“I didn’t have nothing to do with them. That was all my brother and his friends.”
Coco eyed him. “So you’re telling me that you only participated in the one at my shop, then?”
“I already told Mr. Winters and the police all this. When I found out what was about to go down, I didn’t want nobody to get hurt. I pleaded with my brother to take me along. I thought if I came, you’d be safe. I had nothing to do with the other robberies.”
“I want to believe you.”
“Miss Stanley, I’m not stupid. I knew you may recognize my custom-made shoes with my first name written all over them. If I wasn’t trying to be caught, do you think I’d wear them to a robbery? I was hoping that Mr. Winters would be there with you.”
“But you ran away before the cops came.”
He shook his head. “I flagged them down and told them what happened. I turned myself in. You can ask them.”
“That’s why you called out to me in the shop,”
Coco said. “You were hoping I would catch on to your voice.”
“I don’t know what it would’ve accomplished. All I know is that I don’t want to be anywhere near my brother. He’s crazy. He beats on my mother and she’s scared of him. I’m scared of him.”
“Is he here?”
Marcus nodded. “He’s threatening to kill me.”
Coco could see how really scared he was—this was no act. “Have you told Ransom?”
“He’s hired a lawyer for me and they are trying to work out some kind of deal. I testify against my brother and his friends and they are going to try and find someplace safe for me. Mr. Winters is looking into a boarding school somewhere.”
“He has a lot of faith in you, Marcus.”
“What about you?”
“The betrayal stings, but one day it will disappear. You accepted your part in this, even though you say that you were trying to protect us. From the sounds of it, you tried to find a way to put an end to the robberies. You took a stand and I can appreciate that, Marcus. I don’t hate you and I do forgive you.”
Tears rolled down his cheeks. “I never wanted to disappoint you or Mr. Winters.”
“You should never want to disappoint yourself,” Coco told him. “Marcus, I’m going to be okay after a while. Are you? Can you forgive yourself?” He shrugged.
“Marcus, look at me.”
He met her gaze.
“I’m proud of you for trying to set things right. That takes a lot of courage. When I look at you, I don’t see the boy that you are now, but I see the man that you can become.”
Their time was up.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Stanley.”
“Marcus, you don’t owe me anything, so I put the ten dollars on your account so that you’re able to purchase whatever you might need in here. I also brought you a Bible, some magazines and snacks. What you can do for me is look deep within and find the man that Ransom and I see. Become this man and that is payment enough.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Please keep me in your prayers.”
“I will,” Coco promised.
On the way home, she called Ransom, but reached his voice mail. She left him a message.
“Ransom, it’s me again,” she said, a couple of hours later. “I’m calling to apologize for overreacting. I didn’t exactly want to do it via voice mail, but you’ve left me no choice. I’m very sorry for the way I carried on. I know that not all of your students are criminals. Deep down, I really know that, but when my brother was shot—it scared me.”
She paused for a moment before continuing. “I hope that you’ll call me back so that we can talk. Ransom, I really miss you and I know that we can work this out. I’m truly sorry.”
Coco hung up.
“Have you talked to Ransom?” Michael asked when he phoned her that evening.
“He’s not returning my calls,” she replied.
“You know what? I think he’s out of town.”
“How do you know that?” Coco asked. “He never said anything to me.”
“You weren’t exactly talking to him, sis. Ransom called to check on me a couple of days ago, and he mentioned that he had to go out of town on business.”
“He’s still getting his messages, I’m sure.”
“Coco, give him some time. Ransom will phone you when he’s ready to talk to you. You both probably needed a cooling period.”
She wasn’t so sure.
She had really messed up this time. Coco had learned something about herself through all this—that she was quick to judge. She had never pictured herself in this light and she was ashamed.
This was not the type of person she wanted to be.
It was time to make some changes in her own life before she tried to work on somebody else’s.
Ransom picked up the phone to call Coco, and then suddenly changed his mind. He was not going to give up on his students. She had no idea what Marcus had done to try and put his brother behind bars, at the risk of his own freedom.
A couple of his former students ended up in trouble again. One was recently caught trying to break into a home. There were those who slipped through the cracks from time to time, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
However, he wasn’t willing to risk the lives of those he cared about. Over the past few days, he’d spent a lot of time trying to figure out a better way to screen students before allowing them entry into the program.
He believed he had come up with a plan, but wanted to run it by Ray and Matt first.
Ransom missed Coco. He missed her laughter—everything about her. Nothing felt right since that night.
He was surprised when he saw that she’d called. Even more when she actually left a message on his voice mail—an apology.
Ransom understood totally why she was so upset, but he wasn’t just going to pull the plug on the program—there were too many success stories. They far outweighed the one incident.
The program worked.
Hopefully, Coco would one day see that for herself. He couldn’t give up on those boys. They deserved a chance in this world and Ransom intended to give it to them.
He eyed the phone. “I miss you, Coco.”
Then call her, his heart whispered.
He picked up the telephone and dialed. “Hello…”
His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. “It’s me,” Ransom said. “I’m sorry for just getting back to you, but I was out of town on business.”
“My brother mentioned that you were away,” Coco said. “Did you enjoy your trip?”
“It was okay,” he answered. “To tell the truth, I missed you.”
“Ransom, I missed you, too. At first I thought you were just ignoring me. I didn’t know that you were on a business trip.”
“It wasn’t all business. I took a couple of days to try and figure out what my next steps should be,” he admitted. “I’m really sorry about what happened to Michael. It was unfortunate. But I’m glad that the persons responsible are behind bars. It’s the third strike for Marcus’s brother, so he’ll be doing the max.”
“That’s good to hear. Ransom, I was wrong when I said it was your fault. I never should’ve said something so mean to you.”
“Coco, I don’t really want to have this conversation over the phone. I’m dead tired, so I’m going to bed early, but if you’re not busy tomorrow after church, can we get together and talk then? Are you going to your parents’ for dinner?”
“No, I’ll wait here for you,” she responded. “Ransom, I’m glad you called.”
He smiled. “True love never gives up.”
Chapter 18
Ransom wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Coco, but he knew that it was time for them to have a serious talk about their relationship.
He pulled into the driveway and parked the car.
Coco opened the front door just as he walked up to the porch.
“Hey,” she murmured in greeting.
He embraced her, holding her tight. Ransom inhaled deeply, sucking in the light floral scent of her perfume. “I’ve missed you so much.”
They stepped away from each other.
“It’s time we made some decisions about our relationship and where we’re going with it,” he blurted. “That’s why I’m here.”
Coco nodded. “I thought as much.”
They sat down in the living room.
“I love you with my whole heart, but I have to know that we are on the same page when it comes to D-Unit.”
Her head snapped up. “I went to see Marcus at the jail. He told me everything. I’ve made a horrible rush to judgment, Ransom—I can’t deny that. I just want you to know that I’m truly sorry for everything I said to you the night Michael was shot. I hope that one day you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.” Coco paused for a moment, before continuing. “I love you so much, Ransom, and I want to be with you.”
“I love you, too, Coco. Sweetheart, I never stopped loving you. I just don’t know if we can ever get past what happened. I honestly don’t know…”
She sighed in resignation. “Ransom, I know how much those boys mean to you. I know the heart you have for the youth. I won’t try to stand in your way. I will support you fully on this.”
“Honey, I know that you believe this, but what if something else happens? What then? I don’t want to put you or anyone else at risk.”
Coco began to cry. “I’m sorry. I said I wasn’t going to do this.”
He hugged her. “I hate to see you so sad. I don’t want to hurt you, Coco.”
She placed a finger to his lips. “I did this, Ransom. All of this is my fault.”
Ransom surprised himself when he kissed her.
Coco responded by kissing him back passionately.
Desire ignited in the pit of his belly, the flames growing. He had to fight the urge to take Coco upstairs and make love to her.
She must have sensed his withdrawal, because she moved away from him. “Ransom, I want to be with you. I’m willing to take the risk if you are. Marcus isn’t a bad kid. I realized that when I read his letter. I came to that conclusion before I even went to see him. It’s why I went to the jail.”
“I know that not every boy will be saved, but Coco, I can’t give up on them.”
“I do understand that,” she told him. “Ransom, I applaud your dedication. The ones that I’ve met so far really have a desire to change, and they deserve a chance. But there are those that don’t want to do anything to better their lives.”
“I met with my staff and we’ve decided to implement a thorough screening process that includes notification of gang affiliations, criminal records, etc. Ray and I have talked, and he’s going to help me set everything up. I have a meeting with a friend of his, A. C. Richards, on Tuesday. I hear she’s looking to help teens stay out of gangs. She worked with Matt and is a very good detective, from what I hear. I’m hoping she’ll be willing to come on board.”
“She helped Matt get Kaitlin out of Mexico,” Coco told him. “She and her sister own a detective agency called Richardson & Associates.”
“I think I’ve heard of them. That’s good.” He paused. “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to get rough sometimes, Coco. Are you sure you want this in your life?”
“I want you, Ransom, and everything that comes with you. We haven’t lost our love for each other—the kiss proved that. I know I’ve said it before, but I truly mean it this time.”
“I believe you,” he said, smiling.
Coco met his gaze. “Ransom, I can’t see my life with out you in it. These past two weeks have been so miserable. I definitely wasn’t looking forward to Christmas.”
He broke into a smile. “To be honest, I wasn’t, either. I’m glad you called, because I was going to return all of your gifts tomorrow.”
She stepped away from him. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “You didn’t think I was still going to give them to you, did you?”
“I’ve been good all year,” she said. “Well, most of it, anyway.”
“You’d have to take that up with Santa.”
“I don’t believe in Santa.”
Ransom laughed. “You’re gorgeous when you pout.”
“But you’ve changed your mind, right?”
“I’m considering it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Coco asked, her arms folded across her chest.
“I’m kidding,” Ransom responded with a chuckle.
“So what do we do now, Coco?” he asked.
“Get our relationship back on track,” she said. “We can start by you helping me prepare dinner. Then we can go to the mall and pick out some gifts for Cinna.”
He smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Pulling her closer to him, Ransom covered her lips with his, kissing her hungrily. “I’m so glad to have you back, sweetheart,” he whispered.
She loved Ransom more than life itself and never tired of looking at him.
Standing by him in the kitchen, Coco openly admired Ransom as he prepared a roast to put in the oven. The man was fine, loving, had a generous heart and could cook like nobody’s business.
“You finished with the potatoes?” he asked.
“Almost,” she responded. Coco had forgotten what she was doing, caught up in eying Ransom.
“You got the invitation to the Christmas party?” Ransom asked.
“The one from Laine? Yeah. I wasn’t going to go, but now that we’re getting back on track, I think we should go together.” He agreed.
“That’s this coming Friday, right?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
She handed him the bowl of potatoes.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” he murmured, concentrating on the food.
It feels good to have him back in my life.
Coco smiled at the thought.
Ransom stuck the roast into the preheated oven.
Then he reached out and embraced her, the warmth of his arms radiating through her. Her lips turned upward even more as she leaned back against him.
The telephone rang.
It was Elle.
“Kaitlin’s at the hospital,” she told Coco. “She’s in labor.”
“Elle, Ransom’s here with me. We’ll be right there.”
“Don’t forget your camera.”
“I won’t,” Coco declared.
She hung up. “So much for dinner. We’ll have to grab something on the way to the hospital.”
They turned everything off, then rushed out of the house.
“I never knew that having a baby could be a family event,” Ransom stated. “I always thought of it as private—between the couple.”
“This is your family’s tradition,” Coco teased. “I’m all for the private birth event.”
Twenty minutes later, the two of them walked down the hallway to the maternity center.
Jillian was standing outside the room when they arrived.
“How is she?” Coco asked.
“She’s doing fine. Just begged the doctor for some drugs.” Jillian chuckled. “I told her she was going to need them, but she wanted to experience natural childbirth first.”
They heard the shrill screaming of a young woman in the room next door.
“Oh, my goodness,” Coco muttered. “The poor girl.”
They were at the hospital exactly one hour before Chandler St. Charles made his entrance into the world.
Matt was ecstatic and Kaitlin was relieved that the whole ordeal was over.
She smiled when she saw Coco and Ransom walk into the room together. “I’m glad you both listened to me.”
Coco held up the camera. “Let me know when you’re ready for pictures.”
Kaitlin raised a hand. “Give me a minute.” She glanced over at Elle and said, “Could you do something with this hair on my head? Throw a little powder on my face and I’ll be ready
to go.”
Coco couldn’t help feeling a little envious. Kaitlin, Elle, all of them except Ivy had the type of marriages people read about. She wanted that for herself. Coco found that she was yearning to be a mother, too.
She was ready, but what about Ransom? It was much too soon to bring up the subject now. They had just gotten back together.
Coco decided to just take one day at a time. If she and Ransom were meant to be, she wanted it to happen naturally, without any pressure.
The holidays were over and a New Year begun. It was time for Coco to start preparing for her biggest month of the year—February. Valentine’s Day was less than a month away.
Ransom had been spending a lot of time with his partner, writing songs for a debut artist. Between his hours at the center and with Jaye, he and Coco hadn’t been able to spend quality time together.
She didn’t complain, though. She had been busy with Michael and Daniel, brainstorming new product ideas. She had come up with new items for valentines and for her sensual line.
The door to the shop opened.
It was Jerome.
“Hey you,” she said in greeting. “Did you have a good time during your Christmas break? Ransom told me that you went to Florida to see your grandparents.”
“It was nice. We had a good time.” He walked over to the broom closet. “I’ma sweep up this place for you. You need to tell your customers to stop tracking in dirt. This is a high-class place and they need to treat it like one.”
Valencia and Coco exchanged amused glances.
“What’s going on, Jerome?” Coco asked. She had gotten to know him well enough to know that there was something bothering him. “Come talk to me. You can sweep later if you want, but you don’t have to—I can do it after we close.”
“Miss Stanley, I can’t find no job. I even asked your brother, but he don’t have any openings right now.”
“Has something happened?” she inquired.
“My mom lost her job. We might have to move to Florida unless she can find something else here. She was down there looking for a job.”
“Florida is a nice place to live.”
“If you like hurricanes,” he muttered in response.
Chocolate Goodies Page 14
