Hope Is Love

by Hubbard, Sylvia

  In the quietness of the room, she heard a child's giggle and then she heard the low muffled voices of two women. Moving about the room guided by the voices, she found a vent on the edge of the floor by a dresser. Squatting down, she pressed her ear against the vent to hear what was being said.

  "...could he bring some vagrant into your home though, Nicole?" the voice asked incredulously.

  Jona couldn't recognized the voice because they sounded like they were speaking through a Styrofoam cup, but she knew the voice was female.

  Nicole answered, "Doesn't matter what she is, Monica. She saved his life. That's all that matters between Ethan and I when it concerns her. She could have left him in that dumpster for dead, but she didn't and that proves that she's someone we need to keep around... or at least James wants to keep her around.

  "She could be up there stealing any and everything not nailed down."

  "James wouldn't have his wealth now if she hadn't saved his life, so she could take everything and we don't care."

  "Aren't you worried she might even have rabies?"

  Jona was getting ticked off at this woman with her negativity. Who the hell was this Monica?

  Nicole only laughed, but Jona didn't find anything funny about the woman's question. Although Nicole's laugh was tight and Jona could just imagine Nicole looking perturbed at this woman. "You're being ridiculous, Monica, plus the doctors checked her out thoroughly. Her blood work came back last night. She's clean. Probably more cleaner than any woman James has ever been with."

  There was an indignant snort, but Jona couldn't tell if the sound had come from Monica or Nicole.

  "She's truly not James type." Monica snidely refuted. "Unless her vagrant husband is running around here somewhere."

  "Yes, you're right about that," Nicole said with a bit of disappointment in her voice. "James does prefer attached women, but you have to understand we aren't dealing with the James we know. You should see him with her. He seems to get some kind of joy protecting her. He reminds me of Ethan when he's around her. So different from the selfish James."

  Nicole changed the subject. "But I was clearly insistent about you not coming today. You caused a very uncomfortable situation considering what's going on."

  "I know," Monica said with her voice deep with remorse. "But I've helped James for so long I just had to come."

  Jona touched her stomach because she had a feeling Monica was lying to her bones, and her gut was turning over in disgust.

  "Bullshit!" Nicole sneered suddenly.

  Her change of voice really surprised Jona.

  Nicole continued, "Don't think I don't know how you use to google over that man all day and all night. You didn't work all those long hours for nothing. You really thought your dedication would eventually pay off and give you some reward so he could look your way, didn't you?"

  "My motives for being here are not in any ways trying to seduce James. I just want to make sure he's okay."

  "He has a brother..."

  Jona didn't have a chance to hear the rest of the response as she heard a voice clear above her. Looking up she was startled to see Mitch hand in hand with a very younger version of Nicole. Her small hand covered her mouth and she looked very amused at catching Jona being nosey.

  Jumping to her feet in embarrassment, she bit her lip and nodded at Mitch.

  "I wanna see!?" the little girl said, pressing her nose on the vent and then turning away with dirt on her nose.

  Mitch pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed the dirt off the child's face. "Ms Cami and I thought since you were dawdling we should bring your breakfast to you?" He nodded toward the table where a large tray of breakfast food was.

  Suddenly Jona was very ravenous and went over to the table. Immediately she began the dig in the food as if she hadn't eaten in months. When her mouth was full and her hands were completely covered the all particles of food, Jona heard Mitch's throat clearing again in disapproval. She had been so hungry she had forgotten they were still in the room.

  The little girl had her hand over her mouth yet again covering up the giggle that wanted to burst forth.

  Jona chewed furiously so she could get some of the food out of her mouth. Drinking down the orange juice in large gulps, she used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.

  Mitch only kept the disapproving look on his face.

  To take the focus off her eating, she asked, "You didn't clean my coat, did you?"

  "No ma'am," Mitch said in disdain. "It's in the back yard shed where no one came smell it."

  "Can I go back there? Or is it locked?"

  "It's open. No one would dare touch it, much less steal it."

  "What's yo name?" Cami asked, walking closer to Jona.

  Jona noticed that Mitch didn't snatch the little girl back as most people did when they decided to approach Jona. Yet, she had to remember she was semi cleaned up and there wasn't much to fear from her.

  "Jona."

  "Where's your Momma?" the child questioned.

  "She's d..." Jona stopped herself unsure if she should just say her mother was dead to a young child. Being considerate and glancing at the hard look Mitch gave her, she said, "She's not around. She had to go to heaven."

  Cami came up close to Jona and tenderly cupped Jona's cheek as if to comfort her for a moment.

  "We'd better get to our chores, Ms. Cami before you have to be off again. Come now and hopefully Ms. Jona will join us for dinner," Mitch said.

  "I will," Jona promised.

  The little girl went over to take Mitch's outstretched hand and exuberantly waved goodbye to Jona.

  Jona watched as they left and then went to the bathroom to take another shower, brush her teeth, comb out her hair before re-wrapping it back up and then changed into the clothes left on a chair in the bedroom. It was a plain white t-shirt and some jogging pants. There were no shoes in the room and the boots she had been wearing were grubby, so she decided to just leave her socks on and go downstairs to face Nicole and this crazy heifer named Monica.

  Whoever she was, Jona knew she needed to put on a strong emotional shield and get ready for battle.

  Chapter 17

  Quietly she went down the stairs, but she didn't see anyone in the front room as she had the previous night. The whole place was decked out in the best furniture and the most expensive decor. She had never seen any black woman live in a home so decadent and was envious, yet curiosity as to how Nicole had acquired so much tickled her inquisitiveness.

  Finding the kitchen, she fully expected to see two women in there, but was disappointed to see only Nicole, putting away some dirty dishes off the counter and then turning to her with a warm smile. "You're up."

  "Yes, I've been up since James left out of the room. I'm not used to just laying around."

  Nicole sighed in sympathy. "It took a long time for me to get used to Ethan sleeping late in the bed some days. I know what you mean. I used to get up early and go to bed late working my fingers to the bone. Some days I still do with the laundry business depending on what the season is."

  "You work for your husband's business?" Jona questioned.

  "No, I manage my own company. Well, it's half of my company and it's my partner’s most profitable investment as he so tells me all the time." Nicole came up to her. "Do you drink coffee?"

  Jona shook her head wondering if she should ask about the other woman's voice, but then she'd have to admit she'd been sneaky. Mitch could have told Jona's secret already though.

  "What do you do to wake up?"

  "Move around and just don't stop moving," Jona answered obviously.

  Nicole laughed and looped arms with Jona as if they were buddy-buddy and started to lead her out of the kitchen towards the steps again. "I must try that one day, because I'm so addicted to caffeine if they stopped producing it tomorrow, I'd die... or at least I think I might. Plus Ethan makes this wonderful brew..." Her eyes rolled in her eyes, but Jona had a feeling that look was for something else.<
br />
  "What does everyone mean that I'm not James type?" Jona asked.

  Nicole stopped mid-stairs on purpose and looked a lot worried. "James... the old James liked to borrow things from people, mostly wives of husbands. According to Ethan, James had watched his father cheat on his mother, until they were ten years old and then he was faithful as geese, but he thought to help his son's stay away from horrible women by making sure he ruined any woman who tried to get close to his sons. He was harder on James than he was on Ethan, which is probably why James is like he is. He's never wanted something of his own, ever, until now."

  Jona couldn't believe James wanted her for his own. The thought alone made her grip her chest and hold her breath for just a moment. Swallowing hard, she said, "He doesn't want me. He just wants to help me because I saved his life."

  "I wish I could just believe that and I would have until I saw him this morning talking about you, glowing like a light bulb." Nicole continued walking up the stairs with Jona arm and arm. "But if you don't believe me, just ask him. He's the new James and it seems this one doesn't lie or deceive."

  "Ask him what?"

  They paused at the top of the stairs. "Does he want to keep you for himself?" Nicole said as if it was obvious.

  "But-"

  "My grandmother used to say, there's not stupid questions and when it concerns the heart only the true answer will stir the soul."

  Jona didn't want to think about this. "What if ..." Her breath caught in her throat again. "What if he comes back? The old James?"

  "We'll cross that bridge when we get to that, but I will be there to help you, Jona. I will be there to help you get through all of this emotional confusion. I will be a friend, if you'll let me."

  Jona had never had a real girlfriend before and Nicole's honesty made her bite her lip to hold a sob back. She had to swallow away the emotions and nodded.

  Nicole smiled as if honored by an acquiesce of friendship. "Now let's go in and have your first girl day."

  "What's a girl day?" Jona asked confused.

  "It's where you treat your body like a temple and trust me, you will love it!" They started down the hallway walking in the opposite direction of where Jona had slept the prior night. "I had them set up in our Master suite since it's the biggest room in the house and I warned them to go slow with you and no over doing things or unnecessary things."

  "I don't want to get all that make up on my face," Jona said worried. "And no chemicals in my hair."

  "I promise."

  "I plan on going back to my life when his memory comes back and I get my reward," Jona said determinedly.

  "I doubt that after your girl's day, but I will make sure nothing unnecessary that you can't keep up with will be done," Nicole promised.

  As much as she wanted to believe that promise, Jona felt there was something behind all of this. “You aren't gonna try to stop me from leaving, are you?” Jona asked suspiciously.

  “Oh never that,” Nicole answered. “At least I won't stop you once James has his full memory back and we know enough from you to at least find out who tried to kill him. He said you promised to stay until his memory is fully regained. I think if you see a little of James’ world, you might see his murderer. You did promise to stay, right?”

  “I did,” Jona said with a quick nod becoming more and more nervous as they neared the large oak forbidding double doors at the end of the hall.

  “Are you nervous?” Nicole questioned rubbing Jona’s back.

  “A little. Just a little. Are there a lot of things they do to your body? You know painful things?

  Now Nicole looked shocked, “Honestly, if you've never had one, they're more embarrassing than painful. Maybe because there are people around to see you haven't been taking care of your body like a real woman should. But the moment you don't want someone around you just say so, ok? Even if it’s me. Don't be too shy to say so. I won't mind. Promise?”

  Jona nodded and let Nicole open the door. The room looked like a spa she'd seen in those magazines complete with a massage table, salon chair and a bathtub smack dab in the middle of the room.

  Walking in warily as if she were entering some kind of dream world, Jona really felt she was walking right in one of the pictures she'd seen in the magazine.

  “Aunt Jona!” Cami squealed in the corner, trying to wiggle out of a super model blonde hair blue eyed woman that Jona would swear had grace the cover of a magazine. She was more perfect looking than a Barbie doll and Jona seriously thought the woman was part of her imagination until she saw the cold ruthless look in those blue eyes.

  Cami was finally let loose from the woman when she started to pull at the blonde’s hair and she ran to Jona with her arms in the air. “Pick up, Auntie Jona. Pick up!” she insisted.

  Jona wasn’t used to turning her back or ignoring danger, but she wasn’t in her normal world and things of danger weren’t always what they seemed.

  “I’m sorry,” Nicole apologized, picking up the one year old that was desperately wiggling, trying to get over to Jona. “Mitch must have insisted she call you Aunt because he has an aversion to children calling adults by their first names.”

  “It’s fine,” Jona said feeling a little shaken up.

  Mitch came in the room and Nicole handed Cami over to him. “Please take her and keep her occupied for just a moment Mitch until I can get Jona comfortable.”

  Without hesitation he took the child and left.

  Jona could now concentrate on the blonde, who still was glaring at her as if she had stolen something, but when Nicole started speaking again, the blonde seemed to suddenly hide her emotions.

  “Monica, I’d like you to meet Jona, who saved James and Jona, I’d like you to meet Monica, James’ ex-long time assistant,” Nicole introduced.

  Monica smiled brightly as if it were some kind of honor, but Jona only looked down at her hand in disdained. Cami came running in the room grabbing onto Jona as if her life depended on it.

  Mitch came running in the room out of breath. “I apologize ma’am. Ms. Cami is a slippery miss.”

  Jona was glad about the interruption because it gave her a perfect excuse not to touch the blonde woman.

  “Look Aunt Jona!” Cami said leading her over to the large makeshift bathtub in the room. “Bathtime! Bathtime!” The child began to stripe off her clothes.

  Nicole giggled in embarrassment picking up the one year old again and handing her to Mitch. “This time, Mitch, keep a better hold.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he promised taking the wiggling child out the room again.

  Jona still stared down at the bathtub amazed again. Water had been filled inside and she reached down and touched the warm liquid. “It smells so good,” she said.

  “Every woman needs a good bath once in a while.”

  “I haven’t had one in such a long time,” Jona admitted.

  Monica snorted, “Good lord, Nicole, you really weren’t kidding. She really is a vagrant!”

  Jona had every right to be upset at the comment, but she was overly consumed with memories; Memories of the alley; Memories of voices; Memories of gunshots…

  There was no doubt in her mind that this voice coming from Monica was the same voice she had heard the day James was shot… This was Chelsea!

  * * *

  “Where’s your ring?” Jaelen questioned, looking with a frown at James’ finger.

  Jaelen had been in the limousine when Ethan and James entered. He had a frown even then, but James remembered this was Jaelen’s nature. He acted coolly, yet with a fake curious expression on his face until Ethan introduced Jaelen to James.

  Jaelen didn’t look too surprised that James’ memory was still lost. Matter of fact he looked relieved and James had to wonder why. Did Jaelen have something to do with his attempted murder?

  Ethan noticed the ring was missing too. “He’s right, James. The ring Mother gave you is gone.”

  James just realized his ring that had always been on h
is finger was gone. “How’d you know I wear a ring?” he questioned Jaelen suspiciously.

  “I saw the light mark on your finger,” Jaelen said as if it were obvious. "Plus I remember Ethan telling me about how he thought your mother had the ring made for him, when it was really for you - the highly favored son." His sarcasm was dripping on every word.

  James didn’t feel comfortable with that answer. Jaelen had never liked James’ and often warned Ethan to stay the hell away from the mean tempered man. Many times it had been frustrating for James to try to make up with his brother because Jaelen often deterred James' efforts verbally.

  Keeping his animosity for Jaelen put away, he said, “I don’t know, Ethan about any ring, but Jaelen’s right I must have been wearing something for a long time on my finger. Do you think I was wearing it before I was hurt?”

  “You’d die before you put that ring away from you," Ethan answered. "I mean you may have taken it off, but you definitely never put it down. We have your clothes and I didn’t recover anything from the pockets of value. I’ll let Sheriff know about this.”

  “So tell me about the girl,” Jaelen said.

  “There’s nothing to tell,” James said very quickly and very protectively.

  “There isn’t much to tell honestly,” Ethan also agreed. “We have evaluated her as being healthy, but her past isn’t much that we know in detail.”

  “Nothing? She didn’t pop out of the ground like a damn dandelion,” Jaelen snarled, “I could get Onyx-“

  Ethan cut Jaelen off. “You won’t get that devil’s advocate in my brother’s business, Jaelen. She does more harm than good.”

  “Why? Does James have something to hide? You don’t know how insane this girl could be, Ethan,” Jaelen warned. “You have her around your kid. Your wife! Your house.”

  “She won’t hurt anyone,” James vouched.

  “How would you know?” Jaelen sneered. “You met the cunt two days ago and now you’re down like four flat tires.”