“Calvin, I’m placing you at the other end of the table opposite me since you’re the guest of honor. I’m thinking of putting Alana on your right since you tend to be rather quiet on these occasions and she’s lively.”
“I’ll have to take your word about her. She certainly ignored me when we met,” Calvin said drily.
“I apologize on her behalf. That wasn’t the Alana I know. So, will you take a chance on her tonight?”
Calvin shrugged. “Okay.”
Gabe had dismissed the idea of cooking except for making his cake for dessert, depending instead on the catering service from Rockwell’s Restaurant. Released from kitchen duties, he and Drew had visited the barber, shined their shoes and dressed up. Gabe wore his new navy sport coat with the faint gray stripe, gray slacks, powder-blue shirt and silk tie. Drew wore new khakis and a new blue-and-ivory-striped shirt with a solid blue tie.
“You’re growing too fast,” Gabe had grumbled. He’d bought shirts for Drew six weeks ago and now they were too short.
“I can’t help it,” Drew had beamed.
“Thank goodness you can still wear your blazer.” Gabe looked at his young brother who would be taller than him if this growth spurt continued. “About tonight. This is the first time you and I are having a dinner party. I expect you to be a good host to Angela, Penny and Jeff. See that they have food and something to drink when they first come in and that the girls meet everyone. Okay?”
Drew grinned. “Penny’s already called me twice today. She’s so excited. It’s going to be fun.”
Calvin looked very cosmopolitan in dark slacks with a sport coat that was fitted at his slim waist. He wore a collarless ivory shirt and half boots made of kid. The three of them had met their guests at the door, had taken them on a tour of the house, and urged them to enjoy the beverages and hors d’oeuvres the Rockwell’s waiters were serving. Alana was late, but she had arrived wearing a fitted silver gown that was on the edge of daring. With her four-inch-heeled sandals and the diamond studs in her ears, she affected the entrance that Gabe was sure had been her intention.
“I’m so glad to see you, Alana,” he said as he and Calvin met her at the door. “You remember my friend, Calvin Peters, don’t you?”
“Of course.” The smile she gave Calvin did not reach her eyes.
“Miss Gray. It was kind of you to fit us into your busy schedule,” Calvin said gravely.
Touché, Gabe thought as Alana blinked in surprise, but her recovery was swift.
“Let us all hope it will be worthwhile.” Her eyes met and challenged Calvin’s for a moment. She linked arms with the two men, flashed her flirtatious smile and entered the party.
Gabe’s effort at making the table presentable was rewarded when his guests took their places for dinner.
“How beautiful!” Makima said and touched his hand.
“Did you have professional help?” Eugenia asked as she looked for her place card.
“No, I just tried to make the best use of what Great-Grandmother Sarah had.” He was watching Alana. She was looking everywhere for her place card except near Calvin, who stood at his chair waiting to seat her.
A hint of color rose in her face as the chairs filled up and Carolyn said, “You’re here, Alana.”
When Calvin held the chair for her, she gave him a tight smile and a muttered, “Thanks.”
“Not at all,” he replied. When all were in place, Gabe rose to his feet, goblet in hand.
“To new friends who have welcomed Drew and me, and to my oldest friend, Calvin, welcome to Grayson.”
The clink of crystal was mixed with jovial comments all up and down the table as people welcomed Calvin. Alana had looked at Gabe as he made the toast and touched her goblet to Carolyn’s on her right and to Mark’s across from her.
Enough was enough, Calvin decided. “What have I done to offend you, Miss Gray?” He ignored the salad the waiter placed before him. His voice was low, his gaze penetrating.
Startled, Alana looked up from her salad. “Nothing, I don’t even know you,” she said crisply.
“Exactly. That makes me wonder why you’ve chosen to be so rude to me.” His voice held a mild inquiry. Alana’s eyes widened with shock and color heated her face. She glanced around to see if anyone was noticing her and Calvin.
“I’m sorry if I’ve hurt your feelings,” she said quickly.
Calvin raised an eyebrow. “My feelings aren’t so easily hurt, Miss Gray. I was just curious about your behavior.”
Gabe couldn’t hear the conversation between Calvin and Alana but he’d watched the byplay. He saw Calvin turn away and engage Mark in a lively conversation while Alana kept her head down and picked at her salad.
“You’re giving us a great meal,” Makima told Gabe as the entrée of medallions of beef with herbed red potatoes, asparagus spears and onion green beans was served.
Seated at Gabe’s right, she graced his table and it made his heart sing each time he looked at her. Tonight she wore her hair up in a style that enhanced the contours of her face, the beautiful line of her neck and the elegance of earrings that complemented her silk emerald gown with its mandarin collar.
“Rockwell’s had a surprising variety to choose from. I was trying to get something everyone could enjoy.” Their attention to the food was accompanied by a hum of conversation and laughter that told Gabe his dinner party was a success. Drew and his group were blending in. If Mom and Pop could see him now they’d be proud of their youngest son. They might even think that Gabe was doing a decent job of parenting. What would it be like to have Thanksgiving dinner here at this table? Or Christmas with the house decorated with festive greens, candles at the windows and a tall tree decorated with Mom’s ornaments dominating the living room? There probably wouldn’t be any snow for those winter holidays but what did that matter? Hadn’t Drew mentioned just the other day about being on the school swim team next year? He seemed to be completely contented with his present life. Jeff and the girls and the other friends in their crowd were wholesome kids who weren’t rebellious about going to school and already talked about college as a natural outcome after graduation. That was a far cry from what had been happening at home.
But what about himself? he wondered as he answered a question from Eugenia and gave Makima a smile. Was he ready to seriously consider moving from NewYork to Grayson? They were worlds apart as far as economics and culture were concerned. He’d never known anything but that lifestyle for his thirty-five years except for brief visits to his mother’s family in Virginia. A burst of laughter at Calvin’s end of the table brought him out of his meditative state. Alana had become the Alana Gabe knew, holding the people around her in gaiety as she finished an anecdote, her eyes flashing and her laugh husky. She cut her eyes at Calvin, who responded with an involuntary curving of his lips. It was true, Gabe thought, that Grayson wouldn’t give him old school friends like Calvin and Webster, but they could visit each other. However, Grayson would give him something he found himself increasingly hungry for, a lifeline to his family. The constancy of blood ties with Great-Grandfather emanating from this house. The carrying on of the life lived as a Bell on this property. Neither New York nor anyplace else could give him that, and he was beginning to feel that this was more important than his job in New York or any other connection he had to the city.
How would he be received here if he made this drastic move? Visiting was one thing, permanency was another. They would have to work hard at being integrated into the community. They’d made a beginning by going to the Grayson Community Church, Drew was making friends at school, and he was meeting people through the center.
“Gabe, I loved the beef. You’ll have to tell me how it’s done,” Tony called up the table from his place between Valerie and Mark.
“I wish I knew but I didn’t prepare it. Glad you liked it,” Gabe said.
Other compliments on the meal were followed by Calvin who said, “Gabe might not have prepared the earlier courses bu
t the dessert is his specialty.”
The waiter placed the triple-chocolate cake in the center of the table. It sat, tall and splendid on a lacy white doily, surrounded by glistening red raspberries and an outer row of luscious strawberries. The guests applauded as the waiter now set the cake in front of Gabe, who sliced it and lifted each piece onto one of Sarah’s finest dessert plates. French-vanilla ice cream went to those who desired it and steaming coffee was poured from a silver pot into thin china cups. The level of conversation became muted as people concentrated on the rich dessert and the coffee.
Gabe wondered if his guests should now be tactfully encouraged to return to the living room, and when the dessert plates were empty, he suggested adjourning to the more comfortable seats in the living room. Personally he preferred lingering around the table, but the catering service would have to be paid by the hour and they needed to clean up the dining room. There was another full coffee service there, thanks to the fact that the china closet held three separate sets of fine china. Carolyn and Valerie met at the coffee table.
“I don’t know where I’m going to put this but it’s such good coffee,” Carolyn said.
“The table was gorgeous, wasn’t it? I hadn’t eaten here before.” Valerie sipped her coffee appreciatively.
“My aunt used to come here for dinner and she said how Miss Sarah set the prettiest table around,” Carolyn recalled. Gabe had deliberately placed a copy of Calvin’s book on the top of a lamp table as a way of letting his guests discover it without Gabe making an announcement. Eugenia was the first to pick it up. She showed it to others and Calvin soon had a circle of interested people around him.
“I didn’t know he’s a published writer,” Makima told Gabe.
“This is his first novel to reach publication. He’s just submitted a second one to his editor.”
“Somehow that isn’t surprising to me, he’s an observant man,” she said.
“What with one thing and another I haven’t talked to you lately about the clinic project. How’s it coming?” he asked, wishing the party was over so he and Makima could be alone. They’d been next to each other all evening but never alone. Just looking at her lit a spark inside him and he wanted to hold her and touch her. He saw suppressed excitement in her eyes.
“We signed the contract and put it in the mail Monday night after the board meeting.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m so glad for you, Makima.” His eyes gleamed with joy for her. “Does everyone know or can we tell the people here?”
“No official announcement has been made yet but it’s public business and everyone here has given money to it,” she said.
Gabe stood and pulled Makima to her feet. “Listen, people. Makima has good news to announce.” Then he sat down. His heart felt like it would burst with pride as Makima, the epitome of elegant dignity and poise, spoke.
“The board has signed a contract with Dakers and Sons to break ground and begin the construction of the Grayson Community Health Clinic.”
He joined others in cheering. Alana was one of the first to reach her with an embrace. The sisters looked at each other with affection. Alana whispered to Makima, then stepped away for Calvin, who congratulated Makima. Gabe was watching Makima’s face, but when he glanced away, he noticed that Calvin was standing silently and unobtrusively near Alana, who had a slightly fragile air about her despite a quiet smile for her sister. He wasn’t surprised when she told him goodbye a little later.
“It was a lovely party,” she said. He started to escort her out but stopped when he saw Calvin waiting. Others began taking their leave and within fifteen minutes the room was empty except for Makima.
She’d said, “I should go,” but he’d held her arm and ignored her words. Calvin and Drew had disappeared and the caterers had gone. Gabe went around the room dousing all the lights except one. He closed the doors then turned to where Makima stood watching him. The smile in her eyes was a touch wary.
“Why do I feel like Little Red Riding Hood?” she said as he came toward her.
“Because I’m the Big Bad Wolf? Or because I’ve been wanting to hold you in my arms since you walked through my door hours and hours ago?”
Surely no other woman could fit so wonderfully in his arms. She was so exquisitely formed, matching him in all the right places. Her skin was like the smoothest velvet, her fragrance like the loveliest spring breeze. With the first kiss, the spark he’d had turned into a flame. Her mouth was sweet and welcoming, murmuring his name as she put her arm around his neck and touched his hair with soft strokes. Their kisses were long and deep. Makima’s legs weakened and she clutched Gabe around the waist. He sat on the couch and pulled her down with him. She leaned against him and yielded when he surrounded her with his strong arms and took her mouth with such fierce hunger that all she could do was surrender, letting her own hunger have sway. Breathless and unnerved, she put her hands against his chest.
“I have to breathe,” she murmured.
“I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” He was breathing hard, his voice raspy as he apologized. “I got carried away.” He held her face tenderly between his hands. “You light a flame in me, Makima, that burns and burns.”
She blushed but kept her eyes on his.
“I’ve never had a flame, but you’ve lit a spark that seems to grow stronger each time I’m near you. Promise me you won’t do anything to extinguish it.” He covered her face with soft kisses. “Promise?”
“I promise.” Makima floated home dazed with happiness and joy.
Chapter 26
“I could get used to this weather,” Calvin remarked as he walked to church the next day with Gabe and Drew. A few puffy clouds sailed in the blue sky. A balmy breeze stirred the tendrils of Spanish moss on Mr. Darby’s oak trees while spring flowers bloomed in most of the yards they passed.
“TV showed cold rain for New York,” Gabe said.
“Jeff said you can do stuff outside all year in Grayson, which reminds me, Gabe, why aren’t there basketball hoops at the center?”
“We talked about it at staff meetings and we’re going to get two as soon as we have the money. We know we need them.”
The stream of people going into the church was larger than usual. As they took their places in the line, Gabe wondered if they’d be able to find seats. It was Easter and they should have come earlier. For the first time they were asked to sit in the balcony.
“I like this, you can see everyone,” Drew said. Gabe looked toward the front pews for Makima. There she was in a rich yellow suit, sitting next to her parents. But who was that man engaging her in conversation? Alana was on his other side and a second stranger was talking to her.
“Who do you suppose they are?” Calvin asked Gabe.
“Don’t know, but we’ll find out after service.” As it happened, they only had to wait until the secretary announced the visitors. The man talking to Makima was Lawrence Stoddard, the other was Dr. Youssou Hakim, here to do research on his Senegalese ancestors.
Gabe got a clear look at them later when Mrs. Gray introduced Lawrence as her second cousin by marriage. He was of medium height, light-skinned, and had a friendly face. There was nothing that made him stand out except his eyes. They were brown, but what caught Gabe’s notice was their watchfulness. He stored that away and decided to be vigilant, especially since the man kept glancing at Makima with appreciation. He couldn’t blame him, but Gabe casually placed his hand on her arm as they talked so this man would know she was taken.
Makima was radiant this morning, with smiles for everyone in their group. “You look beautiful, Makima,” he murmured. “And happy.”
“I’m very happy,” she replied, looking into his eyes.
“For the same reason I am?” he whispered.
“Yes.” He loved how they could speak so intimately there in the churchyard, surrounded by people. His heart had a steady deep rhythm and as he felt its beat, he wondered if he and Makima would be standing in this place years f
rom now, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
Dr. Youssou Hakim was somewhat familiar to Gabe because in New York there were so many Africans from the countries of that huge continent. He was dark with a round face, full lips and a broad nose. The language of his Senegalese homeland had been overlaid by the excellent English he’d learned at an American university.
“Lawrence and I met last year when we were both working on a project for a university in Massachusetts,” he explained in answer to a question from Alana. “When it came to an end, Lawrence invited me to travel to South Carolina with him, and since it was on my list of places where some of my ancestors were brought as slaves, I agreed.”
“Will you be going to Charleston also?” Alana asked, giving him her full attention.
“Yes, I expect to.”
“Your name is familiar,” Calvin interjected. “Might I have read a publication of yours?”
“Perhaps. There was a book and some articles a few years ago, after I left university,” he said modestly.
Alana seemed impressed, Gabe thought as he watched the three of them. Had she reacted that way when Calvin’s book was brought out last night? He questioned Calvin as they walked home from church. Drew had joined Jeff for the afternoon.
“Did Alana see your book last night?”
“Yes, I saw her look at it while Carolyn and a couple of the others were asking me about it.” Gabe waited to see if Calvin would volunteer any more observations. “She acted as if she wasn’t interested, but I noticed she didn’t move out of hearing range of the conversation.”
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