Love in Catalina Cove

by Brenda Jackson

  “When are you going to give me my blueberry muffin?” Ms. Gertie asked, snapping Vashti out of her reverie.

  “Oh.” Vashti had forgotten she was still holding the bag and quickly crossed the room to the older woman. A smile touched Ms. Gertie lips when she pulled out the muffin.

  She was about to ask Ms. Gertie a few more questions when the door opened and Ms. Gertie’s forty-something grandson walked in carrying flowers. He smiled at Vashti. “Hello, Ms. Alcindor. I’d called to check on my grandmother and the lady at the front told me she was in her right mind so I rushed over here to see her.”

  She was glad one of Ms. Gertie’s relatives had come to visit and wished they would do so more often. It was sad they only wanted to see her when she was in her right frame of mind. “Hello, Mr. Landers.”

  “What are you talking about Charles?” Ms. Gertie demanded. “I’m always in my right mind.”

  Charles Landers placed the vase of flowers on the table, ignoring what his grandmother said as he turned to Vashti. “I heard you’re reopening the inn.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Vashti watched as the man settled his huge frame in a chair that looked like it might collapse under his weight. She knew the chance for her and Ms. Gertie to continue their conversation in private was no longer an option. It was apparent Mr. Landers intended to visit awhile.

  She glanced at her watch. She had less than twenty minutes to get back to the inn before Jade arrived. “Well, I’ll be going, Ms. Gertie,” Vashti said, brushing a kiss on the older woman’s cheek like she always did.

  “Alright, baby,” Ms. Gertie said. “Thanks for the muffin and remember what I told you. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. We’ll talk some more tomorrow.”

  Vashti nodded. There was no guarantee what state Ms. Gertie’s mind would be in tomorrow. It might be a good idea for her to swing back by later today. “Goodbye, Mr. Landers.”

  “See you later, Ms. Alcindor. If you ever need your windows replaced, remember my business. I’ll give you a good price.”

  Vashti smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  As she drove to Shelby by the Sea she recalled the look she’d seen in Ms. Gertie’s eyes when she’d said, Remember what I told you. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about...

  Did Ms. Gertie know what she was talking about? She couldn’t wait to visit her later.

  * * *

  “WHAT DO YOU think of this dress, Kia?”

  Kia forced a smiled when her mother held a pretty red dress out in front of her. She really liked the dress and hated that she was feeling too lousy to appreciate it. She had awakened this morning with stomach pains and they were getting worse by the minute. She hoped her mom would cut their shopping trip short so she could go home and take a couple of aspirins and go to bed.

  “It’s nice, Mom. Are you going to buy it?” And if you are, please do, so we can get out of here because I don’t feel well. Of course she wouldn’t admit such a thing, which was why she hadn’t told her parents about the same pain she’d felt in her abdomen for the past few months. The aches would come and go; however, lately they came more often and stayed a lot longer.

  Her mother winked at her. “I think so. I can wear it to your dad’s high school class reunion. I can’t wait.”

  Kia couldn’t either. During the same time her parents were going back to Philly for her father’s high school reunion, she and her grandmother would be going on a cruise for a week. Nana would be arriving in a couple of weeks and she couldn’t wait to see her grandmother again.

  When another pain sliced across her lower belly Kia sucked in a deep breath, glad her mother was too busy looking through the rack of clothes to notice her clutching her stomach. Feeling her legs getting weak, she said, “Mom, I’m going to go sit over there and wait on you.”

  “Sure, honey,” her mother said, without glancing up. “I just need to find another dress then we’ll go grab lunch.”

  Kia drew in a deep breath. She didn’t want to grab lunch—she wanted to go home. Turning to walk the few feet to where a set of bench seats were, she suddenly felt another sharp pain in her lower belly at the same time the room began spinning.

  She lost her balance and cried out when things began turning black. The last thing she remembered was hearing the sound of her mother screaming her name.

  * * *

  VASHTI LEANED BACK in her chair, smiling. Her interview with Rhonda Livingstone had gone well and the woman’s recommendations and credentials were outstanding. If everything worked out okay then she had found the perfect chef for Shelby by the Sea. She had narrowed her selection down to three people and it looked like Ms. Livingstone outshined them all.

  After stretching her arms over her head, she glanced at her watch. Jade would be leaving in a few minutes and as soon as she did Vashti intended to revisit with Ms. Gertie. More than once today she’d been tempted to call her parents again, but decided against it.

  She was about to get up from her desk and tell Jade she could leave a few minutes early when her cell phone rang. Reaching across her desk, she picked it up. “Shelby by the Sea, this is Vashti Alcindor.”

  “Vashti, this is Charlette Hansberry.”

  Vashti smiled. “Charlette, I was just about to head your way to visit with Ms. Gertie again today.”

  “Mavis mentioned you had planned on coming back this evening, and I wanted to call so you wouldn’t come.”

  Vashti lifted a brow. “Oh? Why?” A funny feeling settled in her stomach when Charlette didn’t answer her right away. “Charlette? Why shouldn’t I come?”

  “Ms. Gertie passed away in her sleep a little more than an hour ago. She took a nap and never woke up. I’m sorry. I know how close the two of you were.”

  Vashti sat there in shock. Ms. Gertie was gone? But she had seen her that morning. Talked to her. Had looked forward to seeing her again this evening.

  “Vashti?”

  Tears she couldn’t control flowed unheeded down Vashti’s face. “Yes?”

  “Are you okay?”

  Vashti swiped at her eyes. No, she wasn’t okay. Ms. Gertie had been there for her, had defended her and had given her hugs when she’d needed them most.

  “I’m fine, Charlette. Was anyone with her?”

  “No. Mr. Landers had left. Mavis went in to check on her and found her unresponsive and the doctor was summoned. We called Ms. Gertie’s family and they are on the way here.”

  Vashti drew in a broken breath. “Thank you for calling and for letting me know.”

  “Of course I was going to let you know. You came to visit Ms. Gertie no matter what. More often than her own family. I know she enjoyed your visits, even when she didn’t recognize you. She would tell me and Mavis how nice it was that someone she didn’t know would come spend time with her and bring her blueberry muffins.”

  More tears fell from Vashti’s eyes. “Thank you for telling me that.”

  After ending her call with Charlette, Vashti just sat there, still not believing Ms. Gertie was gone. Leaning forward she propped her elbows on her desk, buried her forehead in her hands and cried.

  “Ms. Vashti, are you alright?”

  Vashti lifted her head, glanced across the room at Jade as she swiped tears from her eyes. She sat up in her chair. “Yes, I’m fine. I just got a call that someone I care about passed away.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks. I know it’s time for you to leave. Be careful on your bike ride home.”

  “I will. And I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Vashti.”

  * * *

  JADE MADE IT to the living room and pulled out her cell phone. She released a deep sigh when the person picked up. “Yes, Jade?”

  “Oh, Dad.”

  “Jade, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s not me, Dad. It’s Ms. Vashti.
”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Someone she knows died and she’s crying something awful. I remember when Mom died and how I cried, and you said good words to me and all. I know you don’t know Ms. Vashti, but she’s a nice lady and she probably could use some good words right now to make her feel better.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  * * *

  SAWYER FOUND HIS daughter sitting outside on the steps when he pulled into the driveway of Shelby by the Sea. Today had been his off day and he’d worked in the yard most of it. He had taken a shower and was about to grab a beer out of the refrigerator and sit outside in the shade to enjoy the view of his freshly cut lawn when Jade had called. He hadn’t wasted any time getting there.

  “Where is she?”

  “Inside,” Jade said, standing. “I hope she doesn’t get mad that I called you, but I didn’t know who else to call and she looked so sad.”

  Sawyer placed an assuring hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “You did the right thing by calling me.”

  “I need to introduce you and tell her why you’re here.”

  “Alright,” he said, following his daughter inside the house. There was no way he was going to tell Jade that he knew Vashti a lot better than she would ever know. A lot better than she needed to know.

  He followed his daughter to the room Vashti used as an office. She was sitting at her desk with her head buried in her hands. “Ms. Vashti. I called my Dad to come talk to you. He knows what to say when someone has lost a person they love.”

  Vashti jerked her head up and looked at them, surprised. He saw her tearstained eyes and the way her lips were trembling, as if she would break into more tears at any moment.

  He turned to his daughter. “You can go on home now, Jade. I’ll take it from here. Be careful on that bike.”

  Jade nodded as if confident things would be alright now that her father was there. “Alright, Dad.” She then looked over a Vashti. “My dad’s really nice, Ms. Vashti. Honest. And I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jade left. Sawyer didn’t move until he heard the front door close shut behind his daughter. That’s when he crossed the room and pulled Vashti into his arms and she wept into his chest.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “MR. AND MRS. HARRIS?”

  Both Percelli and Alma stood as the doctor approached. An ambulance had rushed Kia to the hospital from the mall. Alma had called her husband immediately and she wasn’t sure how it was possible, but he’d driven up within moments of the ambulance arriving. The hospital staff had rushed through the emergency doors immediately, and Alma and Percelli had to provide the necessary insurance information.

  “Yes, we are the Harrises. What’s wrong with our daughter? How is she?”

  The doctor, an older man who appeared to be in his late fifties smiled. “I’m Dr. Telfair. Your daughter is resting now and fully conscious. We’re running several tests. She did admit to us that she’s been having sharp pains in her stomach for a while. For at least a couple of months.”

  “She never told us that,” Alma said.

  “She said the reason she didn’t tell you is because she was hoping they would go away.”

  “When can we see our daughter?” Alma asked, holding tight to her husband’s hand.

  “You can see her now but we really want her to rest. We have her sedated.”

  “Sedated?” Percelli asked, alarmed.

  “Only because she’s still experiencing stomach pains. We’re trying to find out why.”

  A few minutes later Percelli and Alma were led to a room where their daughter lay hooked up to a number of machines. It took all Alma had not to cry out seeing Kia looking so weak and frail. Other than an occasional cold, she had never been sick.

  Fighting back tears Alma went immediately to the bed and took hold of Kia’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell us you hadn’t been feeling well, Kia?”

  Tears filled Kia’s eyes. “I didn’t want you guys to worry about me, and I thought I would get better. I’m sorry. Now because of me, you’ll miss Dad’s class reunion.”

  “You’re more important to us than any class reunion,” Percelli said, wanting to make sure his daughter knew that. “The most important thing is getting you well. The doctors said they’ll be running a lot of tests. As soon as they find out what’s wrong, they can treat you for it and get you back home. You’ll be feeling good as new in no time.”

  “I hope so. I don’t like hospitals.”

  Percelli brushed a curl back from his daughter’s forehead. “We don’t like them either, but we want you to get better. We love you.”

  A faint smile touched Kia’s lips. “I love you, too, Mom and Dad.”

  * * *

  SAWYER CONTINUED TO hold Vashti in his arms while she cried. He had no idea who’d died, but he would get that information later. Right now he just wanted to hold her while she purged her grief.

  She finally lifted her head and looked at him and he reached up and using the pad of his thumb, he wiped tears from around her eyes. It was then that she said, “I lost Ms. Gertie.”

  He knew of the older woman she’d often visited at the senior citizen home. The wife of one of his deputies worked at the home and was complimentary of how dedicated Vashti was in visiting with the woman, who’d once been the cove’s midwife.

  “I just saw her this morning,” she continued in a broken voice. “And was going back to see her this evening. She was doing so good today and she even knew who I was. That didn’t happen often, but it happened today.”

  He encouraged her to continue speaking. A lot of times that helped. “The two of you had a good conversation?”

  She nodded. “Yes. It was a good conversation.” She paused and then said, “I guess you think it’s silly for me to waste all these tears over a woman who was so old. I should have expected it.”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t think that. Tears can never be wasted when you lose someone you care about. There’s nothing silly about it. And age has nothing to do with it. No matter the circumstances, even if death is a foregone conclusion, you can never be ready for it when it happens to someone who means a lot to you.”

  She seemed to absorb his words and after drawing in a deep breath she pulled herself together enough to pull out of his arms. Taking another deep breath, she said, “I’m sorry I got Jade upset to the point where she called you.”

  “Don’t apologize, Vashti. You were crying and she cares about you. Unfortunately, my daughter thinks I’m a superhero when it comes to making things right and knowing the words to say in given situations, especially grief. I was that for her when we lost Johanna. In all honestly, we lifted each other up.”

  Vashti nodded and said, “Ms. Gertie shared some things with me, things I didn’t know. Things that even now I’m not sure were real or fiction. But with her last words to me before I left her this morning, she implored me to trust her and believe that she knew what she was talking about.”

  “It sounds like you have decisions to make and I’m certain in the end you’ll make the right one.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes. I’ve discovered you’re someone with a level head.” Except for when it involves any decisions about me. About us, he came close to adding.

  “I don’t feel levelheaded now,” she said softly. “I feel if I don’t believe her, believe in what she told me, that I will be letting her down. For some reason, I think she died believing I would follow through with what she told me. I don’t know what to do, Sawyer.”

  Hearing her say his name did something to him to the point where he swallowed twice. But then her saying his name seemed fitting. It seemed personal. And between them, considering all they’d shared, it seemed right.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  He knew what he was doing. He was inviting
her to talk to him, share her private thoughts with him—something she might not want to share with anyone, especially with a man she’d spent one night with making love. But a part of him felt they’d done more than just make love that night. They had connected in a way that still had him baffled as to how sexual energy between two people could be so powerful. He wanted it to be meaningful.

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  Can or should? At that moment it was important to him that she trust him. “You can.”

  Making a decision he swept her off her feet into his arms. Ignoring her gasp of surprise, he headed for the loveseat in her office. Holding her firmly in his arms he sat down, settling her in his arms in a way to look into her face. The same face he envisioned every night before falling asleep. “Okay, Vashti. Let’s talk about it.”

  * * *

  VASHTI LOOKED UP at Sawyer and a part of her couldn’t believe he was here. His daughter had called and he’d come. Not to make a police call, but as a friend—former lover—the one man she knew she could fall in love with if she let her guard down. But she was finding it difficult to keep that guard up around him.

  Sawyer had a way with people. He was a straightforward, to-the-point, no-nonsense, tough-as-nails cop. Yet he could also be kind, tenderhearted, thoughtful and considerate. She had seen all those sides of him and it was that compassionate side he was displaying now. She couldn’t fight it, nor could she deny it.