Finding Love At Life's Crossroads: An Interracial Novel

by Skylar Ward

  “Mr. Davenport, you are back.” An older woman with a silver streak down the front of her red hair greeted him in the foyer.

  “Yes, I am, Mrs. Edwards,” Ace said, stopping to pick up his suitcase.

  “Let me get someone to take that up, sir.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Ace picked up the case and strode ahead. “Please have Mrs. Davenport’s portrait moved to her studio.”

  “The studio which is separate from the house?”

  Ace turned, staring at Mrs. Edwards. “Is there another studio on the premises?”

  “No, sir, of course not.”

  “Good,” Ace said. “And I want it done as soon as possible.”

  “Would you like something else in its place?”

  Ace thought for a moment as images flooded his mind. “Something with an ocean would be perfect.”

  “Very well, sir.”

  When Ace ascended the massive staircase leading to the east wing, he flirted with the idea of opting back into life, but only on his terms. Even he had to acknowledge, it was time, especially since he’d just returned from a brush with happiness. His mind deviated to Efia’s smiling face and large curls, he shook his head clearing the images.

  “I cannot do another relationship of the heart,” he whispered. “And Efia deserves that and so much more.”

  Along the corridor, he stopped by the first door. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He leaned his forehead on the carved panel. Seconds later, he exhaled, straightened himself, and kept on walking.

  Chapter 20

  “You’ve got mail,” Ashley said, laughing out loud.

  “I am happy you are amusing yourself,” Efia said.

  “It’s not a joke. You have a FedEx envelope. It’s on your bed.”

  “I guess you wanted to say that line for a long time, right?”

  “No one gets regular mail anymore.” Ashley became somber. “My mother loved sending little notes. I still have a stack of those cute notepads with matching envelopes.”

  Efia hugged Ashley.

  Ashley stepped away from Efia. “Don’t let me keep you from opening that.”

  Efia checked the return address and swallowed hard.

  “Hurry up and open it,” Ashley said. “Curiosity is killing me.”

  “Nosey,” Efia said, heading for the bathroom.

  In the sanctuary of the bathroom, her fingers trembled as she tore the envelope opened. She removed a sheet of paper, and something fell to the floor. Efia picked it up. A check! She examined it. Ten thousand dollars! Efia frowned. Why? Placing the check back in the envelope, she read the note.

  Dear Efia,

  Thank you for sharing You with me. I didn’t deserve the precious gift you gave me, but I will forever treasure the warmth and decency that you represent.

  As I write this note, a part of me wants to take you under my wings and introduce you to life—my life, however, it wouldn’t be fair to you. We are both at drastically different paths in our journey. You must travel your path on your own terms as I have traveled mine.

  Thank you for bringing a bit of light into my very dark world. Enclosed is a check for 10k. I hope it gets you started with your first apartment.

  Best wishes for your future endeavors,

  Ace

  Efia reread his words before tossing both the note and the check aside. She exited the bathroom.

  “I don’t understand. Why would Ace do this to me? I am not a lady of the night.”

  “A what?” Ashley asked.

  “A streetwalker.”

  “Oh, you mean a whore.” Ashley entered the bathroom, returning with the note and check. “Why are you so upset? It says here, he wants to help you with your apartment. What is so bad about that?”

  “He has ruined everything. Now, every time I think of my first time this is going to cloud my memories.”

  “I think it’s very kind of him to offer to help you, Efia. How many people would be so generous to give you ten thousand dollars?”

  “I don’t want his money. I am returning it to him. I am not for sale.”

  “Your thinking is flawed, Efia. Davenport could have gone back to his life without even so much as a hello.”

  “That is precisely what he should have done,” Efia said.

  “The fact that he took the time to listen to your plans speaks to his character. Don’t let your pride cause you to throw away cash, missy. Ten thousand dollars can go a long way when we get back home. We can get a two-bedroom apartment and share. Remember, your dad is not at home waiting for you with open arms.”

  Chapter 21

  Six Weeks Later-

  Efia knelt on the bathroom floor, her head hanging over the toilet. If she heaved one more time, she was confident her intestines would come through her mouth.

  “Drink this ginger ale,” Ashley said.

  She drank. “I hope you don’t catch my stomach virus.”

  “Is it possible that you are preggers?”

  Efia lifted puffy eyes to Ashley. “What?”

  “Did you use protection?”

  Efia rubbed her stomach.

  Ashley groaned. “Oh, God, Efia, tell me you did.”

  “We did, except for one time,” Efia whispered.

  “Sweetie, that is all it takes—just one time. And sometimes that one time is not even earth-shattering.”

  “It’s just a virus,” Efia whispered. “It has to be.”

  “What about your cycle?”

  “I am always late, you know that.”

  “Well, there is only one way to find out. I’ll get a pregnancy test from the gift shop.”

  “I will get it,” Efia said.

  “No,” Ashley said. “You don’t want the workers in the gift shop in your business. If I go, they will think it is just another crazy item I had to get for this couple I am assigned to. I never saw anyone use so much lube. Between you and me, I think he is cheating on his wife. I miss my same-sex couple.”

  Efia tried to smile, she winced instead.

  “Do you want me to go now?”

  “Yes,” Efia answered.

  “Are you okay by yourself?”

  “I will be fine.”

  “At least the couple you are working with is low maintenance,” Ashley said. “You can get some rest. I’ll be right back.”

  <>

  By the time Ashley returned with two boxes of Clearblue pregnancy tests, Efia had already prayed like she had never done before. Reaching an unsteady hand toward the boxes, she closed the bathroom door. Fifteen minutes later, four digital pregnancy test sticks, and the results were all the same—pregnant!

  Efia focused on the word of each screen. Deep in thought, she hadn’t heard Ashley calling to her from the other side of the bathroom door.

  “Are you all …”

  Efia jumped as far as the space allowed.

  “Sorry to scare you,” Ashley said, glancing from Efia’s face to the four sticks on the small sink.

  “My parents!” Efia exclaimed. “What am I going to tell my parents?”

  Ashley embraced Efia. “Sweetie, before you deal with your parents you have to deal with your job. Your probationary period is six months.”

  Tears welled in Efia’s eyes and spilled. “I have to find another job back home. Who is going to hire a pregnant woman?”

  “Now you can spend more time with your YouTube channel. You already have over fifty thousand subscribers.”

  “I don’t know,” Efia sniffed.

  “Well, you have to come up with something. I know ending this pregnancy is not even in your thoughts.”

  Efia pulled away from Ashley. “I would never do that.”

  “I know, sweetie, I know. You have to figure out something fast because the baby has to eat.”

  “First thing I will do is tell Maria. I will make my plans based on how our conversation goes.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed and say a prayer for you.” Ashley shook her head.<
br />
  “What’s wrong?”

  “Davenport has some strong swimmers. Do you think it was the first time he had sex since his wife died?”

  “How do you come up with these crazy juvenile thoughts?”

  “Didn’t it cross your mind?” Ashley laughed. “You are not fooling me, missy, I know you thought the same thing. Now you’ll never be able to forget Davenport, but I have a feeling he will never forget you, either.”

  “You act as though you have been in a million relationships,” Efia said.

  “Because I kissed a lame-ass jerk, doesn’t mean I am not a romantic,” Ashley said accompanied with a high-pitched laugh.

  Efia tuned out Ashley, her thoughts on her father’s bleak assessment of private islands. Fearing his imminent response to her pregnancy, her heart ached at the rift that was about to widen.

  Chapter 22

  After spending the night thinking about her new life and jotting down a few plans, Efia felt a sense of calm. She would speak to Maria, Ace, and then to her parents. She would start filming content for her YouTube channel upon returning to Great Exuma, and she would advertise her services to tutor students at one of the local colleges in calculus.

  With her new roadmap as guidance, and the queasiness in her stomach all but gone, Efia got an early start to the day. Grateful for the relief, she powered through the stack of invoices on Maria’s desk.

  “Hey, you got through the pile,” Maria said, walking into the office. “Chica, you are God-sent. Did you have lunch?”

  “I had some soup,” Efia replied.

  “All this delicious, free food and you are having soup?” Maria sat down, sliding the chair close to her desk. “Leave the soup for when you are back home.”

  “I need to talk to you,” Efia said.

  “What’s going on?”

  Efia took a sip of ginger ale, hoping to wet her dry mouth. She stared at Maria, wishing she knew how to engage in small talk, but it wasn’t the Kwateng’s way.

  “I am pregnant.”

  Maria jerked upright. “What did you say?”

  “I said that …”

  “I heard you,” Maria interrupted. “Did you have this information before you accepted this job?”

  “It happened here,” Efia said. “Ace Davenport is the father.”

  “Come again.” Slowly, Maria stood. “You slept with a guest?”

  Efia nodded.

  “And you lied to me about talking to him all night?”

  “I am sorry.”

  “Sorry?” Maria’s voice rose. “I have to tell you, Efia. I am disappointed in you. Out of everyone here, you are the last person I expected to sleep around with a stranger.” Maria shook her head. “It just goes to show, you can’t put your trust in anyone.”

  Efia resented Maria’s characterization of Ace. In her heart, Ace was far from a stranger.

  “It just happened,” she responded. “Ace is an attractive man, and it was the first time …”

  “What? Maria clasped her ample chest. “Are you saying you were a virgin?”

  Efia felt like a school-aged child being reprimanded. As awful as she felt, she knew this was only the beginning. Her parent’s interrogation would be a lot worse.

  “Yes,” Efia whispered.

  Maria took Efia into her arms. “You, poor soul. We’ll keep this between us. I will give someone your assignment for a few days. I have the name of a good doctor, you can go in and have this taken care of.”

  Efia twisted out of Maria’s embrace. “What do you mean taken care of?”

  “What the hell do you think I mean?” Maria said through clenched teeth. “You are on probation. And let us not forget the logistics of working on a private island without a doctor. All we have here is a nurse. You can bet she is not here to take care of the staff’s babies.”

  “I have to contact Ace,” Efia said forcefully.

  “Ace?” Maria’s voice echoed off the four walls. “Are you out of your damn mind?”

  “It’s not right to keep this news from him. He needs to know that he will be a father.”

  “I can see you have lived a sheltered life, but you need to keep it real, chica. What do you mean father?”

  “I told you,” Efia said, running her fingers over her still flat stomach.

  “Let me get this straight. You plan to keep it?”

  “Of course,” Efia said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Maria’s high-pitched laughter lacked amusement. “Let me play devil’s advocate here for a minute, do you think Mr. Davenport will run over here, swoop you into his arms, and ask you to marry him?”

  Efia glared at Maria.

  “Oh, God, Efia, no. You can’t be that silly, can you? It’s time we have a serious conversation. Listen to me, chica, men like Davenport are not interested in having kids with someone like you.”

  Efia winced. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You were nothing more than temporary comfort to that man.” Maria patted Efia’s arm. “Davenport came here with a cloud of gloom hanging over his head. He didn’t even want to be here, for Pete’s sake. I hardly recognized him when he left. It was like night and day. If it were anyone else working with him, I would have said he was getting it on with them. I never expected this from you. I assumed your likeability drew him from his sorrow.”

  Efia gasped and yanked her arm away.

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Maria said. “You are a novice in comparison to Mr. Davenport. You haven’t lived any life, Efia. You made a mistake, learn from it, and move on. You have a place in this industry, you are good with people, you are smart, don’t let this thing keep you back.”

  “Thing? This thing you speak so cavalier about is my baby.”

  Maria rolled her eyes. “I’ll make a call to the clinic in Nassau. You can take a few days off.”

  “Don’t waste your time making those calls on my behalf. I don’t have any need for that clinic.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Efia, grow up. Don’t throw your life away over a meaningless fuck.”

  Blood swirled between Efia’s ears, and she willfully reminded herself to keep her tone measured.

  “You are a decent supervisor,” Efia said. “I like you, but you don’t get to talk to me any way you choose. This is my life, not yours. Ace is the father of my child, and I intend to let him know.”

  Color stained Maria’s tan cheeks. “You are correct. It is your life. All I am saying is to think carefully before you contact Ace Davenport. What will you do when Mr. Davenport insists that you end your pregnancy?”

  “He can’t make me.”

  Maria held Efia’s gaze. “Can’t he?

  “This is my body.”

  “I know you are not that naïve. Ace Davenport is a powerful man, Efia, you don’t want to cross a man like him. He is already back to his old life. I would bet anything that he has forgotten your name by now.”

  It was on the tip of Efia’ tongue to tell Maria about the check Ace had sent, but she bit the words back.

  What if Maria is right? The check did seem like a goodbye gift. And what if it was a good-riddance donation, instead?

  At a loss for a suitable response, Efia’s confidence took a nosedive, but her pride held on.

  “Ace is an honorable man. I don’t believe he will ever forget me.”

  “Suit yourself, but remember I warned you. People have no uses for band-aids when they are healed. They throw them in the trash. Don’t let this man toss you, Efia.”

  Efia strolled toward the door. “Thank you for everything. I won’t blame you for my termination.”

  “I’ll assign someone else to take care of the guests. We will speak later.”

  It’s for the best, Efia mused. Besides, I need to go home and see a doctor. Efia took one last glance at Maria and left.

  <>

  Back in her room, Efia packed her belongings while thoughts of Ace Davenport besieged her. What did she know about him anyway? Tired of the in
ternal second-guessing, she sat on the floor, reached for her cell phone, and did a search for Ace Davenport.

  The first thing on Google was an article entitled: CEO of S&E Private Equities Corporation with his wife, Jodi Davenport at the New England Center for Arts And Technology’s annual fund-raiser ball.

  Efia studied the photo, noticing that while Jodi seemed to focus on the camera, Ace’s attention was on his wife. Unable to concentrate on the image, Efia closed the application.

  Maybe I too will be the recipient of his loving gaze when he finds out about our child? Efia thought.

  For more than an hour, she drilled down until she unearthed an article entitled The Hidden Billionaires in a British magazine. She drilled down further, and a picture of Ace Davenport and Drew Palmer popped up at a groundbreaking ceremony for Ace’s private island in the Bahamas.

  “Why?” Efia whispered. “Damn it, Ace Davenport, why weren’t you straightforward with me?” She sucked in air, rested her back against the wall and closed her eyes. “Maria is right, I am way out of my league.”

  Chapter 23

  Engrossed in her troubles, Efia hadn’t heard when Ashely entered the room.

  “What are you doing down there?” Ashley asked.

  “You won’t believe what I found on Ace.”

  “Did he go to jail for securities fraud?” Ashley asked.

  “If he had, it would have been the first thing on Google. According to the article I found, Ace owns a myriad of businesses under different names. He prefers to stay under the radar, keeping his headquarters in …” Efia scrolled through the phone. “Massachusetts, instead of the glaring lights of New York City where many of his businesses are located.”

  “So, he is a wealthy dude. That doesn’t surprise me.” Ashley kicked off her shoes and sat on Efia’s bed. “Who else can afford to vacation at this place?”

  Efia scrolled through the phone. “That is just the beginning.” She handed the phone to Ashley. “What do you think of this?”

  Ashley examined the headlines and the photo. “He owns this place?”