by Zuri Day
“And this is Diamond.”
Diamond leaned forward for a light hug.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Marissa said, still feeling the tingles from Donovan’s handshake. “You’re even more beautiful than Jackson described.”
“That’s more than I can say. Jackson,” Diamond teased, “why didn’t you tell me you had America’s Next Top Model working in your office?”
“My bad,” Jackson replied, with hand over heart. “And the thing is, she’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.”
“Well, welcome to Drake Wines Resort & Spa,” Diamond concluded. “Take the tour, taste the food and enjoy the wine. I’m going to steal your boss for a minute. Enjoy.” Diamond reached for Jackson’s hand and led them away from the crowd. “Okay, out with it,” she said when they were alone.
“Out with what?”
“Don’t even try it, Jackson. Something’s wrong. I see it in your eyes.”
It took effort, but Jackson summoned a smile. Maybe nothing would come of the phone call he made earlier; maybe Shay’s return to their old neighborhood was a one-time thing. “Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about, princess.”
“Oh, quit it already with the ‘princess’ routine. Contrary to your misguided belief, I’m not a China doll who will run fleeing at the first sign of trouble. You ought to know that by now.” Diamond continued to stare at Jackson. “This has to do with what happened at your office, doesn’t it? Do you know who did it? Did they catch the guy?” She rose to her full height—which in her three-inch heels was almost six feet—full of spunk and attitude. Jackson had no doubt that if the culprit walked into the room she’d kick butt now and ask questions later!
Jackson didn’t have to try and smile this time. “Dang, baby. When they do catch him, he’d better stay out of your way!”
“That’s right,” she said, relaxing her stance. “Don’t even try and mess with my man.”
Jackson’s smile widened. “Hum…I like the sound of that.”
Donald and Genevieve approached them, looking like royalty in black tux and sparkling forest-green gown.
The two men shook hands. “All of wine country has turned out to view your handiwork,” Donald said to Jackson. “I think your business in this area is getting ready to pick up considerably.”
“Thank you, sir. We’re already booked solid for the next six months. The new customers will have to get in line.”
“That’s a good problem to have.”
Jackson turned to Genevieve and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Mrs. Drake, you look lovely.”
Genevieve smiled appreciatively as her gaze swept six feet five inches of perfection. “You clean up pretty well yourself,” she said. “You look almost as good as your handiwork.” She swept her hand up to the ceiling where the sun shone brightly through the glass ceiling. “This ceiling is one of my favorite features. It’s absolutely stunning.”
“Almost as stunning as you,” Jackson replied, with a twinkle in his eye.
“Careful, Jackson,” Donald said. “That’s a married woman you’re flirting around with.”
Diamond laughed. “Dad!”
The four continued to share small talk until Jackson felt his phone vibrate against his waist. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. “Excuse me.” After walking a short distance away, he answered the call. “Blade! Happy Thanksgiving, man.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, stranger!” Sonny “Blade” Wilkins was one of the best barbers on the West Coast and the Mayor of Crenshaw Boulevard. His nickname came from the way he could carve hair into letters, pictures and more using a single-edged razor blade. He’d been around as long as Jackson had been alive. Very little happened in or around the neighborhood that Blade didn’t know about. “When I got your message I just about keeled over dead!” A rumbling laughter followed this comment.
Jackson didn’t realize until then how long it had been since he’d heard the sound and how much he’d missed it. “It has been a long time. I wasn’t even sure your number would work.”
“I don’t know why you’d think that,” Blade replied in mock indignation. “I been on the block for almost forty years. Ain’t going nowhere.”
“It’s good to talk to you, Blade. What’s shakin’, man?”
“Nothing much except the leaves in the trees. What’s up with you, Boss? Living so high on the hog that you can’t come and visit the chittlins every once in a while?”
“Ha! I apologize, man, been busy.”
“Trust me, I know how it is when you become one of those corporate executives…forget about the little people.”
“Man, you need to stop.”
“You know I’m just messin’ with you, son. How you livin…besides large?”
“I’m blessed, man, no complaints.”
“How’s your mama?”
Jackson immediately ridged. “How am I supposed to know?”
Blade’s pause conveyed his displeasure. But his tone was calm, almost fatherly, when he continued. “She may not have been the best mother, but boy, she’s the only one you’ve got. You have been to see her, haven’t you?”
Jackson sighed. “Not for a while.”
“Why not?”
Jackson gave Blade the condensed version of his last prison visit with Sharon Burnett. “It hurts me more to be around her than to be away,” he finished, vulnerability coating every word he spoke. “I don’t need to be reminded of my life back then, or that she loves others more than me.”
There was a long pause before Blade answered. “Now, lookie here, son. I need you to listen to me. As bad as it was, your mother did the best she could in raising you. I knew her mother, your grandmother, and I can tell you something. Life for neither one of those women was easy.” Blade was unaware of the sheen of tears that covered Jackson’s eyes before being rapidly blinked away. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, not about your mother or your past. In fact, where you’ve been and where you are now should fill you with pride. Don’t you see it, Boss? Your story reads like the American dream. You can use what happened to you as an example to other young men out here in the street. You hear me?”
It came slowly, but finally Jackson answered. “Thanks for saying that, Blade.” It wasn’t the first time he’d heard such words. He and Uncle John had had a similar conversation shortly after Jackson had moved in. But hearing them from another father-figure whom he deeply respected gave the words new meaning. Now, in adulthood, they made sense. In that simple yet profound moment something shifted, and for the first time Jackson considered not hiding his past, but using it to help others. And he also thought about once again visiting his mom.
“All right, enough of me playing Dr. Phil,” Blade said to lighten the mood. Jackson could hear something being poured in the background. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m looking for some information, and I’d like to keep the fact that I’m asking around confidential.”
“I can do that.”
“I heard that Shay is out of prison.”
“I heard that, too. Haven’t seen him though.”
Jackson rubbed his chin as he pondered this info. Back in the day, Shay, Wesley and Jackson practically lived at Blade’s Barbershop. For them, Blade was almost like the father none of them had had. If back in the neighborhood, Jackson would have thought that one of Shay’s first stops out of the joint. “Will you do me a favor and let me know if you see him?”
“Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t about sharing a beer and talking about old times?”
Jackson barely hesitated before coming clean with Blade. He figured the more the old man knew, the better his chances of getting the info he needed. He shared the short version of the story. “Someone broke in
to our offices and, uh, damaged some equipment…among other things,” Jackson finished.
“Ah, so that’s why you thought of Shay.” Both men knew that Shay could pick a lock faster than most folk could use a key.
“To tell the truth, Shay never crossed my mind. I’d been focused on a past employee, somebody mad because they were out of a job. It wasn’t him, but turns out his nephew had lived life on the other side of the law and knew Shay. The investigator on this case started snooping around and found out that Shay, who has gone from Toe-2-Toe to Slim Shady by the way, was released a little before the first letter arrived. It’s a long shot because I don’t know what kind of beef Shay would have with me.” Again, Jackson’s mind went to the crime that had sent Shay and Wesley to prison. But Shay knew why Jackson hadn’t gotten prison time. He was innocent of any wrongdoing!
“If I see him, do you want me to try and find out for you?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“If he asks, should I give him your number?”
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. “Yes.”
Jackson ended the call and rejoined the party. He joked with Diamond’s brothers and mingled with guests. The wine flowed and the evening passed and Jackson almost forgot that he had a problem. Until around ten o’clock, when he received a text from Blade:
Walked the neighborhood and ran into Shay. He asked about where you were. Wouldn’t tell me why he wanted to see you. Didn’t feel good, Jackson. I think ur right to keep an eye on ur boy.
Chapter 33
Thanksgiving with the Drakes was a splendid affair. They’d spent it holed up in their estate and, except for one call from the hotel’s general manager, had been able to enjoy the holiday much like the rest of America—work free. Jackson had joined them, as had Dexter’s latest love interest. But now, at the end of the evening, it was just the family.
“What happened to Jackson?” Dexter asked, as he reached for a handful of nuts before taking a seat. The family had retired to the great room—ties loose, shoes off, nightcaps in hand.
“Something came up,” Diamond replied, a slight scowl on her face. He’d acted strangely all evening. To say she was concerned was an understatement.
“He is a very handsome man,” Genevieve commented.
“With a very attractive bank account,” the ever money-conscious Donovan added. “That never hurts to help a man look good.”
“Much better than that Benjamin joker,” Donald said, casually swirling a tumbler of vintage cognac. “That man was a leech if ever I saw one. Sorry, baby, but you know I never totally trusted your ex. And that’s the truth.”
“What counts is a man’s character, heart and integrity. Those are the reasons I’m dating Jackson.”
“Sounds like wedding bells to me,” Dexter said. “When’s the date, sister?”
“Both of y’all need to get out of my business and focus on your own. Donovan, you’re the oldest. You should be married with children by now. And you,” Diamond said, as she pointed a manicured finger at Dexter, “need to quit playing the field like you’re Michael Vick at the Superbowl and choose a wifey.”
“Whoa! Not so fast, sister. I’m the baby boy with more wild oats to sow.”
“Dexter,” Genevieve chided.
“Sorry, Mom, but you know what I mean. I probably won’t get married until I’m forty years old.”
“At which time your mom and I will be pushing, what, seventy?” Donald queried. “Thanks a lot.”
Genevieve’s back straightened as she looked around the room. “Listen, you three. I’m all for being selective when it comes to choosing one’s mate, but it is time we expanded this family and ensured the legacy. I believe that I’ve been more than patient when it comes to my desire of being a grandmother. But my patience is running thin. Y’all better get on it!”
“Did Miss Proper English just say ‘y’all’? Mama, you’d better make that your last glass of wine!”
Genevieve laughed. “I guess I am a little tipsy.”
“And I’m a little tired,” Donald said, standing. “Wife, let’s go to bed.”
“What time does your plane leave tomorrow?”
“At 9:00 a.m.” Donald and Genevieve were joining two other couples for a mini-vacation in Cabo San Lucas. “Good night, all.”
The three siblings hugged their parents and then settled back onto the couch and chair, watching their parents hold hands as they left the room.
“I hope I can have a love like that,” Diamond said with a sigh.
“If that’s going to happen,” Dexter said, “you need to find out what’s going on with your boy.”
“Why, what did you notice?” I thought I was the only one who detected his jumpy mood.
“I don’t know, but when he and that fine assistant—”
“That fine, aloof assistant,” Donovan interjected with a scowl.
“Her name is Marissa,” Diamond offered.
“When he and that fine, aloof Marissa were waiting for the valet they were in conversation and it looked pretty intense.”
Diamond’s interest was immediately piqued. “Did you hear anything?”
Dexter shook his head. “Wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying but from the look on your boy’s face, he wasn’t too happy.”
* * *
Jackson exited the 10 Freeway onto Crenshaw Boulevard. How long had it been since he’d seen these streets? Ten years? Fifteen? He couldn’t remember. After leaving the party, he’d traded his tailored suit for jeans and a T-shirt, and stopped the Maserati for his old faithful Jeep to blend in with the Crenshaw cruisers. Memories assailed him as he passed restaurants and wig shops, the Angeles Funeral Home and the West Angeles Church of God In Christ that he’d attended once or twice as a child. He reached Leimert Park, passed Blade’s Barbershop and continued on a few blocks before pulling up in front of the well-kept lawn of a small residence. He parked the Jeep and looked around as he bounded the steps. The street was quiet, but there was a chill in the air.
“Hey, Jackson. Good to see you, son.”
“You, too, Blade,” Jackson said, as he hugged the older gentleman, who seemed not to age. The barber’s slight body was still as wiry as Jackson remembered, his bald head perfectly round, his face free of wrinkles. “The neighborhood hasn’t changed much.”
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Blade eyed Jackson a long moment. “I don’t know if it was a good idea for you to come down here. I told you that when Shay asked about you, it didn’t seem like good was on his mind.”
“Good was rarely on Shay’s mind,” Jackson responded. “Sounds like what you said is right. The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Both men were quiet a moment, lost in their thoughts. Then Blade looked at Jackson with narrowed eyes. “Do you think this has something to do with the botched robbery, with why Shay went to jail?”
“That’s what I’ve thought,” Jackson responded as he paced the room. “But why would he have a beef against me for something that was his own damn fault? I was passed out in the backseat and didn’t even hear them planning the crime. Didn’t wake up until I heard gunshots, followed by Shay and Wesley racing to the car and us spending the next fifteen minutes trying to outrun the police.” Jackson stopped pacing, placed his hands on his hips. “So Shay came into the shop specifically to ask about me?”
“No, I ran into him, standing on over there by Eso Won Books. All buff and whatnot, you know how they pump iron behind bars. Looks good, though, for someone who’s just spent the last fifteen years in prison.”
“Where is he?” Jackson asked, heading to the door.
“Hold up now, son,” Blade said, walking to and standing in front of the door. “You’v
e got too much going for you to tangle with Shay. If he wants to hurt you, he has much less to lose.”
“I’m not going to spend the rest of my life looking behind my back or over my shoulder, Blade. I no longer live in the hood but I’ve never backed down from somebody wanting to bring it. And I’m sure as hell not going to start now.”
Chapter 34
“I don’t like the sound of this, Jackson,” Diamond said, pacing her office much as Jackson had done in Blade’s house last night. She shifted the phone to her other ear, sat and immediately stood back up to pace again.
“Don’t worry about it, baby girl. I can take care of myself.”
“No doubt, but why did you feel the need to go back to your old neighborhood and stir things up? What if this Shay character comes after you?”
“Baby, there’s a different code of ethics in the streets. You can’t have people thinking you’re afraid of them. All I did was go to a couple spots and spread the word that I’m not hiding and I’m not running.”
Diamond snorted. “Men! You and your pissing contests.”
“Shay has always been a lot of talk and little action. I’ll be okay.”
Diamond’s tone turned sultry. “I want to see you. You ran away from me last night.”
“I want to see you, too, baby. But I forgot something at the office. Came back to get it and am now going over some plans one of my architects left for me.”
“But it’s the holiday weekend, baby! We’re supposed to be eating leftover turkey and watching classic DVDs.”
“I’ll be leaving here around four, five o’clock. I’ll call you then.”
“Sounds like a plan. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Diamond.”
Diamond spent the day with her grandparents and Papa Dee. At three o’clock, she took a shower, packed a bag for the weekend and headed downstairs.