“Girlfriend, who you think you foolin’?”
Victoria paused for a moment. “Okay, so maybe there’s a small attraction . . . but it’s not going to lead anywhere.”
“If that’s the way you see it.”
“That’s the way it is.”
Fork In The Road...
1701 Summerset Lane was rockin’ the night that Victoria threw Debbie and Rob a spirited going away party. Victoria had decorated her downstairs with rubber palm trees she’d rented from a local party store, giving the house a Miami Beach feel. The living room, dining room, and den were aglow with candlelit hurricane lamps filled with sand and seashells. She’d hired a bartender for the evening who served delicious tropical drinks, and she prepared a variety of mouth-watering delights that had all the guests devouring the food as soon as it hit the buffet table. She secured two new clients by the end of the evening.
Debbie and Rob had a ball, Tyler managed to act civil toward Parker, and Denise and Vernon danced like they were on Soul Train. The only tense moment of the evening came when Parker followed Victoria into the kitchen when she went to refill a serving tray with more hors d’oeuvres.
“Why didn’t you hire a wait staff to serve the food?” he asked. “You shouldn’t be doing this kind of menial labor. You should’ve told me. I would’ve paid for it.”
Victoria breathed hard with irritation. “This isn’t menial labor, it’s what I do. I told you, this is my passion. This is my business, Parker. It’s who I am.”
Parker’s unsupportive attitude made her downright frustrated at times. But that comment aside, everyone had fun.
Debbie was happy and glowing, comfortably into the beginning of her first trimester of pregnancy. Victoria was going to miss her. She was closer to Debbie than to most of her friends she’d grown up with, and they’d become like sisters over the years.
Although Rob was excited, Debbie still had reservations about the move. “Atlanta held your memories, but Miami holds your future. Good things are on the horizon for you, Rob, and my godchild,” Victoria assured her friend.
Victoria was hoping that her future would hold good things too. Her life was taking twists and turns down an unexpected and unfamiliar path. She wasn’t sure where it would lead, but she had a feeling that wherever it took her, Parker and Ted would be standing there at the fork in the road.
Driving Him Crazy...
Parker steered the rental car onto Interstate 40 from the Raleigh/Durham International Airport. He and Victoria were spending Thanksgiving with the Smalls. After many discussions, they’d finally come to an agreement about how they would divide up the holidays. Since he was leaving for Kenya the first week of January, they wanted to spend as much time together as they could. That meant dividing the holidays between each other’s family—Thanksgiving with hers and Christmas with his.
Although the Brightwoods weren’t pleased that Parker wasn’t coming home for Thanksgiving, as was tradition in their household, they would have been even more upset if he missed Christmas. The Brightwoods, as Victoria was coming to learn, were big on family traditions.
As they entered the upscale community where Victoria had grown up, she looked out the window with anticipation, excited about seeing her parents. Grand houses, pristine lawns, neat sidewalks, and stately trees graced the streets. She practically bolted out of the car as Parker pulled into the driveway in front of the large colonial on Savannah Circle Drive.
“John, they’re here,” Elizabeth yelled back to her husband as she opened the front door. She grabbed Victoria and hugged her tightly. “Sweetheart, I’m so glad you made it,” she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek before reaching for Parker. “And you must be Parker. It’s so good to finally meet you.” Elizabeth gave him a hug too.
Parker had seen dozens of pictures of Victoria’s parents, and he always marveled at her strong resemblance to her mother. Seeing Elizabeth face to face, he smiled. She’d just given him a close-up glimpse of what Victoria would look like in the years to come.
“Where’s my Queen?” John’s voice came roaring from the back.
“Daddy!” Victoria yelled like an excited little girl. She embraced her father as they rocked back and forth in each other’s arms.
Parker was glad to see Victoria and her father so happy together because family was very important to him. Victoria had told him about the differences that she and John had battled in the past, and that she was trying to rebuild their relationship. Parker encouraged her to work on recapturing the closeness they once had, and on his advice, she’d begun calling her father regularly. They shared open and honest conversations that had been hard at first, but were healing in power. She even opened up to both her parents about the painful night that she’d discovered the truth about her mother’s family. John knew that his daughter’s new boyfriend had a lot to do with her change in attitude, and he liked Parker if for no other reason than that.
“You must be Parker,” John said, extending a hand that looked the size of a baseball mitt.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Parker greeted him.
Victoria was surprised; Parker actually seemed nervous.
“Elizabeth and I are glad you could join our family for the holidays,” John said.
“Thank you for having me, sir.” Parker felt small in comparison to the older man’s mass. John Small was in his late sixties, but was still fit thanks to good genes and regular exercise. He was an intimidating figure.
“Please call me John, and let me help you with the luggage,” he offered, trying to put Parker at ease.
Victoria and her mother headed toward the kitchen while the men unloaded the car. “He’s very handsome,” Elizabeth winked.
Elizabeth had designated the spacious downstairs guest room with private bath for Parker. Victoria was relieved that he’d be sleeping down there and not in the guest room upstairs, right beside her old bedroom. The temptation of giving in to a sexual love fest with him was growing greater by the day. The holidays and change of environment, along with her growing desires, were a potent combination for testing her self-imposed abstinence.
Parker finished unpacking his clothes and pulled a box of Trojans from the bottom of his bag. He was looking forward to putting them to use over the next couple of days.
During their weekend trip to New York when he and Victoria went to see the Knicks play the Hawks, Parker had hoped he would finally be able to make love to Victoria. Mason had invited them to stay with him and his family in their Harlem brownstone, but Parker declined. He told his brother that he and Victoria needed privacy, and made reservations for a romantic suite at a luxury hotel in midtown. That night after the game, they held each other under the feather down comforter and did the usual: kiss passionately, touch and caress to the point of erection and wetness, then fall asleep in each other’s arms. Not having her was driving him crazy, but this weekend he planned to change that.
Happy Turkey Day...
Victoria and her mother had been in the kitchen from the minute she and Parker arrived. They worked together, peeling potatoes, dicing vegetables, snapping beans, marinating the turkey, and baking desserts. Although they both prepped the food, it was Victoria who did most of the actual cooking. Parker entered the kitchen a few times to observe Victoria in her element. Food preparation was a new thing for him; his mother had never cooked the family meals when he was growing up. They had a woman named Francis who’d been cooking and cleaning for them for as long as he could remember.
Thanksgiving Day in the Small household was full of laughter, old stories, and enough food to feed a small island of people. John’s sister, Phyllis, and her husband, along with their two grown children and grandchildren, were all gathered for celebration and thanks. Elizabeth’s brother Maxx, who had never married but always seemed to have a new woman on his arm, was there with his most recent flavor of the month—twenty years his junior.
Victoria was delighted that Parker blended in like he was a member of
the family. Even her cousin Jeremy, who was now next in line to take over at the bank after John retired, and who happened to be a major-league asshole, liked Parker too. It was a relief to Victoria that her family welcomed her new boyfriend, especially since none of her friends seemed to care very much for him.
Back in the family room, Victoria and her cousins were laughing about old times when her cell phone rang. She walked over to the end table where she’d left it earlier and answered uncharacteristically, without checking the caller ID. “Hello,” she said in mid-sentence laughter.
“Hi V, it’s Ted. Happy turkey day.”
She felt a jolt of excitement at the sound of his voice. “Happy turkey day to you too.” She quickly turned her back to the group to give herself a little privacy. The laughter and conversation continued in the background, but Parker was silent. He listened carefully because he noticed a change in the tone and inflection of Victoria’s voice.
Who’s she talking to? he wondered. He watched Victoria flip her hair behind her ear, and heard the smile in her voice. He knew this wasn’t just an ordinary friend she was talking to. Parker’s antennae were at full alert. I bet it’s that mothafucker Ted on the other end, he said to himself.
Ted could hear the commotion in the background. “How’re you enjoying the holidays with your family? Sounds like there’s lots of activity around you.”
“We’re having a great time. My entire family is here. How’s your family?” Victoria asked.
“Everyone’s fine. My brother and his wife and kids came; so did my sister and her family. My mother’s happy to have all of us here. It’s been hard on her since my father died a couple of years ago.”
Ted knew that his mother hadn’t been herself since his father passed away, but when he told her that he was divorcing Trudy, it had put a smile on her face that he hadn’t seen in a long time. He also told her about his feelings for Victoria, and that she had been instrumental in his decision to finally file for divorce.
“I can’t wait to meet this special young woman,” Carolyn Thornton said warmly. “So, tell me about her?”
Ted smiled. “She’s amazing. She’s intelligent, ambitious, kind hearted, and she’s a southern girl like you,” he teased. “I could go on and on. Victoria’s wonderful.”
“She sounds like a fine young woman.”
“She is, and she’s beautiful. Inside and out.” Ted knew that his mother would appreciate Victoria’s beauty because her own good looks had been legendary in her day and had won his father’s heart.
Carolyn Thornton was a beautifully frail seventy-five-year-old grande dame. But in recent years, grief had taken its toll. Her five-foot seven-inch frame now looked much smaller with each passing year, her complexion had darkened, and her wrinkles had deepened. But her spirit was still strong. Carolyn Thornton had endured tragic episodes in her life, many of which she would carry to her grave, she’d vowed. Her will and resilience were the weapons that had kept her going.
Ted continued to smile as he talked about Victoria. “She’s tall, with incredibly thick, long black hair. She has intense brown eyes, and the most beautiful deep brown skin.”
Carolyn blinked her eyes. “What do you mean, deep brown?”
“You know . . . brown. Kind of like chocolate,” he answered. He knew that his mother would have some sort of reaction after learning that Victoria was black, but he wasn’t prepared for the response she gave.
“Theodore . . . is she a colored girl?”
The hairs stood up on the back of his neck. “Victoria is African-American. Does that make a difference?”
“Well, I . . . I’m just surprised.”
“Why? You know that I’ve dated all types of women in the past.”
“You were young back then. Even so, I didn’t know you fancied colored girls.”
Ted shook his head, letting his frustration spill out. “Mother, I told you, Victoria is African-American.”
“In my day we called them colored,” Carolyn corrected.
“Well, it’s a different day.”
“So it seems,” she said through pursed lips.
Ted hadn’t expected his mother’s reaction to be so hostile. “I can’t believe you have a problem with the fact that Victoria is black.”
“Theodore, I just don’t know what to say. What brought all this on?”
“I fell in love with her because of who she is, and how she makes me feel. I can’t believe you’re acting this way.”
Although Ted had never known his mother to have a diverse social sect, neither had he known her to ever express any prejudiced views. She’d always been a progressive thinker. But he had to remember that she’d been raised in Louisiana, and maybe some of the things she’d experienced as a young woman still clung with her today.
“You think I’m a racist?” Carolyn said defensively.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You certainly implied it.”
Ted raised a brow. “You must have a guilty conscience.”
Carolyn looked into her son’s eyes. They were the same ocean blue as the man she’d married and loved for over fifty years. “Theodore, I know what it means to love someone the way you say you love this young woman. That’s what your father and I had until the day he died, God rest his soul. But I also know how hard it is,” she hesitated, “for blacks and whites when they decide to intermingle . . . to marry. I’ve seen things in my day. The road you’ll travel won’t be an easy one, not even in today’s time,” she warned her son.
Ted thought about his mother’s warnings as he listened to the voice of the woman he loved. He wasn’t naïve. He knew there would be bumps ahead, but he was ready for the challenge.
“Sounds like this visit is just what your mother needed. I’m glad things are going well,” Victoria said. She wanted to tell him that she missed him, that it would’ve been nice to have him at the dinner table when her mother brought out her delicious sweet potato pie. But somehow it didn’t seem an appropriate thing to say.
Just then, Parker came up behind her. “Ted, thanks for calling, but I’ve gotta go,” she said in a rush. “Enjoy the rest of your holiday with your family.” She pressed the end button on her phone and turned to face Parker. She could see that his mood had turned sour at the mention of Ted’s name.
“Why is he calling you?”
“To wish us a happy Thanksgiving.”
“No, he called to wish you a happy Thanksgiving, not us. Victoria, what’s the real story with this guy?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, pulling Parker over into the living room when she noticed that her cousins had quieted their chatter to observe what they saw as the beginnings of a lovers’ quarrel.
“You’re always working late at the office, conveniently with him. It’s like he’s trying to find ways to keep us apart. Now he’s calling you during the holidays. What’s up?”
“Working late is part of the job. You of all people should know that by the hours your job requires. And he called to say happy holidays, that’s it.”
“I think he’s showing an unusual amount of interest in you.”
Victoria stiffened her back. “What are you trying to say?”
“I think it’s strange that a man who’s running a company as large as ViaTech somehow always finds time for his favorite employee.” Parker’s tone was accusatory. “Is there something I should know?”
Victoria became furious. “I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship. I don’t have anything to hide. I have no surprises that I’m going to shock you with at the last minute,” she said with heated anger.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“Too late,” she said. Victoria pushed past him and walked back into the family room with her cousins.
A Man Will Say Anything. . .
It was ten o’clock when Victoria awoke from her nap. She was exhausted from the past two days of activities. Parker was still asleep in the guest room downstairs.
After their argument they both needed to cool off and rest. The house was empty now, and the stream of relatives and friends had gone home with full stomachs and happy memories. Victoria came downstairs and found her parents sitting at the kitchen table.
“You guys still up?” she asked.
“Yes,” Elizabeth said with a tired smile. “Your father and I were just talking about what a good time we had today.”
“Yeah, it was great seeing everyone again. It’s been too long.”
“You know, I think Parker’s still asleep,” Elizabeth hinted while John gave her a look that said, honey, stay out of it.
Victoria knew that her parents had heard about the argument she and Parker had earlier. After their heated exchange, they’d come back into the family room but had barely spoken two words to each other. Everyone felt the tension. A few minutes later they each retreated to their rooms.
“Oh, really?” Victoria shrugged as if she couldn’t care less. “Aren’t you two tired?”
“Pooped,” John said. “And your mother and I have to get up bright and early for the community fair that the bank is sponsoring with the Boys and Girls Club tomorrow.”
“You guys need to go to bed and get some rest. I can handle kitchen clean up,” Victoria told her parents. Just then she looked up and saw Parker coming into the kitchen. He was wearing a ratty old t-shirt and a pair of severely faded Levi’s. She thought he looked scrumptious, and suddenly had the urge to lick the underside of his neck. But she remembered that she was still pissed at him, so she acted as if he wasn’t even there.
“Yeah, we can take care of this,” Parker joined in eagerly, walking over to the kitchen island where Victoria stood.
Victoria looked at him with disbelief. She knew that Parker hated housework of any kind, and had a cleaning service that kept his place immaculate. I can’t believe he’s offering to clean my parents’ kitchen! She knew this was his way of trying to make up.
Unexpected Interruptions Page 23
