by A. C. Arthur
Leah figured Ms. Rosie to be old-fashioned and set in her ways. A traditional church ceremony with lots of flowers, she thought. An evening reception with candles and jazz; a small hall, something cozy and intimate; probably one hundred to one hundred and fifty guests; warm colors—maybe ivory or rose, something like that. Her mind was exploding with ideas as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. Ms. Rosie had created a halo of curls around her face, so she didn’t have much preparation in the hair department.
One last side-glance in the mirror showed that she looked satisfactory. The red blouse brightened her face, and the black suit hung on her slim frame perfectly. Her hands smoothed down the lapels of her jacket, and she picked at a piece of lint.
Grimacing, she noticed that her nails needed to be done. She hadn’t had time to get them done yesterday because Melinda had called her with an emergency. Maria Avarez had called in a tizzy; her uncle had rented the hall out to someone else on the same date as her wedding. As Leah had told Melinda just yesterday morning, family were always the ones to start trouble.
Another call from her mother proved that theory as well. Marsha was contemplating another divorce. Every time her husband didn’t do exactly what she wanted she was ready to kick him to the curb. Leah had listened to the recitation with barely contained fury. She hated how her mother jumped from relationship to relationship so easily. She wanted to tell her to just be by herself for a while.
Leah had vowed to always be by herself. She never wanted to commit to a serious relationship. Dates were fine, but anything beyond that was out of the question. On the rare occasions she allowed herself to have sex, she remained detached and distant. It wasn’t because she didn’t like it; she didn’t really know if she liked it or not; she was always so busy making sure that her innermost feelings were well hidden that she never allowed herself to enjoy it.
There were four steps in a relationship for her. The first was dating, which was basically cool, dinner and a movie and then home. The second was the fifth date, which was sort of a milestone because if you went out with a guy more than four times then you must really like him. The third was sex. Once you allowed yourself to sleep with the man it meant that you liked him enough to explore the possibility of commitment. The fourth step, the one she’d vowed never to consider, was marriage.
Two times in her whole thirty years Leah had made it to the third step, after which she had quickly retreated and ended the relationship. The memory caused her to shiver as she slid her arms into her leather coat. “Never again,” she muttered to herself. She scooped up her purse and grabbed her keys from the table near the door.
* * *
“Terrell, have you seen Donald?”
Terrell nodded his head in the direction of his mother’s fiancé. “He’s over there with the rest of his beauty shop clan.”
“Oh, I see him.” Rosie started to walk away, then changed her mind and turned back to her son. “You could mingle a little, son, talk to some people. There’s no need for you to stand in this corner sulking all night.”
After their talk earlier, Terrell felt that Donald definitely had feelings for his mother, yet he hadn’t shaken the feeling that he knew Donald, or his name, from somewhere.
“I’m not sulking. I don’t know these people.” Hunching his shoulders, Terrell leaned back against the sturdy cherrywood china cabinet. He really wasn’t in the mood for a party. He’d been thinking a lot about what his mother had said about Tanya, wondering if he had been wrong in his approach with her. All around the room were beauty shop girls, who reminded him of how pampered and primped Tanya was. In the beginning he’d admired that about her; now it seemed to sicken him. Scantily clad women with too much makeup on eyed him as he stood in his corner, and others he figured he was somehow related to whispered as they pigged out on his mother’s food. He wanted desperately to go to his room, to log on to his computer and submerge himself in endless lines of code. That would keep him from thinking about his own dismal love life and his mother’s blossoming one.
“If you walked around the room I’m sure you’d get to meet them. Besides, Aunt Pearl is right over there. Go on and speak to her.”
“Mama,” Terrell frowned. “Aunt Pearl is a moocher. The last time I saw her she borrowed a hundred dollars to go to Atlantic City. I haven’t seen a penny of that money yet.”
“If you really need it, I can give you the money back. Besides, that was almost a year ago,” Rosie argued.
Terrell finished his drink and sighed. “The money’s not the issue. I just don’t feel like being bothered.” As he said the words he looked at the disappointment on his mother’s face and felt like a colossal ass. “But it’s not about me tonight. So if it’ll make you happy, I’ll mingle.”
Rosie smiled and smoothed her hand over his cheek. “That would make me very happy, baby.”
Leah had just walked through the door when Nikki spotted her and grabbed hold of her arm. “You look nice.” Looking her up and down, Nikki assessed her friend’s choice of clothes. “You could unbutton that jacket and show some of that cleavage, though,” she commented.
“This is not the club. And besides, I don’t have much cleavage to show.” Self-consciously, Leah looked down at her less-than-adequate breasts and frowned.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Nikki laughed. “At least unbutton that jacket. You look so uptight in all that black.”
Leah noted Nikki’s outfit and cringed with envy. Nikki’s curves were amply displayed in the tight low-ride jeans that buttoned just below her navel and clung to her legs until they reached her knee, where they swung out freely in the returning seventies style. Her blouse was some filmy white material that hugged her heavy breasts and molded against her torso while the sleeves swirled loosely at her wrists. Large dangly earrings hung from her ears and framed her cherub-like face.
Leah fought the urge to give in to her longtime jealously of her best friend’s good looks. Instead, she took the defensive route. “You could cover up a little more. It is February, you know,” she told her wryly.
“Girl, please, this is covered up. I decided that it would be an older crowd here and the last thing I wanted was to cause some poor old man to have a heart attack.” Twirling a long thick auburn curl between her fingers, Nikki’s eyes roamed across the room.
“So where’s the happy couple?” Leah searched for Rosie. She wanted to make an appearance at the party, to show her support for Ms. Rosie, even though she really wasn’t in the mood. Leon had called her cell while she was in the car, wanting to see her tonight. She was more than glad to have an excuse to avoid him, yet he persisted and, finally, she’d promised to at least call him when she was leaving the party to see if hooking up were possible. She really needed to give this relationship with him some serious thought. It just didn’t seem like fun anymore. Lately it seemed more like work.
The small row house was filled with people and food. Women and men sat in every imaginable spot in the house, from the couch to the dining room chairs to the footstool in the hallway and even the steps leading to the upstairs. In their hands they held plastic plates heaped with what she imagined was home-cooked soul food. Leah spotted Rosie talking to a tall, sort of attractive gentleman who looked less than pleased to be there. Leah felt for him; she wanted to go home too.
“I’m gonna go over and speak to Ms. Rosie,” she told Nikki.
“Where is she?” Nikki had been watching a young man herself, but not the same young man that Leah had seen with Rosie. No, this man was tall, dark-skinned and positively scrumptious.
Placing the palm of her hand firmly into Nikki’s nest of curls, Leah turned her friend’s head in Rosie’s direction. “If you’d stop drooling over Mr. Wonderful for just a second, you would see there are other people in this room.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those other people don’t look half as good as Mr. Wonderful does.” Rolling her eyes, Nikki returned her attention to the man they had correctly dubbed Mr. Wonderful. “Just wait a minute,
and I’ll go over with you.”
Leah looked at her friend, who stood with her eyes transfixed on the man who had just returned her smile. Nikki’s face lit up, and Leah knew it was hopeless to try to reach her now. “That’s okay. You stay here and keep watch, I’ll be right back.”
“Mmmhmm,” Nikki mumbled as Leah walked away from her.
Terrell had taken a few steps toward his Aunt Pearl when a woman with a mop of curls on her head appeared in his path. Before he could move out of her way, they collided.
She knew the guy had seen her coming and figured he would move to the side to allow her to pass. Obviously, she had assumed wrong. Reining in her temper, she righted herself and mumbled, “Excuse me.”
“No, excuse me. I thought we had enough room to move around each other.” Terrell looked down at her.
If you had attempted to move we probably would have had enough space, Leah thought to herself before realizing that this was the guy Rosie had been speaking to a few moments ago. His deep voice resonated in her ears, and she felt as if they were the only two people in the room. He seemed taller now that she stood face to face with him. Long, slender fingers still gripped her arm where he had grabbed her to keep her from hitting the floor.
Dark brown eyes stared down at her through thin, gold-rimmed glasses. A tingling began deep down in her stomach. The aroma of food must be getting to me, she thought. She needed to talk to Rosie, then she’d get something to eat, then she’d leave.
“If you’ll excuse me again, I’d like to talk to Ms. Rosie before someone else gets to her.” Leah made a futile attempt to break free of his grasp. Despite his deceptive looks, he was quite strong.
Terrell noticed the questioning in the hazel eyes that stared at him. Following their gaze to where his fingers lay on her arm, he slowly moved his hand away. He instantly regretted that action. The moment he’d bumped into her he’d felt something. A surge so deep and so potent he couldn’t quite explain. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to fall.” He liked touching her, liked it immensely.
“I’m fine now.” Leah stepped to the side to walk around him.
Terrell mimicked her movement, “Ah, did you say you’re looking for my mother, um, I mean Rosie?” His inquisitive gaze pinned her to where she stood. He clasped his hands in front of him to keep from reaching out to touch her again.
“Ms. Rosie’s your mother?” Now she realized why he looked familiar—the graduation photo taped to the mirror of Ms. Rosie’s station at the shop. So this was Terrell Pierce, Ms. Rosie’s only child, the apple of her eye? She’d heard so much about him and his accomplishments she could probably write his bio. She paused a moment to survey him. Mmm hmmm, he looked every bit the computer geek his mother had described. He was tall—she did like tall men—his light skin clear, darkened only by the thin mustache and goatee he wore. His glasses concealed the true depth of his eyes. Right off the bat she wouldn’t call him handsome, that word didn’t seem to suit him at all. Yet there was something…
“Yes. I’m Terrell.” Unclasping his arms, he extended his hand and waited for her compliance.
Leah moved slowly, calmly taking his hand. For a moment his warm palm gave her a start, but she quickly dismissed it. “I’m Leah Graham. I’m the wedding coordinator.” Gripping his hand in a businesslike manner, Leah watched his questioning glare.
“Oh? The wedding…yeah, I guess that’s why we’re here, right? So weddings need to be coordinated now?” He eyed her suspiciously. Her hands were satiny smooth, and he wondered if all her skin felt the same.
“Some people like their big day planned specifically and want it to go off without a hitch. That’s where I come in.”
“And they pay you for that?” He sounded incredulous.
“Yes, and they pay me well,” she stated boldly. Who the hell was he to question her job? Her credibility?
He made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was the way he seemed to stare right through her. Maybe it was the fact that he continued to block her way. Whichever, she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. “Can I have my hand back now?”
Terrell smiled.
Her stomach clenched.
He released her hand. “Sorry about that,” he said softly. Staring at her curiously, he noted the quick play of emotions, a sense of loss quickly replaced by rigid politeness. She’d felt it too—that strange tugging between them. “Then by all means you must find your client. My mother went that way.” He nodded towards the other side of the room.
Her hand was free yet she still didn’t move. His smile had reached those dark brown eyes, warming them until she felt herself being drawn to him. His slow gaze caressed her and she was breathless.
She was a fruitcake for standing there gaping at him that way! For goodness sake, he was only Ms. Rosie’s workaholic son, not some gorgeous movie star. “Excuse me,” she mumbled and quickly moved away before she could make a further fool of herself.
CHAPTER FOUR
“So what did you have in mind, Ms. Rosie?” Leah asked, sitting at the kitchen table while Rosie refilled the punch bowl.
“Oh I don’t know, something small and personal. I want everyone to have a good time, though. But we can talk about this later. Relax, enjoy yourself, baby.” Rosie chuckled. Leah was just as serious and career-driven as Terrell.
“I don’t think your son’s having a good time.” Leah thought about the man with the heart-stopping smile and clapped her lips tightly together, hoping she hadn’t offended Ms. Rosie.
At Leah’s remark Rosie’s hand momentarily lost its hold on the punch bowl and red liquid sloshed over its rim. “Oh, lawdy!” she stammered, reaching for the dishrag, her mind instantly registering the connection. She’d just been comparing Leah and Terrell in her mind and here Leah was verbally mentioning him. Wasn’t that something?
“I’m sorry.” Leah stood, grabbing paper towels from the overhead rack to mop the counter.
“You met Terrell?” Rosie looked at Leah. She’d always been a pretty girl, quiet and very serious. And she never talked about the men in her life as most of her clients did. Rosie often wondered how she could be such good friends with the feisty Nikki.
“Yeah, we sort of bumped into each other a few minutes ago. Maybe he’s sad because his girlfriend’s not here with him.”
“They broke up, but I don’t think that’s all that’s bothering him. My wedding announcement was quite a shock.” Rosie finished cleaning the mess. “Sit down, I’ve got this under control.” She motioned to Leah.
“Oh?” Just broke up with his girlfriend? That was interesting. Leah took a seat. “So anyway, about fifty or an even hundred guests, you think?” Her heart skipped several beats at the realization that Terrell was single, and she quickly blamed it on her growing hunger. Talk about business. That would keep her mind from wandering into the other room where he was.
“I’d say one twenty-five. That’s a safe number. But Donald wants to sit down with us and talk too. Why don’t you get your ideas together and we can meet tomorrow to plan things out?” Rosie lifted the heavy punch bowl, preparing to go back into the dining room.
“I have to go to church in the morning, but I guess I could come around about four, if that’s okay with you?” Will Terrell be there? Thank goodness she caught herself before verbalizing that question. Whether he was there or not didn’t concern her.
“That’s just fine. Now get out there and get yourself something to eat.” Rosie was through the swinging door leading into the dining room before Leah could decline her offer. Besides, the low growl in her stomach agreed with Ms. Rosie.
“I might as well,” she muttered to herself, and had just leaned against the door to open it when it suddenly swung open in her direction. Quick reflexes saved her from a broken nose as the person on the other side tried to gain admission.
“What the hell?” Terrell grumbled and leaned against the door again.
Stepping back quickly, Leah cau
ght the swinging door on its next rotation. Holding the door back, she waited for the person on the other side to enter. Hazel eyes clashed with simmering dark brown ones and the air crackled around them.
“Damn, didn’t you know…” His words were cut short when he realized who he was about to yell at. “Sorry,” he muttered. It seemed he would spend the duration of the night apologizing to this woman.
“Yeah, sorry.” Leah rolled her eyes. She was destined to end up embarrassed and lying flat on her back with this guy around. “Are you coming in?” Her gaze fell to his lips and she quickly looked away.
“Yes, I’m coming…in.” He was staring at her again. He didn’t know why, though. She wasn’t beautiful. She wasn’t hard to look at , but he wouldn’t say she was beautiful. There was something about her—something about her eyes. He couldn’t quite place it, and it didn’t really matter. He was here to figure out this new situation with his mother, not to fantasize about this woman. Yet he found himself examining her from head to toe again. She was a bit tall for a woman, probably around five-nine or ten. He couldn’t tell through the dark pants she wore, but he would bet the entire money clip tucked into his left pocket that she had legs that stretched to forever.
A perky little nose was perfectly centered between high cheekbones, just above thin lips that were now upturned slightly. But it was her eyes that kept him captivated. Her sparkling hazel eyes bored into him with such unbridled intensity that he was speechless for a moment. Shake it off, man, you just got out of a bad relationship. “So you’re planning my mother’s wedding?” he asked, trying to calm the heat heading towards his groin.
Business. She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he’d brought up business. “Yes, if they like my ideas, I will.”
“You’ve known them for a long time?”
Focusing on his words, and not his understated good looks, she shrugged. “I’ve known Ms. Rosie for a few years. I met Mr. Donald about a year ago. After he moved back to town.”
Her words successfully drew his eyes away from her mouth, about which he was entertaining detailed thoughts. “He’s not from Baltimore?”