Blue Autumn in the Bayou (Gumbo Love)

by Clay, Ann

  Yes, Travis liked exotic, and she thought she’d stepped a tad bit ahead of that definition, but this had a totally different twist. She looked over the woman’s slim features and thought she was pretty enough, but was not exactly Travis’s type. She had beautiful, flawless skin, clear of any makeup. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun at the back of her head. Savannah looked directly at the woman, who seemed preoccupied, but she eventually went directly to an open seat. Savannah followed her.

  CHAPTER 19

  Autumn didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings. She could still feel Travis’s arms around her; his kiss continued to sear straight through her soul. She plopped down in a seat, with her upgrade pass in her hand, ready to gather her wandering thoughts. The whirlwind weekend should have been enough excitement for a lifetime. In all, the last twenty-four hours was what kept her spinning. The final seductive and soul-steering hours she spent with Travis would be etched into her memory for a long time to come.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  When Autumn looked up, she met the face of the woman from the reception. Savannah Price. She frowned at first, but quickly recovered. She was the last person Autumn expected to run into. Autumn stared at the woman for a brief moment; she seemed to hesitate for a second when Autumn threw her blue gaze. It was yet another kneejerk reaction to someone stunned by her looks. Autumn paused a long moment before she answered the woman. “No. Please, help yourself.” She pointed to the chair.

  Savannah sat and extended her hand toward Autumn. “I’m Savannah.”

  Autumn looked at Savannah before she accepted her limp hand. “Autumn.”

  “Nice to meet you, honey. Where are you headed?” Savannah’s smile laced with sarcasm, but Autumn managed to return a genuine smile. She had no idea what the woman was fishing for, but still, she decided to play along. The limited details Travis shared with her, about the faker, made her suspicious. “Home. New York. And you?” Autumn already knew the woman was from Savannah.

  “New York is a long ways from New Orleans.” She batted long, fake lashes. Her face lit up at Autumn’s revelation. She ignored Autumn’s question about her destination.

  “No farther than any other city, I would guess.” Displeasure set in Autumn at that moment. The woman got under her skin in less than the one minute it took to sit next to her. Savannah’s obvious attempts to dismiss her didn’t sit well with her, at all.

  Savannah got the message. She was no fool and neither was Autumn; this was why she decided to get straight to the point. She was never one to dance around a subject like she just tried to do. Autumn’s flight would be boarding in a few minutes, and Savannah didn’t want to lose the opportunity to get what information she wanted from Autumn. The more she knew about her, and how she fit into the puzzle with Travis, the better armed she’d be.

  “Listen, I’ll be straight up with you.” She used the phrase Travis often used, and by Autumn’s sudden reaction to it, she guessed it worked. Savannah felt proud of herself when she saw her sit and lift her head. She wanted to make sure Autumn heard and understood her clearly.

  She didn’t miss a beat or notice Autumn’s cursory appraisal of her appearance. “I want to know what’s going on with you and Travis. If you must know, we are an item.”

  Autumn raised her eyebrow in disbelief. She held the laughter dancing at the base of her throat because she had no plans to play that game with her. She paused so long that she could see the discomfort in Savannah’s expression, and decided to sit there and let her stew for a while.

  Savannah fidgeted in her seat, not because she was intimidated by Autumn’s intense glare, but because she was anxious to figure out her next move. Ms. Autumn wasn’t the pushover she looked to be. Just when Savannah thought she wouldn’t answer her question, and prepared for her next one, she watched as Autumn turned her entire body toward her. Again she wasn’t afraid of her because her posture lacked hostility, so she set aside her worry of a physical attack.

  “You need to have this conversation with Travis, not me.” She met the woman’s defiant glare. Autumn refused to be bullied. She didn’t owe the woman a conversation, let alone an explanation about her or Travis. “Now, if you would please excuse me. I have a plane to catch. You have a safe trip, honey!” She added sarcasm to the word “honey” to mock Savannah’s original greeting when she’d plopped down next to her.

  She gathered her things and walked up to the breezeway, just as the agent called to seat first-class passengers. She didn’t hesitate or look back at Savannah. Autumn handed the agent her boarding pass, strolled down the Jetway, and through the plane’s open doorway.

  Savannah turned and watched Autumn board her flight. She took her comment literally. She had every plan to talk to Travis. She summed up their conversation to mean that Autumn really didn’t have a place in his life. With that thought in place and a grin on her face, she said, “Well my work here is done.” Savannah gathered her bags too; only she didn’t head for a departure gate like she’d originally planned, heading back to Savannah, Georgia. Instead she walked right through the exit by the security checkpoint, and straight for the airport exit. The heat met her with enthusiasm as she hopped in the back of the first cab headed back into the city.

  * * * *

  Travis pulled up to his office to get some work done. The last couple of weeks had been filled with activity, first Clem’s funeral, and then Trae’s wedding. After several minutes of glaring at the report, he closed the folder, picked up the phone, and punched in the ten numbers on the keypad. “Jacob Euclid, please.” Jacob had approached weeks before about a possible business venture. One that would take him to New York City.

  “This is Jacob. How can I help you?”

  “Jacob, this is Travis Brooks.”

  “Mr. Brooks, it’s great to hear from you. What can I do for you?”

  “Please call me Travis. Listen, I realize it’s Sunday but I wanted to take this opportunity to make some plans. I would like to get this venture moving forward. How about I make a trip to New York in a couple of weeks? We can meet and you can show me more of the proposal we talked about.”

  After Travis and Jacob talked over his plans, he hung up and dialed his mother next. “Mom, I won’t make it this evening. I’m at the office.”

  * * * *

  As soon as the captain gave passengers the okay to use cell phones, Autumn opened her phone and dialed Travis’s cell number. He answered the call on the first ring. “You made it.”

  “Yes, I’m on the ground. We’re still taxiing, so it’ll be at least another couple of hours to get to my apartment.”

  “Why so long?”

  “Well unlike New Orleans, this airport is a zoo. And I live about forty-five minutes away. So it’s going to take a minute.”

  “Oh, okay. So how was your flight?”

  “Rather interesting if I must say so myself. You’ll never guess who I ran into at my gate area.”

  Travis was livid after Autumn told him about the encounter with Savannah. Her actions were so out of character and he couldn’t explain or excuse her behavior. He considered calling her but changed his mind, not wanting to fuel the fire. He hoped her fit would blow over soon and she wouldn’t force his hand. It wouldn’t be long before he found out.

  * * * *

  Savannah stared at her reflection in the mirror at the entrance to the fitness center. She paused to make sure her bright red lipstick had not smeared onto her teeth, and that her makeup was still flawless. She then adjusted the snug sports top, pushing her breasts up to reveal more of the soft flesh already peaking over the pink garment. “Okay girls, let’s see what’s going on, in here.” She winked at her reflection. As soon as she stepped completely into the weight room, all eyes centered on her and much of the clattering of metal ceased. She lifted her chest a little more, and swayed her hips as she strolled along the black mat pathway, garnering the attention of both men and women. She flirted as she passed, winking at the men she thought ea
rned it.

  Travis, intent on his routine, had yet to learn of her presence. His trainer hovered over him as he lifted the dumbbell handed to him seconds earlier. He didn’t release the bar until he heard her silky voice. “Hello, lover boy. Did you think you could get rid of me so easily?” She bent over and looked down into his face. Luckily the trainer was near because Travis released the piece before it was properly above the slot intended to hold it. He shot straight up and turned to face her. He watched the saucy smile that parted her ruby-red lips. The sight of them caused a stir in his groin, as he remembered how soft and warm they felt. “Savannah,” his voice caught in his throat before he could say anything else. He didn’t know why he was so caught off guard, but he was. He dropped his gaze to the soft flesh peaking above her low pink top. Again the call to his manhood leapt in response.

  Savannah’s excitement at his response nearly caused her to leap into his arms, but she held back. Instead, she moved her hand to her hip and parted her legs, causing Travis’s eyes to follow her movement. Her hip slipped to one side leaving the V shape he knew well exposed. “I knew I would find you here.” She wiggled a little. “Can we talk for a minute, please?” She tried to sound sweet and innocent, which she was neither.

  Travis openly feasted on her exposed flesh until her voice snapped his attention back to her face. She knew how to get his attention; that had not changed, no matter how much he tried to fight the urge.

  “What is there to talk about, Savannah? I made myself very clear.” He kept his attention to her eyes, nothing else.

  Savannah pouted. “I don’t like it when you’re mad at me. Please, just give me a few minutes to properly apologize. I promise I won’t take too much of your time. Be a good friend, will you?”

  Travis should have resisted and stuck to his original posture, but he couldn’t deny her this time. She’d been a good friend when he’d needed one. He opened his hand and Savannah wasted no time placing hers into it, as he led her from the room.

  * * * *

  Autumn wiped the sweat from her brow before she dialed Travis’s number. She held the device to her ear. The sudden urge to hear his voice interrupted her practice. She paced the length of the small rehearsal room as she waited to hear his voice from the other end. When his voice message kicked in, she stopped, glared out of the large window, and waited to hear the beep. “Hey babe, just wanted to hear your voice. Call me back when you get a chance. I miss you. I love you, Travis.” Autumn ended the call and dropped the phone back into her bag. She sighed heavily. Uneasiness grew even after she restarted the routine she’d been working on since 5:00 a.m. She made the same mistake four times before she finally stopped, gathered her things, and headed to the coffee shop on the corner from her practice studio.

  No sooner had she accepted the cup of hot water and tea bag than she heard someone call her name. When she turned, she saw Romeo, the guy from the jazz club she and her friends had visited a few times before she left for New Orleans. He waved her to his table, and helped her with her things. Once she was settled at the cozy window table, Romeo stared heavenly at her.

  Romeo stood and waited until she dropped her tea bag into the steamy water. She was amazingly beautiful. He knew he liked her the moment he saw her at the club, but wondered what had happened to her. She hadn’t returned in almost a month. He almost didn’t recognize her. Her blue eyes surprised him. Nothing else did. He liked her, a lot. He slowly lowered himself into his chair.

  “What are you doing on this side of the city?” she met his eager grin.

  Romeo leaned forward and replied, “I’m working on a gig for the upcoming art festival at the gallery around the corner. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while. I thought, perhaps we’d done something to offend you at the club.” He tried not to gawk at her. She was stunning.

  “No. Not at all. I went home for a friend’s wedding. I’ve only been back about a week. How are things at the club?”

  Romeo rubbed the back of his neck. “I must say I’m not accustomed to daytime hours.” He chuckled. “I’m so used to night hours. But this gig, I couldn’t pass it up. It’ll open up a lot of doors for me.”

  Autumn took a sip of her tea as she watched him. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and his voice was as smooth as the jazz she’d heard him play. She liked him, as a friend of course. She didn’t pull her hand away when he touched it as he casually filled her in on his new venture. She smiled and nodded in response. She was happy to be rid of the jitters from earlier. When she glanced down at her watch, an hour had already passed without her realizing it. She’d not planned to be away so long, but was caught up and occupied by her new companion.

  When Romeo, who’d consumed most of the conversation, realized that their time together was quickly coming to a close, he asked her, “What are your plans for Thursday evening?”

  “Actually, I start rehearsals this week and they’re usually long days.”

  “Well, if it’s not too late, I would love it if you would come to my set on Thursday. We’ll be there until 9:00 p.m.”

  “Mmm, I don’t know Romeo. It depends on how late and how exhausting rehearsals are.”

  He touched her hand. “Please, don’t say no just yet. It would really give me a boost if someone I knew was in the audience.” He seized the opportunity to touch her every chance he got.

  Autumn smiled. “Okay, I’ll try, but no promises.”

  “Deal!” He took Autumn’s hand and placed a light kiss on the back of it. “I’ll see you on Thursday.”

  “We’ll see. No promises.” She stood. “I have to get back.”

  Romeo stood when she did. “Okay.”

  Autumn returned to the studio and resumed her practice. When she checked her phone, she still had not received a call back from Travis, but didn’t think much of it. His days were often filled with back-to-back meetings. She closed her eyes remembering the warmth of his arms, and the sweetness of his lips. “I miss you,” she mumbled. After few minutes of reminiscing, she pulled herself together to focus on the routine she had to nail before rehearsals began.

  * * * *

  Savannah put up her best acting to get back into Travis’s good graces. She acknowledged having met Autumn at the airport. “She seems very sweet,” she lied. She invited him back to her hotel room, but he flat out refused her proposal. But he didn’t resist her when she slipped her arms around his waist and brushed her body against him. She played it safe, not coming on too strong or too fast. She had plenty of time. Before long, Travis would be in her bed again. That, she was sure of. She just had to bide her time. With little miss Autumn out of the way, she planned to use whatever it took to win him back. She smiled broadly. “Let me make it up to you. Dinner tonight. My treat.”

  Travis pulled away, and he raised his arms up and grasped the back of his head to keep from touching her. The urge was there, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Right then, although it was Savannah’s body so near, it was Autumn that slipped into his mind. He took a step back and shook his head. “Sorry, Savannah, can’t do it tonight. I have some late business to take care of.” He didn’t lie to her, not that he ever would. He also knew that he didn’t need to provide her with an explanation, but he did.

  Again, Savannah pouted. “Well, if not tonight, how about tomorrow or the following evening? You name it. I’ll be in the city for a few more days.”

  “Let me look at my schedule and I’ll get back to you.”

  “Promise?”

  He chuckled as he watched her girly gestures. “Yes. You know I keep my word.”

  She leaped, and the her breast jiggled even in her snug top. “Okay. I’ll wait to hear back from you.”

  “Take care.” Travis backed away from her, and headed to the locker room.

  * * * *

  Travis pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He dropped his whipped body into the overstuffed chair in his home office, pulled the cordless phone from the base, and diale
d Autumn’s number without thought. Only when he heard her sleepy voice did he look at the digital clock behind his desk.

  “Hello.” Autumn answered the call, after the second ring. She’d already crawled into bed, achy all over because she’d overdone it today. She took a couple of ibuprofens before retiring. She’d planned to get up early again in the morning.

  “Hi, baby, I’m sorry to call so late. I lost track of the time”

  Autumn sat up slowly. “Hi. I called earlier.”

  “Yes, I know. It’s been a killer day. How are you, sweetheart?”

  “I’m sore. I think I did too much today.” She rubbed the bottom of one of her feet.

  “Sorry, baby. I wish I was there to massage your achy body.”

  Autumn hugged herself. “I wish you were here too. I miss you.”

  Her words forced a smile to his face. He loved hearing her voice and right then, it was all he needed to keep his mind on track. He had a lot of work to catch up on, but he also wasn’t sure about how he felt about seeing Savannah earlier today. “I miss you too. I miss you a lot.” After they talked for a few minutes, and when both seemed to be satisfied with hearing the other’s voice Travis said, “Okay, babe, get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “I love you, Travis.”

  “I love you Autumn.”

  * * * *

  Autumn’s words rung in his ears, even right then; at the moment he walked into the Gumbo Shop. He spotted Savannah seated at a table, waiting for him. She grinned from ear to ear when he arrived at the table. “You look good enough to eat, lover boy.” She lifted her head to meet his handsome face. Travis met her eager greeting by kissing her on the cheek. Of course her flattery always did something to him, and usually got her whatever she wanted. Since he’d given up the chase, he missed the eager stares of women when he entered a room. He still got them; only he responded differently since he met Autumn.