by Malone, Nana
She sighed. "Will you be off doing something you'll eventually regret?"
"Let's hope not."
She knew him too well. "This have anything to do with Imani?"
"What's with the inquiry? Look, all you need to know is I'll be out of town for the day. I'll be back tomorrow."
She sighed. "Don’t do something stupid, Xander. You seem really happy with her. And I like her."
She did have a point there. Imani would be irate when she found out. But she'd have to see that he had her best interests at heart. And even if she didn’t see it his way, at least he could take some of the pressure off of her. For weeks he'd watched her old man twist her up. If he could give her some peace of mind, then it was well worth it to have her mad at him for a while.
"I have no intention of mucking this up."
"Glad to hear it."
After hanging up with her, he settled in for a long flight with some work for the trust.
When he arrived at the airstrip in New York a car was waiting for him. He'd given instructions to the pilot for his return trip that night and made the two-hour drive to Imani's childhood home.
He was beyond knackered. And he still had work to do. He hadn't been lying when he told Lex that the trust did some good work. He in particular cared about the work they did with at-risk youth and victims of sexual assault. It was the first time in a long time the work he did mattered to the community as a whole and it made a difference. He'd done charity work before, but never before for something like this. Something that mattered to him.
He had thousands of photos to sift through from the benefit.
Collateral to approve. Budget to watch. He actually liked it. He'd always been the artist. It was nice to know his business brain worked just fine.
When he pulled up to the blue colonial, he noted the grass needed cutting, but for the most part the house was neat from the outside and it wasn't hard to picture Imani growing up here. Maybe sitting on the porch swing in the summer with her friends or raking the leaves in the fall.
He needed to look her father in his eyes when he told the old man to back off and give Imani some breathing room. After knocking, he waited for about five minutes, then knocked again. Finally the front door opened and the man who stood in front of him was not what he'd expected. The man in front of him had wild, lightly curling auburn hair and his skin was cafe au lait. It was immediately clear to see where Imani got her hazel eyes from.
"Can I help you?"
"Hello. Are you Mr. Brooks?"
A frown creased the other man’s forehead. "What's this about? Who are you?"
"I'm Xander Chase. I'm a friend of Imani's."
Her father's brows arched and he eyed Xander more carefully, his gaze lingering on his watch, shoes, then finally over his shoulder at the Porsche Cayenne he'd rented. "Is that so? Then you know she's not here. She's away at school."
"I know, sir. It’s you I'd like to talk to."
Her father crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that so? What is it exactly you want to talk to me about?" He didn't budge an inch. Making it clear that he had no intention of inviting Xander inside.
Okay, so they were going to do this out here? "The money she's been sending you and why it never seems to be enough. I'd prefer to come in to discuss that, but if you want to do it out here, then we can."
That had the desired effect. With a sigh, her father stepped aside and let him in, taking him into the living room.
Xander could see into the kitchen and could see it was in need of a thorough cleaning. In the living room, he sat on a printed flower chair that looked like no one had sat in in years. "Sir, I won’t take too much of your time. I understand you've got your hands full."
"Well, Imani left me to take care of her sister while she runs around doing God knows what."
Xander locked his jaw. He would not get into a verbal sparring match with the man. He just needed to deliver a message. “Your daughter has been working really hard at school and she’s killing herself trying to take care of you here.”
The older man scowled. "You say you’re a friend of hers? With that accent and those clothes and that car. Just what kind of friend are you? You don’t look like a college boy."
Astute. "That's because I'm not. I’m just someone who’s looking out for her."
"You’ve got that whole sugar daddy vibe to you. Just what has my daughter gotten herself into over there? I knew it was a bad idea for her to go away to school.”
Xander realized he might not make it through the afternoon without beating the man senseless. “I’m a man who cares about your daughter and you need to listen to me.”
“Just who do you think you are? You don’t know anything about us. Who we are."
"I know your daughter is breaking her back trying to accommodate everything you need, from the mortgage to Ebony’s extras, to the car payments. I know she sent you money recently, but you've already called to tell her you need more."
"What do you know about it? She got a fancy scholarship and left us behind. Left me to cope with her sister. You don’t know how hard it is."
"You're right. I don’t. But I’ve had just a taste of how hard it is for Imani. So from now on things are going to change."
"You have no right." Robert pointed a finger into his chest and Xander could smell the gin on his breath.
"I have every right to protect the woman I love. And her family. Even if that means you. And since I don’t have a lot of time, let me just tell you how it's going to be. I'm hiring a service to help around the house. They’ll do the cleaning and stock the fridge with healthy food. Secondly. I have a friend. He runs the Cedar Alcoholism Center not far from here. He's willing to take you on an outpatient basis. It comes with a sober companion who will live nearby."
Robert’s face contorted from mild annoyance to a deep scowl as rage took over. "How dare you—"
"I promise you, I don’t have time for this. And I can smell the gin on you. Let's save the indignation for when you’re actually sober. And finally, your daughter Ebony. The Briarwood school in London has agreed to take her on as a student next year. And she'll be receiving a full scholarship so there is no burden on you."
That last part had taken a hefty endowment and pulling of several strings. That and getting her school records were a bit tricky but money was meant to be spent. And if Imani wouldn't spend it on herself, then he'd spend it on her family. Besides, he saw what it did to her to not have her sister close.
"I've also set up an account. Funds will be distributed to you weekly to cover mortgage and living expenses including anything Ebony needs for school next year. If you exceed what's in there, you're shit out of luck. But if Imani calls, you’re to tell her that you’re just fine on cash. I don’t give a fuck what you tell her. But you will under no circumstances ask her for a dime again."
The older man’s face grew red as he sputtered, "Who do you think you are?"
"I'm the man who loves her and I’m not going to watch her kill herself trying to please you and fix a situation that's not her fault."
"So you're just going to fix it for her?"
Xander curled then unfurled his fists. The anger coursing through him. He hoped he never got so defeated that he just gave up on everything including his own daughter's happiness. "I would do anything just to see her smile. To remove any hurt or worry or pain from her eyes. I'd give my life to make that happen. So yes, since I have the means, I'm going to fix it. She's worth it."
Her father staggered back. "I—I never meant..."
"Save the apologies for your daughter. They're wasted on me."
"I love my daughter."
Xander chuckled. "If you say so."
"I do. You wouldn't understand."
Xander rounded on him. "I'll tell you what. If you love her, try being a father. Get yourself together. Sort yourself out. That’s what she needs. Not platitudes you don’t mean. I'm giving you the means to pull up. Take it."
"And i
f I don’t accept?"
"You don't really have a choice. The counseling is a requisite of you getting any money. Silence is also a requisite."
"She didn't know you were coming to do this?"
Xander met a gaze he knew well. "Do we have a deal, Mr. Brooks?"
They squared off for several minutes. Finally Imani's father backed up. "We have a deal."
Thirty-One
"You're not slick, you know."
Xander took a sip of his wine as he studied Imani and his mother chatting away happily. Lex had taken a call, so that left Abbie free to interrogate him. "I'm not sure what you’re talking about, Abena."
"Don’t think you can do that thing that you do with your brother. You can't just use my full name and make me back off."
"Seriously, is this is what having a sister is all about? Because I want a refund."
She smacked his shoulder. "Shut up. I can see how much you love her."
He gloomily stared into his wine glass. "Were you always this nosy? And I just didn’t see it before?"
Abbie grinned. "Yep. You were too busy starting at my—"
He sputtered. "Jesus, Abbie!"
She blinked with mock innocence. “Pictures. What were you thinking?"
Despite himself, he laughed. "My poor brother. He's doomed for an early grave with you."
"Yeah, but he’ll be laughing the whole way, won’t he?"
"Probably."
She shifted from foot to foot before joining him on the window seat. "She has no clue what you did for her, does she?"
Now it was his turn to pretend ignorance. "What do you mean?"
"You're really going to lie to me?"
"I think you seriously overestimate my brain’s capacity for intrigue. James Bond I'm not."
"Tell that to Alistair. And shit, tell that to Evan. I don’t think either of them will ever bother us again. Careful, Xander, people are going to start thinking that you’re the good guy. You might even be a hero."
"Bollocks. They'd be dead wrong. I'm a tosser. Completely."
"Yeah, sure you are. You’re also the tosser who set up Imani’s sister so she'd be close to Imani. And I suspect you're behind her father’s changed leaf she was telling me about?"
He glanced down at his polished shoes. "I'm not that bloke, Abbie. You can try to make me out to be the good guy all you want. But that's just not who I am. Pub crawler, yes. Roguish photography professor, yes. I'm nothing more."
She shook her head. "I don’t know why you like to pretend that you don’t have a soft heart, but I know you. It's too late now. Once I've seen that side of you, it's hard to unsee."
He drained his glass and said the one thing likely to make her drop the subject. "So you’re saying if I'd done a nude photography class first you wouldn't be unable to see that?"
Abbie sputtered and laughed. "Oh my God, you're impossible."
He took a small bow. "Where have I heard that before?" Imani laughed at something, dragging his attention back to her.
"My advice if you’re open to it. Tell her you love her. Don’t pretend with her. You deserve to be happy even if you don’t think so."
Lex joined them and the lovebirds immediately intertwined their hands. "What are you two whispering about?"
"Oh nothing, just how much Xander loves Imani and how she's already changing him for the better."
Alexi raised his glass. "And they said it couldn't be done. Welcome to the dark side, brother."
Xander liked it on this side. He liked how he felt about her. But he had to mitigate the lies he’d told or they were going to kill him. He didn’t want to lie to her. But even more he loved seeing her happy and carefree. He'd do anything to keep it like that.
Thirty-Two
Imani wiped her sweaty hands on her robe. Relax, this is what you've been waiting for months. You can do this. Three months ago if anyone had told her she'd be the lead in this showcase and dating the hottest man she'd ever seen in her life, she'd have laughed. But this was it; she was so close to her dream. About to grasp it.
Now if only she had some family out there. She shook her head and continued her pre-performance pep talk. She wasn’t going to worry about it. It didn’t matter that her father wasn’t there. In the last few weeks he’d been trying. He’d called to tell her he started an alcohol treatment program and he’d gotten another job. Facts Ebony verified.
It was like overnight a switch was flipped. She didn’t trust it. He’d disappointed her enough in the past that she was wary. But she was willing to believe in the possibility of change. He wasn’t thrilled that she was trying to move Ebony to London, but he was giving her less grief about it. So at least that was something.
She didn't have money to bring Ebony just for the weekend so her sister couldn’t come either. Both Xander and Fe had offered to bring her sister, but she couldn’t justify the cost just for her show.
She had friends and they were her family now. And Xander, he would be out there. She smiled and slid a glance at the three-dozen roses he'd had delivered. The first card had said break a leg. The second had pointed out all the places to shag in her dressing room. The final had detailed how he wanted to spread her out on the settee of her Fleet Street set and lick her until she begged for mercy.
That man knew how to make her blush and laugh and, most frequently, throw things. He'd been acting strangely for a few weeks, but when she asked him about it he said it was work with the trust. She couldn't figure out what was bugging him. He told her nothing was wrong when she asked, but clearly he wasn't his seemingly carefree self. It was more of a feeling than anything else. In bed, they'd been just as connected as always. Every time he made love to her.
Even outside of the bedroom, things were good. They dated. When he had time, he met her after rehearsal to walk her home. When he couldn't, he made sure there was a car for her. They had dinner with Abbie and Lex and their friends. Even though she knew they would eventually find Alistair and eventually have to figure their shit out.
They couldn’t just play house forever. They both had some shit to work out. But she enjoyed every minute together, not taking a second for granted. She still hadn’t told him how she felt about him, and she wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. He'd freak out and run.
But she'd tell him. Soon. But something was bothering him. She just wished he would talk to her. He hadn’t had any more nightmares that she could tell, but he was off in some way. It was like he was trying too hard at keeping something from her. Though she hadn’t had time to walk through it all. She'd get to the bottom of it after the performances. Right now she still had to focus.
There was a knock at her door and she called out, "Come in."
Fe and all his fabulousness sashayed in wearing a dark blazer, cashmere slacks and the loudest, brightest paisley shirt he could probably find. "Darling, you look smashing."
She rolled her eyes and hugged him tight, careful not to rest her cheek against his clothes. "Thank you for coming."
"Honestly. Where the fuck else was I going to be? You're my self-appointed little sistah."
She laughed. "But it's appreciated all the same."
"In that case you better tear the roof off of this place, otherwise I’m disowning you."
"Oh I will, and good luck with that. I hang on, spider monkey style."
"That’s my girl. Go on, tell me—any jitters?"
"Oh, you know, just the usual. Like there are hundreds of people out there come to see this and I can’t remember a single line and holy fuck, I’ll be naked on that stage."
Fe grinned. "I don’t even like women and I’m very excited about this proposition."
She smacked him. "Fe!"
He laughed and dodged another swat. "Relax, you'll be fine. You know this. You’re ready. And remember your fiancé is in the audience with another bouquet of flowers. I believe in you, and he believes in you. And you've got Abbie and the whole crew out there. They're here for you. You’re not solitary Imani anymore.
We are your family. You have this. I know this is a huge stretch for you, but you are incredible."
She loved him. She could always count on him to keep her mind calm. "Thank you, Fe."
"What are best friends for? Now, there’s a very hot man out there dying to kiss you good luck. Can I send him back?"
Her heart tripped into immediate gallop. "Yeah, of course." The moment she saw him, she grinned. "I thought you were working late."
He raised a brow. "I lied. There was something I had to do. But there was no way I was going to miss this."
He wrapped his hands around her and she finally relaxed. He was here. That was all that mattered. "What were you doing?"
“I’ll tell you in a second, but first a kiss.”
One kiss from him and she’d relax…after he made her come half a dozen times. “Oh no you don’t. I know all about your kisses. I’ll be on the floor with my legs in the air before I know what’s happened.”
The Xander smile was in full effect. “C’mon, I’ll be quick.”
Laughing, she nuzzled him with her nose. “No dice. Besides, I’m all made up. I’ll take a rain check for after, though.”
He made a pouty face but tugged her close and kissed the end of her nose. “Since you won’t let me have any fun, I have a surprise for you. Though I can’t take full credit. This one is from Fe and me.”
“What is it?”
“Come on in,” he called.
When the door opened, Imani held her breath, not sure what was happening. Ebony poked her head through. “Everybody decent? Fe warned me about the both of you.”
Butterflies danced in her belly as her brain tried to reconcile what she was hearing with the truth she knew. “Ebony? What? How?”
Her sister grinned. “You’ve been withholding, big sister. You should have mentioned your boyfriend had a private jet.”
Imani turned on Xander. “You did this?”
He held his hands up. “Before you get all huffy, just know that Fe and I weren’t going to let you go on stage without your sister and your dad.”