by Tina Martin
Shayla took over doing housewife duties – cooking, washing clothes, tidying up the home – while Carter continued his role at the bank, making top dollar and happy to be in love while he was doing it. His job finally meant something – meant he would build a secure and stable future for his wife, his family. All the hard work was for her now.
This morning, Shayla woke up alone in the center of the bed. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the digital clock on his night stand, noticing it was 11:16 a.m. She slept very late after spending most of the night talking with Carter about their future plans.
She inched out of bed, inhaled and exhaled deeply, then began to make the bed.
“Didn’t think you were ever going to get up,” Carter said, standing in her doorway with his arms folded, showing off the cuts of his arm muscles.
Shayla looked him up and down. What a man. He was wearing a gray beater with blue jeans. No shoes.
“I was tired,” she told him, throwing the comforter to straighten it.
“Here, let me help you with that, baby.” Carter walked closer to the bed.
“No. I got it.”
“And I got you,” Carter said, hugging her from behind, embracing her in his arms. Then he spun her around to face him and took a kiss from her lips. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” she said, smiling beautifully.
“I made breakfast for you, darling. You want to come down and eat?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll be on a conference call with Genevieve in the family room, but if you need something it’s okay to interrupt me. ‘Kay?”
“Okay.”
* * *
Over the course of the afternoon, Shayla kept herself busy watching TV court shows, painting her toenails a Mac shade of Jade Dragon (a dark teal color) and organizing her room. She washed a few articles of clothing, experimented with different hairstyles before giving up and letting it hang. She sat in a bathtub of hot water and bubbles, shaving her arms and legs, and afterwards, she put on a silk robe, went downstairs to get a bottle of water, hearing Carter’s voice emanating from the family room. She thought about how professional he sounded and how appealing it was to listen to him work.
She walked to the entrance of the family room, stood there with a bottle of water in her hand and watched Carter looking through papers while Genevieve, on speaker phone, called out figures. Now was probably not a good time to ask to use his laptop, but there weren’t any other computers in the house and she definitely wasn’t going to a library.
Carter looked up, saw her standing there. “Genevieve, Genevieve, hold on a second.” He pressed the hold button, slid off his glasses and said, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just need to borrow your laptop, but if you’re using it, I can wait…”
“I’m not using it,” Carter said. “C’mere for a minute.”
Shayla walked over and stood immediately in front of him. Still sitting, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I’ll be done with this soon.”
“Okay.”
“And I’m having a chef make dinner for us tonight.” He glanced at his watch. “He should be here in a lil’ while.”
“You’re having a chef make dinner for us?” Shayla questioned. “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s our one week anniversary, sweetheart, although I don’t need an occasion to do something special for my wife.”
“Okay,” Shayla said smiling a bit, bending over to kiss his lips. It still felt like a dream.
“In the meantime, I want you to relax and I’ll be all yours before you know it.”
“I like the sound of that.” She winked at him. With the laptop in hand, she walked away from him and could feel his eyes burning on her until she had completely exited.
* * *
The chef showed up at four as Carter had planned. Shayla wasn’t sure exactly what he was cooking, but it smelled delicious. The ingredients permeated the house…tomatoes, onions, garlic and oregano. And while he cooked, Shayla stepped out onto the deck, sitting at an umbrella table, writing down information for a floral design class, seriously considering taking classes now that she had the free time. She wondered how the new girl was doing at the shop, and made a mental note to call Rebecca. Besides getting updates on the shop, she needed to tell her about her marriage. To Carter Williams.
Carter, still on the phone with Genevieve, got up from the couch. He walked through the kitchen, holding the cordless, waved at the chef and peered out the windows onto the deck. He saw Shayla at the table, the laptop in front of her. He looked on for a few minutes, peeping the way she was so full of life now, comparing that to how he found her in February. He couldn’t imagine seeing her in such a decrepit state ever again. Just the thought of it was too much to bear.
He ended the call with Genevieve, ran upstairs to shower, then took his time getting dressed, making sure he was well-shaven. He smelled as good as he looked.
After returning his laptop to the family room, Shayla jogged upstairs, peeped in the closet, looking for a black dress – one of the items Carter had purchased for her before they got married. She found it then quickly slipped it over her small frame. It was a strapless black dress, fell just at her knees, looked good with the strappy black stilettos she bought a few weeks ago from Macy’s. After she was done getting dressed, she stepped in the bathroom, teased her hair and made sure she was decent. Satisfied, she slowly descended the stairs, and just shy of tip-toeing, she walked to the kitchen.
“Good evening, Madame,” the chef said to her. He had on a black apron, looked Italian. His hair was as black as hers and he had a mustache.
“Hello,” Shayla said, looking for Carter but he wasn’t in the dining room.
“Here…let me show you to your seat.”
“Ah…okay.” Walking to the table, she noticed a bouquet of red roses, must have been two dozen, shooting out of two crystal vases that looked similar to the one she’d broken. White candles circled the bouquets, giving the dining room the feel of a romantic restaurant. Soft jazz played in the background.
Carter walked in and said, “Smells good, Jacques.”
“It’s almost ready, Monsieur.”
“Excellent.” Carter slapped his hands together. Then he sat down, directly across from Shayla. “You look nervous.”
“I am.”
“Why? It’s just us…in our home…at our table about to eat dinner. You should be comfortable.”
“I know—”
“But?” Carter said.
“You’re a little intimidating.”
“How’s that?”
“You planned this dinner thing—”
“I wanted to do something special for you.”
“So if I wanted to do something nice for you, it would have to be something major…like renting an entire hotel for the night and inviting A-list celebrities.”
Carter studied her. She had all the qualities a man desired in a woman he wanted to get serious with. And that’s why he couldn’t quite understand why Jacob, even in the worst of circumstances, would take his own life when he had a woman like this.
“You have no comment for that?” Shayla watched him stare blankly back at her.
“Every day I wake up and see your beautiful face is something major.”
Carter watched her turn red in the face.
“Okay,” Jacques said, walking over to them with a basket of bread. “Here’s some bread and butter. I’ll be back with the wine.”
Shayla watched Carter take a piece of bread, spread butter on it, put it in a small plate and hand it to her.
“Try that…Jacques makes the best bread.”
Shayla took a bite. “Mmm, this is good.”
Carter took a bite and nodded.
“How do you know Jacques, by the way?” Shayla asked him.
“About four years ago, when I got serious about exercising and working out, I hired him as my personal chef.”
; “Oh.” Shayla tasted the bread again.
Carter took a bite too, observing the way Shayla’s hair lay over her left shoulder, the form of her right shoulder clearly visible. He wanted to get up from the table to kiss her from her collar bone, to her neck and back to her shoulder again.
Jacques took a bottle of wine from the counter and poured them the same serving. “I’ll be right back with the lasagna.”
Jacques walked away and Shayla locked eyes with Carter.
“So do you want to ask me something?” he asked her.
Shayla looked at him, confused. “Ask you what?”
He shrugged. “Thought maybe you wanted to know how I feel about us being married?”
“Okay,” Shayla said, taking the bait. “How do you feel?”
“Ummm, hmm,” he hummed.
Shayla frowned.
“I’m just kidding, baby. Man…you should’ve seen the look on your face just now.”
“Only because I know you never wanted to get married.”
“I never said that.”
“Yes you did…said something like you were committed to your career and never been in a serious relationship.”
“Okay…”
“And you said you weren’t husband material. Oh, oh,” Shayla smacked the table, excited she remembered more. “You said some men can settle down but you weren’t wired like that. Ring any bells?”
Carter smirked. “You think I still feel that way?” He took sip of wine and stared at her hard.
She shook her head. “No. I do wonder though…like what was it about me that made you change your mind?”
“I fell in love with you. That’s never happened to me before.”
“And at what point did you fall in love with me?”
Carter took another swig of wine and cleared his throat. “I never told you this but when I found you that day,” he said, taking a moment to keep himself composed, because it was difficult for him to talk about that day. “I got in the ambulance with you and you gripped my hand and told me not to leave you. And from that moment, I swore I would never leave you.” He swallowed hard. “But enough about that. I just want to celebrate our marriage.”
Shayla watched him smirk and she could sense a bit of sadness as he recalled a part of the story from that day. He didn’t talk about it often, she noticed. He never did tell her everything that had occurred and now she knew why. It was too painful for him to talk about.
“Are you happy?” he asked her.
She nodded. “I’m very happy. I’m elated. I never told you this, but when we were just friends, I looked forward so much to you coming home from work so that I could spend some time with you. I remember feeling excited just to be sitting near you. Or watching you work. Or hearing your voice over the phone.”
“Really?”
Shayla nodded. “I still remember the first time you kissed me. I thought I would crumble to pieces. I could feel every nerve in my body zip out of control and it’s a wonder I was able to continue breathing after that.”
Carter sat quietly, taking it all in. He had every mind to send Jacques away so that he could take Shayla upstairs and really make her crumble to pieces. Instead, he stared at her as if seeing her thoughts.
Holding his gaze, Shayla said, “Why are you so quiet?”
“No reason.”
Shayla blushed and took a sip of wine to cool herself off from the heat of his eyes. She knew the look well.
Jacques brought over the lasagna shortly thereafter, and they ate quietly. The usually outspoken Carter was quiet, Shayla noticed. He spoke more with his eyes than his mouth.
Chapter 19
Instead of calling Rebecca, Shayla drove by the flower shop the next afternoon when she knew the place was closed for lunch. She parked next to Rebecca’s car and walking up to the door, she tapped on the glass.
Rebecca, who was sitting behind the counter eating a sandwich, looked up and saw her. The look of happiness and surprise covered her face. She quickly put down her sandwich, wiped her mouth and jumped up to unlock the door.
“Hey, girl,” she told Shayla, after pulling the door open, greeting her with a hug.
“Hey!”
“Come on in so I can lock the door back,” Rebecca said. “I’ve been super busy today. I need this break.”
Shayla stepped inside, watching Rebecca lock the door. “I figured you’d be on lunch.”
“Yes. I probably would’ve died of starvation if I skipped lunch today.”
The women laughed together.
“So how have you been?” Rebecca asked excitedly.
“Good,” Shayla responded. “I have a bit of good news.”
“Please tell me you’re moving back to Charlotte.”
“I’ve already moved back to Charlotte.”
“You did?” Rebecca said, elated.
“Yep, and I have more good news.” Shayla held her left hand out so Rebecca could see the diamond, sparkling on her ring finger.
Rebecca’s eyes grew big and she covered her mouth with her right hand. “Carter?”
“Yep.”
“You’re engaged?” she asked.
“No. We’re married.”
“You’re married!” she shrieked.
“Yes. He asked me a few days after the convention. Then we flew to Hawaii that weekend and got married.”
“Wow!” Rebecca stood, walked around the counter and embraced Shayla. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“When he came to the convention, I knew he was coming for you. Talk about someone laying their heart on the line…”
“Yeah. He really meant business.”
Rebecca took a bite of her sandwich and mumbled, “So when are the babies coming?”
“Really, Rebecca?”
Rebecca giggled. “What? That’s a legitimate question.”
Kids. Why hadn’t the subject come up before they were married? Shayla was sure she wanted a few, but Carter, on the other hand, stated casually a while back that he didn’t want any. “Well, I’m not sure if we’re having kids, but that’s something we’d have to discuss.”
“Okay, let’s discuss it,” Rebecca quipped.
“No, not with you, silly.” Shayla laughed.
“I know. I just think y’all will have the cutest little babies.”
“Aw. Thank you,” Shayla said beaming.
“So how is it being married? You like it?”
“I love it. Marriage is awesome when you find the right person.”
Rebecca nodded. “You’re settled in and everything?”
“Yep.”
Shayla glanced around the shop. “How’s everything here?”
Rebecca wiped her mouth again. “Well, the girl I hired to replace you quit a few days ago.”
“Why?”
“She was nuts…even with gloves on, she acted like she couldn’t touch dirt.”
They both laughed.
“Well, I’m not doing anything. I could pop in to help you out a few days.”
Rebecca smirked. “Says the woman who just married Carter Williams…you never have to work another day in your life.”
“I would like to have a career, eventually, but I got a feeling Carter doesn’t want me to work.”
“If he doesn’t want children, what are you supposed to do all day if you without a job?”
“That’s a good question.”
“But on the other hand, some men are old fashioned like that. They want to take care of their woman.”
“But doesn’t that make the woman seem needy and dependent?”
“Only if you look at it that way, but from his perspective, it makes him feel like a provider. When a man feels like he can’t provide for his family, he feels like a failure.”
Shayla nodded. That was one of the reasons why she assumed Jacob committed suicide. He’d lost his job, couldn’t find one and couldn’t provide for her without employment.
“I say, let him do th
e husbandly thing and take care of you.”
Shayla was in a trance, thinking about Jacob and his depression. She hadn’t heard Rebecca’s follow-up comment.
“Shayla?”
She blinked a few times, then looked at Rebecca. “Huh? I’m sorry. I was in another world just now.”
“I said, let him take care of you if that’s what he wants.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“So anyway, what you got planned for tonight? Maybe we can do dinner?”
“Um…I gotta check with Carter. He’s always planning something for us. Let me talk to him and I’ll get back to ya.”
“All right then, Mrs. Williams.”
Shayla smiled. It felt weird hearing Rebecca call her that. “All right. I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Okay. You can stop by anytime, and call me.”
“I will.”
The women hugged again and Shayla walked out of the door, hearing the familiar chime of the bell.
Chapter 20
On the drive home, Shayla called Jacqueline to inform her that she would be stopping by at some point today. Said she had some news to tell her. Jacqueline invited her to come by around four, and Shayla agreed that was a good time to meet. It would give her time to take a nap before she headed over there.
Back at home, she got comfortable on the couch, rested for a while, but was awakened by her cell phone vibrating across the coffee table. She picked it up, saw Carter’s picture on her home screen and smiled.
“Hey, baby,” she answered in a seductive slumber.
“You just woke up,” Carter said. “I can always recognize that sexy, sleepy voice of yours.”
Shayla smiled. “Yeah. I just woke up. What time is it?”
Carter checked the time by looking in the bottom right corner of his computer screen. “It’s a little after three.”
She yawned and stretched her arms high. “What are you doing?”
“About to go into a meeting. I should be out of here on time today if you want to do something later.”
“Okay, that’s cool. I should be back by the time you get off work.”
“Back from where?”
“Jackie’s. I’m heading over there in a few. I’m dying to show her my ring and tell her that we’re married now.”
