Just Marry Me Already (BWWM Romance Book 1)

by Ayo Campbell

  “This part of your plan?” Vanessa asked.

  “No,” she said, taking up the last breakfast order. “I’m meeting Kaitlin after work. Guess that she couldn’t wait till Monday.”

  She batted her eyes and walked away.

  “I gotta get a dress code,” Vanessa said.

  “You do that,” Bootsy said. “Josie comes in later, he be walking funny all night.”

  The diner had cleared by ten. Collie took out her phone and called out, “Phase one.”

  Vanessa went into her room and changed into her satin club dress. She was meticulous with her make-up. Forty-five minutes later, Collie knocked on her door and said, “Phase two.”

  Vanessa took a breath, picked up an envelope and breezed into the dining room. There sat Talia in her signature pink suit. When she caught sight of Vanessa, one eyebrow rose. Vanessa saw that she had a new camera.

  “Talia, darling,” Vanessa said, airily.

  “Shouldn’t you be in jail?” the woman asked.

  “Oh, let’s just forget about all that nonsense for now,” Vanessa said, smiling and sitting. “I just have this silly temper thing, and well, do let me apologize.”

  She handed Talia the envelope. Looking inside, Talia’s eyes widened, then she frowned.

  “You’re trying to bribe me,” she said, “to drop the charges.”

  “That’s phase four,” Vanessa said. “No, this is just fair compensation for your destroyed property. I do hope that it’s enough.”

  “It could be. What’s the catch?”

  “No catch. The judge is going to make me pay anyway, so when he learns that I already have, he may be a little more lenient on me.”

  “Where’s a woman like you get this kind of money…Justin?”

  “No,” Vanessa said, shaking her head. “So far, all that Justin has given me has been a few lovely nights at Miss Kitty’s, two ice cream cones, one hot dog, and three tickets to the circus – so I can take my friends.”

  “Nothing else?”

  Vanessa just batted her eyes and smiled.

  “I should write this down,” Talia said.

  “Feel free. Ma maison est ta maison.”

  “That’s French.”

  “Bootsy is teaching me. In the meantime, her crab-stuffed catfish is divine. Oh, and it’s on the house.”

  Vanessa wiggled her fingers, and left the woman, perplexed. They let Talia savor her food, delighting in her genuine delight. She even took a pic with her phone, and Collie was sure that she was going to post it on Yelp. Then Collie took out her own phone, whispering, “Phase three.”

  Ten minutes later, Justin strolled in wearing a Savile Row suit and Italian shoes. His beard was trimmed to perfection, his ponytail neat and tight, and he wore no sunglasses. The moment the bell over the door tinkled, Vanessa called to him, ran into his arms, and they kissed. Talia wasted no time with her camera. Then, Vanessa and Justin turned to her, smiling and waving. Talia looked up from the camera.

  “Precious moments,” Justin said. “Don’t miss out.”

  Talia snapped three more, then Justin and Vanessa kissed again, just for her.

  “Oh,” Vanessa cried girlishly. “Oh, please, one by the sign!”

  The two moved under the Eat Mo’ Bettah sign, and Talia obliged.

  “Okay,” she said. “Is this the bribe?”

  “No,” Justin said. “This is the bribe; you get to announce the engagement of Justin Monroe Goodman and Vanessa Louise Gaye. And, if you are a nice girl, and you agree to drop the charges against Vanessa Louise, we will give you an exclusive interview.”

  Talia looked up again from her camera and gaped.

  “I believe,” Vanessa said, “that the words that you are looking for are holy shit.”

  “Holy shit,” Talia said. “Justin, how could you do this to me?”

  “Oh, c’mon,” he said. “I’ve been off your radar over a year now. This is worth a month of club shots.”

  “I get to do the wedding too,” she said. “And it’s a deal.”

  Justin looked at Vanessa. Vanessa shrugged and smiled.

  “Done,” Justin said.

  “Family pic!” Collie cried, dragging Bootsy into the room. “Family pic.”

  “Your middle name is Monroe?” Vanessa said, looking at Justin.

  “Wasn’t my choice.”

  In the interview that followed, Vanessa came to have a warm feeling for Talia. She had expected the woman to go for the sleaze and ask them about their sex life and all the gritty details. Rather, Talia went at the romantic angle: how they met, what they had seen in one another, and even the little things like the ice creams and hotdogs in the park. Then came questions about the arrangements.

  “We really haven’t started even thinking about that,” Vanessa said.

  “I could arrange for Saint Pat’s,” Justin said.

  “A cathedral?” Vanessa asked, eyes wide. “You have that many friends?”

  “No. You?”

  “Nooo,” Vanessa said, laughing. “Just Bootsy and Collie, really, and they are going to be bridesmaids.”

  “Way cool,” Collie cried. “Hey Bootsy, you hear that?”

  “Neither one of us are maids,” she called out.

  “It doesn’t mean like a serving maid.”

  “I know,” Bootsy said.

  Collie blushed. Vanessa laughed.

  “We be bride’s matrons,” Bootsy said. “More accurate.”

  “How about ‘best woman?’” Vanessa suggested. “I mean, grooms get a best man.”

  “I like,” Bootsy said. “I am a best woman.”

  “Then I’ll need your full names.”

  “Colleen T. Dwyer,” Collie said. “That’s D-W-Y—”

  “What’s the T stand for?”

  “The.”

  Talia grinned, then shook her head.

  “Bootsy?” Talia asked.

  “Boh-Tse Pham,” she called out. “Man at immigration thought it was so funny to call me Bootsy. Name stuck.” Then she froze and looked up, almost ashen. “No,” she said, running into the room, wiping her hands. “No. Don’t print that! If the Snakeheads read that, I am doomed. No. Just write Bootsy!”

  “Snakeheads?” Talia asked.

  “Vietnamese Mafia,” Justin said. “The woman has a story. You ever get into legit press, there’s your first feature.”

  “Just Bootsy,” Bootsy said, near pleading. “Just write that name.”

  “Bootsy O’Malley,” Vanessa suggested. “It is Boston, after all.”

  “Okie-dokie,” Talia said.

  “Can we choose our own gowns?” Collie asked.

  “No,” Bootsy and Vanessa said in unison.

  Collie stuck out her tongue, then jiggled her tits.

  “I can make anything look good,” she said.

  “So,” Talia continued. “It will be ‘a small, private affair, at an undisclosed location’. Do you have a date set?”

  “As soon as possible,” Justin said.

  “Yeah,” Vanessa said, leaning on his arm.

  “What about having it here?” Justin suggested.

  Vanessa’s heart leapt thinking about her mother, somewhere, looking down at her and imagining the joy that would soon be flooding the place that she had built and nurtured. Her eyes welled with tears.

  “What?” Bootsy cried. “Now I got to cook for your wedding?”

  “Naw,” Justin said. “We can have it catered.”

  “And bring foreign food into my kitchen? Food you don’t know who cooked or how?”

  “But–”

  “I cook,” Bootsy said. “My wedding gift.”

  “And, I got the decorations,” Collie said. “It’s okay; I took a theater class once.”

  “We’ll talk,” Vanessa said.

  “What about a honeymoon?” Talia asked.

  “Vanuatu,” Vanessa said. “Justin is going to teach me to surf.”

  “That sounds exciting, and – and oh, what about a ri
ng? Is there a ring?”

  “There will be,” Justin said. “It’s being seen to.”

  “And so, then what?” Talia asked “What’s the blushing bride going to do?”

  “Come back to work.”

  “Here?”

  “Where else?”

  Justin drew her close and grinned.

  “Rock on,” Collie said.

  Then she turned to Talia and held out her palm. Talia shook her head, and a moment later handed her a one hundred dollar bill.

  “A deal’s a deal,” she said.

  Chapter 12

  Talia’s article showed in the Saturday Boston Globe’s society section, under the headline Justin Goodman: A Good Man to Marry. The lead photo was their first kiss that Talia caught. Vanessa held it almost lovingly, as she read.

  “It’s a good pic,” Justin said. “There’s something to be said for spontaneity.”

  “The Globe?” Vanessa said, almost in awe.

  “That girl,” Justin said, “seems to be climbing out of her pooperazzi thing. It’s clear that she has a connection, and, I think she’s on a path.”

  “There’s the sign!” Vanessa cried. “Collie! Bootsy! Look! Our sign is in The Boston Globe!”

  “We’re gonna be famous!” Collie cried.

  “More work,” Bootsy said.

  “Better more than less,” Vanessa said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Think of the tips,” Collie said.

  “I want a raise,” Bootsy said.

  “I thought that you are a communist?”

  “Communal sharing,” Bootsy said. “’Nessa’s good fortune is our collective good fortune.”

  “At the heart of everything,” Justin said, “is bare bones capitalism.”

  “Capitalists rule now. But just you wait.”

  “No, you wait,” Collie said. “Look. She got our family pic, under the sign.”

  Vanessa looked up to the heavens, and hoped that her mother, wherever she was, had a copy of the Globe.

  “So, anyway,” Justin said. “Before you guys gear up for the expected onslaught, remember that Vanessa and I have a date at Kitty’s tonight.”

  “Oh, shit,” Vanessa said, “we do.”

  “How many times I have to say.” Bootsy sighed.

  After the lunch rush, Justin took Vanessa shopping on Newbury Street. The boutiques were the sort that the little-girl Vanessa would dream about; clipping their colorful and trendy ads from the occasional copy of Vogue she would happen on. Their reality did not disappoint. They went wild in the lingerie shop. Vanessa let him choose whatever style he wanted, but when it came to the wedding night dainties, she sent him away for coffee.

  “There has to be some surprise,” she said.

  “Just make sure that it’s–”

  “A surprise.”

  He left her with a credit card, and the women in the shop became like children in a candy store. Her selections made and paid for, they offered to ship it to her house by courier that day. But Vanessa had always dreamed of strolling about the luxury sections of town, laden with bags and bags that announced to all that she was now one of them.

  Strolling the shops, they had their picture taken a few times, and at first, Vanessa cringed. But Justin was unusually affable, smiling and waving. He even made a face one time.

  “That’s a change,” she said. “Showing off?”

  “Capitalism,” he replied. “Doing my part for the economy by keeping roving reporters fed.”

  She laughed and clutched his arm tighter. That made a pic.

  Walking by a boutique, Justin suggested that she have a new dress to meet Kaitlin. Vanessa was drawn in by the richness of the fabrics, and the dazzling assortment of colors and styles. But, as with so many things, both of them were captivated by the same thing; a stunning gold Emilio Pucci cocktail dress. It was a shimmering metallic fabric that was almost sheer. It was long sleeved, but barely hung off the shoulders, plunging into a deep cleavage criss-crossed with gold ribboning, and daringly revealing. The skirt was mid-length, and the dress hugged her curves like water. Vanessa fell in love with it. Justin nearly drooled.

  Of course, she had to have matching accessories, and so they left with shoes, bracelets, earrings, and a delicate, filigree choker. Vanessa didn’t dare look at the prices. Justin just handed over his black card.

  Outside the shop, Vanessa giggled when she saw a street vendor selling ice cream. But as they headed to it, Justin paused. They stood before a bridal shop.

  “I cannot,” Vanessa said. “And I will not even consider looking at a wedding dress without Collie and Bootsy. It’s a girl thing. Besides, they’re going to need dresses too.”

  “Monday, then,” Justin said. “Before Collie’s, um, appointment.”

  They decided to have a light supper back at Roxy’s, so Vanessa could show off her new dress. Their way took them past Miss Kitty’s, and through the cab window, Vanessa caught a glimpse of the night’s headliner. It was just a fleeting glance, but she saw a horn, and she would have sworn that she saw the name ‘Coates.’ At first, she was puzzled, feeling that she knew that name from somewhere. Then it struck her. She took a breath, and stiffened. Justin felt that.

  “Something wrong?” he asked. “You okay?”

  “N-No. I mean, yes. Yes, I’m okay. I just had a thought.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want – I need a pair of sunglasses.”

  “You’re going to need a swimsuit too.”

  She leaned over and kissed him.

  Back at Roxy’s, Collie nearly drooled over the golden dress.

  “It’s pretty,” was all Bootsy would say.

  But when Vanessa began dancing her delicates, even Bootsy’s gruff demeanor softened, and when Vanessa told them of the plan to take the two shopping on Monday, Bootsy got a strange and faraway look in her eyes.

  “Even lingerie?” Collie asked.

  “Well, duh.”

  “Can I bring a date to the wedding?”

  Justin left to go home and change, and so Vanessa went to her room with her treasures. Laying her things in her mother’s chest of drawers, she wondered what the woman was thinking.

  She then went to the safe and took out the other envelope. She looked again at the diploma, and there she saw the name: Coates. She felt a chill of excitement that she had tried very hard to keep in check. Taking long, measured, and steady breaths, she dug through her purse for the private detective’s card. Her fingers trembled as she dialed.

  “Wanda?” she said as the woman answered. “Vanessa Gaye. Listen, Wanda, I’ve stumbled onto something…”

  “What’s with the shades?” Justin asked as the cab pulled up to Kitty’s. “Is my paranoia rubbing off on you?”

  “No,” she said. “I just…just, trust me. You’ll understand, later. I think.”

  As they walked inside, Vanessa paused and had a good look at the poster. There was a handsome young black man with piercing brown eyes, wearing a fedora with dreadlocks dangling. The poster read: The Trumpet Styling’s of Samuel G. Coates. Vanessa’s heart leapt, then raced. She clutched Justin, and he could feel her tremble. He looked at her, but said nothing as Juicy led them to their table.

  The warm up band was good, but she felt that their set was interminable. She and Justin had a complimentary plate of finger-food, but she couldn’t touch anything. She didn’t even sip her drink for fear of trembling. Justin often glanced at her but said nothing. He didn’t even make a show of conversation, and she was grateful for that. She thought that it was yet another sign that their romance was so much more than convenience; it was as though he knew when to be with her, and when to leave her to herself. In a sort of silent gratitude, she slid her hand into his and held it tenderly. Again, Justin seemed to know just how to caress her hand.

  It seemed like an eternity before the set ended. When the lights came up, there was polite applause. Vanessa felt as though she would begin sweating any moment. Then she saw Kaitlin
walking their way.

  “Congratulations!” she cried all bubbles and sparkles. “I saw the Globe this morning. Very cute. And I just love what you’ve done with the place. What’s with the shades?”

  Vanessa’s head swam. She didn’t know what to0 say. She kept shifting back and forth between Roxy’s and – and Samuel Coates. She had a thousand questions, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answers. She sat dumbly.

  “Say thank you,” Justin said, nudging her.

  “Thank you, Kaitlin,” Vanessa managed.

  “Are you a nervous bride already?” Kaitlin said, sitting.

  “I just…you know, so many things…”

  “I’m sure; there’s all the planning, choosing a dress…the guest list.”

  It was as good an opening and a place to start as any, Vanessa thought.

  “Yes,” she said, trying to stay cool. “The guests. And speaking of guests, this, um, this Coates fellow…”

  “Yes. He’s all the way from England. I had to call in a lot of favors to get him here. And so, lo and behold, he arrives on this night, of all nights.”

  “Kaitlin…England?”

  Kaitlin smiled and nodded.

  “How…?”

  “Well,” Kaitlin began, “your friend, Miss Colleen, in addition to being a most excellent companion, is also a bit of a blabbermouth.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Well,” Kaitlin continued, “when she showed up in your stead, I figured that something was up. But, when she—Oh, just never mind about that. So, anyway, I decided to pry out as much info from her as I could. I mean, I do know a lot about you, but she has the inside stuff; the family secrets, as it were.”

  “How does Collie know?”

  “It’s a girl thing. Bootsy and Colleen are very close, and Bootsy loves to gossip, strictly among friends. So, Bootsy tells Colleen, and I pry it out from her.”

  “What are you ladies talking about?” Justin asked.

  “Hush, lover,” Kaitlin said. “It’ll all be clear soon enough.”

  “Does he know?” Vanessa asked.

  Kaitlin smiled and shook her head.