Delicious Destiny

by Yahrah St. John

  Grant looked bashful. “I’m sorry. I should have called, but when I tried you earlier to ask, you were busy with the television crew and I didn’t want to interrupt. How did it go?”

  “It went good,” Shari said. “They interviewed all of us and Grandma Lillian. There’s even talk about following a few of us around once we arrive in L.A.”

  “Sounds exciting,” Grant said, lifting himself off the floor.

  “It was,” Shari said as she retreated to her bedroom and began to undress. She didn’t know what to make of the situation. Grant had just made himself comfortable in her home as if he belonged there. With the swiftness in which they’d gotten married, they really hadn’t had a chance to discuss their living arrangements, and now Shari wasn’t sure how to react. Having Grant in her personal space was disconcerting; his larger-than-life presence seemed to fill up the entire house.

  “We’ll finish playing later on, little man. Your mama and I are going to have a little chat,” she heard Grant say. When she turned around, she was surprised to find Grant standing directly behind her, in her bedroom. At six feet, he loomed in her doorway, looking incredibly sexy in a polo shirt and jeans. Grant had a vitality that was inherently masculine.

  “Grant!” She placed her hands to cover her chest, but she could do little else standing in her Skivvies.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Grant said, but he didn’t stop staring at her, either.

  “Was that before or after you moved yourself into my house?”

  Grant’s mouth curled into a frown. “Did you expect for us to live apart?” he inquired. “I told you I wasn’t going to spend another minute away from my son than absolutely necessary.”

  “Yeah, well you could have at least asked me,” Shari replied, turning her back to him and reaching for her robe, which was lying across the foot of her bed. “You just moved yourself in here without a word or any discussion. And how did you even get in here, anyway, let alone pick up Andre?”

  “I am his father. I have every right to pick him up.”

  Shari shook her head. This conversation was quickly deteriorating. He was right, of course, but she’d been Andre’s mother and his sole guardian for the past four years. She hadn’t been prepared for Grant to jump in so fast. “You’re right. And I know that, but can you give me a minute to adjust? All of this—” she pointed to the two of them “—is happening so quickly. I...I can’t seem to catch my breath.”

  Grant walked into her bedroom, making the room feel that much smaller. “Do you think you’re the only one, Shari? In the span of two weeks, I’ve gained a wife and a son. I have to move my home base for Robinson Restaurants to Chicago, put my penthouse up for sale. Hell, my whole life is changing and I’m trying to roll with the punches. And you’re going to have to do the same, Shari. Our living together is nonnegotiable. I want to get to know my son and for him to get to know me. Surely you can appreciate that.”

  Shari sighed. “Of course I do. And I can see that Andre has taken to you. I’m not blind, okay? It’s just going to take some time for me to adjust to living with someone.”

  “There’s no time better than the present,” Grant said, pulling the polo shirt he was wearing over his head to reveal a wifebeater underneath.

  Shari’s mouth hung open when he began unzipping his jeans. “What—what are you doing?”

  “I’m changing into something more comfortable.” He opened up her closet and pulled out some sweats.

  When had he put clothes in her closet?

  “Dinner is on the way,” Grant continued, stepping out of his jeans. “I ordered some Chinese and it should be here any minute. I figured after a long day that you might not be in the mood to cook.”

  Shari was shocked by not only Grant’s state of undress and seeing him in his boxer briefs, but by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you,” she said, turning her head away. “But can’t you change in the bathroom?”

  “I could, but since I’ll be sleeping in here tonight, you might as well get used to my presence.” He slipped the sweatpants over his muscled thighs.

  “You’re sleeping here?” Shari managed to croak out.

  Grant eyed her. “Where else? This is a small house and I don’t want Andre asking questions. Married couples sleep together so that’s what we’re going to do.”

  Given her burning attraction to him, Shari didn’t know how she was going to sleep next to him night after night with no release. “Fine.” She was tired of fighting. “But I’ll change in the bathroom.” Seconds later, when she was in the safety of her master bath, she leaned against the door and prayed for inner strength.

  When she emerged after a quick shower and change of clothes, Shari found Grant and Andre sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by cartons of Chinese food.

  “Is there any food left for me?” she asked with a rueful smile.

  “Absolutely.” Grant pulled out the chair next to him and Shari sat down beside him.

  And together, they laughed, talked and shared their first dinner as a family.

  Chapter 8

  Two days later they were on their way to Los Angeles. Shari hadn’t expected Grant to accompany her on the trip since he was relocating his corporate office, but he’d been insistent that he didn’t want to be separated from his family. Shari suspected he meant Andre, so she’d accepted the inevitable rather than fight with Grant.

  And so the entire family, including her husband and son boarded an early morning flight and arrived in the afternoon. The sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky when the Drayson family arrived. You Take the Cake had sent several limousines to take the family to a swanky hotel in Beverly Hills where they’d be staying along with the other bakeries—Bliss, Sweet Tastings, Delovely Cakemakers, Double Yum Bakers and of course Brown Sugar Bakery. There were now two additional bakeries competing, thanks to an outpouring of calls and emails from fans who wanted to include these two well-known bakeries. So the show had decided to expand the competition from a one-day event to a weeklong competition to raise the stakes.

  Shari wasn’t looking forward to having to face Dina again after all these years, but at least this time she hadn’t come up short. She was wearing Grant’s ring on her finger and this time, Dina would be envious of Shari.

  She was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear Andre’s comment until he shook her and said, “L.A. has so many palm trees.”

  “Yes, they do,” Shari said from his side. She’d allowed Andre to have the window seat in the limousine and was sandwiched in between him and Grant. She was so close to Grant that she could smell his aftershave.

  When they arrived at the hotel, she and Grant received a suite, as did several other members of the family. Everyone went their separate ways, promising to reconvene for dinner later that night when the television crew would come to film them for a clip that showed their family solidarity. Grandma Lillian had given them all a prep talk at the family estate that they had all better get along. Everyone had agreed to be on their best behavior or incur Grandma’s wrath.

  At dinner, Grant was the consummate actor. He played the role of devoted newlywed for the cameras, so much so that Shari wondered if her cousins would get upset that the show was paying too much attention to them and not the rest of the family. But everyone was getting along good-naturedly.

  Shari found it easy to respond to Grant’s charms, especially when his hand rested on the small of her back or when he looked at her like she was the only woman in the room. No, no, no, it was when he kissed her. His kisses were becoming a regular occurrence and when he brushed his mouth softly across hers, her lips would part of their own volition and open to him, causing fireworks to explode inside her body. After a few of their kisses, he looked at her oddly; he must have felt the sensations, too. It made her secretly wonder if there could be more b
etween them than just this illusion they’d created for the world to see. Grant had indicated he was open to exploring a real marriage with her. Truth be told, it was what Shari was hoping for, praying for. They’d been denied their chance to be a family because of Dina’s machinations. Their marriage had to work!

  The next couple of days, Shari, Grant and Andre played tourist. They visited a children’s museum before hopping on a tour bus to visit the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre and to walk down the boulevard looking at the stars’ names.

  On their last day before filming they went to Santa Monica Beach. Andre had never seen an ocean. Living in Chicago, he’d only seen Lake Michigan, so Shari had donned a simple two-piece bathing suit and Grant his trunks, and they’d rented an umbrella and loungers so they could help Andre make sand castles on the beach.

  She noticed Grant eyeing her in her print tankini. Shari wasn’t comfortable in a bikini like most of the women in Los Angeles, but Grant seemed to appreciate her figure. His eyes roved the swell of her breasts just visible in the tank top and the curve of her backside when she turned over to fish for her book in her purse.

  Shari acted like she hadn’t noticed and pulled her deliciously sexy romance novel over her face, but every so often she would catch Grant’s eyes on her. Eventually, he and Andre ended up splashing around in the ocean. She looked up when she heard the sound of their laughter. She’d never seen Andre so happy, so content. And Grant...well, he looked like he was enjoying being a big kid. After the beach, they ended their day with a walk on the Santa Monica Pier. They stopped long enough for Andre to play at Pacific Park. They rode bumper cars, played carnival games and Grant played Skeeball and won Andre a huge stuffed lion, his favorite animal.

  When they finally strode back into the hotel after two days of playing tourist, Shari was exhausted. After taking a quick shower, she crawled into bed with Grant. She’d finally put Andre down after he’d talked her ear off about how much fun he’d had.

  “That son of ours has lots of energy,” Grant said, holding the covers so Shari could slide in beside him.

  “Yes, he does,” Shari agreed, punching her pillow to fluff it. She’d gotten used to sleeping next to Grant the past few days, having his strong, muscled body next to her. Despite their lack of intimacy, his presence was oddly comforting.

  “I don’t know who’s more tired—me or him.”

  “Both,” Shari offered.

  “Are you ready for tomorrow?” Grant inquired, turning on his side to face her.

  Shari looked up at the ceiling. She knew what he was asking, even though he hadn’t said it. Was she ready to see Dina again after all these years?

  “As ready as I can be,” she finally said, glancing in his direction. Brown Sugar Bakery was Lillian’s fiercest competition, and Shari and the entire Drayson family had no intention of having Dina stand in their way for the win.

  * * *

  After sleeping in the next morning, Shari found the entire clan downstairs in the lobby. Grandma Lillian, Grandpa Henry, her parents and sister Monica, Aunt Daisy and Uncle Matt and her cousins Drake, Belinda and Carter, and Malik. They were all wearing their pink and brown Lillian’s T-shirts. Her stomach churned in nervous anticipation, so Shari decided to forego breakfast.

  “You ready?” Belinda asked when she saw Shari.

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “You look a little tense.”

  “I’m fine. I’m fine,” Shari replied.

  “Everyone ready to go?” Drake asked. “The limousines are here.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were at the You Take the Cake studio. The director led them into the kitchen where they would be filming. The other competitors—Bliss, Sweet Tastings, Delovely Cakemakers, Double Yum Bakers and Brown Sugar Bakery were already there. Each of them had several members to their team, but none of them were as large as the Drayson clan. Shari was proud as she stood in unison with her family. They were a force to be reckoned with.

  Who she didn’t see was Dina. Typical! Dina was going to make an entrance. Why did she always have to be the center of attention?

  “If you excuse me for a minute,” Shari said to Carter, who was standing at her side. “I’m going to the restroom.” She walked the long corridor, pushed open the wooden doors and came face-to-face with Dina English.

  “Shari.” Dina’s eyes grew large when Shari walked into the restroom and she stopped powdering her nose.

  Dina had matured into a classic beauty, with fair skin and hair down to her shoulders. She wore skinny jeans, a crisp, white baking smock that read Brown Sugar Bakery and platform shoes. No cheap T-shirt for her. With her flawless makeup, Dina was as gorgeous as ever.

  “Dina.” Shari knew this day was coming—the day she’d have to face her nemesis after five years. But what surprised her most was that the anger and hurt she’d felt all those years ago at losing Grant to Dina came rushing back hard and fast at just laying eyes on her former best friend.

  “You look really good,” Dina replied, attempting to make light conversation.

  Shari didn’t answer. She merely went into the stall. She was hoping Dina would just go away, but no such luck. When she reemerged, Dina was still there, waiting for her.

  “I was hoping we could talk,” Dina said. “You know, before the competition starts.” She placed her compact back in her purse and snapped it shut. She turned around to face Shari.

  “I have nothing to say to you, Dina.” Shari washed her hands, careful not to make eye contact with the woman.

  “Now, I know you’re lying,” Dina responded. “I’ve known you a long time, Shari Drayson, and I can tell when you’re lying.”

  Shari spun on her heels and spat out, “You don’t know the first thing about me, Dina.”

  Dina held up her hands in a defensive mode. “Whoa! I knew you were upset with me, but...”

  “But what?” Shari said, walking closer toward Dina until their faces were inches apart. “You didn’t think I’d be upset that you stole from my family or that you stole Grant from me?”

  “I didn’t steal Grant,” Dina responded, stepping backward. “He was never yours to begin with. You weren’t in a relationship.”

  “That’s right,” Shari said, pointing to Dina. “And you saw to that, didn’t you? As soon as you saw that we’d slept together, you sunk your claws into him as fast as you could.”

  “Grant was a great catch,” Dina replied. “And although you had a crush on him, you never made a play for him.”

  “I slept with him!” Fury boiled within Shari at Dina’s gall.

  “Yes, but then you told him it was a hookup, that it meant nothing. You left the door wide open for me and I walked through it. You have no one to blame but yourself. You let him go. If he’d been in my bed, there would have been no way I’d have let him go. You didn’t know what to do with a man like Grant. He needed a real woman, someone confident, and I stepped up to the plate.”

  Dina’s words stung. She was tapping into all Shari’s insecurities about how she wasn’t good enough. “You knew I had feelings for Grant, but you wanted him for yourself and you weren’t going to let our nearly four-year friendship stand in your way. Whatever it took, right?”

  “Shari, listen...” Dina began, but Shari interrupted her and held her hand up.

  “Well, your machinations to keep us apart didn’t work, Dina.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know you told Grant that Thomas was going to propose to me and wanted a virgin bride. You told Grant that if he pursued me he would ruin my life, my future. What other lies did you tell Grant to convince him to date you?”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Dina laughed derisively, not admitting what she’d done. “Why are we rehashing the past, anyway? What’s done is done. I married Grant.” She turned
to walk away, but Shari grabbed her arm.

  “We are not finished yet,” Shari said. “Because I have not had my say. You did nearly ruin my life, Dina. Thanks to you I had to have my son—Grant’s son—alone.”

  Shari watched as horror spread across Dina’s face. She looked as if she’d been punched in the gut. “Son?”

  Shari nodded. “Yes. My one-night stand with Grant produced a child, who, thanks to you, grew up without a father.”

  “I...I had no idea you were pregnant,” Dina responded. “No idea at all. I would never have...you know how hard it was for me not having my father around after my parents divorced.”

  “Don’t you worry about my son because your plan to keep Grant and me apart didn’t work. We’re a family now.” Shari held up her left hand to show Dina her platinum wedding band and then headed toward the door.

  “Wait!” Dina said, but Shari cut her off.

  “I have nothing further to say to you. Other than may the best bakery win. And make no doubt about it, it will be Lillian’s.”

  * * *

  Shari willed herself to calm down as she walked back into the kitchen, but her blood was boiling. She knew her face had to beet-red because Dina had pushed all her buttons. Dina had pretty much implied that it was her fault that Andre didn’t have a father. Was she right? Even if she had wanted to get involved with Grant after that night together, Dina had jumped on him so fast, Shari hadn’t had a chance to tell him her true feelings. Perhaps if she’d been confident back then, she wouldn’t have allowed Dina to get in her way.

  “There you are.” Grandma Lillian came rushing toward her. “Where have you been? The director was going over all the details of the challenge.”

  “I’m here now, Grandma.”

  “I need you focused, Shari,” she urged, tugging Shari’s arm along. “That’s the key to winning this thing. I can’t have your mind elsewhere.”

  “You don’t have to worry,” Shari responded, patting her grandmother’s arm as Dina entered the room. She saw Dina looking her way. She was clearly as shaken up as Shari by their encounter in the ladies’ restroom, but Shari had to ignore her. “I will give it everything I’ve got. We will win this competition.”