Imagined Love

  When she finally stopped talking long enough for him to speak, Landon told her why he’d done it. He couldn’t fully explain it, but there was something about the way Jade spoke about Pierce, even though she was upset, that struck a cord with him. So he decided to talk to Pierce himself to find out what really happened. After spending almost an hour with him, Landon was convinced he had met Jade’s guy! That’s why he was thrilled to find out about their date the following evening. He even suggested the outfit Jade should wear. As usual, she made some smart aleck comment about knowing how to dress but Landon knew she’d be wearing the jeans and emerald green silk blouse like he’d said.

  Twenty minutes earlier Jade had been rushing to get out of the office so she didn’t have to see Landon. Now she was hanging on his every word as he described, for the second time, his encounter with Pierce. She wanted to know the expression on his face when he said certain things or if he did that little sly grin that she found adorable. Landon tried to be patient but she was driving him nuts!

  “Hey, don’t you have to get ready for Alejandra’s bridal shower?”

  Jade kissed Landon’s cheek then ran out to the mall to get a gift. A few hours later she arrived at the Newark Community Center for the bridal shower. Jade walked in to find a few of the bridesmaids just starting to decorate and bring in the food even though the party was set to begin in less than an hour. She was instantly annoyed. And from the sound of yelling and cursing coming from the kitchen area in back, someone else was too.

  “See this is some bull . . .”

  “Okay, Auntie Luisa, we heard you! You ain’t gotta keep screaming at us! We here now and everything is gonna get taken care of, alright? Damn!” the young woman snapped, with the older one growing more enraged as she trailed her.

  “I shoulda never trusted you fools with my baby’s special day! It’s gone break Hawn’s heart to walk in here to this half done mess! It’s like y’all don’t even care,” she huffed then headed back to the small kitchen area.

  Jade only wanted to be a guest and hadn’t come to do anything but have fun and enjoy herself. However, the thought of Alejandra walking into her shower to find things the way they were was unacceptable. So Jade took over and had the ten bridesmaids working double time to get things in order. Within twenty minutes the tables were decorated, streamers and balloons hung, candles lit, and the food trays arranged beautifully. The DJ was all set to start and the gift and favor tables were in place.

  The guests began streaming in by the masses and Jade was surprised to see men and children there. She thought it was just for women and hoped the gifts weren’t going to be opened in front of everyone. Hers was a very sexy piece of lingerie, definitely not appropriate for a mixed crowd including kids. So Jade decided it would be best to give Alejandra her gift in private and was heading towards the gift table when Luisa grabbed her hand.

  “Thank you so much, baby. It looks really beautiful in here,” she said then embraced Jade. “Please forgive my mouth earlier. I was just so mad about Hawn’s friends and our family not doing what they was supposed to do. I don’t like no last minute, thrown together mess, you know? I feel like if you ain’t gone do it right then don’t do it at all. But I’m really glad you was here. My baby girl ain’t had nothing but wonderful things to say about you and I see what she means. I wanted to meet you a long time ago but Hawn was scared I would try to take over. But with you handling things I don’t have nothing to worry about with the wedding. So thank you, hear?”

  “You’re more than welcome, Ma’am. It was my pleasure.”

  The DJ announced the happy couple, the future Mr. and Mrs. Powell, and the crowd responded with loud cheers as Roland and Alejandra came in dancing. The party was in full swing after that as everyone ate, danced, and had a good time. Luisa took Jade around introducing her to various people including three of Alejandra’s four sisters and their father Jackie Jamison. Jade was struck by how different they looked and never would have guessed they were siblings. They were beautiful, though. It was as if the best of Jackie’s African American features and Luisa’s Puerto Rican ones were mixed together to make incredible looking kids.

  Jade sat at the table with Jackie and his wife Shirley as well as some other family members. She could barely eat though from laughing so hard. Jackie was hilarious. He jived on her, his wife, and anybody else that caught his attention. In a lot of ways he reminded her of Mr. Phillips which was very comforting. What Jackie enjoyed most was how Jade was able to joke and jive right back and make him laugh just as hard. After an hour he began telling her how perfect she’d be for his son. As if on cue, Alejandra popped up at their table just in time to let her dad know she’d been saying the very same thing for months.

  “You just the whole package, baby,” Jackie said, nodding his head. “Oh yes, my son would love you. I just know it. Where is that joker anyway?”

  “He just came from the store. You know Mama got him back there slaving,” Alejandra’s sister Veronica said. “I been hiding from her so she won’t have me doing stuff.”

  “How ‘bout we hit the dance floor, Ms. Jade. I might be a tad bit older than you but I bet I can move better.”

  “Well you’re talking a lot of smack for somebody still sitting in his chair. Let’s hit it, grandpa.”

  The two of them made their way to the dance floor where Jade showed out. The DJ played a Tito Puente song and she busted out with the Salsa. Jackie, who was smooth, charismatic, and quite attractive at nearly sixty years old, gave Jade a run for her money and they were having a ball. They seemed to get the crowd hyped up and more people joined them. Once the song was over Jackie realized he was more than a tad older than Jade and needed to sit down. So he grabbed one of his nephews to dance with her and was heading back to his seat when he spotted Alejandra talking to her brother.

  “Juan, quit being rude and come meet my wedding planner!” she shouted. “My party is almost over and she’ll be leaving soon. Come on,” Alejandra whined.

  “No thanks,” he said then attempted to walk away.

  Juan’s sister was still trying to convince him to meet the woman when their father joined them. “Son, trust me on this one. This chick is a keeper. I put her through the test and she passed with flying colors. She’s definitely wife material. I’m telling you, boy. Jade is beautiful and . . .”

  “Wait, who did you say?”

  “Just come with me,” Jackie smiled.

  “Alright you stragglers, I’m about to shut it down,” the DJ announced. “This is the last song of the night before we gotta get up outta here. So come get your groove on one last time tonight.”

  Jade was doing the Samba walk with her “fierce face” on when Jackie grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her heart dropped!

  “I want you to meet my son Juan . . . oh, excuse me, I mean Pierce as he prefers to be introduced.”

  Jade and Pierce stared at each other with the biggest, brightest smiles on their faces.

  “So wait, am I your imaginary playmate?” Pierce laughed, remembering that Juan was the name Jade had given her make believe boyfriend.

  “What the . . . boy, what are you talking about?” Jackie frowned.

  “Hey, ain’t this the girl from Quik Stop? The one that jumped to the wrong conclusion,” Eva winked at Jade.

  Luisa gasped as tears came to her eyes. “This is the one you couldn’t stop gushing about and . . .”

  “Okay, okay Mama, you don’t have to say all that,” Pierce interrupted her, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

  It took a few moments for Alejandra to realize her little brother was the “bastard”. “Oh my god, Chicka! You were crying your eyes out over him,” she giggled remembering how devastated Jade was at the dress fitting. “See, I told you my brother was the one!”

  “Aw, you were crying over me?” Pierce smiled, his intense eyes sparkling. All he wanted to do was take her into his arms. Instead his parents and siblings hugged and kissed Jade welcoming her to the
ir family.

  “Oh and did you check out her moves, son? That can tell you a lot about a woman,” Jackie winked at Pierce. “I think she got some Puerto Rican in her.”

  “I think she about to get some Puerto Rican in her! Look how Juan standing there salivating. I bet you can’t wait to get it, can you?”

  “Diana!” Luisa snapped. “Why you always gotta talk so vulgar and filthy? You embarrass me,” she said then snatched her thirty-seven-year old daughter away as if she were still a child.

  Pierce and his sisters laughed like they’d been doing their whole lives where Diana was concerned. Even as a little girl she would say the most outlandish things and drive Luisa insane!

  “Child, that’s your crazy sister-in-law there. You have to watch her ‘cause she liable to say any thing. I swear it’s like she got Tourette’s!”

  Jade burst out laughing as did the rest of them. It was wonderful being there with Alejandra and her family, particularly Pierce. For the first time in her life Jade was convinced she’d finally found the place where she belonged.

  The next morning Landon smiled when he saw Jade’s jeans and silk blouse hanging from the coat rack. And when she burst into his office with a huge, radiant smile, he knew she was truly happy. Landon got goose bumps when Jade told him what happened at the bridal shower. It was just more proof, as far as he was concerned, that she had indeed found her guy.

  “I’m so happy for you, baby girl,” he said, hugging her tightly. “You deserve to be happy.”

  After work, Jade showered, put on her infamous Skin Musk, and modeled the new emerald green heels she’d bought specifically for her date. Gabrielle and Landon gave their approval and she hurried out the door. Jade had given herself fifteen minutes to get to Pierce’s place but it took less than five—because it was in a group of townhouses behind Richard’s! She sat outside for a few minutes trying to calm her nerves. Then Jade walked up to ring the doorbell. Her stomach started

  turning flips once Pierce opened the door and gave her that magical smile of his. He had to grab her hand and help her inside because she was too nervous to move.

  “Welcome to the penthouse,” he said, still holding her hand. “Let me give you a little tour even though you can basically stand in one spot and see my entire place. This is the living room,” Pierce said, pointing to his right towards the large black leather sectional dominating most of the area. It was facing a huge entertainment center which covered the entire wall. “I kind of like music,” he smiled, following Jade’s eyes as she looked at his massive collection of albums.

  She found it comforting that Pierce was still holding her hand. It felt natural as if he’d always been holding it.

  “Wow,” Jade stopped suddenly. “This is so beautiful. I can’t believe you had your sisters do all this for you,” she teased.

  “Aw, that’s cold, girl,” he laughed. “You don’t think I know how to set a table? I keep telling you I’ve got skills.”

  “Is that right?” Jade smiled. “This is lovely, though. Thank you so much.”

  “You’re more than welcome, pretty lady.”

  Pierce gave Jade that sly grin and all she wanted to do was kiss him. Instead she leaned over to take a whiff of the long stemmed yellow roses he had arranged in an exquisite crystal vase in the center of the dining room table.

  “So can I assume Alejandra told you these are my favorites?”

  “No, Juan told me.”

  Jade laughed so hard that she almost choked. “I guess I’m busted, huh? Juan told me,” she repeated and laughed again.

  “Yeah I would say so. But it’s flattering to know you were thinking of Hawn’s brother even before you knew it was me,” he laughed.

  A few minutes later Pierce served dinner. At first Jade was trying to be ladylike by taking small bites, but the chicken and rice dish he called arroz con pollo was so good that she ended up woofing it down like she’d never had a meal before! Pierce served it with a wonderful fresh salad and really tasty garlic bread which made the meal perfect. Although Jade had warned him about her appetite, he was shocked to see her eat two big helpings of everything.

  “I take it you like Puerto Rican food.”

  “The way you make it is good. My stepmother was Puerto Rican but she couldn’t cook worth jack. And your dad had me laughing so hard last night that I barely got to eat anything. I ended up going to Taco Bell on my way home. But this was really delicious. Thank you,” she said, trying not to belch. “So Ms. Luisa had you in the kitchen, huh?”

  “Oh yeah. She didn’t want me to be one of those spoiled men who couldn’t take care of himself. So I cooked, cleaned, ironed, babysat, and everything else she could think for me to do. When people found out I was the only boy, and the baby

  at that, they automatically assumed I was this brat who had everybody waiting on me hand and foot. But they couldn’t have been more wrong. My mama ‘nem didn’t do nothing for me!” Pierce laughed. “I’m just kidding. I mean, they did make me work but my family has always taken good care of me and I love them to death.”

  Jade commented about how she would have never guessed all of them were related. Some looked all Puerto Rican some all Black and some, like Pierce, were a beautiful combination of the two.

  “You think I’m beautiful,” Pierce chuckled, doing his best Ms. America wave. “Well, I think you’re beautiful. Truly I do.”

  Jade looked down at her hands trying hard to hide the fact she was blushing.

  “Now why are you doing that? Acting all bashful like you don’t know how fine you are. I’m sure you’ve been hearing it all your life. Trying to play me,” he winked at her and smiled.

  “Oh, you know what I was wondering? Why does your family call you Juan?”

  “My middle name is DeJuan. It’s actually funny because Mama said they were planning to name me Diqwan or some junk like that but when she and my dad saw me they thought my eyes were piercing and he decided to call me Pierce instead. Mama wanted my middle name to just be Juan but they didn’t think it sounded right. I personally don’t care for it, so naturally that’s what everybody in the family calls me. I don’t know how many . . . oh, shoot! I almost forgot about my cake,” Pierce said, as he jumped up from the table. A few minutes later he re-emerged from the kitchen. “Sorry about that. I had to make sure the cake will be perfect. I have to warn you, though, most people melt after one bite of it so watch out. I don’t wanna have to resuscitate you . . . what’s wrong?” he asked, noticing the weird look on Jade’s face.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nah, something just happened. Those beautiful eyes of yours turned sad and your whole demeanor changed,” Pierce said, as he reached across the table to place his hand on top of hers. “So tell me what’s bothering you. Please.”

  “It’s just gonna sound childish.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  “Well, I thought the people you were referring to were all the women you invite to your house for dinner and dessert.”

  “Oooh,” his eyes widened. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I never cooked for a woman before. But in the two years I’ve been living here in this house, I haven’t had a woman over for dinner or anything else. I’ve tried to . . .”

  Jade rolled her eyes making it clear she didn’t believe a word he’d said. “So are you from California originally? You never did answer me about that.”

  “Wow! I just got dissed. And after I risked my life stealing my mama’s crystal to impress you too.”

  “I’m not trying to diss you, Pierce. I just don’t have a lot of confidence in men these days. And it’s hard for me to believe one as wonderful as . . . I mean, you know,” Jade stuttered.

  “It’s okay. You can say I’m wonderful,” he teased, giving her that sly grin again. It was only when Jade’s eyes filled with tears that Pierce realized it wasn’t the time for dumb jokes. “I’m sorry. I definitely didn’t mean to upset you. I just want you to trust that what I tell you is the truth. I’m not a l
iar, Jade. Mommy Dearest put a stop to that when I was eleven and lied about taking three dollars out of her purse. She beat the hell out of me and so did my dad. And I know that was a long time ago, but I got that being dishonest wasn’t what I wanted to do. It’s just not the kind of man I ever wanna be. So I’m hoping you’ll choose to trust me the way I’m choosing to trust you, okay?”

  Jade nodded then Pierce led her to the living room and put on some old school music. They entertained each other by breaking out their best moves. Then they spent the next few hours singing along to some of their favorite songs, eating the cake he’d made, and swapping basic information about one another.

  Jade learned that Pierce was twenty-seven years old and was born in Mississippi but had been living in various parts of California since he was three. His family was extremely close and had dinner at least once a week as well as getting together for holidays, birthdays, and every other special occasion. Jackie still joined them every week even though he and Luisa had been divorced and married to other people for years. Pierce’s parents still loved each other dearly and enjoyed being together. In fact, Alejandra and Pierce were conceived after the divorce was finalized! Jackie and Luisa made several attempts at reconciling but they just couldn’t make it work. There were several problems in the marriage but the biggest one for Luisa was Jackie’s infidelity and she eventually called it quits.

  Having his own business was always something Pierce desired. His parents had several Laundromats and cleaners but those weren’t the type of establishments that interested him. For years Pierce tried to open a nightclub but could never get everything to fall into place. He was completely frustrated and not even thinking about a business when the opportunity to buy Quik Stop presented itself. Pierce honestly wasn’t enthused about it initially because he still wanted the club. However, things fell into place so easily that he believed it was meant to be his store. He was happy and for the past two years had been doing quite well for himself. Pierce was so convinced he was in the right place that the nightclub was no longer an interest.