Pearl rushed over, “You okay?” she touched her sister’s shoulder. The one thing big sisters could always do was see through the phony smiles. Diamond’s eyes told her that all was not well.
“Other than being a public nuisance, I’m fine,” Diamond replied without looking up.
Grant also began to assist with gathering the papers she had dropped. “I wouldn’t say you were a public nuisance, just my personal damsel in distress.”
“You two know each other?” Xavier asked.
“We bumped into each other before. ” Grant explained as he held out his hand to help Diamond to her feet.
Pearl and Xavier stood just as Reese called out. “Xavier we have a situation.”
“Go on Xavier, I’ll get this.” Diamond stated too embarrassed to want anyone around.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I have it covered,” she replied.
Pearl looked at her sister and frowned as Xavier walked off. “What did he do this time?”
Looking for a reason to not answer her sister she turned to the man who had saved her from injury twice. “I am so sorry this happened again. Please, I promise not to walk in public ever again.”
That brought the nicest smile to his face. “I think it would be a crime to withhold such a beautiful face from public viewing. How about I promise to be around to catch you every time you fall?”
Pearl turned on the man with hands on hips and a scowl on her face, “She has six brothers and a father that’s taller than you to handle that.”
“Really,” Grant replied without taking his eyes from Diamond. “Well, just in case you may need me again, my name is Grant Hutchison. Here’s my card.” He handed the card to Diamond. “I’m very interested in The Tower Condominiums. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience.” He turned to walk away but stopped. “My personal cell number is on the back if you need to be rescued before then.” He smiled and walked out of the door.
Pearl watched her sister tuck the card away without a second thought. “Do you know who that is?”
Diamond looked at the card, “Yes, Grant Hutchison.”
“No, not just Grant Hutchison, he is the Grant Hutchison of Hutchison Plantations. Do you realize that man just came on to you? And what is he talking about—if you need to be rescued again?”
Diamond waved off the question. “It was nothing. I’m going to drop these papers off in The Tower office then begin to close things down. Are you about to leave?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay then. I’ll see you at home.” Diamond walked off.
Pearl watched her little sister and was concerned with the sadness she saw in her eyes. This was the no-drama- always-upbeat sister—the one that helped everyone else through their problems. Now she was dealing with rejection from a man she believes she is in love with and Pearl didn’t know how to help her. She went through something similar when she was younger and the only thing that pulled her through was family. Diamond wasn’t the kind to respond to sympathy but she always responded to being needed. It was time for the family meeting. They had to do something to make this hurt go down a little easier for Diamond.
Shaking her head Pearl walked out of the door of the ballroom and into the middle of a scene with Zackary, Xavier and a beautiful woman she did not know. As she listened it became apparent that Diamond’s unknown nemesis was in the building.
Celeste Blanchard. Zackary stared at the woman he craved with a vengeance during college. There was no denying, she was still a beautiful woman. A little fuller at the top, but that only added to her allure. But he knew what lay beneath, a cold heartless woman that only cared about the status in life a man could give her. Of all the people he expected to see, she was the last on the list. "I can't imagine why you would want to make your presence here known to me." He turned to walk away.
"Do you seriously think I would give you an opportunity to humiliate me if it wasn't important?"
Zack turned back to her anxiety-filled voice. He knew the voice, remembered hearing it when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, when her grades almost got her kicked out of college and the night he told her he was leaving school. He frowned at the feeling he always got to make things better for her. "Whatever your problem is I'm not the man to solve it."
"On the contrary Zack, you may be the only man I know that can."
“This isn’t the place for you Celeste,” Xavier stated then turned to Reese. “Would you escort Ms. Blanchard from the building?”
"Well Xavier, you've grown up.” Celeste sneered as she yanked her arm away from Reese. “Congratulations on your success. It' good to know Zack's sacrifice paid off."
"I was hoping to spare Zack the unpleasantness of seeing you Celeste, but I see your determination prevailed."
"The unpleasantness caused by you ruining his life." She snapped back.
"Enough!" Zack bellowed as he took a step towards her. "Unlike you X-man is wanted and needed here. You are not."
“I have a little girl Zack." She desperately cried out as Reese approached her. "I’m here because she needs your help, not me.”
“What could your child have to do with me?”
“She may be yours.”
Zack stood shell shocked.
“What kind of game are you playing now Celeste?” Xavier angrily asked.
Ignoring Xavier, Celeste continued to hold Zack’s gaze. “She’s twelve years old Zack, you do the math.”
Anger was the least of the emotions racing through his body. How dare she come here claiming to have his child! Quietly, doing all he could to hold his temper, he replied, “We’ll play this round Celeste.”
“Zack, she was in an accident and was in need of a transfusion. My husband was not a match.” Seeing she had captured his attention, she stepped forward. “I need to know if you are my daughter’s father. I’m not here to cause any problems, I just need to know.”
Looking at her distressed expression Zackary could not turn his back on her, as much as he wanted to. He looked at Xavier and Reese, “Give us a minute.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Pearl standing in the doorway. Diamond crossed his mind. “Let’s take this to a private area.” He walked Celeste over to the bank of elevators that led up to the penthouse. Pearl turned and left the building, leaving Reese and Xavier staring angrily at the woman that was about to turn Zack’s life upside down, again.
Diamond stepped out of the office just as the elevator arrived. Her heart stopped when she looked up and saw Zackary with what had to be one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen step on to the elevator. Her breath caught at the sound of the elevator doors closing. It seemed she stood there watching the doors, why, she didn’t know. Maybe they will open back up and the woman or Zack would come out. The longer she stood there the more she realized that was not going to happen. Looking up she saw Xavier walking towards her with a concerned look in his eyes. She put her hand up, shook her head to stop him. Nine times out of ten he was going to try to explain what she just saw and that was the last thing she needed to hear.
After checking to make sure the room was clear from the events of the night, Diamond returned to the office and retrieved her purse. She looked over at the elevator doors and wondered if they were still upstairs. The sight of Zack with another woman should not affect her so. She had made a decision to get over him. Somebody should tell her heart not to hurt so much. As she walked to her car, the tears rolled and no matter how much she willed them to stop, they just kept coming.
Chapter 20
The sun rose to find Zack, still dressed from the night before, sitting at the desk in his home office. Life had taken a drastic change for him and for the first time in years he wished for his father’s wisdom and guidance. Doubt and uncertainty consumed him. Were all women deceitful and vindictive? What he thought was a monogamous relationship had now been revealed to be anything but. God has a way of saving you from yourself without you even being aware. His plans while in college w
ere simple: have his football career, marry Celeste and have children. He took a drink of cognac from the glass he was holding. When his father died, he cursed God for taking his father and his dreams from him. Now, he could only close his eyes and say thank you to his savior for saving him from a life of lies and deceit.
Now Celeste is claiming to never having had the abortion, but because she was sleeping with him and another player, she thought the child was her husband’s, Theodore “Teddy” Blanchard. He picked up the glass to take another drink but it was empty. He checked the bottle, but it was empty too. He slumped back in the chair and placed the empty bottle on the desk. Did he really finish off a five-hundred dollar bottle of Remy? Hell, Celeste wasn’t worth it.
Xavier walked into the office with the morning paper in his hand. “You’ve been sitting there all night?”
“You’re just coming in?” Zack questioned without answering.
Xavier smiled, “I was giving a private tour of The Towers.”
With a raised eyebrow Zack looked at the silly grin on his little brother’s face. “Be careful, those private tours can turn into a public nightmare.”
“Hmm.” Xavier put the paper on the desk and sat in the chair in front of his brother. “So—she’s claiming her daughter is now your child?”
“She’s saying she is not sure.”
“Convenient, wouldn’t you say. Before your financial status improved, the child was always Teddy’s. Now that you are a successful business man and Teddy lost his contract with the NFL you may be the father.”
Zack heard the caution in Xavier’s voice and was hurt he felt uncertain. “Regardless of what she said or how this turns out, none of this was your fault. You are my brother and I would walk through hell or high water for you. I did what I wanted to do when I left school and Celeste. Don’t take the weight of any of this on your shoulders. My decision, my burden, you got that?”
Certain things in life will never change and his brother Zack was at the top of that list. Here he sat dealing with his demons from the past, but still concerned about his feelings. “I hear you. But know we go through this together—none of that big brother protecting little X-man from the realities of life.”
“Here, here,” Zack replied as he held the empty glass up.
Xavier looked at the empty bottle on the desk, “Is that my Remy you have finished off?”
Zack looked at the bottle, then back up at his brother, “Yeah, you got another one?”
Chuckling and slouching with his head back in the chair, “No.” He rubbed his sleep deprived eyes and looked at his brother. “So what does she want you to do?”
“She wants me to meet Chanté.”
“She’s the daughter?”
Zack nodded, “Yep.”
“Why meet the daughter and establish a relationship before finding out if she is yours?”
“Because that’s how Celeste operates. She knows how I am about children. Once I’m attached there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.”
“Ahh, she’s after money?”
“That’s my take on the situation.” He sat up and folded his arms on the desk, “But what if she is my child?”
Xavier saw the uncertainty in his brother’s eyes. “You know how I am. I deal with facts. Is it a possibility? According to you it was rumored that she was pregnant but had an abortion. What if she didn’t? That makes this a real situation. Just don’t allow her to use this child against you. Take the test, but use your doctor, not hers.”
Zack looked at Xavier a little suspicious, “It sounds like you have been through this a time or two. Is there something you are not telling me?”
“Nope,” he stood. “I’ve seen friends get caught up caring for a child for a year or two only to find out by accident the child was not theirs. I don’t want that to happen to you.” He walked over to the desk and pointed to a small article on the front page of the newspaper. “You should read that. You should also know Diamond saw you get on that elevator with Celeste.” Xavier walked towards the door leading out of the room. “I don’t like seeing my friend hurt Zack. For all she has done for us, she deserves better than being compared to Celeste.” He walked out of the room.
Zack flipped the paper over and in a small column of features articles for the community section was a picture of The Towers. Apparently a reporter covered the opening. He pulled out the section and there on the front page was a beautiful color picture of The Tower. With all the drama, it was nice to see his work being recognized. The article discussed the beauty of the small community and the elegance in which it was presented. Diamond came to his mind. She had such a huge part in making the project a reality. He exhaled; he had to begin the journey to close that chapter in his life. It seemed Celeste’s lies were catching up with her, but a child’s life was in the balance. Even when it was determined that he is not the father, he would do all he could to help the little girl. The statement Xavier made about him comparing Diamond to Celeste kept nagging him. There was no comparing the two as far as he was concerned. The way Celeste held her head was nowhere near as adoring as Diamond. Her voice didn’t soothe him like Diamond’s. When she was talking about her daughter and smiled, it didn’t make his heart jump for joy like Diamond’s smile did. There was nothing about Celeste that reminded him of Diamond because they were nothing alike.
Zack turned on his computer and stared at the picture of Diamond smiling in the original video presentation she’d made and it felt like a sledge hammer had just hit him in the gut. From the moment she entered his life, Diamond had done nothing but give him what he needed whether he wanted it or not. She took the steps to make sure he got the paperwork needed to get his driver’s license straight. It was Diamond that designed the marketing concept that brought in investors for Davenport Estates. It was her sweat that sold those sites to produce the income to build The Towers. It was her concept that brought in the buzz surrounding the project. It was Diamond that gave him the most precious gift a woman could give a man, her innocence. She trusted him to teach her how to make love.
Needing some air, he stood and stepped out on the back porch of his home. All along the way it was Diamond that was teaching him—she was teaching him how to love. “Damn.” He shook his head, “I begged Celeste to stay and pushed Diamond away. How did I miss that daddy?” Nodding his head as he continued to think out loud, “That’s alright it’s simple,” he said not caring that no one was around listening, “I messed up, but I will fix it.” First and foremost he had to resolve this dilemma with Celeste, and then he would work on establishing a real relationship with Diamond. But life had a way of not always being so simple.
Chapter 21
Monday morning Diamond arrived at the model home with a new determination. Life was supposed to be lived and not squandered away and that was what she was going to do. Zack did exactly what she asked him to do and now she had to be woman enough to accept that was all he was capable of giving her. After picking up the papers from the office, she settled down in the model home office and began setting up appointments for viewings of the condominiums in the Tower and the last available home sites in Davenport Estates.
Around nine o’clock she heard the front door to the house open and looked up. The first appointment for the day wasn’t until ten. “Hello,” she called out as she stood to walk into the foyer of the home. She froze when she reached the opening to find the woman who was with Zack on the elevator standing in the living room. The woman was impeccably dressed in white slacks, a white shell with a thick red belt and red sandals looking as if she just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Not even one strand of her neatly short hairdo out of place.
“Hello,” the woman said with a smile, “I’m looking for Zack.”
Diamond was so stunned to find the woman standing in front of her that she hesitated to speak. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I’m looking for Zack. The man you saw me with last night, your boss, I believe.”
&nbs
p; “Yes,” Diamond was able to stumble out. “There are actually two.”
“There is only one Zackary Davenport. Believe me—I know,” came the reply implying an intimacy.
Not liking the way the conversation was going Diamond looked out of the window towards the trailer the crew worked from. “I don’t see his truck, but Mr. Davenport usually works from the trailer. You should be able to find him there.”
The woman turned and looked out the window. “Honey, do you see what I’m wearing. I’m not walking over there. Would you be a dear and call him to meet me here?”
There weren’t many people in the world that Diamond took an immediate dislike to, but this woman was the first on her list. “Sure,” she said then turned back and walked towards her office. After picking up the telephone and dialing the number, Diamond looked up to see the woman walking into her office. Trying hard not to stare at the woman again, Diamond began concentrating on the papers on top of her desk. “Good morning Reese,” happy someone finally answered, “Would you tell,” she hesitated then looked up at the woman, “Would you tell Mr. Davenport he has a visitor at the model home.”
“Zack’s not here Diamond. He had a meeting at headquarters this morning.”
“Oh,” she replied. “I’ll let his visitor know.”
“Who is it?” Reese asked.
“Hold on.” Diamond looked at the woman, “Who may I tell him is visiting?”
The woman laughed sheepishly, “Zack can be such a jokester. He was the one that made the plans for us to meet this morning.”
Diamond raised an eyebrow. Zack was a lot of things—a jokester was not one. “Maybe you have your location mixed up.”
Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series) Page 17