by Charish Reid
“She’s cool.”
“Did you go to the nurse’s office?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
Becca went quiet. “Because I didn’t think you’d come get me.”
John ran his hands down his jaw. “Honey, I’d come to get you. Every time. I might be a little late, but I’d move mountains to get you.” Was this what made her so anxious and moody? Currently, the adults in her life had other things to do. Her mother was clear across the globe learning about city planning while her father... God only knew what, or who, he was doing.
Another sniffle. “I didn’t want to be a bother.”
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Becca...” He was fighting the impulse to open the door and scoop her up, to hold her tight in his arms and hug the disappointment out of her voice. “You’ll never be a bother. You’re my niece, my little girl.”
She said nothing.
“Did the nurse give you something at least?”
“I got a couple of crappy pads.”
“Good, Chris ran to the store and he’s getting everything you’ll need for the next few days.”
“This is so embarrassing,” she moaned against the door.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Chris and I know enough about this to help.”
“I mean it was embarrassing at school,” Becca snapped. “I had to tie a shirt around my waist for the rest of the day. Like an idiot.”
He smiled. “I doubt anyone knew what was happening. The shirt around the waist is actually pretty clever.”
“It’s not funny.”
“It is clever. Good thing Kelly was there to help you. What’s she like?”
Becca shifted against the door. “I like her. I did like you said and asked her if she wanted to be in a girl gang. She’s going to draw up a charter.”
John put his hand over his mouth to hold back the laugh. “That sounds good,” he said after a beat. “She’s a good writer?”
“She’s getting an A in English.”
“Any chance others will join the gang?”
“Kelly said that McKenna and Devon would be interested.”
“Okay, that sounds like a proper gang.”
“None of them have gotten their periods yet,” Becca said. “Kelly thinks it’s a huge deal.”
“She’s not completely wrong,” he said carefully. “It’s a milestone, but it doesn’t change who you are. You’re still Becca.”
“I feel like someone else.”
No doubt the hormones talking. “Trust me, it feels like that, but you’re still Becca.”
“I feel angry and sad and fat. My body hurts and I’m so tired.”
“I think that’s normal too. Your mom told you it was coming and what to expect, right?”
She scoffed. “Yeah, in graphic detail. I was just hoping it would happen on a weekend.”
John grinned at her seriousness. “You can’t plan these things, honey. But you can stay home from school tomorrow and Skype your mother. I’m sure she’ll want to hear the news.”
“I have to go to school,” she said in a tired voice. “I’m going to meet up with Kelly, McKenna, and Devon about our charter.”
“Would that make you feel better?” he asked. “Because you can stay here if you want. I don’t go to work until the evening and Chris can come back by again.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Can I get you anything while we wait on Chris? Cup of tea?”
“You’re not supposed to have caffeine when you’re on your period,” she said.
John didn’t know that. “Right, of course. Anything else?”
“No, I can wait.”
“Alright, honey. Do you need a hug?”
To his surprise, the door actually opened and his niece crawled out of her room. She had wiped her face but her brown skin was puffy and reddish from crying. Her large brown eyes were still watery, making John’s chest tighten. “If you need one,” she said.
“I could use one,” he said, moving her curls out of his face. “Becca, one more question.”
She looked up at him. “Yeah?”
“Where on earth did you learn about Alanis Morissette?”
She frowned. “From Kelly. She said that we need a feminist anthem; the older the better.”
“The mid ’90s is not old,” he growled in her face.
“It’s ages ago,” she said.
He took her by the armpits and pulled her from the floor, lifting her high above him. “You take that back, Miss Richards.”
Becca’s giggles sounded like music to his ears. “Put me down, Uncle Johnny!”
“Not until you apologize,” he said, jostling her.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” she said through her laughter. When he set her down, she shot him an impish look. “I know I’m supposed to respect my elders.”
“God, you’re the worst,” he said, ruffling her curls. “Get some rest and try to vary up the songs a little. You ruined Chris’s evening with ‘You Oughta Know.’”
“Fine.”
He closed the door to her room and made his way back to the living room. He checked his phone for a message from Chris and laughed when he saw:
Chris: On my way back, a hot pharmacist helped me with the period stuff. THANK YOU, BECCA!
He left Jessi a text message for her to wake up to:
John: Your little girl is a little lady now. Chris and I are handling the fallout :)
God, he could use a drink. Just when he thought he had a handle on Becca, he found he was barely scratching the surface. And then there was still the business that occurred in the library between him and Victoria. John still couldn’t believe she’d kissed him. Seduction in the stacks hadn’t been his objective, but sharing such a small space with her delicate flower scent, that ass in a tight skirt, drove him mad with want. There were cameras back there for that very reason. Horny teens were always getting up to shenanigans in the History section. John cursed his recklessness, but did not regret that kiss. Victoria was timid with her hands, but not with her mouth.
He also wondered what he was thinking suggesting a sordid affair. He knew that it was probably similar language used in the book she stole, but he had no idea what that would look like. John wasn’t a duke, he was a Midwestern public librarian who hadn’t properly seduced a woman in two years. And he was also a researcher. An idea struck him, making him run upstairs to his bedroom.
When he found his e-reader, he searched the title For the Duke’s Convenience. John took a deep breath and purchased the book, frowning at the traditional romance cover. An Edwardian-era rake with black hair and an intense gaze appeared to be ravishing a young blonde woman with a plunging neckline. “Jesus,” he muttered.
This is going to be a struggle.
Chapter Ten
“I call this meeting to order,” Paula said, knocking on Victoria’s coffee table.
Victoria rolled her eyes and looked between Paula and Regina. The day after the library incident, she’d let it slip to Paula in the faculty break room. Before she knew it, the text chain had begun. Paula demanded a “wine night,” which prompted Regina put her sons to bed and tell her husband not to wait up. “This feels more like an intervention.”
“That will come later,” Regina said, pouring herself another drink. “For now, I want to know who this guy is and when you’re going to fuck him.”
Victoria choked on her wine. “Jeez, Reggi.”
“That was the end-goal when you kissed him, right?”
“Our girl actually kissed him.” Paula clapped excitedly.
Victoria groaned and buried her face in her couch cushions. “I can’t believe I did that.” But she had and there were no take-backs. Not that she hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed the w
ay John’s arms had wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. The initial embarrassment of the kiss had worn off as she’d driven home, and had been replaced with excitement.
Regina was already on her phone, her red nails scrolling furiously. “I don’t know how you didn’t do it the first time you met him. This boy is fine...”
“Lemme see,” Paula said craning her neck. “Good god, Vicki.”
“That body is all kinds of right.”
Victoria sat up. “Okay, okay, ladies,” she said. “Let’s calm ourselves and talk about the facts. What’s our plan? I need a plan.”
Regina pointed her phone at her. “It’s a fact that this white boy has an ass that won’t quit. You need any other facts?”
“I don’t need to see the photos.”
Paula picked up her wine glass and swirled the contents. “Because you’re already well acquainted with it in real life?”
Her friends were impossible, but she was glad to have them. They’d been tight ever since their first unsure days of college, when they were still figuring things out. Regina was the bombastic ass-kicker, Paula was the dreamy writer who always landed on her feet, and Victoria kept everyone in line with an organized plan. “I need you to get serious,” she said, raising a brow at Paula.
Paula put her hands up in defense. “What’s the plan, Vicki?”
“Better yet?” Regina interrupted. “What’s holding you back?”
Victoria shrugged. “It’s not professional and it’s not me. I reached out to him to start a project for the department, not to have some...sordid affair.” The fear of losing herself in anything other than work was very real for her. There were too many things she needed to accomplish in her career. For four years, she’d struggled to make a new name for the Pembroke University English department. Before her, Jennifer, and Alison had started, two more men had filled their positions and the department had lacked in diversity. When Victoria had arrived, she’d been anxious to revamp their program with new courses. Over time, she had learned just how slow the wheel turned regarding university policy. It wasn’t a sprint, but a marathon. And she couldn’t reduce speed for a man, no matter how beautiful he was. Or how powerful his hands felt as they held the small of her back.
“Well, you can pump the breaks and go back to just working any time you want,” Paula said, eyeing her. “You don’t have to do anything.”
“That’s true, girl. What do you want to do?”
Victoria looked at them both and then down at her wine. “He’s so attractive...”
Regina sat on the edge of her seat. “And?”
And she wanted to climb him like a tree. “And I have to think about it. What he’s asking is...a little bizarre.”
“So when was the last time you two spoke?” Paula asked.
“At the library.”
“But that was last night,” Paula said. “No emails or no texts?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t had time to deal with it. And if I had to guess, he’s got his hands full with his twelve-year-old niece.”
“Yes,” Paula said. “You said something about a sister and niece?”
“His stepsister is in Europe at the moment and he’s keeping her daughter.”
“Oh my god, I’m getting sexy single dad vibes.” Regina giggled.
“Right, and it’s another reason to not get involved,” Victoria said. “I’ve never dated anyone with children. What if I disrupt their situation? I’m so used to following my own schedule and a little person requires a lot of time. I don’t think he’s even considered how complicated the logistics would be.” Victoria’s mind went back to how John had teased her in the history section. Who asks such a question? She bit her lip to keep from smiling like an idiot. “Besides, kids kind of get in the way of...fun times.”
Regina rolled her eyes. “If that were the case, Pete and I would have stopped after the first one.”
“You’re not even a little curious to see how he gets along as a temporary dad?” asked Paula. “What if they’re really cute together? You could have a peek into your future as doting parents of your own little girl.”
Victoria grimaced at the idea. “Jesus, that’s just a little too terrifying, don’t you think? I haven’t even agreed to have the sordid affair yet.” If she was going to consider being the mother of John’s imaginary children, she’d have to first unlearn most of what her mother taught her.
Paula didn’t let up. “Oh my god, what if he could see you interacting with his niece? And he fell in love with how you two bonded...” The dreamy far-off look in her friend’s eyes made Victoria frown.
“Wait, are you plotting something for your new book?” Victoria asked.
Paula looked sheepishly into her glass of wine. “Maybe? Sorry, girl.”
“Okay, because I do not like the idea of auditioning for a motherhood role. If he doesn’t get that my career is currently my baby, then that’s a definite turnoff. I already spend enough of my life playing roles for other people. Playing mommy can’t be another one.”
Regina narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”
She sighed. “You know what I mean, playing roles, wearing masks. I have to do it at work, whenever I go home to see my mother. It’s exhausting.”
Paula set her glass down, her face shifting to a somber expression. “You’re doing what Paul Laurence Dunbar instructed.”
Victoria gave a sad smile. Another one of Paula’s literary figures was correct. “‘We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes.’”
“If we’re going to go there,” Regina added. “Let me remind y’all that Claude McKay offered the opposite advice: ‘If we must die, let it not be like hogs.’”
“Therein lies the problem,” Victoria said, raising her finger in response. “Because it was DuBois who said that black folks live in a constant state of dualism. According to him, I can never be just Victoria Reese. I have to be someone else whenever I step foot in the hallways of Pembroke. There’s no way around it.”
“That’s fair,” Paula said. “Now that we’ve got the black philosophers out of the way, what are you going to do in this situation?”
Victoria chuckled. “Good question. I don’t know yet.”
“Can we keep it real for a minute?” Regina asked.
“Yes, let’s.”
“Kevin wasn’t your last screw, was it?”
Victoria’s face colored. “Reggi...”
“Keeping it Real Rules apply here,” her friend said. “You know how this goes.”
Their Keeping it Real Rules were set in place years ago to keep transparency between the three best friends. Whenever one of them was in a tight spot, the other two made sure to “gather her” before she did anything stupid. Absolute honesty was needed for the problem to be solved. Victoria was a fan of the concept, but often found herself on the embarrassing end of her girlfriends’ interrogations. “Kevin was the last,” she admitted.
“He was a year ago,” Paula gasped. “Not even a little harmless hookup?”
“The Keeping it Real Rules call for a judgement free zone,” Victoria reminded her friends. “Please, cut me some slack.”
“Fine, fine, fine. But Paula raises a good point. You can’t keep letting your work get in the way of having, as you call it, ‘fun time.’ You dumped Kevin because he wanted to spend time with you. You complained that he got in the way of work.”
“He didn’t even meet your parents,” Paula added.
Kevin hadn’t been destined to meet her parents. The university IT worker was too boring for her father and not impressive enough for her mother. Katherine Reese would have pounced on his inability to spot the salad fork at a restaurant. Whenever it came to men, it was her mother, not her father, who discriminated harshly. Katherine’s behavior had always confused Victoria,
considering how dangerously close she was to becoming “a bookish spinster.” No, she absolutely didn’t want to juggle both her mother and a boyfriend. “Kevin was also terrible in bed,” she said.
“What do you think John might be like in bed?”
She leaned against the couch arm and thought about it. Judging by the way his arms had felt around her body and the passion in his kiss... “I can only imagine,” she flashed the ladies a grin and wink.
Regina pulled up the social media photos once more and nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I’m imagining as well.”
“Alrighty then,” Paula said, taking another drink. “While we’re sitting here imagining, can I ask you another question? Does he seem like a safe guy?”
Victoria nodded. “He does. Even though the kiss was a little startling, I still felt like I was in control.”
“If you say no to his proposition, can you keep working with him?” Regina asked. “Will it be weird?”
Victoria had thought about that. “Sure, it might be weird, but I have a choice. If I don’t want to engage, I’ll let him know and we’ll just set boundaries. Simple as that.”
Her friends exchanged a covert glance at one another.
“What?”
Regina cleared her throat. “To hear you describe how magical the ‘History Section Kiss’ was, I feel like simple as that might not be the case.”
“Right...” Victoria replied. She had also thought of the alternative. “If I do want to engage, I need to be careful.”
“Careful is your middle name,” Paula pointed out.
“I thought your full name was Victoria Reserved Reese,” Regina added. “Your flirting skills are kinda dusty.”
Victoria scoffed. “Who’s dusty? I’m the one who made out in the History section.”
The three fell out with laughter. “I’ve seen you work those hips, so I know you’ve got it in you,” Paula said over Regina’s giggles. “But sometimes, you do this thing when you get nervous.”
“What thing?”
Regina stepped in. “What Paula’s trying to say is sometimes you get kinda snappish at men who have taken an interest in you. I’m surprised you let this one get far enough for a kiss.”