by Emery, Lynn
“What do you think?”
“He’s handsome, has lots of money and is from a prominent family. What does he want with me? I’m on the wrong side of thirty, not a size six and no supermodel.” Jade rubbed her hands together.
“You’re only thirty-two, a baby. And the man’s no snob or fool, either. He knows a good woman when he sees one.” Shaena put down her empty coffee mug.
“I know, I know. Deep down I do feel good about myself most of the time. It’s just...”
“Okay, time for the exercise.” Shaena tapped her arm. “Let’s hear it.”
“Aw not now.” Jade groaned and let her head fall back on the sofa pillow.
“Let’s hear it. Our self-love exercises made a big difference for both of us. Go on, you know the drill,” Shaena said in a commanding voice.
“No, no, no,” Jade whined.
“I’m going to be a real nuisance until you do it.”
“Oh, all right!” Jade heaved a sigh. “My job is... stimulating. I’ve just been promoted.”
“You were promoted because...?” Shaena prompted her.
“Bill said he was impressed by the good things my former boss said about me.” Jade sat up.
“Which was?”
“That I was smart, creative and took initiative.” Jade felt pride in saying those words.
“And you did something to make him say those things.” Shaena nodded.
“There was this one big project with the feds, and I was able to work out a big problem that saved the whole thing. I can’t believe all those brains in policy and planning missed it.” Jade looked at Shaena.
“So you’re not stupid.”
“And Nick was pretty slick with the way he fooled me. Could that man tell a good lie! When I think of how naive I was then.” Jade looked up at the ceiling and shook her head.
“Y’all started dating when you were nineteen. Then you got married right out of college. What did you know?” Shaena lifted a shoulder.
“Since meeting Damon, I don’t feel anything when I think of Nick. It’s weird.”
“What do you mean?” Shaena reached for another piece of gingerbread.
“No anger or resentment, nothing. I can even laugh at how ridiculous he was at times. The man couldn’t pass by a window or mirror without checking his look.” Jade chuckled. For the first time in years, she could make a joke about him that was not tinged with bitterness. She felt an emotional freedom, like a weight had lifted. “Carrying around that kind of animosity saps a lot out of you, Shaena.”
“Tell me about it. I’m still not over mine yet.” Shaena stared ahead.
“Hey, now don’t you start. Gerald wasn’t worth it any more than Nick.” Jade gave Shaena a nudge with her elbow.
Shaena blinked and smiled. “You’re right. Now let’s stop wasting time talking about them. Feel better?”
“As usual you know exactly how to make me snap out of the old self-pity trance. Thanks, sis.” Jade gave her a quick hug.
“You’ve been there for me, too.” Shaena squeezed Jade’s hand then let go. A twinkle lit her eyes. “So when do you and Damon move this thing to a higher level of intensity?”
“We’re taking it one step at a time. Damon has been hurt badly like me. And I know that isn’t an act. I’ve heard the gossip about his ex-wife, Rachelle.” Jade fiddled with her mug.
Shaena jumped on her last sentence. “Uh-huh! You’ve been scoping out the man’s past all the time, trying to make me think you were being so cool. Reel him in, honey.” She laughed at the look of chagrin on Jade’s face.
“Oh, hush. Maybe I did want to know more about him. That’s not strange.” Jade lifted her nose in the air. Still she had to suppress a giggle.
“Good for you. You’ve got a bit of Lanessa in you, child.” Shaena gave her a playful shove. “She knows how to finesse a man.”
At the mention of her sister, Jade grew sober again. “Speaking of Nessa, she’s got me worried. She seems kind of shaky these days.”
“In what way?”
“I can’t put my finger on it. She’s just not herself.” Jade tried to sort out the jumble of little incidents that bothered her. “For instance, she’s always on edge. You can say the least thing to her, and she freaks.”
Shaena waved a hand in dismissal. “Lanessa has always been high strung. She’s a diva used to getting her way. She’ll get over it. She always does.”
“I don’t know, Shaena. She’s acting different this time. I’ve never seen Lanessa like that over anything, especially a man. Even after her divorces, she bounced back.”
“Lanessa has the will of an ox, baby. I’ve no doubt she’ll be just fine.”
“But what bothers me is the way she’s just drifting. Let’s face it, at thirty-four it’s time to settle down. I think she wants to find a lasting relationship.” Jade had only an intuition of this since Lanessa had not confided in her.
“What Lanessa wants is a man who will give her anything she asks for,” Shaena said. “The girl will land on her feet wearing four-hundred-dollar Italian leather pumps, and not get one scuff mark on ’em.”
“You think so?”
“Sure. Isn’t this the woman who convinced Patrice Lawrence that she was better off without her fiancé? And this when the woman had tracked Lanessa down to whip her butt for stealing him!” Shaena howled with laughter.
Jade joined her until they were both in tears. “After Patrice had stolen him for another woman. Patrice didn’t realize she’d been played until two weeks later, girl. By that time Lanessa had moved on to somebody else.”
“Lanessa has more smooth moves than anybody I know.” Shaena wiped her eyes. “She’ll be just fine.”
“I guess you’re right.” Jade recovered and took a deep breath. “But I’m going to give her a call all the same. Now what have we got?” She pointed at the movie cassettes.
“Shaft!”
For the rest of the evening, they enjoyed a succession of classic black films and chattered away. Yet in the back of Jade’s mind was the memory of sweet, brown lips covering hers and strong hands that sent tremors of desire down the length of her body. For the first time in years, the days ahead held the promise of something wonderful.
* * *
“Marlene, I think you’re going too far,” Oliver said with a slight frown. He stared at his wife, who sat across from him.
“Do you want him to end up with this girl?” Marlene’s lip curled in an expression of distaste. “Jade Pellerin.”
“I don’t see why n—”
“And that mother of hers. So pretentious with her fake cultured accent. She still has farm dirt under those acrylic nails.”
“Nothing wrong with farming. Your grandfather was one.” Oliver corrected her. “And so was my great-grandfather.”
“Oliver, my grandfather was one of the richest black farmers in Rapides Parish, who inherited land from his white grandfather. Hardly the same thing as a sharecropper digging sweet potatoes out of the dirt,” Marlene said with a toss of her head.
“Is the girl after Damon for his money and position?” Oliver had more concerns than pedigree. He worried about the Cormier- Knight family fortune. Marlene had substantial money from her family. Oliver not only passed on a thriving business to Damon, but interest in several successful family businesses run by his brothers in which he’d invested.
“Well, of course she is,” Marlene said in an impatient tone. “Anyone can see it—except Damon. I’m sure he’d eventually come to his senses, but it could be too late.”
“But I don’t know about this, Marlene. If Damon finds out...” “He won’t for a long time. By then he’ll thank me for rescuing him. Now let’s see. Ah, here it is.” She glanced down at an address book with a floral fabric cover.
“Are you sure you should?” Oliver grew more uneasy as he watched her punch in the number.
“Yes, now stop pestering me.” Marlene smiled but not at him. “Hello, dear. How are you? Yes, it’s
Marlene Knight. Just wanted to see how you’ve been, Rachelle.”
Chapter 6
Lang crossed his arms. “Mike is on a short leash, Tavis. Stop worrying. I’ve known him for a long time. Is that why you came down here?” His voice held a note of amusement. “I could have saved you a trip.”
Tavis tugged at the designer silk tie he wore, even though it hung perfectly. He sat in one of the leather chairs facing Lang’s desk. “Mike is a master schemer, Bill. I don’t trust the man one bit.”
“He can’t do anything without us knowing, now can he? I have the authority, so my signature has to go on any changes in our plans. Mike’s okay—just likes to hedge his bets for maximum benefit.” Lang was the picture of ease, sitting back against the soft dark green leather captain’s chair.
“Yeah, maximum benefit for himself.”
“I’ve known Mike a long time, Tavis. He’s not what I’d call a bosom buddy, but we’re worked together on at least six major projects in the department. We understand each other. Besides, if push comes to shove, he’s got as much to lose as I do.”
“You think that’s enough to keep him from selling you out?” Tavis still looked skeptical.
“You’re being too pessimistic. It won’t be an issue because there won’t be a problem.” Lang got up to admire the view from his window. “I have Secretary Chauvin’s complete confidence since that meeting three months ago.”
Tavis sat forward with interest. “Tell me about it.”
“We discussed the situation with hospital beds and the critical need in communities like Easy Town, the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. I can make exceptions to the moratorium on approving more.” Lang turned back to smile at him.
“But advocates want more services in the community so people can stay at home, not be placed in nursing homes or hospitals.”
“No one cares what they think, Tavis. They’re seen as flaming liberals who just want to spend tax dollars. The conservatives control things in this state. That’s the beauty of it. Plus the process is so boring and dry, no one pays attention when certificates are issued,” Lang said. “Not even Chauvin thinks much about it.”
“But what about Howard?”
“Got his hands full with straightening out other messes in the department. And don’t forget our esteemed lawmakers. Having legislators who own all or part of some of these places helps quite a bit.”
Tavis rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I forgot about that. They won’t be too anxious to have committee hearing or even be receptive if anybody tries to bring it up.”
“Exactly. Those hospital and nursing home beds bring in millions of Medicaid dollars. They’ll be happy and I’ll have a rewarding consulting career in another ten years. So will you.” Lang sat down again and tilted the chair back. He crossed his long legs. “Feel better?”
“Somewhat. Just thinking of a way to keep an eye on Mike. It doesn’t hurt to be extra careful.” The handsome man lifted an eyebrow at his mentor.
“Son, you’ve got a keen sense of survival. I’ve taught you well. But in this case, Mike is the least of our worries. By the time we get back from D.C., we should be well on our way to getting set for the next year.” Lang picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Jade, bring me the procedures on bed certificate requests and approvals.”
“Are you sure enough time has passed?”
“Plenty.” Lang glanced past Tavis when Jade knocked then came in. “Jade, you know Tavis Collins.”
Jade shook hands with him. “Sure. How are you today, Tavis?” She went to place the papers before Lang.
“Fine,” Tavis said. He gazed at her from head to toe. “Mighty fine,” he murmured low.
“Excuse me?” Jade looked at him again.
“Nothing.” Tavis wore a slight leer.
Jade turned her attention back to the file and did not notice. “I’ve got the procedures with timelines on top, Bill.”
“Good. I’m pretty familiar with this. But I just want to make sure. I’ll go over these then have you prepare them. Oh, did you get delegation of authority ready for me?”
Tavis looked at him hard. “Delegation of authority?”
“Since Jade is my assistant, I checked and she can give approvals in my absence so things won’t come to standstill simply because I’m out of town. You know how much I have to travel in this position.” Lang smiled up at Jade.
Tavis looked at Lang then Jade. Both thick eyebrows arched high on his light brown face. “Hmm. I see.”
“But maybe I shouldn’t go to the conference. I mean with both of us out of the office for over a week...” Jade wore a slight frown. “I hadn’t thought about it before now.”
“I’ll have everything squared away by then, Jade. So don’t even think about abandoning me. In fact, take my suggestion and leave early to shop for the trip,” Lang said.
“Oh, I’ve got a million things to do.”
“I can’t believe this, Tavis. Any other woman would jump at the chance to buy new outfits to impress them in our nation’s capital.” Lang held out both hands as though perplexed.
“She’s obviously not any other woman, boss,” Tavis replied.
“Very dedicated.” Lang glanced back at Jade.
Jade laughed. “The truth is I don’t want to come back to a desk piled high with work.”
“Well, it’s your call. I offered.”
Jade went to the door. “And I appreciate it, Bill. You’re one great boss-man. See you later, Tavis.”
“Bye,” Tavis said. When she was gone, he looked at Bill. “Be cool, my brother. Kathy is on the alert these days.”
Lang gave a grunt of scorn. “I can handle the wife. Besides, some things you just can’t pass up.” He stared at the closed door.
* * *
“Aline, be sure these get put in Mr. Lang’s ‘in’ tray. These can come to me for my signature.” Jade went over the instructions with Lang’s secretary for the third time.
The petite blonde looked at the ceiling. “Jade, I’ve been an administrative assistant for three years now.”
“You’re right. But go through my messages every day. Let’s see what else?”
“You’ll be gone only a few days for goodness’ sakes. And thanks for taking him with you.” Aline nodded toward Bill’s office.
“I know he can be a little short at times, but he doesn’t do it to be mean,” Jade said. Bill did have a high-handed way with clerical staff.
“Yeah, sure. All the same, he doesn’t have to rush back as far as I’m concerned,” Aline grumbled low.
Jade snatched up a long gold envelope. “This is from legal. The regional office staff didn’t send in that summary of evidence yet. I’m going to call them right now. I could be here late if this keeps up.” She ran her fingers through her hair.
“I’ll call them. I always do, Jade.” Aline faced Shaena with a look of relief. “Will you talk to her? She’s driving everyone nuts,” she whispered. With one last look of exasperation, she made a hasty retreat.
“What’s up with you?” Shaena put both hands on her hips.
Jade searched the top of her desk then the open file drawer behind her. “Takin’ care of business before I get out of here. Where did I put— Hey, get your foot off that!” Jade dove to the floor and snatched a large pocket envelope.
Shaena leapt aside just in time to avoid being tackled. “Girl, pul-leeze! You have lost your mind.”
“Oh,” Jade said with a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. You okay?” But still she paid more attention to the prized item than to Shaena.
“Don’t overwhelm me with your concern,” Shaena retorted.
“This trip has got me all shook up. Only a few weeks on the job, and now I’m leaving for almost two weeks!” Jade shuffled more papers.
“Get a grip. You’ll be gone only a week. What is the matter with you, really?” Shaena placed a hand down on the papers firmly. “Well?”
“It’s got nothing to do with Damon, if that’s what you’re get
ting at.” Jade pressed her lips together, knowing she’d just given herself away.
“Now we get to the heart of the matter, pun intended.” Shaena pushed her down into her chair and sat on the desk close to her. “Tell me all about it. And don’t bother trying to wiggle out of this one.”
Jade sucked air then plunged ahead. “With all the fine women he can choose from, I just know he’ll play while I’m away. Why shouldn’t he?”
“We’ve had this conversation, Jade. I’m losing patience with you.” Shaena gave her a slap on the back of her hand.
“Ouch! Cut that out.” Jade rubbed a growing red spot and scowled at her friend. “I didn’t mean it like that. But men with looks and money don’t lack for company just because one woman isn’t available—”
“Some men,” Shaena cut in.
“They like the hunt-and-conquest game. Most men don’t even try to resist women who throw themselves at them,” Jade went on as though she had not spoken.
“Jade, check yourself. You’ve lumped all men into one big pile of canines. My dad and yours are not like that. Never have been.” Shaena got a mint from the candy jar on Jade’s desk. She popped it into her mouth.
“Daddies don’t count,” Jade said with a stubborn, little-girl expression. Seeing Shaena’s sideways glance, she relented. “Okay, so I’m getting a little weird about this.”
“A little weird?”
“We’re barely at the starting gate, and I’ve got to back out now with this damn conference.”
Shaena sat down in a chair. “You were so enthused about it two weeks ago. What a change.”
Jade sighed. “Yeah, and for the last two weeks, it’s dawned on me how many women would love to get their hands on Damon even when I’m in town. Women like Lila Castille.”
“Lila’s got more miles on her than a Greyhound bus. Damon would never go for that type,” Shaena said with a catty snort.
