Touched, Gianna gave her a final squeeze and sent her on. Just as she was shutting the front door, Simone pulled up in her little red BMW.
Gianna plastered on a smile as Simone made her way up the driveway, wrapped present in hand, and her mind raced with terribly petty thoughts about her long-time good friend. She’s definitely not prettier than me. Plus, my butt is bigger. Okay, her boobs are sitting right but her hair looks like shit. Yeah, I have her beat. Definitely. “Hey girl!”
Simone lunged at her and hugged her tight. “My baby! Oh, I missed you so much. How are you?”
They parted and walked into the house, arm-in-arm. “I’m doing a lot better. You look good.”
She really did. Heffa. She had the longest, prettiest, shapeliest legs and today, they were encased in skintight skinny jeans that showed every curve and muscle. She was one of those annoying perfect size sixes who feigns sadness over her non-existent problem areas. Like that’s supposed to make the regular degulars feel better.
She flashed a smile at Gianna. “Thank you. I’ve been working out a little bit, trying to get rid of this holiday weight. You know how that goes. Where’s the birthday girl?”
“She’ll be down in a minute.” Gianna debated bringing up Tremaine but she decided to wait and see their genuine reactions when they saw each other again.
Simone handed Gianna the present. “I was wondering something,” she said in a hushed voice. “Have they found the person who...you know. Do they have any suspects or anything?”
“Not that I know of.”
Simone smiled and waved at Beverly, who was across the room. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. But listen, it’s a party. It’s about Kaya today. I’ll fill you in on that stuff another time.”
“Right, of course. And she’s doing okay?”
“As good as she can be.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Gianna saw Tremaine coming out of the kitchen. As tall as he was, he was unmissable. She waited.
“Oh shit, is that Tremaine?” Simone asked. “I haven’t seen him since...”
“I know,” Gianna said. This was gonna be good. He spotted them and froze for a moment before walking in their direction.
“Simone. Good to see you,” he said. She opened her arms for a hug and he obliged. Reluctantly, at least Gianna liked to think so.
“It’s good to see you too,” Simone answered. The two parted and Gianna watched as they sized each other up in awkward silence. She wondered if they were picturing it in their minds. Reliving it. They had seen each other naked and a whole lot more. Was it good? She wanted to know and also felt sick thinking about it. Thank goodness Keesa lived four states away. Small blessings.
Tremaine turned his attention to Gianna. “Everything’s ready. I’m gonna take a quick shower. Five minutes.” He turned and walked off without another word to Simone.
“Shower?” Simone asked. “What’s that about?”
Gianna didn’t feel like getting into it. “Nothing. He helps out around the house sometimes. You know he’s Kaya’s godfather.”
Simone wasn’t listening. “I almost wanna jump in there with him. I never did tell you about that. Girl, we—“
“Is the food ready? Kaya said she’s hungry,” Emmy said, cutting off Simone and whatever sordid detail she was about to unleash.
“Yeah, she can come down and eat,” Gianna answered. Her stomach was in knots and she was teetering on the edge of tears. It was ridiculous. Why was she jealous? She wasn’t even with Tremaine. She shook her head and put it out of her mind. Today was about her daughter.
When Kaya came downstairs, Gianna hardly recognized her. Emmy had made her up, alright, and it was like a switch was flipped from little girl to teenager. Gianna teared up. Her baby girl was not a little girl anymore.
The doorbell rang and Kaya ran to open it. It was her grandparents. Gianna spotted them coming in the door and her stomach flipped, but her anxiety was quickly replaced by confusion. Cathy wasn’t wearing her signature fur coat and her afro was sparse and patchy. The dark circles under her eyes were so pronounced she looked as if she had been punched in the face. Something was definitely wrong.
Kaya ran to them and they loved all over her. Gianna caught Emmy’s eye and raised her eyebrows, and Emmy’s responded by shrugging her shoulders. She saw it, too.
Russell approached Gianna first, giving her a gingerly hug and kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you. You’re looking very well,” he said.
She smiled and patted his arm. “I’m glad you could make it.”
Cathy walked up and stopped beside her husband. She waited a few awkward seconds before approaching Gianna and giving her a warm hug. Gianna was touched by the gesture. As she pulled away, she noted that there was no White Diamonds lingering in the air. “It’s good to see you, Cathy.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” She paused and looked at her hands, which were still holding Gianna’s hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t reach out to you sooner.”
“No, I should have reached out to you.”
Cathy sighed. “You’re looking well. I’m happy to see that.”
Is she really? Gianna wondered.
“I’d like to speak to you later if that’s okay. We have a lot to talk about”
“Of course.”
“WHAT DO YOU THINK IS wrong with her?” Emmy asked as she rummaged through the refrigerator.
“I have no idea. She looks bad, doesn’t she?” Gianna grabbed a bottle of wine and a few beers. The girls were down in the basement playing pool. It was time to turn on the music and let the adults play.
“Mm-hm. And she must have gotten rid of that fur coat because she walked up in here with a windbreaker on.”
Gianna rolled her eyes. “Please don’t start.”
“I’m just saying. Russell used to take real good care of her. Something ain’t right.”
Gianna finally understood. Emmy was determined to think the worst of Cathy. Sure, Gianna had her own issues with the woman but something was clearly wrong with her and Gianna felt a twinge of sympathy. Apparently, Emmy wasn’t capable of that.
“I don’t know, Emmy. She didn’t strike me as a woman who’s been plotting my downfall.”
“Could be a front.”
“Nah, she’s too vain for that.”
“Speaking of, when are gonna do something to that baby’s eyebrows?”
“Who, Kaya?”
“Who else? She’s the only one up in here with a unibrow.”
Gianna rolled her eyes and shifted the bottles in her arms. “I have more important things to worry about.”
Beverly poked her head in the kitchen. “Do y’all need any help in here?”
Gianna and Emmy smiled in unison. Fake, plastic smiles that hid so much. “We’re fine.”
Beverly lingered for a few seconds before rolling her eyes and leaving.
Emmy turned back to Gianna. “You know Cathy went down the hall toward the bedrooms.”
“I know. She wanted to rest for a minute.”
Emmy shook her head. “Bless your heart.”
THEY SANG HAPPY BIRTHDAY, both standard and Stevie, and then they cut the cake. Gianna made a mental note to do something more grown up for Kaya next year, like a spa day with her girlfriends. It was time for her to act like a young woman.
Russell and Cathy lingered while Gianna and Kaya said their goodbyes to the other guests. Tremaine had offered to clean up and Beverly offered to help him, so they were off somewhere doing that. She was thankful Simone left right after the cake. Emmy had taken to the guest room to lie down.
Gianna was exhausted by the time she finally sat down with Cathy. They sat quietly on opposite ends of the couch, each waiting for the other to speak first.
Cathy looked around the room. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been in your home. It’s lovely. You did a good job on it.”
Gianna bristled inwardly. Cathy hadn’t been over because Gianna hadn’t invited
her and they both knew it. “Thank you.”
“I think we got off on the wrong foot somewhere but for the life of me, I can’t remember where or why.”
“Neither can I.”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry for whatever my part was. I think losing my baby put things into perspective.”
Gianna didn’t let it show but she was completely taken aback by Cathy’s remarks. “I appreciate you saying that. And I’m sorry for whatever my part was.” A lie. Gianna hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, she had often encouraged Justin to call Cathy or take her to lunch but he was always too busy or too tired. He thought sending his mother expensive gifts was a substitute for time spent. Gianna was smart enough to understand that she would be blamed for Justin’s inattentiveness to his mother because mothers-in-law love to use their daughters-in-law as the scapegoat. No, lady, your son just doesn’t wanna hang out with you like he did when he was five. Get over it.
Cathy nodded and smiled. “You were with my son for almost 15 years and I feel like I don’t even know you. It’s such a shame.”
It was strange. Gianna felt like she was seeing Cathy for the first time. “So how are you doing?”
Cathy sighed. “Well...not too good. I’m sure you can probably tell by looking but my health is in decline. I’ve kept it a secret for as long as I could but I have stage 3 breast cancer.”
“Oh, Cathy. I’m so sorry.”
“Kaya doesn’t know yet. I think she knows something is wrong but she’s too polite to ask me.”
“Did Justin know?”
“He didn’t. Only Russell.”
“Do you need anything?”
“My husband is taking good care of me. I’ve been through chemo already and we’re waiting to hear back but I don’t think it’s looking too good.”
Gianna was speechless. It was truly the last thing she had expected to her.
“But you know what? I’ve been living. Before Justin passed, we were traveling and doing a lot of the things we always said we’d do. And of course, in a few weeks, we’re going down for Junkanoo. We’ll probably stay for a while so I can visit with Russell’s family. Kaya’s welcome to come if it’s okay with you.”
“Yes, yes, she would love that.”
“Good. It’s not the end of the world. The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll get to see my baby again.”
What about Perry? Gianna thought. Mothers always have their favorites.
Cathy wiped a tear. “Also, I wanna apologize for my husband. He told me he came to see you in the hospital and asked for money. I was mortified.”
Gianna frowned. “You didn’t know he was gonna do that?”
“Oh, heavens no! Had I known I would have talked him out of it.”
Well, that was interesting. “Do you still need the money?”
Cathy sighed. “We sold one of our homes to pay for this unorthodox, holistic treatment some lady was selling. She called herself a guru and promised healing but I think it was a scam. The bright side is that the treatments made my skin look amazing.”
Gianna chuckled politely. “It does look nice and smooth.”
“Well anyway, I—”
“What happened to your fur coat?” She had to know. The curiosity was killing her.
Cathy looked down at the floor, clearly embarrassed. “I had to get rid of it.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to help but when I reached out to the insurance people they told me they couldn’t release the funds because the case was still open.”
“You know, I talked to Detective Williams just yesterday. He said they don’t have any leads or suspects at this point.”
“I’m not surprised. They spent so much time on me they probably lost out on other leads.”
“What a ridiculous notion. You would have never hurt Justin. I knew that full well.”
Gianna regarded her carefully. Was she being sincere? It seemed so. Still, a tiny seed of doubt still remained in her mind. “It’s nice to hear you say that. Since I hadn’t heard from you, I wasn’t sure how you felt. But I feel silly for thinking that now, knowing what you’ve been going through.”
“Well...what’s done is done. No sense wallowing in the past.”
“I agree.”
The two embraced and for the first time, ever, Gianna felt genuine affection between them. It was nice.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SOME PEOPLE ARE INTROVERTS, some are extroverts, and some are happy to have you around but even happier to see you go. Gianna was in the latter camp. Finally, at long last, every guest was gone and she could relax.
“Well this was nice,” Emmy said. She handed Gianna a stack of plates from the dining room. “Kaya was happy.”
Gianna dunked the plates in the hot, soapy water. “That’s all that matters.”
Emmy sat at the kitchen table and watched Gianna in her usual way that indicated she was about to start judging. Or start some mess. Sometimes both. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Not wrong, necessarily. Just interesting.”
“Uh oh.”
Gianna dried her hands on a dish towel. “I had a conversation with Cathy and I really don’t think she was out to get me. She said she didn’t even know Russell came to me asking for money.”
Emmy raised her eyebrows. “And you bought that?”
“I don’t know. She’s not doing too good. Cancer,” Gianna said, whispering the last word. She wasn’t even sure she should be telling Emmy. It was really Cathy’s story to tell. “It kinda made feel petty for even thinking it.” She hoped Emmy would catch her meaning and she wasn’t disappointed.
“I already know I can be petty but that’s neither here nor there. Don’t let her manipulate you.”
“How exactly is she manipulating me? By being sick? By apologizing for the last 15 years? If anything, it’s...” Gianna said, trailing off before she said something she would regret.
“It’s what?”
“She’s telling me one thing and you’re telling me another. Honestly, I’m ready to move on at this point and she’s willing to do that. You’re...not.”
“I see.”
Gianna kept going. “You told me yourself, in the hospital, remember? You said to take it slow, don’t try to get back to the past, start over.”
“I remember. I said that.”
“So did you change your mind?”
Emmy sighed. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. So yes, move on if that’s what makes you happy. All I’m saying is that you still need to keep an eye on that one. That’s all.”
Gianna chuckled. “Okay, Emmy.” It was a battle she would never win, and she was well-trained in the art of picking her battles.
Tremaine walked in, having changed into a white t-shirt, grey sweatpants, and black Nike slides with white socks. He looked so Atlanta. “Is that all the trash?” he asked, pointing to the piles of bags and boxes.
“Yeah, that’s everything. Thanks,” Gianna said. He grabbed everything and walked outside and she turned back to the dishes and hummed a random melody.
“So he’s got you singing already?” Emmy asked.
Gianna whirled around, splashing bubbles everywhere. “Excuse me?”
“Girl, please. You think I didn’t notice all them googly eyes?”
Nothing got by her. The day after Gianna lost her virginity, Emmy came to Gianna’s bedroom and, completely unprovoked, announced that she had made Gianna an appointment with her gynecologist. “You ain’t bringing no babies up in here,” she’d warned, and Gianna didn’t even bother to defend herself. The woman was undefeated.
Gianna leaned back against the counter in shame. “Nothing’s happened. Yet.”
“You could do worse. He’s cute, he makes good money—”
“How do you know? Please tell me you didn’t ask him,” Gianna asked, embarrassed and horrified.
“Of course not. I looked it up. You can find anything on the internet. Just one word of warning though: i
t’s messy. Be prepared for the fallout. But beyond that, do what you gotta do. I like him.”
She tried as hard as she could but Gianna couldn’t hide the smile that broke out across her face. Her excitement was only tempered by the knowledge that the situation was, in fact, messy as hell. She had just made up with her mother-in-law and now she was ready to get with her son’s best friend. Messy wasn’t a strong enough word to describe it.
Tremaine re-entered the kitchen and the two women watched as he put a new bag in the trash can before washing and drying his hands. Finally, he walked over to Emmy. “I’m going to take a shower. I just wanted to tell you goodnight in case you’re gone when I get out,” he said before planting a kiss on her cheek.
She leaned in to receive the kiss and smiled afterward as she watched him walk out of the kitchen. When he was safely out of earshot, she turned to Gianna. “If you don’t climb that tree, I will.”
AT APPROXIMATELY 1:48 am, Gianna sat up in her bed and made a decision. She had tossed and turned ever since her head hit the pillow and sleep had never felt so far away. She knew what she needed and what she wanted and it was just down the hall for the taking. She was going to sex her way to happiness. All she had to do was build up her nerve.
She crept down the hall on bare feet, relieved to see that Kaya’s bedroom light was still off. She listened at the door and heard her snoring, and the sound was familiar. She smiled at that and continued her slow creep to the guest bedroom.
Breathless, she finally made it to the door. It was cracked, but she couldn’t see into it. It was for the best because if she saw him first, she might have lost her nerve. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, turning the lock as slowly as she could to prevent the sound. Tremaine was asleep under the covers but she could see enough of his body to know he was shirtless.
She sat on the bed next to him and waited for him to wake. He didn’t so much as stir. She briefly considered letting him sleep but it was too late to turn back. She was so close.
She gently shook his shoulder. “Tre. Tre. Wake up,” she whispered. He finally opened his eyes and he seemed to take a few seconds to realize what was happening.
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