Stately and opulent, the Hightowers’ large Tudor home on Eastside Park Drive in Paterson looked pretty much the same on the outside. On the inside, the decorations and furnishings had changed. But the warm and welcoming aura remained the same.
Penny knew the homey feel of the Hightower minimansion must have been the only thing that saved her from feeling out of place and overwhelmed when she visited as a child. Although class differences weren’t as pronounced in Paterson as they were in other places she had lived and visited through the years, they did exist.
The distance between the Hightowers’ humongous home with a view of the park and Big Mama’s small three-bedroom Colonial with no view and no park in the heart of the ’hood might just as well have been light years. When it came down to it, their big home, family legacies and community standing made the Hightowers as close to the elite as a small inner city such as Paterson, New Jersey, could lay claim to.
Penny didn’t have any illusions that James and Celia Hightower’s easy acceptance meant anything more than that they were two really nice salt-of-the-earth folks. She still found herself wanting to bask in the comfort she felt in their home, especially since she had a feeling the easy calm would disappear as soon as Jason and Terrill showed up.
“Here, I’m gonna let you take over the dressing and the potato salad. I know you remember how to do it. I’ve got to get these pies in the oven. I’m making my sweet potato pie. I wonder if Terrill can still polish off an entire pie all by himself.” Celia chuckled softly and shook her head. “I better make a few of them, come to think of it.” She buzzed around the kitchen with a bright smile on her face.
Penny got busy breaking up the corn bread Celia had already made and moved on to the slicing and dicing of celery, onion and—Celia Hightower’s secret ingredient—bell peppers. Before long the two women had the majority of the spread for the Sunday meal all done.
Penny couldn’t help but remember the wonderful times she used to have with Mrs. Hightower growing up. She had really been like another mother figure, next to Big Mama. With Carla constantly MIA, Penny had needed the added attention.
She couldn’t believe Celia still made the majority of the dishes exactly the way she’d taught her to make them. Between Celia Hightower and Big Mama’s training in the kitchen, Penny could hang with the best of cooks. As she mixed together the fixings for the potato salad, Penny found herself wishing this nice, quiet afternoon with Celia didn’t have to end.
“So, when are you planning to head back to California, baby? I hope I get a chance to see you again before you go back.”
Celia moved gracefully around her state-of-the-art kitchen. The kitchen had clearly been upgraded, outfitted with stainless steel appliances, marble countertops and beautiful cherrywood cabinets, since Penny had last been there. But even with all the new things, the kitchen still felt as down home as it always had.
“I’m not sure now. I was planning to head back as soon as I settled up Big Mama’s affairs. But some unexpected things have come up, and I may stay a week or so longer than that.”
“That’s good. We can go out for lunch or something. Maybe spend the afternoon at the mall. Remember our trips window-shopping at Garden State Plaza?” A wistful and nostalgic expression crossed Mrs. Hightower’s face.
“Yes, I certainly do. Those were some fun times.” Penny smiled, remembering the many times Mrs. Hightower’s input had saved her from Big Mama’s very old-fashioned taste in clothes.
“Yes, indeed they were. Then you had your sweet sixteen and started dating my son and forgot all about me. All your time was spent with Ja-son.” Mrs. Hightower chuckled, and Penny cringed.
“That’s not true. I still hung out with you! And even before Jason and I started dating, he, Terrill and I were always together, anyway.”
“Mmmmm…If you say so…All I know is, once you fell in love, you didn’t have time to be hanging out with this old lady.”
Penny could only laugh. Part of what Celia said was true. Once Penny admitted the feelings she’d probably always had for Jason, she’d been a goner. Thinking about how much she’d loved him caused a tremendous lump to form in her chest.
“What happened, Penny? You could tell me to mind my business if you want. But I’ve always wondered. Jason said you broke things off with him after you lost the baby and decided to be with Terrill. But something about that always seemed odd to me. I watched you three grow up. And I know you all like the back of my hand. And you were not in love with Terrill, Penny. I know that.”
Penny could only stand there with her mouth hanging open. She couldn’t believe Jason hadn’t told his family the entire lie she’d told him, the lie that the baby was Terrill’s.
Why had he left that out? Could that be why he was still hounding her to admit it had been a lie?
She closed her eyes and swallowed. Could she lie to Mrs. Hightower, too?
No, she couldn’t.
“I did love Terrill, Mrs. Hightower. I still love Terrill.”
That wasn’t a lie. She would love her best friend forever. The sacrifice he’d made for her was a debt she could never repay. She would always love him for it.
“You’re playing with words, Penny. I know you love Terrill. I know you’ve loved Terrill and Jason from the time you all ran around here in the backyard playing and calling yourselves the Three Musketeers. But you were in love with Jason. Something must have happened when you lost the baby. I saw the change in you when you realized you were pregnant. You were scared. And maybe you even thought you dodged a bullet when you lost the child, and you didn’t want to chance it happening again…. I don’t know your reasons for breaking my son’s heart. But I do know you were in love with him and not Terrill.”
Penny felt her jaw drop even farther, as if it were possible for her mouth to open any wider.
Mrs. Hightower was pulling out the big guns, and she was doing it in her smiling and pleasant way.
Mrs. Hightower continued to move around the kitchen, cooking and humming. “My, my, my, I’ve got to get these pies out of the oven. Finish up that green bean casserole and then set the dining room table for me, please, sweetie. I’d appreciate it.” She gave Penny a hug and a peck on the cheek.
Penny let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and finished up her tasks deep in thought. Her hopes of leaving Paterson with her secret intact seemed to be dwindling away right in front of her eyes. Between Jason’s pushing and his mother’s subtle prodding, there was no way she wouldn’t fold. If she were a betting woman, she wouldn’t even risk gambling on herself. She didn’t like the odds.
Well, that means no lunch and shopping with Mrs. Hightower.
No matter how much she’d missed the woman’s company, spending more time with her would be a huge mistake.
After today’s sermon in church, her secret was weighing on her more heavily than it normally did. She just didn’t know how to go about making things right.
Jason let himself in his parents’ home through the front door, and the first thing he saw as he made his way toward the family room was Penny setting the dining room table. The desire to follow his old pattern and help her proved to be one he couldn’t resist.
They worked in silence until they’d finished the task. When they were done, she glanced at him with a nervous expression on her face.
She cleared her throat, her eyes shuttered, and her voice took on a husky edge. “Thanks for helping, Jason.”
“You’re welcome.”
He kept staring at her, because he couldn’t believe how damn beautiful she still was and how badly he still wanted her. He actually wanted to kiss her right there in the dining room. He had been thinking about the kiss at Big Mama’s house and wanting to taste her lips again ever since. It was as if all it took was one kiss to make him want her again with a passion that tripled anything he had ever felt. He still wanted Penny, bad.
She let out a sigh. “Look, I know this is really awkward for you. But I just w
anted to say I’m glad you’re being understanding about things. I hadn’t realized how much I missed your mom and—”
“She missed you, too, Penny. You could have come to see her anytime in the past fifteen years and she would have welcomed you with open arms.” The edge in his voice would not be contained. As much as he desired her, he realized he was also still very angry with her.
The source of his anger both worried and confused him. Instead of being angry that she might have slept with Terrill or that she’d actually lied about her relationship with Terrill, Jason felt heated because she had stayed away so long, because he hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing her beautiful face regularly in fifteen years. How could she have stayed away for so long?
She cringed. “I know, Jason. But you know it wasn’t that simple. I—” She paused. “Oh, forget it. You’re impossible, Jason.” She turned to walk out of the dining room.
Jason reached out and touched her shoulder. He couldn’t let her walk away.
She turned and stared at him with those huge copper eyes, and he was done.
He pulled her close and covered her mouth without even thinking someone might walk in on them. He didn’t care if they did. He had to taste her again. Her mouth opened and her tongue forged into his mouth and wrapped around his so precisely, it felt as if they had never stopped kissing, as if no time had passed.
The soft, welcoming warm heat of her mouth sent shock waves to his groin. He nibbled and feasted on her lush, delicious lips with all the desire and intensity he felt. Her hands went up to his chest and caressed. His hands moved to her behind and pulled her closer, but she stopped and shoved him away.
The wild expression on her face, a mix between passion and anger, made him think he might have jumped the gun by kissing her again. She panted as she shook her head, spun around and went running from the room.
Not surprisingly, watching her storm out of the dining room only made him feel more confused and frustrated than he’d been before he kissed her.
Something had to give—but what? His detective’s brain kept telling him something was wrong. Penny was lying. He could feel it. His heart, the eighteen-year-old heart he had shielded for the past fifteen years, told him she had lied and she really loved him. While he didn’t know what he would do if his mind and heart were right, he knew he had to find out.
Soon all of his brothers were there, and then Terrill showed up, bearing flowers for his mother. Looking at his ex-best friend, the suave record executive, made Jason realize the dinner would be even harder than he’d imagined. Being the bigger man was not supposed to screw with his guts and make him gnash his teeth. Wasn’t it supposed to be a good feeling?
The doorbell rang as soon as they all sat down at the table. His mother went off to answer the door and came back with his aunt Sophie right behind her. The slight tilt of his mother’s nose and the twist of her lips let him know that she probably couldn’t think of any person she would less like to have at her dinner table.
He couldn’t help but think that his mother was getting her own medicine served back to her. If he had to sit through a dinner with Terrill because of his mother’s meddling, it seemed only fitting that his mother should have to deal with her own archrival, Aunt Sophie.
Jason felt a smile take over his face for the first time that evening, and it actually felt good.
Aunt Sophie made herself comfortable at the dining room table. “I figured I’d stop over here and see what you all were up to.”
“You know you’re always welcomed here, sis.” James Hightower smiled at his sister until he caught the sour expression on his wife’s face.
Jason didn’t envy his father’s role as lifetime referee between those two. Although they were subtle most of the time, and their battles had never become knock-down-drag-outs, he had a feeling one day the two women would either come to blows or spontaneously combust.
Everyone ate in awkward silence, the tension almost palpable.
“Mama, you really outdid yourself on this dressing!” Lawrence said as he scooped a second helping on his plate.
“And this potato salad,” James added, clearly trying to get out of the doghouse with his wife. “You know I love your potato salad. You make the best, babe.”
“I didn’t make the potato salad or the dressing. Penny did.”
“Mmmph.” Aunt Sophie made a show of pushing her potato salad and dressing off to the side of her plate.
Lawrence grinned. “I forgot ’lil sis could cook. I always said, if I couldn’t get a hold of my mama’s cooking, I’d take a plate from Penny any day. So what you been up to in Cali?” Food was the ultimate bridge over troubled water, and the only thing Lawrence easily succumbed to. Feed the man a great meal and he would be won over for sure.
Jason narrowed his eyes on Lawrence, and his brother shrugged, still grinning his silly grin, and shoving more dressing on his plate.
“I own an image consulting business. I’m a stylist and a publicist.” Penny smiled at Lawrence.
“Image? Mmmph. Stylist? Mmmph.” Sophie twisted up her face like she was sucking on a sour lemon.
Jason frowned at his aunt. He’d seen her be a snob before, but she was bordering on rude with Penny today. He was shocked by how much it disturbed him and made him want to protect Penny.
His mother rolled her eyes at Sophie and then turned a smiling face on Penny. “I’ve seen stories in various magazines mention your business. You have a lot of high-profile clients. That must be so exciting.”
Terrill added his two cents. “Yes, Penny and her partner, Maritza Morales, have really built an amazing company. Topnotch. Can you please pass the greens and the macaroni?”
Joel’s face lit up. “Maritza Morales, the former video girl? Wow. She is one beautiful woman.” He passed the bowls to Terrill.
Terrill’s face took on an odd expression, one Jason recognized from when they were younger and Terrill had fallen for a woman. “Yes. Maritza did some videos in the past. That’s how Penny and she met.”
Jason found it interesting that he’d never seen his former best friend get his goofy-in-love look around Penny. Ever. Either Terrill hid it well, or he’d never felt anything for Penny.
Penny nodded. “Yeah. I can’t remember which one, though. That was a long time ago. Maritza’s great.”
“She sure is. Thick in all the right places, and fine as she wants to be,” Joel agreed.
Terrill’s left eye twitched a little, and he gritted his teeth.
“Video hos. Mmmph.” Aunt Sophie twisted up her lips as the ugly word left her mouth.
“Sophie!” Celia and James snapped in unison with Jason’s outraged “Aunt Sophie!”
“What? That’s what they call them, isn’t it?” She gave Penny a pointed look.
Penny glared at Sophie for a moment before taking a deep breath. She then pursed her lips and turned her attention to the other people at the table, as if she were forcing herself to remain respectful.
Jason felt a hot, angry heat start to course through his veins. Aunt Sophie needed to stop. Penny didn’t deserve to be treated in such a manner, and he was only seconds away from telling his aunt so.
“So you two remained close in California. That’s good. You can look out for one another.” Joel addressed his words to Terrill, clearly trying to change the subject.
Terrill smiled. “You know I had to look out for our girl. Couldn’t just leave her to the wolves in Cali.”
Jason had the sudden urge to snap at Terrill, ask him to leave, something. But he suppressed it. This was no time to start tripping. He couldn’t help it if he’d thought he’d always be the one protecting and looking out for Penny.
“Your mother told Sister Robinson you and Penny weren’t dating anymore. That you must have broken up with her as soon as y’all got to California, because as far as she knew you two weren’t an item.” Aunt Sophie had her lips twisted to the side. “And I took that to mean you were smarter than you looked. But I guess if yo
u still messing with her—” she glanced at Penny “—then you’re not.”
Patrick cleared his throat and reached for the potato salad. “So, Penny, you gonna be in town for long?”
“With all due respect, Aunt Sophie, I think you owe Penny an apology.” Jason couldn’t believe he found himself standing up for Penny, but there it was.
Penny looked up and stared at him with those wide, beautiful eyes, and his heart started racing and pounding out of control.
He wanted to say, Why are you looking so shocked, baby? Don’t you remember when I told you that I’d always have your back when we were kids? What about the time when we were teenagers, before we ever admitted our feelings for one another, and I picked you up from your job at Willowbrook Mall after you missed the last bus and didn’t have a way home? Remember I told you I would always be there for you?
His feelings for her had been so deep that the words protect and serve took on a new meaning. The fact that he still felt almost exactly the same need to look out for her didn’t shock him nearly as much as he’d have imagined.
“I think you should apologize to all of us for ruining a nice Sunday dinner.” James gave his older sister a stern look, and Jason realized once again why he was so proud of the man who’d raised him. James Hightower might have a quiet manner, but he always stood his ground and spoke up for what was right, no matter what.
Unfortunately, having her baby brother and her nephew both chastise her only served to make Sophie angrier.
“Me? Apologize to her? Mmmph.” Aunt Sophie let out a bitter laugh and then turned a very hateful look on Penny. “I really hate to be a disruption to Sunday dinner. But someone has to be the voice of reason here. The mere fact that Celia has this little…tramp…at the dinner table and let her come within an inch of the food preparation tells me she isn’t playing with a full deck. But I would have thought you would know better, James.” Tsk. “And after the way she dropped you for your best friend and a trip to Los Angeles, I would hope you would know better, Jason. Please tell me you all know better.”
Penny pushed back her seat and stood. “Mr. and Mrs. Hightower, it has been lovely and I really appreciate your invitation.” She turned to his mother. “I really enjoyed cooking with you. It was so much fun. I do miss you, but I’m sorry, I can’t stay here and be insulted.”
Protect and Serve Page 9
