Elijah shook his head a little. “In her letter, your mom said you didn’t have any relatives.”
This wasn’t a question, but he was still fishing for information. “We didn’t. But that was cool. It was just me and Mama; we took care of each other.”
I guessed that was a good answer, ’cause that made Gabrielle and Elijah smile.
He wiped his face with his napkin, then rested both of his arms on the table. “Keisha . . .”
Seemed like I was about to find out the real reason for all of his questions.
“I really want to get to know you,” he said.
He paused like he wanted me to say something. So I said, “Yeah.”
He took a deep breath. “What do you think . . . what would you say if I were to ask you to stay in Los Angeles?”
I frowned, not understanding what he was getting at.
He added quickly, “Not permanently—I mean, I’d love you to live here permanently, but if you don’t like it and you miss home, you should definitely go back. But if you’re able to, I’d like you to give us, to give Los Angeles a chance. I’d like for you to think about living in Los Angeles for a while.”
From the moment I got here and saw how they were living, this thought had been in my mind. I didn’t want to tell him that, though. So I said, “But in White Haven, I’m working . . .”
He waved his hand. “You can find a job here.”
“You definitely can,” Gabrielle piped in. “Because if you take Daddy up on this offer to stay, not only can you live with me, but you can work with me, too.”
“Oh, sweetness”—Elijah grinned—“that would be great.”
I needed to understand exactly what she was saying. “Work with you?”
She nodded like she’d just gotten a new toy or something. “I have my own business. We started talking about it the other day, but it’s a PR firm and I’m doing pretty well.”
Elijah chuckled, and I knew what that meant. “Pretty well” didn’t describe how Gabrielle’s firm was doing. She had top entertainers and corporate clients. She’d been in Essence as one of the 40 Under 40. She was making bank.
Gabrielle said, “And not only are we doing well, but we’re still bringing on new clients, so I could certainly use you there right by my side.” Her grin was so wide she looked like that beaming-face all-teeth emoji.
I swallowed, and then I took a sip of water because my throat was so dry. Gabrielle wanted me by her side? I’d come here to get the money, and now she was offering me the life.
Maybe God was truly trying to give everything back to me.
“I think this is a great idea,” Elijah said. “I hope you’ll consider it.”
“Come on,” Gabrielle added, still with that emoji face. “If it’s the test you’re worried about, the three of us know what the results will be.”
They kept talking, one and then the other, trying to convince me.
After a couple more rounds, I finally said, “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” Gabrielle and Elijah said together.
I nodded and as Elijah leaned over to hug me, Gabrielle squeezed my hand.
I was in.
WE STOOD IN front of Gabrielle’s Lexus and the way Elijah looked at me, I knew he expected me to hug him. But I just stood there, so he hugged me.
Leaning back, he put his hands on my shoulders. “So, I’m going to see you soon?”
“Yeah.”
He grinned. “That’s your favorite word, isn’t it?”
I had to press my lips together so that I wouldn’t say that again.
Elijah hugged Gabrielle before he trotted away from us . . . in his Timbs.
I guessed I was smiling when I slid into Gabrielle’s SUV, because she glanced at me and said, “You’re happy.”
“I am.” And then I added, “It must’ve been the lobster roll.”
And together, Gabrielle and I busted out laughing.
She slapped on her sunglasses and when she pulled the car away from the curb, she said, “I took the rest of the day off, but I have to run a couple of errands. Do you want to go with me or head home?”
It didn’t even take me a second to consider. “Can I go back to your place? I wanna check out what clothes I have since I’m going to be working with you.”
She nodded. “Okay, but don’t worry about that. We’re pretty casual at work, and anything you need, we’ll go shopping. You wouldn’t mind that, would you?”
I leaned to the side so that I could get a good look at her as she drove. Was she kidding me? What girl didn’t like to shop? Especially to all the expensive places where I was sure she’d be taking me. By the time we rounded the driveway to her front door, I was already imagining all the new designer outfits I’d be wearing this time next week. And shoes, too. Oh, and boots—I couldn’t forget the boots. I wanted a pair of those over-the-knee boots she’d worn yesterday. I wanted a pair in black, and maybe even blue to wear with my jeans.
Gabrielle left the SUV running as she jumped out, then trotted up the two steps to her front door to unlock it for me. As I walked up behind her, she said, “While I’m out, I’ll get a key for you.”
Was she talking about a key to this house? “Okay,” I said.
As if this were something she did every day, she gave me a hug, then waved to me over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Right after I pick up Bella. Mauricio will be home at about that time, too.”
I waved back, then stepped inside and closed the front door behind me. I leaned against it for a moment, just taking in this view. This was only the second time that I’d walked in through the front door.
Walking into their house this way—it really was impressive, it was majestic. Like this house was built for a king and queen.
My eyes roamed over the staircase and then up to that chandelier that looked like it had a hundred lights and a thousand crystals.
I closed my eyes and tried to take myself to a place in the future, but a time that was not too far away. I imagined when I’d have this house—or one just like it.
Opening my eyes, I wanted everything in my house to be the same—the staircase, the chandelier . . . I looked to the right—I wanted a living room with soft white couches and chairs just like Gabrielle’s. Oh, and a piano. I wanted a white piano, too.
As I roamed through the first floor, I imagined that this really was my home, and as I went from room to room, there was nothing I would change. I wanted to keep that mahogany dining room set that I only knew was mahogany because I’d seen it in one of the designer magazines. I’d keep the kitchen exactly the same, too—everything sparkling white with all of these stainless steel appliances, especially the dishwasher—I’d never had a dishwasher.
I paused in the family room. Maybe instead of six chairs, I’d have ten. And in the gym, I would have more than just an elliptical machine and treadmill, I’d add a bicycle and a couple of weight stations. Oh, yeah, I could really see myself in a house just like this. Especially now that I was going to be working right by Gabrielle’s side.
Turning back to the staircase, I ran up the steps because there was one room that I really wanted to see. But when I got to the top, I paused. I wasn’t sure if I should do it—I didn’t want to be caught. But then, Gabrielle had just left; she wouldn’t be back for a while, so I had plenty of time to sneak a peek.
Their bedroom was all the way down on the other end of the hall, making it almost feel like it was in a different part of the house—it was like a suite. That’s what the Beverly Hills housewives called it. There were double doors to their bedroom, too, and again I paused before I took a breath, then pushed them open wide.
For a moment, I just stood there. This place looked like a showroom—none of the housewives on any of the shows could ever compete with this. It didn’t even look like anyone slept in this room.
The first thing that struck me was the color—everything was a soft gold. In magazines, they called it bronze. Everything was a shade of
that color, from the tufted bed to the cover and the dozens of decorative pillows that lined the headboard. Even the chandelier was a bronze circular fixture that hung high above the bed.
The next thing that I loved were the three floor-to-ceiling window panels that covered one wall of the bedroom and welcomed in the sun.
“This is incredible,” I whispered as I turned and saw my reflection in the antique floor mirror. Ever since I’d seen one of these in a magazine, I’d wanted to have one.
This room was everything I thought it would be, but now what I really wanted to see was Gabrielle’s closet. I spun around in a circle, but there were no doors, only the one that led to the bathroom. Where in the world did they keep their clothes?
But I forgot about the closet when I stepped into their bathroom. The only word I had for this room was—drama. Almost everything was the same color as the bedroom—from the bronze tiles on the floor to the gold counter that held their double sinks. And then the towels that hung on the rack—all that soft gold.
It was hard to decide what I liked best—I guessed it was the huge glass shower, which seemed big enough to hold a party. But then I saw the window that stretched across the wall and looked right out onto the ocean.
I stood in the center and turned in a circle. Yup, my bathroom was going to be just like this. It wasn’t until I faced the mirror that I noticed the doors—two, one on each side of the sink. When I pushed one door open, a light came on, just the way it did in the closet in my room. But this closet didn’t look anything like mine.
The bedroom I was staying in was larger than any bedroom I’d ever been inside, but I was pretty sure my bedroom could fit inside this closet and there would be room left over. And while I had only used about ten hangers, it seemed like Gabrielle had hundreds of hangers in here, and there was something hanging on each one.
I walked in, thinking this looked like the first floor of Kohl’s . . . no, this was better than Kohl’s. Because none of Gabrielle’s clothes had come from a department store. I could tell everything in here was all the way designer.
It was organized like a store, too. All of her clothes were lined up, by blouses and pants and dresses—all set up by color. On the other side were all things casual—jeans and leggings and sweatshirts.
And then in the back—there were the gowns. She didn’t have just one or two—there were dozens: black and white ones, red and green ones. So many.
I couldn’t help it—I lifted one of the red ones and gasped. This was the gown that Gabrielle had on in her Instagram profile picture. I looked at the label—Vera Wang.
Wow!
I caressed the beads, stroked the silk. Then I closed my eyes and imagined the day when I’d have on a gown just like this.
It was because of the picture in my mind that I hung the gown back up, then stripped out of my jeans and top before I slid into the dress.
I zipped it up, and all I could say was, “Oh my God!” I had never felt anything this good against my skin. Turning around, I searched for a mirror, but except for the small one on the vanity against the back wall of the closet, there wasn’t one where I could really see what I looked like.
Lifting up the dress, I stepped slowly through the closet into the bathroom and back to the bedroom. When I stood in front of the mirror, all I could do was stare. The gown was way too long, but besides that, it was so perfect. I twisted to the left, then turned to the right, going back and forth, not believing how I looked—like a queen.
I closed my eyes and thought about Gabrielle’s Instagram time line: the parties, the premieres, the awards shows where she had worn gowns like this. In my mind, I pushed Gabrielle’s image aside. And now I was the one walking down that carpet. I was the one wearing the dress . . .
“Keisha!”
My eyes popped open, and through the reflection, I saw Mauricio standing behind me. I took in his blue suit, his blue plaid bow tie, and the deep frown that creased his forehead. I blinked, hoping that the images in my mind had just twisted in some kind of crazy way. But when he moved closer to me, I knew this wasn’t an illusion.
“What are you doing?”
I wanted to turn around, but I was stuck in my fear.
“Keisha.”
When he said my name the second time, there was nothing I could do but face this man who was my foe. By the time I did a full turn, the tears were pouring from my eyes, and it wasn’t an act. I was so pissed at myself.
“I’m . . . I’m . . . so sorry.”
He looked at me like he was a little bit confused and a little bit angry.
I said, “I just had never seen . . . I’ve never had . . . I’ve never been . . .” Then I sobbed. Like, I cried straight from my chest with the sound effects and all. “I was just looking for . . . a sweater or a jacket. Because I don’t have many clothes and when I went into Gabrielle’s closet to borrow one, I saw this, and I . . . I . . .” I held my face in my hands, hiding my tears from him.
Too many silent moments passed, and I cried harder because I was sure I had just blown this whole gig. Just hours after Gabrielle had made me that grand offer.
I couldn’t see Mauricio, but I felt him moving closer until he was right in front of me. I stiffened, waiting for him to grab my arm and snatch his wife’s dress right off me.
But then, Mauricio, the enemy, put his arms around me. And now when I sobbed, it was from relief more than fear.
“Come over here,” he said. He led me to the chair in front of the window and told me to sit down. Then he said, “Keisha, look at me.”
I raised my head and was really a little shocked. There was so much care in his light brown eyes.
“It’s okay.” His voice was so soft.
“I was just trying . . .”
He held up his hand stopping me. “It’s okay. Just let it be this one time unless you talk to Gabrielle first, okay?”
I nodded.
He said, “Because I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you trying on her clothes. Just ask her.”
“Okay,” I whispered. I looked down at my hands. “Can I ask . . .” I paused and slowly raised my eyes. “Please don’t tell Gabrielle. She’s been so good to me, and I don’t want her to be mad.”
“She wouldn’t be. She’d understand the same way I do.”
“I know, but I just”—I wrung my hands—“I just want to do everything right.”
“No one’s perfect,” he told me.
“I know, but please.”
He nodded, but he didn’t say okay. All he said was, “Why don’t you go and change back into your clothes. Gabrielle and Bella will be home soon.”
He stood, then as he made his way toward the door, I called out to him. When Mauricio turned back, I said, “Thank you.”
He nodded, and when he smiled, I added another thing to the list of all that I was going to have soon. I figured Buck and I would get married eventually. But if that didn’t work out, one day, maybe I’d have a husband just like Mauricio.
21
Gabrielle
I edged the SUV right to the curb in the long line of vehicles dropping off kids to school. Glancing back, I asked Bella, “You want Auntie Keisha to walk you to school?”
“Yay,” my daughter cheered.
For the first time since yesterday, I saw a grin on Keisha’s face, too.
I said to her, “You just have to walk her to that door.” I pointed. “Bella calls it walking to school.”
Keisha laughed. “Okay.” Then she hopped out and helped Bella, who was already halfway out of her car seat.
“Bye, Mommy.” Bella waved, then blew me a kiss.
I did the same, then watched as she held Keisha’s hand and skipped up the walkway.
There was a smile on my face, but inside, I felt my frown, the one I’d had since I’d heard Keisha in Bella’s room Sunday night.
“So precious, my precious daughter . . .”
I was squinting so hard I felt a headache coming on. So I pushed down my shoulde
rs, loosened my grip on the steering wheel, and repeated in my head the explanation I’d come up with—everybody loved Bella. Who wouldn’t want her to be their little girl?
But as Keisha walked back toward the car, I tensed again. It wasn’t her; I adored this young woman already. It was just her words; I was really bothered by what she’d said.
When she slid back into the car, I gave her a smile, but she didn’t return the gesture. I waited until I eased into traffic before I spoke. “Are you okay?”
She looked straight ahead and gave me one of her normal answers—she shrugged.
“You seem kinda quiet since I dropped you off at home yesterday.”
Her eyes stayed forward, but her lips began to move, then she shook her head.
“Okay,” I said. “I just want you to know you can talk to me about anything. I’m always here, Keisha. You’re not used to having a big sister, but what that means is that I look out for you. And, there will be times when you have to look out for me.”
That made her turn her head. “What can I do for you?”
“What do you mean? You can do lots of things.” I thought for a second. “You already do so much. Like with Bella. You’ve only been here for a couple of days, and the two of you . . .” I paused, shook my head, but made sure that Keisha saw my smile.
Now, Keisha smiled, too. No, I couldn’t even call it just a smile. Everything about her brightened. Truly, it was like her aura lit up the car. “I love being around Bella; she makes me happy.”
I nodded. “I can see that.” Another pause, another thought. “Have you ever wanted to have any kids?”
That brightness dimmed so fast, her aura had turned to midnight. Now I had even more questions, but this was not the time. I just had to tuck this away, right next to what I’d overheard on Sunday.
The darkness in the car didn’t lift until I swerved into the lot, rolled up to the second level, and parked in my designated space. Keisha was still quiet, but at least now she wore a little smile as we walked toward the garage elevator and then finally into the lobby of the Wilshire Boulevard building.
“Wow,” Keisha whispered. Her eyes were as wide as Bella’s at Disneyland as she looked around, taking in the men and women dressed in suits, moving around the lobby and in and out of the Starbucks entrance. “I feel a little underdressed.”
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