“She's the bitch that stole my man!” Nia hissed. “I don't care about Perri.”
“That's obvious. But you know what, Nia? Maybe you should because it would save you a lot of heartache and embarrassment in the long run.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Girl, jealousy is not pretty,” Tina stated the obvious. “Why do you think envy is referred to as the 'green eyed monster'? That is not how your stunning emerald green eyes were meant to be used, Nia.”
“Call me what you want, Tina. Just stay out of my way, or I will make you regret the day we ever met, girl,” Nia promised.
“Too late, Nia, I already do.” Snatching up her purse, Tina parted with these words, “If you come to your senses, Nia, you know where to find me.” And she was gone.
Nia glared at the front door as if she could set fire to it. “Who needs you anyway, true blue!” she screamed to no one in particular. Her eye caught a glimpse of something and she moved over to the foyer. Picking up a portfolio, she realized that Tina left it behind in her haste to leave.
Serves her judgmental self just right, Nia thought bitterly.
Looking through the designs, Nia had to admit they were fabulous. “I didn't know Tina could rock like this.” Then she examined the designs closer and knew Tina didn't have it going on like that. She was good, true enough, but she hadn't reached this level of perfection yet.
Flipping the page, Nia studied the next design. Each one was better than the last. She carefully removed one of the designs, walked over to the bay window and held it up to the light. A wicked smile spread across her lips. On the tip of one of the shoes the sketched models were wearing, the initials: PTM lightly penciled in. In fact, it was so small the naked eye would surely miss it. But thanks to Nia's cunning and crafty side, she wasn't the one to be so easily fooled. Not when she was a self-taught master of manipulation who was definitely at the top of her game.
“Oh, yes, thank you fate. Gotcha, Perri; thanks to good old Tina.” Nia laughed wickedly with a sinister plan already formulated in her criminal mind.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“What’s up, Kane?” Barrington laughed at his daughter's bottom lip poked out as she pouted at him because he wouldn't give her another bite of chocolate ice cream. He'd just finished telling her how mad her mommy would be if she knew he gave her the few spoonfuls he had already.
“Hey man, I'm about maybe fifteen minutes or so from landing,” Kane Devoe said in his smooth baritone voice that was so much like Barrington's it was downright scary. Even their singing voices resembled, though their styles were different. Barrington and Kane, though second cousins, had been thick as thieves growing up, and to this day, were still as close as any two men who weren't actually blood brothers could be.
“Cool,” Barrington responded, balancing Imani in one arm while spying his watch. “I'll be there when you hop off the plane. You should have just let me send the jet to fly you in then you wouldn’t have to be sneaking off to the bathroom to use your cell phone that you’re not supposed to have turned on when a commercial flight is in the air, man.”
“Man, it’s all good. And it’s even better that you’ll be here when the plane lands because I got one serious case of jet lag and sleep can't come soon enough.”
“I hear you, man, but hey. Just know I appreciate you agreeing to fly in and take my place for the remainder of the tour. I know Crush appreciates it as well.”
“Not a problem, man. Though I'm still not sure how you managed to talk Toby into that one.” Kane laughed, shaking his head in amazement.
Laughing too, Barrington said, “Toby works for me, though he seems to forget that sometimes, still, he wasn't as hard pressed about it as you'd think he'd be, considering I still owe him two more shows.” He shrugged. “It helps out a lot that the last show is right here in Charlotte, so really, he couldn't whine too much. Besides, it's just one night; I do plan on being part of the last show here. We both will be, so the crowd gets what they paid for plus one more.”
“I hear you, man. Donovan and Dazzy were amazed I even agreed to do it; but then again, they know how close we are, so really, they shouldn't be all that surprised. Like you say, it's just two more shows and, it's back to the gospel scene for me.”
“By the way, how's that going? Are you any closer to finishing the debut CD?”
“Man, it has been a minute since we last talked,” Kane remarked with a low whistle. “The tracks are done, man; scheduled to drop in the next month, if not before, depending on how many pre-interviews come up.”
“That's great, Kane. I'm real proud of you, man.” Imani cooed like she was, too.
“Thanks, B; means a lot coming from you.” Kane laughed. “That your daughter I hear?”
Grinning, Barrington proudly said, “That's my Cupcake.” He kissed her cheek.
“Man, I got the pictures you sent me of her; she's a real beauty; going to have to beat the boys off with a stick, man, when she's older.”
“What you mean older?” Barrington asked serious. “Don't matter her age Imani will still be too young to date as far as I'm concerned.”
Kane laughed. “You’re worse than Donovan with Sierra.” He shook his head. “When you two gonna learn you got to give your kids room to spread their wings and fly? I mean, Donovan, all his life, you know he was his own person, doing exactly what he wanted no matter how it came across to anyone else. Sierra's just like him, too; but Donovan don't wanna let her grow, like she gonna stay ten forever or something. It's crazy, man. And you are, too, if you think you can keep Imani holed up in her room 'till she turn twenty-two,” Kane said laughing out loud.
“Oh, I'm not gonna keep her housed 'till she turn twenty-two; I was thinking more like twenty-six.”
They laughed.
“Boy, you are crazy.” Kane looked at his watch. “So you'll be on time, correct?” He hated waiting on a ride once he was where he needed to be.
Barrington knew his cousin was normally a very patient man, save when it came to waiting on a ride. During their teenage years, Kane had made it a point to do the driving just so there was no chance in him being late, or having to wait for more than fifteen minutes on a designated driver who had no problem taking their sweet time to pick them up. Laughing, he said, “Don't sweat it, Kane. I'll be there before you land.” Imani squeezed his nose. “Wait 'till you see Cupcake in person, man; you gonna fall right in love with her,” Barrington promised.
“I'm sure I will.” Kane loved kids. In their family he was the middle child of three sons and brother to Donovan and Dazzy of the group Soul Deep, a mixture of soulful R&B and pop with a tendency to cross over into new jack swing hip hop. When they first started performing in local talent shows for exposure, the crowd was always shocked to see they were a young white group belting out their own original soulful lyrics. Kane, on the other hand, was more grounded and seriously rooted in the contemporary gospel flavor of the music industry. He along with his father, Reverend Devoe often toured together, and honestly, that was exactly where Kane’s heart was settled. One day when he had children of his own, he planned to have them tour with him while they, as a family showcased their talent for the glory of God. Kane was so excited about his CD dropping within the next month he was literally floating on air. He was especially excited that he had two cuts on the CD that featured his brothers and on another cut his father sang with him. To Kane family was everything and he loved as well as cherished his with a healthy passion, and there was nothing, absolutely nothing he wouldn't do to keep his family safe from harm. And for him, family included his close friends, too, though he was very careful whom he referred to as friend; but if you fit into that category, you had a friend who stuck closer than a brother for life.
“All right, B, get to rolling. See in a few.”
“No doubt, man, Cupcake and I will be at the Airport shortly.” Barrington flipped his cell shut, hoisting Imani in his arms. “Let's get you into your shoes, little
one.” Now where had he placed her shoes? he wondered, looking around the living room.
Nia who had been waiting in the shadows as she listened in on his one-way conversation with his cousin while observing how amazingly awesome her boss was with his daughter, stepped into the living room. “Would you like for me to watch her, sir?”
Barrington turned to see his housekeeper smiling at his daughter. “Thank you, Nia, but I wouldn't ask you to watch Imani; she's my responsibility, but I appreciate the offer.” After placing his daughter on the couch and surrounding her with throw pillows, he got down on all fours and looked under the couch, hoping he'd find her shoes there. For the life of him he didn't know where they were, but he did know that if he dared to take her outside without anything on her feet Perri would have his head. It didn't matter to her that it was the middle of May and hot as all getup.
This morning she'd almost bit his head off when, after he'd bathed and dressed her, Perri saw that he hadn't bothered to put Imani's sandals on. To Barrington it was just too hot and since her feet wouldn't be touching the ground anyway, what did it really matter? Perri, however, saw it in a completely different light and ordered him to “get those sandals on my daughter's feet.” Not wanting to argue first thing this morning, Barrington just did as she told him, knowing that once they were in the car Imani would fidget until she got them off her feet and he wasn't going to bother about trying to keep them on her. She didn't need them on anyway.
“That's where they are!” It suddenly dawned on Barrington that no sooner than they were in the car his daughter had sure enough wiggled her feet free of her sandals so they had to still be in the car.
Nia was grinning at him when Barrington rose to his feet. “I take it you recall where you placed her shoes, huh?”
Looking down at Imani, he said, “Yeah, Cupcake kicked them off in the car.” He shook his head with a slight grin. “She can't stand wearing shoes, but Perri refuses to let her go outside the house without them on her feet.” He looked at Nia. “She'd have my head in a slingshot if she knew I didn't bother to keep up with them, or try to keep Imani's feet in them for that matter. Not like that was gonna happen anyway, but Perri would rather keep putting them back on her feet even though five minutes later she'll have kicked them off again.” He laughed out loud.
Nia smiled amused that being a father amused him. “You're really great with her, you know.”
“I don't know about all that but I do try.” He paused as his chest swelled with pride. “She's my heart, Nia.”
Nia laughed. “I can see that, sir.”
“Well, after Perri she is,” he rephrased his last statement.
He hadn't noticed that Nia's expression changed to a slight grimace. “Of course, sir, I can see that, too.” And Nia didn't like that one bit. Perri just kept on getting in between her and her man and that would never continue to do. Nia had to do something about little Miss Perri, and soon.
After retrieving her shoes from the car, securing her other sandal on the left foot, Barrington scooped Imani up in his arms as she squealed her delight, hoping it was play time again. He chuckled. “Not right now, Cupcake We gotta get your godfather at the airport in less than ten minutes. Good thing we not too far from there now because he hates to wait on a ride, and knowing him, he'd find his own way over here.” He looked at Nia, “Kane, my cousin I told you about, is in town. We're headed out to get him now,” he informed her with a slight grin.
Nia brushed imaginary lint from her skirt. “That's nice, sir; I'm sure you two will have a nice visit. How long's he here for?” she asked, though she couldn’t care less.
“He'll be here a minute; he's gonna take my spot on the remainder of the tour that way it frees me up to spend time with my two favorite girls.”
A tinge of jealousy coursed through the blood in Nia's veins. She was supposed to be his favorite girl. She thought of the child that was now growing inside her womb. Nia's gaze slid to the child Barrington held so loving and protective in his arms. She was a beauty, Nia had to admit. That didn't bother her, because she knew any child Barrington's sperm was responsible for producing couldn't be anything but beautiful since the man himself was an absolute gorgeous god. That brought a genuine smile to her face.
“Sir, I can watch her for you, I really don't mind. Besides, it doesn't make sense to take her out in the heat when it's not necessary. It'll be easier on you if she's not underfoot while you help your cousin collect his luggage and whatnot.”
“That's true.” Barrington thought a minute. He loved being with his daughter, but Nia was right. It would take less time if he went to the airport without her; that way he could make sure to be back by the time Perri arrived to pick her up on her way home from work. Normally he would have kept Imani all day, taking her to visit with his parents' but today he really needed to hit the studio so he and Kane could practice for the tour that, thankfully, his cousin had agreed to finish in his place.
“Okay, Nia.” He didn't see any harm in her watching Imani for thirty minutes. He'd be back before Perri got there, so she didn't even have to know, since she didn't much care for Nia in the first place. Barrington didn't know why, but for some reason, Perri just did not trust his housekeeper, even though she was harmless as a dove. She’d worked for him for the past five years and he figured it just stood to reason he knew Nia better than his wife did. Besides, if Nia wanted to hurt him in all this time she would have done it by now. Instead, Barrington trusted Nia because she’d never proven herself to be anything less than honest in his sight, which is why she had a key to clean his house and her own bedroom whenever she house-sat for him when he was on the road. Nia might have been lonely without her family living here in the States with her, but she was harmless and Perri would learn that for herself eventually.
Nia smiled as she stepped up to take the child from his arms.
Imani giggled, threading her little fingers through Nia's long curly hair.
“Hey, baby girl.” She kissed the child's plump cheek. “You are so sweet.” Yes, she was definitely a beauty. “We'll be fine, won't we, Imani?”
Again, Imani laughed, kicking her feet in total delight.
Barrington was relieved, “She likes you, Nia.”
“Of course she does, sir. What's not to like?” She playfully hinted, but in a way she was dead serious. Looking at Imani, Nia thought, this should be our baby, Barrington. But not to worry; our love child will be born soon enough. “Tell daddy bye-bye.” Nia waved her little hand at him.
Barrington leaned down and kissed his daughter on the forehead. “Daddy will be right back, Cupcake. Be good for Nia, sweetie.” Grabbing his keys, he left.
Nia sat on the couch with the baby in her lap and immediately shed Imani's feet of the sandals, carelessly tossing them to the floor. Standing, she promised, “We're gonna have so much fun, baby girl.” She kissed her on the cheek, cuddling her to her chest, tickled pink that she was holding the child of the man she loved with all her heart. It thrilled her even more knowing soon, she too, would be giving birth to the child of the man she loved heart, soul, and mind.
***
“All right, Perri, spill it,” Tyler ordered, accosting her older sister.
Laughing, Perri said, “Spill what, honey?”
“Don't play with me, girl.” Glancing at Barrington's estate and back to her sister, she said, “You know darn well what I'm talking about.” For some reason Tyler felt her liver quiver.
Sweeping her sister’s hair out of her face, Perri said, “Tyler, I just got here myself, in case you haven't noticed. So, no, I don't know what you're talking about?”
Arresting her with an evil eye, Tyler stated, “So I suppose you didn't see that stranger who just walked into Barrington's house then?”
Perri was about to comment when Barrington suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Perri, baby, look who's here,” he announced. At that moment, the stranger Tyler referred to stuck his head out the door.
Perri smil
ed eager to get inside, not only to see her daughter, but also to greet their guest.
“So?” Tyler asked again.
Though Perri knew what her sister meant, she couldn't help teasing her. It was rare that any man caught her little sister's attention, so when it happened, both Perri and Hunter teased her immensely. “So?”
“Stop playing with me, girl. Tell me now,” Tyler demanded, blocking the path leading from Perri's car to Barrington's huge mansion. “Who's that fine tall, deliciously sunbathed man that walked up in there with your husband? Who is he?”
Laughing, Perri said, “All right, all right. That refreshing sight you're drinking in happens to be Kane Devoe.”
Tyler wrinkled her nose. “Kane Devoe?” she repeated. “As in—”
“Donovan and Dazzy Devoe from Soul Deep,” Perri finished for her. “Yes.”
“Whoa!” Tyler was stunned but pleasantly so.
They laughed.
“Seriously, how come you didn't tell me about him? I've never seen him before. He's not part of Soul Deep, right?”
“That's right, Tyler.”
“Why? They’re from the same gene pool, so I'm sure along with being blessed with good looks, he's got to be packing a mighty fine tune, too.”
“You right; he can belt them out just as strongly as his brothers or cousins.”
“Did you just say cousin?”
Perri nodded.
“Is that as in Barrington's cousin?”
Perri nodded.
“That man, Kane Devoe is my brother-in-law's cousin?”
“His second cousin to be exact, baby sister.” Perri laughed at the awestruck expression on her little sister's face. “He's a doll, isn't he?”
Tyler swallowed hard. “He's plain gorgeous,” she stated dreamily.
“Perri, are you coming in or what?” Barrington hollered from the doorway.
“Coming,” Perri called back. Taking her sister's hand, she announced, “Come on, Tyler, I'll introduce you to your future babies' daddy.” She laughed when Tyler’s mouth fell open.
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