The Appraisal

by Brielle Montgomery

  “Why the fuck won’t you leave me alone?” Her hushed voice was sharp. “You were all up in my business, you got what you wanted, and it’s done.”

  “All up in your business?” Kevin circled her. “You had your business all up on that stage, remember?” His voice was nearly a whisper. The stench of the beer was riding high on his jagged breath as he lowered his lips to her ear. “And I would like to get all up in your business again, because it was damn sure hella juicy.”

  This time, Jayla didn’t stop him as he whirled her around and lifted her onto the sink. All she could think about was the nurse’s phone call, the words sexually transmitted disease echoing in her ears. The nasty, cheating bastard deserved whatever death sentence he got from her tainted pussy. So she didn’t stop him when he bunched her dress at the waist, and she spread her legs apart to let him indulge.

  She pushed him down by his shoulders, scooted to the edge of the sink to allow him an accessible drink of her kitten. Of course, he obliged and licked and sucked her pussy like a greedy savage, twirling his tongue on her clit and generously stroking the supple flesh inside her plump lips.

  “Deeper,” she said, guiding his head. He dipped his tongue inside, moaned at the first taste of her honey milk, already caked around her opening.

  “Yes,” she coaxed as he slurped and drank. “Do it to me, baby. Get it, baby.”

  Her jumbled emotions had her coming so hard, she felt her juices squirt into his mouth. Kevin moaned and swallowed, smacked his lips at the delicious flavor.

  He looked up at her as he began fumbling with his pants, but Jayla put her foot on his forehead and shoved him backward. He fell into a stall, and Jayla took the opportunity to jump from the sink, her dress falling back into place. She watched him struggle to get to his feet and mutter curses when he lost his balance and fell once again.

  The smile was in place as she spun on her heel and breezed back into the ballroom.

  The DJ had everybody doing some new line dance, the crowd moving in unison as they followed the footwork instructions blaring through the speakers.

  Jayla caught a glimpse of Tara and Derrick in the midst of the crowd, laughing as they fumbled through the dance steps.

  “Jaye,” Tara called and motioned for her to join them.

  Jayla lifted her hand to decline and sighed when both headed in her direction.

  “What’s the matter, girl?” Tara said, her eyebrows creased in concern.

  “I’m just not feeling too well,” Jayla admitted. That, at least, wasn’t a lie.

  “What’s the matter, babe?” Derrick pressed the back of his hand to her cheek. “Anything I can do? Is it the baby?” His hand instinctively shot out to rub her stomach.

  Jayla shook her head. “I think I just need to go home,” she said.

  She watched Tara and Derrick exchange uneasy glances.

  “Is something wrong?” she said. Confused, she studied Derrick, who ran his hand from her cheek down the length of her arm to clasp her hand. The realization hit her like a gut punch even as he slowly descended to one knee, his hand already reaching in the pocket of his black dress slacks.

  The engagement ring glistened like a teardrop from the black velvet box. The large round-cut diamond was set in an elaborate band encrusted with side stones. Jayla didn’t realize her hand was shaking as she desperate clutched his. She didn’t hear anything, though the music had stopped and the crowd had gathered around to witness the romantic moment. Hell, she didn’t even hear him speaking. Only heard the roar of her breath as she struggled to see through the tears blurring her vision. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t feel.

  Only saw the gentle movement of his lips curling around each syllable of each word. “I love you, Jayla. Marry me.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jayla did a slight spin on the pedestal, her fingers rubbing the diamond embellishments on the corset bodice. It felt pleasantly awkward.

  “It really is gorgeous,” Tara said, verbalized everyone’s thoughts, with a genuine smile.

  “I like it too,” Jayla agreed with a wistful sigh. “But you don’t think it’s too much? Too fancy?”

  Jackie fluffed the generous tulle skirt. “I don’t know your budget, but Derrick is going to hit the floor when he sees you in this.”

  “So will I when I shell out the money to pay for this thing.”

  Jayla smiled as she eyed the dress once more. It was an elaborate empire-waist dress, so it left her arms and shoulders completely bare. The beaded corset cinched her waist just right and lifted her titties. It gave way to layers upon layers of tulle to create the skirt, which was embellished with small diamonds and led to the huge train that cascaded in the back. Yes, absolutely gorgeous.

  “What do you think, Joce?” Jayla turned to her baby sister, who was sitting in one of the cushioned armchairs near the dressing room.

  Jocelyn smiled and nodded. “I love it,” she said.

  Jayla smiled. She was thrilled her sister was doing much better.

  “So,” Tara said, beaming as she clapped her hands together in excitement, “is that a yes to the dress?”

  Jayla sat her hands on her waist. “I think so,” she said, and all four women began clapping and cheering. She really could not believe this was happening; it was like something out of a fairy tale.

  Jayla had to admit, she was genuinely happy. She had her man, her fiancé, her lifeboat, and she felt like she was soaring. She had never even thought of marriage, or love, for that matter, because she had honestly figured no one would be able to love her for the type of person she was. Hell, she hadn’t even thought she deserved to be loved. So she had filed away any idea of a “happily ever after” and had settled for money and sex. Thank God Derrick had swooped in and proved her wrong, or else she would have never known what she was missing.

  Of course, she was still conflicted over of the pregnancy. Or the lack thereof. Not to mention whatever STD she had. She had denied Derrick sex repeatedly, always blaming it on the busy wedding planning or the “baby.” And Derrick was so damn loving and understanding, he had never pushed the issue. She had already put him and a lot of others in harm’s way. No telling what she had or how long she had been carrying it. She had felt trapped and confused. The only way to avoid the feelings had been to start with wedding planning, as crazy as it all seemed.

  After the dress fitting, they piled into Jackie’s car and dropped Tara off first, then Jocelyn, at her new townhome. It had only been a month, but she had finally decided to move out of Jackie’s house. Probably had been sick of all of Jackie’s hovering.

  The two sisters in the car waved at Jocelyn. Jackie tooted the horn and then headed toward Jayla’s place.

  “I never thought I would see the day my sister got married,” Jackie teased.

  Jayla laughed, lifting her hand in the air to smile at the engagement ring glittering on her finger. She damn sure had never thought it herself.

  Jackie’s phone rang as she drove, and she clicked a button on her steering wheel to answer it through her speakers.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Mom.”

  Jayla frowned upon hearing Jasmine’s voice. She had never brought up the false sex video to her, because she had wanted to kill the sneaky bitch over that. The whole thing still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  “Hey, baby,” Jackie said. “What’s up?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Finishing up some shopping. Everything all right?”

  Silence.

  Jayla’s eyes fixed on one of the speakers. She could almost see Jasmine’s low-down ass concocting something.

  “Mom, Aunt Jaye made me have an abortion,” Jasmine blurted before she began sobbing like a baby.

  Shit. Jayla’s eyes bulged as the news had Jackie nearly swerving into oncoming traffic.

  “The hell are you talking about?” Jackie asked. Her eyes flew to Jayla, but fear had Jayla trained on the speaker. She held her breath as Jasmin
e rushed on.

  “Aunt Jaye offered me a job earlier this summer. As a Heartbreaker,” she revealed. “I didn’t know what the hell that meant, but she started sending me on assignments where I had to go sleep with men to say they were cheaters. I got pregnant, and when I told Auntie Jaye, she made me get an abortion.”

  Jayla felt deflated and exposed, her private life on display for everyone to judge. She pursed her lips when Jackie’s eyes turned to her. “She’s lying,” Jayla whispered, wishing like hell it was true.

  Only the sound of the muffled traffic outside the car could be heard, the background to the tension.

  Jackie spoke first. Her speech was slow, as she seemed to articulate her words to ensure she would be better understood. “Jaye, please tell me that none of this is true.”

  Jayla opened her mouth, almost choked when nothing came out. She sighed and leaned back on the seat, rested her head on the headrest. She felt like several pounds of weights rested on her chest, and the sensation seemed to intensify with each passing second.

  Jackie’s lips were turned up in utter disdain, and her deep-set frown seemed etched on her face. She narrowed her eyes. “So wait a minute.” Jackie’s speech was still slow and calculated as she tried to process the information. “You forced Jasmine to have an abortion after making her sleep with men for money? And is that what you do? Sleep with men for money?”

  Jayla opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. She covered her face with her hands to fight the threatening tears. All she felt was utter and complete shame. Never had she planned for everything to come to the surface.

  “Bitch,” Jackie snarled. The word clasped the air in a desperate grip and resonated like a lingering song note. The verbal epitome of everything she felt.

  “Get your nasty ass out of my car.” Jackie’s voice was a frightening whisper.

  Jayla frowned as the car picked up speed. “Pull over at the—”

  “No, you trifling-ass bitch!” Jackie screamed and punched Jayla so hard in the face, she heard her teeth rattle. Jackie kept one hand on the wheel and leaned over, pulled the handle on Jayla’s car door. The movement had her swerving. The gush of wind flung the door open on its hinges, and outside the road whizzed by in a blur.

  “Jackie, no!” Jayla screamed as Jackie shoved her shoulder, forcing her toward the open air.

  Jackie didn’t listen. She continued to push her sister and drive the car, while Jayla struggled backward in the seat. Jackie elbowed Jayla in her ribs, and seizing the opportunity, gave her sister one final thrust, which sent her catapulting sideward out of the car.

  Jayla landed on her side in the street and skidded across the scalding pavement, the pain searing her arm and shoulder. It felt like someone was ripping the flesh smooth off her bones. She rolled a ways before settling on her stomach, took greedy breaths to slow her racing heart. Jackie had just tried to kill her.

  She heard a car coming in the distance, and ignoring the shards of pain, Jayla scrambled to her feet and scurried to the grassy bank of the road just as the car flew past. Nobody stopped to help her or assess the situation. Jayla was on her own in this battle.

  * * *

  Defeated, Jayla sat on her couch, cradling her now bandaged arm. Even after Tara had picked her up, interrogated her on the way to the hospital, and dropped her off at home, Jayla still couldn’t digest how everything went down.

  Tara hadn’t been happy about Jayla’s lack of responses, and she had finally left her alone to wallow in her thoughts. Jayla couldn’t believe Jasmine had stooped so low. She had pulled the fucking trump card. All the cards were laid out on the table now, and Jayla had no choice but to fold. She couldn’t even cry anymore. Her head was throbbing. The hospital had given her something for pain and sleep, but both bottles lay untouched on the kitchen counter. The entire scene replayed in her head, and once again, seeing the rush of road coming up to greet her scared her shitless. Jackie, her sister, so consumed by anger, had pushed her from a car flying down the road at fifty-five miles an hour. It was a wonder she hadn’t broken her face, or anything else, in the fall.

  Jayla rose and headed for the front door. She couldn’t stay there, or she would damn near go insane.

  She didn’t know where she was going until she pulled up to Jocelyn’s townhome. Maybe that was it. She just needed the comfort of family. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so alone. So hollow. And so utterly broken. She hoped like hell that Joce hadn’t caught wind of what just went down.

  Jayla walked up the walkway and lifted her hand to knock on the door. She glanced at the knob and, without thinking, turned it and pushed the door open. It gave way easily. She frowned, stepped over the threshold into the dark living room. Her hand felt along the wall for a light switch.

  “Joce, are you—” She flicked the light on, turned to scan the room, and screamed.

  She couldn’t stop screaming. Even when a neighbor ran in behind her and folded her in his arms, then shifted his body to block her view. Jayla still saw Jocelyn dangling from the banister, an overturned chair below her suspended bare feet, her body swaying like a gentle pendulum from the extension cord connecting her neck to the railing.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The funeral was gorgeous. Cream and lavender, her sister’s favorite colors, adorned the tiny church, and Jocelyn was nestled among velvet cushions of the same hues. She looked as if she were sleeping.

  Jayla rubbed the faint line around her sister’s neck like a lingering trail. They’d taken care to cover it with makeup, but Jayla could see it, as if the cord was still there.

  She’s with her son now. The phrase had been murmured over and over during the service. As if that made it easier.

  Jayla took a steadying breath. She had no more tears left. Her heart, what was left of it, had grown completely numb. Her baby sister was gone. She turned and followed the rest of the crowd outside. It was time to lay her sister to rest.

  Despite the sheets of rain pelting the churchyard, people grieved together under umbrellas, waiting to follow the body to the cemetery. Jayla stood on the covered porch of the church, nodding in response to the people who shared their condolences.

  Jackie’s husband, Quentin, walked up and stood beside her. “How you holding up?”

  Jayla shrugged. “I’ll live,” she mumbled, not really sure how true that was.

  Quentin nodded and started to head down the stairs.

  “Wait, Que,” Jayla called, stopping him in his tracks. She stepped closer to him, then glanced back through the open door of the church, saw Jasmine sitting quietly alone on a pew. “Why didn’t you tell me that you had adopted our daughter?”

  Quentin lowered his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t intend on you finding out,” he admitted.

  Jayla nodded. She understood. Their brief affair had happened when she was fourteen and he was seventeen, a year younger than Jackie but still Jackie’s boyfriend nonetheless. The fling hadn’t been planned, and neither had the pregnancy. And he was her first love. She’d been young and foolish, but she would kill to return to those moments in life.

  “I’ve fucked up my life in so many ways, Que,” she said, turning back to face him. Her eyes carried a heavy sadness. “I almost fucked up Jasmine’s. Thank you for being the better parent.”

  Quentin leaned down to kiss her forehead, and his lips lingered in tender encouragement. He then walked back into the church, slid on the pew beside Jasmine, and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

  * * *

  Jayla tried her best to stay busy. Derrick had already cleaned his place from top to bottom, and back to the top again. But nerves had her dusting the already pristine coffee table and sweeping the kitchen for the fourth time since he’d left. His mother. She hadn’t realized she would be this nervous to meet his mother. It had come as a shock when he mentioned she would be in town for a few days to visit. Of course, she had expected to meet her eventually, but the uncertainty had been somewhat of a comfort. Now the meeting
was too much of a reality. She hoped he hadn’t told his mother about the pregnancy.

  Jayla hadn’t told Derrick anything about her sister throwing her from a car, because frankly, that left room for way too many questions on the source of Jackie’s anger and why she would be willing to do that in the first place. Instead, Jayla had mentioned she was in a little car accident, and she planned on using that to drop the news of her “miscarriage.” It would devastate him, she knew, so she really was stalling at this point. Now at least she had a means for losing the baby. But she didn’t want to put that on him today. Let him enjoy his mother, she decided. She’d be here for a week, and when she was gone, Jayla would drop the bomb. And pray he still wanted her.

  From the way Derrick had praised his mother, Gloria seemed like a nice woman, but all women, she was sure, had some reservation about meeting the other woman in their son’s life. Which made Jayla feel like a target.

  She separated the blinds, eyed the empty street on an anxious sigh. How long did it take to get to the airport? Shouldn’t they be back by now? Jayla was tempted to call Derrick, just to make sure he was on his way, and had to shake her head at her absurd behavior. She felt compelled to impress Ms. Lewis. Even down to her choice of attire. Jayla fingered the frill adorning the cream blouse she wore. Not too low cut. Very casual. And the gray slacks were a perfect complement. She didn’t realize she had placed such weight on the woman’s acceptance, but that was to be expected. After all, the woman would be her mother-in-law once she got married.

  Jayla’s cell phone rang and, fully anticipating Derek’s number on the caller ID, she had to ignore the slight disappointment when it wasn’t.

  “Hey, girl,” Tara greeted when Jayla answered. “What are you up to?”

  “Hey, T. Remember, I told you Derrick’s mother would be in town today?”

  “Um, no, not really.”

  Faint amusement had Jayla rolling her eyes. “Well, yeah, she’s here in Atlanta, so Derrick went to pick her up from the airport. They should be here any minute.”

  “Awww. Are you nervous?”