Her admission about her problem hadn’t brought a reaction. She didn’t know whether that was bad or not. Although she was grateful that he didn’t condemn her, she suspected that it didn’t warm his heart. But he had been so sweet while he helped her move. Maybe there was hope. He had said he appreciated her honesty.
A week later, Denise spent another long evening at her desk. Again, she waved at the cleaning service as they began their duties. She turned her attention to the computer monitor, studying the spreadsheet she’d created.
She could take this stuff home and work on it; however, her mood wasn’t terribly upbeat. She and Jaden had played telephone tag. The longer the gap grew from the time she had spoken to Jaden, the worse her temper got.
The good news was that he had mentioned how much he missed her. All she could settle on was listening to his voice on the answering machine.
Her computer beeped, alerting her that there was a new e-mail message.
She clicked on the screen.
Hey, Soror, Have you heard the latest? Can’t seem to get in touch with you. Sara set a date for the wedding. Finally. In three months. Can you believe that she’s doing it so quickly? Probably scared that she can’t pin down Jackson. LOL. Buzz me.
Sisterly,
Athena.
Denise clapped her hands and pumped her fist in the air. This was absolutely fantastic news. Sara would be the first in their inner circle to be married.
Each soror had talked about her fantasy wedding. But Denise had problems imagining anything beyond a small, family affair in the backyard. Why have anything lavish when you stood a great chance of ending in divorce court?
Sara had found her soul mate. Denise didn’t think that she’d be that lucky. She replied to Athena’s e-mail.
I’m still working. Ready to fall over. Thanks for the good news. So we’re looking at a wedding in the dead of summer. Hope it’s not outdoors.
D—
Denise finished up her work and shut down her computer. She stretched her neck and shoulders. Right now she would pay a hefty price for a massage. She packed her briefcase and headed home. The best she could do would be to turn her showerhead to pulse and let the water stream beat down on her back.
When she arrived home, there was a note pinned to her door. She looked around to see if anyone was waiting for her to open the door. Rather than hang outside reading the note, she opened the door quickly and closed it behind her, turning the locks.
The message brought a huge grin. She called Jaden’s cell phone. “Stop scaring me. Come in.” When she heard his footsteps, she looked through the peephole then opened the door.
He greeted her with a wet, sloppy kiss. “I missed you. It’s been a crazy week. I can’t believe that we haven’t had a chance to see each other.”
“I kind of thought that you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
“Stop thinking like that.” He kissed her again. She loved the strength of his arms around her. He made her feel wanted and desirable. She answered his kiss with equal passion.
She kicked off her shoes and headed for the kitchen. “Want a turkey sandwich?”
“Sure.”
As she gathered the ingredients for their sandwiches, she updated him on Sara’s new turn of events. He peppered the conversation with lots of questions about how they had gotten Jackson back into Sara’s life and the romantic details.
“Didn’t realize that you were so romantic. You love a happy ending,” Jaden said, taking a bag of barbecue potato chips from her.
“Romance has its plus side.” She grinned, loving the way he smiled at her. “I’d say we’re having a pretty good one.” She pushed it into the center of the conversation without a backup plan in case he pushed it right off to the side.
He sighed with a satisfied grin on his face. She couldn’t tell whether he was happy from eating the barbecue chips or because he agreed with her. When he didn’t open his eyes, she tossed a crust of bread at him, hitting him squarely on the forehead.
“What?”
“When you describe us to people, what do you say?”
He looked up at the ceiling, making popping sounds with his lips. Then he arched an eyebrow. “You know what, I don’t talk about us.” He raised his hand when she shot forward. “And I don’t talk about us because I’m a very private person.”
“That may be so, but there has to be someone you confide in. I have my sorority sisters and I’m closer to them than my real sister.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Guess I can say the same about me and my brother. I do have a good buddy from college. His name is Leonard. I would probably confide in him.”
“But you didn’t.” Denise noted the nervous tapping of his foot. She wanted to know the whys of Jaden’s thought process. His answers would reveal a lot, but if he chose not to answer, she’d know more than she wanted to.
“Like I said, I keep things close.” He balled his hand into a fist and pounded his chest. “Leonard has a wife on bed rest. At this point, I listen to him.”
Denise stopped probing. As close as they were, she realized there was a lot that she didn’t know. Did Jaden talk on the phone about the latest basketball scores with his friends? Did he volunteer at a homeless shelter? Or did he suffer from road rage? Did he double dip his chips?
“I’m not that complicated. You’re making things bigger than they have to be. Remember, I’m your friendly neighborhood contractor.”
“What about me? What would you like to know?” She propped her chin on her hand and waited.
“I think anything that I want to know, I can get from your sorority sisters.”
“Oh, really? They are sworn to secrecy.”
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
“Who are you calling?”
“Athena.”
Denise sprang out of the chair and circled the table. But Jaden was too fast and jumped up from the table, heading down the hall toward the doors leading to the deck.
“Athena. Hi, it’s Jaden. Yeah, how are you?” He restrained Denise on a nearby sofa with one arm across her chest. “We have this bet going on. What was Denise’s weight in college?”
Denise laughed and screamed at the same time. “Don’t tell him. Don’t!”
Jaden grinned at her and snapped the phone closed. Then he walked past her and headed into the bathroom. “Are you coming?”
Denise debated calling Athena to find out what she’d told Jaden. But her line sister wouldn’t betray her, or would she? And of all things to ask—her weight.
“I can hear you thinking from up here.”
“Good, then you know what I’m thinking right now.” She smiled. She hoped this man would be around for a long time.
“Uh-oh.”
She listened to Jaden’s heavy footsteps coming down the steps. She didn’t move from the sofa. Instead he moved into her view with a boyish grin.
“Don’t even think about it.” Denise squirmed away from his attempt to kiss her.
“It’s going to be a cold night, huh?”
“I should think so.”
“What if I told you that she didn’t tell me anything. Call her.”
She shifted her position.
“Or you could just trust me that I didn’t hear anything.”
Denise looked at the phone on the side table, then up at him. “I’ll trust you.”
“Your mouth is saying one thing, but those eyes…” He shook his head. “I feel there’s more.”
“I want to meet Leonard. I want you to bring me into your world.”
Jaden showed his surprise. A small frown played with his furrowed brow. He still hadn’t met her gaze. Unease churned her stomach. His hesitation alarmed her.
“How about meeting my parents?”
“I’m judging that you’re doing this under duress. I don’t want it to be that way.” Denise backed off.
“Will you come to bed?”
Denise looked at her watch. “Good grief, I have a
n early day ahead of me.” She walked up the stairs with Jaden. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
“The only reason that I’m hesitant is because of the problems with my brother and its effect on my family. I don’t want to bring you into something tense.”
Denise heard beyond the words he uttered. Her family situation wasn’t ideal, either. And she didn’t entertain the notion of bringing Jaden into that mess. Nevertheless, getting the approval of a significant family member was part of elevating a relationship.
She observed the ease with which he moved around her room. They enjoyed each other physically, but there was more to them than the orgasmic pleasure they got from each other.
“I look forward to meeting your parents.” She slipped under the covers and waited for him to join her.
He gently drew her to him and she snuggled against the warmth of his body. Her muscles relaxed as her mind drifted lazily, on the verge of falling asleep. She felt his tender kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into his embrace. “You’re still not getting any.”
Denise would rather be anywhere than sitting in a restaurant with her sister. “Aren’t you going to order something?”
“I told you that I don’t like Thai. Yet you insist on having me meet you in these places.” Thea sniffed, visibly distressed by her surroundings.
“Then you should’ve picked the place.”
“I didn’t want to inconvenience you.”
“Too late.”
Thea glared. “It’s Mom and Dad’s anniversary. We need to plan a party.”
“It’s not a milestone. There’s no need to go over the top.” Denise looked down the pages of the oversize menu. Photos of the various dishes added to her longing for Thai. It was a toss-up between beef kee mao and pad thai. Normally her sorors would share with her, but she knew better than to make such a suggestion to Thea.
“I think otherwise.” Thea pulled out a colorful brochure and set it down on the table with a punctuated thud. “This place would be fabulous. They can have a seated dinner, live music and a good number of guests. The best thing is that the facility has a screen and projector. We could show pictures of them through their marriage.” Thea beamed over the disclosure of her ideas.
Instead of immediately responding, Denise placed her order. She ordered the pad thai for lunch and the kee mao for dinner. With the generous portions, she’d have leftovers for the remainder of the week.
“Let me handle the agenda and you can handle the guest lists,” Thea said. “Your busy schedule shouldn’t be affected.”
“Thea, you have no idea what my day is like.”
“And whose fault is that?” Thea grimaced when the food arrived. She placed a delicate finger under her nose. “We barely see you. When we do, you’re at war with all of us. We are worried about you. Is everything okay? That guy at the casino party. Is that the latest guy in your life? He looks a little regular.” She stopped when Denise pointed her fork at her. “If that’s what makes you happy,” Thea continued, “go ahead.”
Denise clamped her mouth shut. Almost. She had almost fallen into the trap. Thea was trying to bait her and did this intricate dance to find out about Jaden. Instead of answering Thea’s list of questions, Denise dug into her food, enjoying the sweet, nutty flavor of the pad thai.
“You’re being stubborn, you know. Fine. Don’t talk about your new man. The guest list?”
“I’ll work on the list. Get me the names and addresses.”
“I also have another idea. I want Dad and his brother to make up. I want to invite him to the anniversary as a surprise.”
Denise looked up sharply. “Does Mom know about this?”
Thea shook her head. “Could you hurry up and eat that stuff? You do realize that shrimp are scavengers.”
“I’m not sure the reunion schtick is a good idea. Maybe Dad has a good reason for not dealing with Floyd anymore.”
“I think it’s about time that we bring Uncle Floyd in from exile. I also want Nate to fly in from whatever remote place he’s in, so all of us, the siblings, will be here.” Thea leaned closer. “Please, Denise, don’t make things difficult. I want us to be the way we used to be. One big happy family.” She reached over and held Denise’s hand.
“Everything else I can live with,” Denise replied. “But Floyd doesn’t need to be invited.” Then she looked at her sister’s stubborn countenance. “Wait a minute. Have you been in touch with him?”
Thea didn’t meet her scrutiny, although she shook her head.
“I don’t believe you. Tell me you didn’t contact him.”
“Why? Because you say so?” Thea gathered up her pocketbook. “You’re not in control of this.” She rose from her seat. “Let’s meet again. Next time, we will meet at the Tea Palace.”
“When is Dad returning? It’s this Sunday, isn’t it?”
Thea stopped her departure abruptly. “Don’t you dare.”
“I’ll be over on Sunday.”
Thea headed back to the table; then, just before she started talking, she stopped and walked away.
Denise signaled the waitress and asked for her bill. In a matter of minutes, she had exited the restaurant with her meal in hand. Before, she had been mildly irritated by Thea and her grand plans, but now she was beyond furious with her sister’s latest strategy.
Floyd, and he would never be her uncle, had no business near her parents. If she never saw him again she wouldn’t be sad. So many years had gone by but she’d never forget.
Jaden arrived back at his home since he didn’t have any meetings that morning. He’d work out before meeting with his project manager for a final status report on Denise’s property. Even though he benefited greatly from this project, he always got a sense of pride for completing one.
His good mood evaporated in a whiff. Calvin was prone against his front door. The smell of sweat, alcohol and body odor surrounded him in an invisible cloud. Jaden stood over his brother’s still body, listening to the soft buzz of his snore.
He glanced around, wondering if any of his neighbors had caught an eyeful. He stooped over Calvin, nudging him with the back of his hand. When his brother didn’t budge, he pushed against him much harder.
“Wh-what! Get…” Calvin’s hand flailed in the air. Jaden tilted his head back to avoid getting hit in the nose.
“Look, get up, Calvin.” He leaned in close to Calvin’s ear. “Move it!”
Calvin opened his eyes and yawned, his breath filled with alcohol vapors. “You are loud and obnoxious.” He rolled onto his side and began to make himself comfortable.
“Oh, no, you don’t. Sleeping time on the front porch is over. I will help you up.” Jaden placed his forearms under his brother’s armpits. “Come on, move it.”
His brother didn’t cooperate until Jaden shook his shoulder with great force. As Calvin uttered a string of curses, Jaden shifted his weight and used his leg muscles to heft Calvin from a prone position to stand relatively upright. His legs buckled and couldn’t seem to gain stability.
“Calvin, you’ve got to help.” Jaden stumbled with his brother’s weight into the house. He couldn’t close the door without losing his burden. They barely made it to the sofa before he fell, with Calvin pinning him.
At this point, he didn’t care to be considerate and pushed Calvin off his body. Now wasn’t the time to lecture him. He closed the front door. Disgusted, he went up to his room and prepared for bed.
Initially he’d planned to come home, call Denise and flirt outrageously over the phone. He would declare to no one that he was smitten. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about her. And when he was in her presence, he wanted to touch her, to permanently etch into his memory the softness of her skin, the gentle, floral scent of her cologne or the sweet taste of her lips.
A huge risk loomed ahead at the thought of bringing her into his hectic family life. He feared that whatever feelings she would have for him may turn to revulsion with the ugliness of alcoholis
m and its side effects on his family.
He wanted Denise to believe that she was more to him than a fling. Short of telling her that he loved her, he had to rely on certain sincere acts. Saying “I love you” was out of the question. People changed when love entered the game.
Jaden drifted to sleep with the image of Denise smiling up at him in her sexy red nightie.
“Jaden!”
Jaden awoke with a start. His eyes opened, staring at his wall. The room was dark. He blinked, wondering if it was morning.
He sensed someone in the room with him. He turned over, scanning the room since his eyes had gotten used to the darkness.
“Jaden.”
“Calvin?” He saw a dark, hulking shape near his door, close to the floor. “Calvin?” He rose from the bed and hurried over to his brother who was taken over by dry heaves. Jaden didn’t know what to do, how to give comfort or take away the obvious pain.
Instead of listening to his brother’s moans through the night, he dialed the emergency number. He ran down to unlock the door and leave it slightly ajar. Then he ran back to his brother, who was now facedown, clammy and listless. Jaden stayed at his side, wiping the moisture from his face with the comforter he’d pulled off his bed.
Finally he heard the siren approach. After the sound of doors slamming, someone knocked at the front door.
“Come in, I’m up here. Come up the stairs.” He leaned out into the hallway, hoping to see them in a matter of seconds.
On cue, a paramedic appeared and then another. They promptly identified themselves, then turned their attention to Calvin.
“He’s been drinking. I don’t know how much or how long ago. I left him on the sofa downstairs. He looked as if he was asleep. I came up here and crashed. Then he woke me up, calling my name.”
“So he was conscious?” The first paramedic, who looked like he’d barely passed his teens, was checking his pulse.
Gamble on Love Page 11