One Love (10 page)

“
Yeah, right. We believe
that.” Jackie sat back with a look of skepticism.

“
Uh-huh. And I’ve got prime
beach front property to sell in Devil’s Swamp.” Yasmin shook her
head.

“
No joke.” Lanessa smiled at
the memory.” We talked for hours and held hands.
Period.”

“
You’re telling us you and
Alex didn’t. . .” Yasmin looked unconvinced.

“
We did not. And it feels
right.” Lanessa gazed out the window.” Perfectly, completely
right.”

“
Wow, this is deep.” Jackie
shook her head. “All right, no more kidding around. Are you sure
this is a good idea?”

“
Here it comes.” Yasmin
looked at Jackie.” You are so cynical.”

“
We all know intense
emotions are par for the course with us.” Jackie glanced at them in
turn.

Lanessa and Yasmin knew exactly what
she meant. It was an axiom at the clinic that single-minded
devotion to anything was frequently used as a substitute for
dependence on alcohol. Usually it became religion or some cause.
But it also took the form of a new relationship. Lanessa turned
over this idea in her mind but rejected it.

“
I’ve loved Alex for a long
time, Jackie. I might worry about it if we’d just met. But my
feelings go back a long way,” Lanessa said.

Jackie studied her for several moments
then gave one sharp nod.” Okay. Now let’s plan a ladies night to
celebrate.”

“
Hold on, we’re just
starting out.” Lanessa wore a slight frown.” I’ve still gotta face
his mother.”

“
Child, I know what you
mean. Ed’s mama was a real bear to me. She loves me now that we’re
divorced,” Yasmin said with humorless laugh.

“
This could be bad,” Jackie
agreed.” How close are they? Joined at the hip, so to
speak?”

“
Alex is like his father,
very independent. He cares what she thinks, but Mrs. St. Romaine
doesn’t rule him.” Lanessa could just imagine the handsome woman
scouring her with disapproval.

“
As it should be. Oh,
Lanessa.” Yasmin, ever the romantic, sighed.” How wonderful to be
in love again.”

Jackie wore an amused look.” Yasmin,
this isn’t a romance novel. It’s real life.” She turned to
Lanessa.” But she’s right; it’s great that you’ve found each other
again.”

“
We don’t have our happily
ever after yet,” Lanessa said.” I’m not fooling myself. We’ve got a
lot of baggage to unload.”

“
But if you’ve found love
after everything that’s happened, then he’s your destiny.” Yasmin
wore a dreamy smile.” One day we’ll all have that kind of forever
love. Wait and see.”

”
I’d settle for a few
fun-filled weekends at this point.” Jackie wore a sassy
grin.

“
Will you stop,” Lanessa
said.” Gaston Jarreau has it bad for you.”

“
Gaston and I are about as
compatible as oil and water.” Jackie looked thoughtful.

Yasmin gave a groan of exasperation.”
I went to the trouble of introducing you to one of the most
eligible men around, and this is the thanks I get!”

“
One more thing to hold
against you,” Jackie said glaring at her.” Stop pushing men at
me.”

“
Gaston was dying to meet
you. And you like him; you just don’t want to admit it.” Yasmin
flipped her fingertips at her.

“
Yes, he is nice. But...”
Jackie stared down at her half-eaten sandwich.

“
I know how you feel. I’ve
been wondering if maybe I should leave Alex alone for his own
good.” Lanessa placed a hand on Jackie’s arm.

“
Thinking you’re not good
enough because of the past leads to self-pity. And we all know what
a trap that is.” Yasmin put her hand on Jackie’s other
arm.

“
She’s right. We’ll convince
ourselves we don’t deserve happiness and then...” Lanessa let her
voice trail off.

“
Jackie, you really do care
for Gaston. Go get him, honey.” Yasmin winked at her.” If he can
forgive you, then you should forgive yourself.”

“
Yeah, it’s not like he
doesn’t know about me.” Jackie’s somber expression relaxed into a
half-smile.” I wasn’t exactly shy back then.”

“
Are you kidding? You’re in
the Party Girl Hall of Fame!” Yasmin chuckled. “Trust me; he knows
a lot about you.”

Jackie made a comical face.” Please
don’t remind me.” She grew serious and squeezed their hands.”
Thanks y’all. Maybe I’ll call Gaston when I get back to the
office.”

“
That’s what I’m talking
about,” Yasmin said with exuberance. She looked at Lanessa. “And
you’re going to see Alex soon, I’ll bet.”

“
Tonight. We’re meeting for
dinner at the Bamboo House.” Lanessa could almost hear his deep,
velvet voice saying her name.

“
Well done ladies.” Yasmin
dabbed her mouth with a paper napkin.

“
What about you?” Jackie
eyed her.” Maybe I need to fix you up with a date.”

“
That’s a joke,
right?”Yasmin wore a cocky expression.” Sweetheart, I’m working on
my love thang.”

“
Who is it?” Lanessa sat
forward eager to hear.

“
I’m not saying. It’s too
early to kiss and tell.” Yasmin wore a cat-like smile.

“
No fair! You know our
business and now you won’t talk. Okay, but remember I find out
things for a living,” Lanessa warned.

“
Well... He’s tall, dark and
handsome for one thing.” Yasmin clearly enjoyed teasing
them.

“
Like we expected short,
pale and troll-like,” Jackie said with a snort.

“
I’m not superficial. He’s
no movie star pretty boy. He’s very intelligent and loves kids.”
Yasmin brushed back her short red hair.

“
Quit playing around and
spill it.” Lanessa poked her in the side.

Yasmin smiled at them in silence and
let the suspense build.” Charles Auguste Metoyer, IV.”

“
Honey, Hush your
mouth!”Jackie’s eyes were wide with astonishment.

“
Mercy, mercy me.” Lanessa
blinked rapidly.” The man has more money than ought to be
legal.”

“
Yes, I do believe I’ve
bagged the big one, ladies.” Yasmin giggled.

“
Wait a minute; I say this
as a friend. So don’t get mad. But he’s a well-known Casanova,”
Lanessa said.

“
I’ve heard the rumors.”
Yasmin seemed unconcerned.

“
Listen to me good. I’ve
seen the brother in action. I was no slouch on the party scene
myself back in the day.” Lanessa remembered the striking man with
ebony skin who always had a different woman by his side. “Watch
yourself.”

“
We talked about it. Charles
is at a different place. He wants more than good times,” Yasmin
said in a voice soft with affection.

“
Well, well. Seems everyone
is reforming these days.” Jackie raised her glass of diet Coke.
“Here’s to new life and new love.”

“
Amen!” Yasmin
said.

“
Yes indeed,” Lanessa chimed
in.

They tapped glasses and drank. It
seemed all three were finding happiness. Even better, they had no
starry dreams of a fairy-tale ending. Lanessa thought of Alex. His
muscular arms around her would be a welcome shelter at the end the
day. She was able to laugh and really feel good as they talked
excitedly about their plans for the coming weekend. The three women
finally said goodbye and parted. Lanessa spent the rest of the day
wading through stacks of paper. Yet the thought of Alex kept her in
a light-hearted mood. Another few hours and they would be
together.

***

Alex shuffled through over-sized
sheets of paper. The blueprints showed a number of real trouble
spots that made his task difficult. His company had been hired to
help set up an Intranet for a growing interior design firm. The old
building was an architectural treasure to the new owners. They had
grand plans on how to make it a show stopping office. To Alex it
had the potential of being a nightmare. He would have to get all
the cables and wires where they needed to be... In fact he looked
forward to the challenge. With a slight smile, he hummed a lively
melody as he made notes. The song was one that he and Lanessa had
listened to that Sunday night. It was romantic ballad sung by
Babyface and Karen White number called Love Saw it. Alex savored
the glow of their first “after dark” date in years. Lanessa had
looked delectable in a royal blue pant set. Her smile was shy and
tentative. It had made his temperature rise steadily all night.
Still they had vowed not to hurry. Remembering the heat beneath his
skin when she touched him made Alex wonder. Just how slow could he
stand to take it? Suddenly a rustling to his left brought him back
to his surroundings.

“
Daddy’s in a good mood,”
Tia whispered to her sister. “Ask him now.”

“
What do I say again?” Nia
said loudly.

“
Shh-hh.” Tia clamped a hand
over Nia’s mouth.

Alex had listened to their plotting
with amusement. They pretended to work on book reports using the
computer while he went over plans from work. They were in the
office at his house. He’d bought the three room split-level house
specifically so the girls could have space to play. Thankfully he
and Shauntelle had never had serious battles over
visitation.

“
Go on. Now,” Tia whispered
again shoving Nia forward.

“
Daddy...” Nia shot a
sideways glance at her sister.

“
Yes.” Alex preferred to
play the game. He wanted to see just how well this act had been
rehearsed.

“
You know Teisha Crandall?
She lives down the street from us. She goes to our school.” Nia
looped an arm through the open pattern of the chair he sat in. She
swung back and forth in a casual manner.

“
Chris and Nadine’s little
girl, yes I know her.” Alex kept his head down as though he the
blueprints still held his attention.

“
She just got a new computer
that plays movies.” Nia moved to stand in front of him.

“
It’s like a big
television,” Tia added.

“
Really?”

“
Uh-huh. She can do all
kinds of stuff. Teisha says it’s cause her daddy makes lots of
money.” Nia lifted a shoulder.

“
Chris is doing well in
business.” Alex kept his voice neutral.

“
Mr. Crandall is always
telling mama about his company. Just like that time you were at our
house.” Tia must have decided to take a more active
role.

Alex still did not look up. These two
little rascals! They knew how Chris Crandall’s boasting grated on
his nerves. Chris had his own telephone service and was expanding
into computer programming.

“
Hmm.” Alex pulled out
another blueprint and acted as though engrossed in it.

“
Mr. Crandall said his
company is making the competition eat dirt. What does that mean?”
Nia used her best innocent voice.

“
Honey, hand daddy his
calculator. It’s on the end of the table.” Alex busily made
notes.

“
Daddy it’s rude not to
listen when someone is talking to you.” Tia joined her sister. She
stood with her hands on her slender hips.

“
Sorry, baby,” he said to
Nia. “What were you saying?”

“
Our principal at school is
always saying how we need to keep up with the latest technology.”
Nia said her lines so well; she looked at her sister with
pride.

“
Yes or we’ll be behind,”
Tia added. They gazed at him expectantly.

“
You have a computer.” Alex
looked at them both. He saw the future in front of him as they
exchanged a glance full of meaning. They both looked at him with
barely concealed frustration.

“
But we’ve had it forever!”
Tia protested.

“
Years and years. But it was
so nice of you to get it for us,” Nia added with a smile like
honey.

Alex shook his head. “You got it two
years ago and I’ve upgraded twice.”

“
But daddy, we can’t neat
games, I mean movies. From The Learning Channel.” Tia brushed back
her thick hair. It seemed her show of patience was wearing on
her.

“
She meant educational
games,” Nia put in as for additional damage control.

“
Yeah, geography and math
games.” Tia nodded vigorously. “So we as African-American children
won’t fall behind.”

Alex sat back with a laugh. “You girls
are something else. You don’t need a new computer, you just want to
keep up with the Jones, or in this case the Crandalls.”

“
Tiesha said,” Tia’s small
mouth was open wide, poised to argue her case.

“
We don’t buy things because
of bragging by other people, Tia. Remember what I told you, think
for yourself.”

Alex sounded and felt like his father
not for the first time in the last five years. As the girls had
gotten older, their sharp minds had kept him hopping for answers.
He gave great thought to instilling the right values. With the way
he adored them, giving in to their every whim was a true
temptation. Even so he had to keep on his toes or he’d be like warm
putty in their deft little hands. He could only guess what facing
them as teenagers would be like.