Playing for Keeps

by Rhonda Laurel

  “Jason, it’s been ages. What brings you back to Philly?” Morgan said.

  “Visiting family. I try to get back here every couple of years.”

  Trina angled her phone. “What have you been up to?”

  “Living my life in Michigan. I’m married and I have two kids now.”

  Morgan smiled. “I have four. Isabelle has two. Charisma’s expecting baby number one.”

  “I heard about that on the news.” He looked at Charisma. “Congratulations. You look like a glowing, stunning, expectant mother. You all look beautiful. I always said it was amazing how so many attractive women were in the same family.”

  “Thanks.”

  Trina squinted at him. “Tell me Jason, did you try the sample platter for lunch? You definitely tried to sample your way around our family tree.”

  “No, I had the baked chicken.” Jason cleared his throat. “Morgan, Seth really went out at the top of his game. He truly is one of the greatest who ever played the game.”

  Morgan smiled. “He’s an even better husband and father.”

  Jason turned to Charisma. “Derek is an amazing player and a credit to hockey. I saw him play against the Detroit Raptors last year.”

  “I remember that game. The Raptors got their asses spanked that night.” She grinned.

  He sighed. “The Pirates are a formidable team.”

  “They have the best goalie in the NHL. Derek doesn’t let anything get past him,” Charisma replied.

  “No, he doesn’t.” Jason turned to Morgan. “Morgan, the Tomcats have improved tremendously since Seth became part owner of the team.”

  “He’s a great motivator and he doesn’t like to lose.”

  The table fell quiet as Jason stood there like he was trying to get up the courage to say something. He shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m glad the two of you are here. I have something to say.”

  “No, you don’t Jason,” Charisma said. “Morgan and I reconciled that part of our past a long time ago. You apologizing isn’t necessary. Turns out, it wasn’t really about you.”

  “It was our nature to fight over things,” Morgan quipped. “If we hadn’t argued over you at that barbecue, it would have been over the last ear of corn or glass of iced tea.”

  “You know how you two both like grandma’s potato salad,” Trina chimed in.

  Isabelle put her finger to her lips. “I’ve seen Morgan stab Charles in the hand for the last slice of red velvet cake.”

  “Yeah, it was kind of a plug and play scenario.” Charisma sighed. “Sorry we used you to sort out our issues.”

  “Oh. OK. If we’re good then…” he stammered.

  Morgan smiled. “I’m glad we ran into you though. Tell the wife we said hello.”

  He smiled and nodded. “Good-bye, ladies. And thanks for the scotch.”

  “Good-bye, Jason.” Charisma and Morgan waved at him.

  The ladies broke out into giggles as Jason slunk back to his table. Conchita came back with their appetizers and they dug in.

  “That apology was totally ego-driven,” Morgan said as she scooped some spinach dip onto a chip.

  “You know that when he brags about dating both of you he mentions Seth and Derek, right?” Isabelle bit into the sweet potato chip.

  “He probably insinuates that if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be with them,” Charisma added. That was pure Jason, shaping the facts to fit his ego.

  “It’s kind of true.” Morgan shrugged. “He still has those beady, cheating eyes. I wonder if he’s faithful to his wife.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Let’s change the subject.” Charisma sipped her ginger ale. “Derek’s thinking about adding live entertainment to the Slap Shot, and I suggested Trina.”

  “You did what!” Trina squeaked.

  Isabelle beamed. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  Morgan chuckled. “Finally, you’re doing something with those lungs besides spreading family gossip.”

  They all laughed. Morgan was always saying something Grandma Reed would say.

  Charisma smiled as her cousins kept gabbing and eventually changed the subject to Trina’s specialty: family gossip.

  So far, it had been a pretty good day. The wedding attire had been decided on and the ladies had even found bridesmaids dresses they liked. She liked the plum and mauve color scheme she’d selected. Now all she had to do was find Grandma Reed something nice to wear with one of her trademark church hats. Her parents had been given an invitation, hand delivered by her, but for the first time since she could remember Debra didn’t want to be part of the planning. That left her surprised and more than a little hurt.

  She had to focus on the good things in her life. She’d finally found her dream dress and she’d come face to face with a notorious person from her past and escaped unscathed. She’d known Morgan would say something snappy, but the two of them together put Jason in the proper context—in the past where he belonged.

  The sun was setting while they ate their entrees. It was the preseason for Derek, and he’d gone back to his routine of going to the rink to skate and strategize the new season. She hoped the baby and wedding wouldn’t be a distraction for him. He had to keep his head in the game if he was going to keep those perfect teeth in his mouth. He was still one of the only players in the league who didn’t have false teeth, and she wanted to keep it that way.

  * * *

  Charisma made her away around the office trying to avoid Itza. The perky receptionist was adamant about keeping her promise to Jared that Charisma not lift a finger. She’d argued with her architect cousin all morning about her being in the office at all. Sure the wedding was a few days away, but there were tons of notes to leave for her people so they could finish the scheduled projects…with her final approvals of course. Jared took the opportunity to gloat about her obsessive work habits before he went to a business meeting with a client. At least she got to watch Bingo, who he’d brought to work with him, while he was out.

  Charisma went into the break room to look for a treat for Bingo. Derek would be picking her up soon for her doctor’s appointment and their counseling session with Reverend Johnson. She got a text from Trina, who said that actress Piper, yet another one of Derek’s ex-girlfriends, had been interviewed saying they’d had a near miss with matrimony with him. The crazies were out in full force and all of them had tales of almost being Mrs. Derek Popovich. He tried to keep a sense of humor about it, and he didn’t freak out as much as she’d guessed he would when she told him she’d run into Jason.

  Then again, that was a coincidental run in. Lamont’s gestures with his presents were intentional. She’d rejected yet another gift last month and wondered how long it would take for him to get the hint. Trina joked about Lamont making a dramatic scene at the church on the day of the wedding. Seth suggested they have some extra Regency personnel there just in case he was dumb enough to try something foolish.

  In a few days, they would be married. She wasn’t up to going out for a bachelorette party so she decided to have a slumber party at her grandmother’s house instead. She couldn’t remember the last time all of the cousins spent the night together. Derek would be spending the evening with Alex, Seth, and the boys at the Slap Shot. He’d closed the bar so they could get together to play cards, drink, and talk crap to one another. He promised they wouldn’t get too rowdy, but she knew she had nothing to worry about it.

  Everything was fine until Itza peeked her head into the break room.

  “Uh, Charisma. You have a visitor.”

  “Who is it now? I thought I cleared my calendar.” She sipped on some herbal tea while she fed Bingo biscuits.

  Itza gulped. “I don’t want to alarm you.”

  Charisma rubbed her belly. “You do know that when you say that to people, it has the opposite effect?”

  “It’s Lamont Brayer.”

  “Oh.” She waved her hand. “Did he send another gift? See if you can catch
the delivery guy and save him a return trip to pick it up.”

  “He’s here. In the reception area. With a box.”

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “Is it ticking?”

  “No. It has a big bow on it like the one we returned last month.”

  What the hell was Lamont doing here? Did her mother have something to do with the visit? He had to be crazy to come here with Jared around. Sure, Jared was out at an appointment right now, but it was a safe assumption for anyone that he’d be in the building. He might be a mild-mannered architect, but Jared could muster up a whole heap of Reed crazy when necessary. Karma was certainly coming back to bite her on the butt. First she’d seen Jason at that restaurant, now Lamont showed up. Either way, she was through hiding from him. The baby’s sharp kick signaled it was time for mommy to grow a pair and face her fears.

  “We have to work on your delivery when giving someone bad news,” She said warmly to Itza. Crazy scenarios raced through her head as she waddled to the reception area. “Come on, Bingo.”

  When she reached the reception area, she noticed Milo, Jared’s assistant was standing there with a T-square in his hands. Jessica, the office manager, had grabbed one of her precious bobble head dolls and had a death grip on it as if she intended to use it as a weapon. The IT guy was clutching a mouse. The nerdy squad of intellectuals had her back.

  “Lamont,” she said as calmly as she could.

  “Charisma, you look beautiful. Pregnancy suits you.” He looked around and smiled at the crowd. “Can we talk alone?”

  “No.” Charisma squinted at him. Bingo had gone over, sniffed Lamont, and started growling.

  “Is he dangerous?”

  “He attacks at will, so I wouldn’t make any sudden movements.” She looked at Bingo, who was still giving Lamont a full inspection. “What are you doing here?”

  “You returned my baby and engagement gifts so I thought I’d drop by and congratulate you and deliver the wedding gift in person.” He held up a big box with a bow around it.

  “You shouldn’t have, and I mean it.” She glanced at her watch. Derek would be here any moment. “What’s the reason for the visit?”

  “I’m in town selling some property and I thought I’d drop by to see how you were doing.”

  “I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.” She looked at the box but wouldn’t reach for it, so he put it on the reception desk.

  “Are you? Really?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Is your brother in town?”

  “I don’t think so. Why?” She gave him a quizzical look. Lamont was all over the map. Why did he care where Trevor was? They didn’t even know each other, unless her brother made one of his infamous surprise visits to Lamont…

  “No reason.” He looked around and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve done some changing. I went to anger management classes. It wasn’t a quick fix, so I decided to invest in some long-term therapy. I’ve become more spiritual too. I try to go to church and that’s helped me a lot. It’s even helped me in my professional life. I’ve been announcing since I retired from the NFL.”

  She’d seen him a few times commentating on different sports shows. She always changed the channel.

  “Good to hear. I’m sure the people in your life are happy you’re getting help.”

  “Letting you go is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done in my life. I know you don’t want to hear it but—”

  “You’re right, I don’t. I don’t know what it is about a wedding that makes people want to confess their past sins. The words you want to say have more meaning for you than me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Sure it is.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what you and my mom are up to, but it has to stop.”

  “Your mom? I haven’t talked to Debra in a long time. She made it clear the last time I came to town to stay away from you.”

  “She did?” That rocked her back on her heels a little.

  “Yeah. I guess she’s warmed up to Popovich.”

  Or maybe she was beginning to respect her daughter’s decisions. She’d process that later. Right now the clock was ticking to Derek’s arrival.

  “If you really wished me well, you wouldn’t drop by right before my wedding. It’s rude and inconsiderate and not nearly as romantic as I think you intended.”

  The front door opened with a gale force wind. Derek’s voice boomed out across the office. “Brayer. What the hell are you doing here?”

  Talk about déjà vu. Derek marched toward Lamont, but Charisma stepped in front of him.

  “Hi, sweetie.” She took his hands in hers. It was the only way she could guarantee that he wouldn’t throw a punch.

  “Did he do anything to you?”

  Suddenly Bingo started growling at Lamont like crazy. Charisma tried to calm him, but he wouldn’t stop. Bingo liked Derek and was probably picking up on his tension. With one command from Derek, the pooch calmed down and came over and sat next to her again.

  “I’m fine. Lamont came by with a wedding gift for us, but I was just about to tell him to donate it to charity. We have so many friends and family sending us things, his would be better served somewhere else.”

  “No more gifts, Brayer,” Derek said.

  “I get the message, loud and clear.” He picked up his gift and headed for the door. “You’re a lucky man Popovich.”

  Derek’s jaw ticked. “Damn right.”

  “I wish you both nothing but happiness.”

  “All the same, let me escort you outside.” Derek smiled at Charisma. “I’ll be right back, babe.”

  Charisma held her breath as they walked out of the office together. Derek said he was letting it go, so she had to trust that he was doing just that. Lamont looked surprised to see him and looked even more worried when he mentioned Trevor. She didn’t understand why he still insisted on going through all this trouble just to give them a present. It wasn’t worth the various scenarios he must have thought about, some of which must have involved him being turned into a pretzel.

  She looked at her watch. He should have come back by now. Maybe she should send one of the guys outside to make sure everything was OK. As soon as he returned to the office a few minutes later with not a hair out of place or bruised knuckles, Charisma threw her arms around Derek. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For fighting every instinct to pummel him.” She smiled. “You didn’t hit him outside, did you?”

  “Lamont and I just set a record for coming to an understanding.” He looked at her. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Guinness Book of World Records contacts me tomorrow.”

  “What did you—?”

  He kissed her. “Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?”

  “Yeah, when I was eating that bagel this morning.” She knew his diversion tactics well.

  “We have to get going if we’re going to make our appointments.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Charisma didn’t know whether to cry or pace, so she opted to do both. Since the moment she’d opened her eyes this morning, everything had been going to pot.

  She woke at five in the morning and readied for Ethel’s visit to the house to get started on the hair and makeup only to get a call that Ethel had gotten into a car accident and would meet her at the church. Grandma Reed told her to take a deep breath, there was a hiccup at every wedding and this was it. She just needed to adjust her schedule.

  But it only got worse. She and Trina arrived at the church via the limousine only the find the flowers were wrong. Her soft pastel theme had been replaced with a neon green atrocity that was more suitable for a wedding at a seventies disco. Trina immediately got on the phone and called the florist, while they continued to the room where she’d be changing. She hung up her dress and was taking a look at it only to find it had a rip in the train.

  She shook her head in disbelief. “This can’t be happening.”

/>   “Maybe it won’t be noticeable.” Trina grimaced. “Maybe the seamstress can—”

  “She’s on her way to Italy.” The woman had droned on about that trip every time Charisma had a fitting.

  She sank down on the chair as Trina started dialing frantically on her cell phone. Her stress level was just about through the roof when there was a thunderous knock on the door. Just then, the rest of the ladies decided to show up at the exact moment when she’d decided to have a nervous breakdown. They filed into the room and looked at her.

  “Hey, honey. What’s going on?” The sympathy in Isabelle’s voice comforted her.

  “Everything is a mess.” She burst into tears. “Ethel got into a car accident and she said she’d meet us here, but I haven’t heard from her since. Did you see my circus flowers out there instead of my elegant floral arrangements? My bouquet looks like something a clown would use in his act. Oh, and my train is ripped.”

  Her cousin Beverly gulped. “I really hate to be the bearer of more bad news. Ethel’s injury is more severe than she thought. They’re taking her to the hospital.”

  “If this was a storybook romance, it would be in the horror section of Reed Bradley. I can’t do this. All that’s missing is a plague of locusts and the caterer canceling.” Charisma heaved. “This is a sign I shouldn’t get married.”

  Morgan tried to comfort her. “The bible burning in Rev. Johnson’s hands during the ceremony is a sign you shouldn’t get married. The rest of this was nothing more than a blooper real for a reality show, and you know mishaps are faked for ratings.”

  “I don’t want ratings and news coverage. I just want to marry Derek today and share this moment with the people I love most. My family and friends. Did you see the game the other night? Those hockey idiots got into a fight. Half my guests are coming here with black eyes. I knew Lamont showing up at Reed Designs was an omen.” She sniffed.

  “No, Lamont showing up at your work was his last act of desperation. It has no bearing on this day.” Morgan stood and put her hand on her hip. “I’ve never met two people who deserve to get married more than you and Derek. Don’t you dare even think of giving up now. Because Derek said he’d marry you today even if his eyebrows were on fire. So this wedding is happening and it will be perfect or I’ll make such a fuss the city of Philadelphia will think there’s a second American Revolution taking place.”