Sweet Heat

by Zuri Day

  Liz, dressed in a satiny caftan, sat with her back against the headboard, reading a magazine. She looked up when he entered. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Mom.” He gave her a hug.

  “You headed out to see Naomi?”

  “No.”

  “Whoa, that answer came quickly. Y’all having problems?”

  “You could say that.”

  “There isn’t a relationship out there that’s problem-free, son.”

  Marvin turned toward the walk-in closet. “I wondered where you were, Dad. Good morning.”

  “Mornin’.”

  “I like Naomi,” Liz said. “What did y’all get into it about? Another woman?”

  “Why do you assume that I’m the culprit? Why wasn’t the question ‘another man’?”

  “Because most of the time it’s another woman.”

  “Most of the time isn’t all of the time.” Marvin walked over and sat on a large wooden chest at the end of the bed. The sound of items tumbling and hitting the floor came from the closet. “What are you doing in there, Dad?”

  “Looking for a piece of my army gear that I put at the back of this shelf. Told your mother not to mess with it, but she didn’t listen. Now neither one of us can find it.”

  “Wasn’t enough room in that closet for items that were not being used. I told you it’s out back, in the storage shed. Why does it take telling a man something three times before he hears it once? Never mind that. What’s on your mind, son?”

  “It’s about the house that we just purchased. Barry and I are going to move in.”

  Willie responded first. “Don’t move that girl in with you if you want to keep track of what’s yours.”

  Marvin laughed. Liz ignored him. “I thought that was going to be investment property to be used as a rental.”

  “It might be, eventually. We’re not going to live there forever.”

  “You haven’t mentioned moving before. I like having you here and thought you liked being here.”

  “You like having a chef at your fingertips.”

  “Does the reason matter as long as you’re wanted?”

  Willie’s slow, melodious laughter floated into the room.

  “Y’all might be fighting now, but Naomi is why you want to move. Is she pressuring you?”

  “Nobody’s pressuring me to do anything. This move back home was always temporary.”

  “How can something always be temporary? Son, you’re not making sense. That girl’s got you twisted. One look at all that badonkadonk and your brain stopped working.”

  “This move is not about Naomi, Mom.”

  “I admit she’s loud and likes telling you what to do. I am too. Women like us want to share our opinions. But we’re not bossy.”

  Willie came to the door of the closet, took a long look at Liz, a glance at Marvin, then turned and resumed his hunt.

  “I know you’re not calling me bossy!” Liz hollered.

  “Loud either,” Willie calmly responded.

  Liz grabbed a decorative pillow off the bed and threw it into the closet. “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss. There’s a difference.”

  She refocused on Marvin. “What happened, baby?”

  Any other time, and any other woman, and Marvin would have been happy to share all with Liz. But in the moment, Doug’s words came back. About how he should give Naomi the benefit of the doubt, know the whole story before cutting her out of his life. Liz was a Carter to the core and could cut a person out in a minute. If she thought Naomi had put his life in danger, getting back in her good graces would be a steep mountain for Naomi to climb.

  “Couples fight, just like you and Daddy,” he finally said, standing. He walked over and gave his mother a hug. “I’m going to leave y’all to handle your business, while I go handle mine.”

  * * *

  “Did you call Marvin?”

  Naomi continued to scroll the internet, and said nothing.

  Nana took one step inside the room. “I know you’re not ignoring me, Naomi Renee, so the only thing I can figure is you’ve lost your hearing. Next, I’ll find something to throw upside your head, see if your sight is gone as well.”

  “I’ve been the one calling, Nana. I’m not going to anymore.”

  “Why not? On second thought, never mind about that. Keep ignoring him like you did me just now, sleeping in that bed with pride for a partner. That’s a good young man—thoughtful, respectful. Hope you figure that out before it dawns on another young lady. You’ll look up and uh-oh will be too late.”

  Delivered quietly, calmly, the words splashed across Naomi’s mind like cold water on a just woke face, and continued to taunt her.

  Keep ignoring him like you did me just now . . .

  She went back to reading, or tried to. Except now, instead of the face of the hero Brenda Jackson had described in her novel, all Naomi kept seeing was Marvin’s face.

  . . . sleeping in that bed with pride for a partner.

  He’s the one with pride, she countered with the argument in her head. What was she supposed to think when he went all this time without calling her, or asking to see her? Besides, he had nerve pointing the finger. She’d never have gone to the party had he called as they’d planned. So what, a man came over. She told Marvin that Rodney was an ex. That she didn’t know he was coming over. That he forced her decision by saying he had a gun, for God’s sake! If one was in the wrong, they both were.

  That’s a good young man—thoughtful, respectful.

  Played that role in front of Nana. Nana didn’t know him. She’d known him only briefly herself. Could be a serial killer, for all they knew.

  Hope you figure that out before it dawns on another young lady.

  Naomi tossed her tablet aside and lay on her stomach. Maybe the connection they shared was heightened by spending so much time together, having the contest in common, and experiencing the excitement that comes with all new love. Maybe now she was finding out who he really was. She wasn’t sure if she liked it.

  You’ll look up and uh-oh will be too late.

  Nana was right. If she saw someone else hugged on Marvin right now, she’d want to take off her earrings and smear Vaseline on her face. Naomi rolled over, reached for her phone, and tapped his number.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Silence. He wasn’t going to make this easy.

  She took a deep breath. “They must have you really busy with that food truck win. You haven’t called at all.”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Sounds like you’re still upset with me.”

  “I’m still processing everything that you told me. You have to admit that it was a lot to think through.”

  “You assumed that there was something going on with Rodney and me, when there wasn’t.”

  “If you’d been over to my house when another woman came over and I asked you to leave, wouldn’t you have assumed the same thing?”

  “No.”

  “Whatever, Naomi. Look, I’ve got to go.”

  “Wait, Marvin. You’re right. I wouldn’t be okay with you doing that at all. But I already told you why I did what I did. He said he had a gun, and as crazy as he was acting, I feared he was right. I thought he was high, you heard me ask him that. But if I were in your shoes, I don’t know if what I’ve told you so far would be enough to convince me either, which is why I want us to get together and talk, face-to-face. For me to answer every question you have, erase every doubt from your mind. I want you to be as sure as I am about what happened, why I asked you to leave, and why I’m now asking you to meet me. Can we get together, Marvin . . . please?”

  “We can do that,” he softly said.

  Just four words, but they sounded like a love song and made Naomi’s heart sing.

  37

  Out of the four hundred and eighty minutes that were in an eight-hour day, there may have been five when Marvin wasn’t on Naomi’s mind. Every part of her body wanted to see him, but as she
drove down Crenshaw Boulevard to where they’d agreed to meet, the fear of how the conversation might play out caused her to almost drive past the mall. Her desire to straighten things out between them was bigger than her fear. A few minutes later, she was out of the car and heading to the restaurant.

  It was the dinner hour, but not very crowded. Naomi looked around but didn’t see Marvin at any of the tables. The first thoughts that popped up were negative, but she refused to go there. Doing so was partly to blame for creating the rift between them. She took a deep breath and scanned the room again. There he was, sitting casually at the bar, talking with the bartender. Naomi headed toward him, determined to be herself, the large, in-charge sister he met at the convention center. She had no idea how the evening would end, but it had started with the sight of him making her heart skip a beat.

  The bartender must have said something because he turned around before she arrived. His gaze traveled the length of her body. He smiled, sort of, and slid off of the bar stool.

  “Hey, Marvin.”

  “Juicy.”

  He moaned, soft and low as she stepped into his arms. It felt like coming home. His rapid heartbeat let her know that he was just as uncertain as she was.

  She pointedly looked around and asked, “What is this going to be, a one glass of wine conversation?” Marvin looked at the bartender, who shook his head and chuckled. “It’s been a little rough, but we can’t find enough small talk to get through a salad? And if still speaking by then, maybe order dinner?”

  Marvin eyed her with a serious expression. “Girl, it’s been quiet without you.”

  Everybody laughed, including the bartender.

  “You want dinner?” he asked.

  “Let’s start with a drink, and then we’ll see.”

  They got their drinks and then sat on the last two stools away from the crowd, and spent a moment just looking at each other.

  “Where do you want me to start?” Naomi asked.

  “At the beginning,” Marvin quickly responded. “How do you know that guy?”

  Naomi took a long swig from her glass of wine. “I met Rodney in middle school. Actually, I met his brother first. Rodney was two years younger. He was goofy, funny, made me laugh. There was a group of us who all hung out together. Eventually we started messing around, nothing serious at first. Then he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said okay.”

  “How long did y’all date?”

  “On and off, for several years. It started in high school, both of us too young to commit to anything besides growing up. It was cool at first, but then he started to get possessive, and more controlling. We’d break up, make up, until I started seeing weird behavior that scared me.”

  “Like what?”

  “Kind of like what you saw that Sunday, like maybe he was on drugs or psycho, something.”

  “Does he do drugs?”

  “Just weed, or so he claims, but it’s more . . . got to be.”

  “What happened at the party?”

  “One of our high school friends threw it. There were a lot of people who I hadn’t seen in years, including my friend Zena, who’s just moved back to LA from Arizona. Once there I drank too much, too fast, and forgot I hadn’t eaten. When I saw Rodney, I was already on the dance floor, having a good time. I admit to having fun with him, maybe flirting a little. But we were all acting silly, jamming to our old faves—Usher, Monica, Chris Brown, the lineup. We went down the soul-train line together. Harmless fun, I thought. But obviously not. Looking back, I shouldn’t have given him the time of day. I knew better.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I finally put my foot down with Rodney and let him know we were over for real, he went off. He wasn’t violent, at least physically, but he cursed me out, issued subtle threats, I even felt like he stalked me for a while, like several months. I was living somewhere else, then. A roommate and I had an apartment in the Valley. She got engaged and moved in with her boyfriend. Around that same time, Nana had a few health issues, so it made sense for me to move back with her. That was more than two years ago. I hadn’t seen him since then. But that night . . .”

  Naomi paused, remembering the signs she’d seen that Rodney was stalking her and how quickly she dismissed them.

  “What about that night?”

  Naomi had told him on a phone call before, but reminded him how Zena had seen Rodney behind them at the fast food drive-through, and how the way he’d stalked her in the past had gone through her mind.

  “It was so long ago,” she finished. “I thought we were way past all that. I thought we’d moved on.”

  “But he hadn’t. He was still stalking you.”

  “Yep.” Naomi finished her drink and pushed it aside. “He commented about where I worked. I didn’t think anything about it, although it should have been a huge red flag since that wasn’t where I worked when he and I were together. Obviously he’d kept tabs on me for a while.”

  Naomi reached out and placed a hand on Marvin’s arm. “I should have known better, and to think you or Nana or even Miss J might have been harmed . . .”

  “He had a gun, for sure?”

  “That look I saw in his eyes that day made me not want to find out.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a stack of papers.

  “What’s this?”

  “The police report I filed the day after dialing 9-1-1. They didn’t catch him, but I wanted what had happened to be put in writing. Beneath that is the restraining order that was requested and approved. If he comes closer to me than the length of a football field, he’s going to jail.”

  Marvin laid the papers on the bar and pulled her hand between his. “I’m sorry, baby. I hate that you went through that.”

  Naomi hadn’t shed a tear over what had happened with Rodney, but the tenderness in Marvin’s voice pushed them precariously close to her eyelids.

  “I never should have gone to that party,” she said harshly, creating an emotional dam to stanch the flow that threatened. She glared at him. “It’s your fault.”

  “Ha! How do you figure?”

  “I was mad at you because you didn’t call.”

  “You make it seem as though I was out with some female. I was with my brothers!”

  “I know. My going to that party wasn’t your fault. And that I wasn’t sure I believed you wasn’t your fault either.”

  “I’m glad you said that. I couldn’t understand why you were tripping.”

  “There is no understanding it, except to say that earlier that day Kristy pushed a button I thought I’d dismantled years ago.”

  Marvin frowned. “What button was that?”

  “I’m almost ashamed to say it.” Naomi actually felt embarrassed at what she’d allowed to stick in her craw. “She suggested that since you won . . . with your newfound business owner status, you’d go after a different type of woman.”

  Marvin’s frown deepened. That he was genuinely confused blessed Naomi’s heart.

  “You know, the skinnier women society deems beautiful. Thinking back, that’s why I even took issue with Abbey and her skinny, khaki-wearing behind.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I should be, but babe. There’s not a woman out here, no matter how beautiful, who hasn’t at one time or another dealt with insecurities that threatened her self-esteem. For a thick chick, I can guarantee you that’s doubly true. When it comes to the standard displayed for beauty, by and large—no pun intended—big women get no love.”

  Marvin stood then, eased her into his arms and slowly wrapped his meaty ones around her and pressed in for a kiss, nice and easy, in a way that made her know he felt all of what she was working with and liked every pound.

  He finished kissing her and grabbed a chunk of her ass, right there in front of God and everybody. “Don’t ever doubt how beautiful you are, mouth and all, inside and out. There’s not a woman in the world that can compete with this. Do you understand me?”

  “I do no
w.” Naomi’s eyes sparkled as she eased back on to the bar stool. She may have loved Marvin before, but in this moment the feelings went to another level. She was in love with him.

  “How are we doing over here?” the bartender asked, wiping down the counter as he approached them.

  Marvin looked at Naomi. “Do you want to head to the dining room?”

  Naomi nodded. “I could eat.”

  Marvin’s eyes narrowed. He looked at her mouth. “Me too.”

  Clearly, he wasn’t talking about food.

  They walked to the hostess stand and were promptly seated in the dining room, and given menus.

  Marvin picked his up, looked over it at Naomi, and chuckled while shaking his head. “I never would have thought that about you,” he said. “Lacking confidence, especially where I’m concerned.”

  “I know.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “What?”

  “I had a conversation about you . . . with Abbey.”

  “Oh, that’s one I don’t know and probably don’t want to know.”

  “It was interesting.”

  “When? Why?”

  “A couple days after we got called in over those trumped-up allegations. I was angry and trying to figure out who did it. Remembered you thinking it could have been her, and given how she’d treated you, I thought you might be right. So I asked her, straight out. Did she do it? Did she report us to them?”

  “And let me guess. She denied it.”

  “Yes, but it was the way she denied it that I wasn’t expecting. I called her out on how she treated you and said it was clear that she didn’t like you. She said that it wasn’t that she didn’t like you. It was that she envied you.”