grand sitting room, where there was a teapot and a snifter of brandy sitting on the table. “Elsie?” a man said as he walked into the room.

“Theo, I told you my grandbaby was on the way.”

“Hi, Mr. Theo, how are you?” Chante said.

He crossed over to Chante and gave her a tight hug. “Just fine, darling. I'm glad you got here because this woman was worried about you.”

“Yes, I was, but I didn't know she had her own personal hero. Theo, this is Zachary Harrington, the man who saved my baby from a maniac.”

Theo shook hands with Zach, and Zach could've sworn he'd seen that man somewhere before. “Nice to meet you, son,” Theo said. “I do hope you two will join us in a nightcap.”

“Of course they will,” Elsie said as he pushed them toward that sofa. “Besides, I want to tell you the amazing news.”

“What news?” Chante asked.

Theo and Elsie joined hands. “We're married.”

Chante hugged her grandmother and Mr. Theo. “This is wonderful! And what took you so long?”

Elsie pointed her finger at Chante. “I wish your mother had been so happy. But she's being such a drama queen right now, I can't deal with her. I just hope she has the good sense to act like she's happy at our garden party on Saturday.”

“And then leave for our cruise in Greece,” Theo said excitedly.

“There's one more thing,” Elsie said. “And I know your mama isn't going to like this either, but I'm having this house declared a historic landmark.”

“Why wouldn't she like that? It adds more history to our family.”

Theo and Elsie exchanged glances. “I'm not going to be living here anymore. This house represents my past. A marriage that wasn't the greatest . . . But a lot of good things happened in this house that the city and all of her visitors should know about. Plans for the Stono Rebellion started right here on this property. And this was the first house owned by a black person in this county. It's been in our family for centuries, and your mother is going to blow a gasket. But she'll get over it.”

Chante smiled with pride. “I think it's a great idea, but where are you guys going to live now?”

“Well, when we're in town, we'll stay at my place,” Theo said. “But my Elsie wants to travel the world. And since there has been this renewed interest in my music, we're going to be getting paid to travel.”

“I knew you looked familiar,” Zach said. “Theodore Tanner, the man with the golden voice.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“I'm happy for you, Grammy,” Chante said. “Let's toast with some of that Magnolia wine from Irvin Vineyards.”

“Stay out of my wine cellar, girl!” Elsie joked. “Theo, will you be a dear and bring the wine up?”

A few moments later, the four of them were toasting with the sweet wine. And Zach was sure that when Miss Elsie started yawning, it was because she was tired, not trying to drop a hint to him and Chante.

“Why don't we get together for breakfast in the morning?” Chante asked as she and Zach rose from their seats.

“As long as you mean lunch, I'm all for it,” Elsie said.

“Grammy, you're a mess.” Chante and her grandmother hugged.

“I'm so glad you're okay. You don't know how scared I was.” Then Elsie turned to Zach. “You keep taking care of my grandbaby, and I won't hold being a Yankee against you.”

“I'm going to take care of her for a long time,” Zach said as he looked at Chante.

“All right, you two, get out of here.”

It was close to midnight when Chante and Zach checked into the bed and breakfast. She was glad she'd slept on the way into Charleston because she was wide awake now. “This view is amazing,” she said as she stepped out onto the balcony.

“I think I have a better view,” Zach said as he leaned on the doorjamb and watched Chante walk the length of the wide balcony.

She turned around and faced him with a saucy grin on her face. “Is that so? Because you haven't seen anything yet.” Chante pulled her dress off and stood there in her strapless bra and lace thong.

“Damn!”

She sauntered over to him. Taking her into his arms, Zach brought his lips down on top of hers, kissing her passionately. With one hand, he unsnapped her barely there bra and tossed it aside. Her skin felt like silk underneath his fingertips as he stroked her back. He couldn't believe that just a few hours ago he'd almost lost Chante. He brought his hands up to her breasts, softly kneading them until her nipples were as hard as diamonds. She moaned softly, like the warm wind that blew over them. Zach pulled her thong off and spun her around.

“You're a sexy work of art,” he moaned as he led her to the wicker sofa in the corner of the balcony.

“I love you so much,” he said before kissing her again. Slowly their tongues danced as Chante reached down and tugged at his belt buckle, but he grabbed her wrist.

“Slow down, baby. I want to taste you first.” He flipped Chante on her back and held her wrists. With a deliberate pace, he explored the curves of her body, using his tongue as his guide.

Starting with her breasts, he kissed and sucked until her nipples hardened. Chante moaned as he inched down her stomach, tasting her as if she was made from the nectar of the gods. Clutching his shoulders, she nearly exploded as his lips made their way to the folds of skin between her thighs. Her legs shook as his tongue found her throbbing bud and sent ripples of pleasure through her. She tossed her head back and called out Zach's name over and over again like a mantra. Reversing his direction, Zach found his way to Chante's lips, and she could taste her essence on his tongue as he kissed her deeply, making her heady with passion.

“Zach, I need you,” Chante moaned as he covered her body with his. He slipped his hands between her thighs and felt the heat radiating from her core. When he felt how wet and ready she was for him, Zach got even harder. Wrapping her legs around his waist, he fell into her hot wetness and felt as if he'd died and gone to heaven.

No other woman had moved him the way Chante did. It was more than sex; they had a connection that he reveled in. She was a part of his soul, and as they ebbed back and forth on the edge of ecstasy, Zach knew he'd never love another woman as much as he loved Chante.

Wrapped up in each other's arms, the duo fell asleep on the sofa, glad to be high up in the air so nobody could snap a picture of their ecstasy.

 

 

The chirping of birds woke Chante, but the warmth of Zach's arms made it hard to move.

“Mmm, good morning,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.

“It's a good and beautiful morning,” she said. Chante sat up and pointed at the horizon. The sunrise had painted the sky with blue, gold, and a hint of pink. “Grammy used to call this the love sky. I finally get it now.”

“The love sky? It's almost as beautiful as you are.”

“Zach, we're back where it all started, only there won't be any drinks thrown this time.”

“Nope, but we will be eating oysters tonight.” He winked at her. “I love you Chante, and I don't ever want to lose you.”

“You won't.”

“I know I won't,” he said. “Marry me.”

“I-I don't know what to say.”

“Yes would be the appropriate answer. Last time we were here, our engagement was fake, but I heard a rumor that we've fallen in love.”

“How are we going to make that work? You live in New York, and my practice is in Charlotte.”

“We get a house in Virginia and commute.”

Chante laughed. “You've thought about this, haven't you?”

“Yep. And your mama is just going to have to get over having a damned Yankee for a son-in-law because I'm in this forever.”

Chante smiled and decided that she and Zach would wait until Saturday before they told anyone about their engagement—including Liza and Jackson.

“Liza would post it on Twitter. She can't help herself.”

“She's going to get you when she finds out you didn't tell her first thing,” Zach quipped.

“Let's wash up and go have breakfast,” she said.

Zach flipped Chante on her back. “Actually, I'd rather have you for my breakfast.” He parted her legs . . .

After spending the morning making love, Chante and Zach finally pulled themselves from the bed in time to head back to Elsie's for a late lunch. When they arrived and saw her mother's car parked in the driveway, Chante groaned.

“We were having such a great day,” she said as they got out of the car.

“That doesn't have to change. I'm sure your mother will be happy to see you after everything that's happened.”

Chante rolled her eyes and held back a caustic comment. “We'll see.” They went up onto the porch and were greeted with the smell of grilled chicken and barbeque. “Hello,” Chante said as they walked in.

“We're in the kitchen,” Elsie called out. Zach followed Chante down the long hall leading to the kitchen. The place felt like a museum. There were pictures that looked to be at least one hundred years old in silver frames.

“Must be nice to know your family history like this,” he said. “I'd love to see the baby pictures of you in your little ruffled panties.”

“Oh, don't say that around them,” Chante whispered as they walked into the kitchen.

“Say what?” Elsie asked.

Chante smiled. “Nothing,” she said, then crossed over to her grandmother and gave her a tight hug.

“Baby pictures,” Zach said as Allison walked into the kitchen.

“Chante! Oh, Chante, I'm so glad to see you.” Genuine tears sprang into her mother's eyes as she rushed over to Chante and enveloped her in a tight hug. “I was so scared, and your father was . . .”

“About to drive to Charlotte and shoot somebody myself,” Eli said when he walked into the kitchen carrying a platter of meat. Allison wiped her eyes and then turned to Zach.

“Mr. Harrington.”

“Zach, please call me Zach.”

Allison crossed over to him and gave him a hug as well. “I'm going to call you a hero. You saved my daughter's life, and there's nothing I can ever say to tell you how grateful I am.”

“You don't have to thank me for saving the woman I love.”

Allison brought her hand to her mouth. “Love? Is this for real this time?”

Chante smiled. “Yes, Mom, it's very real.”

Elsie shot her daughter a cautioning look. “Well,” Allison said, “I learned something over this whole ordeal. Life is about more than who gets married and who doesn't. You two just do your thing, and I'm going to mind my business. Though I'd love to be Nana one day—soon.”

“That was real subtle, Mom,” Chante said as she walked over to her father and gave him a kiss. He wiped the barbecue sauce from his hands and hugged her tightly.

“Chante Britt, I'm glad you're okay, because what you did with Amanda Chavis shows what kind of brilliant mind you have.”

“I got it from my brilliant parents,” she said as she stole a chicken wing from the tray.

“Well, I'm glad you're taking that brilliant mind of yours and making money for yourself,” Elsie said. “A woman like you should never work for men stuck in the dark ages.”

“Elsie,” Theo said as he entered the kitchen with a tray filled with grilled corn on the cob. “Are you about to start ranting about sexism, again? This is just a nice family lunch.”

“All right, honey, you get a reprieve for now,” she said with a wink.

Chante took a wing over to Zach and whispered, “You still have a chance to run.”

“No way,” he said. “You just wait till you meet my sister. As a matter of fact, I might not introduce her to you until we're married.”

“She can't be that bad.”

“No, she's worse.”

For the first time in years, Chante actually enjoyed having lunch with her family. There was no arguing, no judgment, and no pretense. She checked the wine to see what they were drinking and decided she'd take a case of it back to Charlotte if this was how it made people act.

“Well,” Elsie said, “I have an announcement.”

“Mother, I don't know how many more surprises I can take from you this week,” Allison said as she fanned herself. “You go on a cruise and come back married. Who does that?”

“I do, now hush up. Theo and I are having a party here to celebrate the renovations on the house and announce his tour.”

“That sounds like a good time,” Eli said. “We are invited, aren't we?”

“Eli, you jokester, of course. All of my family will be here, and I couldn't be more excited.”

“Chante,” Allison asked, “you will be here, right? I know you must be busy with your new business. And just like your father, I'm really proud of you.”

Chante wanted to cry. How many years had she waited to hear her mother say those words to her?

Zach stroked her leg underneath the table as if he could feel her emotions. “We wouldn't miss it,” Chante said, then winked at her grandmother.

 

 

Over the next three days, Zach and Chante played tourist. There were no cameras or bloggers chasing them this time. But when she woke up Saturday morning and he wasn't in bed with her, she felt instantly nervous. What had happened? Where was he? And just when she was about to give in to panic, the door to the suite opened and Zach walked in.

“Where have you been?” she asked as she tossed a pillow at him.

“Whoa, whoa! I had to meet Miss Elsie this morning.”

“What?”

“I may be a Yankee, but I know you don't announce you're marrying a southern belle without a ring.”

“Let me see it,” she said with a smile.

“After you hit me with a pillow, I don't think so. You can wait until tonight.”

Chante hopped out of the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Zach, I'll make it worth your while,” she said like a little sex kitten.

“I think it will benefit me more later tonight. You're going to be thinking about it all day too.”

“You're so wrong.”

“Yep.”

“I called Liza and told her about the party at my grammy's, but she and Jackson can't make it. They have a prior commitment in Fayetteville.”

“Jackson has to be the first politician I've ever met that I feel I can trust.”

Chante nodded and forced herself not to think about Robert. Zach noted her silence. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked.

“No, it's just crazy how Robert's insanity brought the right man into my life and Liza's.”

Zach stroked her arms. “New rule: we never say his name again. He's the past, and tonight is all about the future.”

“Right,” she said. “The future Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Harrington.”

Zach kissed her slow and tender. When they broke the kiss, Chante smiled at him. “Now can I see the ring?”

He tweaked her nose. “No.”

Chante pouted and walked away. “Then I'm not going to show you my new bikini until we get to the beach!”

“You're so cute when you pout,” he said.

 

 

After a day of frolicking on the beach, the couple returned to their suite to get ready for the party.

Chante decided to show off her sun-kissed skin in an emerald-green strapless mermaid dress. She pulled her curly hair up in a messy bun and clipped on a pair of gold earrings.

Zach walked into the bathroom, where Chante was brushing a bit of foundation on her face. “You're so damned sexy,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Are you sure you're not a model?”

“You're really piling it high and deep.”

“Talk your junk now, but when you see this ring, I want to hear all apologies.”

“This ring better be everything you're hyping it up to be.”

“That little bit of reverse psychology isn't going to work on me.”

Chante turned around and faced her handsome fiancé. He looked like a chocolate-dipped James Bond in his tuxedo. Forget Idris, Zach could be the next Bond. “I know what's working on me,” she said.

“And that is?”

“You in this suit. Hot.”

“I can't wait until our really nice clothes are lying in a pile in the middle of the floor because what's underneath that dress is what I can't wait to see.”

Chante smoothed her hands down his lapels. “We'd better go or we're not going to make it out the door.” She reached into his jacket pocket and grabbed his car keys. “And since you won't show me the ring, I'm driving. With the top down.”

Zach and Chante arrived at Elsie's house windblown and late. Chante, who hadn't driven the Mustang all week, decided to take the scenic route, much to Zach's dismay.

“You drive too damn fast,” he said as they pulled up to the house. And he reached up and smoothed back a couple of curls that had fallen from her bun.

“I only drive like this in a Mustang.”