I had figured Sirena was visiting a sick friend or relative. I would’ve never guessed it was the boy. I’d seen them just hours ago having a sunny leisure day eating ice cream. I looked at the flower delivery. The card was sticking out. I hadn’t been the one who made the arrangement so I didn’t know what it said. Plain as day: Christopher Lassiter. I opened the card to read who sent them. Get well quick, JP. Here we go. He obviously wanted to start the bonding process.
I leaned over his bed and stared intently at his face.
Was this Jake’s child? The oxygen mask was blocking his nose and mouth. His eyes were closed. I smoothed a hand over his soft hairline. His eyes fluttered open, startled. “Sweetie, it’s okay.” His face was panicked.
Quincy woke up too, hearing the boy’s stricken moan.
“What the hell is going on?”
“I was just making a flower delivery.” I inched toward the door, before darting out fast as I could. I left my cart behind. I punched the elevator button. “C’mon.” I wasn’t sure if he recognized me in the darkened room with my In Bloom hat and T-shirt, but if he did, I was about to be wrung by my collar.
“Hey,” the bulging belly yelled. “Whatthahell kind a security y’all got?” He chastised no one in particular, standing in the empty hallway.
The doors opened just in time. I jumped on the elevator, surprisingly relieved in more ways than one.
Bargain Hunter
Jake sat quietly, staring at the seat where Earl would be sitting in just a matter of minutes.
“We need a face-to-face,” Earl Benning had said. He’d called and said he was in Atlanta and, “This won’t take long.”
No doubt he wanted to discuss Sirena and the meltdown with Venus. Maybe accuse him of being the cause of it all, the man in the middle. Probably wanted to make it clear if anything like that happened again, he’d be banished from the world he so loved. Movies. Music. Entertainment. He’d warned himself it wouldn’t last. He only hoped the door wasn’t closing on him so soon.
Maybe he’d go ahead and show Earl all the messages Sirena had left, begging Jake to meet with her, texting her undying love and hope for them to have a future. Then he’d see it wasn’t on him. But either way he’d be the one who fell on the knife. Earl Benning would have to get rid of Jake. And he didn’t want that. Making movies was a dream come true. Doing music again, his way, was also a promise delivered from the universe. Something he’d prayed for, at least on the top of his list. Now all of it was happening and he still held no control. Getting pressure from all sides. Venus wanting him to quit … or at least keep his distance from Sirena. Earl Benning probably wanting the same. Hell, Jake even wanted to be free of her. But it seemed they were intertwined. Like the universe had fused them together and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“Sorry I’m late, JP. Good to see you, man.” Earl Benning peered down at him, all white teeth and expensive onyx-rimmed glasses. The coffee shop was Earl’s choice. If they went to an upscale eatery, they risked the chance of Jake being recognized, then Earl being recognized and harassed by someone offering up their latest greatest masterpiece on a homemade CD.
Jake found it hard to look Earl in the eye, especially after all the messages Sirena had left, claiming she wanted to fix things between them. Make up the past and move to the future. Cryptic messages. Delusional. Dare he say insane? But that was Sirena, dramatic, over the top, and determined to get her point across.
“Listen, I have to apologize to you and your wife. I wanted to do it personally.”
Jake was surprised. “Yeah, man. No problem. Sirena and I go pretty far back. Buttons got pushed. All water under the bridge.”
“She can be a handful.”
“So can my wife,” Jake admitted and instantly felt guilty, like he was throwing Venus under the bus. Knowing it wasn’t her fault. But he was doing and saying what he had to. “She felt bad about the whole scene.”
“I have to tell you, we’re putting a lot of money into this next project. Any negative publicity would be detrimental.” Earl never took his eyes off Jake. He leaned forward on his expensive suit elbows. “You two have an amazing chemistry. As you know, people aren’t good at separating fact and fiction. It’s important that we run with the magic you two have for as long as we can …”
Jake felt pins and needles climbing from his fingertips up his arms, through his spine, rendering him speechless.
“Your wife is going to have to stay clear of all promotional events. I absolutely know it’s bold and rather rude of me to speak on this subject, but when we’re talking a fifty-million-dollar film budget, we can’t have that jeopardized. We need people to forget you’re even married. Sirena can’t look like the bad guy, the third wheel appearing to be involved in some kind of love triangle. Something like that would tarnish her reputation. Now we both know, she doesn’t have the ability to come back from being labeled a home-breaker.” He whispered, “Maybe if she was from the other camp … but let’s face it, our people don’t get a whole lot of second chances.”
Jake nodded, still unable to say a word. He licked his lips in anticipation, relieved this was all he had to deal with. On a scale, it was minor.
“Please don’t take this personally. I’ve never met your wife and I’m sure she’s lovely, but she’ll have to take one for the team.”
This was business. Jake knew he was walking a fine line, seconds away from saying something he’d regret. This man was essentially his boss. Earl Benning would pull the plug on Jake co-starring in Sirena’s next movie. Kill the music, or anything else on the horizon. Knowing this kept his mouth shut.
Earl realized Jake still hadn’t said a word and became uncomfortable himself. “I can understand how you feel. I’d be pissed if someone was trying to tell me how to handle my woman. But you’ll thank me later. After this next film solidifies your place in the industry, you can pick and choose. Maybe you work with Sirena again, maybe not, but you’ll have your own name to stand on.” He extended his hand. “My plane is waiting. Believe it or not, I came all this way just to see you.”
Jake shook his hand. “My wife will understand,” Jake said, knowing he’d never tell her about this conversation anyway.
Earl left without having a sip of coffee. He jumped into the car that was waiting, engine running. Delivering his warning took all of ten minutes. Message duly noted. If it didn’t have to do with business, Jake wanted nothing to do with Sirena anyway.
When the phone vibrated on his hip he figured now was as good a time as any to tell her exactly that.
He pushed the button for the call to come through his earpiece. “Yeah,” he said bitterness dripping from his voice.
“It’s about time.”
“I just got through with a meeting with your Mr. Benning.”
“He’s our Mr. Benning.”
Her sarcasm tipped him closer to the edge.
“I don’t know how much more of you and him I can take,” Jake said. “On one end I have him telling me to lose my wife so I can appear to be into you, and on the other end I have you wishing it were a reality. Can you tell me what kind of freak show you two are running?”
“The minute you tell me we can be together, he’s history. He doesn’t control anything, Jay. I’m the one making him and his label at Rise Records. He is nothing without me.”
“That’s not what I was asking you, Sirena. I’m not interested in stepping between you and him. I just want you to know that. If we’re going to continue working together, it’s got to be something you agree to.”
She stayed quiet for a few seconds. “I think there is something you’ll be interested in, Jay. Something I should have told you a long time ago.” The next words that left her lips landed directly between his eyes.
He sat, still stunned, unable to move. He pushed himself to his feet. He’d been hit all right, with a bomb that had landed right in his lap.
“A son?”
“Yes. I know it’s crazy, right?
But after all this time, I couldn’t keep it from you any longer.”
He was already on his way to Avery Memorial Hospital when his phone vibrated. He prayed it wasn’t Sirena again. All he wanted to do was see the boy for himself.
Venus. “Hey,” he said sheepishly, wishing he could tell her everything, but knowing he couldn’t. “I needed to hear your voice.”
“I have to tell you that I ran into Sirena. She was at the hospital when I was making deliveries, I guess she’s still there with her … Christopher.”
That’s not what he wanted to hear. His knees felt wobbly. “What happened?” he asked hesitantly, scared of the rest of the story. Their shaky ground would surely crack, unable to maintain this added weight.
“Nothing happened. I promise. She was at the hospital with her baby brother.” She said it slowly, as if it were a code word for something else.
“So is everything all right?” he asked, getting impatient.
“Fine, I guess. I saw him … her baby brother. The flowers I delivered were actually for him. The card said, ‘Get well quick, JP.’ ”
“Me?” He rubbed his eyes and temples at the same time. Sirena was an endless bag of tricks.
“I didn’t think you sent them,” she said quietly. “Do you know why she would do something like that?”
“Probably just to make him feel better. He’s probably my biggest little fan or something,” Jake said, almost holding his breath.
“That’s what I thought too. But Sirena was cordial. I didn’t get upset, I just wanted to tell you that I saw her and …”
“And what?” He released his breath, then inhaled, holding it again.
“She thinks I hate her.”
“You do,” he nervously chuckled. “But seriously, you two need distance.” He thought about Earl Benning’s warning.
“Jake, I want you to know that I don’t hate her. Don’t let my fears or insecurity block you from any decisions. Okay?”
The irony of this conversation was starting to make his head swirl.
“I just want you to know how I feel. I love you and will always love you,” she said.
“I love you too. I’ll see you later tonight,” he said.
“Yeah, much later. I still have to go to Miriam’s wedding rehearsal.”
“What time?”
“It’s at six, so I should be home around eight.”
“Perfect,” he said, more for himself. Now he would have plenty time to see Christopher. His son. If he really had a son. It was more than possible. It could be true. All this time he’d hated Sirena for what she’d done. Turned out she hadn’t gone through with it. The thought made him smile and almost forget about being caught between everyone else’s wants and needs. His wife just told him not to make any decisions based on her fear or anxiety, as if she knew.
He had a son.
Hit and Run
The bridal party lined up in twos. I couldn’t take my eyes off Miriam’s cousin, Jeanette, who was right in front of me. She seemed out of sorts, not really paying attention to the hired coordinator provided by the Monarch Hotel. They were paying top dollar, after all.
“Please keep pace with the tempo of the music. Do not rush. We only get married once.”
Everyone snickered. The coordinator even laughed at her own joke.
“Please proceed.”
I looked over at my escort, a friend from Ben’s work, a physician with huge eyes and a wiry ’fro. We were some pair. I could already picture the wedding photos. Right then I decided to do some serious conditioning when I got home and tie my hair down in a cute one-sided bun.
He looped his arm through mine and we started walking. Ben was at the end of the aisle. Jeanette and he hadn’t stopped looking at each other. She was almost in tears, that much I knew.
When I got to the end of the walkway, I leaned into Jeanette’s ear. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, thank you. Just a little nauseated. I’m pregnant. You can’t tell in this dress, can you?”
Cut. Stop the tape.
I dropped my pretend bouquet and walked the three steps in front of Ben. “Can I talk to you, now?”
“Can this wait?” The coordinator flagged a hand. “Can we get through this dry run? Please.”
“No. I’m sorry. It’s important.”
Ben was confused. His shiny brown bald head was covered with beads of sweat. He wiped with his handkerchief. “We’ll be right back.”
“I suggest you’re back before the bride makes her way down the aisle because we’re not stopping.”
“Pushy,” Ben tried to joke.
I led him down the large corridor to the other side of the hotel. We stopped in front of a huge window overlooking an endless hedge of pink budding roses. The garden was meticulously manicured, along with everything else at the Monarch.
“I know about you two—or, as we say, ‘baby makes three,’ ” I said, risking going overboard, though it really wasn’t my place.
His eyes closed, revealing I’d hit the target. “How …”
“I saw you two checking into this very hotel. I never said anything to Miriam, but I can’t live with this on my conscience. Jeanette’s in there standing up for your wife as her maid of honor. Is it me, or is that plain foul?”
“I can’t undo what’s already done,” he said. “Miriam is a good woman, a good mother. I can’t hurt her by telling her the truth.”
“I know she loves you. Sometimes that’s enough to overcome anything.”
“She deserves a better man than me. If she finds out about Jeanette, she’s going to leave me.”
“I’m sure you are a lovely person who simply made a mistake. We all make mistakes. This ceremony is supposed to be about starting over. Fresh, renewed.” I shook my head and didn’t want to tell him what I thought he should do. It was up to him. “I’m going to get back. You take your time.”
Rounding the corner I saw Miriam standing at the entrance, waiting for her cue from the coordinator. Lizzie was in front. “Can I go now, Mommy?”
“Yes, go.” She turned when she saw me approaching. “How am I supposed to walk down the aisle with no groom? I hope this is not an omen of things to come.”
Thank goodness he was a few seconds behind me.
“Right here,” he announced, moving past us to take his place at the end of the aisle.
The coordinator snapped for Miriam to follow. I took my place with the other three bridesmaids and immediately saw Jeanette was missing. Miriam didn’t seem to notice. Neither did Ben. They were gazing into each other’s eyes.
“You two know your vows? We’re on the clock tomorrow. Blah, blah, then you turn, wait ten seconds for pictures, and then you walk.” She snapped her fingers. “Everyone, follow in twos this time with a quickness.”
For what it was worth, I felt like I’d finally done and said the right thing. One good deed to put a dent in my basket of bad karma.
“It’s going to be a beautiful ceremony, Miriam.” I hugged her. “See you bright and early.” I waved at Ben. He blew me a kiss and mouthed the words, thank you. Thank you for not ratting him out, thank you for letting him get away unscathed. He’d have his own karma to deal with, as I had mine.
Easy Come
Sirena sat on the patio of the hospital, waiting patiently for Jake’s arrival. The doctor still hadn’t released Christopher, so it was the perfect scenario. She’d even challenge Jay to have a paternity test, right there in the building where there was a lab ready and waiting. She wasn’t afraid of the results. At this point she was ready to put it all on the line for a chance of a new life, a real life, one that wasn’t surrounded by people and things that didn’t matter.
People who wanted to use her or take her for granted no longer mattered. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d met someone who wasn’t all take without any give.
“Where is he?” Jay stood at the center of the courtyard, near the fountain. He’d arrived like clockwork. The lights coming u
p from the water were enough to see him, but not his face. The leather jacket and jeans was her favorite look on him. It felt like months since she’d seen him last, yet it had only been days. When she got close she could see he still wore the jp swirled initials she’d given him as a gift on the last day of filming True Beauty. All the signs were there. No matter what he said, he still cared and maybe even loved her.
“I’ll take you to him, but first you have to make me a promise.”
He lifted his hands. “Nah, I don’t want to make any deals, Sirena. I’ve had enough of that. There’s nothing to be discussed. If he’s my son, he’s my son.”
“Just hear me out.”
“I’ve been hearing you. You’ve been lying to me every time you open your mouth. So how am I supposed to believe you now?”
“Whether you believe something or not doesn’t change the facts.” She stopped in front of him. She touched his face. She could tell he wanted it to be true.
He quickly pushed her hand away. “Where is he?”
“Wait a minute. Okay? All I’m saying is that I still love you. I know it’s going to take a while for you to trust me. I wouldn’t trust me either. But you have to know—”
“All I want to know, is where is he? Tell me or I’ll find him myself.”
“He’s on the sixth floor. The doctor wouldn’t release him because of tests. He’s extremely allergic to dairy products, grass, nuts, and tomatoes.” She coughed out with a laugh. “What are the odds of that?” These were all the same things she remembered about Jay’s allergies. Funny how it all came back to her as the doctor announced them one by one.
Un-Nappily in Love Page 21