by Ancelli
“I’ll be living tightly, but I’m used to it.”
“If you need anything, you know I’m here.” Javier looked at him with sympathy.
“I know, bro.” He stared at his brother and smiled. Javier loved his kids. The way he held his little girl, talking and kissing her, made him miss his son even more.
“Is Carlitos coming to see you for the summer?” Javier rocked his little girl.
“He’s supposed to.” José switched between channels. “You never know with Olga.”
“You’re his father, too.”
“I know.” José was done fighting with Olga. “A happy baby-mama means a happy Carlitos.” They both laughed. “And that’s all that matters right now. I get to Skype with him every day.”
“As long as he’s happy,” Javier admitted with a nod. “What’s up with you and Connie?”
“I’m not sure. I’m tired of chasing after her.” He turned to watch the TV.
“I thought you guys were dating?” Javier chuckled.
“Dating? I don’t think so. Were doing something but it’s definitely not dating.” He sighed.
“Did you?”
“Nope.”
“What?” He sounded surprised. “Dang, you’re losing your touch.”
José laughed, and looked at his brother. “She wants it. She wants it bad, but now it’s me that’s holding back. I don’t like games, but in this case I’ll play her little game.”
“Good for you. I personally don’t think you two mix.”
“You might be right.” Little Haven was asleep on her daddy’s shoulder, with her mouth agape. José watched as Javier grabbed a blanket from her bag, placed it on the couch, and laid her on it. “Did you know Jewel was married?”
“Yes, I thought you knew.” He rubbed Haven’s back.
“No, her friend mentioned it.”
“Emma?”
“Yes. Do you know what happened?” He was curious why a man would be so foolish as to let a woman like Jewel go.
“He was controlling.”
“Controlling?” His jaw tightened. “Like beating her?”
Javier must have heard the anger in his voice. “Calm down. No, but it was a form of abuse. He would hide her keys so she couldn’t go out. Jazmine said he tried to keep her away from her family. The man messed with the wrong woman, because Jewel don’t do well taking orders.”
“What happened?”
“He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and things got worse. One day she came home and he had bought her a new wardrobe, and thrown her old clothes away. He even called the school and told them she quit.” Javier stared at him. “He really did a number on Jewel. She filed for divorce and he wouldn’t sign the papers.”
José moved forward, waiting for Javier to continue. “Well, she did end up divorcing him.”
“He refused to leave the house, and Jewel was too stubborn to, so they lived together for about six months, until her brother Michael had a little talk with him.” Javier chuckled. “You have to love Michael. He would do anything for his sisters.”
“What did he say?”
“I’m not sure, but the next day the dude moved out and signed the papers.”
Now José understood why Jewel didn’t really date. She’d had a bad experience with that motherfucker. He smirked. Didn’t the idiot know he couldn’t change a woman like Jewel? With her, you got exactly what you saw.
“All I can say, those O’Neal girls are strong. They don’t let the past get them down. They strive and continue on,” Javier said with emotion in his voice. “What didn’t break them, made them that much stronger.”
“They are.”
Javier stared at him without blinking an eye. “I hope she finds a man that can stand by her, not in front of her. A man that will move mountains to make sure her dreams come true, because Jewel deserves that and much more.” Javier laid his head on the sofa. “Damn, I’m exhausted.”
José chuckled, looking at his baby brother as he dozed off. Jewel deserved so much more than he could give her. Even if he tried, he couldn’t give her what she deserved, because he wasn’t enough. He could disappoint any woman, but not her. He wouldn’t stand in front her, but he didn’t want to stand behind her, either.
His cell phone rang. He jumped up, not wanting it to wake Javier, and raced for the back door before answering. “Hello?”
“Bendición, papa,” sang Carlitos.
José smiled. “Que Dios te bendiga.”
“Papa, I miss you.”
“I miss you too.” José placed his left hand in his pocket. “How did you do on your science test?”
“I got a B. Mom was really proud of me,” he could hear the excitement in his voice.
“I’m proud of you, too.”
“My birthday’s next week. You promised you were coming. When will you be here? You can stay with mom and me.”
José sighed, “Papito, I know I said I was coming for your birthday, but I can’t take time off from work yet.”
“Papa! You said you were coming!” Carlitos yelled.
“I know—”
“You promised.”
He could hear some crying. “I’m sorry, son.” José slipped into the yard.
The next thing he heard was nothing. His son had hung up on him. José couldn’t stand disrespect. He swiped his phone, finding Olga’s house number, and dialed.
“Hola,” Olga answered.
“Put Carlitos on the phone,” José tried to calm down.
“He’s doing his homework.”
He took a deep breath. “Olga, I don’t want to argue with you. I need to talk to my son.”
She raised her voice. “He’s our son, and you broke his little heart. You should never make promises you can’t keep.”
José paced. “Olga, regardless of what I did or said, it doesn’t give him the right to disrespect me. I don’t have any vacation time yet. When I made that promise, I wasn’t working.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“You think I don’t feel bad for breaking my word to him?”
She didn’t answer.
“I’m trying to be a better man for my son. I’m finally able to support him, and I won’t jeopardize that.”
“I’ll talk to him about what he did.”
“Tell him I’ll call him tomorrow.” José swiped the phone off, and slipped it into his pocket. When would everything in his life fall into place? He was paying for the sins of his father. He remembered how he’d felt every time Miguel said he was picking him up, and never showed up. He’d always said he wouldn’t turn out like his biological father, but life laughed at him once again. He still had a chance, because Papo, the man who’d adopted him, had raised him to take care of his responsibilities.
Someone patted his shoulder.
“I’m proud of you.” Javier stepped outside. “You’ve come a long way. Carlitos will thank you later.”
“I hope so.”
Chapter Nine
Jewel slipped into the dark house. From the hallway, she could see the light underneath José’s room door. It had been over two months since he’d moved in. She hadn’t seen him a lot lately. Either he was gone when she got home, or she was. She strolled down the hall to her room.
What a day. She closed her door, closed her eyes, and leaned against the cool, solid wood. Jewel took a deep breath, kicking off her shoes. One of her student’s parents had torn into her because his son’s grades were deteriorating. She’d done everything to help the kid. She’d tried different methods of teaching but nothing worked, even staying after school to help him. His father was angry. He told her it was her fault because she wasn’t trained to teach kids like him. Asian kids.
He’d marched the little boy out of her classroom and down to the principal’s office, demanding they switch him from her class. Mr. Davis had stood his ground, defending her. The school year was almost done, but in the end Jewel had told him it was okay. It might be best for the boy to go to
Judy’s class.
Now she felt like a failure. She opened her eyes, and automatically covered her mouth with her hand. There were two boxes on her bed, one a large and white, the other a Michael Kors shoebox.
Jewel hurried forward to finger the big package, looking at the logo on it. It was from the fancy boutique downtown. She’d passed by multiple times, thinking those dresses in the window were too overpriced. She gently slid the cover off, moving the white tissue paper out of the way to expose a beautiful black and lavender dress.
She gradually lifted it out; it was gorgeous. It was a sexy mermaid gown, with a sheer illusion neckline and beaded embroidery on the bodice along the chiffon skirt, with a high slit. Jewel placed it against her body and looked in her full-length mirror. Tears shone in her eyes as she stared at her reflection. She smiled. Setting the gown on the bed, she opened the shoebox. Inside was a pair of black stilettos.
Jewel couldn’t contain her excitement as she rushed from her room to his. She didn’t even knock on the door, just turned the knob, and stopped. There he was, lying on his bed with a math book in his hands.
***
José was so intent on studying for the GED, he’d been startled by Jewel when she threw his door open. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. He tossed the book to the side and slipped off the bed.
“Jewel, what’s wrong?” He rushed over to her.
Jewel met him halfway, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
He pulled her closer to him, wanting to touch every inch of her body.
“José…” she whispered. “Thank you.”
She felt so right in his arms. Jewel’s embrace got tighter, and he felt her tears on his T-shirt. Damn, she was crying.
“Muñeca.” He leaned back, wiping her cheeks with his fingers. “Why are you crying? Shouldn’t you be happy?” He gazed into her eyes, took in her soft, luscious lips.
“I am.” She took his hand in hers. “But I can’t accept it.”
His eyebrows arched. “Why? It’s my gift to you.”
“José, I know that dress was expensive, and those shoes were over a hundred dollars.” She released his hands.
“I don’t fucking care how much they cost, you deserve that and so much more. I wish…” His voice rattled.
Jewel looked up at him. “José, I’m not being ungrateful. I do love the dress and shoes.”
“Then you’re wearing it. End of discussion. They’re yours.” He placed his hands around her waist and pulled her forward. “I can only imagine how beautiful you’re going to look.”
She leaned away. “How did you know my size?”
“I snuck into your closet.” He chuckled. “Take pictures before you leave on Friday.”
“You’re not going to be here?” She eased away from his touch.
“I promised Connie I would take her to some black-tie event.” He ambled back to the bed and sat on the edge, grabbing the math book.
“Oh, okay.” She sat next to him. “Need help?”
He handed her the textbook, and pointed. “That graph is killing me.”
Jewel smirked. “What don’t you get?”
“Everything.” He chuckled. Damn, she had the most alluring smile. The tiny gap between her front teeth made it even sexier. “How would I know how many hours that dude spent observing his employees?”
Jewel laughed out loud. “By reading. Let’s see.” She began reading to herself, and José took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles.
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
Her lips opened slightly as if she were about to say something, then snapped shut. She cleared her throat. “You can thank me after you pass your GED on Thursday.”
They both lay on their stomachs, reading the textbook. José loved making her laugh. He mostly knew the answers, but took the opportunity to spend some time with her.
“How was work?” He leaned on his right elbow, watching her.
She turned on her side, glancing at him. “Let’s just say I didn’t feel like someone who’d been nominated teacher of the year.” She blinked a few times.
“Hey.” He caressed her cheek. “What happened?”
“One of my students’ dad went off on me,” Jewel calmly stated.
“What the fuck did he do?” José rapidly sat up in the bed, looking at her.
“Calm down.” She gazed up at him. “He thinks I’m not the right person that should be teaching his son, and maybe he’s right, but not because I’m black.”
Had he heard that right? The vein in his throat throbbed. “Because you’re black.”
She smiled. “According to him, I shouldn’t be teaching his Asian son. He even had the nerve to ask me what college I graduated from. Can you believe that?” She rose up too, sitting on her feet.
He stared at her, his mind nearly blocking out the words she was saying as his body began to react. Her scent—damn, she smelled like cherry blossom and vanilla.
“José! Can you believe the nerve of him?” Her hands were crossed over her chest, and she pouted.
“Babe, don’t let what one asshole said define you. You know you’re a fucking great teacher. The entire state knows that.”
Her frowned turned upside-down. “You know what, you’re right. I always put those kids first.”
“So there you go. You’re awesome!” They stared at each other, and he was the one to break their connection. Fuck, he was falling for the wrong person.
“I prefer muñeca over babe.” She lay down on her stomach. “Let’s prove to the world that I am a great teacher.” She pulled his book over.
For two hours, they reviewed math, science, and social studies. With Jewel’s patient help, he finally felt ready for the test and Thursday couldn’t get there fast enough. Damn, he was finally going to be proud of himself.
Chapter Ten
Connie sat between José’s legs with her head resting on his chest. Once again, she’d decided on dinner and a movie at her place. José was getting tired of always coming to her apartment.
She wore shorts and a tank top, making it hard for him to concentrate on the show on TV.
“I rented a tux for tomorrow night.” He rubbed her bare thighs.
Connie half-turned so she faced him. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “I’m so sorry, I forgot to tell you. They cancelled the event.”
He looked down at her. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could’ve saved that money.”
She leaned over to the side of the sofa, and went to grab her purse. “How much do I owe you?”
José gently pushed her off him. “I don’t need your money.” He was already pissed at her. She hadn’t even remembered that he’d taken his GED that day.
“What’s your problem, José?” she snapped.
“My problem is you right now.” He stood. “You only think about yourself. How long did you know they cancelled? You see me at work every fucking day.”
She glared at him. “José, I thought I told you.”
“Whatever, Connie. And why do we always have to see each other on your terms?”
She rose and gazed at him with a surprised look. “That’s not true.”
“Really? Because it’s been almost two months, and it seems you only want to see me here, where no one else will see us!”
“Honey, that’s not true. I’m not ashamed of you.” She moved closer to him.
He’d never verbalized that thought, never said anything about her being ashamed of him—but those words seemed so easy for her.
“I’ve been trying to get you in bed.” Connie got on her tiptoes and kissed him. “But you keep turning me down.”
He smirked at her, and nipped her bottom lip. She was full of shit, but he’d go along with her game. “Because I’m not ready.” José yanked her forward.
She smacked his arm playfully. “You were ready months ago.”
“I have a right to change my mind.” He winked. “No means no.”
Connie’s hands circ
led his neck, pulling him down, and her lips devoured his. Their tongues wrapped around each other’s in an age-old game of tug of war. He lifted her blouse away from her back, and touched her bare skin. Fuck, the blood was pumping to his dick.
José’s cell rang, and the memories of what had happened last time flooded his mind. Gently pulling away, he dug into his pocket. He stared at the screen as he wiped his mouth. It was Jewel.
He drifted away from Connie, leaving her with her mouth agape.
“Are you okay?” José asked, out of breath.
“How was it?” Jewel yelled into the phone.
He chortled.
“I’m waiting.”
“I missed it by five points,” he said in a stern voice.
“Stop playing!”
José chuckled deeply. “I passed with flying colors. I finally got my GED!”
Jewel screamed into the phone so loud, he had to pull it away from his ear. “Congratulations! I always knew you could do it.” Her voiced cracked. “Felicidades, guapo.”
“Thank you, muñeca.”
“We need to celebrate.”
“Yep, we do. It’s because of you.” He turned and looked at Connie. Her arms were crossed under her bust, lifting her breasts.
“You just had to believe in yourself,” Jewel said.
“You’re right. I do have to say I’m proud of myself.”
“And you should be.” She was silent for a few seconds. “Well, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. Bye.”
“Bye.” He swiped the phone off.
Connie glowered at him. “Why didn’t you tell me you passed your GED?”
“You never asked.” José returned to the couch and continued to watch the movie.
Connie sat on the other side of the sofa, glaring at him. He glanced at her once in a while until the movie was over.
José stood, stretching his hands, and strolled over to the door.
“You’re leaving?” Connie shot up from her seat.
“Yes, I have a long day tomorrow.”
She marched up to him. “It’s Friday. You get off early.”
“Really?” He laughed sarcastically. “I have yard work to do after work.”