Two hours later, Ted sat in the restaurant, glancing at his watch. It was nearly eight o’clock and everyone was there except Victoria and Henry. The group had started with a round of drinks and appetizers. Where could they be? he wondered. Just then he saw the pair walking in the group’s direction under the escort of a hostess. He watched them carefully, but Victoria refused to make eye contact.
She took a seat at the table, but she was in no mood for dinner. She was pissed, not only by Ted’s earlier behavior, but because Henry had shown up late—in a taxi! His excuse was that he’d been having engine trouble for the past week, and had to drop his car off at the shop on his way over to the hotel. If he knew that he was having car problems, why would he offer to pick me up? Victoria had silently fumed on their cab ride over to the restaurant.
Dinner dragged on like a turtle chasing a snail. As the evening wound down, everyone headed out the door and said their goodbyes. Victoria declined Henry’s offer to take her back to the hotel, and stopped short of giving him the hug he wanted, substituting it with a firm handshake. Knowing that she couldn’t stay mad at him, she walked over to Ted and looked him firmly in the eye. “Do you mind if I ride back to the hotel with you guys?”
“I’d like that,” he smiled.
“Victoria, do you have a minute?” Henry called out, standing under the restaurant’s canopy, waiting for the valet to hail him a cab.
Victoria hoped he wasn’t going to ask her if she wanted a ride back to the hotel again. She’d discovered that he possessed slickness, not charm, and she had no tolerance for his game. But she didn’t want to ignore him, so she let out a deep breath and excused herself, heading in his direction.
Ted wanted to walk over with her to see what Henry was up to, but at the risk of ruining what he saw was a truce, he went to the car and waited.
“What are we waiting for?” Patricia asked, already sitting in the backseat. She was anxious to get back to the hotel for a chance to seduce Ted on her last night in town.
“Victoria had to speak with Henry about something, she’ll be here in a minute,” Ted answered without looking in her direction. His mind was busy thinking about how he would formally apologize to Victoria once they returned to the hotel.
“We should just leave her . . . she’s holding us up. Besides, you know how black people are, always late and never on time for anything. Look how late the two of them showed up for dinner. Hmph, those people.” Patricia shook her head.
Ted’s body became still, but Patricia was too busy talking to notice.
“And I bet she’s doing more than just talking to him. They’re probably making plans to finish whatever made them late in the first place. Victoria doesn’t fool me for one second. I know she’s been trying to get on your good side, but, Ted”—she paused, placing her hand on his knee—“you really should be careful around her.”
When Ted finally looked at Patricia, his stare was one that couldn’t have done less damage if he’d taken a knife and slid it across the delicate expanse of her porcelain hued throat. Patricia drew her hand back as if avoiding hot coals.
Just then, Victoria appeared. She was relieved that Henry’s request had been legitimate. “Thanks for waiting. Henry wanted me to give you this,” she said, handing Patricia a CD ROM. “It’s the information for your report. He forgot to give it to you during dinner.”
“Oh, thank you. I think everything went well today, Victoria, don’t you?” Patricia said, exposing her genuinely fake smile.
On the ride back, Victoria could sense that something was very wrong. From the moment she’d stepped into the car, Ted’s body language had been rigid and gruff, almost angry. And what made her antennae go up even more was that Patricia was being nice to her, actually engaging her in pleasant conversation!
Back at the hotel, Patricia stepped off the elevator at her floor. “Good night,” she smiled nervously, “I hope the rest of your meetings go well. See you two back at the office next week.” She waved before disappearing down the hall.
“Good night,” Victoria said, but Ted remained silent. Before the doors closed, Victoria turned to face him. “What’s going on? You didn’t say a word the entire ride back.”
Ted shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re not telling the truth. What happened in the car between you and Patricia?”
“V, it’s nothing . . . really.”
The door opened at Victoria’s floor. “Good night, V. I’ll meet you in the lobby tomorrow morning,” he half-smiled, ushering Victoria out of the elevator.
Once he returned to his room, Ted undressed, throwing his clothes to the floor. Even after all the manipulative things Trudy had done to him over the years, he had never felt as mad or as angry as he did tonight. Patricia had crossed the line. The only reason he hadn’t addressed her was because for the first time in his life he didn’t trust himself to control what he might do.
He knew it was time to deal with Patricia once and for all. He logged on to his laptop and sent out several emails, then made a few phone calls, leaving voice messages for his intended recipients. Satisfied that he’d accomplished his mission, he took a hot shower to relieve his stress.
She Would Keep A Lid On This Too...
After a long relaxing shower, Victoria sat on the sofa with the TV remote in hand. She couldn’t sleep. She didn’t know what had gone on between Ted and Patricia, but she saw the lie in Ted’s eyes. She reached for the phone.
Ted picked up on the first ring. “Hello.”
“Are you up?”
“Yes.”
“Can I come up?” she asked.
“Um, sure.”
Ted felt exhilarated at the thought of having Victoria in his room—with a bed only a few feet away. He rushed into the bathroom, quickly gargled with mouthwash, and brushed his hair. He inspected himself in the mirror. He didn’t know what he should wear. It was eleven-thirty at night, so he hoped his pajama bottoms and t-shirt were appropriate.
Victoria walked in wearing a baggy sweatshirt and gray leggings. Ted poured them both a glass of wine from the mini bar before joining her on the couch. Victoria leaned in close, looking into his eyes. “Please tell me what happened in the car before I got in,” she asked, taking a small sip of wine.
Ted was disappointed that this was Victoria’s reason for coming to his room. “I’d rather not discuss it.”
“Did Patricia come on to you?”
“No.”
“Then what happened?” Victoria probed. “We’re supposed to be friends. We’ve shared some very personal things with each other, enough for you to know that you can trust me.”
Ted put his glass down and let out a sigh. “Patricia made some comments that I didn’t appreciate, and it irritated me.”
“What did she say?”
“V, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It must’ve been pretty bad,” Victoria continued to probe.
“Can we change the subject?”
Victoria couldn’t imagine what Patricia could’ve said or done that was so unspeakable, but it was apparent that Ted had no intention of discussing it. She decided not to push the issue any further, at least not tonight. “Okay, I’ll let it go, for now,” she acquiesced.
“Good. Um, listen, I want to apologize for my behavior this evening. I acted like a jerk.”
“Actually, asshole is a more accurate description,” Victoria said as they both laughed at her joke.
Ted hesitated for a moment. He’d promised himself he would play it cool, but her closeness and his heightened feelings empowered him to take a chance. “How do you feel about me, V?” His eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her response.
Victoria didn’t want to admit that she found herself attracted to him. After all, she had Parker in her life. But there was something about Ted that aroused her. She liked watching his eyes dance when he laughed, watching his upper lip disappear when he smiled, and the warm comfort she felt when she was with hi
m. “Ted, what makes you ask me that?”
“I’m just curious. I want to know what you think of me, of our friendship?”
She wasn’t about to tell him that although she had initially questioned his orientation, she now found herself thinking about him in very familiar, even intimate ways. Just as she was going to keep quiet about Mason’s flirtation, she would keep a lid on this too. “I guess I’d have to say it’s interesting. I’ve never had a friend like you,” Victoria answered honestly.
“What do you mean, like me?”
“Well, you’re a man.”
He nodded. “And so is your best friend, unless there’s a secret that Tyler’s hiding.”
Victoria laughed, “Let me qualify that. You’re a white man, and the first I’ve ever been close friends with.”
There was a moment of complete silence.
“So, I take it you’ve never dated a white guy?” Ted asked with new awareness.
She shifted in her seat. “No, I haven’t. Have you ever dated a black woman?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Oh,” was all Victoria could say. There was another moment of silence. “It’s getting late. I . . . um . . . need to go,” she stammered, clearing her throat as she stood to leave.
“V, don’t leave. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.. . .”
“I’m not uncomfortable,” she lied, walking to the door as Ted followed her. “It’s just that it’s late, and we have a busy day tomorrow.” She gave him a quick smile before retreating to her room, trying to hold back the strange feeling in her stomach that was getting harder to ignore.
Long after she’d left, Ted was still thinking about what Victoria had said—that she’d never dated a white man. He wondered if it was because the situation had never presented itself, or if it was by deliberate choice. Finally, he went to bed, but he stayed up all night.
Chapter Fourteen
What’s Going On?
Parker finished his visit with one of his patients in the open-heart intensive care unit, then headed to his office to review cardiac catheterization and fluoroscopy films in preparation for his eight o’clock surgery. His vibrating cell phone, which he’d meant to turn off five minutes ago, broke his concentration. He looked at the caller ID. It was Victoria—again. He’d managed to avoid her calls since Monday, but now it was Thursday, and he knew he couldn’t keep putting her off. “Hey beautiful,” he answered.
“Good morning, are you busy?”
“Yeah, I have to scrub for surgery in a few and I’m reviewing charts now.”
“I just need a minute of your time. We’ve been playing phone tag all week.”
“Well . . . I . . . ”
“I miss you,” Victoria cooed softly.
“I miss you too, baby. I’m sorry I haven’t called, but it’s been so busy around here.” It was a statement that was partially true.
“Parker, about the cruise . . . ”
“Hey, Mason told me that you guys met the other day,” he interrupted, trying to change the subject. “You really made an impression on him.”
I bet I did, Victoria wanted to say, but then a thought came to her. How had Parker found time to talk to Mason but not to her? “Speaking of Mason,” she said, “why didn’t you tell me that the Knicks tickets were for us? I thought you were getting them for you and Phil.”
“I thought we talked about going?”
“No, I’m pretty sure we didn’t discuss tickets to the game.”
“Oh, I thought we did. Sorry. Can you go?”
“Yes, but . . . ”
“Good. Listen baby, I’ve gotta run.”
“Wait!” Victoria said quickly before he could hang up. “Since I didn’t hear from you about the cruise, I reserved our tickets before they sold out. Now we can have a little getaway like we’ve been talking about.”
Parker was silent.
“Parker? Are you there?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m here.”
Victoria heard the shift in his voice. “You can go, can’t you?”
Damn! I can’t lie to her, and I can’t tell her now, not over the phone, Parker thought. “Let’s talk about it when you get back home,” he said in a rush.
“I thought that since it’s several months away, you’d have plenty of time to clear your calendar.”
“Baby, you know how busy I am.”
“Do you have a medical conference or something?”
“Uh, no, not exactly,” he hesitated. Again, he hated that she never let things go with just one question. Now he was beginning to sweat.
She heard another shift, a crack in the smooth veneer of his polished baritone. “Parker, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Victoria, I have to scrub in,” he said forcefully. “We can talk about this at another time.”
“Oh, no we can’t. We’re gonna talk about it right now. Something’s wrong. I can hear it in your voice. Talk to me.”
“Victoria, it’s not a phone conversation. I think it’s better if we discuss it in person.”
Victoria sat on the edge of her bed, wrapped in her bathrobe. She brought her hand to her forehead, bracing herself for the bad news her stomach sensed was coming. “Dammit, Parker, you can’t do this to me. You can’t say some shit like that and expect me to walk around New York for the next two days wondering what kind of terrible news will be waiting for me when I get back.” Victoria could feel herself about to lose it, but she was determined not to break over the unknown. “Parker, be a man. If you want to break up with me, just tell me now and you won’t have to worry about . . . ”
“Baby, no,” Parker’s voice softened. “You know that I love you more than anything. I don’t want to break up with you. Why would you even think that?”
“Because you’ve been avoiding my calls all week, and the things you’re saying now . . . if that’s not it, then what? What’s so terrible that you can’t tell me over the phone?”
“Baby, it’s nothing terrible. It’s just complicated.”
“Parker, you’re scaring me. Tell me what’s going on right now,” she demanded.
He spoke slowly. “I’ve been selected for a project at work . . . it’s called the Africa Project. It’s a government-sponsored program that selects only the top doctors in the country to participate. So, the timing will prevent me from going on the cruise with you.”
Victoria stopped holding her breath, letting relief wash over her body. “Parker, that’s great news! Sweetie, I’m so excited for you. Why was that so hard for you to tell me?” She didn’t allow him to answer before she started firing away with questions. “So, when does the project start?”
“In January.”
“You can still go on the cruise. Just bring your paperwork with you.”
“Uh, the project isn’t exactly in this area.”
“You mean you have to go away?” Then it dawned on her. “Parker, is the Africa Project . . . in Africa?”
“Yes.”
Her next question tumbled out slowly. “How long will you be gone?”
“Six months.”
Victoria didn’t know what to say. He’d be gone for six months, and his departure was only two months away. But it didn’t make sense to her. She knew the type of long range planning that went into special projects and employee programs. That’s what she did for a living. And she knew that coordinating a government-sponsored program took time. Applications had to be submitted, interviews conducted, decisions made, and visas arranged. This has been in the works for months, she thought.
“Parker, we’ve talked about everything under the sun. From me leaving ViaTech next June and running Divine Occasions full-time, to your family reunion next summer, and somehow you never mentioned going to Africa for six months! ” Victoria’s voice became loud and animated. “This isn’t, like, oops, I thought I told you about the Knicks tickets.”
“Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you until I found out for sure, and I just got the final app
roval a few days ago.”
“But you must’ve known there was a possibility that you’d be going. This is obviously a very important project. I know how committed you are to your career, yet you never mentioned this to me?”
“There was never a good time to tell you.”
“Never a good time? How can you even say that?”
Parker didn’t want to deal with this right now, he had a surgery to perform which required his focus. Victoria’s questions were irritating him, and his tone reflected it. “We can talk about this when you get back,” he snapped. “I have to scrub for . . .”
Click . . .
“Hello? . . . Victoria? . . . Baby, hello? . . . Damn!”
Even though they hadn’t been dating very long, Victoria thought that Parker was the one. He was everything she wanted in a man, and then some. But now she was beginning to doubt her judgment, thinking that she’d been wrong about him. Why do I always make such bad decisions when it comes to men? she lamented. But for now, she would put those thoughts out of her mind. She had less than fifteen minutes to get dressed and meet Ted downstairs for their meeting with a prospective client for SuperNet.
A Pleasant Surprise...
Ted grabbed his black leather portfolio and glanced at the Raymond Weil timepiece on his wrist. He was running late. He walked out of his room and headed for the elevator. His eyes were heavy, evidence of the two hours of restless sleep he’d managed to get around four a.m. He’d been unsettled since his ill-fated attempt last night to find out Victoria’s true feelings for him.
But now he knew he had to focus. He realized it had been a mistake to try to initiate a conversation around feelings of romance. It was a shock to him that Victoria had never been involved with a white man. But he wasn’t deterred, he’d just have to remember to take things slow. And as he did whenever he made a mistake or faced a crisis, he collected himself and moved forward. “It’s not about the mistake, it’s about the recovery,” he told himself as he walked toward the elevator.
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