by Mayne, Debby
"Good. We had a steady stream of traffic."
"Did Bubba Dante hang out there all day?"
"Not all day," Sunny replied. "But when he got there he helped out."
"Did he really help or get in the way?"
If Mama had asked this many questions, Sunny would have been upset. But there was something endearing about Miss Lucille's tone of voice and the fact that she cared as much as she did that touched Sunny's heart.
"He really is a big help. All that training he got growing up in his family's restaurants shows."
"You appreciate him, don't you?"
That was an odd question. Sunny thought about it. "I do."
"You realize that he has no obligation to take you home after work, right? He's doing it because he's crazy about you."
Sunny nodded and glanced down. "Yes, I realize that."
"And I get the feeling you're just as crazy about him." Before Sunny had a chance to respond, Miss Lucille shook her head. "It makes no sense that the two of you aren't already planning your wedding." She waved her arms around her head. "I know you're still hung up on the fact that he didn't tell you who he was for a long time, but you've already punished him—and yourself—long enough."
"I wasn't punishing anyone."
Miss Lucille tilted her head and offered a closed-mouth smile. "Aren't you, though?"
"That's not my intention."
"I know it's not." Miss Lucille scooted her chair over toward the walker and slowly rose to her feet. "We're both tired right now. Why don't we pick up this conversation in the morning at breakfast? What time do you work tomorrow?"
"I don't go in until late morning."
"Good. We can relax and have a good breakfast before you go in. I'll even try to help. I'm pretty good at cutting biscuits."
Sunny smiled. "Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything later, okay?" She pulled away from the door and went to her room, knowing that even though she was tired, she would probably have a hard time falling asleep.
*
The next morning Dante sat at his desk staring at the contract when his brother walked in. "Hey."
"What has gotten into you, bro?" Anthony placed his knuckles on Dante's desk and leaned toward Dante.
"There's a lot going on."
"Obviously." Anthony stood up, grabbed one of the side chairs and effortlessly pulled it up beside his brother's desk. "So how's it going with the Harlem location?"
Dante explained what had happened to Anthony who listened attentively. "That's about it," Dante said. "I'm going to take the full thirty days to consider it. This could be an awesome location, but it can also be the biggest mistake of my life."
"Yeah, I see what you're saying. Remember that place Pop was considering back when we were teenagers? The one where a gunman had come in and shot a bunch of the customers?"
"How can I forget?" Dante replied. "Pop hesitated long enough to have someone else come in and take it."
"And aren't we glad he didn't grab it?"
Dante closed his eyes as he remembered the headlines in the news. A family member of one of the victims went off the deep end a couple of months after the shooting and torched the restaurant. Fortunately everyone got out in time, but the place was destroyed.
"This is one of the reasons I'm hesitating now," Dante admitted. "I'm still unsure. I don't think it's likely that anyone would get hurt, but I need to have a peace about it."
"Ya gotta go with your gut." Anthony placed his fist over his abdomen as he stood back up. "I think you'll do the right thing."
After Anthony left the office, Dante bowed his head and said another prayer. He was getting good at this talking to God thing with all the practice lately.
When he opened his eyes, he had to blink. What was Lucille Chambray doing in his office?
Chapter 8
"Hey there, Bubba Dante. Surprised to see me?"
Speechless, he simply nodded. Ms. Chambray was the last person he expected to see.
"You can close your mouth now." She pointed to a chair. "Mind if I sit down? It took a lot of energy to make it all the way here. You really need to think about moving closer to the elevator."
Dante jumped out of his office chair. "Why don't I go get you something more comfortable to sit on?"
"Don't be silly," she said as she hobbled over to the side chair. "This will be just fine."
He swallowed hard. "So what can I do for you, Ms. Chambray?"
She pointed to his chair. "Please sit down. There's no point in you being uncomfortable just because I'm here."
He couldn't help but smile about that comment. He didn't know Ms. Chambray that well, but he did know that no one was totally comfortable in her presence. She always used the element of surprise to keep people on their toes.
"Are you ready to hear my thoughts?" she asked.
Dante smiled. "Of course."
"Okay, here's what I've been thinking about." She started talking about the party she was planning to welcome Sunny's mother. "I thought maybe you could cater it … I'll pay for the food, of course."
"I can cover the cost of the food. Were you thinking we'd bring food from Bubba's?"
"Yes, some of it. We want her to feel at home." She paused. "But I thought it would be a nice touch to add some good, old-fashioned New York Italian food too. It'll give her a taste of the area mingled with the safety of what she's used to."
"Sort of a North meets South kind of thing?" Dante offered.
"Yes." Ms. Chambray tilted her head forward and gave him a long look from beneath her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Just like you and Sunny."
He should have been prepared for that. His body tensed. One thing he hated doing was discussing his feelings about Sunny with someone he didn't know that well. His relationship with her was complicated, and if the wrong words came out of his mouth—something that could very easily happen—he feared he'd make any hope of a future relationship with her impossible.
"You know what I'm talkin' about, don't you?" she said.
Dante slowly nodded. "I believe I do, yes."
"Look, Bubba Dante, I know Sunny has come across as skittish when it comes to letting you into her heart, but there's a reason for it." She dropped her gaze momentarily. "I know on the surface what that reason is, but it seems that something much deeper might be at play here. Once I find out what it is, I can fix things."
Dante wanted to tell Ms. Chambray that she couldn't fix everything, but he didn't have the heart … or the nerve to do that. Instead, he continued listening to what she had to say.
"One thing I know for certain, though, is that she loves her mama who sacrificed to put food on the table. If I hadn't married men with bank accounts the size of some small cities' budgets, I'd be in the same boat. I didn't come from money, ya know." She slowly shook her head. "In fact, I grew up so poor I couldn't even pay attention." She let out a chuckle. "Good thing for me, my first husband noticed, and he didn't let up until I said, 'I do.'"
"I didn't know that." Dante hadn't really given it much thought.
"But I was always a happy person. And in spite of the way it might have appeared to some, I didn't marry for money. I met nice men who loved the Lord, and they just happened to wind up being successful in business." She leaned back. "I have to admit, that was a nice perk, but I could have been just as happy living in a tiny cottage with just enough money to keep my lights on and put food on the table."
As Dante listened to the older woman, he realized that he needed to read between the lines of what she was saying. He knew that Sunny was innately a happy person, and she didn't need the trappings of wealth, although she certainly enjoyed living in the big house with more room than she'd ever had in the past. That was one of the things he loved about her. She took things as they were.
"Now back to the shindig. I'm thinking we can clear away some space for dancing. My instructor said he'd be happy to come and give lessons to anyone who doesn't know the steps."
"Sounds like
a plan." Dante had to keep up with Ms. Chambray as she hopped back and forth between topics. He suspected this was her way of keeping people on their toes.
"I ordered an iPod so I could download music." She smiled and sighed. "Isn't technology great?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"If there's anyone you'd like to invite, please do."
Dante couldn't think of anyone, but he nodded. "Okay, thanks."
"Do you think we need to play games?" she asked. "I don't want anyone to get bored."
"I don't think anyone will be bored."
"But just in case, I'll get my handyman to get some games down from the attic. I can put them in the study for anyone who wants to play them."
"You don't have to call your handyman," Dante offered. "I can get them down for you."
"You will?" She clasped her hands in front of her. "That would be wonderful. You can come over tomorrow night. Bethann has offered to come over to help Sunny with one of their humongous meals that can feed an army. Bethann is such a good cook, and so is Sunny. When the two of them get together in the kitchen, it's gastronomic heaven."
Before he had a chance to respond to the invitation, she grabbed her walker and slowly stood. He got up, ran around to the other side of his desk, and walked with her to the elevator.
"See you tomorrow night around six," she said as the elevator doors closed.
After she was gone, he remained standing there staring at the elevator. The woman was amazing. When she first started talking, he thought perhaps she was just there for help with party planning. Now he saw that she had multiple reasons, all centered on his relationship with Sunny.
On his way back to his office, Dante glanced into the conference room and saw Anthony sitting at the large table with papers spread out in front of him. He entered and watched for a few seconds before Anthony glanced up.
"I'm thinking about changing the menu, and I'm trying to decide which direction to go." He gestured toward the choices. "Take a glance and tell me what you think."
Dante walked over and looked at the different options before pointing to one. "This one looks best. It has a blend of old-fashioned elegance with the listings of new options."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." He stepped back, folded his arms, and looked Dante over. "So who was that woman and why did she stop by?"
Dante explained who she was and what she had planned. "She loves to entertain, and she wants everyone to feel like they're a part of the plans."
"That's a good thing," Anthony said. "If everyone is vested, they're more likely to have a good time. And since she volunteered you for food, let her know I want in on it too. This will be a great way to test some of our new chef's dishes."
"I'm sure she'll appreciate that." Dante was happy that his brother volunteered before he had to ask.
"How many people is she expecting?"
Dante thought for a moment before naming everyone he was aware of. "And I'm sure she'll invite more people. I don't think that woman has met a stranger."
"She sounds like quite a character."
"She is." Dante thought about the faith that Ms. Chambray, Sunny, and her friends lived by and decided to invite Anthony. "Why don't you and Christina join us?"
"I don't know."
"Come on. It'll be fun. And it'll give you a chance to get to know some of my new friends."
"But it's not your place to invite me."
"Ms. Chambray told me to invite anyone I wanted. She's one of those the-more-the-merrier type of people."
"Like Mom?" Anthony asked.
Dante nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Okay, I'll talk to Christina. We'll have to get a babysitter."
"Just ask Mom" Dante smiled. "You know she'll say yes."
"True. I still need to run it by Christina to make sure she's okay with it. You know how she is around strangers."
Dante knew how shy Christina was, but once she met Ms. Chambray, she'd feel like family. "She'll have us."
"True." Anthony studied his menus and rubbed his chin. "This decision has been making me crazy, so I think I'll just pick this one and be done with it." He picked up the one Dante liked and put it on the chair before stacking the rest of them and shoving them into a folder. "I have to get this to the printer so we can have them by the end of next week."
The next night, Dante showed up at Ms. Chambray's house at precisely six o'clock. He expected Sunny to answer the door, but instead, he found himself face-to-face with Judd, who looked surprised to see him.
"Did you know I was coming?" Dante asked.
"No, but I should have suspected something. Lucille is acting strange—sort of like how she was when she found ways to get Bethann and me together."
"I didn't think this was her first rodeo," Dante said as he walked in and followed Judd toward the back of the house. "I don't think Sunny knew you were coming either."
"You don't think she'll be mad, do you?" Dante asked.
Judd cast a goofy look at him. "Nah."
Dante was about to say something, but Bethann came walking toward them. Her eyebrows shot up when she spotted him, and a smile slowly crept across her face. "Sunny didn't tell me she invited you. I'm glad she did, though."
"Sunny didn't invite him," Judd said. "Your great-aunt did."
Bethann made a funny face similar to the one Judd just made. "Why am I not surprised? Come on back to the kitchen, and I'll put both of y'all to work."
When they walked into the kitchen, Sunny started chattering as she did some prep work at the counter with her back to the door. It was obvious that she didn't realize he was there.
Bethann quickly interrupted her. "Hey, guess who came for dinner."
Sunny glanced over her shoulder and almost dropped the knife. "Uh … how long have you been standing there?"
"We just walked in," Judd said as he reached around her, picked up a carrot stick, and shoved it into his mouth.
Bethann put both hands on his shoulders and moved him away from Sunny. "You can wait another fifteen minutes until we have the appetizers ready."
Judd playfully pouted. "Can't you see I'm starving?"
She rolled her eyes. "I just fed you yesterday. What more do you want from me?"
Dante watched the playful banter between Judd and Bethann, wishing he had that same type of relationship with Sunny. He had a feeling she'd keep him on his toes, and he'd love every minute of it.
"Judd," Bethann said as she held a bowl out for her husband to take. "Since you insist on hanging out in the kitchen, I'm putting you to work." As soon as Judd took the bowl, she crooked a finger toward Dante. "I have something for you too. Y'all can help us carry stuff to the dining room."
After several trips from the kitchen to the dining room, they had all of the food on the table. The aroma had Dante salivating, and he couldn't wait to sit down and dig in.
"Go get Aunt Lucille, okay, hon?" Bethann said as she looked at Judd with loving eyes. "But don't try to help her. She'll take your head off."
"You got it." Judd took off for Ms. Chambray's study.
"What can I do?" Dante asked.
"Just stand there and look handsome," Bethann said. "Sunny and I can get the rest."
Dante snorted. These southern women were hilarious. He couldn't imagine any of the girls in New York saying something like that.
Everyone grew quiet as the sound of Ms. Chambray coming toward the dining room caught their attention. "Doesn't have the good sense God gave a rock," she said before she entered the room. As soon as her gaze met his, she grinned and winked. "Well hello there, Bubba Dante. I'm glad you could make it. You're in for a real treat." She pointed both hands to point to the ends of the long table. "You boys sit at the two heads of the table. Judd, you say the blessing."
As always, they did as they were told. Judd said a blessing, and Ms. Chambray added to it. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sunny looking directly at him with an odd expression on her face.
Chapter 9
&nbs
p; Sunny shouldn't have been surprised that Dante showed up for dinner. Miss Lucille had a knack for making things happen as she thought they should. But she was still tongue-tied with everyone watching them. She reached for the bowl of turnip greens and plopped a spoonful onto her plate before passing the bowl to Miss Lucille.
"These pork chops look good," Judd said.
Miss Lucille cut into one, took a bite, chewed slowly, and let out a sigh. "They are good, but they don't taste like the ones you usually make, Bethann."
Bethann bobbed her head and held her hand out toward Sunny. "That's because I didn't make them. These are Sunny's."
Out of the corner of her eye, Sunny saw Dante's head whip back around to her. "We need these at Bubba's."
Sunny started to say she'd give the chef the recipe, but Miss Lucille spoke up first. "You don't expect her to give away her family recipe for free, do you?" The older woman shook her head as she pursed her lips. "No sirree bob. That's not gonna happen. If you want the recipe you'll have to pay for it." She tipped her head toward Sunny. "Right?"
Sunny had no idea what to say to that, so she picked up her fork and shoved her turnip greens around on her plate. She knew that all eyes were on her, so she finally shrugged. "I don't expect to get paid. If you like the recipe, I'll just give it to you."
"I'm willing to pay for it," Dante said. "These pork chops are the best I've ever tasted, and that's saying a lot since I've been in the restaurant business all my life."
"You heard her," Miss Lucille said. "She's just happy to let you have the recipe, which is an old family recipe." She sighed. "Things like that really should stay in the family, if you know what I mean."
Sunny's throat constricted. The obvious meaning behind Miss Lucille's words made her want to crawl beneath the table. She glanced over at Bethann who gave her a sympathetic smile. Judd lifted his napkin and cleared his throat before he changed the subject.
Throughout the rest of the meal, conversation took on a lighter tone. Judd brought up some events happening at the church, and Bethann got Sunny to commit to helping with the talent show to attract some people from the neighborhood.
