The Savvy Sistahs

by Brenda Jackson

  “Yes, you do,” Michelle said, breaking into Carla’s thoughts. “And I’d like to be so bold as to suggest that you attend. All the new minority business owners in the area will be attending. If you must, think of attending as an investment in Osborne Computer Network’s future. But seriously, you really do need to get out and enjoy yourself more.”

  Carla couldn’t help but chuckle. Michelle’s calm, ever professional and efficient manner had slipped into that of a concerned employee as she stated a concern that a number of her other employees shared as well: the fact that their boss spent a lot of time at the office and didn’t have much of a social life. But what she’d tried to convince them of for the past two years—although they refused to buy it—was the fact that her two-year-old son, Craig, provided her with all the social life she needed.

  “When is the last day to send out the RSVP?” Carla asked as she toyed with her pen. Attending the affair meant leaving Craig with a sitter for an entire weekend, and although she’d done so when she’d had out-of-town business trips, she’d always seen those trips as more of a necessity. This was a beach party. Even if it was being thrown by James Mason.

  “Tomorrow.”

  Carla smiled. “Then I’ll make my decision by tomorrow and if needed, a courier can deliver it to him.”

  Michelle nodded as she stood. “If there’s nothing else I’ll get back to those reports. They’ll be ready for you to review in a few hours.”

  “Thanks, Michelle. As always, I appreciate your hard work.”

  Moments later Carla took her coffee cup firmly in hand, stood, and walked over to the huge window in her office that gave her a majestic view of downtown Orlando.

  As she sipped her coffee, her mind went back to cover the past two and a half years; specifically, the day the board of directors had voted her in as president to take over the day-to-day management of the business her father had started forty-five years ago. She had made a quick decision not to liquidate the company or sell out, but to roll up her sleeves and do whatever was necessary to assure the success of her father’s legacy. Like she’d told Brandy and Amber at dinner the other night, there had never been any closeness between her, her mother, and her brother, Clark. With her father it had been a totally different story. It may have been Clark who her mother always doted on, but everyone knew that Carla had been the apple of her father’s eye, and even five years after his death she still missed him greatly. He’d been everything a father should be, and she had loved him dearly.

  Her body shivered in anger when she remembered Clark’s refusal to include her in the family business after their father’s death. He had inherited the company and said she was better suited as a teacher in a classroom. Not surprisingly, her mother had agreed. But Clark’s death had changed everything.

  Her mother had been angered beyond belief to discover Carla had used her stock shares to vote against Dalton Gregory, the man Clark had pegged as his successor. But nothing had upset Madeline Osborne more than to discover her daughter pregnant without the benefit of a husband. But what had angered Madeline to the point that Carla thought she would have a stroke was Carla’s decision not to reveal the identity of the man who had fathered her child, as well as refusing to contact the man and let him know she had gotten pregnant. For some reason Madeline felt the man had a right to know and that Carla was doing an injustice not telling him. Carla had appreciated her mother’s opinion, but for the life of her she couldn’t understand why Madeline had been so hell-bent on such a thing. The only reason Carla could come up with regarding this particular obsession of her mother’s was that she had wanted to control Carla’s every thought and decision the same way she had Clark’s.

  Since Craig’s birth, her mother had cut ties with her. But that didn’t keep Carla from hearing about her mother’s activities. Last year Madeline had gotten remarried to a much younger man, one ten years younger.

  Carla sighed. The way her mother lived her life was not her concern, but she couldn’t accept Madeline not wanting to have a relationship with her grandson, no matter how she felt about her daughter. Turning her back on Craig was inexcusable. Carla religiously sent her mother pictures of Craig in hopes that one day Madeline would accept and embrace her grandson for the precious jewel that he was.

  Carla’s smile widened when she thought of her son, her pride and joy. It had been a challenge to raise Craig while working her tail off trying to get Osborne Computer Network back on its feet while retaining a position in the computer industry. But it had been well worth it. Craig was a well adjusted, much loved two-year-old and her company had shown tremendous profits over the past year. The Disney contract they’d been awarded had been a big financial boost. As a result, they had needed larger, more modern facilities. As a business move for future growth, Osborne Computer Network sold their old building and invested in a new facility right smack in the middle of Orlando’s mega business district.

  Thirty additional employees had been added to the staff of hardworking individuals. Everyone who worked for the company continued to be dedicated and loyal, and as their president she continued to put their welfare and best interest first, assuring that their future with Osborne remained intact.

  Taking another sip of her coffee, her smile widened as she again thought of the one thing that had some of her employees concerned— her love life. She had to constantly remember that Osborne Computer Network was an old, established firm with a number of old and established employees, some of whom saw themselves as more than merely her employees. They saw themselves as honorary aunts and uncles, but always gave her the respect she deserved as their boss. However, there was some concern among them that there had not been a serious man in her life in over two years.

  Her mother had been the only one who’d acted like the very idea of her being single and pregnant was the ultimate sin. Her father’s former employees, rooted and firmly embedded in tradition and convention, hadn’t blinked an eye at the announcement of her pregnancy, and had been there to give her support when her own mother hadn’t. After all, little Craig Osborne was their former boss’s grandson, and in most of their eyes her father had nearly walked on water. He had been just that loved and admired.

  Carla’s face softened when she again thought of Craig. Her son meant the world to her and one day she would turn the running of Osborne Computer Network over to him. She loved her role as his mother and was determined to be to him the kind of mother she’d always wanted as a child and never had.

  She frowned when another person entered her thoughts, Craig’s father, Jesse Devereau. She always thought of him when she looked at her son, and the one thing she remembered was that he was jawdroppingly handsome. The force of awareness and attraction that had consumed her when she’d first seen him had been stunning. She had taken in everything about him, from the solid muscles outlined in the business suit he’d been wearing to the straight black hair that had been secured at the base of his neck. His skin tone had been that of a roasted almond, and his features were compelling and stark; it had been easy to tell that he was an interracial offspring.

  The older Craig got, the more his features resembled those of Jesse, all the way down to the hazel eyes, so she could never forget her one-night fling with a man who’d made a lasting impression, both physically and emotionally, on her life.

  Carla nearly jumped when she heard her phone ring. Crossing the room back to her desk she quickly picked it up. “Yes, Michelle?”

  “Ms. Morrison is on the line for you, Ms. Osborne.”

  “Thanks, please put her through.”

  Carla snapped off her clip earring as she placed the phone to the other ear. Sonya was her best friend since childhood and Craig’s godmother. Everyone who knew them claimed that she and Sonya were as different as black and white, night and day, and wondered how their friendship had lasted for so many years.

  Carla smiled. She had to admit that Sonya was known to do a number of wild and crazy things, but she had cherished and
always would cherish their friendship. Sonya knew her better than anyone. She knew her joys and her pains, and more important, Sonya had always been there for her.

  Sonya worked for a large marketing firm and her job often included a lot of travel. “Sonya? Hey, girl, what’s going on?”

  “A whole lot of nothing. I was calling to see if you wanted to go to the movies tonight. Mom said she would be glad to watch Craig if you’re interested.”

  Carla lowered her gaze to the calendar on her desk. “I wish I could, but the Savvy Sistahs meeting is tonight and Brandy, Amber, and I have made plans to go somewhere afterwards for dinner and later to a movie. Of course you can join us if you’d like,” she said, feeling really bad. The last couple of times Sonya had called for them to get together she’d had other plans.

  “No, I don’t want to go anywhere with you, Brandy, and Amber. They seem to take up a lot of your time these days and here I thought I was your best friend.”

  Aw, hell, Carla thought as she sat down in the chair behind her desk. Her friendship with Brandy and Amber continued to be a sore spot with Sonya. Sonya tried to monopolize her time and hadn’t understood Carla’s need to devote as much time as she could to her business, which included getting to know other business owners and networking with them. And she absolutely refused to understand Carla’s friendship with Brandy and Amber. For some reason she saw Carla’s close relationship with them as a threat to their friendship, which was something Carla just couldn’t understand. She knew that Sonya had been going through a lot lately with the recent breakup of her parents’ marriage as well as Sonya’s own inability to find what she considered the perfect mate, but Carla wished her friend would just chill and stop being so possessive. Her and Sonya’s friendship spanned years and as far as she was concerned was as tight as tight could be. They had always been there for each other and always would be. But if reassurance was what Sonya needed then that’s what she would give her.

  “Sonya, you’re my best friend, you know that. There were days when I couldn’t have made it without you being there for me.”

  “Well, you sometimes act like you’ve forgotten that,” Sonya snapped.

  “Hold on, Sonya,” Carla said gently. “That’s not fair. You know the hard work I’ve put into managing the company as well as the time I try to spend with Craig. I can’t just up and drop everything whenever you call. Come on, look at things from my point of view. Just because we’re close friends don’t mean we have to always be in each other’s pockets, does it?”

  “No, but why is it that you have to spend so much time with Brandy and Amber? You know how I feel about them.”

  Carla rubbed her temple. “Yes, and I still can’t understand why you do. They’re nice people and you should give yourself the chance to get to know them.”

  “I don’t have to get to know them. I know a lot of women like them. They’re women who think they’re all that and a bag of chips; women who got it going on and probably never had a bad day in their lives; women who think they’re God’s gift to men.”

  Carla shook her head, thinking just how wrong Sonya was about Brandy and Amber. She couldn’t help but admire them for having the tenacity to turn things around. Like her, they were trying each day to focus their efforts on getting their lives back together, as well as running their own businesses. She knew Sonya wouldn’t understand that. All her life she’d been pampered by her parents and quite frankly, at the moment, the last thing Carla wanted to hear was Sonya bitch and moan about two people she evidently knew nothing about and refused to get to know. Brandy and Amber had been more than friendly with Sonya, although more than once they had picked up on her unfriendly attitude toward them. Yet they had ignored her impoliteness, mainly because Sonya was Carla’s good friend.

  Whenever Sonya was in one of her funky moods there was no getting through to her. “Look, if your mother is willing to watch Craig tomorrow night then I’ll be more than happy to go to the movies with you. How does that sound?”

  “That’s fine if that’s the only time you can squeeze me into your busy schedule. There are some things going on in my life that I need to talk to you about.”

  Carla inhaled deeply. She didn’t like the thought of having someone watch Craig two nights in a row, but it seemed like Sonya had a lot on her mind. “How about if we do dinner first and a movie afterwards? I can ask Michelle to keep Craig if your mother isn’t free tomorrow.”

  “Sure…whatever,” were Sonya’s last words before she hung up the phone.

  “Mommy, Mommy!”

  Carla leaned down and picked up her son, who had raced to her the moment she opened the door. She hugged him tight, thinking she would never tire of holding him in her arms, although he was no longer a baby.

  At two years old, Craig Osborne was as rambunctious as any child his age should be. He always amazed her with his unfailing abundance of energy.

  “Were you a good boy today?”

  “Yes, Mommy, I was good,” he said quickly, his hazel eyes shining brightly.

  Carla lifted a brow. Usually when he was that quick to respond that meant that he hadn’t been good at all. “And where is Mrs. Boston?”

  “She’s picking up my toys.”

  Carla frowned. “I thought I told you that you’re responsible for picking up your own toys, Craig. And how did the potty training go today?” she asked, when she noticed he was wearing a diaper. She’d heard that boys were harder to potty train than girls but felt that when

  it came to that task, Craig was deliberately downright lazy. People often commented on how well he was able to put together sentences for a two-year-old, but for some reason he couldn’t put together the words to let her and Mrs. Boston know when it was time for him to go potty.

  “All right, Craig, I want you to go help Mrs. Boston gather up your toys,” she said, putting him down. Taking his hand, she allowed him to lead her to the family room.

  Barbara Boston was down on her hands and knees gathering up building blocks and toy trucks. The older woman, who had once been her parents’ neighbor, used to babysit Carla when she was a child and still got around pretty good for her age of sixty-eight. She was wonderful with Craig just like she’d always been wonderful with Carla; she had given her more time and attention than her own mother had.

  “Mrs. Boston, I thought we agreed that Craig has to pick up his own toys. He has to learn to follow rules.”

  The older woman glanced up and smiled. “Yes, but he’s just a baby, Carla. Besides, I don’t mind doing it. However, I promise to start making him pick up after himself after he gets the potty training down.”

  Carla shook her head. At this rate potty training would take forever. She glanced at her watch. She would spend time with her son before getting dressed for the Savvy Sistahs Mean Business meeting. Tonight they had a guest speaker, a woman who had started her own publishing company a few years ago.

  Carla watched as her son got down on the floor to help Mrs. Boston. For the second time that day she thought of Jesse, and decided that no matter how she felt about him, she would always appreciate him giving her Craig.

  Chapter 3

  Amber

  Amber always thought that no other town could compare to Nashville, but after living in Orlando for a little over two years, she’d discovered she was wrong. There was something pleasing that could be said about the central Florida town that she now considered home. At a time in her life when she had needed to make a change and leave her problems behind, Orlando, with its friendliness and charm, had been just the place.

  As she went about restocking the shelves in her bookstore, she couldn’t help but remember the day her mother and sisters had approached her about coming to Florida to check on Aunt Rachel’s house. Aunt Rachel, their mother’s only sister, who’d never been married or had any children, had died three years before and had willed her home to her four nieces. Since neither Amber nor any of her sisters had been interested in relocating to Florida, they had rented t
he house out and split the proceeds between them each month. But their most recent renter had been the tenant from hell, who thought it was his right to pay his rent whenever he felt like it. After trying to work with the man for over six months, giving him as many chances as possible to catch up on the late rent payments, they’d had no choice but to take drastic steps and have him evicted.

  Amber had flown to Orlando to handle the legal matters and had discovered the beautiful home was badly in need of major repairs. She had returned to Nashville with her report, along with several photographs, as well as an offer to her sisters: she wanted to buy the dilapidated piece of property and was willing to procure their share of the house to become the sole owner.

  Amber had been dying a slow death in Nashville. Most of the time she was so depressed over her divorce that she’d found comfort in eating, which only escalated her health problems.

  She saw moving permanently to Orlando as the answer to her prayers. Besides, she no longer wanted to remain in the same town where her ex-husband, Gary Stuart, also lived. She had never told anyone in her family but he had shown up late one night at her place, and with only a few kind words from him, she’d forgotten what a dog he was and let him get inside her panties. The next morning he’d left, acting like he had done her a favor and saying she was sex-crazed, hot between the legs. She’d felt cheap and stupid for falling off the wagon and saw distance between them as the only thing to help her get over Gary.

  Although her family hadn’t been happy at the thought of her leaving Nashville and moving to Orlando, they had understood her need to make a new life for herself and gave her their blessings.

  Now, over two years later, she had lost over sixty pounds, which meant her health was the best it had been in years. Being overweight had not been a size issue for her but a health issue, since diabetes ran in her family. Now she maintained good physical fitness by walking at least three miles each morning, something her doctor had highly recommended.