Just Can't Get Enough

by Hodges, Cheris

  “I don’t want it to look too much like the Garden of Eden. I think we should base the design of the interior around H2Love,” she said in between bites of rice. Darius nodded and wiped a stray grain of rice from her chin. “So, moss will work better than ivy.”

  “You’re the artist,” Darius said as he pulled a piece of fruit from the bowl.

  “Do you like the idea, though? I need some feedback,” she said. “We’re in this together, remember?”

  Darius rubbed her arm gently. “I totally trust your judgment. Whatever you want to do is fine. All I need to know is what materials you need,” he said as he stuck his fork into his rice. “You’re a genius and you know that.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she said as she set down her empty bowl. A calm hush fell over them. For the first time in what felt like forever, it was okay to be still. She wasn’t worried about Tiffany for the moment; she was with the man she loved. Everything was going to work out just fine because they had love, something Tiffany wouldn’t understand if it bit her on the nose. Celina looked at Darius as he ate. She couldn’t help but think of the turn her life had taken. His love had awakened a dormant part of her that she didn’t realize existed. She knew every day with Darius wasn’t going to be paradise, but she was willing to take the bitter along with the sweet. She’d given up the notion that love only brought hurt and pain, knowing that it wasn’t love that hurt, but people with misplaced emotions. As she looked at him, she knew he would never hurt her. He would be her partner, her skilled lover, and her supporter. She would offer him the same devotion and dedication.

  Darius caught Celina’s stare. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “For a change, nothing,” she replied, then lovingly embraced his smooth brown face. Darius grasped her hand and held it against his heart.

  “Baby,” he whispered. Celina leaned against his chest, feeling more connected to him than she had ever felt to anyone. Soon, Darius and Celina were sleeping in each other’s arms, totally at peace.

  CHAPTER 28

  She moved like a black cat, blending in with the night. At first, she was afraid that she’d be caught, since the cops had been hot on her trail, but no one would expect her to camp out in the warehouse where Darius and Celina were going to create their future—a future that should’ve been hers.

  Tiffany had gotten bold again, following Darius and Celina as they moved through Elmore. At first she was sorry about what had happened in Celina’s house—she had lost control and attacked her when she only wanted to scare her into leaving but now she simply didn’t care.

  Any dreams Tiffany had of being with Darius were gone and it was the bushy-haired witch’s fault. She knew attacking Celina was wrong and a better woman would have just let Darius walk away, but Tiffany didn’t lose easily. Rejection was as foreign to her as a third-world country. She knew—at least a part of her did—that she had gone too far to turn back.

  Before she completely vanished into the shadows, she was going to make her presence felt. Flicking her lighter as she entered the warehouse, she was giddy at the thought of watching the place burn. A car passed on the street, causing Tiffany to fall to her knees, so that she wouldn’t be seen in the bright headlights. She knew it was one of the police officers that had been trying to find her these past few weeks. She knew these men and knew that they’d never had a manhunt before. These were the same men who would come into her shop while they were supposed to be patrolling the city and buy gifts for their wives, girlfriends, and other family members. She was more than confident that she wasn’t going to be caught.

  Celina sat straight up in the bed, waking from her sleep with a feeling of dread inching up her spine, followed by a feeling of nausea. Running into the bathroom, she vomited the contents of her dinner into the toilet bowl.

  Darius followed her into the bathroom. “Sweetie, are you all right?”

  Celina stood up and clutched the edge of the bathroom sink as she turned the water on to rinse her face off. “The strangest feeling just came over me,” she said. “I don’t know what it was or what to make of it.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t . . .”

  “Darius, I just got out of the hospital. I think they would have told me. I had every test imaginable run on me.”

  Darius folded his arms across his chest. “Then what do you think it is?”

  Celina shrugged her shoulders, then headed for the bedroom. “Maybe something I ate,” she said giggling.

  “Hey,” he said, following her into the bedroom. “You ate what I cooked.”

  “I rest my case,” she replied as she crawled into bed.

  He slid in behind her, encircling her waist with his arms and she leaned against him feeling totally relaxed.

  “Maybe,” he began, “you should go see the doctor in the morning just to make sure you don’t have mad carrot disease or something.”

  She laughed and sucked her teeth, making a clucking sound. “You are so funny.”

  He kissed her on the back of her neck. “Go back to sleep,” he said. “Did you tell your mother where you are?”

  “Trust me, she knows,” Celina said as she closed her eyes.

  The next morning, Celina and Darius were awakened by a knock at the door. Celina looked at the clock. It was only five minutes after 6 AM. She nudged Darius. “Someone is at the door,” she said.

  He slowly rolled over. “What time is it?” he asked as he stretched and looked at the clock. “It’s too early. They can come back.”

  The knocking continued. Celina nudged him again. “It might be an emergency,” she said. Reluctantly, Darius got out of the bed and headed for the front door, with Celina on his heels, wondering if it was the police with news about Tiffany. He opened the door and saw Rena standing there with a scowl on her face.

  “I told her to call you,” he said as he stepped aside and let her walk in.

  “That’s not why I’m here,” she said. “The police called. Someone broke into the gallery.”

  “What?” Celina said. “When?”

  Rena shook her head angrily and then sat down on the sofa. “I know that woman did it,” she said. “She’s still here in Elmore and the police can’t find her, but she can break into the gallery.”

  Celina shook her head side to side. “I can’t believe this.”

  “I’m just glad that you were here with Darius,” she said. “The police said they don’t know if it was Tiffany for sure, but they’re investigating that.”

  Darius rolled his eyes. “Sure they are. They’re always investigating something but they never do anything.”

  “Don’t you get into trouble,” Rena said as she watched Darius pace the floor back and forth. “The police want you two to come over and look at the space and make sure nothing was taken and survey the damage.”

  Celina folded her arms under her breasts. “Fine. We’ll go, but not until later.”

  Rena smiled tensely. “Okay. Are you all coming over for breakfast? You know John was worried about you when he didn’t find you in your bedroom.”

  Celina laughed and hugged her mother. “All right, we’ll be there for breakfast,” she said. Darius smiled and waved good-bye to Rena. “We’d better get dressed and go next door,” he said as he headed to the bathroom.

  Celina watched him as he walked away and shivered as she thought about Tiffany being back. Maybe that was the reason she had suddenly woken up; and maybe she was sick because she knew Tiffany was back.

  Darius watched Celina as she dressed and the only thought he had was that he must keep her safe. There was no doubt that Tiffany was the one who’d broken into the gallery space.

  “What’s wrong?” Celina asked when she caught Darius’s stare.

  “You know it was Tiffany who broke into the warehouse.”

  Celina picked at her hair with her fingers. “I’m sure it was her, but what can we do about it?” she asked as Darius pulled a T-shirt over his head. “All we can do is hope Chief Wayman
will do his job.”

  Darius rolled his eyes. “They’ve done a great job so far. Celina, I don’t want you out of my sight, because if she hurts you again, I don’t know what I would do.”

  She walked over to him. “Let’s not think about that. We just have to be cautious until that lunatic is locked up. When we talk to the police, we’ll find out what is going on. Now, let’s get next door before my mother comes back in a panic.”

  When Darius and Celina arrived next door, Rena and John were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. “Good morning, love birds,” John said as he sipped his coffee. Rena smiled at the two of them. Darius joined John at the table while Rena and Celina got breakfast. John turned to Darius. “You haven’t gotten into any more trouble with the law, have you?” John asked. “Rena said the police called here looking for Celina.”

  “No, sir. Someone broke into our warehouse,” Darius explained.

  John shook his head and lay his hand flat on the table. “It was that woman, wasn’t it?”

  Darius nodded. “I’m sure it was,” he replied.

  John rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, then rocked back in his seat. “We have to do something,” he whispered. “I know I told you to stay aboveboard, but if the police can’t find this woman, someone has to.”

  Rena and Celina walked over to the table with two plates of grits, scrambled eggs with cheese, and waffles. “What are you two plotting over here?” Celina asked, causing Rena to raise her eyebrow suspiciously.

  “Nothing,” John said with a smile. “I was just telling Darius how I’m getting fat with all of this southern comfort. My beautiful wife doesn’t cook like this in Chicago.”

  Rena rolled her eyes. “And don’t get used to it, either,” she said. “Darius, do you want some bacon or sausage?”

  “No, ma’am,” he replied. “This is more than enough.”

  Celina sat beside Darius and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “You know I don’t believe a word you and John just said.”

  Darius feigned a look of astonishment, but he didn’t say anything. This woman knows me too well.

  Watching Darius as he ate, Celina knew that he and John were planning something. As they sat at the table, John and Darius laughed like old friends, but there was something underneath those smiles. Celina cut into her waffle, never taking her eyes off Darius and John as they whispered to one another.

  “When are you two going to talk to the police about the break-in?” Rena asked.

  John cleared his throat. “Why don’t you let me and Darius handle this? Before you start, I know you can take care of yourself, but I have some choice words for the chief.”

  Celina raised her eyebrow. “Okay, John, but both of you need to stay out of jail.”

  John and Darius rose to their feet quickly and headed for the door. “We’ll be back,” John said before the door closed behind them.

  “Those two are up to something,” Rena said as she started clearing the dishes.

  Celina nodded in agreement.

  “So,” Rena began. “Do you think you’re going to like living here again?”

  Celina smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she thought about her mother’s question. This place that she’d never wanted to come back to as a child was the place where her life had changed, where she fell in love, made peace with her father, and came to grips with her hang-ups about love.

  “Yeah,” she replied with a smile. “Despite what has happened lately, this is a good place.”

  Rena had a far-off look in her eyes as she glanced at her daughter. Finally, she said, “You and Darius remind me of me and Thomas, before the infidelities. Your father and I were so in love, we couldn’t bear to be apart. Maybe we were married too young. I mean, we were only nineteen and neither of us had experienced the world. At least you and Darius have been around enough to know that you’ve found what you’re looking for.” Rena stroked Celina’s hair and beamed. “I’m so happy for you, baby girl. This is what you needed, someone who would show you just how good love is. Now, if this woman would go away, you and Darius could concentrate on each other, the gallery, and your wedding without having to look over your shoulders every day.”

  Celina nodded in agreement as she helped her mother wash the dishes. “This is going to be over soon. The police are going to get their act together and find Tiffany. Then Darius and I can have the life we deserve.”

  “I hope you’re right and I hope those men aren’t going to spend the night in a jail cell. Who do they think they’re fooling? I know the two of them have linked up to form their own search party for Tiffany. They’re probably nowhere near that police station.”

  She dried her hands on a dish towel. “I think I’d better go to the police department and check on Darius and John.”

  “Celina, be careful,” Rena said as she watched her daughter walk out the door.

  Zooming down the street, Celina headed for the police department, hoping John and Darius hadn’t gotten arrested. But Celina had her suspicions about where her stepfather and her fiancé were. All their whispering at breakfast told her that they were going to do a lot more than just talk to the police. Those men are not slick, I know that they’re up to something.

  Despite the fact that she should’ve been on her guard about Tiffany, Celina headed to the warehouse. This woman wasn’t going to destroy her dream. Celina and Darius had worked too hard to allow Tiffany to terrorize them. Celina circled around the warehouse before she stopped. The place looked as if it was secure. She was a little surprised to see that Darius and John weren’t there. Where are they, she thought as she stopped the car and got out.

  Walking to the front door, Celina kept looking over her shoulder, expecting Tiffany to leap out of the shadows. As she suspected, she knew they weren’t there because she didn’t see Darius’s vehicle parked in the small lot.

  As she unlocked the door to the warehouse and walked in, Celina was happy to see that nothing had been damaged on the inside. But she did notice that the rear door lock had been damaged.

  “Tiffany!” she called out. “If you are in here, just give it up. I’m tired of this and I’m not going to hide from you or run from you ever again. If you’re in here, come out!” Standing in the middle of the warehouse in a karate stance, she waited for Tiffany to make an appearance. After a few moments where nothing happened, Celina walked out of the warehouse, but she was sure Tiffany was somewhere close by.

  Crouching in John’s rental car, Darius and the older man kept an eye on Tiffany’s house. Darius and John had taken the rental car because it would be easier for them to fly under the police’s radar than if they’d gone in Darius’s. More than two hours had passed and there was no sign of Tiffany at her house.

  “Do you think she’d actually come here?” John asked.

  Darius nodded. “If she was bold enough to break into the gallery, I think so. There’s something she’s going to need from this house.”

  “When we see her, what are we going to do?”

  “Call the chief so the police can finally do their job.”

  John nodded. “I’ll be glad when this is over and you and Celina can focus on what’s important.”

  Darius smiled. He couldn’t wait for the day when the only thing he and Celina would have to worry about was planning their wedding.

  John looked at Darius intently. “Celina is like a daughter to me and I don’t want to see her hurt. So, you’d better protect her heart with the same fury you’re protecting her with now.”

  “I will,” Darius replied. “I know how hard it was for Celina to give her heart to me and I would never do anything to make her regret that decision.”

  “You’d better not,” John warned. “Because I would have to come back here and hurt you. Baby girl needs happiness in her life and I know you can give it to her.”

  Nodding, Darius shook hands with John before they turned their attention to the house.

  After a few more hours of watching the house
and seeing nothing, they headed for the police station. Once they arrived, Darius boldly walked into the chief’s office without even letting his secretary announce him.

  “Darius,” the chief said in an exasperated tone. “You’re here about the break-in, aren’t you?”

  Darius nodded. “This is Celina’s stepfather, John Malcolm,” Darius said. The chief stood up and extended his hand to John, but his gesture was not returned.

  “When are you going to find the woman who hurt my stepdaughter?” he snapped. “You know she broke into the warehouse.”

  Chief Wayman ran his hand over his face and sighed. “We don’t have any proof that it was Tiffany, but she is a suspect. Mr. Malcolm, what happened to Celina was tragic and we will bring Tiffany to justice, but you have to let us do our job,” he said.

  “And what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Live in fear?” John boomed. “I won’t do it. If you all don’t hurry up and find this woman, you’re going to bring the south side of Chicago out of me.”

  Darius and John stormed out of the office and headed back to the house. Darius knew this mess was far from over.

  CHAPTER 29

  As the days passed, Celina and Darius spent more time planning their wedding and the gallery opening than worrying about Tiffany, though she still loomed over them like a dark cloud.

  Celina toyed with a strand of hair as she watched the workers place the columns in the middle of the gallery. The place was starting to come together nicely. The walls had been painted sea green so that they would contrast with the ocean-blue carpet that would be installed later that afternoon. Celina had about three hours to turn the wall into a moss-covered forest before the carpet installers came. Dipping her brush into the green paint, she used quick strokes to finish the painting. A pair of hands roamed up and down her back.

  Celina’s lips curved into a smile. “Darius, I’m working,” she said without turning around.

  “And you look so good doing it,” he said.