Gotta Get Next To You

by Emery, Lynn

  “I mean we’re mature and experienced enough to handle it.”

  “Sure,” he said without conviction. “So we’ll work together like nothing happened?”

  Andrea lifted her chin. “Okay, there’s a kind of basic physical attraction. But we both know giving in would be a disaster, so I say we try to stay out of each other’s way for a while.”

  Jamal nodded slowly. “How long do you think it will take? A few days? A week? A month?”

  “I don’t know,” Andrea blurted out in exasperation. “We’ll take it one day at a time.”

  “Okay.” Jamal was silent for a few moments.

  Andrea did not look at him. She was afraid that her fragile resolve would disintegrate if she did. Still, she could almost cut the tension and ambivalence in the air between them. Both of them were holding back.

  “Maybe it would be easier if we talked it out,” Jamal said.

  “Well…” Andrea shook her head.

  “In a neutral place. I think trying to ignore it will only make things worse. Let’s get it out in the open.” “Maybe discussing the objective reasons we should only be colleagues will help.” Andrea risked a glance at him.

  “Let’s go somewhere, have lunch and talk.”

  Andrea thought about his suggestion for several seconds. “No, I think you’d better leave.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right at that.” He took a deep breath, slapped his palms against his thighs, and then turned to leave. “See ya round.”

  “Right.”

  She watched him walk away. It was sixty seconds of internal debate. The urge to shout for him to come back warred with her practical self. She could not afford to jeopardize her credibility by plunging into a torrid affair with a handsome employee. Not to mention the danger to her sense of emotional security. Fear of another painful betrayal loomed larger than any concern about the opinions of others. If any man was a heartbreak on two legs, it was the alluring, sensuous Jamal Turner. She had to get over this insane lapse in judgment. Andrea stared out the window for another two hours. She didn’t get any more unpacking done that day. It would take days for the tingle to fade, if it ever did.

  Chapter 12

  Charlene bounced into her living room carrying a tray with glasses of diet cola. “Here we are darlin’. I’m so glad you called. I just knew we’d have fun once you got home.” She beamed at Andrea.

  “I thought we should talk.”

  “Wonderful. You know, I think as adults we can discuss things so much easier.” Charlene took the slice of lime from the edge of her glass and dropped it into the soft drink. She sipped from it and sighed.

  “I’m so glad you feel that way,” Andrea said.

  She tapped a foot on the carpet and prepared to broach the subject of Charlene’s act at the fund-raiser. It had obviously been aimed at John Mandeville. For days Andrea had debated bringing it up at all. Yet if she was to live in Bayou Blue within a stone’s throw of her controversial and flamboyant parents, some kind of understanding was essential. Charlene could not stage such stunts using Andrea as a pawn.

  “I understand you and that fine young man are really hot for each other,” Charlene said with a sly smile.

  Andrea stared at her in surprise, then blushed. “If she’s going to spread gossip, Gran should at least get it right. We’re co-workers on good terms.”

  “Very good terms, according to Mama. She—”

  “Has been sticking her little nose in my private life and I won’t have it,” Andrea broke in. “Jamal is nice, but not for me. I’m through with it.”

  “I don’t know why you keep fooling yourself. I could see it in both your eyes that night of the fund-raising party. Hot!” Charlene made a hissing sound and laughed at Andrea’s scowl.

  “Speaking of that night, just what were you trying to prove?” Andrea folded her arms across her chest.

  “Prove? I merely came to support my daughter’s efforts on behalf of a worthy cause.” Charlene showed no sign of guilt. She sipped from her glass again.

  “You went there to prance in front of John Mandeville and his wife. Admit it.”

  “I could care less what that crumbucket and his crummette think. Believe me.” Charlene wore a smug half smile.

  “Charlene—”

  “I’ve told you a million times, call me Mother. And what is this tone? You sound like Mama, for goodness’ sakes.” Charlene brushed back her hair with one hand.

  “You knew he’d be there,” Andrea pressed on, pointing a forefinger at her.

  Charlene lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t think about it really.”

  “Mother,” Andrea said through clenched teeth.

  “All right, so maybe I did have reason to think he would be there.” When Andrea’s lips pursed with disapproval, Charlene pouted. “It’s a free country, for crying out loud!”

  “Listen to me, this isn’t a game. The clinic is too important to a lot of people. You could even say it’s a life-line. We can prevent serious illness, even premature deaths, with the care we give. I—”

  “Fine, fine. No lectures. Sheesh, you’re more like your grandmother every day.” Charlene put her glass down.

  Andrea sighed with frustration. “And you act more childish the older you get.”

  “Now, just a minute, young woman, I’ve had enough of your condescension.” Charlene glared at her.

  “Charlene—” Andrea bit off the rest of her sentence when Charlene’s mouth flew open. “Mother, you never thought that maybe your dramatic scenes might affect my ability to work and live in Bayou Blue?”

  “These people know better. John wouldn’t allow it, baby.” Charlene patted her knee. “Don’t you worry.” “You’ve overlooked something. Victoria Mandeville has influence of her own.”

  “Pooh! Vicky may be a poor dresser and a little plain, but she’s not stupid. She won’t cross John, not on this.” Charlene smiled with confidence.

  Andrea tried to figure her mother out, something she’d been trying to do since childhood.

  “You seem very sure of that.”

  “I am. The board is behind you one hundred percent. Of course, you’re doing a fantastic job,” Charlene said. “We told them so. It’s better to let them take credit for finding a wonderful director.”

  The word “we” rang in her ears as loud as a bell. Still Andrea kept control. “Thanks. And thank John for me.” “He was happy to do it after I…” Charlene’s voice faded. Her eyes widened with alarm. “Let me explain.” Andrea stood up. “Oh, you better believe I want to hear an explanation.”

  “There’s that tone again.”

  “You lied to me from day one. What was your story? Oh yeah, some pal of yours in Health Services told you about the job. I should have known better.”

  “Andrea, calm down!” Charlene stood and tried to get her attention.

  “I don’t need or want his help. Why can’t you understand that? He wasn’t there for me.”

  “What does it matter? He owed you that much and more! I never lied about wanting you home, wanting to get closer to you.” Charlene raised her voice to be heard.

  Andrea continued to pace and talk. “I don’t want anything from him. Louis Noble was more man than he’ll ever be. He was my father in every true sense of the word.”

  “You listen to me, Andrea. I did it for you.”

  Andrea whirled around and faced Charlene. “For me? I’m supposed to be happy you crawled to that man again for me?”

  Charlene’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve never crawled to him or any man,” she snapped.

  “John Mandeville never once lifted a finger to help you or openly claim me. We’re his dirty little secret. The way he snuck around with you shows what he thought about us.”

  “You stop it this instant.” Charlene shook a finger in her face.

  “And you let him do it! You were so happy to bag a rich man; you didn’t care about your self-respect or me!” Andrea shouted. “In fact, I’ll bet you used getting me a job a
s an excuse to see him.”

  Charlene flinched as if she’d been slapped. Her eyes glistened with tears. “How dare you talk to me this way,” she said in a wavering voice. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but you could at least give me some credit. I made a choice to be with John, that’s true. But if you think I ever let him debase me, then you don’t know me very well.”

  “You two met in the shadows, ducking and hiding so his white society pals wouldn’t be offended.” Andrea did not back down.

  “We kept our affair secret, yes. It was reality back then, Andrea. We were just kids trying to figure out what we felt and what to do about it. Interracial dating wasn’t just frowned on. It could get someone hurt, even killed.”

  Andrea shivered at the grave tone of Charlene’s voice. Her mother’s expression was just as solemn, her face pinched. Andrea had never seen her so stricken.

  “Did something happen?” Andrea asked quietly.

  “Daddy wanted to confront John. It took two of his brothers and all three of your uncles to hold him down when he found out.” Charlene sank onto the sofa. “Mama begged them to stay all night to make sure he wouldn’t do something crazy. I would never have been able to live with it if he’d been hurt.”

  “My Lord,” Andrea murmured.

  “I was young and in love, or at least what I thought was love.” Charlene massaged her forehead. “Even after I married Louis, it took me years to realize how stupid I’d been.”

  Andrea thought of the whispers about Louis and how his marriage to Charlene had changed his life for the worse. Always the talk ended abruptly when they realized Andrea was nearby. Charlene seemed in the mood to talk openly about Louis and their marriage for the first time. Questions crowded her head, but dread froze her tongue. It was still a subject too painful to broach. Andrea recoiled from probing such a tender wound. Not yet, she told herself. She wasn’t ready.

  “I didn’t mean to be so bitter.” Andrea tried to hold back the tears, but they escaped anyway.

  Charlene hugged Andrea. “I know I haven’t been the best mother, but I do love you.”

  “And I love you, too, Mommy.” Andrea closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of her mother’s expensive perfume. “I’m sorry for those awful things I said.”

  “Shh, don’t even think about it again.”

  Charlene crooned soothingly and cradled Andrea in her embrace. They held on to each other for comfort. Once more they’d successfully backed away from the past.

  Charlene went to her bedroom and came back seconds later with a decorative box of facial tissues. They smiled at each other self-consciously and dabbed at their eyes.

  “I’m glad we talked about this. I really am,” Charlene said between delicate sniffles. “You know, I think we’ve made a breakthrough. And we didn’t have to go on one of those trashy talk shows to do it!”

  “Oh, Charlene, you’re too much!” Andrea smiled in spite of herself. Her mother could always charm her way out of anything too somber.

  “So you’re not mad at me.” It was a statement of certainty. Charlene was her old self again. “I knew you’d understand.”

  “Hold on, I didn’t say what you did was right,” Andrea protested.

  “Oh, will you just admit the ends justified the means!” Charlene waved a hand dramatically. “Charlene,” Andrea said with eyebrows raised. “You’re back in the bosom of your loving family, you love your job, and those poor patients are getting the best care they’ve had in years.”

  “It’s more than the way John Mandeville behaved thirty years ago. He’s trouble. Everything he’s involved in seems to be shady.” Andrea crossed her arms again. “Now I wonder just how much of the gossip about the clinic is true.”

  “We both know about gossip. We’ve been the subject of it before.” Charlene made a rude noise. “Don’t pay attention to it.”

  “It’s more than gossip. The records are a mess aid I can’t find some valuable equipment.” Andrea grimaced. “I’m going to take another look at those files. I was blaming it all on incompetence. Now …”

  “Of course that’s all it was,” Charlene piped up. “Listen to me, John is a ruthless businessman and he may break a few rules.”

  “A few rules? What about that insurance scandal ten years ago?” Andrea stared at Charlene.

  “He was never directly linked to anything illegal.” “At least no one could prove it. He’s slippery,” Andrea said.

  Charlene ignored the dig and pressed on. “Andrea, John is far from perfect, but I’ve known him for a long time. He’ll only go so far.”

  “Which is pretty far. John Mandeville could get away with murder in this state even if they found him standing over a dead body holding a gun,” Andrea retorted.

  “Don’t exaggerate,” Charlene said with a wave of her hand. “Besides, John wouldn’t waste his time on petty theft.”

  “Oh, I get it. Because he wears thousand-dollar suits and steals millions, this would be beneath him?” Andrea frowned at her reasoning.

  “I never said he was a thief, so don’t put words in my mouth.” Charlene shook a finger at Andrea’s nose. “Shame on you, believing nasty talk about your—”

  “Don’t call him my father,” Andrea cut her off. “You know how I feel about that.”

  “Okay, okay.” Charlene sighed. “Anyway, the point is, he’s not as bad as you think.”

  Andrea pressed her lips together. Charlene had tried for the past fifteen years to convince her not to despise John Mandeville. It didn’t work. In her own strange twist of logic, Charlene had thought Andrea would turn to him as a father figure after Louis died. At first Charlene had been terrified when Andrea finally found out the truth when she was fifteen. Then she’d openly talked about John. The result was that Andrea’s loyalty to Louis, her true father, had deepened and her anger toward Charlene had increased. In her mind Charlene had never appreciated Louis. Charlene’s voice broke through her thoughts.

  “Well?”

  Andrea blinked back to the present. Strange how the feelings from her childhood were still so vivid and strong. “Well what?”

  “Are you going to see John?” Charlene leaned forward with a serious expression.

  “You two cooked up some scheme. This is too much. You’re having an affair with him!” Andrea fell back against the sofa cushions.

  “There is nothing between us except that we both want the best for you. I swear it, Drea.” Charlene put a hand on Andrea’s arm. “He really would like to make up for all those lost years.”

  Andrea shook her head. “We’re not exactly the Brady Bunch. I can’t blend into his family.”

  “Well, of course not. But you can have an adult relationship with him. So it’ll be … different as far as father-and-daughter relationships go.”

  “Different is right!” Andrea retorted. “Charlene, what am I going to do with you?”

  “Call me Mother.” Charlene patted her hand and sat back.

  “Oh my God,” Andrea said with a groan, and covered her face with her hands.

  “You don’t have to decide this minute. Think about it.” Charlene popped up and went to the kitchen with the tray and glasses. She returned moments later.

  Andrea looked at her. “You must know this whole situation is bizarre. The only reason I considered living in Bayou Blue is because he lives miles outside of town.” Charlene sat next to her and smiled with catlike satisfaction. “I figured you’d think of that.”

  “Wonderful. And here I thought I’d made the decision to come home,” Andrea said.

  “You did, baby. I just helped you to it, that’s all,” Charlene replied.

  “Well, you did make one good point. I can’t see John Mandeville caring about petty theft. But I don’t see why he cares about a health clinic that serves poor people.” Andrea held up a hand when Charlene started to speak. “Please, don’t tell me he’s just saintly.”

  “Frankly, he likes being in control the way his daddy and granddaddy
were all those years. Mandevilles have been running things in Lafourche Parish for over eighty years.”

  “Thank you for that honest explanation.” Andrea gazed at her in surprise.

  “As I said, you’re not a little girl anymore. I want our relationship to be special.” Charlene’s expression seemed sincere. “And John wants to get to know you, too. He’s mellowed in the last few years. Maybe it’s because he’s not close to any of his children.”

  “I’ll have to think about it some more.” A whole lot more, Andrea added silently.

  “Fine, subject closed.” Charlene tilted her head to one side. “Now back to you and that magnificent man. You’re so lucky to have him working right next to you all day long.”

  Andrea glanced away from Charlene. “ ‘Working’ is the right word, nothing else.”

  “So you keep saying. I can’t understand why you’re fighting it. If it were me, I’d—” Charlene stopped when Andrea squinted at her.

  “There are a half dozen reasons why Jamal is Mr. Wrong.”

  “I’ll bet you can’t remember one when he smiles at you, my dear,” Charlene said shrewdly.

  “Which makes him even more dangerous,” Andrea tossed back.

  “And it makes you even more scared. You want to reason your way through everything. But the heart doesn’t care about reason, logic, or if two plus two equals four.”

  “I don’t want to make another mistake,” Andrea said quietly.

  Charlene put an arm around Andrea and pulled her close. “There are no guarantees. It’ll be an even bigger mistake to pass up what may be the love of your life.” “That’s a stretch,” Andrea said quickly. “I hardly know him.”

  Charlene sighed. “I wish there was a man that looked at me with that kind of passion in his eyes.”

  “Oh, come on,” Andrea said. Still she shivered at the memory of how they’d touched.

  “Now who’s not being honest?” Charlene murmured. She kissed Andrea’s cheek lightly, and then got up.

  “It’s almost twelve. Let’s grab lunch, maybe a couple of shrimp salads, and talk some more.”

  Andrea and Charlene spent the rest of the day together. They did indeed talk, but of nothing too deep or serious. Sitting at a patio table at Copeland’s on St. Charles, they spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon. As she drove home to Bayou Blue, Andrea pondered the two new men in her life and Charlene’s advice on both.