She relieved Valencia for lunch.
When her assistant manager returned, the two women restocked the shelves between waiting on customers for the rest of the afternoon.
Elle gave birth to a little girl on the fifth of November.
Coco was there with camera in hand to record the blessed event. “She’s gorgeous,” she told her exhausted friend.
“Thank you. She really is beautiful, isn’t she?”
Before Coco could utter a response, Elle had fallen asleep.
Ransom eased into the hospital room.
“She’s sleep,” Coco whispered. “She’s exhausted.”
He tiptoed out again, with Coco following behind him.
“Brennan is down at the nursery with the baby.”
“I’ll go down there in a few. What are you about to do?” Ransom asked.
“I need to get to the shop. I’m closing tonight.”
“So are you leaving now?” he inquired.
Coco nodded. “Yeah, I have to relieve Bryan for lunch. Valencia’s on vacation this week.”
“I’m going to hang around here for a little while. See if Elle wakes up anytime soon,” Ransom told her. “Then I have to go to Beverly Hills for a meeting. I probably won’t make it by the center today.”
She smiled. “I’m sure your staff has everything under control.”
“They do,” he said. “I only have one kid this week.”
“Wow. That’s a good thing, right?”
“I think so.”
She kissed him. “Well, I’ve got to get out of here. Tell everyone bye for me.”
“Have a good day, baby.”
“I’m going to do my best.”
By the time Coco made it to her car, it was raining.
That’s just great, she thought. It had started out such a pretty day until the dark clouds settled in.
Rain poured down, creating puddles all over the parking lot. Using an old newspaper to shield her short hair, Coco stepped away from a puddle gathered on the corrugated black rubber mat just outside the door.
Running her fingers through rain-damp hair, she gazed upon row after row of shelves displaying gift baskets, candy treats and other products under the fluorescent lighting of the shop. There were a handful of browsers walking around, a couple of them holding bags of candy and other gift items.
Coco spied Bryan standing behind the counter talking to one of their customers. She waved to him on her way to the office in the rear of the shop. Coco quickly brushed her teeth and touched up her makeup before trying to salvage her hair. Then she went to work.
A customer burst through the front door just then, pausing briefly to shake the droplets from her raincoat. After propping her umbrella in a corner, she moved to peruse the items on sale.
Bryan walked briskly over to where she was standing and greeted the woman politely.
She glanced around and said, “I’ve never been in here before. The store is really nice.”
“Thank you,” he and Coco replied in unison.
“We have some samples of our products on the bar,” Coco told the woman. She bit back a smile when the customer zoomed in on the basket of goodies.
“Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed. “This is delicious. I’ve got to get some.”
Bryan left the sales floor and walked behind the bar to further assist her. Coco could hear him explaining the process of how the candy was made and answering her other questions.
“What else can I get for you, Misty?” Coco heard him ask her. He made a few more suggestions while Coco went to assist another customer who’d just entered the store.
After the shoppers left, Bryan turned to Coco, saying, “It’s pouring down rain and customers are pouring in here today. What’s up with that?”
“I’ll take them any way I can get them,” she said with a chuckle. He was right, though. Usually when it was raining heavily like this, traffic was low, but not today.
They had two more customers walk in.
For the better part of the afternoon, Coco and Bryan stayed busy, until he clocked out shortly after four.
Coco had three customers between the time Bryan left and closing. Shortly before six o’clock, the door opened and three men walked into the shop with caps pulled low, covering most of their faces.
Coco felt a chill go down her spine. She had forgotten to lock the door. Thank goodness she had given the deposit to Bryan when he left.
“I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” she said as calmly as she could manage.
“Looks like you’re open to me,” the tallest of the trio said. “We just walked through the door.” He laughed.
I wish I’d installed a panic button under the bar like Michael suggested. What to do…what to do.
Coco tried to remain calm so that she could think.
“What would you like?” she asked, then instantly regretted it.
“All of your cash,” the man said, pulling out a gun and pointing it straight at her.
“Just do it, Miss Stanley,” the one near the door shouted.
He knows me. He’s one of the boys from the center. Was it Ricky? She really couldn’t tell because the boy had made a conscious effort to disguise his voice.
“Shut up,” the one with the gun ordered. “Don’t you say nothing else.”
He sounded much older and was much bigger than the other two. Coco surmised that he was the leader in this scenario.
“I don’t keep a lot of cash in the store,” she told him.
The boy in the back moved closer and his shoes caught her eye. Coco felt a sense of dread.
Marcus.
“I’m not gonna say it again. Give me all of your cash.”
The door swung open and Coco caught a glimpse of her brother, Benjamin and Jerome. Things went awry after that.
Coco screamed when she heard the gun go off.
She saw her brother falling and Benjamin wrestling with the man with the gun.
“Call the police!” Jerome shouted as he peered outside.
She glanced around the room, looking for Marcus, but he was gone, along with the other teen.
Jerome assisted Benjamin in subduing the leader facedown on the floor. Then Benjamin kicked the gun across the room.
Coco heard sirens in the distance and rushed over to where her brother was lying, cringing at the sight of so much blood. “Michael!”
“It’s just my arm,” he said. “He shot me in the arm.”
The shop was soon overflowing with paramedics and police.
Numbed from the shock of what had taken place, Coco rode to the hospital with her brother.
Jerome and Benjamin insisted on meeting her there.
“I called Mr. Winters,” Benjamin announced when they arrived. “He’s gonna come here. Everything gonna be fine.”
Ransom was the last person she wanted to see.
Ransom found Coco sitting in the lobby of the emergency room. He sat down beside her, saying, “I got here as soon as I could.”
“My brother was shot,” she said, without looking at him.
“Benjamin told me. I’m so sorry.”
Coco looked up at him then, her eyes cold. “You’re sorry? My brother could’ve been killed tonight and you’re sorry.”
He was thrown by the way she was treating him. Ransom assumed she was still in shock. “Look, I know that you’re upset. Did the doctor check you out?”
“I don’t need to see a doctor,” she snapped. “Ransom, I have every right to be angry. Remember how you told me that it wasn’t one of your boys? Well, you were wrong.”
“Ricky?”
She shook her head. “It was Marcus. When he came over to the shop, I noticed his custom Nikes and I wondered how he was able to afford such expensive shoes. Well, now I know. Only he isn’t very smart. He had them on tonight.”
Ransom’s hands balled into fists.
“I told you that you couldn’t save all of them. I moved to Brentwood to escape stuff like thi
s.”
“Any time you run a retail business, you run the risk of being robbed, Coco.”
“That risk is even higher with your center being in the neighborhood.”
He looked as if she had stabbed him in the heart. “Where do you think these boys live, Coco? They attend schools in this area. They live around here.”
“Why don’t you relocate your center somewhere else? Put it in the hood—that’s where they belong. Let them fight it out, rob or whatever they do there anyway.”
“I realize you’re upset, Coco, but you have no right to tell me where I should build a center. If you’re so unhappy, then you relocate. But unless you move to an uninhabited island, you will run the risk of this happening again.”
Ransom rose to his feet. “I am sorry this happened to you. I’m doubly sorry that it was one of my students, but I’m not moving D-Unit. I’m taking Benjamin and Jerome with me now because I won’t risk you destroying them with your venom.”
Coco put a hand to her face. “I…Ransom…”
“I can’t talk to you anymore. One minute you are supersupportive and then when something goes wrong you show what you’re really about. You are just like some of the other people who run around judging these kids by what they see on the outside. Me, I look at the inside. Even God tells us that He doesn’t look at our externals—but at our heart. When I look at these boys, I see their heart, Coco. Marcus slipped through the cracks and I’m going to find out what can be done.” Ransom sighed in resignation. “I’ll give Michael a call to see how he’s doing.”
“Ransom, wait,” Coco said.
“I have to get these boys home.”
He gestured for Jerome and Benjamin to come with him. “I’m taking you home.”
“You okay, Mr. Winters?” Jerome asked.
He nodded. “I’m fine.”
He was so disappointed in Marcus. The boy seemed to have a lot of potential, but he wasn’t strong enough to stay away from the gang, as he’d promised. Ransom had pegged him as more of a follower, which was why he'd spent so much time talking to the boy.
He swallowed his hurt. I thought I’d reached him. I was wrong, and now I’ve lost the woman I love most in this world.
Coco was ashamed of the way she’d attacked Ransom the night Michael was shot. That was two weeks ago. She was too embarrassed to call him, and she knew he wouldn’t call her.
Valencia walked into the shop and handed her an envelope. “One of the staff members from D-Unit asked me to deliver this to you.”
Coco frowned. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. He was on his way over here when he saw me getting out of the car. He just asked me to bring it to you.”
She took it with her to her office.
Inside were a letter and a ten dollar bill.
Miss Stanley:
I am so sorry for what I did. I didn’t mean or want to hurt you or your brother. I know that you probably recognized me that night and that you hate me. I don’t blame you if you do. I didn’t want to steal from you, but my big brother (the one with the gun) made me do it.
I hope that one day you can forgive me. Mr. Winters comes to visit me and I apologized to him. I asked him to bring you so that I can say I’m sorry to your face, but since you haven’t come, I guess that means that you really hate me.
I only have ten dollars and I wanted you to have it. It’s my way of showing you that I’m serious. I will pay you back for all the damages we caused. I am probably going to get some jail time and that scares me. I hope that you will forgive me and pray for me. For my safety. You’re probably saying that you used to feel safe until that night.
I pray that you never go through something like that again. I am really sorry. Please don’t hate me forever. I promise you that I’m gonna change and be a better person. Even if you never forgive me or stop hating me, please keep the money. I’ll send more when I can.
Marcus
Coco wiped away her tears.
I’ve got to go see him. I’m still angry with Marcus, but I don’t hate him. I need to tell him that.
Ransom was right, she decided. She should look deep within and not just at the outside. She closed her eyes and said a prayer for Marcus.
Chapter 17
“Knock knock.”
Ransom looked up from his computer. “Kaitlin, come in.”
He was glad to see his sister, but had hoped that it would be Coco standing at his door.
“How are you doing?” she asked him.
He got out of his chair and helped her into one. Ransom sat back down. “How are you and the little one?”
“We’re doing great,” she said. “Absolutely wonderful. I’m hoping he or she will decide to come before Christmas. Laine and Regis already have a Christmas baby. Jonathan was born on Christmas. Always complains that he’s not getting his fair share of birthday and Christmas presents.”
“I know that I haven’t known you long, but I feel that you didn’t just stop by to say hello.”
“You’re right. I didn’t,” she responded. “Matt told me what happened. Are you and Coco okay?”
“Anything but,” he said. “Things got real ugly between us the night Michael was shot. We haven’t talked since then.”
“So what are you waiting on, Ransom?”
“Kaitlin, I love Coco, but I don’t think we have a future together.”
“You don’t if you don’t talk to her and get this straightened out, that’s for sure.”
“That’s just it. We can’t resolve this, Kaitlin.”
“You haven’t tried,” she countered. “Love is worth fighting for, Ransom. I can see the pain you’re in. I know that you love Coco and that she loves you just as much. How can you walk away?”
“Kaitlin, that’s not what I want. I love her and I thought we were trying to build a life together. But apparently I missed something.”
“Then live up to your name,” she stated. “Go after your woman. We Ransoms do not give up without a fight.”
She started to rise to her feet. “I need to get going. My job here is done.”
Ransom stood and walked over to his sister, helping her out of the chair. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“I’m glad I could dispense a little sisterly advice.”
“Thank you for allowing me in your life, Kaitlin.”
She hugged him. “We’re family. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now don’t forget what I’ve said, Ransom. You never give up on true love.”
Kaitlin ordered a half-pound bag of raspberry chocolates, then said, “I just came from over at D-Unit, where I was seeing Ransom. Coco, I have to tell you—he looks about as sad as you do.”
“I suppose he told you that we had a fight,” she sighed. “Actually, I did all the fighting. I don’t think I let him get in two words the entire time.”
Kaitlin sat down at the counter. “All couples have disagreements.”
Coco glanced up at her. “This was a big one, Kaitlin. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get past it.”
“You will,” Kaitlin said. “And I’ll tell you why. Coco, you and Ransom love each other. I’ve seen the way the two of you look at one another. He’s your soul mate, and trust me, everything will work out.”
Coco didn’t respond.
“He really loves you.”
“I know,” she said after a moment. “Kaitlin, I love him, too. But after what happened to my brother…I can’t deal with those boys. Ransom has a lot of faith in them, while I don’t trust them. How can we find a compromise in a situation like this?”
“Not all of them are bad, Coco.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Kaitlin. The boy involved in the robbery actually wrote me a letter apologizing, and he sent me ten dollars. But I need some time to recover from the shock of what happened.”
Kaitlin nodded in understanding.
“How are things going with all of you?” Coco asked, changing the subject. “Has everyone adjusted to hav
ing Ransom as a brother?”
“I think so. We know that he’s one of us. I just wish we could have grown up with him.”
“How’s the baby?”
Kaitlin smiled. “So far, the pregnancy is progressing naturally and the baby’s healthy.”
“I guess you guys decided to wait and be surprised?”
“Knowing would’ve made decorating easier. I know that Matt really wants a boy, so I figured it would be better to just wait and find out, in the event we’re having another girl.” Kaitlin eyed her. “What’s wrong, Coco?”
“I miss him so much,” she said. “I always felt like Ransom and I really fit, you know?”
“It’s not over for you and him.”
“I said some horrible things, Kaitlin. How can I ever expect him to forgive me? I really hurt him.”
“We all hurt the ones we love at one time or another. Coco, it won’t get any better if you two don’t talk to each other. You have to communicate.”
“I’m not sure I know what to say.”
“Just wing it,” Kaitlin suggested with a smile. “I have to go, but I want to hear something good soon.”
When she left, Coco stared at the phone. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.
Coco sat in the visitors room at the L.A. County Jail. She’d never wanted to see the inside of a place like this. Never thought that she would.
This was only the visitors room. She couldn’t imagine going into the bowels of the jailhouse.
Marcus, wearing blue scrubs like doctors wore, was escorted in by a guard.
He looks scared, she thought to herself. Really scared, and it broke her heart to see him that way.
“Miss Stanley, I didn’t think you’d come.”
“I almost didn’t,” she responded. “But not for the reasons you think. Marcus, I don’t hate you, but I do feel betrayed by you. I never in a million years thought that you would do something like this. I really didn’t….”
He nodded. “I’m real sorry. I was at home talking about how fine you were and how nice you’d been to me. Miss Stanley, I had no idea that they were gonna rob you until that night.”
“What about the other people in the neighborhood? Did you consider their feelings?”
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