“Well, that and I referred Cody to you. This morning he mentioned he was going to practically be living here while you two worked on his Nana’s quilts. I wanted to make sure I hadn’t sent you some weirdo stalker,” Antoine said.
“No, he’s a cool guy. We get along pretty well, I mean, he’s a good fit in class,” she said absently.
“B, are you telling me you are feeling this dude?”
“No, what I am telling you is that my belly is empty and the only thing I am interested in feeling tonight is a bit of one on one time with my pillow and the remote,” she said with a smile.
“You know where to find me if you need anything,” he said.
“As a matter of fact, I could really use your help in three weeks. I have to go to Paducah and initially Carolyn was supposed to go with me to help with sales and all, but if you could come, it would mean the world to me,” Bisa said with pleading eyes.
“Sure. Send me a reminder,” he told her.
“Antoine, it is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I have to leave Thursday afternoon and come back on Monday,” she said. “I have to drive since I have so much stuff to take and it is an 8 hour trip.”
“Whoa, two days in the car plus the whole weekend?”
“You said if there was anything I needed,” Bisa said.
“Fine, just remind me okay?”
“Thank you,” she said, rising to her tip toes and kissing him on the cheek. She walked him to the door, shutting down the shop and Antoine for the night. Luckily for her the shop didn’t open until 11 tomorrow with her first class starting at 11:30. The smaller class of seasoned stitchers could be put on auto-pilot as she worked on her pièce de résistance. All thoughts of both men were out of her head as she ate pizza and salad, grateful for enough food for two days with no need to cook.
“A girl could get used to this,” she smiled, clicking off the light.
Antoine found nothing to smile about as he sat in his car, looking in the window of the quilt shop. He wasn’t about to drive to Paducah anywhere let alone for five days. As he fumed in the car, he made a mental note of several things, the first of which was Bisa’s kiss on the cheek and dismissing him. Secondly, she’d set her desk for intimate little dinner for her and Cody. Last but not least, she didn’t answer his question.
Cody Richardson was trying to steal his girl. By the looks of it, he was succeeding.
“PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU keep an eye on your ¼ inch seam allowance. This is critical for the success of actually sandwiching the top, batting, and backing of your quilts,” Bisa told the group on Wednesday night.
Cody remained cool as ice chips during the whole evening, saying little more than a greeting and farewell to Bisa when the class ended. Her feelings were around her neck as she watched him assist his classmates loading their machines as he had done Monday, followed by his own. She watched the front door, expecting a dinner arrival and was sorely disappointed when nothing showed up.
“Cody, is everything okay? You were quiet this evening in class,” she said, sounding like an out of work creepy school teacher.
“It’s Wednesday. I have to pick Nana up from church. See you next week,” he said as he climbed into his vehicle and drove away.
She stood in the shop like an idiot, staring at the door, and he didn’t come back. Antoine didn’t show up either. By Friday she hadn’t heard from either of them, sending her mood to a crashing low.
She called Carolyn.
“Honey, what are you caterwauling about now?” Carolyn asked.
Bisa explained the whole dinner scenario. “I mean we had such a good time when he took me to the movies. Afterwards we had tapas and chatted. Carolyn, now I haven’t heard from him in days,” she said forlornly.
“I wouldn’t call your silly butt either, Bisa. Based on his perception, you made your choice and it was Antoine—he left, and the Buttmuncher stayed. Cody figured you chose him and you two were doing your couple’s thing,” Carolyn told her.
“Nothing happened between me and Antoine. I sent him home!”
“Yes, but does Cody know that?”
“No, how would he?”
“Exactly, Dumberella. Sounds like you’ve made up your mind which one you wanted, so what is your game plan to get him?”
“I don’t have a game plan, Carolyn,” Bisa said honestly.
“Okay, so here is what you are going to do....”
“CODY, HOW IS IT GOING with your ebony beauty?” Rona asked.
“It’s not, Mom,” he said more morosely than he planned.
“What happened? Another cock in the hen house?”
“Something like that,” he said, turning his back to load the dishwasher. “Your analogies need a little work, Mom.”
“Oh hush. No son of mine is a loser. If you want this girl, then here is what you are going to do...”
“No. No and no, Mom. I don’t need your advice on my love life. I am giving it some distance and the ball is in her court. Either she makes a move or I let it go,” Cody responded.
“That is the one trait that you inherited from your father that I wish I could have bred out of my kids. You walk away rather than fight for what you want. Yes, there may be something else bigger and greater in the henhouse around the corner, but what are you supposed to learn from this chick? You will never know if you just allow the dust to settle,” Rona said.
“I can see right through you, Mom. I am your last chance for brown angel grandbabies, which is why you are pushing me,” Cody said, almost amused at his mother’s antics.
“Well, outside of your brother’s cheating and Jane getting busy with someone outside of her relationship,” Rona confided. “You stop being selfish, Cody Rogers Richardson, and get back in there and make that woman yours!”
“You terrify me sometimes, Mom.”
“I have a feeling about this lady. Bring her to dinner next Sunday so your Dad and I can meet her,” Rona said.
“Are you talking about Bisa?” Lily Rose called out. “She is so lovely and talented. My Lord, that woman is talented. Yes, bring her to dinner. I want to talk to her as well.”
“Fine, Fine. I will invite her to dinner next Sunday,” Cody said, not sure if she would be willing to accept, but he would ask.
MONDAY ROLLED AROUND with a quiet day at the office sans Antoine giving him the evil eye.
“Antoine, is there an issue you would like to discuss?” Cody wanted to know.
“No! I am mad at you!”
“Any particular reason that I would want to care about?”
“Yes! I was trying to be all supportive and crap, and now she roped me into the Paducah, Kentucky thing. She even sent me home right after you left with nothing more than a kiss on the cheek,” Antoine fumed.
The last part made Cody smile. So the rooster was booted out of the henhouse. Dear Lord, my mother is in my head.
“Tell me about the Paducah part if you don’t mind me asking,” Cody said, coming around the faux wall.
“It is an 8 hour drive from here listening to jazz and hippie music in her vehicle which smells like patchouli, musk from an oxen’s anus, and a field of flowers tilled by angry fairies. I hate her car!”
“Then drive yours,” Cody offered.
“I drive a coupe that will not hold all of her gear. And,” he said. “...And the whole thing starts on Friday and ends Sunday evening, which means we won’t come back until Monday, which also means another 8 hours in the hippie mobile!”
“I’m not understanding why you are mad at me,” Cody said. “She’s your girl. You take her where she wants to go while I sit at home with my Nana, enjoying a quiet peaceful evening.”
“You’re laughing at me aren’t you, Cody?”
“Yes, I am, and it serves you right, you blow hard egomaniac,” Cody said.
“Dude, I was only trying to make sure you weren’t paying her too much attention, if you know what I mean. I had to make sure I didn’t refer some psycho stalker to her that would be
hanging around her shop,” Antoine said.
“You’ve worked with me for five years! You have been to my house, you even had dinner with me and Nana, and what do you mean I could be some psycho?”
“Do you think the people Dahmer worked with knew he had a side hobby of eating black people?”
Cody’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in disbelief.
“Stop staring at me like I hurt your feelings. White folks look normal on the outside, say normal stuff, and have a kitty breeding farm in their basements. I don’t know you like that for real. I have to look out for my girl,” Antoine said.
“Yeah, good looking out there, Antoine. Leaving your girl hanging for Paducah when she is counting on you is real classy,” Cody chided.
“I’m going. I just don’t want to. Maybe I can rent an SUV or something, but Kentucky! Kill me. Just walk over here, take something heavy, and bash me in the head,” he whined.
Cody went back to his desk, pulled up Paducah Kentucky, and was amazed at everything he was seeing about the quilting town. I can get batting, backing, and premade binding there in bulk. Smiling again, he pulled up the intranet and put in for Thursday, Friday and Monday off for the following week. He was going to Paducah with a lovely lady because he knew Antoine was going to find some lame excuse to leave her dangling like a loose thread.
Antoine was going to back out and when he did, Cody would be ready to go in his stead. Maybe I should dust off my cape. Jazz. What kind of jazz? I have satellite radio. She will be able to pick her own channels. His happy mood continued into the evening as he learned how to iron his quilt top and prepared the backing for sandwiching on his baby quilt. This will be my gift to Gideon.
The joy in his spirit only intensified after he loaded the machines in his classmates’ cars, and then Bisa him called back into the shop.
“Cody, are you in a hurry this evening?”
“No, I have some time. What’s up?”
“Our dinner was interrupted last week as well as a little something else,” she said, grabbing the front of his shirt, pulling him to her.
“Why, Bisa Washington, I do declare. What kind of gentleman do you take me for?” he said, laying on the South Carolina accent really thick.
“I hope you aren’t easy because that would ruin all the fun,” she said, raising up on her tip toes, her lips inches away from his. The tender touch of his hands were upon her waist, resting just about her hips, as his head lowered, touching their mouths together. Pressure was added as his lips slanted over hers, his hands squeezing her waist as her lips parted. Sighing, she leaned into the warmth of his body, the strength of his arms, melting into the tenderness of the connection as his tongue gently probed her mouth.
“Wow,” she said, pulling back, her lips pressed against his cheek.
“Maybe I should skip dinner and head home,” he said.
“We are adults. We can kiss and still be civil,” she said.
“I’m not feeling very civil right now, Bisa. It’s best I call it a night,” he told her, kissing her lightly on the lips, which sparked a desire in him so intense, he nearly lifted her off the floor. Cody wanted more than a few kisses and if he didn’t leave right now, he would ruin everything.
“Goodnight, Bisa,” he said, loosening his hold on her and stepping away. “Lock up real good.”
She watched him walk to his vehicle. If he came back, she was going to let him in and everything would either go to pot from jumping the gun and each other’s bones, or just plain fester. He was going to be around for a while, they could take it slow.
Sighing loudly, she nearly danced up the stairs as her phone chimed. It was a message from Cody.
Wow was an understatement. - CR
Chapter Nine – Finger Pressing
Wednesday came around with a drag and Cody was ready to leave the office when his phone rang. “Richardson,” he said into the line.
Rona’s voice came through loud and clear, “Cody, did you invite her to dinner on Sunday?”
“I will ask this evening, Mom,” he said.
“You haven’t asked yet? What if she is busy this Sunday and can’t make it?”
“Then it will have to be another time,” he said without emotion.
“No, she needs to come this week. I am making my chocolate cake,” she said.
“Before you do that, let me make sure first. If it does happen, you will need to make the flourless chocolate cake,” he said.
“Food allergies?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Why are you being so cryptic?”
“I am at work and the walls have ears,” Cody responded.
“Call me later,” Rona said.
“Will do. Have a great one, Mom,” Cody told her.
He was right. Antoine was listening in on the conversation. He heard a loud laugh coming from his workstation.
“Let me guess; you are laughing at me,” he said to Antoine.
“Man,” Antoine said, laughing harder. “I see why you are single. Between your Momma and your Nana, there is no room for another woman in your life.”
“I have room. It just has to be the right woman,” Cody said, winking at him.
“Flourless chocolate cake? You are inviting Bisa to dinner with your folks?” Antoine asked, standing up.
“You said it yourself; she is the type of woman you take home to meet Mama. Have a good evening,” Cody told him with a sly smile.
“I trusted you, Cody Richardson, and now you are stabbing me in the back,” Antoine said loudly.
“No, I am not. I am merely waiting for you to screw it all up and then she can make her choice. A part time friend to kick it with or man who would be willing to drive her to Kentucky and help with anything she needs; isn’t that what deserves?” Cody asked.
Antoine, surprised by his sudden rush of jealousy, was also shocked at the discovery of a different side of Cody. He’s worked beside the man for years and till never really knew him at all.
“Damn it, now I am mad at myself for missing all the clues. You are a wolf, Cody. A smooth talking Southern gentleman of a wolf,” Antoine said.
“No, that is not me. Antoine, she is a fantastic lady. Seriously, if you have plans for a future with her, tell me now if not, hold your peace,” Cody said. “You already admitted that you two don’t fit. She and I do.”
“Fine! Fine! I hope the two of you will be happy smelling like oxen ass and drinking poop tea,” Antoine said pouting like a three year old.
“I am not understanding you and this whole poop tea thing.”
“She makes this green tea with strawberries, twigs, and the root of something that is supposed to detox you. It makes you poop, Cody. You will poop like you’ve eaten bad Mexican from a roadside stand,” Antoine said with his face scrunched up.
“Something is wrong with you,” Cody said, walking away.
“Mark my words, man. Don’t drink the tea!” he called after Cody, who simply stuck an arm in the air and waved goodbye to him.
In the shop, he worked quietly, adding the pins to his quilt and trying to figure out how in the world he was going to bring up the subject of Sunday night dinner with his family. The redhead who enjoyed oversharing took exception to the number of safety pins required to sandwich the top, the batting, and backing of the quilt.
“I dated a guy once who used safety pins as his eyebrows,” she said to the group. No one looked up nor responded to her.
“We were pegging one night and his face got hooked into my bed covering and nearly ripped his face off,” she said, shaking her head.
The young woman with the overprotective husband found the conversation titillating. “What is pegging? Maybe me and my Ronnie can do it to spice up our love life,” she said with wide eyes.
Cody was shaking his head no.
“Pegging is not a good thing, Cody?” she asked.
“No my dear, and Ronnie will not be happy with you for trying it on him,” Cody said.
&nbs
p; “Now I want to know what it is,” one of the other ladies said.
That was Cody’s excuse to take a break. He walked away from the table as the quirky red head explained in detail what pegging was. He heard several audible gasps and a few giggles, and the older woman start to pray to Jesus. It also turned out to be the perfect Segway for Bisa to wrap up the class.
“Okay, next week, we start quilting. I look forward to seeing you all on Monday. Have a great weekend,” she called to them.
Cody skirted by her, careful not to get too close as he packed up his machine. He wanted to kiss her again but he had to first find a way to invite her to dinner. With ease, he loaded up the machines in the vehicles for the ladies and returned to the shop to find Bisa waiting for him with a cup of hot tea.
“Thanks,” he said.
“You in a hurry tonight to get home?”
“No. It’s my sister’s turn to pick up Nana from church,” he told her.
“I admire you for taking care of your grandmother. I also admire you for taking this class. This is tough to do when you are the only man in the room. I know the girl talk can be a bit uncomfortable,” she said to him.
“This is nothing. When my aunts and cousins get together, all the men flee because the stuff they talk about is nuts,” he said, chuckling.
“May I ask, if it’s not too personal, why you chose to live with your grandmother?” she inquired.
He took a seat in the chair, sipping on the hot tea. It was actually very smooth and warming as he drank it. The tea had a calming effect, soothing his nerves before he asked her to dinner with his family.
“When I was sixteen, my girlfriend, was ...um late. The idea of being a teen parent was too much for me and I began to act out. My grades tumbled and I started to spiral downhill. To make matters worse, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and it was aggressive. Very aggressive and she had to have a double mastectomy,” he said, staring into the cup.
The Christmas Quilts Page 6
