Irresistible You

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  “Thank you.” She placed her hand on his and squeezed gently. “And thank you for the world, it’s beautiful.”

  She picked up the herb bunch, looked at it then tossed it back down on the counter. “They really should change the name of this stuff.” J.T. smiled and shook his head chuckling inwardly. He loved the woman, every quirky, smart mouth, and temperamental part of her.

  “Let’s eat.”

  Chapter Twenty

  A long white oblong box with a bright red tied ribbon lay on the side of steps. Unseen from the street or sidewalk, Patricia’s teenage step-daughter, Kimberly Franklin, noticed it a soon as she opened the wrought iron gate and walked up the brick path.

  “Hey Juliet, you got a delivery,” Kimberly said as she hurried to the front steps carrying a shopping bag each hand and her dance bag over her shoulder. Jasmine Penbrook, Kimberly’s best friend and classmate since third grade, followed closely.

  “Ooh, let me see,” Jasmine, said as she hurried to Kimberly’s side. “Who’s it from?”

  Kimberly leaned to Jasmine’s ear, “I bet it’s the same guy from last night.” At fifteen years old Kimberly and Jasmine were as close as two friends could be. Just like Patricia and Juliet at their age, they were always in and out of each other’s homes and lives. What one knew, they both knew.

  “Oh yeah, that’s right I forgot about him,” Jasmine agreed.

  Overhearing them, Juliet looked at Patricia then to Jasmine and Kimberly. “What same guy from last night. What do you know about last night?”

  “Well, since Uncle Pierce is out of town this week, and Jasmine was spending the night at our house last night…” Kimberly began.

  Jasmine immediately chimed in ending Kimberly’s sentence, “…we all decided to go to the movies, so we picked a movie and then we decided that we should ask you since we figured since you were off today we could grab a bite to eat the hang out…”

  “…So Aunt Patricia called you a couple of times…” Kimberly continued.

  “…Even on your cell phone…” Jasmine added.

  Kimberly nodded, “…but we didn’t get an answer, so we drove over here last night and your car was still here so we rang the bell, but there was no answer so…”

  “…Aunt Patricia opened the door with her key…” Kimberly said.

  “…‘Cause we were really worried…” Jasmine interrupted again.

  “…And we looked around but you weren’t here so we figured you had a date and we went to eat then saw the movie and it was really good.”

  Having looked at each girl as they spoke Juliet and Patricia turned their heads nearly a half dozen times. It was more like a tennis match volley then a conversation.

  “That was exhausting,” Patricia said chuckling.

  “I’m sorry I asked.” Juliet said opening the door.

  “So what’s in the box,” the girls said in unison.

  “Can we at least get in the house first?” Patricia said.

  Sullenly, Kimberly and Jasmine walked inside. They dropped the shopping bags at the base of the steps and hurried back to Juliet with the coveted white box.

  Juliet took the lid off, plucked the card for the bouquet and gave the box to the girls. They immediately tore at the green and white tissue paper. Juliet opened the envelope and chuckled as she read the card loud, “all the thyme in the world.”

  “Yuck.” Kimberly turned her nose up.

  “Oow, that’s disgusting,” Jasmine added. “Who would send you weeds?”

  “Someone who doesn’t like rivals obviously.”

  “Ya think?”

  “Maybe?”

  “Like a love sick fan?” Jasmine asked beginning to look around the empty living and dining rooms.

  “No, no,” Kimberly corrected, “like a serious secret admirer who’s broken hearted now that Juliet has a new man in her life.”

  “Ohh yeah,” Jasmine added, “so he pines away for her in unrequited love.”

  “He probably still lives with his mother.”

  “With a two dozen cats.”

  “And Juliet’s new man will have to rescue her after the nut case goes to the center and professes his love for her.”

  “But then Juliet chooses true love.”

  “Would you please do something about your step-daughter and her friend,” Juliet asked turning to her friend, Patricia. Patricia started laughing. “Thanks,” she said to Patricia who was laughing too hard to speak. “Alright, alright ladies,” Juliet finally said, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” Patricia continued laughing. “This is all you fault.”

  “Me? Patricia said astonished.

  “Yes you.”

  “How is this my fault? What did I do?”

  “It’s all those happily ever after novels and movies you keep giving them and taking them to.”

  “Don’t blame me, you dance the stuff.”

  Moments later they began a joking argument challenging back and forth just as they had done all their life.

  “Hello adults,” Kimberly said getting Juliet’s and Patricia’s attention. “Who sent the flowers?”

  “My date from last night.”

  Patricia peeked over the girls shoulders and pulled a stem of thyme from the box. “That must have been some kind of interesting date.”

  “Don’t you start again?” Juliet said lifted the box to her nose and inhaled the woodsy aromatic scent. She shook her head in disbelief as she reached into the box and pulled out large sprigs of fresh thyme. Apparently J.T.’s gift giving continued to evolve into more than the usual flowers and candy.

  Patricia noted Juliet’s odd expression. She pointed to the bags at the base of the stairs. “Okay girls, why don’t you go try some of those outfits on.”

  “Instantly dismissing the box and choosing clothes over weeds, Kimberly and Jasmine grabbed their bags and ran up the stairs to try on their new outfits.

  While the girls dressed and redressed and listened to music in the spare bedroom, Juliet hung up the clothes she purchased in her bedroom and told Patricia about her even and morning at J.T.’s house. Patricia remained uncharacteristically quiet the whole time.

  “I’m waiting,” Juliet finally said prompting her friend.

  “This is absolutely beautiful. It must have cost a small fortune, look at all the jewel inlay.” Patricia said as she examined the first gift closer running her fingers over Africa and North America. She looked past the small globe to Juliet, “I promised I wouldn’t say it.”

  “Then I’ll say it, you warned me, you told me so.”

  “So how did you end it with him this morning?” Patricia asked as she placed the orb back into the box.

  Juliet smiled and gave Patricia the card from the bouquet box, “I told him that we both need time.” Patricia smiled and nodded her head understanding the inside joke. “So naturally J.T. sent me a box of thyme, the herb.”

  “He’s got your warped sense of humor, you gotta give him that.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Do you love him?” Patricia asked.

  “I don’t know, maybe, I guess,” Juliet fudged.

  “Do you love him?” Patricia asked again.

  Juliet frowned. Admitting that she was in love with J.T. to someone else was a lot harder then admitting it to herself. She wrapped her arms around her body for comfort and sat down on the bed beside her friend. The answer was so simple, but it was the hardest thing to do. “Yes, I do.”

  “Does he love you?”

  She shrugged. “Yes.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I don’t want to get swallowed up in his world and loose myself like my Mom did. Cancer or no cancer, she still died of a twenty-year broken heart when Wyatt left.”

  “What makes you think that’s gonna happen?”

  “It happened to Mom. She stopped her career when she and Wyatt married. When they divorced she had nothing. She never really recovered. She lost everything, herse
lf included.”

  “I’m married, I still have a career and my job, and it’s even better with the Dr. Patricia Burke-Franklin, Child Psychologist, shingle hanging out front.”

  “That’s different. Pierce is one in a million. There aren’t many men out there like him.”

  “You’d be surprised Juliet. There are a lot of good men out there. You just have to look. But in your case you already found one, and he cooks.”

  “Yeah, can you believe it?” Juliet joked.

  “At least you won’t starve.”

  “Hey. I beg your pardon,” she said with added indignation. “I’m not that bad in the kitchen.”

  “You’re talking to your best friend here. You need a recipe to boil water, and then you burn it. You don’t even know where the kitchen is.”

  Juliet opened her mouth in shock. “I do so. It’s where the coffee machine is.” They burst with laughter as each began regaling events in their past where Juliet had tried her hand at cooking. The laughter continued eventually drawing a curious Kimberly to the bedroom doorway. She looked at them rolling on the bed laughing tossing pillows at each other as if they’d lost their minds.

  “Hello adults,” she interrupted sarcastically, “impressionable teenager in the room, proper decorum please.” Still giggling like teenagers, Juliet and Patricia stopped tossing the pillows long enough to at least give the appearance of maturity.

  “Jasmine’s sister is here to pick us up.”

  Still chuckling, Patricia and Juliet followed Kimberly down stairs to the front door. Jasmine was already showing her sister the box of herbs and telling her the story of last night’s movie adventure. Her sister peeked into the box and had the same reaction. Kimberly and Jasmine grabbed their shopping bags and hugged Patricia and Juliet, said goodbye, then hurried out of the door and down the path to the car.

  Juliet stood in the door waving as Jasmine’s sister drove by with the girls in the back seat already talking a mile a minute. She turned back to Patricia who was busy smelling the aromatic thyme. “Were we ever that young?” Juliet asked wistfully.

  “Younger.”

  “Do they ever actually separate and sleep at their own house?”

  “Hardly ever. It’s just like when we were their age, I was either here at your house or you were in D.C. at mine.”

  Juliet looked at Patricia oddly as she bent over and smelled the herb again. “Why do you keep smelling those herbs,” she asked, her nose crinkled at smelling the strong woodsy scent.

  “I don’t know,” Patricia said, “believe it or not so far it’s the only thing that’s settled my stomach. Lately I’ve been so queasy. I think I must have a mild case of food poisoning or something. But I don’t know how, I haven’t eaten your cooking in years.”

  “I can cook.” Juliet insisted.

  “You can burn,” Patricia topped her, “water.”

  “Very funny,” Juliet said and she headed to the kitchen. “I need a cup of coffee if I’m gonna be awake all night. Do you want a cup?”

  “No thanks.” Patricia said as she picked up the white box of thyme and followed Juliet to the kitchen. She propped up on the stool at the counter and began pulling the thyme branches out of the box as Juliet poured water into a crystal vase.

  Juliet placed the vase in front of her and Patricia began inserting the thyme branches one by one. Juliet leaned her nose near the closest branch. “Umm, they do smell pretty good, kind of woodsy with a hint of mint.”

  Patricia continued as she watched Juliet poured cold water in the dispenser then added coffee to the filter.

  “How about a cup of tea,” Juliet asked when she finished.

  “That sounds good,” Patricia said as she hopped down from the stool and grabbed a cup from the cabinet added water then put it in the microwave. She grabbed the tea canister on the counter and opened it. She found coffee beans. She opened the flour and sugar ones also finding coffee beans. “Where do you keep the tea bags this week?”

  “There might be some tea bags in the refrigerator.”

  Patricia opened the refrigerator door and scanned its contents. She found three square Styrofoam takeout contained, a plastic covered foil tin and two Chinese cartons. She opened one of the takeout containers and looked inside. “Yuck, what was this?”

  Juliet peeked over the refrigerator door and into the container, “I have no idea. Trash it.”

  Patricia pulled the trash can over to the open refrigerator and began opening and trashing the contents of the refrigerator. “Found them,” Juliet said holding a box of decaffeinated tea bags she purchased the last time she and Patricia went shopping together. She pulled one out and dipped it into the steaming hot water.

  When Patricia finished dumping the contents of the refrigerator, Juliet moved the trash can back then filled a cup of brewed coffee.

  Patricia took a sip of her tea, “How’s your protégée?”

  “Who, Vanya?” Juliet asked. Patricia nodded wile blowing her hot tea. “Vanya is hardly what I’d consider a protégée.”

  “She’s a pretty good dancer.”

  “She’s an excellent dancer and given time she will rock the industry but she’d too impatient. She wants everything right now. She doesn’t realize that it takes years to get to the top and hard work to stay there.”

  “So tell her.”

  “Not the easiest thing in the world to do. She’s out of control, stubborn, arrogant and paranoid. She actually thinks that everyone’s out to get her, it probably has something to do with her Russian father.”

  “Isn’t she supposed to take over as principal when you leave?”

  “Maybe, they haven’t decided yet. Truthfully I don’t think she’s ready.”

  “Will she ever be ready?”

  “I hope so, she’s very talented. With a little coaching she could be awesome. The funny thing is, she reminds me of myself when I was that age.”

  “I remember, couldn’t tell you anything, still can’t.”

  They each chuckled then Juliet pensively stared down into her black coffee. “Mom’s illness helped me to stop focusing so much on myself.”

  Patricia reached over and grasped her friend’s hand. Juliet looked up smiled and nodded that she was okay. “I miss her,” Patricia said.

  “I do too.”

  “Have you decided if you’re going to go to your father’s wedding?”

  “Yes, if Randolph can still get away I’m going down to Florida with him.”

  “It was good to see him today. He looks tired.”

  “He’s been working hard. I was surprised that he even had time to stop by the workshop this morning.”

  “It was so sweet of him to invite me to tag along with you two tonight. With Pierce away and Kimberly over at Jasmine’s, I was just going to eat popcorn and watch a movie.”

  “I’m glad you’ll be there. These political parties are as boring and dull as watching paint dry.”

  “What time’s your brother picking us up tonight?”

  “Stepbrother,” Juliet stated then looked at her watch. “He said around eight o’clock.”

  “Half-brother,” Patricia purposely corrected as she glanced at her watch to confirm the time. “Three hours… Good, that gives me just enough time to grab a quick nap. I’m beat—all that dancing and shopping really wore me out.”

  “The girls looked really good out there. Kimberly’s turning into a genuine ballerina isn’t she?”

  “She loves it.”

  Patricia nodded her agreement. “How did it feel to be back at the workshop teaching again?”

  “Wonderful, I missed it. I get such an energy boost just being there with the girls and seeing their joy when they’re dancing. It was really exciting.”

  “And exhausting, I forgot how strenuous dancing could be.”

  “Correction, Kimberly danced, Jasmine danced, I danced, you however, sat on you bottom in the corner and typed on your laptop all morning.”

  “I danced, you just d
idn’t see me. Anyway I’m beat.”

  She yawned for emphasis. “Wake me up when you get out of the shower,” she said as she grabbed her tea and the vase of thyme and headed through the empty dining room through the empty loving room then up stairs to her favorite guest bedroom.

  Unlike her friend, Juliet was too edgy to sleep. Instead she changed into her leotards and decided to dance off the excess energy. But an hour into her routine the chime of the doorbell drew her attention. She grabbed a towel and went to the door.

  “J.T., hi,” she said surprised to see him. She tiptoed to kiss him but noted his noncommittal response.

  “May I come in?” he asked seeing her dressed in leotards, a tight fitted tank top and ballet slippers. His mouth dried with the impulse to pick her up and take her upstairs to the bedroom and make love to her for the rest of his life, but he firmly resisted.

  He’d gone to the children’s dance workshop that she’d mentioned earlier to surprise her, yet when he arrived, she surprised him. He walked through the main entrance and spotted her instantly with her arms lovingly wrapped around Senator Kingsley and bestowing him an overzealously greeting.

  He immediately turned and left. Loosing himself in Juliet would be the end of everything he’s ever loved. “I just need to speak with you, it won’t take long.”

  “Sure, come on in,” she said sensing his distance.

  “Am I interrupting?”

  “No, not at all,” she closed the door behind them and followed him into the living room. “Thanks for the thyme, it was a cute idea.”

  J.T. half smiled. He’d forgotten all about the florist he’d called earlier. “You’re welcome.”

  “So, what’s up,” she asked, “another invitation?”

  “No,” he said and turned, “Not this time. I came to thank you.”

  “For what?” she asked as she tucked herself close to his body.

  “It’s over, we did it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mamma Lou was more than convinced. We’re done.”