She climbed into the car.
Steven shut her door and strolled around the car to the driver’s side. Soon they were on their way.
His parents were already at the restaurant when they arrived thirty minutes later. Steven made the introductions.
Rebecca Chambers embraced her as if she was a member of the family. “Cherise, it’s so nice to meet you. We’ve heard all about you.”
She glanced over at Steven then back to his mother. “Really?”
Rebecca nodded. “He’s talked nonstop about you since he’s been back. I’m glad you were able to join us tonight so that we could get to know you.” Her smile was genuine.
They were seated a few minutes later.
After the waiter brought their drinks, he took their orders.
Cherise was amazed at how quickly he returned with their appetizers.
They bowed their heads as Steven’s father said the blessing.
Munching on a mini crab cake, Cherise listened to Steven discuss his plans for the new church building.
“It never fails. Men talk about sports, women and their jobs,” Rebecca teased.
Cherise burst into laughter along with Steven and his father. She liked these people a lot and enjoyed their good-natured bantering.
The waiter arrived to refill their drinks.
“Cherise, you have to join us for dinner one Sunday after church,” Steven Sr. said. “My wife makes a killer roast. That’s how she got me, you know?”
Rebecca shot him a look. “I heard that, old man.”
Steven Sr. awarded his wife with a large grin. “Woman, you know it’s true. Your mama told you that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. That’s why you tried to feed me every time I came around.”
Cherise bit back her laughter when Rebecca playfully pinched her husband’s arm.
Steven leaned over, whispering, “They’re always talking like that to each other.”
“They are so funny,” she whispered back. “It’s clear they adore each other, though.”
Their entrées arrived.
“I spoke to Aunt Eula Mae earlier today,” Steven announced. “She really wants to come home. Uncle Jerome’s retirement party is in a couple of months, but she’s ready to come home now.”
“My poor sister’s tired of Ghana,” Rebecca said.
“I’ll be glad when she comes home.” Steven took a sip of water and swallowed. “I really miss her.”
Rebecca laughed. “I’m sure you do.” She explained to Cherise, “My sister is Steven’s other mother. Those two are close as peas in a pod.”
Wiping her mouth on the corner of a napkin, Cherise eyed Steven and smiled. “I think that’s really sweet.”
“Are you close to your family, Cherise?” Rebecca asked.
Before she could respond, Steven said, “You should have seen them on the ship—there were over fifty cruising with us. They’re all very close.”
Rebecca smiled. “I think that’s wonderful. Eula Mae and I have always been close. I guess it’s because we were the only girls out of seven children.”
“My family and I enjoy being together, but we enjoy being away from each other, too,” Cherise confessed. “The clan can be overwhelming at times, but when one is in trouble, we’re all there for each other.”
“That’s how family should be,” Rebecca said.
After dinner, Steven and Cherise went back to his place.
“Your parents are wonderful,” she told him as they walked into the living room. “I had a nice time.”
“They enjoyed meeting you, Cherise. Now I can’t wait for you to meet my aunt. She’s my heart. If anybody messes with her, they have to deal with me.”
Steven slipped an arm around her as they settled back to watch a movie. Throughout the movie, she and Steven shot furtive glances at each other.
Cherise knew what he was thinking because it echoed her own thoughts.
When the movie ended, Steven and Cherise rose to their feet. He lifted her face up to him. “Come here and kiss me.”
Cherise met his lips with her own. Her heart fluttered at his touch.
“Why don’t we take this upstairs?”
In response, Steven led the way to his bedroom.
Cherise released a soft gasp upon seeing the huge bouquet of roses lying on a small table beside an ice bucket with a chilled bottle of champagne.
“I wanted to celebrate your promotion,” Steven whispered in her ear. “I also have strawberries and cheese and crackers prepared. You stay here and make yourself comfortable while I go get them.”
Cherise turned in his arms. “You are so good to me, Steven.”
He planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back. Oh, there’s a gift on the bed for you. I hope you like it.”
Steven left the room, while Cherise rushed to find out what was in the beautifully wrapped package.
Cherise was standing in the center of the bedroom wearing the sexy black lingerie Steven had purchased for her when he returned.
He looked awestruck for a moment.
“Are you going to say something?”
Steven placed the platter of food on the table, picked up his pad and began drawing. “I want to capture this look, sweetheart. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
He dropped down into a nearby chair.
Cherise opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her by saying, “Just stand there…like that. I’m almost done with your face. We can do the rest later.”
Steven sketched furiously, his brow furrowed as he worked.
He stood up and showed her the drawing.
“It’s beautiful,” Cherise said with a smile. “I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished. I’m amazed at your talent. You could’ve been an artist painting some of the architectural masterpieces all over the world.”
“I could never settle for just painting them,” Steven confessed. “They inspire me to create my own designs. They inspire me.” His gaze met hers. “You inspire me.”
Steven poured champagne into two flutes and handed one to Cherise. She picked up a strawberry and dropped it into hers before sipping from it. He did the same.
“The perfect way to end a perfect day,” Cherise murmured.
They finished off their champagne.
Steven kissed Cherise, holding her close to him.
They parted long enough to undress.
“This will be the perfect ending for a perfect day,” he told her as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed.
Chapter 7
“Since I’ve met your parents, I guess it’s time for you to come to one of the Ransom family dinners,” Cherise told Steven over breakfast the next day.
“Ransom family dinner? Is this something huge?”
“It’s a clan tradition.” Cherise retrieved a bowl of grapes from the refrigerator. “We get together every month at my aunt Amanda’s house. You know, she and I have a relationship that’s very similar to the one you share with your aunt.”
Steven stuck a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. After swallowing, he said, “I’d love to go with you. It sounds like fun.”
“Bring some clothes with you to play ball in. We’ll go out there this Sunday, if you don’t already have plans.” Cherise bit into a grape.
“My plans are to spend my day with you.” Steven wiped his mouth on a napkin and then took a long sip of his coffee.
They cleaned up the kitchen area before leaving the house. Steven dropped Cherise off at her house before heading downtown to his office.
Humming to herself, Cherise changed into a pair of black pants and a pink silk shirt. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, grabbed her purse and headed back out.
She pulled into the parking lot beside the center almost twenty minutes before her scheduled start time. Cherise strolled into the center, grinning from ear to ear.
She walked into her new office and sat down at the desk. Cherise couldn’t be
happier with the way her life was going at the moment.
Her telephone rang, cutting into her thoughts.
“Hey, where have you been?” Elle asked when she answered. “I called you a couple of times at home last night, and I tried your cell. You had me worried.”
“I’m sorry. I spent the night with Steven,” Cherise announced. “We were celebrating and didn’t want to be disturbed, so I turned off my phone.”
“Celebrating?” Elle repeated. “Celebrating what?”
“I got a promotion here at work. I’m the new senior counselor.”
“That’s wonderful, Cherise. I knew you would get it.”
Cherise smiled. “You kept telling me that, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
“Congratulations, cousin.” Elle paused for a heartbeat before commenting, “So you and Steven have taken your relationship to another level, I see.”
“Things are going so well with us,” Cherise said. “At times, it almost seems too good to be true, but I’ve decided to just enjoy the time we have together.”
“You love him, don’t you?”
“I do,” Cherise admitted.
“Do you think he feels the same way?”
“I hope so, Elle, but Steven and I haven’t mentioned the L-word yet. I think we’re both determined not to make any mistakes.” Cherise chuckled. “Either that or he’s waiting for his parents and this aunt he talks about all the time to give their approval.”
“Sounds like a close family too.”
“Just like us.”
Cherise and Elle made plans to have lunch one day next week before ending their conversation.
She spent most of her day moving files from one office to the other.
Steven surprised Cherise when he showed up in her doorway at noon.
“What are you doing here?”
“I knew that you would be busy moving into your new office, and since I have a meeting later this afternoon right down the street from here, I figured I’d take you out to lunch.”
Cherise smiled. “I was thinking about ordering a sandwich, but now that you’re here, I’m not going to miss an opportunity to spend time with you.”
“Speaking of time,” Steven said as he sat down in one of the visitor chairs. “I have to go on a business trip next week. I’ll be gone for five days.”
“Wow, I’m going to really miss you,” Cherise said. “Where are you going?”
“I have to go to Chicago for a conference.”
“When do you leave?”
“Monday morning,” Steven answered. “I’ll be back Saturday afternoon.”
They left the center and drove to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
“Are you all packed up?” Steven inquired as they waited for their entrées to arrive.
Cherise nodded. “I actually got a lot done. I hope to be settled in before I leave this evening.”
Steven was staring at her.
“Why do you do that?” she asked.
“What am I doing?”
“Sometimes you just stare at me.”
Steven chuckled. “I never tire of looking at you.”
“Why are you still single?” Cherise wanted to know. “I can’t imagine any woman letting someone like you just walk out of her life.”
“My last girlfriend was married. I didn’t know it at the time. He worked in Sacramento, so I guess that’s why it never dawned on me. My mother didn’t care for her—she kept telling me that something didn’t seem right with this woman. My aunt said the same thing. Aunt Eula never met her, but they did talk on the phone and e-mail. Well, they were right.”
“I assure you that I don’t have a husband hidden away anywhere.”
He smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
Their food arrived.
“What was your last relationship like?” Steven asked.
“He was a major jerk,” Cherise said. She wiped her mouth on the edge of her napkin. “He was very critical of my weight and just about everything I did, so I told him to find someone who actually made him happy. I also told him that it was going to be hard dating himself.”
Steven laughed.
Cherise sampled her pecan-crusted salmon. “This is delicious.”
He agreed. “I love the food here. Everything I’ve tried has been good.”
When they finished eating, Steven paid the check and then drove her back to the center.
“Thanks for lunch,” Cherise said, then planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Good luck with your meeting.”
“I’ll call you later on tonight,” Steven promised.
Cherise was on cloud nine. She practically floated through the double doors of the center and down the hallway to her office.
That Sunday was dinner with Cherise’s family. “This is the house,” Cherise said, gesturing for Steven to find an empty space to park.
He pulled in beside a gleaming, black BMW 650i and parked his Chrysler 300, then got out and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for Cherise.
The two-story French-style home was well-kept and striking. He liked the huge Palladian window. Two huge, healthy-looking ferns sat on either side of the front door, welcoming them.
“I lived in this house from the time I was fifteen until I went to college,” Cherise said.
“Really? Did your parents live here as well?”
She shook her head. “No. I… I needed to get away, so my mom let me come here to stay.” Cherise hoped that Steven wouldn’t press her for more answers. She couldn’t tell him why she’d really left home. That it was because she feared the police would be looking for her after what happened that night.
“Did you and your mother have a fight or something?”
Cherise didn’t look him in the eye when she responded, “Something like that.”
She released a soft sigh of relief when Kaitlin opened the front door. Steven was left with the men while she joined her aunt and female cousins in the kitchen. Her sister arrived a few minutes later.
“I guess I should’ve gone on that cruise,” she teased. “Then I’d be walking around with a new boo. I wouldn’t have time for my sister or anyone else…”
Cherise embraced Jazz. “I’m sorry. Why don’t we do something together next week?”
“Is Boo going out of town?”
When Cherise didn’t respond, everyone in the kitchen burst into laughter.
“See,” Jazz said. “I can’t get time with my own sister until Boo goes out of town. That’s so wrong.”
“I promise I’ll do better by you,” Cherise told her sister.
Jazz chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m just messing with you. You look really happy.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” her aunt interjected. “I guess this Steven is good for you.”
“He’s great to me, Aunt Amanda. He treats me like a woman should be treated.” Cherise reached for the pitcher to make lemonade. “I really appreciate him because I’ve had so many jerks in my life.”
“I can tell that he really cares about you,” Elle said. “I see the way he looks at you.”
Cherise grinned. “As far as I’m concerned, he is a keeper.”
They had dinner ready twenty minutes later. Kaitlin and Jillian made sure that the tables were set before calling in the children, who were served first. After everyone had plates laden with fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, turnips and corn bread, Laine said the blessing.
Steven had gotten to know everyone on the cruise, so he felt immediately at home. Cherise was pleased that her aunt seemed to like him as well.
After dessert, the men announced they would be cleaning up, which thrilled Cherise and the other women. Steven was given a reprieve, since this was his first visit, but he insisted on helping out.
The men played a round of basketball when they were done.
Cherise sat outside with Kaitlin, Elle and Jazz, cheering them on. She loved seeing Steven in action.
“Boo has some skills,�
�� Jazz said. “Cherise, you did good.”
“I think so,” she responded.
Cherise and Steven stayed another hour before driving back to Los Angeles.
When they entered her house and settled down in the family room, Steven said, “So tell me about your childhood. I want to know what you were like back then.”
“Why?” Cherise asked. She didn’t like talking about her past. There were things her own family didn’t know.
“I just want to know.”
Cherise met his gaze. “I don’t like talking about the past—there’s no point.”
A look of confusion passed over his features. “What’s so terrible that you can’t talk about, Cherise?”
She rose to her feet. “I didn’t say there was something that happened. I just don’t discuss my past with anyone. I don’t see the point. I had a childhood just like everyone else. There were ups and downs.”
“Why are you so upset, then?”
“Because you keep pressing the issue,” she snapped. “I’m not the same person that I was back then, so let’s just drop it.”
Steven rose to his feet and walked over to her. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Cherise took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m sorry.”
“I need to get home and finish packing for my trip.”
Cherise was disappointed. “I thought you were staying here tonight.”
Steven shook his head. “I need to get going.”
He was upset with her. Cherise realized that she’d overreacted, but didn’t know how to fix it without risking more questions.
She walked him to the door. “Have a safe trip.”
He kissed her. “I’ll call you after I get there.”
Cherise watched him until he got into the car and drove away. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she whispered. She hoped that by the time Steven returned he would have forgotten what had happened.
Cherise was hiding something, but what? Steven wondered. Why was she so closemouthed about her youth?
He told himself that it was probably something too tragic for her to talk about, which only made him even more curious. He knew that she had a seemingly good relationship with her parents, although she’d spent much of her teenage years with her aunt.
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