With two employees out, thanks to the sleet, he got to work early and assumed the job of salesman, something that he rarely did. His only customer that morning was a knockout, a woman who would command attention no matter how many Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry types surrounded her.
“Are you going to give me a nice, big discount on that one?” she asked, pointing to a sedan.
“We’ll see. It depends,” he told her.
“On what? I’m used to getting whatever I want,” she said, tracing the row of buttons down the front of his shirt with her right index finger.
Well aware that he could get a woman’s blood to flashpoint if he wanted to, he let a grin float across his face and closed his left eye in a slow wink. “The car’s for sale, babe, but I’m not.”
“What a pity,” she said, regret lacing her voice, “and such a nice package, too.” She put a down payment on the car, crossed her knees and swung her legs. “What are you doing this evening?”
He had very little tolerance for overly aggressive women, and easy sex had never interested him. This time, he didn’t bother to grin. “Sorry. This evening, I’ll be at home with Maggie.” Let her arrive at whatever conclusion suited her.
“Maggie’s a lucky woman,” his customer said, uncrossing her legs. “Let me know when my car comes in.”
“You bet.”
He hadn’t been tempted, although he admitted that the woman had given him a much-needed ego boost. He flexed his right shoulder in a quick shrug, sat down and began checking inventory and sales in his other shops. Women could be so cruel even when they didn’t plan to be. Best not to let them get next to you. He thought of Ruby and hoped she didn’t realize that she’d hurt him. From now on, he intended to leave her and other members of the opposite sex alone.
Chapter 4
Ruby sat in Hanson’s Gourmet Restaurant getting angrier by the second. Her lunch date was over half an hour late. She had half a mind to leave, but decided instead to wait and see Craig Murphy when he got what he deserved. He arrived fifteen minutes later with a smile blooming on his face. She forced herself to smile in return.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but I had a run to make.” He let out a long, laborious sigh. “One of those things.”
She continued to smile, but when he sat down at the table, she stood immediately. “See you around,” she said and strode out of the restaurant. She heard him call out, “Where are you going?” but she kept walking. Her office was a short distance from the restaurant, but she hailed a taxi and glanced back through the rear window as he stepped out of the restaurant, put his hands on his hips and let his shoulders droop.
“Good riddance!” she said.
“What’s that, ma’am?” the taxi driver asked her.
“Nothing. I just learned a lesson, and so did that guy back there.”
She bought a ham sandwich and a bottle of cranberry-apple juice at a deli next to her office building and ate lunch at her desk. Afterward, she phoned Opal. “What did you do after the rehearsal? I had to leave.”
“So we noticed. Luther seemed put out. What happened between you two that you’re…well, you don’t seem to be friends.”
“Luther’s bossy,” she said, refusing to tell the truth. “I’m almost thirty, too old for a guardian.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t sound right, Ruby. You’ve always seemed to look up to Luther, and you never minded if he was bossy. By the way, Craig Murphy acted as if you’d bewitched him.”
“That man is full of it.” She told Opal about the luncheon date. “Now he knows there’s at least one woman who’ll thumb her nose at him. I never did like strutting turkeys.”
The sound of Opal’s giggles reached her through the wire, reminding her that hearing Opal laugh her distinctive laugh had always been one of the joys of her life. She decided to throw her sister into a laughing fit when she said, “Yah, da brovva do love he pretty self.” Opal laughed until she seemed about to lose her breath. “You’d better stop laughing like that. Before you know it, you’ll pull something loose.”
“A fine one you are to talk,” Opal said. “You say things just to make me laugh.” She took a deep breath. “But seriously, what are you going to do about Luther? He seemed really out of sorts, really down, after you left.”
“What makes you think it has anything to do with me?”
“Because you’re putting on an act trying to make me believe you don’t care what happens to him. What did go on between you and Luther after you left my reception? After all that champagne you drank, maybe you don’t remember.”
She remembered, all right. And Opal was getting a little too close to the truth. “That’s right. I don’t, and as long as I woke up the next morning in my own bed and Luther woke up in his, I don’t need to give it a thought.”
“What’s gotten into you, Ruby? Luther’s our friend. If he’s unhappy, you ought to care.”
“What are you so shook up about?” Ruby asked her, irritation beginning to surface. “Being married is making a mother hen out of you. Look, I gotta get to work. Talk to you later.”
She’d hardly cleared away one small pile of paperwork when Pearl called. Ruby hadn’t spoken with her since she’d gotten back. “I can help you and Wade move, if you need me,” she told her sister after Pearl lamented about the packing.
“Thanks, but Wade got tired of fooling with it, and he’s paying the movers to finish up.” She barely took a breath before she launched into the next topic. “Would you believe I’ve already selected six of the twelve songs for my first album? Ruby, I’m so excited. I’ll be rehearsing with the studio band day after tomorrow.”
Ruby listened as Pearl talked on and on about her new career and how all of her dreams were coming true. “Imagine three of us getting married within weeks of each other,” Pearl said. “Mama would be so happy, and you know how Daddy loved to hear me sing. I think he’d want me to do this.” The happiness in her voice rang out as clearly as the sound of temple bells chiming on an Asian breeze.
“Oh, I know he would,” Ruby said, “and you’ll be great.”
“You’ll be next,” Pearl said, “and soon, I hope, because you’ve sacrificed so much for us. I don’t know what we would have done without you after Mama passed.”
“You’re my sisters, and you’re all precious to me. If you’d been the oldest, you’d have behaved exactly as I have.”
“All the same, you’re a very special person.”
“You’re making me weepy.” Ruby blinked back a tear.
They talked a while longer, then Ruby had to get back to work. The conversation stayed in her mind for the rest of the day. Time was when she would talk with Luther like that for long periods of time, half of a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Some of the best ideas she’d had for Everyday Opportunities, Inc., had emerged during her talks with Luther. And no matter what she needed, he was always there for her. She had often wondered if he divined her need of him. She couldn’t imagine life without him.
Ruby couldn’t know of Luther’s decision that the best way to protect his pride and his heart was to avoid women, especially her. When Wade invited him over, Luther couldn’t have been more relieved.
“What’s the idea of staying away from everybody?” Wade asked him. “You could at least come over and have dinner with Pearl and me one evening. I know you love roast pork, and we have a rotisserie that does it to perfection. How about it, man?”
“How about Sunday? I drive over to Dearborn to see my parents in the early afternoon when they get home from church, but I could get over to your place around five. How’s it going with you and Pearl?”
“Great, man. Sometimes I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear that. Give Pearl my love. I’ll see you Sunday.”
He sold two cars that morning, one to an old woman who had no business driving and the other to a thoughtless woman who bought the red sports car for her seventeen-year-old son. Luther
reasoned that if he didn’t give them what they wanted they’d get it somewhere else, and he couldn’t afford to turn his back on opportunity. Since it was Thursday and Maggie’s afternoon and evening off, he stayed late in the shop, dawdling about, unable to focus on any one thing.
“What’s wrong with me? I’ve never been this way.” Resolved to shake the mood, he went home, and when he walked into his house, he realized the source of the problem. Every man he knew belonged with a special woman, was a part of a couple, and he was beginning to feel conspicuous, the odd man out. He didn’t mind being alone; he just hated feeling lonely. And that’s what the company of lovers—married or single—did for him.
He also hated not having the loving relationship that he’d enjoyed with Ruby since before he entered puberty. He had grown to love her, but he’d had to bide his time while she grew up, finished school, cared for her ailing mother and then cared for her three sisters. Just when he’d thought it was time to reveal his feelings for her, that land mine changed his plans. She was twenty-four, beautiful and in full bloom, and she was his heart. But after the accident he was no longer the man he’d been.
So, he occupied himself with work. But for what and for whom? His niece and nephews? He had enough money to live comfortably, a sizeable pension for a cushion, and most of the time, he enjoyed his work. The average man would say that Luther Biggens shouldn’t complain, and he didn’t, not even about the loss of a foot and a part of his leg.
He found his dinner in the refrigerator along with one of Maggie’s creative notes on how to warm it. She’d certainly set her heart on taking care of him. The thought gave him a good laugh, and with that, his mood lifted. He warmed his dinner in the microwave oven and sat down to a meal of crab cakes, braised mushroom caps, grated potato cakes and spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil.
“Good gracious,” he said as he ate, “if she were ten years younger, I’d take her out of circulation just to assure myself of a meal like this one seven nights a week for the rest of my life.” He thought about that for a few seconds, threw his head back and laughed at the top of his voice.
Straighten up, man. You’re the guy who always went after whatever he wanted…and usually got it. If you hadn’t had that accident, you’d probably be married to Ruby right now. So who says you can’t get her?
Luther told himself if he got inside of her again, she’d be his. But who knew how she’d behave later when the picture of him with this damned thing hooked on to his leg flashed through her mind. He was not opening himself to that pain again. Not unless he knew she loved him, as a man. Maybe then he’d take the chance.
He welcomed the ring of the telephone. Anything that took his mind off Ruby.
“Hi, Luther. I’m so glad I caught you. This is Opal. Pearl’s giving a practice concert in the studio tomorrow night, and D’marcus and I are hoping you’ll come. It’ll be wonderful support for Pearl, and you know how glad she’ll be to see you.”
After making a note of the address and the time, he said, “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you there.”
He reached up above the refrigerator and turned on the radio to listen to some music as he usually did while he cleaned the kitchen. He rinsed the dishes, put them in the dishwasher and stopped as the sound of Andres Segovia playing Dittersdorf’s Concerto for Guitar reached his ears. While he was in the service, his guitar had been his salvation and his sanity. After the accident, he’d put it away, just as he seemed to have put away his optimistic attitude toward life.
After the piece ended, he went to the den where he looked at his guitar for a long time. Finally he took it out of the case, tuned it and began to play the music he loved. Although his fingers lacked the strength and dexterity they’d once had, they had not forgotten the music. Hours later he put the instrument away. He would remember that evening as a turning point in his life.
The following night, Luther sat in the last row of the recording studio’s small concert chamber. Ordinarily, he’d have circulated with the Lockharts or checked to see if all was in order, but he didn’t feel the need to do that. It was as if someone had poured strength into him, not physical toughness, but a mental vigor that enabled him to perceive his real self and to deal with that self. He saw Pearl enter the room from a side door, and waved at her. In the past he would have gone up, wished her luck and asked if he could help in any way.
Pearl waved back, leaned down and said something to Ruby, who turned and looked in his direction. He nearly laughed after he raised his right hand, smiled and wiggled his fingers. He’d perplexed her, no doubt about that. When Pearl rose, he knew she’d come back to him and, forthright as ever, she hugged him and spoke her mind. “Hi, Luther. What’re you doing back here? You ought to be up there with the rest of the family.”
“Thanks, but there are only a dozen rows of seats, so I can hear you perfectly well back here. Besides, the closer I am to the door, the less walking I have to do.”
She seemed surprised. “I forget about your leg. It’s not noticeable, especially since you always wear those nice lizard-skin shoes. Does it bother you? I mean, is it uncomfortable?”
“It has its moments, Pearl. I don’t suppose I’ll ever get used to it. I endure it.”
“You deserve better.” She touched his arm. “You’re sure you want to stay back here?” At his nod she added, “Oh, for goodness’ sake, Luther. You and Ruby are beginning to make everybody uncomfortable.”
“I can’t imagine why. See you later,” he added as a group of men with instruments settled on the stage. Someone signaled to her, and she kissed his cheek and went up on the stage.
After a few nervous first notes, Pearl showed what she could do as she wrapped her velvet voice around the words of an old familiar gospel song, singing it as it had never before been sung. He couldn’t have been prouder if he were listening to his own sister.
After the applause, the producer stood, glowing like a happy parent, “She’s got a lot more of those, and we’ll begin recording on Monday. I haven’t had a hit this big since the Motown days.”
“I’m not a hit yet,” Pearl said.
“You’re money in the bank,” the producer said. “Stick with me, and in a year, you’ll be a household name.”
Luther hoped the man knew his business.
“How about stopping by for a drink or coffee?” D’marcus said to him, walking along beside Luther as they left the studio. “We don’t see much of you these days.”
“And I can imagine how that upsets you,” Luther said, certain that his face was the picture of innocence. “Who ever heard of newlyweds worrying about their friends?” He enjoyed the man’s sheepish expression. “I don’t drink if I’m driving, but I’ll stop in for a cup of coffee.”
“Great. Opal made a caramel cake yesterday that was so good it talked. Ever know a woman who could bake like that but still ruins scrambled eggs every time?”
Luther released a few hearty chuckles. “Man, this world is full of mysteries, and most of them begin with women.”
“Tell me about it.” He handed Luther a card. “Here’s our address in case you lose me in traffic.”
He’d forgotten that the Armstrongs had already moved into their new home. He’d take the opportunity to consider an appropriate housewarming gift. And he’d forgotten something else, too. Ruby would no doubt be there, as well, and in those close quarters, the two of them would be the center of attention.
What the hell! He’d give them something to talk about, and he’d give Ruby something to think about. Heck, he wished he had his guitar. In an expansive mood as they were about to get into their cars, he looked over toward Ruby, winked and enjoyed her apparent shock. If she asked why he had winked at her, he would definitely tell her that the devil made him do it. He suppressed the laugh that bubbled up in his throat. Life was beginning to be fun again.
Ruby got into her car, slammed the door and started the motor. She had a good mind to go straight home. What on earth possessed Luth
er to wink at her, and with that wicked grin of his? She decided to ask him and remembered that he hadn’t answered the last question she’d put to him.
When she got out of her car at the Armstrongs’ home, it seemed as if the wind undressed her and pelted her flesh with its icy bluster. She tightened her coat, and as she glanced up at the star-filled sky with its clear, frosty moon, Luther’s hand touched her elbow, and her stiletto boot heel caught in a crack of the pavement. For a second, she knew again the feel of his arms around her, and she didn’t rush out of them.
She also didn’t try to avoid Luther after they entered Opal and D’marcus’s house for she knew that, in his current mood, he wouldn’t cooperate.
“I thought you two were on the outs,” Wade said, when Luther took Ruby’s arm as they walked into the living room. “Looks like I was wrong.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Luther asked him. “We’ve been buddies since I was nine.” Thank God Ruby stepped on his good foot. He felt the vibration all the way up his thigh.
He grinned down at her. “Why would you do an evil thing like that? I only have one foot, and you tried to maim it. Shame!”
“You think you’re being clever, don’t you? If I get mad enough, I’ll stand right here and tell everybody what this is all about.”
“Really?” His grin set her blood to racing. What was it about the man? “If you do that I’ll have to defend myself,” he said, “and that would mean explaining that you didn’t know how to unzip your evening gown, and you asked me to do it, and then you let it fall to the floor and turned around and faced me wearing nothing but a two-inch strip of red cloth.” Her gasp didn’t stop him. “Not a man here would blame me for getting inside of you and making you beg for mercy.”
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