I Heard A Rumor

by Hodges, Cheris

  “Well,” Elsie said, “I have an announcement.”

  “Mother, I don’t know how many more surprises I can take from you this week,” Allison said as she fanned herself. “You go on a cruise and come back married. Who does that?”

  “I do, now hush up. Theo and I are having a party here to celebrate the renovations on the house and announce his tour.”

  “That sounds like a good time,” Eli said. “We are invited, aren’t we?”

  “Eli, you jokester, of course. All of my family will be here, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

  “Chante,” Allison asked, “you will be here, right? I know you must be busy with your new business. And just like your father, I’m really proud of you.”

  Chante wanted to cry. How many years had she waited to hear her mother say those words to her?

  Zach stroked her leg underneath the table as if he could feel her emotions. “We wouldn’t miss it,” Chante said, then winked at her grandmother.

  Over the next three days, Zach and Chante played tourist. There were no cameras or bloggers chasing them this time. But when she woke up Saturday morning and he wasn’t in bed with her, she felt instantly nervous. What had happened? Where was he? And just when she was about to give in to panic, the door to the suite opened and Zach walked in.

  “Where have you been?” she asked as she tossed a pillow at him.

  “Whoa, whoa! I had to meet Miss Elsie this morning.”

  “What?”

  “I may be a Yankee, but I know you don’t announce you’re marrying a southern belle without a ring.”

  “Let me see it,” she said with a smile.

  “After you hit me with a pillow, I don’t think so. You can wait until tonight.”

  Chante hopped out of the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Zach, I’ll make it worth your while,” she said like a little sex kitten.

  “I think it will benefit me more later tonight. You’re going to be thinking about it all day too.”

  “You’re so wrong.”

  “Yep.”

  “I called Liza and told her about the party at my grammy’s, but she and Jackson can’t make it. They have a prior commitment in Fayetteville.”

  “Jackson has to be the first politician I’ve ever met that I feel I can trust.”

  Chante nodded and forced herself not to think about Robert. Zach noted her silence. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked.

  “No, it’s just crazy how Robert’s insanity brought the right man into my life and Liza’s.”

  Zach stroked her arms. “New rule: we never say his name again. He’s the past, and tonight is all about the future.”

  “Right,” she said. “The future Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Harrington.”

  Zach kissed her slow and tender. When they broke the kiss, Chante smiled at him. “Now can I see the ring?”

  He tweaked her nose. “No.”

  Chante pouted and walked away. “Then I’m not going to show you my new bikini until we get to the beach!”

  “You’re so cute when you pout,” he said.

  After a day of frolicking on the beach, the couple returned to their suite to get ready for the party.

  Chante decided to show off her sun-kissed skin in an emerald-green strapless mermaid dress. She pulled her curly hair up in a messy bun and clipped on a pair of gold earrings.

  Zach walked into the bathroom, where Chante was brushing a bit of foundation on her face. “You’re so damned sexy,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Are you sure you’re not a model?”

  “You’re really piling it high and deep.”

  “Talk your junk now, but when you see this ring, I want to hear all apologies.”

  “This ring better be everything you’re hyping it up to be.”

  “That little bit of reverse psychology isn’t going to work on me.”

  Chante turned around and faced her handsome fiancé. He looked like a chocolate-dipped James Bond in his tuxedo. Forget Idris, Zach could be the next Bond. “I know what’s working on me,” she said.

  “And that is?”

  “You in this suit. Hot.”

  “I can’t wait until our really nice clothes are lying in a pile in the middle of the floor because what’s underneath that dress is what I can’t wait to see.”

  Chante smoothed her hands down his lapels. “We’d better go or we’re not going to make it out the door.” She reached into his jacket pocket and grabbed his car keys. “And since you won’t show me the ring, I’m driving. With the top down.”

  Zach and Chante arrived at Elsie’s house windblown and late. Chante, who hadn’t driven the Mustang all week, decided to take the scenic route, much to Zach’s dismay.

  “You drive too damn fast,” he said as they pulled up to the house. And he reached up and smoothed back a couple of curls that had fallen from her bun.

  “I only drive like this in a Mustang.”

  “In that case we are never buying one. Good plan.”

  She blew him a kiss. “Stop being such a . . .”

  “Chante, Zachary!” Allison called out from the top of the steps. “Where have you been? Mother is about to make her presentation.” Chante smiled at her mother, who looked fabulous in a goldenrod gown and diamond accessories. “I thought you two had been in some horrible accident in that race car.”

  “I told Chante, we’re never going to own one of these things,” Zach said.

  “I’m liking you more and more every day, Zach,” Allison said. “Now let’s get a move on.”

  Walking into the house was like stepping into the pages of Who’s Who in Charleston, South Carolina. A few people stopped Chante and asked her if she was all right, but there were no probing questions about what had happened in Charlotte.

  Shortly after Zach and Chante finished mingling, Elsie called for everyone’s attention.

  “This has been a wonderful night, and it gives me great pleasure to open my home to so many friends, old and new. To my wonderful husband, my daughter, my son-in-law, and my granddaughter, I’m so glad we’re here together tonight,” Elsie said. “There is so much history right here on this land and in this house. I think it would be pretty selfish if I didn’t share this with everybody. That’s one of the reasons I had this house restored.”

  The guests clapped. “And,” Elsie continued, “this house will always be persevered as it has been declared a historic landmark.”

  Allison’s face showed her surprise. Elsie grabbed her daughter’s hand. “Our family has always been a feisty lot. And that continues through our bloodline. It’s our past that inspires our future. I’m hoping all of the great things that happened here will inspire generations to come. Thank you for celebrating this event with me.”

  Thunderous applause broke out, and Chante saw her mother and grandmother hug for the first time in years. Her heart melted when she heard Allison tell her Grammy thank you.

  “This is so beautiful,” Chante whispered to Zach. He nodded.

  “You know what else is beautiful?” he said, then dropped to one knee. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out an old velvet box. “I’ll never love another woman as much as I love you. I’ll never have the honor of meeting a stronger or braver woman than you.” Zach opened the box, revealing a white-gold, emerald-cut diamond ring. Chante’s eyes stretched to the size of quarters. That was the mythical Cooper stone.

  “Oh my God.”

  “Your grandmother told me that this ring has been in your family for generations, and since you always were a student of history, you know that every Cooper who wore this ring never had a day of sadness when she married the man she truly loved.”

  Allison and Chante were both about to cry. “Do you love me?” Zach asked.

  “With all my heart,” Chante found the voice to say.

  “So will you do me the honor of being my wife and my lover for the rest of our lives?”

  “Yes, yes,” Chante said as Zach slipped the ring on
her finger. As the room cheered for their love, Chante couldn’t wait to begin her future with the man she’d love forever.

  Don’t miss

  Rumor Has It

  Liza Palmer couldn’t be happier when her best friend and sorority sister, Chante Britt, and her closest guy friend, Robert Montgomery, hit it off. And she’s beyond thrilled when they announce their engagement. Robert is an up-and-comer running for the North Carolina senate. Chante is a partner at a prestigious law firm. They’re a power couple made in heaven—until Liza discovers Robert in a compromising position—with another woman . . .

  Liza can’t possibly continue to support Robert’s campaign, much less let him marry Chante. But when she tries to reveal the truth, Robert pulls out every corrupt trick in the book—including turning Chante against her. Her only choice is to seek out his opponent, Jackson Franklin, and help him take Robert down. But to Liza’s great surprise, Jackson won’t play dirty—and Liza finds him irresistible. As sparks fly, personally and politically, Liza and Jackson may become a winning team in more ways than one . . .

  Chapter 1

  Sitting at a table in the middle of Starbucks, Liza Palmer pushed her steaming caramel latte aside and focused her ebony stare on her friend, Robert Montgomery, as he explained why he was going to run for North Carolina Senate Seat Forty-Five. His brown eyes sparkled with passion as he talked about serving the people and that look ignited her like a firecracker. “Yes! I think you will be a great senator and I know some people who can help us build a buzz around you. This is just awesome, Robert. I can’t wait to . . .”

  “Slow down,” Robert said. “You’re talking as if I’m one of the brands you represent.” She frowned at him and Robert threw his hands up. “Not saying what you do isn’t serious, but I don’t think marketing me like a cashmere sweater is going to work. People are going to have to connect with me and know that I’m going to Raleigh to represent their best interests.”

  Liza rolled her eyes and toyed with the lid of her cup. “Of course not, but a grassroots campaign got Barack Obama into the White House. You need a Twitter account, Facebook fan page, and website where people donate to your campaign.” Liza pulled out her iPad and started taking notes. Robert laughed.

  “You take that thing everywhere, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “Got to stay connected. You know who would be a great campaign manager for you: Dominic Hall. He has been behind some of the biggest campaigns in the city and the state. Remember that contentious fight for the chairmanship of the board of county commissioners? Dominic was behind the winner. And he systematically shut the other guy down.”

  “Funny you should say that,” he said. “Nic and I met this morning and he agreed to work with me.”

  “Awesome! But you still need me.”

  Robert placed his hand on top of hers. “I know. One thing I know for sure is that you have my back for real. Together we’re going to be unstoppable.”

  “That’s right, Senator Montgomery. Now, about your social media life. Do you tweet?”

  “As the law firm, but I don’t have a personal account. I don’t understand that whole Twitter thing.”

  “Good, I’ll be happy to explain it to you. More people get their news from Twitter than the local TV stations. So, you kind of need to get on board,” she said, then stroked her cheek. “Your personal life is going to be under a microscope—especially because you’re single. Anything or anyone out there with an ax to grind?”

  “Did you just say ‘anything’?”

  Liza rolled her eyes and flipped her shoulder-length auburn tresses back. “I’ve seen some of the women you’ve dated, Rob. ‘Anything’ was being kind.”

  “And you don’t have much room to talk. Remember your thug life stage? You really can’t hold my hood rat phase in college against me.”

  Liza giggled. “Where did you import those hood boogers from? I wasn’t aware of a hood within walking distance to Chapel Hill.”

  “See, you can’t be saying stuff like that.” He looked around the semi-full coffee shop to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

  “Well, if you’re running as a single candidate, you need to be seen with a higher class of woman.”

  “Are you suggesting a fake relationship?” he asked, raising his right eyebrow. A frown marred his handsome cocoa brown face.

  “No, people would see through that like glass. I’m suggesting you meet some nice ladies at my dinner party on Saturday, which you didn’t RSVP for.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “When are you filing?” Liza asked.

  “Dominic and I are going to discuss that tomorrow. I need a war chest and Dominic said he has a list of donors willing to help.”

  “What platform are you running on?” Liza asked in between sips of her cold latte. “You really need to consider the problems in the district. There are three issues getting military family behind you and . . .”

  “Business development is my main thing. I know the military’s important, but Charlotte and the surrounding area need jobs.”

  “Yeah,” she said, then drummed her French-tipped fingernails on the lid of her cup. “But people are wary of politicians who are for big business. You need to play up your roots.”

  Robert’s handsome face darkened. “I don’t want to be some sad-sack politician that people are drawn to because of their shortcomings.”

  “Whoa! You’re starting to sound like a Republican.”

  “No, you’re misunderstanding what I’m saying. I’ll acknowledge everyone who helped me, but I’m not going to tell the state and the world that I was born to a crackhead who left me at a fire station.”

  Liza held her tongue; she knew how hurtful Robert’s past was. But the public relations professional inside her knew people would cheer for a man who came from absolutely nothing to go on and breeze through college, then law school. Maybe he’d listen to Dominic about telling his story. “Anyway,” she said, “I am so proud of you, Rob. I remember when we were in that political science class together and you did that mock campaign for president. I knew two things that day.” She brought her cup to her lips and took a final sip of her latte.

  “What?”

  “That you’d be president one day and I wasn’t going to get a degree in political science.”

  “President, huh?” Robert smiled and Liza knew his picture-ready smile would win hearts even if he didn’t talk about his past. “You expect a lot from me, huh?”

  “Actually, I do,” she said, then pushed her cup away. “I believe in you, Rob. And I don’t say that lightly. You’re the embodiment of the American dream and the people of North Carolina will be lucky to have you.”

  “Great, that means I have one vote.”

  “You’ll have more than one vote. How many people are going to be in the primary, I wonder,” she said, then looked down at her iPad as it chimed. “Oh, hate to run, but I have a meeting in twenty minutes with the Hornets’ new player relations manager.”

  “There you go, moving and shaking things in the city,” Robert said as he watched his friend collect her things.

  “Next, we’re going to move and shake this election.” Liza gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then dashed out the door.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  DAFINA BOOKS are published by

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  Copyright © 2015 by Cheris Hodges

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  ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-381-9

  ISBN-10: 1-61773-381-4

  First Kensington Mass Market Edition: December 2015

  ISBN: 978-1-6177-3381-9

  First Kensington Electronic Edition: December 2015