Take the Lead

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  thought of as a slower mamba. Much hip

  movement will be involved.

  “All told, this car trip hasn’t been so bad,” Traci said as she guided her Subaru Forester back onto the highway after they’d taken a brief stop for lunch at a fast-food restaurant. “At least we’re all together.”

  “Well, we’re kind of all together.” Pointing to the sedan behind them, Kimber said, “Our girl Shannon’s not here.”

  “Which is a good thing, I promise,” Jennifer said. “Her parents keep calling, then mine do. I, personally, needed a little space.”

  “Amen to that,” Kimber said. “Your parents were texting you like crazy while we ate.”

  “I think they’re as excited as Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are about this shindig.” Jennifer chuckled. “Plus, our four parents are having a great time together. Next thing you know, they’ll all be planning vacations together.”

  “At least they won’t be calling you so much,” Kimber teased. “Even with all the excitement, I can’t deny that I like this trip much better than the last one we were on. I’m telling you what, Traci. Last time I was a nervous wreck.”

  Thinking of just how hard it had been to first meet Kimber, who was beautiful, polished, and extremely well-traveled while she had been none of those things made her wince. “Me too.”

  “Really? You sure didn’t act nervous at all. I thought you had to be one of the most confident women I’d ever met.”

  “I’m good at hiding things like that.”

  “How come you both were so nervous?” Jennifer asked. She was sitting in the back seat next to Gwen. “I know your general history, but I thought you two would have reacted differently.”

  “I can’t speak for Shannon, but half of me was excited and the other half was scared to death,” Traci said. “I was so worried that they weren’t going to accept me.”

  “I felt the same,” Kimber said. “We’d never met face-to-face before, you know?” She held out her arm. “Then there’s my skin color. Obviously, I’m biracial. Most people don’t think anything about it, but every once in a while, I meet someone who isn’t so accepting. I had this little fear that as soon as my sisters actually saw me I’d discover that they weren’t okay with having a sister of color.”

  “Shannon and I are not racist,” Traci said.

  “No, you aren’t. But I didn’t really know that. Right?”

  “Did you all meet in Bridgeport?”

  “Oh, no. Kimber flew down to Cleveland from New York City and spent the night with me. Then we loaded up my little SUV here and headed down to Bridgeport.”

  Peeking into the rearview mirror to see Gwen’s face, she added, “We spent the first few hours trying to get to know each other without sharing too much.”

  “I never thought about what your first meeting must have been like,” Jennifer said.

  “What was weird was that we were all so different, but every once in a while one of us would do some mannerism that was faintly like the other’s.”

  “Like what?” Gwen asked.

  “Like Kimber and I kind of raise our eyebrows in the same way, one higher than the other, when we hear something we aren’t sure makes sense.”

  “Or, Traci, Shannon, and I all relax by putting on pajamas and watching old reality shows. Not everyone likes that.”

  “I never asked, what was Shannon like when you first met her?”

  “Oh boy. Nervous, excited.”

  “Mother-like,” Kimber said with a chuckle. “She was the most sheltered out of all of us, yet she was trying to protect us. It was beyond sweet.”

  Traci nodded. “It really was. She’s a hugger and says things like ‘I love you’ the way other people might say ‘good morning.’ I’d never been around that much love before. I had no idea how to react.”

  “But it just goes to show you that our taking that leap of faith and doing something that was scary was the right thing to do,” Kimber said. “I learned that I needed these women in my life. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t imagine going back up to New York and living on my own in some crappy apartment with other models again. I needed a home.”

  Traci glanced up at Gwen again and was happy to see that she was looking reflective. She really hoped that there was something in their story that had struck a chord with her.

  It really was possible to start over again at any age, and to be accepted and to accept other people even when they were different. It certainly made for a richer life.

  * * *

  Mrs. Murphy ran out to greet them like Traci and Kimber were her own daughters. “Traci! Kimber! I’m so glad to see you. Welcome.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Murphy,” Kimber said as she walked right into the lady’s hug.

  “Traci, come here, dear. You’re not getting out of my hugs, either.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Dutifully she hugged Shannon’s mom and then reached over and shook Mr. Murphy’s hand.

  After she hugged Jennifer with the same exuberance, Mrs. Murphy smiled at Gwen. “Hi, dear. Let me guess. You’re Gwen.”

  Gwen was looking up at them with wide eyes. “Yes?”

  “I’m so glad you’re here, dear.”

  “Thanks?”

  Traci walked to Gwen’s side to give her a little support. “They hug a lot, but they don’t bite.”

  “Not unless you’re acting up or something,” Mrs. Murphy said.

  “I won’t be doing that, Mrs. Murphy,” Gwen promised, her expression solemn.

  “Oh, honey. We’re teasing. And you don’t have to call me that. You’re welcome to call me Deanna.”

  “Thank you.”

  Her eyes softened. “Whew. I meant to warn y’all that it’s hot as blazes around here already. I bet you’re ready to get into some cooler air. Come on.”

  Traci grabbed her bag and Gwen’s too. “I’ve got this,” she said quietly. “Let’s walk slowly. Deanna will be talking nonstop to Kimber and Jennifer anyway.”

  Gwen raised her eyebrows. “Shannon’s mother is really friendly.”

  “She sure is.”

  “Do you ever call her Deanna?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. I just can’t. She’s such a mom, plus I really respect her. Her and me being on a first name basis feels odd. But you can if you want. She won’t mind.”

  “Does Kimber call her by her first name?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s hard to explain, but even though Mrs. Murphy is Shannon’s mom and not ours, there’s a part of Kimber and me who kind of think of her as ours, too.” She pursed her lips, trying to come up with a better way to describe it. “I guess she’s kind of like our surrogate mom.”

  Gwen frowned. “Oh.”

  “I know it doesn’t quite make sense, it’s just how we feel. You can call her by her first name if you’d like, I promise it’s fine.”

  “She’s kind of fancy too. Did you notice her pearls?”

  “I did. But she’s not a judgy sort of person. I promise, you’ll enjoy being here.”

  Gwen looked up at her. “I’m sorry you had to bring me along. I bet you feel like you’ve got a piece of baggage constantly tied to your wrist.”

  Traci shook her head. “What? Are you kidding? It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

  And as they walked in, sharing smiles about the huge welcome spread in the kitchen, the scented candles, and the pristine rooms that looked like Mrs. Murphy had slaved over them for days, Traci realized she hadn’t been lying. She really was so glad Gwen was there. If she’d been back at home, it would have felt like she’d been missing a limb.

  It seemed that Gwen was an essential part of her life now.

  CHAPTER 38

  “Dancing and running shake up the

  chemistry of happiness.”

&
nbsp; —Mason Cooley

  It didn’t happen very often, but sometimes Gwen’s baby decided that it didn’t want to sleep at night, and instead took up kick boxing.

  After getting kicked in the ribs pretty hard, Gwen was wide awake. She sat in her double bed on one end of their gigantic bedroom, shifting uncomfortably, trying not to wake Traci, who was fast asleep in her own double bed on the other side of the room.

  Eventually, both a need for the bathroom and a craving for milk got her to her feet.

  Smiling at the fleece robe and matching slippers that Kimber had bought her “just because,” Gwen slipped them on, carefully shut the door behind her, and headed downstairs.

  Mrs. Murphy had told them several times that they should feel comfortable in the house, eat anything in the refrigerator or in the pantry, and make themselves at home. Shannon had even pulled Gwen aside and said that her mom meant it sincerely too.

  So, after using the pretty little pink powder room, Gwen walked into the kitchen. The lights under the cabinets were on, so she didn’t have to turn on an overhead light. Soon, she was pouring herself a glass of milk and eating a slice of cake at the kitchen table.

  Two bites in, Gwen was already thinking about seconds while telling herself that having two slices of cake was a bad idea. But boy, was it good. Shannon might not be able to cook worth a darn but her mom sure could!

  She’d just about cleaned her plate when Mrs. Murphy shuffled in wearing fuzzy pink slippers. Gwen froze midbite.

  “Oh! Hi, Gwen. I thought I heard someone in here, so I thought I’d investigate.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “You didn’t wake me.” She sighed. “It’s my age, I’m afraid. I used to sleep through anything, now I’m up half the night. What about you?”

  Gwen patted her tummy. “This little guy decided to start kicking my ribs. I thought milk might settle him down.”

  Mrs. Murphy’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t have any children, my husband and I weren’t blessed, so I can’t commiserate. It sounds exciting, though.”

  “I guess it is.”

  “Does he kick you often?”

  “Not really. Honestly, Dr. Rossi said that I seem to be having an easy pregnancy, all things considered.”

  Mrs. Murphy eyed Gwen’s snack, then walked over to the refrigerator, poured a glass of milk, and then went back with a plate, fork, and the whole cake. “You have an excuse and I don’t. But I can’t resist.”

  “It’s really good. I love the fudge icing.”

  “A lot of people would rather have fudge icing with chocolate cake, but my favorite is with yellow cake.” She took a bite. “Yes, it turned out just fine, didn’t it?”

  Gwen smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Would you like a tiny bit more?”

  “I shouldn’t.”

  “But?”

  “But, okay.”

  Shannon’s mother laughed as she sliced another piece. “There you go, dear. You’re eating for two, after all.”

  After Gwen accepted a second piece of cake, Mrs. Murphy said, “So, Shannon’s told me a little bit about what’s happened to you. I’m so sorry, honey.”

  Those words hit her hard. Lots of people had asked how she was doing, but they’d also had many pointed questions. No one had simply offered their sympathy. “Thank you.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply eating the gooey dessert and sipping milk.

  Then Mrs. Murphy stood up. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’m going to be able to fall back asleep now.” She covered her mouth with a yawn. “Want to give it a try?”

  “Yes.” She walked her plate to the sink.

  “Oh, don’t worry about washing it, honey. We’ll do that in the morning. Go get some rest.”

  “Mrs. Murphy? I mean . . . Deanna?”

  The lady turned around immediately. “Yes, dear?”

  “Thanks for coming down and sitting with me.”

  Her brown eyes softened. “It was my pleasure, honey. I’m glad you were here.”

  After making yet another trip to pee, Gwen went back upstairs and crept into her bed.

  “Gwen?” Traci asked drowsily. She opened one eye. “Hey, were you up?”

  “Yeah, but I’m fine now.”

  “Need anything?”

  “No. Go back to sleep.” She’d just had a good dose of homemade cake, milk, and a mother’s love. Right at that moment, she didn’t think she needed anything else at all.

  * * *

  “How are you holding up, partner?” Dylan asked about two hours into the party.

  Traci was sitting under a large white umbrella on the Murphys’ back patio, simply enjoying the twinkling white lights, scented candles, and the string quartet that the Murphys had hired for the party. Gwen had gone inside to their room for a few minutes and Kimber was currently chatting with almost everyone in the room. A couple of the guests had recognized her from the pages of fashion magazines and were starstruck. It had been awesome to see.

  Looking up at Dylan, she gestured for him to sit down in one of the empty chairs nearby. “Better than I expected, if you want to know the truth. I didn’t think standing around, sipping expensive wine, and eating good food was my thing, but it seems I was wrong.”

  The laugh lines around his eyes deepened with his smile. “I see you’ve been watching Kimber too.”

  “Yep. Isn’t it something? Fashion was never my thing, so I didn’t really think anything about Kimber being on magazine covers. Other than it was awesome and she deserved the success because she’s beautiful and cool.” She shrugged. “I guess I always think of her in old clothes and no makeup.”

  He nodded. “And either hardly eating. Or, eating almost as much as I do.”

  She laughed. “Tonight, seeing her all glammed up and those girls gazing at her in wonder, I kind of can’t believe that I never thought about her success all that much.”

  “Shannon said the same thing, although of course, she was worried about all the men trying to hit on her.” Chuckling, he lowered his voice. “I think she’s half-hoping that you or me will fend off all the admirers if they get to be too much.”

  “I’d be happy to, if Kimber needed it. But she doesn’t.” Recalling how she’d watched Kimber neatly sidestep a man who was getting a little handsy, Traci said, “I think she can handle this crowd without a problem.”

  “I told Shannon the same thing.”

  Traci looked around. “Where is your bride, by the way?”

  “Catching up with a couple of her girlfriends from high school. I was with them for a bit, but I could only take so much squealing.”

  “Since I don’t squeal, you’re safe with me, buddy.”

  When a waiter walked by, Dylan snagged two bottles of beer. “Want one? I know you’re liking that Merlot, but this is still my speed.”

  She held out her hand. “Cheers.”

  “I know Gwen went upstairs. Is she coming back down?”

  “I think so, but I’m not sure. She’s a young thing and she’s eight months pregnant. I told her that if she wanted to stay in her room the rest of the night, she could. Whatever she wanted.”

  “Good. Shannon was worried she was going to be bored.”

  “I don’t think she was. She’s just getting big, you know?”

  Jennifer joined them with a laugh. “I just got beaten at pool downstairs.”

  “Who have you been playing pool with?”

  “Mr. Murphy and his buddies. When they asked if I’d like to play, I said yes.”

  “Uh-oh. When did they learn you were a fledgling pool shark?”

  “Only after I almost beat them all.” Looking slightly annoyed, she said, “They upped their game after that.”

  “I’m glad you came,” Dylan said.
>
  “I am too. Of course I wanted to be here for you and Shannon, but to be honest, things at home have been tense.”

  Traci looked at her intently as Kimber sat down to join them. “What’s been going on? Are you having some panic attacks again?”

  “Oh, no. Nothing like that. It’s more about Gwen. I keep being afraid that someone was going to break in and snatch her before I could stop them.”

  Dylan lowered his voice. “Jen, honey, I told you we would make sure she was protected. You too.”

  “I know. And I believe you would. But things happen.”

  “I’ve worried about that a time or two as well,” Kimber said.

  Dylan exchanged a glance with Traci. She knew what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing.

  “Do you want me to try to move Gwen someplace else?” Traci asked. “I know I pushed for her to be with us, but I hadn’t thought she’d be with us so long. Honestly, I thought she’d be with us a week at the most.”

  “What? Of course I don’t want you to kick her out,” Jennifer said.

  “I wouldn’t kick her out. I’d find her—”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure? Because it never occurred to me that you would be worrying like that. I should have realized it, though.”

  Kimber shook her head. “If I’m going to be real honest here, I wasn’t all that excited about her moving in. She’s a young thing and she’s got a heap of problems, none of which are going to go away easily, not even when she has a baby or her ex-boyfriend is behind bars. But . . . I like her. I like her a lot.”

  “And she’s ended up being a huge help. She pitches in the kitchen all the time.”

  “Shannon says she’s amazing with her senior citizens.”

  “I’ve watched her with them. I think some of them want to adopt her,” Traci said.

  “That ain’t gonna happen,” Kimber said. “That girl is ours.”

  Jennifer nodded. “We’re keeping her. It’s decided.”

  “What is?” Shannon asked as she joined them..

  “That I’m keeping you forever,” Dylan said as he pulled her closer to his side.

  “Oh, no. Here we go again,” Jennifer griped.

  “Don’t worry, I’m going to get him off your hands for a moment. The quartet is about to play a waltz. Will you dance with me, Dylan?”