If It Isn't Love

by Hodges, Cheris

  Ingrid opened her eyes. “You don’t even like her.”

  “So, I know the only reason she called was to pump me for information. But I got a lot more from her. What time is he picking you up for dinner? I don’t have any plans and I will be more than happy to take my godson to the park or to your mom’s house because she promised DeShawn potato bread with dinner.”

  Ingrid shook her head as she looked at her friend. Despite how much Christina ate, she never seemed to gain a pound. I bet Ruby would’ve loved her as Jay Slade’s girlfriend.

  “What?” Christina asked, noticing her friend’s stare.

  “I’m not going out with Jason and I wish he would leave me alone.”

  “Are you avoiding him because you don’t want him to meet his son?”

  Ingrid frowned, “You have a house, and maybe it’s time for you to go there.”

  Christina stood up and yawned. “Fine, but the truth will come. What are you afraid of? Obviously Jason loves you too or he wouldn’t be taking this abuse from you. Anna Belle said you were pretty ugly to him.”

  “Bye, Christina!”

  Christina slinked out the front door and Ingrid wondered, was there truth in what her friend said? Did Jason still love her?

  Jason left the restaurant after eating his fill. As he headed to the car, his cell phone rang. “Yeah?”

  “Jay Slade, it’s Ruby. I ran your idea by the folk at Def Jam South and they love it. Unfortunately for me, I have to come down to the sticks and monitor the contest. I’m flying down in the morning and I have secured a house for us. Also, Debony is coming for the final phase of the contest since she got her start on a church choir or something like that and she has a new album dropping.”

  Damn! Ruby is the last person that needs to come here. I know she doesn’t like Ingrid, he thought. “Why are you coming?” he asked.

  “Because you have been and always will be my creation and I’m not going to let all of my hard work go to waste because you’re nostalgic.”

  “Goodbye, Ruby,” Jason said then clicked the end button on his phone. He’d deal with her later, right now he had a woman’s heart to win. Jason headed two blocks down the street to Elmore Florist so that he could get Ingrid a dozen or two red roses. She loved roses and he was going to have bouquets delivered to her every hour until she agreed to have dinner with him. As he walked into the flower shop, the clerk, who was about eighteen, shrieked. “Oh my God, it’s Jay Slade.”

  The three customers in the store, turned and looked at Jason and smiled. He was glad they were older and probably didn’t listen to his music. They nodded at him as he leaned against the counter. “I need your help,” he said to the clerk.

  “Oh, OK,” she said.

  “I need three dozen red roses and I need them to be delivered to the same woman at two different addresses. The only problem is, I only have one address,” Jason said.

  “Well, I can try and find her address, what’s her name?”

  “Ingrid Russ—Harrington.”

  “Miss Ingrid from Soul To The Bone. She is so sweet and she’s going to love the flowers.”

  “I want the first dozen to go to the restaurant in an hour,” Jason said as he glanced down at his watch. “The second dozen I need delivered about two o’clock and I want the last dozen to show up at her house about five. The only thing is, I don’t have her home address.”

  The clerk smiled and started typing rapidly on the computer at the edge of the counter. “I have it in here, everybody sent her flowers when Mr. Louis died. That was so sad.” She looked up from the computer. “How do you and Miss Ingrid know each other?”

  “We grew up together and I’ve always had a big crush on her,” Jason said with a wily smile.

  The clerk smiled back and handed him three cards to write his message on them. “When you’re finished, may I please have an autograph?” She reached underneath the counter and pulled out Jay Slade’s Twisted CD and a marker. Jason signed the cover after he’d written on the cards to Ingrid. He handed her the cost of the flowers and a hefty tip. “Thank you so much,” he said. As Jason walked out the florist shop, he nodded toward the other ladies, “Have a good day.”

  Ingrid walked into the restaurant at eleven-thirty to get ready for the lunch crowd. If breakfast was any indication, there were going to be a lot of people in the restaurant hoping for another Jay Slade sighting. Ingrid hoped he wouldn’t make another appearance as she placed silverware on a table at the front of the restaurant. A half an hour later, the bell chimed above the door and a florist delivery man walked in carrying a dozen roses.

  “What’s this, Doug?” Ingrid asked, recognizing him from all the deliveries he’d made to her house following Louis’s death.

  “These are for you, Miss Ingrid,” he said as he handed her the heavy crystal vase.

  “Thank you,” she said as she walked over to the counter and set the flowers down. Ingrid reached into her pocket and handed him a five dollar bill.

  “Oh no, the tip has been taken care of,” he said. “You have a good day.”

  As Doug left the restaurant, Ingrid pulled the card out and read it.

  Have dinner with me, tonight and I promise you that you’ll remember

  how good we were together.

  Jason.

  Ingrid tossed the card in the trashcan behind the counter and frowned as she fingered the petals on one of the roses. Before she could decide if she was going to meet him for dinner or not, Lois Russell walked into the restaurant with DeShawn.

  “Mommy,” DeShawn exclaimed as he rushed over to Ingrid. She leaned down and hugged her son.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Ingrid asked her mother as she helped DeShawn on to a bar stool.

  “Do I need to make a reservation to see my daughter?” Lois asked as she sat beside her grandson. “Nice flowers. Are they for you?”

  Ingrid rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

  “Who are they from?” Lois pressed.

  “No one important, just a customer. Do you two want some lunch?”

  “I want a hamburger!” DeShawn chimed in.

  Ingrid looked at her mother. “Why isn’t he in art camp?”

  Lois shrugged. “Celina canceled class early. It’s a good thing I didn’t have to get my hair done today or he’d be alone with Christina all day.”

  “You say that as if it is a bad thing,” Ingrid said. “Christina is good with him and you’re usually too busy to spend time with either of us.”

  Lois fanned her hand at Ingrid. “She’s a wild child. Always has been. I think I’ll have a chicken breast plate with cabbage.”

  Ingrid shook her head and turned to Felix to give him the order. “I saw you were crowded this morning, were you giving away food or something?” Lois asked.

  “Jason was here.”

  “That bastard.”

  “Ooh, Grandma said a bad word,” DeShawn said as Ingrid set a glass of milk in front of her son.

  “Please watch your language,” Ingrid said shooting an annoyed look at her mother.

  “Well, I can’t stand that bad guy. How could he let you marry that old man when he was supposed to love you? You gave up school to run off to New York with him and what do you have to show for it? You’re slinging hash in a greasy spoon when you could’ve been developing websites making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Or you could’ve really gotten into writing. Remember you wanted to write a book or be a journalist. You gave all of that up for his dreams and what did that get you?”

  “Ma, I really don’t want to get into this with you today. But the best thing that ever happened to me is sitting right beside you. Louis was good to us and the least I can do for his memory is keep his vision alive,” Ingrid said in a calm voice that belied her anger.

  Lois rolled her eyes. “I think you should go back to school and close this place down or at least allow someone else to run it.”

  Felix rang the bell alerting Ingrid to the fact that the food was ready. Ingri
d was glad that she got a brief reprieve from talking to her mother. When she looked at her faithful cook, he gave her a sympathetic look. Ingrid smiled and took the two plates.

  “DeShawn, go wash your hands, ” Ingrid said.

  “Yes ma’am,” he said as he hopped off the stool. When her son was out of earshot, Ingrid turned to her mother and shook her head.

  “Mother, I know you had expectations for me, but I’m happy and so is DeShawn. I’d appreciate it if you would stop passing judgment on what I’ve done with my life. Because it is my life and not yours.”

  Lois dipped her fork in the cabbage. “Fine, but don’t make another mistake and let Jason come back into your life when he just tossed you aside before.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” she said unconvincingly.

  “Sure, it isn’t. That boy still has his hooks in you. I can see it in your eyes.”

  Ingrid was about to protest when the front door opened and fifteen people walked in. She smiled because they were the regular lunch crowd. Dina walked out into the dining room and started seating the regulars. It didn’t take long for Jay Slade fans to show up. Ingrid was tempted to tell them there was a five dollar minimum to sit at the tables and wait for him but she didn’t. She just filled cups with ice tea and served coffee and pie.

  “Mommy,” DeShawn said as she walked over to the counter. “Why are there so many people here?”

  “The whole town is hungry,” she said. “How was your burger?” Ingrid kissed his cheek.

  “It was good,” he said excitedly.

  “You might want to limit his red meat intake,” Lois said as she finished up her chicken meal.

  “Ma, please,” Ingrid said. She and Lois often battled about the way she was raising DeShawn.

  Lois dropped her fork and pushed her plate away. “I’m just trying to help,” she said. The door to the restaurant opened again and Doug walked in with another bouquet of roses. Ingrid sighed because she figured her mother would try to read the card and if she knew the flowers were from Jason, she’d never hear the end of it.

  Doug crossed over to Ingrid. “These are for you, again,” he said.

  Ingrid took the flowers. “Thank you,” she said. Once again, Doug declined Ingrid’s attempt to tip him.

  “It’s been taken care of,” he said then headed out the door.

  Ingrid quickly took the flowers into the store room and read the card.

  I’m hoping to see you at seven. We can go to the lake and

  have dinner. Remember when we used to dream on the

  bank of that lake?

  Jason.

  Ingrid smiled as a memory of the two of them at the lake crossed her mind. She’d given her virginity to Jason there on her seventeenth birthday. They’d crept away from her birthday party at Gilmore Park and gone to the lake with a blanket and two slices of her birthday cake.

  “This is so quiet,” she’d said as she and Jason hunkered down on the blanket.

  “Happy Birthday,” he said as he’d reached into his pocket and removed a gold locket. “I wanted to give this to you out here. Read the back.”

  Ingrid had flipped the locket over and tears welled up in her eyes as she read the inscription. “To the woman I will love forever,” she read. “Jason. . .”

  He’d covered her soft lips with his, gently kissing her until she collapsed against his chest. When he’d slipped his hand inside the top of her dress, she hadn’t stopped him as she’d done on another occasion. What Jason didn’t know was Ingrid had made up her mind to have sex with him. She knew that he loved her and she wanted to show him how much she loved him. But she was afraid, Ingrid didn’t know what she was supposed to feel or how her body was supposed to respond to Jason’s kisses and his touch. But the warm feeling that started in the pit of her stomach told her that this was right and it was time for her give herself to him.

  His fingers brushed across her nipples and it felt as if electricity had replaced the blood flowing in her veins. Jason had covered her lips with his, this time kissing her with a little more fire and passion. Ingrid wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer.

  Ingrid shook her head, she didn’t want to think about the lake and the past, she had to focus on the future. But could she have a future with Jason? Not unless you tell him the truth.

  That was the one thing she wasn’t ready for.

  Ingrid returned to the dining room in time to see her mother and son walking out the door. Moments later, Jason entered the crowded restaurant, drawing squeals and screams from many of the younger patrons. Ingrid willed her heart to calm down and not to show any emotions. Sure she was going to have dinner with him, but that was it. There was no way she would allow herself to get caught up with him when she knew he would only be in her life temporarily.

  Jason traversed through the crowd and found Ingrid. “Did you get the flowers?” he asked after saying hello.

  “Yes, all of them,” she said, trying to keep a poker face, but a slow smile spread across her face. “Thank you.”

  “You can show me your appreciation tonight.”

  “At dinner, you mean?”

  It was Jason’s turn to smile. “Yes at dinner. At the lake in our special place.”

  Before she answered, Ingrid noticed that everyone in the restaurant was watching her and Jason. “Let’s go in the back and talk,” she said.

  “All right,” he said as he fell in stride with Ingrid.

  Dina flashed him a thumbs up sign when he glanced back at his favorite waitress. Jason returned the sign as he held the door to the kitchen store room open for Ingrid.

  Chapter Six

  She said talk, Jason thought as Ingrid faced him in the store room. But I have to do this. He stepped closer to her and held her face between his big hands. Her skin was as smooth as Asian silk. He brushed his lips against hers and she moaned softly. Jason sucked on her bottom lip and then slipped his tongue into her mouth. Ingrid pressed her body against his and thrust her tongue deeper into his mouth and buried her fingers in his thick hair. Her bold kiss shocked and excited him at the same time. He wanted to lose himself inside her, feel her thighs wrapped around his waist and the heat radiating from her womanly core. Jason remembered how wet she used to be when they were together. It was like being surrounded by a warm lake on a cold night. Part of him wanted to reach between her thighs and feel her essence, but he focused on the kiss. The sweet taste of her tongue as it rolled across his.

  “Ingrid,” he moaned when they broke off the kiss. “I hope that kiss means you’re going to dinner with me tonight and coming to my concert tomorrow.”

  She smiled. “I’ll give you dinner, but I can’t go to your concert.”

  “Why not? You’ll be my VIP guest.” Jason smoothed his hand across her cheek.

  “I don’t have a babysitter lined up and I have had my fill of fighting off your fans,” she said.

  “I’m not worried about my fans, I want you there like it was in the . . .”

  “Jason, I’m not going to your show. Too much has happened and you may have fond memories of those days, but I don’t.”

  He wrapped his arms around Ingrid’s waist. “I’m sorry about that, but things are different now. Just think about coming to the show. We can talk about it over dinner.”

  Before Ingrid could protest further, Dina walked into the store room. “Miss Ingrid, sorry to disturb you, but we need you in the dining room. It’s a mad house out here.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Ingrid said as Jason dropped his arms from around her.

  Dina smiled at them and returned to the dining room. Ingrid shook her head as she looked at Jason. “I’m sure she hated to come back here. Seems like you two have developed quite the relationship.”

  Jason shot her a look of embellished innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”

  She laughed. “I have to get back to work and the least you can do is make another appearance out here since you’re the reason for the crowd.
”

  Jason followed Ingrid out to the dining room, keeping his eye on the shapely figure in front of him. He didn’t notice the crowd watching him and waving madly at him because he was lost in the rhythm of Ingrid’s hips. When she stopped in front of him, Jason slammed into her. The crush of softness against his body instantly aroused him and by the flushed color on her cheeks, he knew she felt it too.

  “Sorry about that,” he whispered.

  Ingrid didn’t respond, she hurried out to her customers and began taking orders.

  “Are you working here now?” Christina asked as she slipped onto a bar stool unnoticed by her friend.

  “Christina Kyle, how are you?” Jason asked happily as he leaned in to give his friend a hug.

  “I’m great, can’t complain because it wouldn’t change anything. It’s good to see you in here with her,” she said as she nodded toward Ingrid.

  “Hey, I need a favor,” he said, his eyes sparkling with an idea.

  “The last time you said that, Ingrid ended up in New York for three years.” Christina placed her hands flat on the counter and leaned closer to him. “What is it this time?”

  “I want her to come to my show in Columbia. She says she has too much stuff to do around here and she doesn’t have a baby sitter.”

  Christina smacked her lips. “I can handle the baby sitter part, but I don’t do dishes nor do I serve these self-righteous jackasses around here.”

  Jason glanced at Dina. “I got the restaurant covered, but you need to make it seem as if it was your idea.”

  Christina nodded as she saw Ingrid walking toward her. “When did you sneak in here?” Ingrid asked.

  Christina shrugged, “I had to see why half the town decided they needed to be at Soul To The Bone for lunch. Now, I see why. Hey, the library is having a Batman film festival tomorrow night and I know DeShawn would love it. Can he spend the night with me?”

  Ingrid ran her tongue across her full bottom lip and Jason yearned to taste her again. “What are you two scheming over here? I didn’t hear anything about a film festival,” she said.