Taffy kept her eyes closed, as she nodded. “Uh-huh. Freak me by Keith Sweat. Yep. I was definitely very drunk.”
“I tried to tell you that I wanted to get to know you, but you told me that you were a grown-ass woman.”
“Yeah.” She nodded again. “That apparently was the theme I was sticking to that night.”
“So, I fulfilled a birthday wish,” he said with a smile. “I took you home and made love to you.”
He continued to say they made love. Taffy didn’t understand why. It was sex. She didn’t know him well enough to make love. “We had sex.”
“If that is what you would like to call it, but I don’t know how to have sex.” He leveled a stare at her. “I only know how to make love.”
“Oh…Okay,” she said breathlessly.
“But we will talk more about that night some other time,” he said. “If you would like, we can meet at the Denny’s? I can bring the contracts for you to sign.”
She nodded, and let him lead her out of the house with his hand at the small of her back. Nina was waiting for them out on the porch, smiling as if she’d just discovered the two of them fucking in the kitchen.
“So, tomorrow morning? The Denny’s?” Jean-Michel said to her in more of a confirmation than a question.
“Yes,” said Taffy. “At around eight?”
Jean-Michel nodded. “It was very nice to see you again, Nina. Taffy,” he said walking toward his truck parked in front of the house.
Nina only stared at her, and continued to stare at her long after he’d left them and they had gotten into Nina’s car. “Damn, that was a fine ass man,” Nina said as they sat in the car.
“Did you see his eyes?” Taffy asked.
Nina was shaking her head. “Fuck that. Did you see that ass? I have never dated outside my race. It was how I grew up, you know? I’m from Charleston, and in my family it just wasn’t done. But I would gladly fuck the shit out of that gorgeous Frenchman.”
“I can’t have him fix the house,” Taffy said.
“What? Why not?”
“Because every time I come to see the house, all I’ll be looking at is him.”
“Well, he came highly recommended, Taffy. Keep him. At least you’ll have something to occupy your dreams. I know I will.” Nina started the car, and backed out of the driveway.
Chapter 2
Taffy sat in the booth at Mandeville’s only Denny’s. The restaurant was next to the highway that was the main corridor between Mandeville and Charleston. Truckers and families on their way into Charleston or out to one of the many sights in South Carolina made a stop there, which explained the crowd.
Nina lived and worked in Charleston. It was her home town. It was because Nina had moved back to Charleston that Taffy had finally decided to face what she had been avoiding for the past two years. After her parents’ deaths, she had wanted to renovate the house. It was left to her. It was her home. But that fact wasn’t accepted by her grandmother, Lou Pearl. Over the next two years, Taffy was pulled into one legal battle over the home after the other. After the last, the judge had finally ruled in her favor saying that her father’s will took legal precedence over any familial ownership. Just because Lou Pearl was Grammy’s daughter didn’t automatically mean that the home was hers.
It hadn’t laid the best foundation for her relationship with the family. Not that it was all that wonderful to begin with. But that reason aside, she couldn’t imagine living on the other side of the country with her best friend so far away. When Nina’s company relocated to Charleston, Taffy took it as fate that she was supposed to go back and fix the house and try to mend family fences. On both sides, that is. She hadn’t yet taken on that task. She told herself that she should handle one thing at a time. Well, now that the house was on its way to restoration, the only thing holding her back from the other task was… fear, maybe?
She didn’t understand their hatred. Either of the family’s. It was unfounded and prejudiced in her opinion. Her mother’s family never called, visited, or had anything to do with Wilma after she left. When Taffy was born, Wilma had sent out announcements about the birth. They were returned unopened. Well, all but one was returned. The one her mother had sent to her Aunt Berneatha hadn’t been returned. It was that small glimmer of hope that had her mother hoping things could change with her family.
When Taffy had gone to the hospital after the shooting, both of her parents were still alive. Her father had gone into surgery, but her mother was still in the trauma room. They told her that there was nothing they could do for her but make her as comfortable as possible. Taffy took that time to listen to her mother’s wishes. The one thing that she had pleaded with Taffy to do was to go back home and try to make peace with her family. She said she didn’t want Taffy to be alone.
Her father hadn’t made it out of surgery. But in his will, he stated what he and her mother wanted. Renovate the house, try to mend family wounds, and be happy. She was trying her best on that last one.
Happiness didn’t come easy to Taffy. Soon after the death of her parents, she met Seth. Nina told her that it was too soon after her loss to try and get into a relationship. It was, but Taffy didn’t want to be alone. She thought Seth would fix her in some way. Two months after they met, he told her he was in love with her. She thought that what she felt for him was love, so she agreed to marry him against Nina’s concerns. She honestly just didn’t want to be alone, and thought Seth would fill that void.
She thought she was moving on with her life. She was actually looking forward to marrying him. She wanted that family, but something was missing. Each time Seth told her that he loved her she would say it back to him, but felt as though she were only saying the sentiment without the emotion.
One day, Taffy went over to Seth’s apartment. She found him in his tub. He’d slit his wrists. She called for an ambulance, but he’d been dead for an hour or more. In his suicide note he’d written that he knew she didn’t truly love him like he loved her, and that he’d rather die than not have her love. She felt like she’d failed him in some way. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for him, but she needed to fully mourn her parents before she could finally commit to anyone.
After Seth, she told herself that she would never fall in love with anyone again. She convinced herself love equaled pain. The pain from losing her parents that she loved, and the pain of finding Seth and his suicide over her. Love came at a cost. A cost she wasn’t willing to pay. She told herself that she would have fun. She wasn’t against scratching an itch in a temporary relationship. But she wouldn’t fall in love.
Taffy saw Jean-Michel walk into the restaurant as every woman in the place turned to stare at him. She had to admit that the man commanded a presence. Maybe it was his height. He had to be at least six foot four if not taller. Maybe it was the way he sauntered in, as if he owned the place. Or maybe it was because he was so fuckin’ gorgeous, that not looking at him would be a crime.
He gave her a half smile, as he had the day before, and she had to consciously not lick her lips. “’Ello,” he said, sitting down in the booth across from her.
“Hi, nice to see you again,” she said a little too breathlessly. She coughed, hoping it would clear her mind and her throat.
The waitress came over to see if they wanted to order. “Coffee and a Florentine omelet. Are you eating, Taffy?”
Was she eating? Her stomach rumbled in protest of the fact that she hadn’t eaten yet that morning. She wanted to order the French Toast Slam, but the thought of throwing down on food in front of a man that oozed sex like batter through a sieve, was not appealing. But when she thought about it, who was she trying to impress? She was not in any way, shape, or form trying to entice Jean-Michel into any relationship other than as her contractor.
She shook her head, and smiled up at the waitress. “I’ll have the French Toast Slam with bacon, orange juice, and a coffee, please.”
Jean-Michel smiled over at her, nodding his head. “Th
at,” he said pointing to her, “is a very good choice. I was worried.”
Taffy frowned at him. “About what?”
He leaned back into the booth making it look more comfortable than it was. “I thought for a second that you would forgo eating. Some women…” He shrugged his shoulders. “Some women refuse to eat in front of a man. Or they order very little, or pick at their food. I’m glad to see you are not one of those women.”
“Oh,” she said to him nervously. She was happy when he changed the subject.
“I’ve brought the contracts,” he said, taking the iPad he had brought with him and turning it toward her, as he scrolled through the screens.
“Oh,” she said, looking at the screen. “I thought you would be bringing papers. How do I sign this?”
Jean-Michel handed her the pen to his tablet. “Read through it all first, and then sign with this.”
Taffy stared at the pen that looked like a plastic stick. She smiled over at Jean-Michel. “Technology.”
She read and ate at the same time after their food arrived. By the time they had finished eating, she had signed the contract.
“I will print it out, if you like,” he said to her. “Or I could e-mail it to you, yes?”
“E-mail is fine.”
It was finished. Their business was done. They had eaten breakfast. The only thing left to do was to get out from the booth and pay at the cashier. But they continued to sit talking. It was so comfortable. He made her laugh. He didn’t just talk to her, he listened.
It had been some time since she was in a relationship. Not including Seth. She never included Seth. But it had been some time since she’d had the luxury of conversation with a man that wasn’t involved with her business in some way. But those times had been different. In the past, she had to stroke her then boyfriend’s ego, and only talk about things that interested him. If she were to mention her family, or her dreams, or something that was important to her, the man she was with at the time would lose interest or zone out of the conversation.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Jean-Michel said smiling at her.
“What? Why?” she asked.
Jean-Michel laughed softly. “Because we are going to be working very closely together. I want to know about my client. What she likes, doesn’t like, so I can best serve her,” he said the last with a sly smile.
“Oh,” Taffy said quietly. “Um, I like…Um…”
“Why don’t you tell me about your family? The house? It is your family home, yes?”
“Not actually my family, but kind of,” she said. She explained her family history to him.
“This is a good thing you are doing,” he said staring over at her. “I promise you, it will be a beautiful home.”
“What about you?” Taffy asked. “Do you live in Mandeville?”
He started to laugh softly. He had a deep laugh like his voice. “No. I live in Charleston.” He pronounced it like Sharls-ton. “But”—he took a sip from his coffee cup—“I do a lot of work here. My sister is always recommending me to someone here.”
“Oh, you have family in Mandeville?”
“I have a sister here, and a brother that lives in France. We were all born in Charleston.”
“Really?” she asked staring over at him inquisitively. “I would have thought—”
“Yes,” he said, interrupting her. “The accent? You thought I was a foreigner from France? I know.” He smiled, nodding at her. “I have tried to get rid of it.”
“No, don’t.” She was shocked that she said that aloud. “I…I just mean it makes you interesting.”
He sat smiling at her in that way that made her forget how to breathe. “My father and mother were at the University in Charleston when they met,” he said. “They became friends, and then they became lovers. But then they realized they wanted to be friends more than lovers ten years into their marriage. They divorced, and we went to live with our mother in France.”
“You didn’t see your father again?” she asked him sadly.
“Oh, of course we saw him all of the time,” he said smiling. “He would come to Couchey, that’s where I’m from, and spend time with us. And of course, my mother.”
“Couchey?”
He laughed softly. “The way you say it makes it sound very naughty. It is pronounced Coo-shee.”
“Couchey,” she said again. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”
“It’s a small village, or town, as you call it outside of Dijon.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of Dijon,” she said to him. “Like the mustard?”
“Yes.” He nodded to her. The waitress had given up on trying to get them to leave the booth, passing them by on her way to another table, as they continued to sit and talk. “Dijon, like the mustard. My parents didn’t want to be married to each other, but it never stopped them from being lovers.”
“Seriously?” she asked him in surprise.
“Ah, they were in love still. But living together put too much of a strain on their relationship. Sometimes it’s better to be friends with benefits,” he said with a smile. “But when my sister was sixteen and I was fourteen, we wanted to live in America with our father. Our brother Felicien wanted to stay with our mother. He’s the youngest and a mama’s boy.”
They continued to talk. He told her of coming to America with his sister and attending South Carolina University. He had dual citizenship, so he was able to attend the university without having to pay foreign student tuition. Taffy was amazed at his life. How he had started his construction business, his relationship with his family. They were all so close.
“If you would like,” he said, staring over at her. “My sister is an amazing decorator.”
“Oh, um… Thank you, but I think I want to get a professional.” Taffy was sorry to refuse his sister, but she didn’t want to have just anyone decorating the home just because their brother was her general contractor.
“And she is.” He nodded. “We had a business together for a while. I would renovate and she would decorate. But she wanted to spend time with her family. Her children, yes? She is always pregnant or about to be pregnant.”
“Oh, well sure. Can I meet with her first?” she asked.
“Of course, of course.” Jean-Michel nodded. “She doesn’t do a lot of decorating these days. Only for close friends, or if I tell her to.” He smiled mischievously. As he looked up, someone seemed to catch his attention.
“In fact”—he waved over to someone—“her husband is the sheriff in town. I would like for you to meet him.”
Taffy looked up to see a tall man in uniform walk over to their table. “Why is it every time I see you, you’re eating?” The man said looking at Jean-Michel.
“Everyone needs a hobby, yes?” Jean-Michel laughed along with the man. “Taffy, this is my brother-in-law, Lester Milieu. Sheriff Milieu, this is Taffy Thibodeaux.”
He had kind eyes, thought Taffy. Gray could be seen peppering his dark brown hair, more than likely a symptom of his work. His gray eyes smiled at her, as he gave her a knowing gaze.
“Thibodeaux? Are you related to Lou Pearl Thibodeaux?” Lester asked her, sitting down next to Jean-Michel without asking.
Taffy nodded. “Yes, I am. She’s my reluctant grandmother on my father’s side.”
Lester laughed aloud. “You’re Andre’s daughter. Holy shit.”
Taffy nodded to him. “Yes, I am.”
“My brother Justin was Andre’s best man.” He smiled. “Well, pseudo best man when he and Wilma ran off to get married. They were best friends. I’ll be damned. Andre and Wilma’s daughter. How’re they doing? Justin’s in Germany now, but I know he would love to have Andre’s number and get in touch with him.”
Taffy stared down at the table and then back up to Lester. “Um… My mom and dad died a little over two years ago.”
Lester sat silently for several seconds. “Shit,” he said to her finally. “I’m so sorry. How, if I can ask?”
“My parents had a souvenir shop on the Venice Beach boardwalk.” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “One night when they were closing up, these two meth-heads thought to rob the place with a sawed-off shotgun. They just went in shooting it up, and then took what they could afterward.”
“Jeez-us,” Lester muttered quietly.
“The doctor’s told me that they shouldn’t have lived for as long as they did, but…yeah. They died.” She stared over at Jean-Michel and Lester with a somber expression.
Jean-Michel gave her a soft smile. “It is why you want to restore the house so badly. For your parents, yes?”
“Yes,” she said to him.
“I’m surprised that the Thibodeauxs were willing to part with that house,” Lester said to her. “From what I heard, Lou Pearl was adamant about getting that house for herself.”
“Yeah,” said Taffy. “She kept me in legal limbo for months. The judge finally ruled in my favor. I just want to fix the house up the way my parents would have wanted it.”
“I told her about Thalia,” Jean-Michel said to Lester. “That she could decorate the home. Maybe it would be a good idea to invite her to dinner sometime to meet her?”
“He’s never been very subtle,” Lester said to her. “I think it’s that French thing.”
But Taffy did agree to meet with Lester’s wife that weekend. The fact that Jean-Michel would also be there had nothing to do with why she agreed. She needed help with decorating such a large house. But all she could think about on her drive from the restaurant was Nina telling her about construction men working on her house with their shirts off.
Chapter 3
“Taffy, are you still there?” Nina asked.
Taffy was sitting in her car three houses down from her grandmother Monice’s house. She’d been sitting there for almost twenty minutes with Nina on her cell. She’d yet to garner the nerve to get out of her car, though.
Enigma of the Heart Page 3