Trey saw the gleam of excitement in his eyes. “Maybe I’d better take care of them. You look a bit too eager.”
“I am, and with good reason.” He smiled. Trey chuckled.
“They’re all yours, enjoy.”
Joshua nodded. “I will, thanks. Now you need to go to her. Talk, get this straightened out.”
“What?”
“You know what—Kenya. Trey, you can’t do this to yourself. You deserve more. She is that more. Besides, imagine the stories you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren about fifty years from now. Good night.”
Trey half smiled. Joshua had a way of doing that. “Night,” Trey said as his friend walked out. He heard the front door close as he sat quietly in his office. The twins were gone, Mrs. Thatcher was gone and Kenya was gone. He was free now. By all accounts he should have been elated. And eight days ago, he would have been exactly that, but now…
He reached across his desk and picked up the phone. He called J.T. “Hey,” he began, “I need a favor. I need to find somebody.” They talked a while, then after hanging up, Trey got into his car and drove off. He drove to the boutique. It was locked. He got out anyway, knowing that even if it seemed closed there was always a light on in the back area. Tonight there wasn’t. He looked down the street toward the alcove leading to the condo apartments above.
Without thinking, he went to her. He rang the bell but didn’t get an answer. He stood waiting, thinking, knowing he should have said something. But he didn’t and now she was gone from his life. He once promised to catch her when she fell—he hadn’t. The emptiness sank deeply into his soul as his heart broke for the first time.
Chapter 22
“Hey, good morning. Are you ready for today? Man, I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those days,” Shelly said, rushing in carrying a large garment bag. “Girl, you would not believe the night I had last night. Talk about crazy. The costume fitting and the dress rehearsal were insane. I swear the only thing missing was Elvis, a couple of aliens and Mr. T on a unicycle.”
“Morning,” Kenya said, shaking her head. As miserable as she felt, Shelly was always a ray of sunshine.
“Hey, you okay?” She walked over as Kenya turned to her. “Man, girl, you look like the pits,” Shelly said. “What happened?” Kenya told Shelly the gist of what happened the night before. “Kenya, I’m so sorry. But you saved the day. Actually you all did.”
“It’s my own fault, all of it. I should have listened to you, to Dad, to Mom. I should have just let it alone. He hates me. I could see it in his face yesterday. He hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you, Kenya. How could he? The man is in love with you. Don’t you see that? And besides, you just pulled his butt out of the fire. Believe me, he still loves you.”
Kenya shook her head. “No, not anymore.”
“Kenya, I’ll tell you what I told you a while back. Love always finds a way. And when it’s meant to be it will be. That thing before with Craig was nothing. This is meant to be—you and Trey together forever. Girl, I already have the wedding gown design picked out.”
Kenya smiled and laughed at Shelly’s optimism. She was the perfect friend in good times and in bad times. But this time she was totally wrong. There was no way Trey could ever forgive her. She couldn’t even forgive herself.
“Are you gonna be okay?”
Kenya nodded. “Yeah, one of these days I’m gonna be just fine,” she lied, knowing that she’d never get over Trey. “In the meantime, come on. We have work to do.”
As soon as they began discussing changes to a design, the office phone rang. Shelly grabbed it while Kenya made more tea, absorbed in her thoughts. It wasn’t until a pillow whizzed by her head that she realized Shelly was trying to get her attention. “Yes, yes, we can do that,” Shelly said excitedly, smiling and motioning for her to come over.
Kenya listened in on the end of the conversation. It was a representative from Youngin’s retail chain. They were definitely interested in purchasing clothing for all of their nationwide stores. Seconds after Shelly hung up, they squealed, hugged and danced around. “Can you believe it, they want us.”
“Of course they want us. We are incredible designers.”
The impromptu celebration lasted the next fifteen minutes until they realized what working with a nationwide chain might entail. “We have a massive amount of work to do.”
“I know, where do we begin?”
“We need to call the manufacturer. Maybe one of us should fly out there.”
“Good thinking.”
“Marketing. We have to do a ton of public relations.”
“Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the boutique opened at the same time?”
“Brilliant. We need to write all this down.” They both grabbed a sketch pad and began taking notes as they talked. They outlined a plan and decided who would handle each assignment. They agreed on everything. They planned the next few days and decided that Kenya would head to New York and meet with the company and Shelly would go to California.
“What about today?” Kenya asked. “What do you have planned?”
“I have the wedding from hell, again. The bride’s mother changed her mind again last night. She left a message at the apartment.” They both laughed. “I have to head back over there right now as a matter of fact. She wants her dress sexier now. Can you believe her?”
Kenya laughed and actually enjoyed the lighthearted moment. Shelly was the best. “Okay, you go. I’ll get things started here.”
Louise Gates was never one to stand on ceremony. She had a calling that she took very seriously. When she was asked to help, she did everything within her power to assist. But this time when she was asked for help from an unlikely source, she outdid herself.
Standing at the gated door, she knocked several times. There was no answer. She peeked through the smoked glass, seeing only her reflection and the empty shadow beyond. She knocked several more times before she saw someone coming. The door opened.
“Mrs. Gates?”
“Hello, dear. Shelly, right?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, please, call me Mamma Lou, everyone does.”
“Of course, Mamma Lou. Uh, Kenya’s in the back and I’m on my way out. Come on in, I’ll walk you back to her.”
“Thank you, dear.”
“No problem, Mamma Lou.”
Louise waited until Shelly locked the front door again, then she escorted her to the back. “Hey, guess what. We have company.”
Kenya looked up and smiled. “Hi, Mamma Lou, how are you?”
“Fine, fine, dear.”
“Can I get you something to drink—tea, coffee or water?” Shelly asked.
“No, dear, I’m fine. You go on, do what you need to do.”
Shelly smiled and glanced at Kenya. “Okay, then I’ll see you later. Wish me luck.”
“Shelly, before you leave I’m curious. How did you ladies get on at Youngin’s?”
Both Kenya’s and Shelly’s mouths dropped open. “It was you? You did that?” Kenya said.
“You got them to call us?” Shelly added.
“It really wasn’t much. I wish I could have done more. You see, the owner is a dear friend of mine and is always looking for new talent. When I saw your designs, I just knew it would be a perfect match.”
“Thank you so much, Mamma Lou,” Kenya said.
“Yes, thank you, it was a wonderful interview. I think they were really impressed with our work. As a matter of fact they just called.”
“They want to work with us,” Kenya said happily.
“I should say so,” Louise said. “My friend raved about your designs. She was very impressed,” she reported enthusiastically.”
“I don’t know what to say. You’re the best.”
“Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure, ladies. Seeing women standing up and living out their dreams is my greatest joy. I’m always happy to be of assi
stance.”
“I wish I could stay longer, but I really have to go,” Shelly said. “Thanks again, Mamma Lou,” she said, hugging her warmly. “See you later.”
As Shelly left, Louise turned her attention to Kenya. “And how are you this morning?”
“Good. Busy. This new project with Youngin’s is going to change a lot around here. As a matter of fact we decided to open the boutique a bit earlier to coincide with the Youngin’s launch.”
“That’s a great idea,” Louise said. “I have a publicist friend who would be perfect for the announcement and opening.”
“Mamma Lou, you’ve done so much already. I don’t know what to say. How do we ever begin to thank you?”
“No, don’t thank me. I haven’t done anything. Actually Otis is the one.”
“Otis?” Kenya questioned.
“Colonel Wheeler, he’s quite a man.” Kenya nodded. “He got a call last night from Trey.”
Kenya went still. “He told you what happened.”
“Only that you and your sisters saved his company, countless jobs and also how much he really loves you. I needn’t ask if you love him. I see it in your eyes.”
Kenya nodded. “I do love him so much. We’ve only known each other a short while, but my heart knows.”
“Time has no bearing on love. You need to talk to him.”
“How can I? After everything that happened. No, he was right before. We can’t change what was. The past will always be there.”
“True, we can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and hope for the future. Kenya, believe me, love has a way of making a way. It’s never too late.”
“But I hurt him. I can still see it in his eyes.”
“Dear, you need to risk pain in order to find love.”
“Kenya,” a voice said. She turned. Trey stood behind them.
“He’s offering you his heart. Accept it and forgive yourself.”
“Trey, what are you doing here?” Her eyes were filled with remorse but her heart still longed for him.
“Surrendering,” he said soulfully. “I don’t want to spend another second without you. I can’t.”
“But, Trey, everything that happened, what I did, what we almost did. How can you even stand there and—”
“How can I not? I love you, Kenya Whitaker, daughter of James Whitaker. You changed my life, my world, my heart.” She started crying. “Don’t cry,” he said, walking over to her and wiping the tears from her face. “I don’t ever want to see you cry for me.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I’m here, exactly where I belong and exactly where I intend to be for the rest of our life together, if you’ll have me.”
“What are you saying?”
He knelt down and took her hand. “Marry me, be my wife.”
Tears flowed again as she grabbed him, nearly knocking him over. He stood and held her as she laughed, cried and kissed him. “Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she said repeatedly, kissing him each time. “Yes, Trey Evans, I will be honored to be your wife.” They kissed.
Louise, who was nearly in tears herself, discreetly left. Colonel Wheeler and Shelly were standing in the front of the boutique, waiting. Louise nodded and gave a thumbs-up signal. Shelly cheered silently. Colonel Wheeler nodded and motioned for them to leave. Outside the three stood in front congratulating themselves and delighting in Trey and Kenya’s joy. “Thank you for waiting to lock up, Shelly,” Louise said.
“Oh, it’s my pleasure. You know, I knew they were gonna make it. I could see it from the instant I saw them together. They had a kind of spark—crazy, huh?”
Louise and Otis glanced at each other and smiled. “Not at all. As a matter of fact, it makes perfect sense to me,” Louise said. “So, Shelly, what does your boyfriend do?”
“Actually, I don’t have one at the moment.”
“Is that right,” Louise said interestedly.
“And if I don’t leave right now I won’t have a mother-of-the-bride dress, either. I’m so glad to see you again, Mamma Lou, Colonel Wheeler. Thanks again for the Youngin’s account. I gotta go. See you at the wedding.”
Shelly rushed off down the street to her car, leaving Louise and Otis to chuckle. Louise linked her arm with Otis and the two strolled down the street, enjoying the day.
“You realize, of course, I’m still furious with you,” she began. Otis chuckled. “Imagine, you getting a call from Trey asking for matchmaker assistance. I’m appalled. How in the world will I ever live this down? You, of all people, playing matchmaker.” Otis laughed. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. She was his perfect match.
Epilogue
Like their courtship, their wedding had been just as quick and exciting. In the span of two months, they were married. A small but beautiful ceremony, it was a union of two hearts and two families. The reception was a mass of delight with Trey and Kenya’s love as the centerpiece.
Guests mingled and adored the sumptuous food and flowers. But it was Louise who truly savored the beauty of the moment. She looked around the reception area, feeling the joy of her accomplishments.
Kennedy and Juwan were stateside, showing off her new tummy bump. J.T. stood by Juliet as she held their infant son in her arms. Madison and Tony gathered the excited ring bearer, Jonathan, and flower girl, Johanna. Senator Randolph Kingsley, his wife, Alyssa, and doctors Raymond and Hope laughed and talked about their pregnancies.
“It’s a sweet day, isn’t it?” Trey whispered to his bride.
Kenya smiled. “It certainly is. Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For being so wonderful.”
“You did that.”
“You said you’d never change for anyone.”
“I also said that I’d never wear one of these,” he said, holding his left hand out. The simple platinum band wrapped comfortably around his finger. Kenya held her hand up beside his. The matching bands—with diamonds for hers—were a true reflection of their never-ending love.
“You know this is only the beginning.”
“I’m looking forward to every second with you.”
They kissed and the guests applauded.
“She is so lucky,” Sidney said.
“Your time will come,” Lynette promised.
James and Trey had long since buried the hatchet and James was back working at his company now under the direct control of Lynette and Regina. She held the purse strings and everyone was glad of it, including James. He still had his brilliant ideas, only now he funneled them to Joshua, who actually implemented a few.
As the end of the reception drew near the announcement was made for all singles to come to the dance floor. The women gathered first as the bouquet was tossed. Afterward the single men stood ready to receive the garter.
Louise pulled out her pen and paper and began taking notes. She delighted in this part. “What are you doing?” Colonel Wheeler asked as he moved to her side.
“Oh, nothing,” she said as she continued to jot down names.
“Doesn’t look like nothing to me,” he said.
“Well, if you must know I’m taking a few notes, reminders really.”
“Louise,” he said.
“Otis,” she replied. He chuckled and shook his head.
“So, Mrs. Gates, you gonna marry me or what?”
“Oh, I guess I might as well,” Louise answered.
Everyone in the room stopped.
LOVE ME NOW
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4259-7
© 2009 by Celeste O. Norfleet
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Love Me Now Page 26