by Camryn King
“Whew wee! Boy, whatchu talkin’ ’bout!” Melvin walked over and slapped Christian on the back. The two men traded handshakes and fist bumps, bonding on sight. Mallory wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the spectacle unfolding before her. In five minutes Christian seemed closer to her dad than she had her whole life. Even so, she refrained from pouting, stomping her feet, and reeling off every song on the one and only solo album her dad had ever recorded. Though her true feelings had remained hidden until Christian looked at her face, then turned to her dad.
“Look, I need to run.” He pulled a card out of his wallet. “But here’s the name of a private club I hang out at sometimes when I want to nourish my inner musician. Doesn’t heat up until midnight but then jams all night. Will you still be here on Friday?”
“Damn straight!”
“Drop my name at the door. Maybe we’ll play a tune or two together.”
“I’d love that, man. Would love it!”
It turned out to be one of the best days of her life. Her dad, already on a high from being in the city that never slept, went to a whole other level after meeting Christian. He loved the city, the food, the play. Loved Harlem and the private club where he indeed jammed with Christian—saxophone and guitar. They even talked about doing a recording together. Melvin invited Christian to St. Louis. Christian promised tickets to her dad when the Navs played the Bulls. The two men made plans as if they’d be in each other’s lives for the long haul. Mallory definitely planned to build on the new relationship begun with her father. When it came to Christian and her future, however, she wasn’t so sure.
38
The city was different and the setting was new. But for Mallory, Sam, and Ava it felt like old times.
The three were in the backyard of Sam and Fritz’s newly purchased home in Montclair, New Jersey, drinking spiked tea while sunbathing and catching up on each other’s lives. Ava rolled off a lounge chair and walked over to a table with a healthy lunch spread.
“Anyone else want a sandwich?”
“I’m good,” Mallory said, placing a toe in the backyard pool to test the water.
“You going in?” Sam asked her.
Mallory shook her flat-ironed locks. “I’ve got a hot date tonight. Don’t want to mess up my hair.”
“I knew it!” Ava said. “Any time we see you with straight hair there’s an event happening.
Sam sat up. “Okay, spill the secret. Are you and Christian dating or what?”
“We’re friends,” Mallory said, her tone noncommittal.
“With benefits?” Ava suggestively munched on a pickle. “Has he visited the basement? Is he cleaning out dust?”
Mallory ignored her. “Sam, where are the kids? I have a gift for Jasmine.”
“With their dad and his parents. They purchased a cabin. He went there to fish. It’ll be my first time not having my kids for forty-eight hours.”
“Think you’ll survive?’ Mallory asked.
“Maybe not. But don’t change the subject. We want to know who you’re banging.”
“Nobody. But I am open to the possibility of maybe starting a relationship if the right person came along.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Who can be more right than someone like Christian?”
“Someone like Eddie.”
Sam laughed. “Careful, Ava. Mallory might go after your man.”
“I’ll be damned. No way I’d leave New York to live in Chicago. Ava has nothing to worry about.”
“I sure don’t. You can deny all you want to, but I know things are heating up with you and Christian. I saw the picture in the society page with you all cozy with his family. Who was it, Sam? The mom and that publicist we all know Christian’s fucking.”
Mallory laughed. “Contrary to popular opinion, Christian doesn’t fuck every woman he meets.”
“Maybe not, but he’s fucking her. What’s her name?”
“Zoey.”
“Have you ever seen her at one of his press conferences? Hardly ever calls on a woman reporter. If they’re pretty, she can forget it. Girlfriend is guarding that dick.”
“Like you’re guarding Eddie?”
“I’m not worried about my man. I gave it to him good before I left. Once this morning and twice last night. That’s like a marathon for a man over forty. After the workout I gave it, he’d have to use a pump to make his dick hard again.”
Everyone laughed, Mallory the loudest.
Sam walked over and sat beside her, threw an arm around her shoulder. “It’s good to see you happy, Mallory. It’s been so long I’d almost forgotten this carefree woman I met all those years ago.”
“She’s back,” Ava said. “Her hard work paid off, Leigh can rest in peace, and Mallory can go on with her life knowing that she was victorious. You know what? We never formally acknowledged your victory. Everybody grab a drink. Let’s give a toast to our girl for being the baddest investigative journalist after me.”
“Ha! Shut up.” Mallory gave Ava a shove.
“You guys drink the bubbly, I’ll stick to sparkling juice.”
Ava and Mallory looked at Sam and then at each other.
“Not again,” Ava deadpanned.
Mallory’s eyes dropped to Sam’s cloth-covered stomach. “So that’s why you’re wearing the one-piece. Mr. Baby Maker has struck again.”
“Yes, and this time I want him or her to have a playmate from one of you. Preferably you, Mallory, with Christian, so Fritz and I can finally get season tickets.”
“You’d better say Mallory. Because the only playmate you’re getting from me is a dog.” Ava poured Mallory a glass of sparkling wine. Sam held up her juice.
“Mallory, I’m quick to bullshit with you, but right now I’m totally serious. You are the best friend a woman could have. You had Leigh’s back from the beginning, and no matter the consequence or the cost, you never stopped trying to get justice. You epitomize true friendship. You are a ride-or-die chick for real. So first,”—Ava poured a little of her drink on the patio—“to Leigh Jackson. May you truly rest in paradise, sister.”
Sam and Mallory followed suit in the ritual libation.
“To Leigh, and to Mallory.” Ava raised her glass.
Sam repeated it.
“We did it, Leigh,” Mallory said as they toasted.
The friends hugged as the sun broke from behind a cloud and enveloped them in a warm, sunshine hug.
A new day had dawned. Hear, hear.
39
On Saturday before the Fourth of July, Mallory finished dressing and stared in the mirror with a critical eye. The twenty pounds lost with regular cycling were evident in the flat stomach and toned body beneath the tan halter dress that gently hugged her body as it flowed from her neck to the floor. The gentle dip in the bodice showed off a tear-shaped tiger eye, a congratulatory present from Jan that Mallory received in the mail just that day. It seemed to glow against her sun-kissed skin, the color enhanced by her afternoon by Sam’s pool. It hadn’t happened in a long time but tonight Mallory felt sexy, daring, a fact made even more evident by the grouping of colorful bangles on her arm, the ones from Leigh’s duffel bag that Mallory never thought she’d wear. Her hair was combed away from her face, except for flat-ironing, a gentle curl on the end the only styling. The doorbell rang. She pushed her pedicured feet into a pair of beaded flats, grabbed her purse and opened the door.
“Hey, Christian.”
“Hey, beautiful.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
He opened her car door. “Ready for our date?”
Mallory gave him a look but before she could say anything he closed the door and bounded over to his side of the car.
“This is not a date,” she finally answered.
He smirked, while oozing confidence and charm. “Yes, it is.”
For today’s trip, Christian had left his sporty Porsche Pana-mera parked and drove the late-model white SUV he’d recently purchased. While barely taking his foot off the
gas, he exited the I-495 freeway toward Uniondale, Long Island. Less than ten minutes later it parked in front of a newly renovated, two-story home with an ample manicured lawn and a two-car garage with a basketball hoop secured above the doors. Three young boys riding ten-speed bikes raced toward the driver’s side door as it opened.
“Christian!”
“Ah, man. It really is him!”
The third kid just stared.
“What’s up, Eric?” He held out his fist.
An eleven-year-old kid with a forest of twists atop an otherwise shaved head smirked as he tapped the fist of his idol and side-eyed his friends. “Told y’all I knew him.”
“Eric goes to my center,” Christian explained. “All of you are welcome to come, too. There is an application process to be admitted full-time, but weekends are open to everyone.” He introduced himself to the other boys as Mallory exited the car and joined him. “Where’s Brandon?”
“With his dad.” One of the other kids had retrieved a basketball and tossed it to Eric, who now bounced it continuously. Christian looked at Eric, raised a brow. “Am I the only one you see?”
Eric’s grin was impish as he bowed his head. “Um, no. Hi.”
“Hello. Eric, right?”
Eric nodded, surprised “You remember me?”
“Sure. You’re Justin Bailey’s friend.”
“Wow, you’ve got a good memory.”
“Only for important people,” Mallory said with a wink.
“Is that your girl?” the more boisterous of Eric’s friends asked.
“That ain’t no girl. That’s a woman,” the other chided.
“Mallory is a good friend,” Christian offered. He looked up and waved at Karen, who’d come out of the house and stood on the porch.
“Come on in here, y’all. Those kids will keep you out there all day.”
Eric fell into step beside Christian. “Will you play ball with us later?”
Christian rubbed a hand across Eric’s close-cropped curls. “You been practicing your layups?” Eric nodded. “What about your free throws?” No response. “Uh-huh. What’d I tell you? Fifty free throws every day. All right?”
“I’ll do fifty,” Eric’s friend offered.
“Let’s do them right now.” The boy’s faces lit up as Christian reached for the ball. They raced toward the hoop. Mallory continued up the drive to the front door, where Karen waited.
“It’s good to see you again,” Mallory said while accepting Karen’s embrace.
“You, too. Come on in.”
Mallory followed Karen down a short foyer that led to a large, airy living room. She could see a kitchen beyond it and to the left a dining room with seating for six.
“Karen, your place is beautiful.”
“Thank you. I was scared at first. Didn’t know what I’d do with all this room. But a friend of mine helped me choose the colors and then a few more helped me pick out the furniture and before I knew it”—she shrugged and looked around—“the place felt like home.”
“You did an awesome job.”
“Come on. Let me show you around.”
“I’d love that. But first, this is for you.” She held up a large, brightly colored gift bag.
“What’s this?”
“Nothing too fancy. Just a house-warming gift I thought you’d like.”
Karen walked over to an oversized recliner and set down the bag. She pulled out a tissue-wrapped package and glanced at Mallory before peeling it back to reveal the picture. Her gasp and the tears that sprang to her eyes were proof that the gift choice was a good one.
“My kids look so beautiful! I’ve never had anything like this.”
“I asked Harmony if there was a picture of the three of you that I could borrow. I passed the one she gave me on to an artist friend of mine. Told him about Brandon’s love for basketball, Harmony’s gardens, and your love for the children. He took it from there.”
“I know just where to hang it.” Karen pointed to a space to the right of the fireplace. “Right on that wall.”
Karen proudly led Mallory through the four-bedroom, three-bath home with a full basement and large backyard. Once back in the living room, she pulled out her cell phone.
“Are y’all in a hurry? Harmony is down the street. She’ll be so sorry she missed you.”
Mallory looked at her watch. “I don’t know about Christian, but I’ve got time.”
“I’ll tell her to hurry.” Karen used a stiff forefinger to tap out a text. “Meanwhile you two can enjoy a slice of pie I made just for y’all. Well, actually a woman named Marie made it, but I heated it up in my brand-new oven.”
Mallory laughed. “Works for me.”
“Let me get Christian. Those boys will have him out there all day.”
“I’ll get him.”
Mallory walked to the door and was surprised to see about twenty to thirty people crowded around Christian, who conducted an impromptu basketball clinic. Again she was struck with his easy camaraderie and relaxed posture as he entertained the crowd.
“Christian! Karen has something for you.”
He tossed the ball to Eric as others came toward him with pieces of paper and cameras for a selfie. Still more people approached from down the street.
“That’s it for now, guys.”
He jogged up the steps.
“That’s quite a crowd you drummed up in ten minutes.”
“Comes with the territory of being a star,” he said with a shrug that suggested no bragging, just fact. He walked into the kitchen. “What are you cooking?”
“Nothing. Just heating up some pie.”
“Eric said Brandon and Danny went out of town.”
Karen nodded. “Uh-huh. Driving their granny to Vegas.”
“Danny’s mom?” Mallory asked.
“His grandmother. Brandon’s great-grand. With the money Danny gave her she could finally realize her dream to retire out west in her favorite city. Found a senior community out there near Danny’s sister, a nice little one-bedroom apartment that she said was perfect. Big enough for her and someone to visit, yet too small for anyone to stay any length of time.”
“It’s nice that Danny took the time to drive her out there,” Mallory offered. “And took Brandon with him.”
“That was my suggestion after finding out his plans. Figured it would be some good father-son bonding time. Brandon had never been out of New York, and Danny never went farther than DC. So it’s an adventure for both of them.”
“So Brandon . . . he’s doing all right?”
“Much better, Christian, with his daddy on the mend.”
“But still in therapy.”
“Yep. Him and Harmony, too.”
At that moment, the front door opened. An exuberant Harmony ran into the kitchen and over to Mallory, who enveloped her in a big hug.
“Wow! Suburban living obviously agrees with you! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so excited.”
“I love it out here,” Harmony said, giving Christian a hearty hug, too. “I’ve got a garden, Mallory. A real one! Come on, let me show you.”
It was almost an hour later when Mallory and Christian returned to his SUV and headed to Brooklyn.
“It’s a great thing you did for them,” Mallory said.
“Considering the pain my uncle caused them, I felt it was the least I could do.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to. And you did. Which shows that underneath all that blubbery arrogance is a good heart.”
“I’ve been trying to tell you that.” He glanced over. “No response?”
“Nope.” She said it with a smile, though.
“The game is over. Your team won. We don’t have to act like opponents anymore. You agree?”
“I agree with that.”
“Good. Then you’ll have no problem hanging with me tonight.”
“I didn’t say all that.”
“Do you have plans?”
“Depends.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Dead serious.”
“That concert’s been sold out for months.”
“Mr. Arrogant over here has connections. Wanna go?”
“Heck, yeah!”
* * *
A little past one in the morning, after hanging backstage with musicians she’d admired from afar for years, Christian and Mallory returned to the white stretch limo waiting in the parking lot for VIPs. The evening had been more perfect than either could have planned.
Mallory fell back against the cushioned back seat. “I could die right now a happy woman. I’ve been to heaven and back.”
“That was pretty dope,” Christian said, more subdued as he sent out pics on his cell phone.
“The whole night was amazing.” Mallory sat up and impulsively kissed Christian’s cheek.
“What was that for?”
“Everything. Especially tonight. Thank you.”
Christian’s hazel-tinged eyes turned dark brown as his smoldering look swept the length of Mallory’s body. He thought she’d dressed appropriately weirdly in cutoff blue jeans, a torn tee, and high-tops, her hair swooped into one big afro puff. Now, as she sat up with chest heaving, eyes at half mast, and lips a kissable shade of pink, the spontaneously casual look took on a quality of sexy unlike that manufactured by the women he’d dated. As the limo inched forward and eased out of the crowded parking lot, he shifted his body, aligned his shoulder with hers. He laid his head on her shoulder.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
“You make me want to believe,” she whispered.
He lifted his head. “I think you really mean that.”
“I do.”
Christian lifted his finger and ran it along Mallory’s jaw. He turned her head toward his, slid his hand to the back of her neck, and urged her forward. The kiss was soft, tentative, but Christian wanted more. He shifted his body again, prepared to take everything—the kiss, the night, the relationship—to another level. Mallory resisted, and then gave in. She opened her mouth and enjoyed the kiss. The first one. But when he continued and his hand slipped from behind her neck to her shoulder and on to her breast, she broke it off.