“As you can see, I’m driving Velma’s truck, and I’m not sure what errands she may have planned for later, so I’d better get it back,” she said, knowing full well she could have stayed. But she was too aware of the chemistry floating between them, and she didn’t want to mix business with the pleasure-filled thoughts consuming her every fiber.
“I’ll be back and forth over the next week or so, but I should be fully moved into the cottage in about two weeks.”
“Take your time, the cottage, the restaurant, are yours,” Alonzo said.
“Enjoy your day, and don’t work too hard,” she said.
“Thank you, and you be careful on the road,” he offered, walking her out to the truck. “See you soon.”
“See you soon,” Loretta sang as she headed out of the driveway back toward Velma’s home.
Chapter 8
Velma tiptoed up the basement stairs when she heard her pickup truck pulling back up into the yard. She hadn’t expected Loretta back so soon. She hadn’t quite finished her visit, but she would visit again, at another time.
Glancing over her shoulder, she felt what she was sure were weary eyes peering up at her from the darkness below.
Velma eased the hidden door closed behind her with a quickness, and set the alarm code behind the faux electric box to the left of the hidden wall concealing the basement door.
Just as Loretta entered the house, Velma turned to greet her.
“So, how did it go?”
Loretta gave her a quizzical look. For some reason, Velma looked like the cat that had just eaten the canary. Loretta glanced at the blank wall behind her.
“Earth to Loretta!” Velma said. “How’d it go?”
“I have the keys.” Loretta beamed.
“Congratulations!” Velma exclaimed, coming fast toward her friend and turning her into the breakfast nook off the kitchen. “Give me all the details, and don’t leave out a single thing.”
Loretta glanced over her shoulder at the blank wall Velma had oddly turned from, then she followed her lead into the breakfast nook. Dismissing the thought, Loretta whipped them both up a couple of her signature omelets before they sauntered out to the back porch to eat and chat.
After having breakfast, the women planned an impromptu trip to visit a few car dealerships. Loretta knew it was time to buy her own vehicle with the pending move.
Chapter 9
Two weeks later, Loretta had moved into the cottage. She didn’t have much to move, except for the soft home furnishings she’d picked up, and some casual clothes to work around the restaurant in as they were doing the construction.
She’d purchased a black Toyota FJ Cruiser with a white top to get around the valley in. Not really thinking she’d ever go for an SUV with big tires and a chromed-out look, she was surprised when it started to grow on her. Loretta could hear her son now, “Mom, you pimped your ride!” Well, she hadn’t planned on it, but the gently-used vehicle was already outfitted, and it was priced right, so she left the dealership with it.
Loretta did feel a little younger driving around in the vehicle, and the power of the strong engine was nice in the mountainous region. Giving her car the same name she’d had for her old Chevy seemed appropriate, so she called it “Cat.” Yes, she and Cat were bonding quite nicely, and she was having the time of her life taking the sharp bends and curves in the valley’s terrain with ease. Thankfully, the vehicle was roomy. Lord knows she needed all the hauling room, with all the runs she expected to be making to the neighboring city of Yukon to visit The Home Depot and that large shopping complex that had just opened.
Over the past couple of weeks, she’d handled her moving business: she’d gotten a PO Box for her forwarding mail, opened a bank account, notified everyone about her change of address, and begun to get settled in.
Things were moving along just fine.
***
It was Loretta’s first night in her cottage. She was putting away a new set of dishes she’d purchased, when the knock on the door startled her.
“Who is it?” she said in a raised voice as she came from the kitchen at the back of the cottage.
“It’s Alonzo.”
The sound of his voice made her smile. She hadn’t seen much of him over the past couple of weeks as she made trips out to the vineyard to take measurements for new equipment.
“Just a minute,” she said, taking a quick peek in the long, antique mirror hanging on the cottage wall. “It’s no use,” she mumbled to herself, feeling like she looked a rumpled mess.
Loretta was wearing a long, yellow t-shirt with a white hand towel thrown across her shoulders. Fluffy, pink socks adorned her feet, and her thick, bushy mane, which had a mind of its own, was pulled up in a ponytail on top of her head. After unpacking and moving things around a bit, she felt hot and frumpy. But she had to open the door; she couldn’t leave him standing out there.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” Alonzo said, smiling at her disheveled appearance. She looked adorable in her big socks and baggy t-shirt.
“Didn’t mean to barge in,” Alonzo said, trying hard not to stare at her full bosom and large, pointy nipple imprints visible through the thin t-shirt fabric. “Just checking to see if you need anything.”
“That’s nice, thank you,” Loretta said in a soft voice as she opened the door wider. She was not dressed for company, and she knew it, but it was too late; he’d already seen her now. “You’ll have to excuse my appearance.”
“You look fine,” he said in a raspy voice. Her curvy body made blood rush to the thick tip of his solid manhood. “I really don’t mean to intrude, I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Loretta said. “But there is one thing, since you’re here,” she gestured for him to come on inside. “The reading light next to my bed, it flickers on and off.”
“Let me take a look at it,” Alonzo said, going back to the bedroom. He noticed she already had the place looking nice. A fluffy, white down comforter was swathed across the antique-gold bed, and lace white curtains adorned the windows. The place, that had been closed up for years, was fully open with the evening breeze blowing through. A pleasant, floral scent filled the air.
“The place looks beautiful, already,” he said.
“I’m getting there,” Loretta said. “I picked up a few things.”
“You have a nice touch,” he said, going straight for the wrought-iron light jutting out from the wall next to her bed.
“I try,” she said.
“Hmm, better not use this tonight. I’ll have one of the maintenance guys replace the wiring in the morning. Just leave it off for the night. The overhead chandelier should work fine.” He gestured up toward the ceiling.
“It does,” Loretta said. “I’ve already tested it.”
“Well, do you need anything else?” he asked. “I want you to be comfortable.”
Loretta wanted to say she needed some good loving. It had been months since she’d had the touch of man, and a couple of years since she’d had actual sex. The relationship she shared with Lennie was intimate, but it had not included penetration, by her own choice, in a long time. But she was still “woman,” and she needed to feel a man’s touch, holding and caressing her every now and again. She couldn’t deny that. And Lennie had fit the bill, but not when it came to complete lovemaking. No; that part of her was sacred and would remain locked away if and until she met the right person.
“Loretta?” she heard Alonzo ask, bringing her out of deep thought. “I asked if you needed anything else tonight?”
She smiled, looking up at him. “No, I think I’m all set. Thank you,” was all she said.
“Okay, sleep well,” Alonzo said, bidding her goodnight as he left, hoping he hadn’t intruded by stopping by.
“You, too.” Loretta closed the door behind him. She peeked out the little curtained side window and watched his broad frame walk away.
Alonzo Thornton was a desirable
man.
Alonzo glanced back over his shoulder, almost catching her staring.
“Woops,” she giggled to herself, letting the curtain drop quickly.
***
Loretta was exhausted. After spending another hour getting things situated just the way she wanted them in the cottage, she sauntered out back to her verandah overlooking the vineyard.
As she sipped the crimson liquid from one of the glasses in her new wine glass set, she smiled. She had done it; life was starting over, again, and it was a nice one. She knew the restaurant would not open without some hiccups, but she was grateful for the challenge.
Her old life in Detroit was fast-becoming a distant memory. It had been rough being alone, without the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her days with. But she had come full circle, and she felt brand new, young, vibrant, and filled with joy.
Loretta didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world but right there, in the beautiful life, through the grace of God, she’d created for herself. The Lord was good … and she was thankful. She lifted her glass and toasted toward the sun setting in the distance. From this day forward, she decided, every second of every day would be filled doing the things she enjoyed, and there would be nothing but happiness in her world.
Chapter 10
Loretta had been working on building out the restaurant for several weeks. It was approaching the middle of July, and her grand opening was just a month and a half away, in time for the Labor Day weekend. She still had so much to do, but things were moving along just fine.
Her routine was to get up at six a.m., have coffee and water the wild flowers in the cottage yard. She would pick a few bowls of wild grapes from her small yard vineyard and wash them in preparation for her weekend canning hobby. Loretta knew these would be great add-on sales for the restaurant.
By seven-thirty a.m., she would dart out for a quick walk around the cleared part of the grounds, which was almost three miles if she took some of the hidden vineyard trails. The walking did wonders for her heart. The chest pains she’d suffered with for years were no longer a factor. And with the regular exercise, garlic cloves, and green tea she’d added to her daily diet, she was feeling healthy and finally getting her body back in shape.
Everything was falling into place just fine, and Alonzo had continued to be invaluable, especially with the renovations.
By nine-thirty each morning, she was heading to the restaurant to oversee the crew and try to pitch in without getting in the way too much as they worked.
Alonzo would make his way over by late morning to check on things, and time permitting, jump in and do some of the manual labor with the crew.
One late July evening, Alonzo walked back out to the restaurant as the crew was leaving.
He invited Loretta to his home, saying he had something he wanted to show her.
After she closed up, she hopped into his tall truck, and they drove beyond the tall, thick trees in the distance.
“Come on in,” Alonzo invited, opening the gate to his estate home at the back of the vineyard.
“Your home is beautiful,” Loretta looked wide-eyed at the palatial property. “I had no idea all of this was back here.”
“Most people don’t,” he said. “This home was here when my father purchased the vineyard. It’s my retreat when I want to get away from it all.”
“But I thought you lived up front, in the house on the Eastern end of the vineyard.” Loretta reflected on the large, elegant home, which was not even a quarter of the estate home in which she stood.
“I do stay there,” he said. “But this is my home.”
Loretta looked around. The property resembled one of the homes in The Great Gatsby. As they made their way further inside, she could see through the parlor that most of the furnishings were covered with large, white sheets. Alonzo guided her through the wide, marble foyer through a side door that led to a long kitchen. The room, which resembled a servant’s work kitchen, held a set of doors that led downstairs to the spacious cellar.
The tall, stone cellar was adorned with an ornate, arched ceiling resembling that of a monastery. The large room was filled with tables, chairs, and other restaurant furniture. Piles of porcelain dishes were stacked in various nooks and crannies.
“All these things were left by Marissa, years ago,” Alonzo offered with a gesture.
“Beautiful,” Loretta said, fingering some of the furnishings.
“I thought you might like to use some of them for the restaurant.”
Loretta’s eyes danced on several pieces of decorative ironwork, pottery, cobalt blue candle decorations lining the shelves of the cellar. Traditional Italian pottery was heavily clustered in one area of the room. Loretta walked around the space, fingering several tall oil paintings that depicted the Italian countryside leaning against the walls. She could see his wife had an excellent sense of style.
“Everything down here is at your disposal, if you’d like to use them, “Alonzo said, watching her explore dishes and long-stemmed glasses. He liked seeing her in his space. Alonzo didn’t come out to the estate home that often, because it was too lonely and held memories he’d tried for years to forget.
“Thank you,” she said. “Yes, this will give me a great head start.”
“No problem,” Alonzo said. “Just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll arrange for a couple of the workmen to meet with you so you can have things you like moved at your leisure.”
“You are too kind, Alonzo. I don’t want it to be any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” he said, looking at her with a mesmerizing gaze.
“Well, I want you to know I appreciate it very much,” she said, trying to stave off the involuntary urge to blush as she melted into the familiar intense stare she’d experienced over the weeks that made her warm and fuzzy on the inside.
“You’re welcome,” he said. He enjoyed watching her as she turned around and fingered piles of décor and pieces of artwork.
***
A little bit later, as Alonzo was guiding the truck back to her cottage to take her home, Loretta had a thought.
“You’ve been so kind to me, Alonzo. I want to repay you. Let me take you out to dinner this weekend?” she heard herself offer.
Loretta held her breath.
Had she just invited him out? Yes, she had, and she hoped he’d say yes.
Alonzo looked over at her, wondering if this was truly a colleague invite, or something more. There was something going on between them that was unspoken. He had in inkling she felt the same attraction to him as he did to her, but it was not his place to cross the professional line. So he hoped she was finally doing it.
“Is this really a thank you gesture, or are you asking me out on date, Miss Devon?” he smiled.
If Loretta could have changed colors, she knew she would have. He had seen through her ploy.
She pursed her lips playfully. “That depends,” she said.
“Depends on what?” Alonzo asked, pulling the truck up in front of her cottage. He turned to look at her, his deep voice rousing the sleeping petals of her passion.
Loretta wondered if he knew that just the mention of his name made her all giddy inside. They’d been working side by side for weeks now, and she knew he was just as attracted to her as she was to him, but something else was happening along with her passionate thoughts. She found herself missing him when he wasn’t around at the worksite; she found herself wondering what he was doing in the evenings when he went home; what he was reading or watching on television at night; what he’d eaten for dinner; whether or not he prayed before he slipped into bed; and what he did to ease his sexual tensions in his down time.
Her almost every waking thought was about Alonzo. She wondered if he could see that in her eyes when he looked at her.
Mixing business with pleasure be-damned, she liked this man, and life was just too short to play games. She was going on 50 years old, and Alonzo was a few years ahead of her
. There was no more time to waste.
“It depends on your answer,” she said.
“Well, my answer is yes,” Alonzo said, his lips curling seductively.
She exhaled secretly. “Good,” she said, hopping out of the truck. “It’s a date then.”
He threw his head back and laughed out loud. “It’s a date indeed,” he said. “And I look forward to it.”
“Saturday, eight o’clock good?” she asked.
“Perfect,” he said.
“And I’ll pick you up,” she said. “Because I’m taking you out.”
“Alright then.” Alonzo wasn’t used to being courted by a woman, but Loretta’s forwardness turned him on. He loved her moxie. “You can pick me up back there,” he said, gesturing back to the estate home beyond the trees they’d just left. He had a sudden urge to be back in the family home again.
From This Day Forward: Multicultural Romance Page 6