Gisella slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
“When we’re married, I won’t put up with domestic violence from you.”
“Gisella!”
Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Hide in the bathroom,” she directed, scrambling out of bed and wrapping the top sheet around her body. “Take a shower or something.”
He frowned. “What, are you ashamed of me now?”
Why was he being so difficult? “Please,” she begged.
“Oh, all right.” Charlie struggled to his feet, but when he took two steps he had to grab hold of the bed.
“Are you all right?”
“Just a little dizzy,” he chuckled. “Must have gotten up too fast.” He stood again and walked a crooked line to the bathroom.
She watched him, frowning, until her sister continued to shout her name. “I’m coming,” she snapped and stomped toward the door. When she cracked it open, Anna looked like she was ready to breathe fire. “Yes?”
“What are you doing,” she hissed.
Gisella cocked her head. “Surely, it hasn’t been that long for you.”
Anna sucked in a breath. “You’re making a big mistake.” She shoved Gisella and Charlie’s clothes through the door. “That man is nothing more than a roaming dog searching for a place to bury his bone.”
Gisella laughed. “Did you come up with that on your own?”
Her sister glared. “Trust me. He’ll only break your heart.”
“Why, because he broke yours?” she challenged. At Anna’s stricken look, she tried to apologize. “Anna—”
“So he told you?”
“Told her what?” Emmadonna planted her nose into the conversation.
The sisters stared at one another. After a long pause, Anna’s voice dropped into a trembling whisper. “That was a long time ago. I thought…we were just friends.”
“It’s not important,” Gisella said, matching her sister’s tone. “He actually came here last month looking for you. Said something about wanting to apologize—”
“Look, Gisella. What happened or didn’t happen between us in college doesn’t matter. What matters is his reputation. He doesn’t stick around. He never has, and he never will.”
“It’s not like that with us.”
Nicole chimed up. “Girl, do you know how many women have thought that?”
“Nicole,” Anna snapped. “This is an A-and-B conversation. Will you please C your way out of it?”
“Let’s just talk about this later,” Gisella said.
The shower came on in the bathroom.
Her sister crossed her arms. “I want him out of here.”
“No.”
Anna’s brows arched. “What?”
“I pay rent. This is my apartment, too, and I say he stays.”
“Gisella…”
“I love him.” Judging by the pain that stretched across her sister’s face, one would have thought Gisella had stabbed her. “And he loves me.”
Anna jabbed a hand onto her hip. “What? He told you that?”
“As a matter of fact, he did. So you might as well get used to seeing him around…because we’re getting married.” Before any of them could respond to that, Gisella firmly closed the door in their faces.
Charlie stood beneath the shower’s steady water flow with his arms braced against the tile. He waited for this latest wave of vertigo to pass. The episodes were happening more often and were frankly scaring the hell out of him.
The test. He needed to take the test.
He shook his head, confused as to what he was doing. How could he possibly be making plans to marry Gisella when he didn’t know what the future held?
He was being selfish.
“So what if you are?” the devil on his shoulder asked. “What’s wrong with grabbing hold of a little happiness before you kick the bucket?”
The angel on his right refuted that. “You have to tell her the truth.”
“No way, José,” the devil said. “Who wants to deal with all that crying?”
Charlie thought about all the women he’d spent the last month calling, seeking and hoping to give closure to any open-ended issues. How easy it had been to tell them he was dying. But the woman he loved? He shook his head.
I can’t tell her.
“Mind if I join you in there?”
Charlie turned toward Gisella’s smiling face and felt his strength return. “I can always use a good back scrubber.”
In the shower, Charlie and Gisella spent more time being dirty than getting clean. It wasn’t until the water heater gave out and started pelting icicles on them did they finally scramble to get out.
Dried and dressed, Gisella’s stomach rumbled. “I’m starving. We already missed breakfast. You want to head down to Oscar’s for some lunch?” she asked.
“Sure, but for future reference, this brother can always eat.”
She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She started toward the door and stopped. “Aww, damn.” She sighed. “I know those ladies are still out there, ready to pounce.”
“C’mon.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Just ignore them.”
When they left the bedroom, it was just as Gisella suspected. The women were all sitting in the living room, casting evil glares their way.
“We’re going to head out and get something to eat,” Gisella said. “Can we bring you anything back?”
Anna kept her mouth clamped while stroking Sasha’s thick fur.
Nicole, Emmadonna and Jade were steady fanning themselves.
Gisella’s eyes fell to the small plates with unmistakable chocolate crumbs. “Um, did you eat some of that cake in the dining room?”
Anna sighed. “They did. I didn’t have much of an appetite.”
“Um, hmm. It was good, too.”
The women licked their lips and eyeballed Charlie with blatant desire.
“God, it’s hot in here,” Nicole panted.
Gisella spun around, grabbed Charlie’s hand and yelled, “Run, Charlie. Run.”
Chapter 21
Life was beautiful.
Gisella had never been happier. Charlie had filled the past three weeks with love and infused her night with passion. There were plenty of times she thought she should be ashamed of just how insatiable she was when it came to their lovemaking.
She no longer made Amour Chocolat cake, but she did alter the recipe to make truffles—with a little less potency and with a big warning label. The result: business had quadrupled. She and Isabella had to hire more employees and were now considering opening a second shop out in the suburbs.
“Godiva, eat your heart out,” Isabella sassed as she rung up another sale.
Gisella laughed and turned her attention to the next customer in line. “May I help you?” she asked.
The woman smiled. “Well, hello.”
Gisella cocked her head at the familiar face and struggled for a name.
“It’s Lexi,” she said.
Gisella remembered the woman from the restaurant. “Oh, bonjour.”
“I see you still have that cute little accent.”
“Just like you still have yours,” Gisella said, wondering what this woman really wanted.
“Charming,” she said. “I can see why Charlie has taken an interest in you. He always did like women who were…different. How are things going with you and Charlie?”
Isabella turned from the register and eyed the woman.
“He’s wonderful. As always,” Gisella said, determined to remain pleasant.
“I hear you two are still dating?”
“From whom?”
The woman shrugged. “Around. Atlanta may be a big city, but in a lot of ways it’s very small. It’s not hard to get information when you really want it.”
“I have no idea,” Gisella said. “I don’t spy on people. I think it’s tacky.” Her growing irritation only seemed to amuse Lexi.
“Humph. I hope you don’t b
elieve that you’re actually going to nail Charlie down or get him in front of a preacher.” Lexi plopped a thick book on the counter.
“What’s that?”
“Charlie’s little black book. It has all the names of all the women he’s ever…dated. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to talk to you.”
“And how did you get it?”
“I have my ways,” she smirked. “Let me tell you something, sweetheart. You’re no different from anybody else. In time, he’ll get bored, and he’ll dump you like he’s dumped all the rest. It’s what he does.”
“What in the hell do you mean you’re getting married?” Taariq roared.
Everyone in Herman’s barbershop stopped what they were doing and swiveled their necks toward the Kappa Psi Kappa brothers.
Charlie slouched down in Herman’s chair, surprised by their reaction. “Damn, y’all. My name isn’t H. F. Hutton.”
Suddenly they all tried to talk at one time. Questions like, “Are you crazy?”, “Have you lost your mind?” and “What the heck have you been smoking?” were tossed at him.
Herman was the most amused. He clapped and rubbed his old leathery hands together. “Lawd. Lawd. Lawd. You still performing miracles.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “This hardly qualifies as a miracle.”
A light flashed, temporarily blinding Charlie. He looked up to see Bobby aiming his camera phone at him. “What are you doing?”
“Capturing this historical moment. I’m putting this up on my Facebook and Myspace page. I think I’m going to title it ‘The Death of a Playa’.”
“Very funny.”
“Well, who’s the lucky girl?” Hylan asked, frowning. “I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone serious.”
“I think I know,” Derrick said. He sat smiling in the barber chair across from Charlie. “Gisella Jacobs.”
“Who?” All the men in the barbershop chorused.
“You know. The woman Isabella hired to make his birthday cake for his party.”
“The one she went into business with?” Hylan asked.
“Yep.”
“Damn, bro.” Taariq folded his arms. “That must have been one hell of a cake.”
Hylan scoffed. “You probably need to check the ingredients. She probably put roots on you.”
Charlie chuckled, remembering Gisella’s Amour Chocolat cake.
J.T. stopped hawking his CDs for a moment to agree. “Yeah. I heard about chicks like that. Is she Creole? You know a Creole woman will put the roots on you in a heartbeat. My grandmother said that one stole her third husband like that. Fixed him a bowl of gumbo, and he was out the door.”
Charlie sighed and wondered why he’d bothered to say anything. It probably had a lot to do with him just being happy as hell. For the past three weeks, he and Gisella had spent every free moment together making love. In fact, he would much rather be home with her now than sitting here jaw-jacking with this group of knuckleheads.
Herman patted Charlie on the shoulder. “Tell us something about your little lady. When are you going to bring her by here so we can get a good look at her?”
Bobby smirked. “I bet she’s fine. My man Charlie here only strolls with the finest chicks. Ain’t that right?” He looked at Charlie. “She’s fine, ain’t she?”
Herman clucked his tongue, a signal that he was annoyed with his great grandson. “That’s exactly why you’re going to fall in love with a big cockeyed woman. God gonna get you back for always trying to judge with just your eyes.”
Bobby shuddered at the thought. The other men laughed.
Herman went back to edging Charlie’s sides. “Well, I’m proud of you, son. I know your daddy would be proud of you, too.”
Charlie smiled. “Thanks, old man.”
“I guess it’s true what they say. When one door closes another one opens,” Taariq said.
Charlie glared.
“What?” Taariq eyed him suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you haven’t told her.”
The rest of the Kappa boys frowned. “Told her what?”
“Nothing,” Charlie said, hoping Taariq would catch the hint and let the matter drop.
He didn’t. “Far be it from me to tell you how to run your business…”
“Then don’t.”
“But keeping secrets is no one way to start off a marriage—or even an engagement.”
“True. True,” Herman chimed.
Stanley scratched his head, looking lost. “What? Are you talking about him being broke and filing for bankruptcy?”
Charlie jaw clenched. “You told them?”
Taariq didn’t bother to look contrite. “It slipped out.”
“I swear you guys are the worst kind of gossipers.”
Hylan held up his hand. “Heeey. We don’t gossip. We share information. Totally different from gossiping. Women gossip.”
Everyone in the shop nodded at that assessment.
Derrick didn’t. “That has to be the most sexist thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Chill out, D.,” Hylan said. “Isabella isn’t here.” He returned his attention to Charlie. “You know you can’t marry a woman without telling her you’re broke.”
“Especially a sista,” Taariq agreed. J.T. stumbled over and opened his merchandise-laden raincoat. “Well if you’re looking for something on the cheap, I can hook you up. I got a couple of rings that looks one hundred percent zirconium. She’ll never know the difference.”
Charlie cracked up. “J.T., get out of my face with that crap, man. I’m not trying to put something on her finger that’s going to turn green. Are you crazy?”
“Nah. Nah. Check it out. What you do is, every night when she goes to sleep, you just slip the ring off and put a tiny coat of clear nail polish on it. She’ll never know.”
The men laughed.
“Man, please. You stand a better chance of me buying some socks from you.”
“Whoa. Whoa. I got some out in the car. Hold up. I’ll be right back.”
Charlie looked at his friends. “That brother got issues.”
“Yeah, but he drives a Mercedes,” Bobby said.
“An ’82,” Charlie countered.
“A Mercedes is a Mercedes. Somebody’s rich butt sat in it at one time.” Bobby handed a mirror to the nervous customer sitting in his seat.
It was the first time Charlie thought the young barber had actually done a decent job.
“All right, Hylan. You’re next,” Bobby said as his customer climbed out of his chair.
“Boy, please. I’m not about to have you messing up my head.”
Insulted, Bobby frowned. “But you’re bald. How am I gonna mess up your head?”
“Yeah. Well, I want to remain bald, not scalp-less.”
Another round of laughter ensued.
“Y’all wrong, man.” Bobby shook his head. “Y’all wrong for that.”
Herman turned off his clippers and then folded his arms. “So when is the big day?” he asked, bringing the conversation back to Charlie.
At this point, Charlie knew that he should keep his mouth shut, but good news was hard to keep to oneself. “I bought the ring this morning. I plan on giving it to her this evening. If all goes right, I might be looking at wedding in the next couple of weeks.”
“A couple of weeks?” the shop clamored.
“What’s the damn rush?” Taariq asked. “Her daddy got a shotgun after you or something?”
“Hardly.”
Still mystified, Taariq kept shaking his head. “Whatever happened to long engagements? You know, date a couple of years, and then be engaged for a couple of more.”
“She’s a woman,” Charlie said. “Not a bottle of wine.”
“Yeah, man. That’s not how it works,” Derrick said laughing. “When it’s love, you instantly know. All that stalling and dragging your feet is just a brother fighting it.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with a good fight,” Bobby interjected.
Taariq point
ed at the young man. “See, now even the rookie is talking sense.”
Bobby proudly puffed out his chest.
“Nah. I think my man, Derrick, is right on this one. When it’s right, you know,” Charlie said.
Herman sighed. “Y’all gonna get an old man crying up in here. I’m so proud. I’ve been cutting Charlie’s head long before he even knew what to do with a girl. Now to see this new level of maturity, it just does my heart good.”
It was Charlie’s turn to puff out his chest.
Herman brushed off Charlie’s neck and removed the smock.
Charlie handed him a folded bill and stood up from his chair. “Well, boys,” he said, thinking about the ring he had waiting for Gisella. “I’m going to go make it official tonight. Wish me luck.”
Taariq, Hylan, Stanley and Bobby grumbled.
Derrick and Herman boomed a clear, “Good luck.”
Laughing, Charlie slapped his hand down on Taariq’s shoulder. “Get the marbles out of your mouths and dust off your tux.”
“I’ll believe it when I see you at an altar,” Taariq said.
Charlie shook his head and started toward the door. He’d taken only a few steps before pain exploded in his head and the room spun beneath his feet.
“Charlie?” Derrick called out.
Charlie dropped like a stone and banged his head on the floor.
“Someone call 9-1-1!”
Chapter 22
“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Dr. Weiner said, smiling. “You gave everyone quite a scare.”
Charlie groaned. His head felt as if someone had taken an axe to it and had a damn good time. When he moved, pain exploded at the back of his head and forced him to collapse back onto the pillow.
“Easy, now,” Dr. Weiner warned. “We don’t want you to overdo it.”
Charlie wasn’t going to argue. He closed his eyes to retreat from the room’s bright light and exhaled a long breath.
“Your friends tell me that you took a rather nasty fall.”
Had he? He couldn’t remember. He opened his mouth to speak but his parched throat grated like sandpaper. “W-water.”
“Hold on a second.” Weiner turned toward the desk next to the hospital bed and poured a glass of water. “Here you go,” he said, tipping the cup toward Charlie’s lips.
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