Trouble with Luv' Read online

  “Aren’t you going to swim with us?” Iyesha asked.

  “Come on, Auntie!” Tessa waved her over, her broad smile revealing three missing front teeth. “I promise not to splash you like last time.”

  Ebony shook her head wildly and both girls dissolved into giggles. She held up the file and said, “Auntie has to finish her homework before she can play.”

  Her answer seemed to appease them, at least momentarily. The girls swam a few laps, and then played a round of Marco Polo. Eight-year-old Tessa struggled to get away from her sister, but with the floatation device weighing her down, Iyesha was able to tag her easily. At thirteen, Iyesha was the spitting image of her dad. Periods of lassitude and inactivity made it impossible for Jamal Sheppard to hold down a job, and that had caused a heavy strain in his marriage. But it wasn’t his inability to work that had caused the split. After twelve years of marriage, Jamal had walked out on his wife and daughters for a much younger woman. Opal and the girls were used to not getting much of his time, so there were no tears when he finally packed up his things and moved out of the family home.

  Ebony laughed when Tessa unintentionally smacked Iyesha in the face with her swimming tube. She marveled at how different the sisters were. Tessa was a rough-and-tumble kind of girl who liked to keep up with the boys, her sister a girly-girl who liked to stay abreast of the latest fashion and celebrity gossip.

  Opal had dropped the girls off Friday after school and they had followed Ebony to church. When she had introduced the girls to Old Man Griffin, his face had lit up like the New York skyline. Lovable and chatty Tessa had easily captured the old man’s heart. The offensive odor and the contemptible appearance of their tablemates didn’t seem to faze the girls and when Tessa shared a story about how she had forgotten the class rabbit on the playground and almost died when he came scurrying into the classroom, even Lydia had cracked a small smile.

  Midway through the meal, Lydia had made eye contact with Ebony and after stuffing a bun into her mouth, mumbled, “Sorry ’bout the other day.”

  Ebony had assured her that all was forgiven. Lydia must have wanted someone to talk to, because she opened up to Ebony. At one point, she even admitted that living on the streets was starting to take its toll on her. She was getting migraines, she had the flu every other week, and she had to sleep with one eye open to protect herself.

  “Sounds like you need to get off the streets.” Ebony checked on Iyesha and Tessa, who were helping to serve dessert. Sister Bertha had them in arm’s reach. “The New Hope Women’s Shelter takes in homeless women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. You should check it out.”

  “I hate those places. They stink. And the staff looks down at—”

  “You’d only be there a short time,” Ebony pointed out. “A women’s shelter isn’t the best place to be, but it’s a lot better than living on the street and having to look over your shoulder every two seconds. You wouldn’t be there long. Just until you get back on your feet. You’re looking at a month, two tops.” She took a bite of her carrot cake, trying to think of something else she could say to persuade the young teen to get off the streets. “I know what it’s like to feel unwanted, Lydia. There was a time when I was in your shoes.”

  Curiosity shone in Lydia’s dark brown eyes.

  “You know what saved me from a life of crime or prostitution?” After a short and profound pause, she said, “My aunt Mae. She was the only person who believed in me. She encouraged me to go to school, cheered when I graduated and told me I could do and be anything I wanted as long as I believed in myself.” Ebony caught Xavier watching her and sent him a smile. There was nothing more important to her than getting Lydia into a safe and stable environment, so she focused on the teen. “Sometimes you have to be willing to take a risk, Lydia. The shelter may very well be filthy, the food disgusting and the staff a bunch of jerks, and then again, it might not be. It may end up being better than what you expected. But what do you have to lose by giving it a shot?”

  Lydia finished her pecan pie. “I’ll think about entering the shelter, but don’t get your hopes up.”

  “I won’t.” But Ebony did. She could tell by the way Lydia was watching her that she had taken what she said to heart. And for now, that was enough.

  Ebony wanted to stay behind at the end of the night to help Xavier clean, but she’d promised the girls ice cream and their favorite store closed at nine. Xavier had walked them outside, pecked her on the cheek and promised to call when he got home. After the girls fell asleep, she had called and invited him over to watch a movie.

  Xavier refused. “That wouldn’t be right,” he’d said, his voice firm. When she accused him of not wanting to see her, he had laughed. “Ebony, you know that’s not true. I want to see you, but we both know if I come by, there’ll be a lot more going on than watching a movie. And besides, you know how loud you are! You’re liable to wake up not only the girls, but the family living next door!”

  Laughing, Ebony had snuggled between the pillows, wishing Xavier was lying in bed beside her. They had talked a while longer, but when they hung up and she turned off the lights, she couldn’t help feeling alone.

  Ebony watched the girls. Xavier loved to swim. He swam like a fish and he loved children. Maybe she could convince him to come over for the afternoon? Yes, inviting him over was a great idea. And it would give her an excuse to change out of her house clothes and into the new orange and lavender bikini she had picked up at Macy’s. With a white silk scarf and a pair of low-heeled shoes, Xavier wouldn’t be able to resist her. Ebony put aside the file and reached for the phone.

  “Mommy!” Tessa ran up the steps of the pool and threw her arms around her mother’s waist.

  “How are my girls doing?” Opal asked, kissing her youngest daughter. “I hope you aren’t causing your auntie Ebony any trouble.”

  “Not me, Mommy,” Tessa promised, “but Iyesha spilled a glass of chocolate milk all over the table and Auntie’s papers were ruined.” She added, “Auntie had to throw them out.”

  Iyesha pushed Tessa out of the way. “Tattletale. It was an accident,” she told her mom, “and I cleaned it up right away.”

  Kendall rounded the corner and entered the backyard. “Anyone want a slushie?”

  “Me! Me!” Tessa hopped up and down like a kangaroo in the wild.

  Drinks in hand and wide smiles on their lips, Iyesha and Tessa returned to the pool.

  Kendall put the tray down on the patio table. “Be right back. Nature’s calling.”

  “Again? You stopped twice on the way over here!”

  “When you gotta go, you gotta go.” Smiling sheepishly, she entered the house through the French doors.

  Opal made herself comfortable on one of the chairs. Waving when Tessa called her name, she said, “Ready to pull your hair out yet?”

  “Please, you know I love those girls like they’re my own. They’ve been terrific. We just got back from aunt Mae’s. She didn’t want us to leave, but I promised the girls a swim before I dropped them off. I thought we agreed I’d bring them back at eight?”

  “I know, but I missed my babies. The house has been eerily quiet since I dropped them off on Friday. Thanks again for watching them, Ebony. Things were crazy-busy this weekend at work.” Opal worked as a youth care worker at Evergreen Woods, a residential treatment center for teenage girls. She had been the one to suggest the New Hope Women’s Shelter as a suitable residence for Lydia. Last week, she’d even arranged for Ebony to meet with the program director, Ms. Donaldson. The kindhearted older woman had assured her that while in care, Lydia would receive nutritious meals, full medical attention and individual as well as group counseling.

  “Did you end up going out with Charles last night, or did you stand him up again?” Ebony asked.

  Charles was the head psychotherapist at Evergreen Woods. The man had a monster-size crush on Opal, and when the two women had run into him at the mall a few weeks back, Ebony had encouraged her frien
d to give him a chance. He was a decent-looking brother, had a respectable job and was obviously smitten with her. Opal had promised to give it some thought. When he asked her out again the following week, she had agreed. But just as she was about to leave the house for their scheduled date, Tessa had come down with a fever, and like any good mother would do, she had canceled her plans.

  “We went out for drinks last night after my shift. We had a nice time. He asked me out again but I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.” Opal crossed her legs and shifted in her chair so she and Ebony were now face-to-face. “Speaking of men, what’s going on with you and Church Boy?”

  Ebony turned, and found Kendall staring down at her, too. Her girlfriends had descended on her lounge chair like hungry vultures.

  In recent weeks, Ebony had been happier and more fulfilled than she had ever seen her and Opal had a theory as to why. “It’s too late to be shy, girlfriend, ’cause we already know you’ve been spending nights at his house—”

  “And vice versa,” Kendall chimed in. “And I happened to notice an extra toothbrush and a host of men’s grooming products on the counter in the bathroom. What happened to rule number two and three, Ebony?”

  Ebony didn’t feel like sharing, but if she didn’t give them something, they would interrogate her for the rest of the afternoon. To buy some time, she picked up one of the slushies, and sipped slowly.

  “Last Monday, I stopped by with the girls but you weren’t home. After I put Tessa to bed, I tried calling you but your cell phone was turned off.” Opal motioned with her head to Kendall. “On the drive over here, we were comparing notes and Kendall told me you’ve been ducking her at work all week. You’ve been leaving work early, canceling our girls’ nights out and you’re rarely home anymore. So, either you and Xavier have something hot and heavy going on, or you’re moonlighting as a stripper.”

  Ebony tossed her head back and laughed from the pit of her stomach. Several seconds passed before she was composed enough to speak. “There’s nothing to tell. We’ve been hanging out a lot but that’s what people do when they’re dating. That’s all I’m going to say about it, so you two heifers get off my back.”

  “Girl, please.” Kendall pursed her lips together. “When Turner and I ran into the two of you at Valley Fair last Saturday it looked like you could use a hotel room. Y’all were wrapped up so tight you’d need a crowbar to separate you.”

  Ebony found herself smiling.

  Opal lowered her voice to an almost inaudible tone. “What’s Church Boy like in the sack? Is he good in bed or could he use some instruction?”

  Ebony was not about to divulge the intimate details of her relationship and told her friend just that. “That’s private, Opal. I’m not going to—”

  “Come on,” she begged shamelessly. “You know I live vicariously through you. It’s your steamy sex life that gives me hope. What’s the big deal? You’ve never had a problem sharing before.”

  “That was then and this is now,” Ebony snapped. Discussing her sex life with Opal and Kendall wouldn’t be fair to Xavier. And if he learned that she had given her friends a rundown of the intimate things they did together, he would never speak to her again. Ebony loved Kendall and Opal like sisters. They were the best friends she had ever had, but what she did with Xavier was nobody’s business.

  “What makes this Xavier guy so special?” Kendall wanted to know.

  Cracking a playful grin, she said, “You mean besides the fact that he’s gorgeous, kind and incredibly thoughtful?”

  “Yeah, besides that.”

  All three women laughed.

  Opal crossed her legs again and gave Ebony a smile of reassurance. “Come on, quit stalling. We want to hear everything, and I do mean everything. I for one am dying to know what Xavier did to put that goofy smile on your face.”

  The sound of his name was like a gentle caress on Ebony’s face. She’d run the risk of sounding like a lovesick fool if she repeated what was going through her mind, but she couldn’t ignore the truth of her feelings. Her life had become an endless stream of board meetings, conference calls and late night business dinners without her even realizing it. Beneath her vaulting ambition to be a successful entrepreneur lurked a desperately lonely woman searching for someone to share her life with.

  Enter Xavier Reed.

  In the last two and a half months, he had come to be much more than just a lover; he was a friend. Her best friend. When they were together, time drifted by and Ebony felt like she was living in another world. A world filled with soft kisses, tender touches and deep and meaningful conversation. She cherished those quiet moments they spent together. Waking up beside him, inhaling the scent of his skin and sharing her thoughts with him brightened each and every day.

  Ebony’s ears perked up at the mention of her name. “Huh?”

  Kendall’s eyebrows came together in a frown. “We’re waiting,” she sang. “Waiting to hear what Xavier did to make you break all of those rules.”

  Sighing wistfully, she shook her head in wonder. Since it was impossible to clear the smile from her face, Ebony didn’t even try. Her voice was full of emotion when she spoke. “When I’m with Xavier, it’s as if everything’s right in the world. I don’t think about meetings, or late shipments or business proposals. Just us. I’ve been so consumed with making Discreet Boutiques a success that somewhere along the line I forgot how to live. He calls me in the middle of the day just to hear my voice, he surprises me with little gifts and the man can cook his pants off!”

  “Does he have any brothers?” Opal asked, in all seriousness.

  “Sorry, girl.”

  Kendall shrugged a shoulder. “So, he’s sweet. Big deal, a lot of guys are.”

  “No, it’s more than that, Kendall. Xavier is a gentleman through and through. He opens doors, pulls out chairs and we can’t go anywhere without him taking my hand or wrapping his arms around me.” Ebony paused. Xavier also knew what turned her on both mentally and physically, but she decided to keep that pertinent piece of information to herself.

  “I’ve never met a man as generous and as passionate as he is. He leaves notes on my pillow, listens to what I have to say—even if he doesn’t agree—and can make me laugh like no one else.” Ebony’s face glowed as the memory of last Saturday washed over her. “We were watching TV late one night when I went into the kitchen to grab us some ice cream. On my way back down the hall, I caught sight of the calendar hanging near the storage room.” Ebony got choked up every time she thought about how lucky she was to have Xavier in her life. “He had penciled in the day we met and every single date we went on. I flipped ahead to next month, and was shocked to see he had almost every day filled in with places he wanted to take me and gifts he thought I’d like.” Astonished at how emotional she got talking about their relationship, she took a long sip of her drink. It seemed like minutes but it was only seconds before she said, “Xavier’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met and I truly feel blessed knowing him.”

  Opal and Kendall exchanged invidious looks. Before Kendall could respond, her cell phone rang. Excusing herself to take the call, she walked to the other end of the yard.

  “Girl, you’re sprung! Your eyes are open so wide I can see your heart!” Opal patted Ebony’s hand. “I say go for it. Hold on to that brother with both hands and don’t let your career get in the way. Discreet Boutiques can’t pull you in its arms when you’ve had a bad day, or make you soup when you’re sick or love you all night long the way I’m sure Xavier can.”

  Ebony chuckled. As usual, her best friend was right.

  “Who knows,” she said, with a casual shrug of her shoulders, “maybe we’ll be planning a wedding before the year’s end.”

  “Now you’re just talking crazy. We’ve graduated from seeing each other to being a couple, but that’s where the road ends. I’m not the type of woman Xavier would consider settling down with. He wants his wife barefoot and pregnant and you and I both know that’s not me.”
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  Opal could tell Ebony was holding something back. Maybe she was thinking about marriage. “Don’t worry too much about the future. Just enjoy the present. I’m happy that you’ve finally found someone who puts a smile on your face.”

  “Me, too,” she confessed.

  “Where is Xavier taking you for your birthday?”

  “I have no idea. He mentioned something about his parents having a barbecue at their house, but I reminded him that I don’t do family functions.”

  “No, you didn’t!”

  “I did.” She was about to explain, when Kendall returned. Bad news was written all over her face. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s the first day of the summer clearance sale and stores two, five and six are stuck with sales associates who haven’t been properly trained. Yolanda gave employees a half day of orientation instead of the standard three days, and then put them on the schedule.” Kendall pushed a hand through her hair. “You were right about her all along, Ebony, but don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. I’m going to fire Yolanda first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll promote Cynthia Baines to the district manager position and hire—”

  “Not so fast, Kendall. You said yourself that Yolanda was having problems at home. We’ll meet with her and give her the chance to explain. Then we’ll decide what course of action to take.”

  Kendall looked at her narrowly. “A chance to explain what? This has been going on for months! Months. Her behavior has been completely unprofessional and I’m tired of her crap. Consider her gone, Ebony, because there’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”

  “That’s not your decision to make, Kendall. We own the company, remember?”

  Tension hung in the air like the Goodyear blimp.

  Opal had to act fast. This had the potential to turn ugly and she didn’t want her best friends duking it out in front of the kids. “Why don’t we all take a deep breath and—”

  “Damn, Church Boy must have put it on you good!” Kendall’s voice was dripping with contempt. “What happened to the don’t-take-no-crap-from-nobody woman we’ve all grown to love and fear?”