“I told you,” William said, taking her hand and leading her past groups of people outside and into the house.
“Ma,” he yelled above the loud music.
A petite dark-skinned woman with a short Afro came out of what Weslee guessed was the kitchen. She was holding a can of Sprite.
“William, is this the girl you keep talking about?”
The girl?
“Weslee, this is my mother, Veronica.”
Weslee held out her hand. “Hi Mrs.—”
“Call me Veronica,” the woman said, going past Weslee’s hand and hugging her tightly. She pulled back and held Weslee’s waist in her tiny hands. “I’ve heard so much about you. You’re so pretty and tall.” Veronica’s Jamaican accent was still pronounced even after decades of living in the United States.
“Um. Thank you.” She felt so embarrassed. She looked at William. “You have a beautiful home.” It was the only thing she could think to say.
“Thank you, dear. Wait here, OK? I’m going to get my husband.”
“What have you told them about me?” Weslee asked William.
“Nothing.” Playful guilt was written all over his face.
William’s father, Daniel, was a bear of a man. He was at least six feet four, and he apparently loved to eat. He was a startling contrast to Veronica’s tiny frame.
“How are you?” he said somewhat shyly, shaking Weslee’s hand.
Weslee greeted him back, smiling. He was her father, just about fifty pounds heavier.
She began to feel at home as she chatted with Veronica and Daniel about her own parents, the times she had visited the Islands with them, and her life in general. They were some of the most down-to-earth people she had ever met. They reminded her of her parents.
When she finally broke away from William’s parents and aunts and uncles, she grabbed a plate of food. She couldn’t resist the jerk chicken, pilau, and mini meat patties that were spread out on the table. She figured she’d have to make up for it by running an extra mile or two the next day.
“Hungry?” William came up behind her.
“Yes. I was so busy talking I forgot to eat.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you like everybody.”
“Well, they’re just like my family in so many ways.”
“That’s why I wanted you to meet them. I felt the same way when I met your folks in Chicago last summer.”
She popped a patty in her mouth. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “These are so good!”
“My ma’s a pro,” he said proudly.
He stole a few bites off her plate, and she pulled it away playfully.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said.
The street of tidy Colonial and Tudor homes was otherwise quiet, as most of the neighbors were at the party. He reached for her hand again.
“I’m so glad I came,” she said.
“Why?” He stopped and looked at her.
“Because this is a great party,” she said. What she really wanted to tell him was that she felt so much better now that she was with him.
“And that’s the only reason?” he asked.
She didn’t answer.
“Let’s talk,” he said, starting to walk again. “I’m sorry about the other night. You really caught me off guard.”
She didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure where he was going.
“Everything’s kinda happening at the same time, you know?” he said.
“No, I didn’t know,” Weslee said, honestly. She had no idea what he meant.
“Well, you know, work and you.”
“I didn’t mean to add any stress to your life.”
“It’s OK. I’m just not good at relationships, beginning them especially. I’m much better with work, so that’s where most of my focus goes.”
Weslee tried to figure out where William was going.
“The other night was just . . .” He ran his hands over his thinning head. “I just wasn’t expecting you to say those things. I mean, I was hoping you felt that way deep down, especially after that time on the Ferris wheel in Chicago. But I was never sure.”
“What are you saying?” She turned to face him, and again they stopped walking.
“What I said last night is still true.”
“So you’re afraid that I’d go back to Duncan at the drop of a hat?”
“I’m not saying that. I just don’t want to feel like I’m your second choice.”
“William, you are my first choice. I was stupid a year ago, and I made a mistake. A mistake I paid dearly for. But I learned. I learned my lesson, and I’ve grown up, and a big reason for that is because of you. You made me see myself in a whole new way. I know you have your concerns about my intentions or sincerity, but I love you. I’m sure of it. I’ve waited for you for a long time, and I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to feel sure about me.”
He looked her in the eye, and she could see his doubts. “Weslee, what would you do if he came back?”
“I would still want you, William. You’re the man for me. And I feel strange having to stand here and make a case for myself. I feel like somehow it’s not fair. That you should know. But that’s OK. I’ve had to grow up a lot in the last year or so. I know that love is not the fairy tale that I once thought it was. So if I have to beg you, then I will. That’s how strongly I feel about you.”
He took her other hand in his. “You don’t have to beg me. And I’m not trying to put you through the paces. I just want to make sure that you know what you want, because I know I want you. I did from the first day I laid eyes on you. I never had a single doubt. I almost lost a friendship that had been very important to me because I couldn’t stand to see Duncan stealing your heart. But you never left my thoughts, Weslee. I felt so guilty about it sometimes, but I just couldn’t ever forget the way you looked at me that night we met.”
Before William could say another word, Weslee took his face in her hands and kissed him. They closed themselves off to the rest of the world as they stood on the dark, still street.
It seemed like hours passed before a car sliced down the street, flashing its lights on them and bringing them back to reality.
“What do you want to do?” he asked, still holding her close.
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Be with you.”
He kissed her. “We’re on the street, and my parents have a house full of people.”
“I’m aware of that,” she giggled.
“But,” he said, kissing her to punctuate his sentence, “we could be at my apartment in about a half hour.”
She kissed him back. “I’m aware of that, too.”
She wanted nothing more than to spend the night in his arms, in his bed; it had been on her mind almost every minute of every day. But she thought back to her past mistakes and desperately wanted things to be different this time. No rushing. No jumping straight into the sack, only to be hurt a few months later after all the smoke from the fireworks cleared. She couldn’t afford to mess this up.
“We have plenty of time,” she said. “Let’s go back to the party.”
“Not yet,” he said, pulling her to him and kissing her again. “We still have a few minutes before they send out a search party.”
“But that’ll make it harder for me to resist—”
“I want to wait, too,” he interrupted. “As hard as it is.”
They burst out laughing at the double entendre.
“We’ll have plenty of time to do the nasty,” she said.
He narrowed his eyes. “Do the nasty? Did you say do the nasty?”
She laughed, embarrassed. “Oh, you just spoiled the mood!” she protested. “I can’t believe you’re laughing at my Bell Biv DeVoe slang.” She faked a hurt look.
“No, that wasn’t BBD. I’m pretty sure it was Teddy Riley who came up with that phrase, circa 1990,” he laughed as they walked back to the party holding hands.
She wouldn’t have the night end any other way. A man wh
o made her laugh and who loved 1980s and early 1990s R&B was definitely the kind worth holding out for. And she was proud of herself for reining in her impulses. But as her body brushed against his as they walked down the dark street, she began to wonder if she could wait for very long.
Weslee awoke early the next day. It took a while for her to realize that last night had been real. Yes, she had been with William. Yes, he had told her that he loved her. Yes, everything was all right.
She looked outside. It was another hot and humid day. She could almost see the heaviness coating the atmosphere. But she didn’t mind. She felt so calm inside. Not edgy and nervous, just peaceful and content. Last night had been an answered prayer. William had dropped her off early this morning and had told her again that he loved her. It was real, real, real.
She put on coffee. She called home. Her mother answered.
“Hi, honey. What have you been up to lately?”
She wondered where to start. “Um. I was just hanging out with William and his family last night.”
“Oh?”
She hadn’t told her mother the full story about William. “Yes.”
“And?”
“And what? Mom, what do you mean?” Weslee tried to sound innocent.
“Child, I wasn’t born yesterday. I saw the way you two were acting when he came here last summer.”
“Who was acting?”
“Fine, if you want to keep secrets from your own mother, go ahead.”
“OK, fine. Yes. I think I love him. No, I love him. He said he loves me, too.”
Her mother laughed on the other end.
“What’s so funny?”
“You young people. You meet one guy in Boston, and two weeks later you say you’re in love with him. But it takes you a whole year to realize you love this one.”
“Mom, I—”
“I’m not criticizing you. I’m just saying that sometimes you don’t know what’s good for you even when it’s staring you right in the face.”
“I know,” Weslee said humbly. “Will you tell Dad?”
“You know I will. He’ll be so happy. You know he just needs to have somebody to talk to about cricket and soccer.”
“Well, Mom, I’m not saying we’re going to get married or anything.” Weslee tried to bring her mother back to reality before she started picking names for her future grandchildren.
“I know. I know. You don’t have to tell me that,” Clara Dunster said. But Weslee knew the damage had already been done.
“I’m so happy, Mom,” she said, grinning like a four-year-old at her birthday party. “I met his folks, and they’re so down to earth. His mom’s curried chicken is soooo good.”
Clara Dunster scoffed. “Better than mine?”
Weslee laughed. “I’m not going there, Mom. But they’re just really good people. I felt like I was home when I was at their place last night.”
“Well, you already have a home here. Don’t forget that,” Clara said lightly. “But I’m glad you’re happy. See, didn’t I tell you a long time ago to find yourself a nice West Indian boy?”
Weslee laughed. “Yeah, right, Ma.” She couldn’t stop laughing at her mother’s self-satisfaction. “I guess you know best after all,” she teased.
“You better believe I do,” her mother said with all the seriousness in the world.
Weslee stifled her laughter as they said good-bye. Trust her to take credit for every good thing that happens to me, Weslee giggled as she hung up the phone.
Later, she sipped her coffee and paged through the New York Times’s Sunday Styles section. She had one more call to make.
She had picked a restaurant that wouldn’t be overrun with the brunch crowd. She had to have his total attention for what she wanted to say. He was waiting for her at DeMillo’s when she arrived. She noticed his skin was even browner than when she had last seen him.
“Hi, Duncan,” she said in her strongest voice.
“Weslee.” He nodded in a businesslike manner.
The waiter seated them, and she ordered coffee. He asked for water.
She cleared her throat.
“You look great,” he said. She was dressed primly in a nondescript blue knee-length tank dress that somehow managed to accentuate her lanky frame.
“Thank you,” she said as the waiter swiftly brought their beverages.
“OK, Duncan. I know that you said you wanted to talk, so I’m here to listen.”
He looked deeply into her eyes, and for a moment she couldn’t turn away.
“I’m a fool,” he said. He took a sip of his water and continued. “I’m really sorry that I hurt you. I have no excuse except that I was selfish and cowardly. I wish I had the guts to . . .” He stopped and clenched his jaw.
“To what?” she asked. She could see the pain in his face.
“Nothing. I just wanted you to know that I’m not the heartless jerk you think I am. I have obligations that I can’t just ignore.”
She nodded. “Obligations to whom?”
He shook his head. “It’s hard to explain without sounding like a spineless prick,” he said. “But this is how my life is supposed to turn out. Everybody expects things of me, my family . . .” He swallowed. “I know exactly what my future will be if I take this path, Weslee,” he said.
“And if you had picked me, you wouldn’t have known? That’s what it is?” Weslee wanted to laugh. All of a sudden she couldn’t remember what she had seen in this man seated across from her. He did sound like a spineless prick.
“It’s not that simple. No one would have understood us together.”
“No one? Like who?”
He sighed. “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand, Duncan,” she said, picking up her canvas tote and throwing it over her shoulder. “Good-bye. And good luck with Susan.”
She couldn’t help but release the laughter that had been building inside her in the restaurant. The image of Duncan, in pain and struggling to justify to himself and to her his lack of courage, did not amuse her—it made her relieved that she would never have to look into his eyes again and wonder whether she was worthy. She laughed because she realized that he had never been worthy of her.
Chapter 45
It wasn’t the perfect day for a wedding, but Weslee was excited all the same. She loved her dress, and at three hundred dollars, it was almost guilt free. She turned around before the full-length mirror in the bathroom of Rainee’s Vineyard home to take one last inventory of her outfit. With Rainee and the rest of the wedding party already at the Van Meers’ estate in Edgartown, where Peony’s wedding would be held, she had the house all to herself.
She had had her doubts about this wedding. She was going primarily because Rainee had begged her. The older woman had become a friend to Weslee, and it would have been rude to turn down her invitation. Plus, William had told her, it might be a good opportunity to acquire even more clients.
She looked out the window and saw his Jeep pulling up the driveway. She ran down the stairs to meet him.
William whistled as she walked out of the house to meet him.
She did a full turn so he could see the deep vee her dress made in the back. He whistled again, and she smiled. “You like?”
“I love,” he said, kissing her as she sat next to him in the SUV.
They arrived right on time, and a few minutes later Weslee could hear the entire wedding party and guests catch their breaths as Peony emerged down the aisle. She did look absolutely regal.
Her hair was pulled up into a bun on top of her head with a few tendrils curling to the side of her face, showing off her tiara veil and pearl-and-diamond button earrings. Her dress was pure white satin, form-fitted with a sweetheart neckline and flaring at midthigh with a long train. “It’s a Vera Wang,” Rainee had told Weslee. “Thank God her father and his new wife are paying for everything,” she had laughed.
Weslee stole a look over at Lana, who sat between her mother, Eleanor,
and her boyfriend, Jeffrey Knight. Her face was expressionless as she watched Peony make her way down the aisle to where her husband-to-be, Stewart, was waiting nervously.
The ceremony started, and she could see Rainee pulling out a tissue as the female minister began the exhortation. Rainee had said she was not going to cry.
As the minister pronounced Stewart and Peony man and wife, Weslee couldn’t help but steal a glance at William. He squeezed her hand.
Later, at the reception, she found herself running into people who now knew her and asked about her, her business, her life. She had planned to stay close to William throughout the event, but she found herself wandering off on her own to make small talk with acquaintances. She was surprised to discover that Younis Pratha’s husband was such a gloomy little man, and she could see why he hadn’t opened his dream restaurant. Marie Bunting was haughty and overbearing as usual. Eleanor was polite, and her husband ignored Weslee, but she still smiled at him. She in no way felt at home with this crowd, but at least she did not feel the urge to run under a rock and hide.
She and William joined the line waiting to greet the new bride and groom.
“Having a good time?” he asked, his arm around her waist.
“Absolutely.” She grinned.
Peony was radiant as her guests fawned over her.
“Congratulations, Peony. You look absolutely stunning,” Weslee said, meaning every word. She shook Stewart’s limp, sweaty hand.
“Thank you, Weslee.” Peony smiled widely. “Hey, maybe once we get back from Indonesia, we could all get together for lunch, you, me, and my mom,” she said, her eyes wide.
“Sure,” Weslee said, knowing that this would never come to pass.
As William stopped to talk with another of his best friends from college, she surveyed the room. There were at least five hundred people there. She hoped that she would not run into Duncan—his own wedding was in two weeks—but if she did, she was prepared to ignore him.
She felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Hi, Wes,” Lana said, smiling.
“Hey,” Weslee said, nervousness creeping up on her.
“How are you?” Lana asked.
“Good, and you?”
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