One in a Million

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “I’m ending this once and for all,” she said to Patrice, and then pressed the answer icon on her Treo. “Hello?”

  “Hey,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Fine.”

  “I tried calling you at home again, but I guess you’re out.”

  “I am. So, is there something you wanted?”

  “Just to talk to you.”

  “Blake, look. These phone calls have to stop.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there’s nothing else left for us to say. The court date for our divorce has been set for September, and that’s that.”

  Blake totally ignored what she’d just said. “What are you doing tomorrow for the Fourth?”

  “Going over to my aunt Rose’s, but what does that matter to you?”

  “I was thinking you could spend the holiday with me.”

  “Then I guess you haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?”

  “No, because no matter what you say, Kennedi, I love you, and I want you back.”

  “And I keep telling you it’s not going to happen. And I mean that. I’ve never meant anything more, and I really wish you would leave me alone.”

  “It’s that jerk you were with at the restaurant, isn’t it?”

  “Good-bye, Blake.”

  “I knew you were giving it up to him, because if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be acting so cocky and like you don’t need me. You’d be jumping at the chance to have me back, regardless of what I’ve done.”

  Kennedi shook her head disgustedly, and she could tell Patrice wanted to know what he was saying.

  “What if I am sleeping with him, Blake?” she said. “Because you and I both know that if I am, I’d be well within my rights, now wouldn’t I?”

  “Are you?”

  “As a matter of fact I am!” She lied just to aggravate him. “I’ve been sleeping with Miles for months now, and you can’t hold a tiny candle to him when it comes to sex. Happy?”

  “I’m more than happy. You think you’re so smart, but thank you, Kennedi. Thank you for being naïve enough to think I really wanted you back and for giving me all the ammunition I need,” he boasted. And he hung up.

  Kennedi dropped her phone inside her purse and groaned. “This won’t be over soon enough.”

  “What was he talking about?” Patrice asked, opening the door and walking in.

  Kennedi followed behind. “Girl, who knows? First he was begging, and then his whole attitude changed.”

  “I heard what you said about Miles. You crack me up!”

  “You know I only said it to piss him off.”

  “Yeah, but it was still funny.”

  “Maybe now Blake will finally move on. Although I am wondering what he meant when he said I’d just given him all the ammunition he needed.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “You’re right. I’m not about to let him ruin our day.”

  They walked up to a counter that housed ridiculously large diamonds and left with blank stares when the salesperson told them the smallest one in that particular case was fifty-two thousand dollars. Kennedi now had millions, but the idea of spending that much money on any single piece of jewelry was senseless. Foolish, even. And it was something she would never consider doing.

  But what she did do was purchase a stunning diamond-and-white-gold cross, a diamond-and-white-gold ring, a pair of three-carat princess-cut diamond earrings, and a couple of high-quality, sterling silver jewelry pieces that unquestionably met the .925 standard. Patrice followed up with a diamond-and-white-gold necklace and a pair of two-carat diamond earrings, even though Kennedi had made it clear she was welcome to get the same size she had.

  Then, before leaving, Kennedi had purchased Miles a bottle of Tiffany for Men Sport cologne and a silver pen and letter opener for Attorney Newman as a thank-you for their services. Although she couldn’t deny that her gift to Miles was a bit more personal than it was business. She also couldn’t deny that since that day they’d gone to lunch, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. She, of course, was afraid to confess her true feelings to him, or even to Patrice for that matter, but deep down she liked him. She liked him a lot, and she didn’t know what to do about it. Although she knew seeing him wasn’t even an option until her divorce was final.

  Over the next four hours, Kennedi and Patrice dipped in and out of stores and snapped up items from Saks, Neiman’s, Victoria’s Secret, and a few others—so much so that they’d had to ask Randy to bring the car around so they could pile all of their bags inside the trunk. They’d purchased everything from Lucky jeans to Manolo Blahnik shoes to a couple of Armani skirt suits and pant suits, but this was it. They’d enjoyed themselves in the most magnificent way, spending thousands, but now it was time to put the brakes on. It was time to get back to the logical way of spending Kennedi had always been accustomed to.

  Kennedi sat inside the limo. “Randy, can you swing us back by the John Hancock building?”

  “Sure,” he said, and closed her door.

  Patrice leaned back against the headrest. “Whew. Talk about shopping until you drop.”

  “That we did.”

  “But thank you, Kennedi. Thank you for everything.”

  “You know that’s not necessary. I had a blast, and there’s no one else I would have rather done this with.”

  “I’ll never forget it. Going in stores I’ve only browsed in and then actually buying whatever I wanted? It’s a dream come true.”

  “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  “I had a sensational time.”

  When Randy pulled up in front of the restaurant, Kennedi and Patrice got out.

  “You guys are funny,” he said. “You can afford to eat at any restaurant you want, but here you are getting ready to go inside the Cheesecake Factory.”

  They all laughed and Kennedi said, “I know, but the thing is, we love it. We’ll always love it, and there’s no cheesecake in the world like their pineapple upside-down cheesecake.”

  “I guess there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Do you want us to bring you out something?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Okay, then, we’ll be ready in a couple of hours, and I promise this is the last stop.”

  “Enjoy.”

  “He’s such a nice guy,” Patrice said as they walked inside.

  “He is, and I’m going to make all of this worth his while when we get home.”

  “Didn’t you already include the gratuity on your credit card when you reserved the car?”

  “Yeah, but he deserves more than that. He’s been so patient and so at ease, and I really appreciate that.”

  “This is true.”

  Kennedi heard her phone ringing and sighed. “Now what?”

  “I’ll check to see how long the wait is,” Patrice offered.

  Kennedi’s face softened when she saw that the person calling was Attorney Newman.

  “Kennedi? Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No,” she told him, and stepped back outside. “How are you?”

  “Well, I was good until I received a call from Blake’s attorney. Just got off the phone with him, and apparently your other half has changed his mind again.”

  Kennedi had told Attorney Newman about Blake’s trying to reconcile with her, about Serena’s pregnancy and the miscarriage, along with every other little detail she could think of, making sure Attorney Newman was up-to-date on anything that might help her case. “What did he say?”

  “That Blake wants his full fifteen million, but he’s willing to accept ten if you’ll settle out of court and write him a check by this Friday, meaning three days from now.”

  “Why out of court and so soon?”

  “I wanted to know the same thing, and maybe you can shed some light on what they’re talking about, because Blake’s attorney claims that Blake has tap
ed information that will prove you’ve been having an affair behind his back and that it’s been going on for a long time. He says if Blake has to, he’s going to release it to the media.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what he said.”

  “He was actually taping our conversation?”

  “So it’s true? You told him that?”

  “Yes…I mean, no. I mean, I told him, but only to upset him.”

  “But it’s not true, though?”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  “I doubt it’ll be admissible, but Blake’s attorney is definitely going to do all that he can to bring it in as evidence, and you know how the media can spin certain stories in any direction they want to, and we wouldn’t want a judge to be swayed one way or the other. At this point, all we’d have are your words against his.”

  “He was setting me up the entire time, and I should have never started talking to him.”

  “Well, what’s done is done, and the fact still remains that he moved out of your house and in with another woman. The private investigator we hired has confirmed it.”

  “And will that help?”

  “Maybe. But I won’t lie to you. There is a chance Blake will win.”

  Kennedi heard what he was telling her, and all she could hope was that Attorney Newman wasn’t in cahoots with Blake and that he was really being on the up-and-up with her.

  “My research assistant and I have been searching and searching for a case where the plaintiff walked away with nothing, but so far we haven’t found one. What we did find were three cases where the plaintiff won, and in one situation, the plaintiff collected more than half the winnings because the judge felt like the husband shouldn’t have had to fight for what was rightfully his.”

  Kennedi was saddened by all that Attorney Newman was telling her but finally said, “Can I think about it?”

  “Yes, but I’m afraid you’ll still need to decide by Friday if you want to take him up on the ten million.”

  “Do you think I should?”

  “I don’t want to suggest that, because I don’t think Blake deserves a single dollar, but at the same time, paying him ten million will be a lot better than the whole fifteen. I was also thinking that it might be a good idea to call his attorney back with a counter-offer of seven and a half, just to see what happens, because it may be that Blake wants to make a deal and be done with this. Or we can go to court and take our chances. But I would say let’s counter and go from there.”

  “Then maybe that’s our best bet. The holiday is tomorrow, so can I call you on Thursday?”

  “That would be fine, and if you don’t get me, just try my cell.”

  “I will, and thanks for calling.”

  “No problem, and please try to have a good Fourth.”

  “You, too,” Kennedi said, but had no idea how she’d be able to enjoy anything, what with Blake practically guaranteed to get almost half the winnings after all.

  She didn’t know how she could enjoy tomorrow or any other day, knowing he’d taken up with some tramp, slept with her for two whole years whenever he felt like it, walked out on his wife, and was now getting ready to walk away with millions of dollars. Millions and millions of her money, and it just wasn’t fair.

  It wasn’t right, but she had a feeling there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

  Nothing except swallow her pride, write him a check, and get over it.

  Chapter 17

  Kennedi, baby, it’s so good to see you.” Aunt Rose beamed when Kennedi, Patrice, and Neil walked out to the backyard. Patrice’s parents were out of town visiting other relatives, and Neil’s parents lived in Colorado, so they’d decided to celebrate Independence Day with Kennedi’s family.

  Kennedi hugged Aunt Rose and spoke loudly over the O’Jays, belting out none other than their astounding “Family Reunion.” “The food smells wonderful.”

  “You know your cousin Lee Willie can grill his natural behind off and that James Michael,” she said, referring to Lee Willie’s brother, “can make the best barbecued baked beans in the country.”

  Patrice reached out and embraced Aunt Rose. “Thank you so much for having Neil and me over.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Neil said.

  “Glad to have you both. Wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

  “Hey, sweetheart,” Aunt Lucy said to Kennedi. “I see you made it. And hey, Miss Patrice. And Neil, I see you’re still looking as handsome as ever.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?” Aunt Rose laughed. “Just as fine as he wanna be.”

  “Ladies, please.” He blushed.

  They all chuckled.

  But then Kennedi spotted Raymond and Joseph coming toward them with their ghetto-hoochie girlfriends in tow. They were already acting as if they didn’t want to speak, and Kennedi hoped they weren’t planning to act out part two of that show they’d put on over at her house one week ago.

  At first they stared at her, but then Joseph broke the ice. “Good to see you, cuz.”

  “Good to see you, too,” she said, and strangely enough, Joseph hugged her and then introduced her to his woman friend, Heineken.

  “Like the beer?” Patrice noticeably couldn’t help inquiring.

  “Yep,” the woman said. “My mama said she loved her some Heineken back in the day, and then she realized what a beautiful name it was for a little girl.”

  Kennedi was speechless, and so were Patrice and Neil; even Joseph seemed slightly embarrassed and didn’t say anything. But to the side of them, Kennedi saw Raymond’s girlfriend nudging his arm and him shaking his head in disagreement with whatever she was trying to get him to do.

  “Then forget you,” the woman finally said, and reached her hand out to Kennedi. “Hi, I’m Tarmisha. Your cousin Raymond is so rude, but it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

  “You the one that won all that money, ain’t you?”

  By this time, Patrice couldn’t take it anymore, and Kennedi watched her walk away, practically giggling like a teenager. Neil followed behind her, and Kennedi wished she could do the same thing.

  But instead, she smiled at the woman, who looked much too young for Raymond. “Yeah, I guess that would be me.”

  “You got it goin’ on. And if you need someone to help you around your house or do anything, all you have to do is call me,” the woman said excitedly, and passed over what looked to be a phone number.

  Not likely, Kennedi thought, but gracefully told her, “Thanks, and I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

  Raymond rolled his red and very liquored-up eyes at her, and Kennedi knew he wanted nothing to do with her. He was still angry about the twenty-five hundred dollars she hadn’t given him when they’d come over, and that was just fine with her.

  Kennedi went around greeting all of her family members, close and extended, and she was happy to see Aunt Lucy’s significant other and his two grown children. Aunt Lucy’s husband had passed a few years back, and Kennedi was happy to see her with such a decent, caring man. She’d been dating Lyle for more than a year now, and Kennedi could tell Aunt Lucy was in love with him. She would never admit it, of course, mainly because she thought it was disrespecting her husband’s memory, but Kennedi could tell she was more than fond of him.

  Next, Kennedi strolled over to Lee Willie, her mother’s first cousin, and saw him forking off a slab of ribs and placing it in a large pan. “Hey, Miss O.” He beamed. “So, how’s it goin’?”

  “Good.”

  “Just good?”

  “Well, actually, great.”

  “Now, that’s more like it, and you know why I’m calling you Miss O, don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “Because as the young folks say, now you ballin’ like Miss Oprah.”

  “Not exactly.”

  “But close enough.”

  Kennedi playfully flipped her hand at him.

  “It’s true, a
nd while your ol’ cousin likes to joke around, I’m serious when I say how happy I am for you and how proud I am to be related to you. I’m not saying that because I’m expecting any handout, I’m saying it because I mean it and because just between you and me, everybody out here in this backyard don’t necessarily feel the same way. We got some jealous ol’ people in this family, but no matter what anybody says, you just hold your head up and keep right on doin’ what you doin’.”

  James Michael walked up behind his brother. “That’s right. Don’t pay none of these fools any attention, and don’t let nobody make you feel bad about the way God has blessed you.”

  “Thank you. That means more than both of you realize, and the two of you can certainly look to hear from me in about a week or so.”

  Lee Willie grinned a wide grin and could barely contain himself. James Michael seemed just as thrilled as Lee Willie was.

  Kennedi hadn’t seen Lee Willie, James Michael, or any of her other second cousins in a long time, but she was definitely going to add them to the list of relatives she was giving gifts to, because they did seem genuinely happy for her.

  After mingling for another half hour, someone turned down the music, Aunt Lucy said grace over the food, and they all got in line to eat. Kennedi looked down the three tables that were pushed together and covered with red, white, and blue tablecloths and knew she was about to indulge way more than she should. But how could she resist? There were ribs, chicken, brats, burgers, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and every dessert imaginable. The entire spread screamed hundreds of fat grams, carbohydrates, and calories, and Kennedi would have to work out a few minutes longer every day for the rest of this week just to make up for it.

  As time passed, everyone ate, chatted, and cracked jokes, and Kennedi was glad to be in the presence of her family. They always knew how to have a good time, and Kennedi couldn’t be happier.

  But of course all good things must and do come to an end, and that’s exactly what happened as soon as Raymond turned off the music and opened his mouth. Loudly.