“As you can see, Detective, I’m a little too tall and thick to play the petite woman you’re seeing in that video.”
“I would have to agree, Mr. Valentine. I assume you have a name for this kid?”
“His name is Ryan Peterson.”
“Of course I’m going to have to verify this video’s authenticity.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Molina nods thoughtfully. “One more thing, Professor. Do you have any thoughts on who that person is?”
Derek’s lips tighten. “No.”
He tilts his head suspiciously. “Is that so? Because she sort of resembles your wife.”
“Mariah wouldn’t do that to her own car.”
“I’ve seen this kind of thing before. That’s why I’m asking.”
“What kind of thing?” Derek retorts.
Molina puts his foot back on the floor. “Wife offs herself to send a message.”
Derek’s frown intensifies. “What kind of message are you talking about?”
“How was your marriage? I heard it wasn’t that great.”
“From who?”
Molina shrugs and taps his fingers on the table. “Can you prove you were with her at 4:23 a.m.?”
Derek’s mouth tightens again. “No, I cannot.”
“Why not?”
Derek glances at me nervously. “We weren’t sleeping in the same bed.”
Molina nods. “Okay.”
Derek glares at him. “Is that all you need?”
Molina sits back in his chair and studies Derek then me. “That’s all—for now.”
Derek looks at me, and we walk out. I turn just before passing back into the lobby and see Molina watching us studiously.
23
Two months later…
“Oh my…” I breathe.
My lower half is experiencing bursts of deep tickling sensations. I clench the sheets. And then it happens. I scream and lift my pelvis higher. Derek is skilled at making the pleasure last longer than usual.
The sensations subside. I breathe heavily to reset my body. Derek slides up my naked body and pulls me against him.
He holds me tighter, and we kiss.
“So today’s the day,” Derek whispers as our mouths part.
I snuggle deeper against him. His body is so warm—so strong. I wish I could lie like this forever. “Graduation then dinner at Dad’s house.”
“Are you ready to officially come out of the closet?” Derek asks.
I chuckle. “More than ready.”
Our lips merge. The warmth of his tongue trails around my lips and mouth. Once again I’m lost in our powerful love affair.
A few hours later, I stand in front of the mirror, studying myself in my cap and gown. I take a deep breath. “This is it.”
It’s the end of a tedious journey of choosing classes, internships, clerking, clinics, professors, midterms, and final exams. I thank God my dad paid my tuition and rent. If he hadn’t, I would be saddled with debt a mile high on top of being worn out from trying to juggle it all.
After today, I’m assuming one hundred percent of my responsibilities. I have sixty-eight thousand dollars in the bank, saved from grants and years of having a high-yielding interest rate, so financially I’ll be fine until I find a better-paying job. I don’t want to live on my savings forever though—that would defeat the purpose.
The doorbell rings. I check my watch and run to answer it.
Gina throws her hands up excitably. “Your chariot has arrived!”
I laugh, mostly because I’m just so happy to see her.
“And you’re on time!” I say.
She rolls her eyes. “That’s because I know how anal you are about being late. I didn’t want to hear your lecture on how ‘the early bird gets the worm’ a million times.”
“I don’t repeat it a million times.”
Gina walks in behind me, looking at the boxes stacked along the walls and the living room furniture wrapped in cellophane. “When are you officially moving out?”
“Tomorrow,” I say.
She hugs herself. “Elena would have been graduating today too.”
“Yep,” I say with a sigh.
We stand in silence. I’m remembering Elena in this room, sitting on the sofa and stressing over studying for an exam. The slight smell of her overly sweetened perfume never left the apartment. She’s the one who found this place. It’s cute, quiet, and the price was good. Plus it’s off the beaten path, so it isn’t advertised to college students. Elena’s brother’s friend’s mother or something put in a good word for us when the apartment became available. I knew one day we would have to leave our small piece of paradise, but I could’ve never guessed one of us would be dead when the time came.
“Ready?” Gina asks quietly.
I look at her with watery eyes. “Yes.”
I grab my purse off the coat tree, and we head out.
The ceremony takes place in Hodges Square. It’s a beautiful plush green quad with bountiful trees surrounding it. About seventy-five of us are graduating in this year’s class. When they call my name, my heart’s beating a mile a minute. As I stand, there’s applause.
“Woo-hoo, Nom!” Gina yells the loudest.
I smile and walk across the stage. I reach Dr. Holmes, the dean of students. We shake hands.
“Congratulations, Naomi,” she says and hands me my diploma.
I squeeze the paper roll—finally, it’s mine! “Thank you.”
I look over at the faculty section. Derek winks at me, and I blush. Next I turn to see my dad and Alice in the first row. I wave as Dad snaps photos. I don’t think he’s ever been more proud of me.
After the ceremony is over, we go to my dad’s house for dinner.
Dad taps a knife on the side of his wine glass and gets all of our attention. “Thank you all for joining us.”
I smile at the faces around the table. There’s Gina; our friend Leslie and her boyfriend, Todd; Uncle Albert and Aunt Sofia; and my cousins Valerie, Anita, and Jeremy with their spouses. Derek is sitting between Alice and me. Patti and Pete, Elena’s parents, have also accepted my dad’s invitation.
“Just a few words about my daughter,” Dick says. “It’s been her and me for a very long time. After Darla died, I wasn’t sure how we were going to move on. But our daughter isn’t only clever and beautiful—she’s a pretty tough cookie. Darla knew it and…” Dad presses his lips together to keep himself from crying.
I watch him through watery eyes. Since he’s too choked up to say more, I stand and raise my glass. “To Dad, who’s been the best father ever.” I look Dick in the eyes. “I’m only here because of you.”
Dick clears his throat. “Hear, hear.”
Everyone raises their glasses and drinks to the toast.
Throughout dinner, Uncle Albert talks about his time in the navy and being stationed in Italy. My dad, as usual, is shifting impatiently in his seat because he thinks Uncle Albert talks too much, but even though she’s not here, he respects my mother too much to tell him to close it. I’m glad he’s unwilling to stop my uncle from talking. I love Albert’s navy stories. I also love watching Alice, who’s also a chatterbox, try to compete with him for the spotlight.
“So, Naomi, what are your plans for the future?” my cousin Jeremy asks.
All eyes are on me now. He asked the one question I had hoped Albert’s talking would avert.
“Well… I’m taking the bar later this summer, but at the moment, I’m working at Valentine and Dunbar.”
Derek rubs my back supportively. “That’s my firm.”
Derek and I have lain in bed, thoroughly discussing my inner conflict. Before Alice came along, my dad used to be much more difficult to be around. Of course, that’s changed, and now I’m not sure if it’s wise to keep avoiding his law firm. Derek urges me to keep my options open. Sutters, Bell, and Ashton is one of the top firms in the Midwest. If I have an opportunity to be an integral part of that ope
ration, then I should explore my options.
I wink at my dad. “But I’m keeping my options open.”
Dick nods while smiling, just as I thought he would.
After dinner, we gather around the pool. I walk to where Alice, Gina, and Dick are standing.
Gina turns the little cream puff she’s holding back and forth. “What a novel idea, Alice. After-dinner desserts and cocktail mingling.”
“Dad, could I speak to you?” I whisper to him.
Gina looks as if she’s wondering if I’m going to break some news to him that she has yet to hear. I wink at her, hoping she’ll realize she doesn’t have to worry about me withholding secrets from her.
“Of course,” my dad says.
I loop my arm through his, and we walk around the pool.
“So I just wanted to officially tell you that Derek and I are a couple.”
My dad nods. I study him with ruffled eyebrows. He has no expression. No abrupt third degree about how long have we been together and was he my professor when we started our relationship.
“You already knew, didn’t you?” I ask.
He glances at me with a tiny smirk. “Alice already informed me.”
“She did? When?”
We stop near the dessert table.
“After the first night we all had dinner. We noticed there was something between the two of you. The next Thursday, when he came over for dinner, Alice asked him if the two of you were seeing each other. He said not yet but he was definitely looking to get to know you better.”
I flinch, taken aback. “And what did you think about that?”
“I didn’t like it.”
“I knew you wouldn’t.”
“Valentine’s a good guy, but you”—he cups my cheek gently—“are a gifted woman. Always have been.”
“Can’t I be gifted and be in love with Derek too?”
He removes his hand. “Yes but…” He presses his lips together. “Did you know that I met your mom while we were in law school?”
“‘We’?” I say, surprised.
“She wanted to be a civil rights lawyer, and she would’ve made a great one.”
Unfortunately, I know the ending to this story all too well. “She dropped out because she was pregnant with me, right?” Jeez, I sound so sad.
Dad cracks a tiny smile. “No. We had you thirteen years after we got married.”
“Oh,” I say, relieved.
“She dropped out because of me. I let her become distracted. I wanted more of her than she had time to give me if she had kept up with her studies.”
I frown, confused.
“I sat down with Derek Valentine and had a talk. He’s not as selfish as I was.”
“What does that mean?” I say.
“It means that he knows the world is your oyster, so he’s going to let you soar. That’s all a man like me can ask of him.”
I hug my dad tightly. Wow. What was it about my dad that made me want to keep distance between us for all of these years? I can’t even remember.
“I love you, Dad.” I kiss him on the cheek.
“Love you too, princess,” he says.
Alice comes over, upset that she can’t get the icemaker in their new refrigerator to release the ice, so he goes off to resolve her minor crisis. I look around the yard to see who I should socialize with next. Derek is caught up in Uncle Albert’s navy stories. I keep looking until I see Gina, getting her second glass of water of the night—she never chooses water over wine.
I walk over to where she’s standing and sneak up behind her. I put my mouth close to her ear. “Hey.”
She turns around coolly. “I saw you.”
I chuckle and raise a finger. “But next time I’ll make sure you won’t see me coming.”
Gina smiles weakly. “Right…” She yawns. “Listen, nice dinner party, but I’ll be leaving soon.”
I nod toward the glass in her hand. “I notice that’s your second glass of water. What’s up with that?”
She sighs. “I’m pregnant.”
“You don’t even feel like beating around the bush, do you?”
She rubs her stomach. “What for? I figure nine months from now, when I’m pushing a baby out of my hoo-ha, you’ll know why tonight I’m drinking water, so why should I lie.”
“Wow. So Randy’s the father?” I ask.
She whips her head as if she’s looking for someone. “I need a drink for that answer, but yes, Randy’s the father.” She lifts a finger. “But it gets better. I failed the bar—again!”
I sigh sympathetically and pat her shoulder. “That’s okay. The fifth time may be the charm.”
“Fuck it. The only reason I kept taking that fucking test was because law school was expensive.”
I tilt my head. “Yes, it was.”
“Right. But I’ve come to the realization that failing was my way of telling myself that I really don’t want to be a lawyer, and no matter how hard I try, damn it, I don’t want it.”
“If that’s the case, then what are you going to do now?”
“The million-dollar question.” She digs in her purse, takes out a brochure, and hands it to me.
I study the front page. “This is for culinary school.”
“I want to be a chef.”
I look at her askance. “Really? I’ve never seen you cook anything in your life.”
Gina snatches the brochure out of my hand. “I cook.”
I study her. What I see is that she needs encouragement, not disapproval. “Okay, you know I will always support you no matter what you decide.”
Gina looks down at her belly, and I look at it too.
“So does Randy know?” I ask.
Gina looks up and wrinkles her forehead. “Not yet.”
I flinch. “You haven’t told him yet?”
“I don’t even like him.”
“You should have thought about that before you screwed him twice.” I sigh and tell myself to get a grip. Sometimes Gina just baffles the hell out of me.
“Well…” Gina looks at the ground. “Three times.”
My jaw drops. “Three? Why not four or five?”
“Okay, maybe four…”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe you.”
She lifts a hand. “Could we just drop it for now? I’m too sleepy to explain myself at the moment.”
I look at her with astonishment then sigh in defeat. “Okay, but call if you need anything from me, and unlike tonight, I won’t get all judgmental with you. Deal?”
Gina narrows one eye at me then extends her hand. “Okay, deal.”
I shake her hand and pull her in for a hug.
“Pretty soon we won’t be able to do this so easily,” I say.
“Better get all your hugs in now.”
We laugh together.
24
I’ve been living in my new apartment for at least two weeks, but I spend most of my days and nights at Derek’s house. He’s taken down the “For Sale” sign for now and has agreed to let Alice and Jerry remodel and redecorate it. So now it’s half of a construction site. Today the workers finished putting up the glass wall between Derek’s bedroom and the patio with views of the garden, so we made love in front of our new view.
Now we’re rushing to get dressed. Dick and Alice’s wedding rehearsal is in less than an hour, and it’ll take us about forty-five minutes to get there. Derek’s a groomsman, and I’m a bridesmaid. The dinner afterward is taking place downtown at the Hotel Continental in the Tillman room.
I pace in front of the door, looking at my watch. “Derek, we’re going to be late!”
Derek walks out wearing a pair of black fitted slacks and a nice black button-front shirt. He looks jaw-droppingly hot, as if he’s straight out of a cologne ad.
“You’re going to be there five minutes early, babe,” he says and winks. “I promise.”
I can’t help but trust him when he smiles at me that way.
“Where did you par
k?” he asks.
“Across the street.”
Derek opens the front door, and we walk out on the porch.
“You should start parking in the driveway. I don’t want your car to get side-swiped,” he says.
I watch him lock the door. “I would’ve, but Jason’s truck has been parked there every time I come home from the office.”
I almost slap my hand over my mouth, catching my Freudian slip. I called Derek’s house my home. We walk to the garage.
“Okay, I’ll talk to him about making sure you have a place to park in the driveway whenever you come home.” He opens the passenger-side door of his car for me. “At least until he gets this shit out of here.”
My eyes scan the sheets of glass, plaster, and the residue lying across the second parking space. I click my seat belt. “That might take a while.”
Derek gets in and starts the engine. “I’ll have him take it out on Monday.” He pulls out of the garage. “I would have him tomorrow, but…”
“Tomorrow’s the wedding?” I say.
I watch him with a grin as he backs the car down the driveway and out into the street.
He smiles. “What?” he asks, turning the steering wheel.
I’m just so glad that he didn’t make me feel bad about calling his house home. “Nothing. I’m just happy to be here with you.”
Derek takes my hand as he drives. We arrive at the venue five minutes early, as he promised, but a lot of people got here before we did. I see a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces. One sticks out—the blond with hair way too thick for it to be naturally that color is at a table, staring at us as if she just saw an alien walk into the room.
“What’s Barbara doing here?” I say without thinking.
“Huh?” Derek says until he sees who I’m referring to.
I frown contemplatively. “She doesn’t know my dad—at least I don’t think she does.”
Derek puts his arm around my waist and guides me toward the opposite side of the room. “Alice must’ve asked her to be part of the ceremony.”
“How do they know each other?”
“She met Alice through Mariah, my late wife,” Derek says.
Her Perfect Man- The Complete Series Box Set Page 46
