This Christmas Rivalry

by Beverly Jenkins

  Reg asked, “Trent, are you sure you don’t want to run?”

  “Positive. Only reason I was mayor to begin with was because people were tired of Riley’s craziness and no one else wanted the job.”

  “I’m glad you stepped up though,” Bernadine told him. “Without you, Henry Adams wouldn’t be the success it is today.”

  “I’m not so sure you’re right, but I appreciate you saying that, Bernadine.”

  She was right. His engineering skills and calm, easy-going manner had been of unquestionable value on the quest to bring Henry Adams into the twenty-first century. None of the accomplishments would have been possible without him at the helm. The prospect of possibly having to work with Riley kept her awake at night, but she held fast to the hope that the voters had more sense than to elect someone with none.

  With the election discussion settled to her satisfaction, she brought up the next item on her agenda. “Luis, are you and the family packed and ready to move in?”

  “Yes, the kids are so excited, I don’t think either of them slept last night. I didn’t either.”

  Their new home in the town’s subdivision was finally ready. Since moving to Henry Adams, a bit over a year ago, they’d been living in one of the double-wides on Tamar’s land. He and his two children and his mother in law Anna were moving in later in the day. “Do you have enough help?”

  “I’ve plenty. Between the Dads and some of my old fire crew members in Franklin, we should be done in no time.” He glanced around the table and said sincerely. “I’m so thankful to be in this community. No one can ever accuse Henry Adams of not taking care of its people.”

  “Amen,” Reggie replied.

  That care was one of the things she took most pride in. No one was allowed to drift through life unloved and alone. If you stumbled and fell, there was someone to help you get back on your feet. In a way, she’d bought the town for that reason. Initially, it had been to give five, at risk children a safe haven in which to grow. In the years since, Henry Adams had wrapped its arms around the Acosta family, Gary Clark and his daughters, Gemma Dahl, her grandson Wyatt, and more recently, Gemma’s two foster children, Lucas and Jasmine Herman. The residents had even extended a hand to Riley, ensuring he had a job and a decent place to stay, despite him being a one of a kind, pain in the behind. There was hope and caring on every corner, and no matter how large Henry Adams grew she didn’t want that to change.

  As the small talk continued around the Acostas’ move, her eyes strayed to Mal. She knew he wanted to reclaim his place in her heart, and she’d told herself she’d forgiven him for the embezzling he’d done, but beneath it all bits of anger lingered, along with doubt. As a result, the reconciliation was not going well. Even though she missed his balancing presence in her life, and the good times they’d had as a couple, a voice inside kept asking: what if her wealth made him do something equally as dumb, or even dumber in the future? He swore he’d learned his lesson, but male pride was a hell of a drug as her daughter Crystal often described problematic things. Truthfully, she’d loved Mal July. She just wasn’t sure a reboot of their relationship was possible.

  With nothing else to discuss, the meeting adjourned, and everyone headed to their cars. In times past, had Bernadine been anywhere near her office on a Saturday, she would’ve sat down to work, or grabbed some files to pore over at home. Instead, she did neither. She’d made a promise to herself to stop turning the world on weekends and relax like a normal person. It was difficult though. Now that the owners of the new coffee house were no longer in town, the place would be run by the community college’s culinary students. Late yesterday, the lease agreement had finally been sent back by the college’s lawyers over for her review. She also wanted to evaluate the architect’s drawings for the new restaurant she and Rocky were planning to open. Those things and more were waiting on her desk, but she ignored their siren call and stepped out into the October sunshine.

  In the parking lot, Mal stood talking with Trent and Lily. Their eyes met and the parts of herself that wanted to be with him warred with the parts that were still simmering. She’d never been so indecisive and was irritated at herself and at him for being the cause. To silence the inner debate, she got in her truck and drove towards home.

  On the way, her phone buzzed. She activated the Hands Free link. “Hey, Crys.”

  “Hey, Mom. Just reminding you about dinner at my place tonight.”

  “I haven’t forgotten.” Eighteen year old Crystal lived in one of the lofts in the newly renovated Sutton Hotel on Main street.

  “I have the food timed out, so I need you to be here at precisely 6:45, okay?”

  “Got it. What’re you cooking?’

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Years earlier, that response would’ve scared her, but Crys was now an excellent cook, and Bernadine was looking forward to a good meal and to catching up.

  “And Mom, this is an elegant dinner, so I need you to look nice.”

  Bernadine wasn’t sure how to take that, but replied, “I’ll throw on my gold.”

  “Good. See you later.”

  “Bye.”

  Bernadine entered her home in the small subdivision behind Main street and stepped into silence. Crystal had moved out over the summer and Bernadine was still having difficulty adjusting to her absence. Crys was enrolled in the nearby community college and worked part time as a waitress at the town’s diner, so they rarely went more than a day or two without seeing each other, but she missed having her at home. In the five years they’d been family, she’d grown accustomed to the sounds of Crys’ music flowing through the house, walking past her room and seeing her laughing with her friends on the phone, and being treated to whatever culinary magic she’d whipped up for dinner. She knew how much Crystal was enjoying having her own place, so kept the feelings of loss unspoken. A parent’s job was to raise a child with as much love and understanding as possible, and when they became of age, to set them free to try their wings. She was saddened by her empty nest, but proud that the former teen runaway with the ugly blonde weave had grown into a smart, stylish, and artistic young woman now living on her own.

  Buoyed by that, she hung her jacket in the front closet. Her issues with Mal tried to rise, along with thoughts of the unattended work on her desk, but she pushed both aside. She was going relax and to help her do that, she picked up the book written by the former First Lady of the United States and took it outside to read on the patio.

  She’d been reading for half an hour when she was interrupted by her phone. BFF Tina Craig’s name showed on the caller ID, so she set the book aside. “Hey, Ms. Tina. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “Good. Are you on your way here?” Tina would be opening a bed and breakfast just as soon as it was built by Trent and the construction team.

  “No. I’m stuck in Zurich. Malvina is being sued by the Prince of Pain for cutting off his support, so I’m here giving a deposition to her lawyers. How many times did we tell her not to marry him?”

  “Maybe a hundred.” Malvina Andreas was a member of the Bottom Women’s Society, a group composed of divorcees of some of the world’s wealthiest men. Bernadine and Tina were members as well. The Prince of Whine was Malvina’s second ex-husband. His real name was Francisco but had been given the nickname because the former boy toy, ski instructor was a spoiled, whiny pain in the butt.

  Tina added, “At least she listened to us about the prenup. He got to ride her gravy train for two years and now time’s up.”

  “What’s he suing for?”

  “Five more years of gravy. He told the court he can’t find a job.”

  She shook her head. “How long will you be there?”

  “Two, maybe three more days. What’s going on with you and Mal?”

  Bernadine didn’t respond.

  Tina didn’t let that stop her. “You need to either take the man back or cut him loose. This limbo is not fair to either of you.
”

  Bernadine’s continued silence didn’t deter her friend either. “We both know you love him, and yes, he screwed up royally, but he’s owned it, apologized, groveled. That’s way more than most men would do.”

  “He stole from me, Tina.”

  “Yes, but he also stole your heart, so, which means more at the end of the day? You can always get more money. With the investments I’ve set up, you’re making money while you sleep. Can you find another man who’s going to love you like he does?”

  Bernadine sighed.

  “And there’s always the chance that he’s going to get tired of waiting and decide to cut you loose, first. Then what?”

  “I can do without a man, Tina.”

  “True, but can you do without that man?”

  “I hate you right now,” Bernadine told her.

  “Yeah, yeah. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Bernadine smiled. “Get off my phone.”

  “I love you, too. Talk to you soon.”

  “I love you too. Bye.”

  At the end of the call, Bernadine sat thinking about her problem with Mal and it came to her that her issues were rooted in how the reconciliation began. After his disastrous encounter with Ruth Smith’s boxer brother that resulted in him being sucker punched and knocked out cold, he’d begged to be allowed to re-earn her trust. Instead of her taking that opportunity to come clean about the depths of her anger and disappointment, she’d done what most women were raised to do, she’d swallowed it and grudgingly agreed, putting his feelings first, thus sparing him the blasting he’d deserved. And because she’d let him off easy, and hadn’t given voice to her feelings, her anger and resentment were roiling like lava, leaving her mad at him and more importantly, at herself.

  Mindful of Crystal’s requested arrival time for dinner, Bernadine pulled into the parking lot of Sutton Place five minutes ahead of schedule. Getting out of her truck, she spotted Mal’s truck parked a few spaces over. The salon and coffee shop were open, so she assumed he was either getting his hair cut or picking up a coffee. Because she had no solution to her relationship dilemma, she didn’t want to run into him. So, entering the lobby, she headed straight to the elevator for the ride up to Crystal’s floor.

  Once there, she checked her watch. Seeing it was precisely 6:45, she knocked and was immediately welcomed in. “Hey Mom.”

  They shared a hug. Bernadine entered the apartment and saw standing in the middle of the room the man she’d hoped to avoid. Mal’s surprise mirrored hers. They glared at Crystal. She gave them a guilty grin and picked up her purse and keys. “Everything’s warming in the oven. Bon Appetit.”

  Bernadine couldn’t believe she’d been played by her own child. Before she could give her a piece of her mind, Crystal was out the door and gone.

  He had the nerve to appear amused. “I guess she suckered you, too.”

  “You didn’t plan this with her?”

  He gave her a level look. “No.”

  Bernadine groused. “Wait until I see her again.”

  “I’m sure she meant well.”

  She rolled her eyes. “She needs to stay out of grown folks’ business.”

  “You look nice.”

  “Thank you.” She’d chosen a gray cashmere sweater with a cowl neck, black pants and a pair of black suede short heeled booties. “You look nice, too.” In the time she’d known him, he’d never been one for suits. Instead he was wearing a nice blue shirt, bolo tie, pressed jeans and a dark blue sport coat. His western cut boots were black as was the Stetson in his hand. He looked like a dressed up wild west sheriff and was handsome as all get out. She turned away.

  “So,” he said. “Since we’ve been both bamboozled, do you want to leave? Stay and eat with me? Your choice.”

  What she wanted was to read Crystal the riot act for playing matchmaker like she was Pearl Bailey in Hello Dolly. Tina’s advice got the better of her though. “I’ll stay.”

  He offered a soft smile. “Good.”

  She didn’t know what was more potent, his mustache accented smile, or that fine dark chocolate face. Not even the remnants of his broken nose marred his visual appeal. “Let’s see what she left us in the oven.”

  They found lemon pepper wings drizzled with honey, along with sliced and roasted, little red potatoes, and seasoned green beans with shaved almonds. There was also a baguette of French bread. They filled their plates and took them over to Crystal’s small, glass topped dining table. In the center of it stood a vase of fresh flowers flanked by two candles Bernadine assumed were to be lit for atmosphere. Shaking her head at her child’s romantic scheming, she removed the candles but left the vase.

  They took their seats. Mal surveyed his plate then took a few bites “Not bad.”

  “The girl can cook. No denying that,” she replied.

  The ate in a silence that felt both familiar and awkward. Before the embezzlement, they’d shared countless meals filled with conversation and laughter. Now? The few meals they’d had recently lacked both. She glanced his way and he held her gaze for a long moment before turning attention back to his meal. When the reconciliation began, he’d sent daily hearts to her phone rather than call because easing slowly back into their interactions as a couple had been part of their agreement. But their talks had been as stiff and stifled as their dinners. Even though he’d done his best to draw her out, the barriers she’d erected remained in place. Apparently he sensed things weren’t working because the calls and hearts had petered to a stop. This dinner was their first time alone together in weeks.

  “I miss you,” he said quietly and raised his eyes to hers as if gauge her reaction.

  “I miss you, too,” she replied truthfully. And she did. What they had had been special.

  “So, can we ease back into having dinner together again?”

  Once again, she felt put on the spot. "Mal, look—"

  He held up a hand. “It’s okay. No need to explain. It’s on me. I disrespected what we had big time. I’ve begged forgiveness, and waited these past three months, hoping and praying we could start again. If you’re not feeling it, cool. Let’s just cut to the chase and end it. That way you can move on and I can, too. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you, baby. I truly am.”

  With that he stood, took his plate to the sink, picked up his Stetson, and left the apartment.

  Stunned, she stared at the closed door, then snarled angrily at the man’s nerve.

  Home from his barbering job at the Liberian Ladies and Gents Salon, Riley Curry surfed through the channels on his flat screen TV hoping to find something worth watching. Now that Henry Adams had cable, there were hundreds of channels to choose from, but nothing looked interesting. In his perfect world, he’d be still at the salon closing up for the night instead of the sharp tongued young woman in charge: Kelly Douglas. She was a friend of Bernadine Brown’s daughter Crystal, and lord help the world if the former foster kid didn’t get her way, so Kelly was the boss and he just a lowly employee. Granted, Bernadine had thrown him a life line when he found himself homeless, by giving him a place to stay and a job, but he’d spent his entire seventy years determined to prove that he needed to be running things, even if it was just a barber shop.

  Once upon a time, he’d been the Henry Adams mayor, and thought he’d done a good job, though many disagreed. He remained convinced that his plan to merge the town with neighboring Franklin had been sound. That he would’ve received a substantial kickback once the agreement was signed was neither here nor there. Politicians were rewarded for such backroom deals all the time.

  His musing was cut short upon seeing a familiar face on CNN. He quickly turned up the sound on the remote in time to hear the female reporter say: “In today’s entertainment news, the hog known as Cletus has been nominated for the first ever Animal Oscar for his starring role in Cletus Goes to Hollywood. Trainer Ben Scarsdale, says both he and the movie idol porker are delighted with the honor.” The reporter moved on to the next new
s item, and Riley glanced over at the framed picture of Cletus in its spot on the fireplace mantle. He sighed. Cletus was the closest thing he had to a son and he missed him dearly. Riley told himself he’d gotten over the hog’s betrayal of choosing to return to Los Angeles with Scarsdale. It was a lie, though. He’d not heard a word from either since that awful day Scarsdale showed up in Henry Adams to take possession of Cletus due to Riley’s inability to pay the man’s bill for his services, but Riley had been keeping up with his hog’s rise to the top via the entertainment news shows and Cletus’ Instagram account.

  When Riley first got him as a piglet, he knew the hog was destined for stardom, and told anyone who’d listen, that one day, Cletus would make him rich as Howard Hughes. The prediction proved partly correct. Yes, Cletus was a star, but the only person getting rich was Scarsdale. There was nothing Riley could do but fume about it however, so he spent his time cutting hair under Kelly’s eagle eye, while plotting his own re-rise to power. He was going to run for mayor again. Trent July, who presently held the position wasn’t going to be on the ballot this time around, which in Riley’s mind was a good thing. July had been responsible for hiring the hit woman who’d shot the owners of the coffee shop last summer. After which the Russian Mafia came calling on Henry Adams, resulting in a big shoot out on the edge of town. Had Riley had any say in the matter, July would’ve been tarred, feathered, and run out of town for being the cause of the murderous debacle. Since he hadn’t, he decided to be July’s replacement. As far as Riley knew, no one else had thrown their hat in the ring, so he’d win by default. Once elected he guaranteed there’d be no assassins masquerading as school janitors on his watch. No siree!

  Don’t miss On the Corner of Hope and Main

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Beverly Jenkins,

  available March 2020 from HarperCollins!

  Copyright © 2019 by Beverly Jenkins

  ISBN-13: 9781488064616

  This Christmas Rivalry

  First published as Overtime Love in 2012. This edition published in 2019.