Matt arrived at the building where Kayla worked at 11:30 that morning. As he walked into the office space where she worked, he was greeted by the shy, coy smiles of some girls , while other girls were much more bold in their admiration of his good looks. When he found Kayla, she had just finished typing information into the computer and was readying herself for that day's lunch date with Elliott and his parents. She looked absolutely beautiful with her dark brown, thick, curly, shoulder-length hair. She wore a simple blue dress with princess seams that fit her petite frame as if it had been made specifically for her, and mid-heel, peep-toe red sling back pumps. "Hey," Kayla said as she stood up to make her way over to her brother. Matt asked her "You ready to do this, kiddo?" Kayla replied, "As ready as I'm gonna be." They walked down the steps and got into Matt's car. "Now Matt, please, please try not to be so angry with Elliott. I know that his yelling at Mom the other day really pissed you off, but . . . " Matt cut her off and said "Listen, sis, I don't need you telling me how to act around people, okay? I mean I am definitely not going to bend over backward to be nice to Elliott, but I really do want to meet our grandparents. So you don't need to worry that I'm going to lose my cool and embarrass you." Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't trying to tell you how to act around people. I just want us to make a good impression, that's all." They pulled into the parking space and crossed the street to the restaurant, a small Italian eatery that was very nondescript, but served some of the best fare around. As they were walking into the restaurant, Kayla saw Elliott and his parents already seated at a table that provided them with a view of the ocean. Elliott's eyes lit up when he saw Kayla and Matt walking toward him. "Hello," Elliott said to both of them. "I'm so glad you both were available today." He really was just as nervous as Matt and Kayla, and really did not know what to say to them. Kayla replied "Oh, it was really no problem at all. My last class was at 10:00 this morning. After lunch I plan on going back to work for a few more hours before calling it a day." Elliott could not help but to be in awe of his beautiful daughter. He nodded and thanked her again for meeting with him. Elliott was now standing face-to-face with Matt. "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I really appreciate it," Elliott said to Matt. Matt looked directly into his dad's blue eyes and said, "No problem, Elliott." The trio made their way to their table where Elliott's parents were waiting. Ben and Lena could barely contain themselves. They both stood up at the same time, smiling. "Oh, Elliott," Lena said, "they are so beautiful." Kayla smiled shyly as she was enveloped in a warm hug by her grandmother. "Just look at her, Ben. She's perfect," Lena continued to gush in her soft African accent. Ben stood there smiling at the shy yet anxious expression on his granddaughter's face and said "She certainly is" as he gave her a hug. Ben and Lena then turned their attention to Matt who was standing there quietly observing the scene they were creating. Ben extended his hand to Matt and said "It's so nice to meet you Matt." Matt shook Ben's extended hand and said "Likewise, Mr. James." Lena seemed to be absolutely stunned at how much Matt and Elliott favored. She finally found her voice and said "Matthew, I am so pleased you could meet with us today. Please forgive me for staring, but you are truly just like your father." With that she extended her slim, elegant hand to him and gave his hand a soft squeeze. After all introductions had been made, the group sat at their table and continued to talk. Conversation was a bit stilted at first, however, it gradually became easier, as both Ben, Lena, and Elliott were very good at gauging people and making easy conversation for them. They focused on easy subjects like work, school, hobbies, and life in New York. After they had finished eating their lunch, it was Kayla who said, "I have had such a wonderful afternoon. I know that today was probably nerve-wracking for everybody, but it's good to finally do this." Lena looked proudly at her granddaughter and said, "Yes, child, this day has been a long time coming, but now that it is here, we have nowhere to go from here but up." As they were leaving the restaurant Ben approached one of the wait staff and asked for a picture of them outside the restaurant with his camera. They had all exchanged phone numbers and other contact information. Ben promised that he would make sure that Matt and Kayla got copies. When Lena saw the picture she exclaimed "Look at that! Matthew, you look exactly like Elliott, and Kayla, you are so beautiful, just like Renee." When Lena said those words, Elliott's body language seemed to stiffen a bit. They said their for-real goodbyes and agreed that they would get together over the weekend at Elliott's place.
Chapter 10
"See, sis, I told you I wouldn't embarrass you, didn't I?" Matt said to Kayla on their drive to her apartment. Kayla said "I remind you, Matthew, I never said you were going to embarrass me. I just didn't want you to get into it today with Elliott." As he pulled into a parking space directly in front of Kayla's door, Matt said "I have no intention of ever getting into it with him. As long as he knows where he stands, he and I do not have any problems. Now if he forgets where he stands, that could be a problem for him." Kay pursed her lips and sighed. Matthew said, "Ben and Lena are very nice. Are you surprised that Ben is white and Lena is black?" As they entered Kayla's apartment, she said "I'm not surprised. After seeing Elliott that day for the first time, I kinda suspected that he's biracial." Kayla went to the refrigerator and poured herself and Matt a glass of iced tea. "I'm looking forward to dinner Saturday. You are going to be there, right?" Matt said "I am scheduled to work Saturday, but I will see if someone will be willing to trade days with me." Before Kayla could say anything, Matt said "Don't worry about it, I'm sure someone will take Saturday for me." Kayla thought about it for a minute and said "Okay, when will you know for sure?" Matt told her that he should know something by tomorrow and that he would give her a call. "Well, I need to get back to my work, sis. C'mon and I'll drop you back on campus. Kayla got her purse and they got back into Matt's car and went back to the University.
Ben and Lena could not stop talking about Kayla and Matthew. "Elliott, they are so smart, beautiful, and well-spoken. Renee has done an excellent job in raising them," Lena beamed. "Yes, they certainly are son," Ben agreed. "Matthew seems to be reserved, but I think he may just be shy, sort of like you were at that age." Elliott’s jaw tensed at the mention of Renee’s name. His tense jaw did not escape his mother’s eye, so she decided not to press further conversation that involved mentioning Renee. “Yes, they are. I wish we could have spent more time with them, though.” Ben replied, “This week will go by quick enough, the weekend will be here before you know it.” Lena said “A cookout would be perfect. Your dad and I will take care of the meal preparation. Would you like to invite E and his family over, Elliott? Lena asked. Elliott replied that he would prefer to just have the kids over, to spend more time with them, having them get comfortable with him. “I can’t wait for E and his wife to meet them, but not just yet.” Ben and Lena understood and set about planning Saturday’s menu. After spending the rest of the afternoon and evening discussing their delight at meeting their grandchildren, Ben and Lena finally settled themselves down enough to watch some television before retiring to bed. Elliott stayed up a little bit longer. He went into his bedroom and took out his iPad. He immediately went to Renee’s website and looked at her image staring back at him. He didn’t know why he had gone onto her site. He told himself it was because he needed to know more about her skin care company, that it was only fair that he know about her company because after all, she is the mother of his children and he had a right to know about her line of work. Even as he was rationalizing this, somewhere inside of himself, he knew that wasn’t the reason for going to Renee’s webpage. When he saw Renee at her office that day, he was absolutely stunned at what a beautiful woman she had become. Of course when he last saw her all those years ago, she was a very pretty girl. He loved looking at her. He loved touching her brown, silky skin and looking into her dark eyes. She wore her thick hair either in an afro or twists that she would pin up or let hang loosely. Seeing her now, though, she was just so fine. Her smooth, nut-brown ski
n was a smooth as ever and her dark eyes could still draw him in. Her shoulder-length dreadlocks were black and thick and luscious. As he sat there looking at her computer image, he couldn’t get one question out of his mind: Why? Why had she ended things as abruptly as she did? Why didn’t she tell him she was pregnant. Surely she had to know that he loved her? Why had she not attempted to call him? Before Elliott realized it, it was after midnight. He turned off his device and went to bed.
Chapter 11
Just as Renee had finished meeting with one of the center’s clients, Liza was walking in. “Hey, sunshine,” Liza said cheerily as she walked into Renee’s office. Renee gave Liza a hug and said “Seems like I haven’t seen you in ages. What have you been up to?” Renee told Liza that Kayla and Matt had lunch with Elliott. “That’s not all, though, Liza. Elliott’s parents are in town. They all had lunch together and Kayla said she and Matt are going to his place for a cookout this weekend. “Oh, yeah,” Renee said “Elliott’s parents are here, too.” Liza’s eyes widened and she said “Really? When did they get here?” Renee told her that she wasn’t sure, but she imagined that Elliott called them shortly after that day in her office. “Well, now,” Liza said, grinning, as she leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. “What to do now?” Renee looked at her over her black rimmed eyeglasses and said “What do you mean? There is nothing for me to do. Kay and Matt are spending time with their dad and grandparents. Liza looked at Renee for a minute before saying “You know good and well Elliott’s parents are not going to leave without seeing you. Remember, you told me how well you got along with them, and how much they liked you? I can’t imagine that they would not want to see the mother of their grandchildren. Renee sat silently. She had not allowed herself to really think about seeing Elliott or his parents. The thought of them being in the same room together after all this time and after all that has happened was just too overwhelming. As if she had read her mind, Liza leaned over Renee’s cluttered desk and said “I know it will be awkward seeing them. “ Renee said “Wait, you are getting way ahead, now. Nobody has said anything about us getting together for any kind of meeting, awkward or otherwise. Like I said before, the kids are spending time with Elliott and their grandparents. That’s all.” Liza shrugged her shoulders and said “Okay, but I’m just saying.” Renee changed the subject and asked Liza what she and Joe had been up to. “Girl, get this,” Liza said, “Do you know he mentioned something to me about having a baby?” Now it was Renee’s eyes that got wide. “What! I mean, what did you say,” Renee said trying to keep her voice down. “He said it half jokingly, but I think he was actually serious. I just played it off and told him that if he thinks he is going to get around taking me on my trip to Spain by getting me pregnant, he could forget about it.” Renee laughed and said, “So basically what you are telling me is that you two have been sexing like crazy. Well, since I don’t have a sex life, I’ll just live vicariously through yours.” They laughed and Renee said “Seriously, would you have another baby?” Liza said, “When he brought it up, it was so out of the blue for me. I have not even been thinking about another kid. I mean, I’m so busy right now, not to mention the fact that we already have two grown children. I do not want to be one of those women having a change of life baby, you know?” Renee nodded her head in understanding. Liza said, “Oh well, Joe is so busy with work too, he was probably just talking. He must’ve seen a cute baby or something and started feeling all warm and fuzzy. Liza and Renee talked on for a while longer. As Liza stood up to leave the center, she said “Now you know in my mind that I believe I can see into the future, right?” Renee laughed and said, “Yes, you have mentioned that several times in the many years that I have known you.” Liza said “I can foresee your dry spell coming to an end before you know it, know what I mean? And in case you don’t know what I mean, I foresee great and abundant sex in your immediate future, my child.” Before Renee could reply, the phone on her desk rang. Liza blew her a kiss and did a cutesy wave before leaving.
After Renee left the center that evening, she went to the grocery store. She hadn’t realized until this morning that her kitchen was practically bare. Constance always made sure that Renee had enough food, but she was on vacation for the next two weeks visiting family. As she was putting away her groceries, she noticed the light on her phone blinking. When she played the message, she was positively floored. It was Elliott’s mother. She wanted Renee to call her so that they could arrange to have lunch. Renee tried not to panic, but her heart felt as if it would pound right out of her chest. She poured herself a glass of red wine and sat on her recliner. She stared into space for several moments trying to figure a way out of seeing Lena. She was not ready to see Lena or Ben, or Elliott for that matter, at this point. She checked the time and rationalized that it was too late to return Lena’s phone call. She would call her tomorrow. Maybe by then she would have a solid excuse for not being able to have lunch with her. She started to call Liza, but decided that it really was too late to call anyone at this hour. She went back into the kitchen and finished putting away the groceries. She was going to make herself a salad, but now she wasn’t hungry. She finished her glass of wine, took a shower, and went to bed.
Renee spent the night tossing and turning. She may have slept for two hours, if she was lucky. It was now 6 o’clock Friday morning and basically time for her to get up. The only excuse that she could come up with for getting out of lunch with Lena today was to tell her that she had meetings all day. She got out of bed and went into the kitchen where she made herself two egg whites, two slices of wheat toast, and poured a glass of orange juice. Just as she was finishing her breakfast, her phone rang. It was Kayla calling to see if she had any mango butter for her hair. As Renee was walking to her bathroom she said “I don’t think I do, but I can stop by the boutique today and pick up some.” Kay said, “Yes, that will be fine. I’ll just come by and pick it up this evening.” Kayla asked “Mom, are you okay? You sound really tired.” Renee stifled a yawn and said “Oh, yeah, I’m good, I just have a lot on the agenda today. This new boutique opening is really a lot of work, but it’s okay. Have you talked to Matt lately. I tried calling him a couple of days ago, but he hasn’t returned my call.” Kayla said “Well, you know he spends all his time with Victoria these days. She was probably over there and . . . “ Renee laughed and said, “Girl, don’t tell all of your brother’s business. “Alright, my bad,” Kay said. Renee said “I better hurry and get ready. I have got to go to the office today and then head over to the second boutique location. I’ll see you later this evening.” “Okay, see you then.”
By the time Renee arrived to her office, it was 7:30 a.m. She remembered that Lena liked to get up early, so she decided to call her about lunch. When Renee heard Lena’s soft African accent, she was immediately transported back to a time when life seemed much simpler. “Renee, it is so nice to hear from you. Thank you for returning my call.” Renee tried to keep her voice from trembling and said “Mrs. James, yes, it is very nice to talk to you as well. How is Mr. James?” Lena and Renee talked and exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes before Lena said “I do hope that you will be able to have lunch with me today, Renee. I’m sure you know that we were with Elliott the other day for lunch with Kayla and Matthew. They are so beautiful, Renee, and so smart.” Renee felt her heart start to beat rapidly again. “Thank you, Lena, and yes, lunch today would be great.” Renee could hardly believe that she had just agreed to have lunch with her. She was doing exactly the opposite of what she told herself she was going to do. She was supposed to be in meeting all day and would not be able to break away for lunch. Instead, here she is telling Lena that lunch would be “great.” They agreed to meet at Sylvia’s. Renee asked Lena about how she would getting there and Lena said that she would call a cab. Renee said “Why don’t I call Kayla or Matt to pick you up?” Lena was resistant at first, saying that she did not want to disturb them, but Renee assured her that it would be no trouble at all as they both h
ave very short days on Fridays. Lena said “Okay, that will be fine. I will see you later, then.” When Renee hung up the phone, she was in a daze. She had to quickly remind herself to call Kayla to see if she would be able to pick up Lena this afternoon. “So, you and Lena are having lunch today?” Kayla was surprised, but pleasantly so. “Yes, it was an unexpected invitation,” was all that Renee offered. “Sure, I’ll pick her up and take her back to Elliott’s afterward. Do you have his address?” Renee gave the address to Kayla. When she hung up the phone, she was sitting at her desk staring at her blank computer screen. Genevieve came in and saw the blank expression on Renee’s face and asked her if everything was alright. “Well, if you can call having lunch this afternoon with your children’s grandmother alright, then I guess it is.” Genevieve’s eyes widened as she sat in the chair across from Renee. “Oh, wow, Renee, things are certainly exciting for you, huh? Renee replied “Without a doubt.” Before Genevieve left Renee’s office, Renee said “I’m still going to meet with the decorator this morning about the finishing touches on the Manhattan boutique, and I am going over there before lunch, since I’ll be in the neighborhood anyway. I’ll call you later to let you know how things are going.” Genevieve said that would be fine and that if Renee needed her to do anything to just call her. Just as Genevieve was leaving Renee’s office, Liza’s associate was waiting on the other side of the door, getting ready to knock.
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