After the entrée and before dessert was served, her father stood up to make a toast. Natasha excused herself and went to check on Joshua. He was seated at the children’s table with his cousins. She found them laughing and teasing each other.
She turned to walk away, spotted her brother standing a few yards away and went to join him. “What have you been up to?” Natasha asked as she straightened his tie.
He grinned. “Do you really want to know?”
Shaking her head, Natasha asked, “Don’t you and Kate ever get tired of each other?”
“No, we don’t,” Nathan responded. His expression grew serious when he said, “I never thought I’d ever love anyone as much as I love her.”
“That’s really wonderful,” she murmured. “My sister-in-law is a lucky woman.”
He hugged her. “There is a man out there somewhere looking for you, Natasha. He’s going to find you one day soon. You just make sure that you’re ready for Mr. Wonderful.”
“I’m not sure I’ll know him when I see him,” she confessed. “I thought I’d met my Mr. Right when I married Calvin.”
Nathan frowned. “That dude didn’t deserve you or Joshua.”
His words touched her deeply. “Thanks, Nathan.”
“Hey, this is what big brothers are for.”
Natasha slapped his arm. “You are only ten minutes older than me.”
“That still makes me the oldest.”
She laughed. “Only in your world.”
The music started, and Joshua rushed over to her. “Mommy, would you like to dance?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
Joshua led her to the dance floor.
They danced to one song then Natalie approached them, saying, “Okay, munchkin, it’s my turn to dance with you.”
She kissed the top of Joshua’s head then whispered, “Don’t overdo it, okay?”
He nodded and then started moving to the beat of the music.
“Are you up to dancing with your old dad?”
Natasha turned around to find her father standing there. “I would be honored, Daddy.”
I have the most wonderful family in the world, she thought to herself.
That evening when they returned to her parents’ house, Natasha helped Joshua get into his pajamas.
“Mommy, I can do it,” he fussed.
“Okay,” she said, hiding hurt feelings. “I was only trying to help you.”
Joshua looked up at her and said, “I love you, but Mommy, you gotta let me do it. I’m a big boy.”
“He’s right,” her father said from the doorway.
Natasha walked over to her father and said, “He’s such a sweetheart. I can’t imagine what my life was like before he came into it.”
Nathan Sr. took her by the hand and led her down the hall. “Honey, I know that sometimes you get scared, and that’s okay, but I want you to know that you don’t have to go through this alone. Your mother and I will come to Los Angeles and we’ll stay as long as you need us.”
Natasha shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. We’re fine. The leukemia is in remission and his doctors are great.”
Her father looked concerned. “How are you paying for all this?”
“Insurance covered some,” she responded. “Robert left me some money, so stop worrying. We’re fine.”
“Would you tell me if you weren’t?” he asked.
“Yes, Daddy,” Natasha lied. “I would.” Her father had heart problems, and the last thing she wanted was to have him stressed and worried about her and Joshua.
Chapter 6
Barbara had breakfast on the table when Ari and his siblings came downstairs Sunday morning.
“I thought I smelled bacon,” Kellen said. “I’ve missed your cooking, Mama. Zaire needs to spend more time with you, especially in the kitchen, because she can’t cook tap water.”
“I’m not your woman or your maid,” his sister snapped. “I’m your sister. Why don’t you learn your way around a kitchen?”
Ari laughed at the expression on Kellen’s face. “What’s wrong with you, man?” he asked his brother. “You need to learn how to cook something, or stock up on some peanut butter and jelly.”
“Hey, Mama, if you and Dad don’t need the chef, can I have him?” Kellen inquired. “I’m just saying. Cooking is not my thing, you know.”
Sage brushed by her youngest brother. “Kellen, you’re a big boy. Learn to cook. Ari, Blaze and Drayden can all cook. You ought to be embarrassed.”
“He’s spoiled,” Zaire stated.
“And you’re not,” Kellen retorted.
Zaire sent a sharp glance in his direction. “We are not talking about me.”
Malcolm entered the dining room. “No matter how old you all get, the arguments never change.”
They all settled down at the table.
Blaze blessed the food.
Ari passed the bowl of hash browns to Drayden. “Pass the eggs, please.”
Sage did as he requested.
He spooned some on his plate and then passed them to Kellen. Ari recalled how much his late wife enjoyed the Alexander family meals. She didn’t come from a close family, so April relished spending time with her close-knit in-laws.
When Drayden mentioned dating, Ari’s mind traveled to Natasha. Since meeting her, Natasha seemed to always take control of his thoughts. He couldn’t deny that there was an invisible thread of magnetism that was drawing them together.
The DNA results would be back in a couple of days, and Ari and his father were planning to fly back to Los Angeles at the end of the week. This would give him some time to get his emotions in order.
“Eat up,” Malcolm told everyone. “We have to leave for church in about an hour.”
Two hours after she and Joshua returned to Los Angeles, Harold called, wanting to meet with her.
“I just got back from Phoenix and I’m exhausted,” Natasha told him. “Besides, there is no one here to watch my son.” All she wanted to do was relax for the rest of the evening with Joshua.
“Do you mind if I come over?” Harold inquired. “I’ll even bring dinner.”
“Sure. I’ll see you within the hour.” She groaned softly after she hung up the phone. Natasha really wasn’t in the mood for company, but she knew that Harold would never take no for an answer. He wanted to discuss Malcolm and the inheritance—it was all he seemed to focus on since Robert’s death. Natasha didn’t recall any show of grief on Harold’s face over the loss of his uncle.
People grieved in different ways, she rationalized.
The doorbell rang.
Natasha glanced over at the clock on the wall. Harold was early.
“Mommy, are we having company?” Joshua asked.
“Mr. Harold wanted to come over and visit with us.” She prayed he would keep himself in check. Natasha didn’t want anyone upsetting Joshua.
“Oh,” her son said and then returned his attention to the television.
She ran her fingers through her hair before opening the front door.
“I know I’m early,” he said. “I didn’t want the food to get cold.” Holding up a large bag, he added, “I brought Italian.”
He knew it was her favorite.
Natasha stepped out of the way so that he could enter the condo. She led him to the dining room, where they arranged the various containers of food on the table.
“What didn’t you bring?” Natasha asked, looking at all of the selections. There was garlic bread, spaghetti with meatballs, fettuccini with a pesto sauce, penne rustico and chicken marsala. Harold had even brought dessert, an Italian cream cake.
“I didn’t know what you had a taste for, so I ordered all of your favorites.”
She awarded him a smile. “I must admit that I’m really surprised you would remember something like this.”
Joshua ran into the dining room. “I want some spaghetti, please.” He looked up at Harold and said, “Hey…”
“How are you f
eeling, buddy?” Harold asked.
“Fine,” Joshua responded as he took a seat at the table.
“That’s fine, sweetie,” Natasha said.
Harold eyed her son. “He’s a handsome little boy, Natasha.”
“I certainly think so,” she responded. “Thank you for all you’ve done, Harold. I appreciate it.”
Harold held the chair out for Natasha then sat down across from her. Natasha prepared a plate for her son then one for Harold.
“You’re spoiling me,” he said.
“I’m just being a good hostess,” Natasha told him.
She fixed a plate for herself, choosing to sample the penne rustico and the chicken marsala.
They kept the conversation neutral while they ate.
“Thanks for dinner,” Natasha said when they finished. “Everything was delicious.”
Harold helped her put away the rest of the food while Joshua returned to the den to watch television.
“So what do you think Malcolm will decide?” Harold asked as he leaned against the counter in the kitchen.
“I don’t know,” she responded. “He’s not an easy man to read.”
“What about the son?”
Natasha peered at Harold. “Ari is a lot like his father. However, he has made it pretty clear that he thinks his father should keep the hotels.”
They ventured into the living room to talk.
Harold sat down on the sofa beside Natasha, saying, “I still don’t understand how Uncle Robert could so something like this to our family. Those hotels should have remained with us—his family. If he wanted to give something to Malcolm, why didn’t he just send him a check?”
“Harold, the answer to that is pretty clear, don’t you think? He wanted to do right by his only son.”
“The DNA results aren’t in,” Harold uttered in response. “Until then, I won’t acknowledge him as my uncle’s son.”
“Robert recognized him as his son,” Natasha stated. “The results will be in by Tuesday, but in the eyes of the law, this is all that matters.”
Angry, Harold glared at her.
Natasha shrugged. “You may not want to hear the truth, but there’s no escaping it, Harold.”
He leaned forward in his chair. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”
“What?”
“Were you ever involved with my uncle?”
“No,” she uttered. “Robert DePaul was a mentor to me. Nothing more.”
“Hey, I just wondered, given his penchant for chocolate.”
Natasha resisted the urge to throw hot water into his face. “You are so despicable at times.”
“Hey, I do understand. For a while there we—”
She shook her head. “Don’t go there, Harold. You were the one who couldn’t handle being seen with a black woman on your arm. You don’t mind when it’s behind closed doors, but out in the open…”
She glimpsed a flash of anger in his eyes.
“I have a lot of respect for you, Natasha, but I have to warn you. Don’t push me. I truly cared for her.”
“You broke her heart.” Harold was involved with her roommate, Trudy, when they were in college. “When people suspected you were dating her—actually, when your friends started to question you—that’s when you dumped her. She was in love with you.”
The air was pregnant with tense silence for a moment.
“Do you ever hear from her?”
Natasha nodded.
“How is she?”
“What do you care, Harold?”
He opened his checkbook and began writing. “I trust you will do your best to convince Malcolm Alexander to sell the hotel properties. I can’t wait for this wave of humiliation to be over. We haven’t even been allowed to grieve for my uncle in peace.”
“Why does this bother you so much?” she questioned. “Is this about race?”
“No,” Harold responded forcefully. “I have been like a son to Uncle Robert. He used to tell me that I was like a son to him. He knew how much I loved the hotels…he knew, but he leaves them to someone he thinks is his child. I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t make sense.”
“It made perfect sense to your uncle, Harold.”
“Whose side are you on, Natasha?”
“Harold, I am helping you,” she pointed out. “But I am not going to lie about your uncle’s state of mind during his illness. His last wishes were very clear.”
“Natasha, all I want is what should have been mine from the beginning. The hotels should be mine. Actually, the entire estate should have been left to me. I was the one who never abandoned Uncle Robert. I was by his side when he died.”
“So you think he shouldn’t have left anything for his son?”
“I didn’t say that, Natasha. My uncle was always feeling sorry for those less fortunate. He gave away so much money…”
“He was a very generous man, Harold. I admired that about him.”
“Yet all he left you was a mere ten thousand dollars and the deed to your office building.”
“He didn’t have to do that,” Natasha countered. “I’m very grateful to Robert.”
Harold chuckled. “Look at you. You are always loyal to the very end.”
Natasha chose not to respond.
He rose to his feet. “As soon as you hear from Malcolm Alexander, I trust you will let me know.”
“This is the agreement we have,” she responded. “I’m not dense, Harold. You don’t have to beat me over the head with this. The ball is in Malcolm’s court at this point.”
“It’s up to you to persuade him to our way of thinking,” he insisted.
Natasha’s mood veered sharply to anger. “Thanks again for dinner, Harold, but I’m feeling really tired.”
“Kicking me out?” he asked.
Natasha folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t mean to be rude, Harold. I’m just tired.”
“I understand.” He made his way to the door. “Your son is looking well. I pray that he stays that way.”
“Goodbye, Harold.” She threw the words at him like stones.
When he was gone, Natasha released a long sigh of relief. She had known Harold for a very long time, but there was something about him that bothered her. There were times he seemed racist, but then there was his relationship with her former roommate. But like Robert, he worried too much about what his family thought of him. He was more like a puppet.
One of the things she admired about Ari was that he was comfortable in his own skin. He respected Malcolm but wasn’t afraid to disagree with him. It’s too bad he was already taken, she thought sadly. Lately, it seemed good men usually were either dead or married.
The telephone rang, and Ari answered it, since he was the only one close by.
“Ari?” the voice said on the other end. “It’s Natasha. I was calling to speak to your father.”
Her voice was a velvet murmur.
Ari felt his heart race, and he swallowed hard. “Hello, Natasha.”
“I’m sorry—did I call the wrong number?” she asked. “I thought I was calling your father.”
“No, it’s the right number. We’re all here with my parents this weekend,” he explained. “Mom and Dad just left for their walk. They should be back in about thirty minutes.”
“Oh,” she murmured.
“Did you need something?” he asked, not wanting to end the call.
“No, Ari, I just wanted to check in with your father. Just in case he had some questions. If he does, he can call me back.”
“I’ll tell him that you called,” Ari told her. “Don’t tell me that you work on your days off. You should be out enjoying the California sunshine.”
“How is the weather in Georgia?” she inquired. “It’s been raining all day here.”
“Nice,” he responded. “Humid, though.”
They sat on the phone for a brief moment in silence.
“I don’t want to keep you from your family, Ari. Enjoy
the rest of your day.”
“Do you want my dad to call you back?”
“It can wait until tomorrow. I don’t want to disrupt your family gathering.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
His voice cut the silence. “Well, I’m about to beat up on my brothers in basketball. Don’t work too hard, Miss LeBlanc. Have some fun.”
“Is that your way of telling me that you have skills?”
Ari laughed. “I’m just saying.”
“I’d like to hear how that game really turns out,” she remarked.
“Hey, I can play some ball. I’m not bragging, though—I’m just saying.”
Natasha chuckled. “I’m not bragging either, but I have b-ball skills, too.”
Her words surprised him. “Really?”
“I attended college on an athletic scholarship,” Natasha responded matter-of-factly.
“I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be until you see me out on the court.”
Ari chuckled. “I’m going to have to check you out.”
“I don’t play as much as I used to,” she told him. “I was in an adult league, but I have a lot going on in my life right now.”
“It was nice talking to you, Natasha. I’ll let my dad know that you called.”
They ended the call.
Ari turned to find his sister Zaire standing there, her arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face. “I thought she was the enemy.”
He gave a short laugh. “I wouldn’t exactly call her the enemy, Zaire.”
“If she’s not with us, then she has to be against us.” Her voice was cold and exact. “You better watch yourself around that woman, Ari.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” He followed her outside.
“I can’t believe you’re in here talking about playing basketball,” Zaire grumbled. “The only sport she’s playing is you.”
Her words gave Ari pause. It was true that he didn’t trust Natasha, but would she try to get to his father through him?
Chapter 7
Ari, Blaze and Drayden met their father for lunch on Monday. Malcolm wanted to speak with his sons alone.
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