by Tracy Brown
Her cousin Destiny insisted on going with her to the dinner party. She hadn’t met Troy face-to-face, but Sydney talked about him constantly. Determined to have her cousin’s back, she made sure that Sydney RSVP’d with a plus one. Troy said it was fancy, so they should dress up. Sydney worried about what Destiny would wear, but didn’t want to insult her by making suggestions. Destiny had a flamboyant style. Colorful, flashy, and loud were words one might use to describe both her fashion sense and her personality.
To Sydney’s surprise, Destiny arrived at her place looking rather nice in a tight black dress and black heels. Destiny was a big girl with a beautiful face and curves that would make every man in the room do a double take. She couldn’t help it. No matter what she wore, her hips, butt, and boobs entered the room like boom. Tonight, though, she had reined it in. Her braids were gathered together in a neat bun on top of her head. She looked pretty and unusually understated. Sydney knew instantly that Aunt Pat had helped her go shopping. Destiny was usually the type for big, bold earrings and bright colors. Tonight she wore basic black and her only accessories were a pair of pearl stud earrings. Sydney smiled.
Her own look was painstakingly perfect. She wore a winter white wrap dress with a pair of caramel suede stiletto booties. She had saved long and hard to buy those boots and was excited to wear them tonight. Destiny helped her get her hair together.
“So, where’s Aunt Georgi?” Destiny asked. “Usually she’s on you like white on rice. Why is she letting you spend so much time with this Troy guy and she never met him?”
Sydney looked at their reflection in the mirror as Destiny brushed her hair into a cute updo with bangs. “Mommy’s dating again. You know how she gets.”
Destiny glanced at her cousin sadly. She knew all too well. Sydney’s mother fluctuated between two extremes. She was either completely obsessed with every aspect of her daughter’s life when she was single or she was completely obsessed with whatever man was acting as her sponsor at the time. Through it all, Georgi had maintained her stunning looks. While her dad aged drastically during his prison stint, her mom kept it together.
“She tell you where she is this time?” Destiny asked the question gently. She put the finishing touches on her cousin’s hair and sat down on the bed. Aunt Georgi would go to Europe, the Caribbean, or wherever her man took her at the drop of a dime. Often Sydney had no idea until she got a phone call from her mother after days of silence.
“Yeah. Connecticut. Some banquet. She’ll be back late tonight. This one’s kinda nerdy. She’ll be bored soon, I can tell.” Sydney laughed. She knew her mother like the back of her hand. Or so she thought. “But she’s having fun for now and it’s keeping her off my back. So, it works for me.” She sighed. She couldn’t wait to see Troy tonight. She was eager for Destiny to meet him, too. She valued her cousin’s opinion a great deal.
Finally, when they were both satisfied with their looks, Troy arrived to pick them up for the party.
The first real clue that there was more to Troy Mitchell than Sydney was aware of came when he pulled up to get the girls. A black Mercedes pulled up, tinted windows shielding the occupants. The car gleamed against the bright lights of the streetlamps. Sydney watched as Troy slid out of the driver’s side and another man rose from the passenger side. The guy with Troy was big, looming large like a bodyguard as he walked toward them alongside Troy.
Destiny cleared her throat. “What do you know about this guy?” Destiny asked. She was intrigued already. This wasn’t the type of guy she expected her cousin to meet and fall in love with at college.
“I don’t know,” Sydney muttered. Her mind was reeling at the sight of her man, the beauty of that car, and the question of who the hulk was walking with Troy.
Troy greeted Sydney with a light kiss on the cheek. He turned to Destiny, smiling. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Troy.” He extended his hand to her, all the while maintaining eye contact. Sydney knew that scored points with her cousin. Aunt Pat often reminded them that a real man always looks a person in the eyes.
Destiny was impressed. “Hello, Troy. I’m Destiny.”
He squeezed her hand. “This is my brother, Wes.” He gestured toward the smooth chocolate action figure at his side.
Sydney shook Wes’s hand and peered up at him. He had an imposing presence and though he greeted her warmly, she noticed that he didn’t smile much. He had dark, menacing features and his face seemed set in a perpetual frown. Though he was even more handsome than his brother, his facial expression and body language were certainly not as inviting as Troy’s.
Destiny peered around them at the car parked nearby. “Whose car are you driving, Troy?”
Wes managed a tiny smirk then. “It’s mine. You like it?”
Destiny beamed. “Yup.”
Troy laughed. “Wes is letting me drive it for the first time. But he’s acting like he’s my father, telling me to slow down and all that.”
Wes shook his head. “He got a lead foot, ladies. I’m gonna warn you now.” Wes was trying to be nice to his brother. Since their mother’s passing, the gulf between them had only grown wider. He was hoping that by having Troy around him more, he might rub off on him. He believed Troy needed some hair on his chest. Too much college and not enough conflict.
Troy assured them that they were in good hands, and suggested that they get going. “Uncle Don made us promise that we’d get right back. He takes this party seriously.”
Wes was eyeing Destiny’s curves in that dress as the group moved toward the car. “Destiny, you can sit in the back with me,” he said. “Sydney, you sit up front with Troy.”
Troy laughed at that. “Now you can be a backseat driver for real.”
“Just don’t get in an accident.” Wes opened the car door for Destiny.
Troy did the same for Sydney. He squeezed her butt slyly as she slid in past him. Sydney smiled in delight. She was hoping to sneak away with Troy at some point tonight. She wished that Destiny and Wes would somehow disappear.
Troy got behind the wheel and headed for the bridge.
“How old are you, Wes?” Destiny was facing him in the backseat, her eyes searching him for clues. She had plenty of questions.
“Twenty-four.” He looked at her and winked. “How about you?”
“Twenty,” Destiny answered. “What do you do for a living?”
Troy interjected. “Our family runs a chain of businesses uptown. Barbershops, dry cleaners, tailors, that type of thing.”
Sydney suspected that wasn’t the whole truth. A couple of times, Troy had alluded to his father’s disapproval of Wes’s lifestyle. She supposed Wes wasn’t as involved in the family business as Troy was trying to imply. She kept her mouth shut, though, eager to hear the next in Destiny’s litany of questions.
“You cut hair?” Destiny asked.
Wes laughed. “Do I look like I cut hair?” His voice was gruff, but his expression revealed that he was tickled by Sydney’s outspoken cousin and her interrogation.
“You look like an assassin,” Destiny said flatly.
“Aye! That’s not nice! What’s wrong with you?” Sydney craned her neck to glare at her cousin sitting behind her.
Troy laughed loudly.
Destiny held her hands up in surrender. “No offense,” she said to Wes.
He shook his head. “None taken, sweetheart.” He shifted in his seat, his frame too large for the backseat of his own car. Destiny could tell that he was more accustomed to being in the driver’s seat. “What’s your story?” he asked.
Sydney smiled in the front seat. Troy had asked her the same question once. In the weeks since then, they had gotten to know each other quite intimately. Yet she sensed that there was still so much for her to learn. Troy took her hand in his, swept his thumb across hers, and she smiled at the familiar gesture. It had become the equivalent of a kiss when they were in a crowded room. His touch sent shivers through her every time.
“I’m just a girl from Staten Is
land. Well, Brooklyn, really. But my mother moved to Staten Island when I was a kid. My grandmother followed. Then Sydney and her family came after that.”
Wes nodded. “One big happy family, huh?”
Destiny nodded. “You got a girlfriend?” she asked boldly.
Troy and Wes both laughed. Sydney looked at her cousin like she was crazy. Troy steered the car expertly through the traffic.
Wes finally composed himself enough to nod. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m seeing somebody. But if I wasn’t, you’d be just my type.”
Destiny frowned a little. “What does that mean?”
Wes looked out the window as he spoke. “You seem like you don’t have a problem speaking your mind,” he said. “I like a girl with a strong opinion. I can be a lot to handle, so I like somebody who can withstand a challenge.”
Sydney looked at Troy sidelong. “Sounds like somebody else I know.”
Troy laughed. “I guess it runs in the family,” he admitted. “Believe it or not, I’m the calm one. When it comes to keeping a level head, I’m usually the one who keeps the peace. Wes can be a hothead.”
Destiny’s mouth watered, but she caught herself. Wes was taken, she reminded herself. “Is your girlfriend coming to the party tonight?”
Wes shook his head. “She’s out of town.”
Sydney wanted to pinch her cousin, but she couldn’t reach her. Eager to steer the conversation elsewhere, she cleared her throat.
“Who else is gonna be at this dinner?” she asked.
Troy smirked. “You might see a few familiar faces,” he answered coyly. “But mostly just my family. My uncle, Don. My dad might come through.”
Sydney’s antennae went up. She had just assumed that when he mentioned his family dinner that his father would certainly be attending. She was beginning to wonder if she and Troy had more in common in the parenting department than she had previously known.
Troy regaled them with drunken tales about the mayhem that unfolded at previous holiday dinners with his family. Aunt So-and-So and Uncle Such-and-Such did this and that. Sydney didn’t keep track of all the names. But she did notice the easy laughter the brothers shared as they reminisced. By the time they arrived at the big impressive home where the dinner was being held, they had all grown quite comfortable with one another. The energy between them was lively as they exited the car and walked down the long graveled driveway toward the house.
“This is a really nice house,” Destiny said. She thought Sydney had it good, but whoever lived here had real money.
“Thank you,” Troy said, smiling. “This is my father’s house.”
Destiny’s eyes widened. Sydney, too, was impressed, though she did her best not to make it too obvious. This was nothing like the Harlem she had imagined Troy growing up in.
Wes swung open the heavy doors, ushering them into a large and impressive foyer. Music blared and laughter and conversation could be heard from somewhere down the hall. Sydney looked around. Sparkling wood floors, gleaming white walls, and a large chandelier were the only décor. Still the space screamed opulence and the old house had plenty of charm and character. Sydney couldn’t wait to see more.
A woman appeared. Her natural hair graced her head like a halo as she smiled. She reached for everyone’s coats and Sydney had to resist the urge to hug her. The woman exuded love. “Everyone is having cocktails in the great room.”
Sydney nodded, thanked the woman, and she and Destiny followed Troy and his brother toward the great room. Destiny linked her arm through Sydney’s as they walked.
“What kind of life is this, Sydney?” Destiny gawked at the paintings on the wall. She was no art expert, but they sure looked expensive.
“I’m not really sure.” Sydney’s own eyes darted around the home as they walked. The sounds of voices and music filled the halls, and Destiny snapped her fingers to the beat of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody.” Sydney joined in. Having her cousin along made her feel more comfortable as they neared the great room.
GHOSTS
A couple of dozen people mingled, danced, and sipped drinks in fancy glasses. The cathedral ceilings were painted in a vibrant gilded gold. The floor-to-ceiling windows were framed in deep mahogany wood that looked as opulent as the house itself.
“Girl!” Destiny said it all in just one word. Men in tailored suits and women in fabulous looks and flawless makeup enjoyed themselves. Conversation and laughter filled the room.
“He’s handsome,” Destiny said, gesturing toward the opposite corner of the room where a full bar had been set up. An older man stood talking to a group of people, all seeming to hang on to his every word.
“Cut it out. He looks old enough to be your father,” Sydney muttered under her breath.
Destiny frowned. “I just said he was handsome. Get your mind out the gutter.” She looked at him again. “I should hook him up with Mama.”
Sydney laughed. “Stop trying to hook us all up with Troy’s family. I heard you in the car.” She finally got the chance to pinch her cousin and she did so. Destiny squirmed. “Cut it out,” Sydney warned.
Destiny smiled guiltily. “I was just fishing for information. You hardly know this guy. Clearly.” She looked around them. “All this money came from barbershops and dry cleaners?”
Troy rejoined them after speaking with a few people nearby. He was wearing all black tonight, his suit seemingly custom-made for him.
“Thanks again for inviting us,” Sydney said. “This is a really beautiful home.”
“Thank you.” Troy nodded graciously.
“You grew up in this house?” Destiny asked, looking around in awe.
Troy nodded. “Yup. But, we didn’t get to hang out in here much. When we were kids, this room, the study, my parents’ bedroom—those were places kids weren’t allowed. You know how it is, right?”
Sydney nodded. She knew all too well. Georgi Scott had very clearly drawn the line, enforcing the rule that the living room and Georgi’s own bedroom were off-limits. If Sydney had company, she had to entertain them in her own room, the kitchen, or the yard. Destiny, though, had a different experience. Pat was much more liberal than her sister. Destiny slept in her mother’s bed even now.
They listened, intrigued, as Troy continued. “Me and Wes spent most of our time away from home. My mother had an apartment on the Upper East Side that she pretty much raised us in. This house was my father’s.” He looked at Sydney, almost apologetically. He knew that growing up without her own father she hadn’t been afforded the same luxuries. “I know it sounds crazy.” He shrugged. “My parents weren’t like a traditional couple. They lived apart most of the time. This house was more or less where they entertained. Or where my pops came when my mother was mad at him. We all spent weekends here when family was in town. But my mother was a simple woman. She preferred the smaller space, the closer feeling she got in that apartment.” He thought back on those days when his mother had reigned over the household like the queen that she was.
“My pops likes the limelight. The wow factor. When we were here, this room was where my father and his cronies would hang out. My mother and her friends would have parties here sometimes. Now that I’m grown, it still feels like I’m a little kid, sneaking downstairs to see who would drink too much, who would fight.”
They all laughed. Sydney and Destiny both glanced around, trying to imagine who it might be tonight. It was hard to picture any of these poised and polished people getting twisted.
Moreover, Sydney was amazed at the opulent life that Troy was living. She couldn’t believe that the cocky guy she had fallen for was connected to a very wealthy, successful, and powerful family. The possibility that Troy might be rich had never occurred to her.
“Is your father here?” Sydney asked.
Troy nodded. He gestured toward the older gentleman Destiny had noticed when they walked in. “That’s him.”
Sydney and Destiny both gasped. It seemed that each of the Mitchell men was finer than t
he last.
“What’s his name?” Sydney stared at the man she now allowed herself to admit was quite handsome. He stood now, speaking closely with a beautiful woman, who looked vaguely familiar. Sydney tried to recall where she had seen her before.
“William Mitchell. His friends call him—”
“Troy, there you are. Have you been hiding from me?”
He turned to find a lovely familiar face smiling up at him. She hugged him around his waist and he pulled her close, smiling at Sydney.
“This is my little cousin, Zoe. And this is my girl, Sydney, and her cousin Destiny.”
Sydney felt her heart race at his introduction of her. His girl.
“Your girl? What?” She stared at Sydney in wide-eyed amazement.
Sydney smiled at Zoe, trying hard to steady her racing heartbeat. “Nice to meet you, Zoe.”
“Nice to meet you, Sydney!” Zoe was beaming.
Sydney liked her already. She could see the resemblance between the cousins.
Troy smiled at her proudly. “Zoe’s my favorite member of this family to be honest. She’s a big brat, but she won’t admit it.”
The girl pouted in a mock tantrum, her arms folded across her chest in protest.
Sydney laughed.
“Whatever!” Zoe said. “How long have you had a girlfriend? And why am I just hearing about it?” She stared at him accusingly.
Troy’s father now joined their group.
“What’s up, Dad?” Wes grinned, but didn’t appear to Sydney to be especially excited to see the man.
“Wes.” Fox’s smile seemed more like a sneer.
Sydney watched them closely, wondering what the story was with these two. She recalled Troy mentioning that his father and brother shared a contentious relationship. Clearly that was true, judging by the unspoken tension between the two of them now.
Troy stepped forward. “Dad, this is Sydney. And this is her cousin, Destiny.”
Both ladies smiled at the handsome man and his eyes widened as he took them in.
“Sydney!” His smile was wide and sincere now. “Troy has told me all about you.”