Love At Last

by Cooper, Sharon C.

  “So who else has been recruited to help this year?” Since there were so many of them, her mother assigned different groups for various holiday tasks throughout the year. Lately, Katherine started using the grandkids more, claiming the need to start passing the torch to the younger generation.

  “I’m not sure who she’s recruited, but I know she told me, CJ, TJ, and Jada to expect to help out this year.” Carolyn had seen Christina and Toni during brunch, but Jada was in Connecticut with her husband, Zack, who was a guest commentator on ESPN. “Oh, and Gram said that you, Auntie Violet, and Auntie Sarah were on deck this year.”

  Carolyn cringed at the mention of her oldest sister, Sarah. She loved her, but they were polar opposites in every aspect of life. Where Carolyn would be considered the slacker of the family, Sarah was the golden child or at least one of them.

  “Ugh, we’re meeting in here. I know what that means.”

  It was as if Carolyn had thought her sister, Sarah, up. She stood in the doorway, her hands on her full hips. At two years older, Sarah favored their mother’s side of the family when it came to her smooth milk chocolate complexion and thick hair. Where Carolyn was tall with a slim, but curvy build, Sarah was short and full figured like their mother.

  As if on cue, Christina, Toni, and Katherine strolled into the room.

  “Oh good, I’m glad all of you are here.” Katherine sat on the sofa next to Martina. “This Christmas, I want us to celebrate in here.”

  “Momma,” Sarah grumbled, “Christmas is just a month away. You should’ve said something sooner. We’re not going to have enough time to pull this event together.”

  “Instead of just our immediate family, I want us to invite the extended family to dinner on Christmas Eve,” Katherine continued as if Sarah hadn’t spoken. Carolyn smiled behind her hand. When her mother had her mind made up about something, nothing could sway her.

  “That’s going to be like three hundred people,” Toni said, sitting in the wingback chair to Carolyn’s right. She had on a long-sleeved T-shirt that read, ‘This is what a cutie-pie plumber looks like’, and was wearing trendy, ripped jeans. As one of few women plumbers in the state, her niece enjoyed working construction. “I know this room can hold about a hundred and fifty people, but if everybody shows up, we’re going to be busting at the seams.”

  “It probably won’t be that many since most have their own family traditions,” Carolyn remarked, then turned to her mother. “So are you talking about a sit-down dinner? If so, we’re going to have to hurry and put in an order for rental tables, chairs, and everything else. Hopefully there’s still time.”

  “Yes, I want it set up in here the way you kids did for your daddy’s seventieth birthday celebration. I want round tables, china, candles, a dance floor, and whatever else you did back then.”

  “Aww, Gramma,” Christina whined. “I prefer Christmas Eve with just our family. It’s more intimate.”

  “Intimate? Ha! Says the woman who got caught screwing her husband in the guest bathroom a few minutes ago.”

  “Martina!”

  “MJ!”

  Katherine and Christina yelled in unison.

  “What did I tell you about that mouth?” Katherine admonished. “You are a grown woman with a child. It’s about time you get a filter for that trap of yours!”

  “What?” Martina threw up her arms. “Gramma, I didn’t even curse. Besides, we really need to be discussing the fact that I’ll never be able to use that bathroom again. CJ …”

  Carolyn tuned out the ensuing argument as memories of her and Lincoln’s adventures in a guest bathroom came to the forefront of her mind. She understood how it was when a sexual pressure built inside of you and you needed a release. She had done some brazen things in her life, but having sex in a stranger’s bathroom was a first.

  Carolyn shifted in her seat as warmth spread through her body. Since then, she and Lincoln hadn’t been able to keep their hands off of each other. She had already decided that they would be leaving her parents’ house earlier than she usually did on Sundays. She couldn’t wait for them to spend the rest of the weekend together.

  A smile found its way to her mouth at the fun she planned to have tonight.

  “You want to share what has you grinning so hard, Cat?” Sarah asked. “That salacious grin on your face makes it look as if you’ve had a similar experience as our niece.”

  Carolyn’s smile dropped. “You know what, Sarah? You need to learn how to mind your own business.”

  “Hmm … touchy, touchy. Means you must have something to hide.”

  “Whether I have something to hide or not, what I do is none of your business. One of these da—”

  “Enough! What is wrong with all of you today?” Katherine scowled.

  No one dared to say it was like that all the time with them. They might argue more than some families, but that was the way they expressed their love for each other.

  “I’m going upstairs.” She stood, still frowning. “I want you all to get on this and keep me posted. Oh, and we’ll probably need all of you to do the cookies this year because I want everyone to go home with a small gift of them.”

  Grumbles went around the room, but no one said anything. Each Christmas season, three or four of the women in the family were chosen to make batches of homemade cookies. They had to package them up prettily, so that after Christmas Eve dinner, everyone went home with a giftbox of cookies. It was a lot of work and a tradition Carolyn wished they could stop.

  “Toni, come up stairs with me and get the addresses of everyone I want you girls to send invitations to.”

  The moment Katherine walked out of the room, Christina punched Martina in the arm. “I can’t believe you bust me out in front of Gramma!”

  “I’m sorry! I forgot she was in here.”

  “How could you forget?” Christina yelled. “She was sitting right next to you!”

  Martina shrugged. “What can I say? I messed that one up. And now I have to clean up after you and your man.”

  “Speaking of men,” Sarah started, and looked at Carolyn, “I think Lincoln is the first man you’ve brought home that everybody likes.”

  Carolyn’s pulse kicked up. Just thinking about him made her heart flutter.

  “He is hot, Auntie Cat. You guys looked pretty serious at dinner. Are there wedding bells in the near future?”

  “What we need to be asking is how is the sex, Mom?”

  “Martina, stay out of grown folks’ business,” Sarah said before Carolyn could speak, but then turned to her. “So how is it?”

  They all fell out laughing. “You guys need to get a life.” Carolyn stood and headed for the door. “I’m going to get another slice of the coconut cake I made, assuming the greedy people in this house didn’t eat it all.”

  “Hey, wait. We need to figure out who’s doing what for Christmas Eve,” Christina said.

  “Well, I guess we need to take this to the kitchen because that’s where I’ll be.”

  “Me too,” Martina piped in. “Nick and Nate have kitchen duty and I need to go and harass them.”

  “Aw, look at my nephews,” Carolyn cooed when her and the girls walked into the kitchen. Nick was washing dishes and Nate was trying to squeeze more into the dishwasher. The twins were fraternal, but the scowl on their faces were identical. “Keep up the good work. Oh, Nick, the furnace is working great.”

  “Yeah, good thing I had a heat exchanger on hand.”

  “Now this is what I like to see. Men in the kitchen where they belong,” Martina remarked, carrying the platter of cookies and setting them on the counter. “I can get used to you boys doing the dishes. Finally, something you can handle.”

  “Shut up, MJ!” Nick snapped, scooping water into his hand and slinging it at her, hitting her square in the face and shutting her up. Everyone except Martina and Nick laughed.

  A few months ago, Katherine had announced that the men would have to start helping with the clean-up for the
family’s weekly brunch. Of course, the new schedule didn’t go over well. Luckily, when one of the men in the family installed a flat screen TV near the dinette table, the grumbling tapered down.

  “I hope that’s the last of the dishes,” Nick muttered, suds from the dish water up to his elbows. “With all of the pots on the island, my hands are probably going to fall off before I’m done.”

  “Oh quit being such a baby.” Christina bumped him with her hip. “You guys should have been pitching in years ago. PJ and Jada were right when they suggested it to Gramma. Anyone who eats, should help clean.”

  “Well, thanks to PJ and JJ’s bright idea, I might have to stop eating here on Sundays.” Nate grabbed a pot and handed it to his twin.

  Just then, Lincoln ambled into the kitchen and their gazes met. Immediately Carolyn’s sex clenched with need. Now that she’d seen every inch of his body, it seemed she was in a constant state of arousal.

  He reached for her hand and pulled her into his arms. “Hey. You ready to go?”

  “Oh yeah.” She kissed him, ignoring the murmurs of those in the kitchen and feeling her sister’s eyes roll behind her back. Carolyn didn’t care. She was in love.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Well, that went well,” Lincoln said to Conrad once the door closed behind one of their newest clients. They were in their smallest conference room, where they’d been for the past two hours. No matter what he and Conrad told the guy he was still adamant about holding onto his failing business.

  “Hopefully we can come up with some ideas on how to help him. But I have run the numbers and …” He shook his head.

  “Yeah, I know. But we can’t make people listen to us. After the holidays, I’ll have Pamela set up another meeting.”

  Pushing away from the conference table, Conrad crossed his legs at the ankle. “That sounds good. So are you and that beautiful girlfriend of yours attending the Peterson’s party next weekend?”

  Lincoln had been debating on whether or not to invite Carolyn to the event. The Peterson Group, one of their oldest and biggest accounts, threw a huge Christmas celebration every year. The caliber of people attending that event were very different than his work family who Carolyn had met.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Linc, you have to attend. It would be nice to have all the partners there this year, especially since they are celebrating twenty-five years of business.”

  “I’ll be there. I’m just not sure if Carolyn will be with me.” He tapped his pen against the tabletop. “I haven’t decided if I’ll invite her.”

  “Oh no. Don’t tell me you guys are on the fritz. Considering how attuned you two were to each other at the dinner party, I thought for sure she was the one. What happened?”

  Lincoln fought a smile. It was hard to think about that night without remembering his and Carolyn’s tryst in the bathroom. And since then, Blake had taken every opportunity to give him the business about “catching them” in the act.

  “Carolyn and I are fine. Actually, better than fine. I’m just not sure if that’s the type of party I want to subject her to. You know how Dennis and Ramon are. I don’t want their questioning about what she does for a living to make her uncomfortable.”

  Conrad hesitated. “Are you sure it’s her you’re worried about? Or are you uncomfortable with the line of questioning? Because Carolyn seemed very comfortable in who she is and what she does for a living.”

  Sighing, Lincoln rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, you’re right. Carolyn is very comfortable with who she is. Hell, she’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, but I wish she would consider going back to school and getting her degree.”

  “Why? At her age, if she’s happy with who she is and what she’s accomplished, who cares if she has a degree?”

  “I care.” Lincoln knew he was being a jerk. He had fallen in love with her, but he couldn’t help how he felt about this subject. He was raised believing that everyone should continue their education or at least learn a trade. She hadn’t done either despite that everyone in her family either had a degree or worked construction. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was a slacker … but he knew better. She kept herself busy with working at the restaurant and volunteering at a nursing home. He just couldn’t understand why she didn’t want more for herself.

  “Does she know how you feel?”

  Lincoln shook his head. “I’ve hinted around about her going back to school, even offered to pay for her education, but she doesn’t seem interested.”

  “Are you saying that her lack of education is a deal breaker for you?”

  “No! No, I’m not saying that at all, but …”

  Conrad stood, gathered his tablet and coffee mug. “For the record, Lincoln, I think Carolyn is great. The few times you’ve brought her around, she fit in effortlessly. Then again, she actually stood out from all of us. It was refreshing to be around someone who’s confident and doesn’t take life too seriously.”

  Lincoln couldn’t argue with anything Conrad was saying.

  “And me and Angela never would have guessed that she didn’t have some letters behind her name. But even if we had known, it wouldn’t matter, and it shouldn’t matter to you. You, better than anyone, know that life is short. Do you really want to risk losing an incredible woman just because you can’t get over her lack of education?”

  Feeling like the biggest snob to ever walk the face of the Earth, Lincoln remained silent. But he couldn’t help what he believed about education and having a good career. Yet, would he allow something like this to make him walk away from Carolyn?

  *

  Carolyn shifted in the passenger seat of her brother’s Range Rover, the soft leather wrapping around her like a warm blanket. Benjamin Jenkins was driving through the streets of Cincinnati heading to a formal Christmas event he had asked her to attend with him at the last minute. Lucky for him, she had collected a number of formal dresses during her two marriages. Besides that, she was glad to be out of the house since Lincoln had had a “work thing” for the entire day.

  It was the week before Christmas and Carolyn was happier than she’d been in a while. Considering only a couple of months ago she’d dreaded the upcoming holidays. Now she looked forward to spending Christmas with Lincoln. She had met his children weeks earlier and they all hit it off, making her even more encouraged about her and Lincoln’s future together.

  “You never told me what you thought of Lincoln,” Carolyn said.

  “I haven’t told you because I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. But Lincoln seems like a good guy. Question is, what do you think of him?”

  She smiled at the question. “I’m crazy about him. He makes me want to be a better person. I’m happy. Very happy. And I’ve been thinking about something.” She turned toward her brother. “At my age, I hadn’t really put much thought into going back to school, but I’ve been seriously considering getting my degree.”

  “Hold up. Though I’m all for continued education, I have to ask … is that what you really want? I thought you enjoyed bartending.”

  “I do, and I love working at the restaurant. But Lincoln has made me see that I could be doing more with my life.”

  “Do you want to do more with your life or are you just considering this because of what Lincoln’s saying?”

  Carolyn said nothing as she thought about the question. For the most part, she had a wonderful life. No, she didn’t have money pouring in, and no, she didn’t have a college degree. But if she was honest with herself, she would admit that she loved the life she’d built for herself and hadn’t really questioned it before now.

  “When we were younger, Mom and Pop rode our asses about going to school and getting a degree in something. But, Carolyn, you have made a life for yourself on your own terms. I like Lincoln, but if you decide to go back to school, make sure it’s something you want to do. Don’t just do it because he wants you to.”

  Her brother was right. She was happy with her lif
e, and changing who she was for a man wasn’t going to happen. She had done that already with her first husband and ended up miserable, and left with a broken heart.

  “You’re right. Thanks for the reminder.”

  Moments later they pulled up in front of the hotel behind one luxury vehicle after another. A valet came to their doors.

  “Welcome,” the young man who opened the car door for her said. He extended a hand to assist her out of the vehicle.

  “Thank you.”

  Ben escorted Carolyn inside.

  “So is there anything I should know before we go in here? It’s been at least a year since I’ve been your date for one of these shindigs.” Though she considered the host an acquaintance, Ben ran in the same professional circle as the owners of the company and had received an invitation.

  “Nope. Just be your usual obnoxious self,” he teased and she nudged him in the ribs.

  With Ben traveling for work, they hadn’t spent much time together in the last few months. All of her siblings were within one to two years apart, but she was closer to Ben.

  They arrived at the ballroom and Ben gave the greeter his name.

  “Welcome Mr. Jenkins.” She smiled at him and Carolyn. “The bar and refreshments are to your left. You two enjoy.”

  After thanking her, they headed to the bar area.

  Carolyn glanced around, impressed with the beautifully decorated space. It wasn’t very large, but the elegant decor of gray and white gossamer fabric hanging from the ceiling made the space magical. Tall, intricate, red, black, and gray centerpieces stood out on fifty or so round tables, and soft jazz added to the whimsical ambiance of the room.

  The event was well attended with everyone looking as if they were walking the red carpet at a major awards show. The women were dressed in evening gowns with diamonds dripping from their ears and around their neck. The men were in dark tuxedos looking like the millionaires that many of them were.

  “What would you like?” Ben asked when they approached the bar.