A boy raised his hand. “Mr. Reed, how did you go from playing baseball to teaching history?”
Sutton crossed his arms over his chest. “Twenty years ago, I sat in the very seat where you’re sitting now and had a teacher that made history come alive for me. He had everyone in the class spellbound with his lectures. He was more of a storyteller than a teacher. He allowed us to role-play with him when he got into the mind of a 1920s woman fighting for the right to vote, and Sacco and Vanzetti, who were sentenced to death even though there was no evidence of a crime and after the outcome of the trial people became aware of corruption in the American government and court systems against immigrants. We’ll cover Prohibition and Black Tuesday, the Palmer Raids, and political and cultural changes that will impact the country’s postwar society.”
A girl with a profusion of braided extensions raised her hand. “Mr. Reed, are you going to test us?”
“But of course.” His response elicited a smattering of laughter. “If I don’t test you, how will I know if you’ve retained what I’ve taught? I plan to give you a quiz every Friday. They will vary between ten and twenty questions. I also want you to think about a topic for a paper on one of events during the decade we’re discussing. The paper should be ten pages, double-spaced with footnotes and a bibliography.” He held up a hand when a number of arms shot up. “And before you ask, it’s due before the Christmas break.”
Sutton continued to answer a number of questions from his students about the courses he took in college and his days in the minor and major leagues. The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and the boys and girls lingered behind for him to scrawl his autograph in their notebooks.
He knew it would take some time before his students would regard him as a teacher and not a former big-league baseball player. He’d moved back to Wickham Falls to teach in the same school where he’d attended and graduated from, while falling in love with Zoey made life not only good. It was glorious.
* * *
Zoey opened one eye, peered at the cell phone on the bedside table and groaned. It was Saturday and, while she’d wanted to sleep in late, it had proved elusive for the last few weeks. She had fallen inexorably in love with Sutton. She loved making love with him, wanted to lie beside him all day and languish in the aftermath of sexual fulfillment. However, her angst began when she had to leave his bed and return to her own bedroom before Harper got up, and it continued until they came together again with an intimacy that never failed to steal the breath from her lungs.
It was apparent the plans she’d made for her future seemed to implode once she slept with her sexy neighbor. It had been more than two months since she’d experienced multiple orgasms with a man, and each time she and Sutton made love she felt it—all over her body from her head to her toes. It just wasn’t sex but everything about Sutton as a lover. He was sensitive to what she liked and didn’t like, which brought both of them maximum pleasure. Zoey did not want Sutton to be her lover but her husband.
Zoey got out of bed, pushing her feet into a pair of fluffy slippers. Now that she was awake, she realized she couldn’t go back to sleep. Her gaze lingered on her knitting project on the chair in her reading corner. She had finished the chemo hat and had begun making the scarf. Knitting had become therapeutic, helping her to relax.
She and Sutton had decided to move up their visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian to the Christmas recess. They would drive to DC, stay overnight and then continue on to Miami for some fun in the sun.
Forty minutes later, she sat on the porch, wearing a sweater to ward off the early fall morning chill, knitting and enjoying her second cup of coffee when she spied Sutton coming out of his house. He waved to her and, smiling, she returned it. Zoey did not have to wait long for him to join her.
Bending at the waist, Sutton brushed a light kiss over her mouth. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
He folded his body down on a chair opposite her, noticing the slight puffiness under her large eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you up and out this early.”
“My internal clock doesn’t know when it’s the weekend.”
Sutton angled his head and looked at the woman with whom he’d fallen in love. Instinctually he knew something was bothering her, yet he wasn’t able to pinpoint it. Nothing had changed between them whenever they’d slept together, or he would’ve detected it because he was so attuned to her body.
“I know you’re not going to like what I’m about to say. But you look like crap, sweetheart.”
Her impassive expression did not change. “Oh, you sought to soften the insult with an endearment?”
“Talk to me, Zoey. What the hell is going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“I don’t believe you when you talk about being an insomniac.”
“I’m not an insomniac. I just wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t go back to sleep.”
“Why?”
“Because my internal clock knows the time when I get up and leave your house so I can be here before Harper gets up.”
“Do you believe Harper doesn’t know we’re sleeping together?”
“I don’t know what he believes, Sutton, because I don’t feel I’m obligated to discuss my love life with my brother.”
Sutton gritted his teeth in frustration. He did not know why Zoey continued to treat her brother like a little kid. When he’d suggested Harper go jogging with him every morning as retribution for attempting to break into his Aston Martin, Sutton could not anticipate Zoey’s brother would open up to him about his sister. Harper admitted he was concerned that she would spend the rest of her life alone, that he’d witnessed her rejecting the advances of men who’d asked her out.
“Have you ever talked to him about what your life would be like once he leaves the nest?”
“No, because that’s not going to be for a while,” Zoey stated.
“If that’s what you think, then I suggest you talk to him about what he wants for his future.” Harper had talked about becoming a chef, and that meant he and Zoey would not be attending the same college.
Zoey narrowed her eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Rising, Sutton approached Zoey and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Talk to Harper.” That said, he turned on his heel and retraced his steps, leaving her to stare at his retreating back.
Chapter Fifteen
Zoey went back into the house and opened the refrigerator to take out items for breakfast when a barefoot Harper strolled into the kitchen. His curly unbound hair stood out around his head like a black cloud. He wore a white tee with ripped jeans he refused to let her throw away because they were his favorite.
She stared at her brother. His shoulders appeared broader and his forearms more muscular. He’d complained about not putting on muscle, but since he’d begun shooting hoops and lifting weights at Jabari’s house, his body had undergone a visible transformation.
“What do you want for breakfast?” she asked him.
“I was just going to ask you that,” Harper said.
“You want to cook for me?”
“Yup. If I’m going to become a chef, then I need someone to test my dishes.”
Zoey sat on a chair at the table. Whenever she’d asked Harper what he wanted to be when he grew up, his response was he didn’t know, or it was a shrug of his shoulders. This was the first time he’d given her a definitive answer.
“Are you really serious about becoming a chef?”
Harper opened the refrigerator. “Yes. Sutton and I talked about it and I decided I would apply to schools in DC, Maryland or northern Virginia.”
Zoey bit her lip. She did not know why, but she felt as if she were losing her brother. He’d confided to Sutton what he hadn’t to her, and it was apparent his influence had become pa
ramount in the teenager’s life. However, her concern was short-lived because Sutton was a positive role model for Harper.
“I’m glad you’ve decided on a career choice.”
Harper took out a carton of eggs and set it on the countertop. “I really like cooking and maybe one of these days I’ll open my own restaurant like my mama’s people.”
A rush of emotion eddied through Zoey and she forced herself not to cry. It was as if Harper had matured overnight, and she knew it was Sutton’s influence that had contributed to his becoming a responsible young adult.
“If you decide not to live on campus, then you’ll have to look for an apartment either in or around DC.”
“I know. But...”
“But what, Harper?”
He turned to give her a direct look. “Are you going to be okay living alone?”
Zoey nearly laughed when she saw concern in his hazel eyes. “Believe me, Harper, when I tell you that I will be okay. And if I get lonely, then I’ll get a dog to keep me company.”
“You don’t need a dog when you could be with Mr. Reed.”
Her eyebrows lifted slightly, and she wondered if Harper and Sutton had had conversations about her. “Doesn’t Mr. Reed have something to say about that?”
Harper returned to the fridge to take out ingredients for an omelet. “He already told me that you know he’s in love with you, and I know that you’re spending a lot of time with him at his house. And when I asked him if he wants to marry you, he said yes. But please don’t get mad at him because I promised him I wouldn’t say anything to you.”
Zoey’s eyelids fluttered and she averted her head so her brother wouldn’t see the tears welling up in her eyes at the same time her chest filled with an indescribable joy wrapping her in a cocoon of newly awakened confidence. She no longer had to slip out of Sutton’s bed in the middle of the night because she didn’t want to advertise to Harper that she was sleeping with his mentor.
“What’s said in this kitchen stays in this kitchen.”
Harper smiled. “Thanks, sis. Mr. Reed said I can use the Jeep today. A group of us are going to hang out at Ruthie’s for lunch.”
Zoey did not want to ask who the us was. She’d learned not to question Harper and trust him to do what was right and not to get into trouble.
* * *
Sutton saved the work on his laptop when the doorbell rang and left the kitchen to answer the door. He opened it, grinning when he saw Zoey smiling up at him. Reaching for her hand, he pulled her inside and closed the door. “You definitely are a welcome distraction because I needed to come up for air.”
Going on tiptoes, Zoey kissed his jaw. “So, now I’m a distraction?” she teased.
His arm went around her waist, pulling her close. “I did say ‘a welcome distraction.’ I’ve been typing lectures for the next few weeks. Come with me in the kitchen.”
Zoey held back. “We need to talk.”
He heard something in Zoey’s voice that gave him pause, and Sutton wondered what had happened since their conversation on her porch earlier that morning. “What about?”
She smiled. “Us.”
His tension eased. “What about us?”
“I’m in love with you, Sutton Hamilton Reed.”
Throwing back his head, Sutton laughed as if he’d taken leave of his senses. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d admitted to Zoey that he was in love with her, while waiting for her to tell him when she wasn’t in the throes of climaxing. He finally sobered to see an expression of anguish flit over her features.
He dipped his head and kissed her soft parted lips. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“We love each other and now what?” she asked.
“We do what couples in love do. We get engaged, married, and then live together.”
She gave him a long, penetrating stare. “Is that what you want, Sutton?”
His eyes made love to her face. “It’s what I wanted the first time I laid eyes on you.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “But... But you didn’t know anything about me.” There was a tremor in her voice.
“It’s not about what I knew but what I saw and heard. When I asked Georgi about you, she told me how you’d fought tooth and nail to keep your brothers with you and out of foster care, and I wondered how many girls your age would’ve sacrificed what you have for Harper and Kyle. To me you were superwoman. And it helps that you’re sexy as all get-out.” Sutton nearly laughed aloud when he saw Zoey lower her eyes. It was her modesty he’d found enthralling. It had taken her a while before she’d felt comfortable enough to walk around nude in his presence. “What are we going to do, Zoey?”
She gave him a direct look. “You tell me, Sutton.”
“We get dressed and go to a jewelry store and get measured for engagement rings. Then we announce our engagement to our family, and after that we can set a wedding date.”
“Is this what you really want?” she asked.
Sutton cradled her face. “Yes. But is it what you want, love?”
Zoey’s eyes filled with tears and she blinked them back before they fell. “Yes, Sutton, it is what I want. I love you just that much, but I’d like for us to wait to make the announcement.”
He stared at Zoey as if she were a stranger. Why, he thought, was she sending him mixed messages? “Wait until when?”
“Thanksgiving. I’ve committed to sharing the holiday with your family, so I think it would be the perfect time to make the announcement.”
“What about Harper?”
“We certainly cannot tell my brother,” Zoey said, smiling. “He just may let it slip to his friends and we won’t have to place an announcement in The Sentinel. I’ll let him know Thanksgiving morning that he’s about to become a brother-in-law when his sister marries his mentor and history teacher.”
He kissed her again, this time with a tenderness he hadn’t known she possessed. He didn’t kiss her mouth. Sutton caressed it. He knew for certain that being married to Zoey would be very different from his first marriage. It would have the normalcy he’d craved when he was off the ball field. Their home would be their sanctuary and not an impromptu club or gathering place for those looking for a place to eat and drink in abandon. He would marry Zoey and support her wholeheartedly while she became a nurse. And he would continue to mentor Harper in his quest to become a chef, while promising his future brother-in-law he would be willing to invest in his future business venture.
* * *
Zoey, flanked by Harper and Sutton, was seated across the table from Georgina and Langston Cooper in the Powells’ formal dining room. Prisms of light from a chandelier reflected off the near-flawless blue-white diamonds in the engagement ring on her left hand.
She and Sutton had visited a renowned jeweler in the capital where it had taken nearly two hours for her to examine a variety of loose diamonds. She finally decided on a cushion-cut center stone in a platinum setting with a double halo of diamonds, before she and Sutton chose matching platinum wedding bands.
When Sutton introduced her to his mother, Zoey had immediately felt Michelle Reed’s warmth and acceptance that she was to become her son’s future wife, and insisted Zoey call her Mom instead of Ms. Reed. Her first Thanksgiving dinner with the Powells made her feel as if she’d known them for years. Bruce and Evelyn were friendly and unpretentious, and it was obvious they were proud of their nephew’s accomplishments. The topics of conversation floating around the table focused on Sutton’s appointment as a substitute teacher, Georgina’s chemo cap and scarves project for the new cancer wing at the county hospital, Zoey’s plan to enroll in nursing school and Harper’s revelation that he wanted to become a chef.
Everyone was taken aback once Langston disclosed that he and Sutton were discussing the possibility of forming a Wickham Falls Little League with the support of local businesses. Bruce w
as excited with the prospect of a team representing the department store and promised to donate baseball equipment for the entire league. Zoey and Georgina exchanged knowing glances as they stood up to help Evelyn and Michelle clear the table as Sutton, Bruce and Langston launched into a discussion about baseball, football and basketball, while Harper was amused by the spirited conversation.
Georgina pulled Zoey into an alcove off the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re going to be my cousin when you marry Sutton,” she whispered.
Zoey hugged her. “I can’t thank you and your family enough for making me and Harper feel so welcomed.”
“Have you and Sutton set a date for your wedding?”
Zoey nodded. “We’ve decided on New Year’s Eve.”
“But that’s five weeks away!”
“I know, but it’s going to be small, private and very informal. We’ve decided to hold the ceremony and reception in a ballroom at the Wickham Falls Bed-and-Breakfast. And because I don’t have any close girlfriends, I’d like to ask you to stand in as my maid of honor. Harper has agreed to be Sutton’s best man. I emailed my other brother, who’s in the marines, to let him know that I’m getting married, and hopefully he’ll be able to get an approved leave.”
Georgina smiled. “Of course I’ll be your maid of honor. And I’m honored that you asked.” Reaching for Zoey’s left hand, she stared at the engagement ring. “Your ring is truly gorgeous.” She had enunciated each word.
“Thank you.” When examining the loose stones, Zoey had rejected those weighing more two carats. With the center stone and double halo, the ring’s total carat weight was three point eight. Any larger and she would have considered it ostentatious.
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