She heard a car pull into the driveway and lifted the drapes again to see Patrick’s Nissan Maxima. A shiver ran down her spine and she tugged the dress’s cowl neckline down farther off her shoulders. Black strapless bra, black G-string, everything in place. Maybe later that evening she would give him a little striptease. After dating chunky Pearl, he needed to be reminded what an attractive woman looked like.
She put on her sexiest smile and opened the door. Patrick was standing there holding a single red rose. He looked so handsome in a gray suit and blue silk necktie.
She took the rose and inhaled the scent. “Thank you. That’s so sweet of you.”
He smiled awkwardly and Jolene thought he actually looked a little shy. She took his hand and led him into the dining room. White candles flickered in the windowsills, Barry White crooned in the background, and the table was decorated with her Tiffany bone china and crystal. She had spent more than an hour setting the right mood. She wanted everything to be perfect for him.
Patrick stopped at the entrance to the room. “Whoa. You did all this for me?”
She nodded. “You like?”
Patrick blinked, and Jolene put her hands on her hips playfully. “You don’t like?”
“Uh, yes. It’s nice. But I wasn’t expecting dinner let alone all this.”
Jolene almost dropped the rose. “But you said . . . you said—”
“I said I would stop by to talk. We said nothing about dinner. And where’s Juliette? You said she would be here.”
“Um, she went to a movie with some friends.” Jolene shrugged. “Last-minute thing.”
Patrick pursed his lips. “Not again? You couldn’t have had her wait just a little while to see me?”
“Don’t get mad, Patrick. I assumed since it was dinnertime that you would stay and eat, and then you could see her when she got back later tonight.”
He shook his head with disbelief. “Did it ever occur to you that I might not be here later tonight? Or that I might have other plans?”
No. It never occurred to her. “How can you have other plans when you can have me? Dammit, Patrick, do you remember what happened when we went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago? In case you forgot, we were that far from making love.” She held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
“I also remember telling you that things should never have gone that far. I let myself get carried away, and if I misled you, I’m sorry. But this has to stop now.”
Jolene wanted to scream. This wasn’t going at all as she had planned. She had thought for sure that they would cross the line this time. And now he was dishing out this crap. How could they have been so far apart on their thinking about tonight?
She bit her bottom lip. She had to stay calm. OK, so they were on different tracks now. That didn’t mean she couldn’t get him back on her track. All she had to do was lay on the charm. She could work it like the best of them. She could remember when just the right smile from her would turn Patrick on like a water hose.
She placed the rose on the sideboard and looked at him solemnly. “OK. I’m sure you didn’t mean to mislead me. It’s just that I was so excited about us spending some time together. When we went out to dinner, I got to thinking about the way things used to be with us. You, me, Juliette. I spent a lot of time fixing all this for you.”
He nodded. “I can see that. But Juliette’s not even here.”
“I know. If you want I can call her on her cell phone and get her to come home early. Say by about nine? We should be finished eating by then, and the movie—”
“I can’t stay that long. Pearl is expecting me later tonight.”
Jolene shut her eyes briefly and pretended she hadn’t heard that name. She walked up to Patrick and laid her hands on his chest. “Stay for just a bite, then. It’s pot roast. One of your favorites.”
He looked down at her. “You don’t give up easily, do you?”
“No. You know that.”
“Man, don’t I.” He smiled at her. “It’s obvious you went to a lot of trouble, so maybe I’ll stay and have just a taste.”
“Oh? A taste?” she said teasingly and moved closer to him.
“The pot roast, I mean.”
“Fine. We’ll save the best for dessert.” She gave him a seductive look, picked up the rose, and turned toward the kitchen. “I’ll go put this in water and fix us some drinks.”
Jolene walked into the kitchen and pumped her fist. “Yeah!” she said softly. She had him right where she wanted him. It had taken a bit of work, but that didn’t matter now. He was hers for the night. She would see to it.
She opened a cabinet and reached for the bud vase. Just as she placed it on the countertop, she heard an unfamiliar phone ring, probably Patrick’s cell. Something told her that she needed to check this out. She walked back into the dining room still holding the rose just as Patrick hung up his cell phone. He looked at her.
“Um . . .” He shook his head. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay at all.”
“Why not? You just said you would stay.”
“I know.” He sighed. “But Pearl wants me to come now, and uh, really, I think that’s best.”
Jolene threw the rose at his feet. She had had it with that woman screwing up her plans. Pearl this, Pearl that. “Shit. Don’t talk about that bitch in my house. You’re here with me now.”
He backed away nervously. “I’ll just see myself out.”
He turned and Jolene darted around in front of him. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re going to pass me up for that . . . that fat-assed . . .”
He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t go there,” he said sharply.
“Well, excuse me, Patrick. But it’s true. She’s overweight and she combs and presses hair, for God’s sake. She looks like something out of—”
“She has a big heart,” Patrick snapped. “She’s sweet and generous and knows how to treat a man. She raised her son on her own, and she’s good with Lee and Juliette. You can make fun of her beauty salon if you want, but she built it from the ground up and it’s very successful. I admire so much about her.”
Jolene scoffed. “Please. Spare me the sermon.”
“Fine. I’m out of here. I made my point. And by the way,” he said, pointing at the rose on the floor, “I brought that for Juliette.”
He reached out to open the front door, but she planted herself firmly in front of him. “Wait, Patrick. I can’t believe you’re doing this. You used to be crazy about me. Now you act like you hate my guts. What happened?”
“I don’t hate you, Jolene. It’s just that I’m looking for something different now, and I don’t think you can give it to me. Yes, you’re prettier, and, yes, you’re more educated and glamorous. You’re loaded now, too. But that stuff isn’t important to me anymore.”
“Well, what else is there?”
“Unconditional love, to start.”
“Oh, well, I told you I’ve changed. I—”
“Look, I didn’t come here to get into this. I’ll just go.”
“What about Juliette? You know how much this divorce has hurt her. Don’t you even care about her anymore?” Jolene knew what she was saying was utter nonsense. She was grasping at straws, but she couldn’t help it. Patrick was about to walk out on her again.
“The fact that you would say something like that tells me a lot. You’re not thinking of Juliette or me for that matter. You’re thinking of yourself. As always. Now move out of my way.”
Tears welled up in her eyes and that startled her. She hadn’t cried in years. Then again, she hadn’t felt this miserable in years. She had been so certain that she could win him back.
“Please, Patrick, don’t do this.”
“Move out of my way or I’ll move you myself.”
He said it so coldly, as if he were speaking to a stranger on the street. She searched his face and for the first time realized that it was void of expression. The loving way he had once looked at her was gone. She steppe
d aside and in an instant he was gone.
She marched across the floor, stomped on the red rose, and squished it into the carpet with her heel. “Bastard!” she yelled. “Bitch! You can both go to hell for all I care.”
The way Patrick blabbed on and on about that woman and her stinking salon made Jolene sick to her stomach. So Pearl fixed hair. Big damn deal. Jolene Brown was a fucking millionaire. She could probably buy that stupid salon ten times over.
Pearl had him mesmerized with that fat pussy of hers. That had to be it. What else could he see in her?
One way or the other Jolene would make that fat bitch pay.
EARL FLIPPED THROUGH the pages of Jet magazine. It was the same one she had been flipping through when Patrick was out with Jolene before. She would have to bring something more up-to-date to read next time she came to visit Patrick. It seemed to Pearl that he was spending a lot more time at Jolene’s these days while she sat around and waited.
She dropped the magazine on the table and sat back. Why did he need to spend so much time over there when he had a woman waiting for him at home? There were times when she could swear he was sleeping with Jolene again. Then he would flash that sweet smile—the one that had hooked her in the first place—and she was sure he would never cheat on her. She sighed.
“What you looking so pissed about?”
Pearl jumped and looked up to see Lee standing in the middle of the floor of the living room with her hands on her hips. She wore her usual baggy jeans and baseball cap.
“I look angry?”
“You look like you ready to blow someone’s head off.”
Pearl shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
“Daddy ain’t home from work yet?”
Pearl winced at Lee’s language. “No. He’s not here yet. And you know he doesn’t like you saying ‘ain’t.’ ”
Lee shrugged and glanced at her watch. “He been coming home late a lot. Where is he?”
“He stopped by Jolene’s on his way from the office.”
“Oh, so that’s what you so down about. Figures.” Lee chuckled. “For what it’s worth, I can’t stand that bitch either. Or her stupid daughter. Thinks she’s all that.”
“Look, Lee. I don’t want you talking like that around me. Juliette is your dad’s daughter, too.”
“I call it like I see it.”
“What do you have against Juliette?”
“She’s a snob, and I don’t like the way she looks at my man.”
“Who? Phillip?” Pearl smiled. “I didn’t know he was your boyfriend, but he seems like a real nice guy.”
Lee smiled with pride. “But not the kind I would be messing with, right?”
“I didn’t say that. You’re a very pretty girl, Lee. I just wish you would dress, um, a little nicer.”
Lee spread her arms out and looked down at her baggy jeans. “What’s wrong with the way I dress?”
“Nothing, unless you want to look like a boy.”
“This is me. You ain’t never going to get me in some frilly dress.”
Pearl grimaced. “How about a nice denim skirt?”
Lee shook her head. “Uh-uh. Forget that.”
“Or jeans that fit? That would be a start. And you could come to my salon and let me do your hair. Something besides cornrows would be nice for a change.”
Lee laughed as if she thought Pearl was losing her mind. “No, no, and no.”
“All right. But if you ever change your mind, let me know. Does Phillip like you dressing like that?”
“He likes it just fine.”
Pearl smiled. “If you say so.”
Lee shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t trust that bi . . . , uh, witch, Juliette. Every time he comes here, she’s all over him.”
“I think she’s just being friendly.”
“Humph. That’s too friendly if you ask me. I got my eye on her.”
“Probably not a bad idea,” Pearl admitted. “But don’t act too possessive. Guys don’t like that.”
“I hear you,” Lee said. “Got to walk a fine line. Well, I’m going to work on my summer school paper now.” She turned and Pearl shook her head as the baggy jeans disappeared around the corner. Whatever happened to cute dresses and pumps? Girls these days wanted to look too much like guys. Or whores. Pearl was all for women’s rights but there had to be limits. She wanted to be equal to a man, not be a man. She didn’t want to look like a whore either.
But it was nice chatting with Lee. That was the first time they had talked to each other at length when they didn’t have to. Maybe Lee was getting used to having her around.
Pearl heard the door open and glanced up to see Patrick step in carrying a dry cleaning bag over his arm and his briefcase in one hand. She was tempted to look at her watch to see how late he was but she didn’t want him to feel like she was timing his arrivals.
She went to the door, took his briefcase and placed it on the floor, and kissed him on the lips. Not one of those short quick pecks that they used to exchange when they greeted each other. But one of the big heartfelt kisses that were common when they first started dating and that she had reintroduced the night he had dinner with Jolene a couple of weeks ago.
“So,” he said when she let him go. “What have I done to deserve all this sweetness lately?”
She smiled at him. “Nothing special. Can’t I kiss my man when I want to?”
He laughed.
She was dying to ask what had happened at Jolene’s but she didn’t want to appear anxious. “You want some dinner?”
He nodded eagerly. “I’m starving. What did you fix?”
“Pasta and a salad.”
“Sounds good,” he said as he tossed the dry cleaner bag over the arm of the couch. “Where’s Lee?”
“She’s upstairs doing her homework. She already ate, but I waited for you. I’ll go heat our plates up.”
Pearl turned toward the kitchen, but he reached out and grabbed her around the waist. He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and looked into her eyes. “I really appreciate how you come around here and help out when you don’t have to work late at the salon.”
She smiled. “Well, you know me. I aim to please.”
“And that you do well.” He kissed her on the lips, a long, passionate kiss. Now that really felt like old times, she thought.
“I like it when I come home and you’re here. Or did I just tell you that?”
She laughed. “You did, sort of, but that’s all right. I love hearing you say things like that.”
He kissed her again. It had been weeks since he had been so affectionate with her. She should stop worrying about Jolene and savor the moment. But she couldn’t just yet.
“So,” she said after the kiss as they stood holding each other. “How is she?”
“How is who? Jolene?”
Pearl nodded.
“She’s fine. I stopped by for a few minutes, then I ran some errands. We had some things to work out.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll tell you about it after we eat.”
Pearl let him go and folded her arms. “I’ve got a better idea. I’ll get your dinner after you tell me.”
Patrick smiled and pointed at the couch. “Let’s sit down.”
They sat next to each other and he put his arm around her. “Let’s see. How should I put this?”
“Just come out with it.”
“OK. Jolene was kind of wanting us to get back together or something, mostly for Juliette’s sake. Or that’s what she said.”
“Uh-huh.” So she had been right all along. She knew something like that was up. “And?” Pearl held her breath and waited for his answer.
“And I told her it wasn’t going to happen. It would never work out. ’Sides, I got all the woman I need right here.” He squeezed her gently.
Thank God, Pearl thought. She looked up at him. “You got that right.”
BARBARA CLIMBED THE stairs to the front door of Veronique’s mansion and rang th
e bell. The butler opened the door almost immediately and escorted Barbara down a hallway lined with what appeared to be photographs of the baroness with her family and friends. In many of the photos Veronique was posing in exotic locations with celebrities. There was even one of her and a handsome thirty-something white man standing inside the White House with President Clinton. Barbara assumed that the young man was Veronique’s second husband, the baron.
The interesting photos helped to calm Barbara’s nerves. She had spent two hours dressing that afternoon and had even called Veronique twice to get advice. She finally settled on a pair of sleek white Escada slacks and a lightweight pale pink leather jacket, perfect for a late June afternoon.
Barbara wasn’t even sure why she was here. The baroness had invited her and Noah to a casual lunch under the pretext of discussing houses in Northern Virginia, but Barbara had no idea what to expect. She had come close to backing out at least half a dozen times but had finally decided to come. The worst that could happen would be that she would enjoy a meal talking with friends.
The butler stopped at a set of double doors and opened them to reveal a sunny parlor with a huge fireplace and antique French furniture. Veronique was reclining on a yellow chaise longue in a pair of black silk slacks and a flowing aqua top that contrasted vividly with her hair and skin tones. Noah sat across from her on a small elegantly carved sofa dressed in a casual gray summer slacks and black tee shirt. They both stood as the butler slowly backed out of the room.
“There you are, Barbara,” Veronique said as she stood up. The two of them hugged warmly, and Noah stood and clasped Barbara’s hands.
“Noah was just telling me about some of the communities in Northern Virginia,” Veronique said as she settled back on the chaise longue. Barbara and Noah sat at either ends of the sofa.
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