by Lynn Emery
“I can see why he and Reverend Fisher hit it off. They’re both addicted to chasing women.” Willa shoved papers from her lap. This search had begun to put her in a really bad mood.
“Umm.” Cedric laid out a set of papers and read them intently.
“Right. You’re absolutely right. Why should I care? He was my ex-husband. It’s just, it bothers me the way he could move on like that. You’re a guy, explain it.”
Cedric glanced up at Willa. “Don’t generalize. Some guys don’t know where they’re well off. Don’t lump us all together.”
“Humph.” Willa took a sip of wine and looked away from his dark gaze. Then she sat straight. “Off shore banking.”
Cedric blinked hard at the sudden shift of subjects. “Say what?”
“Jack may have combined a little shady business with pleasure. He could have been hiding money to keep me from getting more child support.” Willa let out a hiss as the thought made her breathe fire. “That no good—“ Just then Mikayla entered. “Oh hey, baby.”
“Mama, I can’t find Binky Bear.” Mikayla stood in the door rubbing her eyes and frowning at the same time. She’d gone from “big girl” to baby girl.
“I’ll bet he’s just hiding out in the closet or someplace around here. Let’s find him.” Willa stood and crossed to her.
“Maybe he’s in the kitchen getting a glass of milk,” Mikayla replied and giggled.
“Go back to bed, young lady. You’re not going to play me and stay up late looking for Binky.”
“But I always sleep with Binky,” Mikayla protested, her little voice drifting into a whine.
“I’ll round up Binky Bear. You just go get in bed. I’m not going to wrestle with you in the morning.” Willa pointed down the hall then put both hands on her hips.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mikayla replied in a pouting tone. She marched off with a backward glance at Cedric as though asking for support.
He waved. “Goodnight, sweet girl.”
“Night,” Mikayla muttered then kept going.
“That girl is looking for reasons to stay up and hang with us grown folks. Let me go find her bear.” Willa ran through all the usual places Binky liked to hang out, or in other words where Mikayla usually left him.
“She’s such a cutie. Hey, cut her some slack. She’s a good kid.” Cedric shrugged.
“Oh yeah, right. Then you wrestle with her in the morning. Trying to get her out of bed and dressed for school when she’s been up too late is torture. I’ll be right back.”
Seconds later she found Mr. Binky Bear in one of the chairs at the breakfast table. Willa grabbed him, went to Mikayla’s room and tucked both of them in. Naturally Mikayla resisted simply turning in for the night. Willa finally had to get stern with her. After a firm “Go to sleep, young lady,” Willa turned on the teddy bear night lights in Mikayla’s room. With a flip of the wall switch Willa turned off the lamps on twin night stands. When she got back to the den Cedric had papers neatly lined up on the long cocktail table
“What ya got?” Willa stood over the table looking down at his handiwork.
“Just got things organized for you. You and the kids have had it rough. Concentrate on them and I’ll run down this whole thing.”
Willa glanced at him then back at the stacks. “You got all that stuff into these tidy piles?” She stopped and looked at her wristwatch. “Wow, I was only gone a little under twenty minutes.”
“Yeah. These are receipts related to his house. These are general purchases. Here are car receipts like gas, oil changes, etc. Nothing special that I could see.” Cedric stood up and slapped his large hands together. “Why don’t you go get some rest?”
His words seemed to have some kind of magical affect on her. Suddenly the adrenaline that had pushed her for weeks seemed to drain away. Willa’s eyes felt heavy and dry. Still a detail nagged at her. Willa pushed back against the fatigue wrapping around her.
“What about Jack’s trips to Grand Cayman?” Willa eyed the stacks. “Which one of these stacks has travel receipts?”
“There are just a few of those. He also went to California and New York a few times.” Cedric stood and rubbed his hands together. “Listen, I better get moving. I’ll see you at the office Monday.”
“Right.” Willa drew the word out as she stared at the piles of paper. Between the wine and losing energy she had trouble putting a finger on what bothered her.
“Mama, can I have one more glass of water?” Mikayla yelled down the hall.
“No,” Anthony yelled back from the hallway. “Go to sleep cause I don’t wanna put up with you whining tomorrow morning.” His response started a lively round of the dozens, sibling style.
“You two be quiet,” Willa said. Her effort was drowned out by the dueling voices of her kids.
“I’ll let you deal with World War Three,” Cedric quipped.
Willa laughed as she followed him to the front door. “In spite of how it sounds they will be quiet soon. Trust me.”
“I know you can deal, lady.” Cedric stopped at the door and faced her. “See you at the office.”
“Bright and early. Anything else?” Willa ignored the childish drone in the background. Cedric seemed poised to say something. Willa could have sworn he was leaning forward to kiss her goodbye. In a blink the moment passed though. Instead Cedric backed up and put his hand on the doorknob. Finally he huffed out a short laugh and shook his head.
“Have a nice peaceful evening,” he said.
“Very funny. Bye.” Willa pretended to shove him across the threshold once he opened the door.
She made sure the locks were engaged. Willa parted the curtains in the long window next to her front door. She looked out just in time to see him climb into his steel blue Mercury Mariner. The interior light came on. Cedric was already talking into his cell phone. Another shout from Mikayla interrupted her train of thought.
Willa let go of the curtain and headed toward her kids. “Okay, that’s it. I want silence in this house. Now!”
Anthony and Mikayla must have recognized the “Don’t mess with mama” tone because ten minutes later Mikayla was softly snoring, Binky Bear resting next to her. Even Anthony was in bed. With ear buds stuffed in both ears, Willa had no doubt that some junior rapper was lulling him to sleep.
Her job done whipping her little troops back in line, Willa went back to the family room. She stood over the tidy stacks. In the soft quiet of her home Willa’s thoughts were finally able to click in place. Cedric had obscured her attempt to connect the dots that led to Grand Cayman.
“Now why would he do that?” Willa pushed out a breath. She hated to think of the possibilities. For some reason Cedric was trying to distract her looking into Jack’s trips to Grand Cayman. Which meant maybe he knew more than he was telling her. Willa swore and sat down to sort through the papers again. She was right back to not trusting Cedric’s motives again.
***
The next day Willa kept to her office. Kay must have noticed something was up. She didn’t say anything, but Willa noticed she watched her closely. A few minutes before noon Kay came into her office.
“Jai is here so I’m going to grab some lunch,” Kay said.
Willa glanced up from her computer monitor for a second. “Fine.”
“Did you bring lunch? I could get you something. Better yet come with me. You could use a break.” Kay came inside the door and closed it behind her.
“Girl, I’ve got to learn to be the boss for real around here. I can’t let Cedric do all the heavy lifting.” Willa continued to scan the online regulations related to security agencies.
“You’re doing great as far as I can see,” Kay replied.
“Yeah, well that just means I’ve got you fooled,” Willa joked.
“No way. Even some of the other employees say you’re sharp.” Kay sat down in one of the chairs.
Willa smiled. “Well, I sure needed that pat on the back. Thanks.”
“Listen, women have it
tough when we’re in charge. Especially when a guy is used to being the big dog.” Kay gazed at Willa steadily.
“Don’t I know it.” Willa thought about Cedric’s hope of owning Crown Protection Services.
“I keep my eyes open around here. You get all important phone calls and mail.”
Something in her tone made Willa sit up straight. “Really? Not to put you on the spot, but has Cedric asked you to do otherwise?”
“More like him not wanting you to feel… overwhelmed was the way he put it.” Kay’s expression made it clear she didn’t buy his alleged altruism.
“I see. Any calls in particular?”
“Any problems with our job sites. Calls from our biggest clients. But you want to be the boss for real, right? So I’ve been sending you daily reports.”
Willa thought about her words for a few seconds then laughed out loud. “So that’s why Cedric was surprised that I knew so much.”
Kay said nothing, but just smiled back at her.
“Thanks, Kay. I appreciate you more and more each day.” Willa nodded. Having Kay watching her back made her feel less like a target.
“Mr. Crown obviously wanted you to be in charge. He loved this business. He wouldn’t have left it to you if he thought you’d screw it up,” Kay said, and sniffed. “He was a great guy. Ask any of the staff.”
Willa got a bit teary-eyed herself. She got up and went around the desk to sit next to Kay. “Listen, sometimes I may say some raw stuff about Jack.” Willa yanked a tissue from the box on her desk and offered it to her secretary.
“Oh I know he pulled some stuff on you. It’s just…, well we saw a different side of him. You know?” Kay took the tissue and dabbed her eyes with dainty movements.
“Yes, I’ve come to understand that, sweetie.” Willa continued to pat her secretary’s shoulder, which seemed to make Kay cry harder. As she made soothing noises Willa thought about her late estranged husband. Jackson Phillip Crown had the rare talent of being loved and hated in equal measure, sometimes by the same women. He was a thoughtless philanderer. Yet he loved his children. He could have spent more time with them, but he never stayed away for long. He worked hard, and played just as hard. Played around to be accurate. Willa blocked the sarcastic train of thought and went back to concentrating on Kay’s view of Jack.
“I’ll try not to make too many negative remarks about Jack,” Willa said, then wondered just how the heck she’d manage that. Especially when it looked like Jack had slipped into questionable business deals. Like father like son. Willa made a mental note to see if there was a family connection. The elder Crown and Jack’s big brother weren’t exactly squeaky-clean role models. Kay’s throat clearing broke into her Crown family musings.
“Don’t you worry, ma’am. I know he hurt you deeply. You just let it rip any time. I’ve been on the wrong end of a cheating man.” Kay returned the favor by patting Willa’s arm. She stood. “So, what should I bring you back?”
Willa stood as well. “I’m having lunch with my mama. You go have a relaxing break.”
“At Best Burgers during the lunch rush? No way.” Kay laughed. “But I’ve been good so I’m going to splurge on a big juicy quarter pound monster, with fries.”
Willa glanced down at her own hips. “You’re younger with the metabolism to handle it, girl. After two kids I’m done with rewarding myself with mega burgers and fries. I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Okay, boss. And don’t worry. You lookin’ fine for a mother of two. Just ask Reverend Fisher.” Kay giggled at the scowl Willa gave her.
“Out.” Willa pretended to growl in anger.
Thirty minutes after wrapping up a few phone calls and a short meeting with Cedric, Willa was on her way downtown to meet her mother for lunch.
Mama Ruby was in town on business with her manager in charge. Eric was Aunt Ametrine’s middle child and totally trustworthy. Unlike her two youngest children. Mama had hired and fired them in quick succession, and with Eric’s blessing.
Willa arrived at Serop’s Lebanese restaurant after a short fifteen minutes of navigating Baton Rouge’s downtown traffic. She quickly snapped up a parking space on the street before a black Corvette could beat her to it. Moments later she was easing her way into Serop’s front door. The smell of garlic and meat cooking on their vertical rotisserie brought Willa’s stomach to life. The place was crowded as usual.
“Over here, Willa,” her mother managed to call over the hum of roughly three dozen voices. She waved a hand to make sure Willa saw her.
“Excuse me. Oops, sorry.” Willa bobbed and weaved through other diners and waiters balancing hot plates of food.
“How you doin’, baby?” Mama Ruby accepted a peck on the cheek from Willa.
“Okay. I’ll be doing great when I get some food.” Willa dropped down onto the chair next to her mother.
“Here comes Stephanie now. Hey, baby. Thanks so much.” Mama Ruby gave a young redhead a smile of gratitude.
“You’re welcome, ma’am. Y’all ready to order?” Stephanie put two tall glasses of tea on the table. She wrote down Willa’s order for chicken shawarma salad and Mama Ruby’s order for grilled shrimp shish kabobs.
“And we want an extra side order of that wonderful cucumber tahini sauce, Sugar.” Mama Ruby took Willa’s menu and handed both to the waitress.
“Yes, ma’am.” Stephanie grinned at Mama Ruby then left.
“How did you manage to get a table, fast service and extra tahini sauce?” Willa said. She rolled her shoulders to ease the tension in them.
“I’ve been here a few times since they opened. Got to know Stephanie not long after she started working here. She’s putting herself through community college. Her parents are no help. Mama drinks too much. Her rich daddy doesn’t pay her any attention. Poor kid. Money or not, kids get mistreated by lousy parents.” Mama Ruby shook her head.
Willa shook her head as well. Despite having no biological children, Ruby and Elton seemed to have been made to be parents. Fortunately they had no trouble loving children who didn’t have their genes.
“Now how did you manage to get her life story while she served you lunch?” Willa laughed. She knew the answer, but liked teasing Mama Ruby.
“We got to talkin’. You know.” Mama Ruby waved a hand and sipped from her glass. “Hmm, that’s good Lebanese tea.”
“Uh-huh. Nosey Ruby,” Willa joked. She knew very well that Mama Ruby had an almost magical ability to inspire confidences. An aura of kindness and non-judgmental acceptance seemed to flow from Ruby Wilson.
“Oh hush. I didn’t dip in her business. Poor child works so hard. But she’s got backbone. She’s not takin’ one cent of her daddy’s money. Too many strings attached if you know what I mean.” Mama Ruby’s voice dropped low.
Willa’s smile vanished. A familiar sick feeling grabbed at her stomach. She thought about her half-sister. Jazz carried around scars because of those kinds of “strings.”
“I hope Stephanie’s scumbag daddy suffers some kind of special agony one of these days,” Willa snapped.
“So have you heard from Jazz?” Mama Ruby had what seemed like a supernatural way of plugging into Willa.
“No. I’m not chasing her down either. Anthony has been confiding in her. Can you believe that? Oh yeah, she dropped that bit of news and now she won’t return my calls. And she knows I’m worried that Anthony has been keeping secrets from me. I’m not going let her yank my chain this time. Well, she can kiss my assets, thank you very much.” Willa flipped one hand as though chasing away a bothersome fly.
“Uh-uh.” Mama Ruby pursed her lips.
Willa ignored her all knowing mama vibe. The waitress returned with their tea. She waited until the young woman left again. “I mean it. Jazz just wants me sweating after her. I’m over the guilty big sister syndrome.”
“Uh-huh.” Mama Ruby had an “I’ve heard that before” expression on her face.
“I’m serious, Mama,” Willa insisted.
>
“Much as I care about the girl, you know how I feel.” Mama Ruby smiled at the waitress approaching with two plates of food.
“You need anything, Miz Ruby, just wave.” Stephanie gave Mama Ruby’s shoulder a pat then darted off again.
“You have to rescue somebody’s child, Ruby Wilson. And I love you for that.” Willa pinched her mother’s cheek.
“Go on.” Mama Ruby beamed with pleasure.
Willa felt a rush of love for the tough talking, tenderhearted woman who had literally saved her life. Mama Ruby’s greatest joy was giving love and help to vulnerable people. Lord knows she’d given Jazz her best shot. Willa knew that Mama Ruby felt as though she’d failed with Jazz. Unlike the other ten foster kids who had come through her home, Mama Ruby had never been able to crack the Jazzmonetta Vaughn code. Jazz ran away at age fifteen. Seven years later she was unwilling to tell Willa where she’d been. But somehow Jazz managed to make Willa feel like whatever she’d been through was Willa’s fault.
Willa chewed on a sliver of chicken rich with Lebanese spices. But her mind was across town on her half-sister. Maybe she should call her anyway. Jazz wanted affection and attention, even though she didn’t know how to ask for it. Or receive it once given. Which only meant that she was lonely. Jazz had no real friends. She wouldn’t let anyone get close. Including Willa or Mama Ruby.
“Tell her I said hi and she could call once in a blue moon,” Mama Ruby said. “Yeah, I’m psychic. Got it from my grandmamma, Cille. Yeah, Lucille Langlois was one of them Creole women from Pointe Coupee Parish. She had second sight, cher.”
“Aunt Ametrine better not hear you talking about hoodoo. She’d get too upset,” Willa teased, eager to drop the Jazz subject.
“Wouldn’t she though? I oughta wait until I see her with some of her other sanctimonious church lady pals and mention Granny Cille’s fortune telling.” Mama Ruby gave a sharp laugh at the very idea.
“Don’t you dare get her all mad. I want her to give me some inside church gossip about Abundant Love Ministries and Reverend Fisher.”
Mama Ruby dug her fork into a mound of her spicy salad. “I saw him on television a few times. Has a show that comes on every Sunday evening around four.”