The Sweetest Thing

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on with you,” Miss Alice said, “and with Dwayne.”

  Rachel took a deep breath. “Dwayne wants the restaurant. But more than that he doesn’t want Quentin to have it. Harper told him she didn’t plan to sell and I guess he figured he’d go after her instead.”

  “You guess or you know?”

  “Apparently I don’t know much about anything,” Rachel retorted.

  Miss Alice studied her for a moment, the young woman’s anguished expression pulling at her heartstrings. “You love Dwayne, don’t you?” she finally asked.

  Rachel lifted her eyes and stared at the older woman. She shrugged her shoulders.

  Miss Alice continued. “You don’t need to say it. I know you do. Everett knew it, too. We talked about it once. About you playing with Quentin’s feelings because you wanted to make Dwayne jealous. What we couldn’t figure out was what you saw in that boy. I know he’s pretty. One of the prettiest men God done put in this world but he doesn’t have a pretty spirit. Dwayne’s not happy and he doesn’t want anyone else to be happy either. Not even you.”

  “You don’t know him like I do,” Rachel finally whispered.

  “No, I don’t. But I know his type. There’s not a woman alive who hasn’t had a man like Dwayne in her life. You know he ain’t no good but he makes you feel good. You know he ain’t no good for you and still you don’t want to let him go. You can’t let him go because you’re so sure you’re going to be the one to change him. Then after you’ve lost yourself, lost years off your life, you suddenly realize you can’t change any man. A man is who he is, you just have to know what and how much you’re willing to take from him. Apparently, you’re willing to take a lot from Dwayne.”

  “It’s not like that,” Rachel insisted.

  “It’s always like that, baby.”

  Rachel shook her head from side to side. “I just need to let him get it all out of his system, Miss Alice, then he’ll be ready to settle down. And I’ll be here for him. He can trust that I will be here.”

  “He does trust it. That’s why he does what he wants, when he wants. He hurts your feelings and disrespects you without thinking twice about it. He does all that and knows that when it’s all said and done, you’ll be right here ready to pick up where you left off. You deserve better, Rachel, but you already know that. And we could all tell you the same thing over and over again but you don’t want to hear it so you don’t bother to listen.”

  Miss Alice continued. “But I’m here to tell you, baby girl. You need to let Dwayne go. I’m not going to tell you it’ll be easy, but I will tell you it’ll be worth it.”

  The room was quiet while Rachel pondered Miss Alice’s comments. She swiped at a tear that rolled down her cheek. “Miss Alice, I tried that twelve-step program to get Dwayne out of my system and it didn’t work. I thought dating other people, even getting engaged to Quentin would help me not want Dwayne and all that did was hurt people who didn’t deserve to be hurt. I can’t explain to you how or why Dwayne is so tied to my soul but he is. Now, more than ever,” she concluded as she stood up and reached for her handbag.

  “Why now?” Miss Alice questioned.

  Rachel paused at the woman’s side. She reached for Miss Alice’s hand and squeezed it, her tears flowing with ease out of her eyes. Her other hand rested against her slightly bulging abdomen. The two women locked gazes and understanding suddenly hit Miss Alice broadside. She rose from her seat and wrapped her arms tight around Rachel’s shoulders.

  “Lord, Lord, Lord,” Miss Alice chanted, her own tears washed in Rachel’s. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  Mama Pearl’s arms were crossed over her chest as she stood in the center of the room, eyeing Dwayne warily. Harper’s expression was as dubious, the man explaining why they wouldn’t be able to fly back to Memphis until the next day, something about an irregularity with his jet.

  Jasmine was the only one to respond. “That’s too bad,” she said facetiously. “I guess we get to keep Harper here with us just a little longer.”

  Harper’s friend cut an eye toward her. Jasmine grinned, her eyes wide. She continued. “You should probably call Quentin so he’s not expecting you,” she said with a slight giggle.

  “I’ll do that. Thank you, Jasmine,” Harper said.

  “Glad to be of help,” her friend answered.

  Mama Pearl interjected. “Doesn’t sound like a problem to me and definitely not one you need to be apologizing for. Harper’s home so she’ll be just fine. Get your plane fixed and you two can head back tomorrow.”

  “It might take a little longer than that,” Dwayne noted.

  Mama Pearl shrugged. “Uh-huh. There’s a Holiday Inn motel right near here. Dem girls can give you directions. You shouldn’t have no problems getting you a room.”

  “Dwayne can stay in the guest room, Mama Pearl,” Harper noted.

  The old woman lowered her chin ever so slightly, peering at Harper over the tops of her glasses. “Dwayne can go get him a room at the Holiday Inn. Since you’re just getting back home I thought me, you, and Jasmine could have us a girls’ night. Can’t have a girls’ night if there’s a man in the house. You understand, don’t you, Dwayne?” she said as she turned her attention back to the man.

  Dwayne smiled and nodded but there was no missing his frustration. Harper gave him a bright smile. “Jasmine and I can drive you over to the hotel,” she said.

  Dwayne shook his head. “The limo and driver are still on duty. I’ll be fine. Why don’t you walk me to the car,” he said.

  Harper nodded as he wished Jasmine and her grandmother a good night. He wrapped his arms around Mama Pearl’s shoulders in a deep hug that she didn’t reciprocate. When he finally let the matriarch go, annoyance painted her expression. She turned abruptly and moved into the kitchen.

  Harper shook her head. “Sorry about that.”

  Dwayne shrugged. “No problem. She hasn’t warmed up to me yet.”

  “Something like that.” Harper threw Jasmine a quick look. “I’ll be right back. Will you check on her for me, please?”

  Jasmine nodded. “No problem. See you in the morning, Dwayne.”

  Dwayne waved a hand at her then turned and headed out the door. Harper followed on his heels. As they approached the parked limousine he suddenly turned and faced her. He eased an arm around her waist and drew her body closer to his. Harper’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Dwayne!”

  He leaned in and kissed her, his lips dancing across hers. Harper suddenly felt one hand graze her buttocks while the other tweaked her right nipple until it protruded hard beneath his fingertips. Her body betrayed her, responding with a flashing erotic thrill. But it was gone as quickly as it had risen. She struggled beneath his grasp.

  “Shhh,” Dwayne cooed as he shook his head. “Come stay at the hotel with me! You know you want to.”

  Harper pressed her palms against his chest and pushed him from her. She pushed him hard. “No. I don’t want to,” she said emphatically. “What is wrong with you?” she snapped as she stepped out of his reach.

  He shook his head, his hands dropping down to his sides. He stared out past her right shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes meeting her stare. “I was hoping . . . I don’t know what I was hoping. I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You have a good night,” she said as she turned to head back into the house.

  Dwayne called after her.

  “Yes?” she said, spinning back around to look at him.

  “I’m really not a bad guy. I’m not perfect, but I’m not a monster.”

  “I know that, Dwayne.”

  “I’m attracted to you, Harper. You excite me. You can’t blame me for hoping that we could have something between us.”

  Harper paused briefly before she spoke. “I love Quentin. You know that. I take issu
e with you for trying to come between that.”

  “Like I did with Rachel?”

  She shook her head. “No. I thought so at first. When I met Rachel I thought that she still cared about him. But I realize Rachel never loved Quentin. If she had, you would never have had a chance with her either.”

  Nodding his head, Dwayne turned and got into the car. As it drove off down the street, Harper stood staring after it. Then she turned, needing to go call Quentin.

  Miss Alice and Rachel were still standing together when Quentin stormed back into the space, moving to dim the front lights and lock the door. Miss Alice brushed the tears from Rachel’s face and leaned to kiss the young woman’s cheek. She winked an eye at her but said nothing.

  Rachel took a deep breath. “I need to head home,” she said. She hesitated as she turned to watch Quentin stomp from one side of the room to the other. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “They’re not coming back tonight. Your boyfriend’s plane is broke.”

  Rachel bristled. “Harper called you?” she asked as she pulled her own cell phone from her pocket. There was no message or missed call from Dwayne.

  “Yes, Harper called me. You didn’t think Dwayne called me, did you?”

  He dropped into an empty seat, his mind racing. Miss Alice sat back in her own seat, pulling Rachel down to the chair beside her.

  “I’m sure it couldn’t be helped,” Miss Alice said.

  Quentin caught the look she was giving him. He nodded. “I know Harper had nothing to do with this. And I know Dwayne had everything to do with this.”

  “Are they staying at a hotel?” Rachel asked. “I should call Dwayne to see if there’s anything I can do to help him.”

  Quentin screwed his face in frustration. “Why would she be staying at a hotel? Harper is home. She is spending the night at her home with her family.”

  “Is Dwayne there with her?”

  “Why would Dwayne . . . ? What is your problem?” His voice was raised.

  “Don’t yell at me,” Rachel barked back.

  “Both of you stop,” Miss Alice interjected. She took a deep breath. “You two being ugly at each other isn’t going to help anyone. Quentin, there’s an early morning shuttle to Louisiana. See if you can get two seats on it, one for you and the other for Rachel. You go get Harper. Meet her people. Spend some time with them. Spend time with her. Then bring her home.

  “Rachel, you handle your business. Talk to Dwayne and decide what you two are going to do. When you get back we will all be here to support you. All of us.” Miss Alice paused for a brief second as she gathered her thoughts, choosing her words carefully. She looked from one to the other.

  “You two have already been through the absolute worst with each other. You got past it and survived. Now you need to remember that no matter what, you two are still family. You both care about each other. Act like it. Is that clear?” She met both their gazes, her own expression stern.

  Rachel and Quentin shot each other a look, neither saying a word.

  Troy’s voice chimed from the doorway. “You two heard Miss Alice! Get a move on it!”

  19

  The three women sat around the home’s kitchen table, Mama Pearl at the head, Harper and Jasmine seated on either side of her. Mama Pearl was dealing, a deck of cards rippling strategically in her hand as she shuffled them from one palm to the other. Their game of choice was poker and Mama Pearl had already beaten them both out of five dollars. As the matriarch placed her bid and dealt the hand, Harper was reminded of just how much she was missing when she was in Memphis. She blew a deep sigh, tossing her ante into the pot.

  “So, tell me about this Quentin boy,” Mama Pearl said. She cut an eye at Harper and then looked back down to the cards in her hand.

  Harper smiled, shooting Jasmine a look. Her friend giggled, the woman’s eyes a mile wide. “Yes, Harper. Tell us about that Quentin boy!”

  “Hush, Jasmine. I’ll deal with you in a minute ’cause you should have already told me about that boy.”

  Harper laughed. Jasmine shook her head and rolled her eyes. “What do you want to know, Mama Pearl?”

  “Everything you haven’t told me, of course!”

  Harper smiled. She folded her hand and laid her cards down onto the table. Jasmine followed and both women sat back as Mama Pearl raked in the pot.

  She cut her eye at Harper a second time. “Well?”

  “Quentin’s the one, Mama Pearl. The man makes me incredibly happy,” she started, taking the next thirty minutes to update her grandmother on almost everything that had happened since the day she’d left for her father’s funeral.

  Her grandmother smiled. “I can see you not feeling like them boys are your brothers. It’s not like y’all were raised together.”

  Harper shrugged. “What’s funny about that is Troy does feel like a brother. And I like that.”

  Mama Pearl nodded. “So how does this Dwayne boy fit into the picture?”

  Harper sighed. “Dwayne and Quentin used to be best friends. They fell out when Dwayne slept with Quentin’s ex-girlfriend.”

  “I can believe that,” Mama Pearl noted. “That boy is shifty. Cute, but shifty.”

  Jasmine laughed. “He is cute!”

  Mama Pearl ignored the commentary. “You remember that boy you dated in high school. What was that boy’s name? Fenton, Benton?”

  Harper laughed. “You’re going way back for this one! His name was Trenton.”

  “That’s right, Trenton.”

  “Trenton Brooks?” Jasmine queried.

  Harper nodded as Mama Pearl continued.

  “You was hot after that Trenton boy. I had to put the brakes on you a few times. But all that boy was after was your honeypot. He tried everything he could to get into your pants.”

  “It wasn’t like that, Mama Pearl.”

  “Oh, yes it was. Boy even cut my grass to get next to you. Two times!”

  Harper laughed. “Yes, he did cut your grass.”

  “That Dwayne boy is after something you have. He wants your honeypot and he’d cut my grass if he thought it would get him there.”

  “Actually, he’d probably pay someone to cut the grass for him,” Jasmine mused.

  Harper laughed.

  “Well, I don’t like him,” Mama Pearl said matter-of-factly. “I definitely don’t trust him. And if you ever invite him to stay in my house again you and I are going to fall out.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Mama Pearl nodded. “How come Quentin didn’t come to Baton Rouge with you?”

  “This was all Dwayne. I didn’t know where we were going until the plane landed. And if Quentin had known he would probably have told me not to come.”

  Mama Pearl raised her brow. “Told you or asked you? ’Cause there’s a difference. I know I taught you not to be lettin’ no man tell you what you can and cannot do. He can ask and you can agree if that’s what you want but you don’t take no marching orders from no man.”

  “I know that’s right!” Jasmine exclaimed.

  “He would have asked, Mama.”

  The matriarch nodded. “But you can’t be a tyrant either. If he’s a good man you have to know how to balance his needs and your wants. It can’t always be just about you.”

  Harper smiled as her beloved grandmother continued to offer tips and tricks to an ideal relationship. She and Jasmine listened, occasionally stealing a glance at each other as they fought not to laugh out loud, something tickling their funny bones. Mama Pearl always had a way with words, her Southern expressionisms sometimes moving them to tears. She wished Quentin could be there with her, wanting her grandmother to love him as much as she loved him.

  Mama Pearl rose from her seat, taking her cards and her winnings with her. She kissed one and then the other. “I’m going to bed. You two behave yourselves, hear me?”

  Both women nodded, responding in unison. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She hesitated in the doorway. “We missed you, bab
y. It feels good to have you home,” she said just before she disappeared, her footsteps heavy as she eased her way up the stairs.

  When they could hear the floorboards squeaking above their heads, Jasmine eased into the seat beside her. She looked toward the door before she spoke.

  “So, tell me the truth, did you hit that?”

  Harper laughed. “What are you talking about?”

  “Dwayne. You did him too, didn’t you? Girl, you are so nasty!”

  “I did not do Dwayne.” Harper laughed.

  “But you’ve been thinking about it?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “You are such a liar! You cannot tell me that you didn’t remotely consider what it might be like to ride that man at least one time.”

  “I’m not lying!”

  Jasmine stared at her. She shook her head. “I don’t believe you. I know I’ve thought about it. A few times and I just met the man. I would do him. I’d ride that fine chocolate stick like it was the last piece of candy in the free world. Yes, I would!”

  Harper slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the loud giggle. She shook her head. “Help yourself!”

  “I should just show up at his door buck naked and show him some true Southern hospitality. If his nose wasn’t so wide open over you, I would.”

  “I do not have that man’s nose wide open.”

  “Girl, please! You must be deaf, dumb, and blind if you can’t see that he’s interested in you.”

  “I think he’s after my honeypot and there’s a difference.”

  Jasmine paused. “You mean the bakery?”

  Harper nodded. “It’s all he ever talks about. What we can do with the business. How we can grow the bakery. I think my riding his chocolate stick would just be the icing on the cake for him.”

  Jasmine shook her head. “So you wouldn’t be offended if I just happened to be driving by his hotel room and stopped?”

  “No, but you’ll have a hard time explaining that to my grandmother.”

  “You would tell on me?”

  “Don’t I always?”