“Thanks,” she said quietly, unable to meet his gaze.
“You’re welcome,” Larry said. “Enjoy.”
He shook his head as he looked across at the twins who were snickering until their shoulders were shaking. “Look at you two. What are we going to do with them, Lord?”
The twins snickered even more. “Sorry, Dad,” Madison said. “It’s Mason’s fault.” She bumped Mason with her hip. “He’s talking crazy.”
Larry shook his head from side to side. “Be ready within an hour, Mason” he said before walking out of the kitchen.
Some forty minutes later, Rozene managed to get her body temperature under control. She stared at herself in the mirror on the dressing table, wondering what on earth had possessed Larry to kiss her like that. Not that she didn’t enjoy it. It was simply troubling considering how he’d been treating her since she’d arrived home.
Her cell phone started to vibrate, and she glanced at it on the bed, but decided to ignore it.
Larry poked his head through the room door. “We’re leaving. We’ll all meet up say three o’clock. You and Madison can decide on the meeting spot and text or call us. Do you need to get that?” Larry asked pointing to her phone.
“No. I’ll return the call later.” Thankfully, the phone stopped vibrating.
“Okay,” Larry said moving away. “We are off and running.”
“We are right behind you,” she said, grabbing her purse from the bed. She reached for her cell phone. Private number.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Madison asked.
Rozene jumped. She was so busy wishing Chandler away that she didn’t see Madison enter the room. She gave Madison a slight smile. “I am now. Looking forward to our time together.”
“Me too.”
Just then, her cell phone began to vibrate and she glanced at the screen. Private number. She fixed her gaze before looking at Madison. “Baby, I’ll meet you downstairs. Give me a moment, I need to take this.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Rozene was waiting for the door to close behind Madison when Larry entered the room. Her knees went weak, and she stared wide-eyed at him, her mouth gaping.
Larry stopped in his tracks. “Is something wrong?”
“No! No.”
“Are you going to get that?” he asked, moving towards the lounge area in the room.
“Yes.”
Rozene’s palms began to sweat as she silently urged the phone to stop vibrating, and it did. But her relief was short lived, it started vibrating again. She decided to answer, because the last thing she wanted was to raise Larry’s suspicion, any further.
“Hello,” she answered cautiously, moving towards the door, and hoping to get through it before Larry finished what he was doing. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw Larry walking towards her and had to stop herself from running. In the back of her mind, she heard a response from the caller.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“It’s Don. Happy Saturday! You seem busy. Did I call at a bad time?”
Relief hit her and she leaned against the door post, and glanced up to see a puzzled look on Larry’s face. She ignored Larry’s expression and focused on her conversation. “Hi! Did you change your number? I know you called before. Sorry, I was getting ready to head out.”
“No, I didn’t call before. And no, I haven’t changed my number. I’m using Derek’s phone. Ran out of the house and left my phone. My son has me running all over the city before he heads back to the university. But enough about me. You ran across my mind so I was giving you a shout out. I know the twins are here for the weekend. Hope all is going well.”
“Thanks, Don. We are doing great. Glad to have the children home. Such a blessing. We are hanging out today.” She glanced at Larry who was motioning for her to walk and talk at the same time, and she did.
“I like the sound of that,” Don told her.
Rozene smiled as she descended the stairs with Larry. “Will be fun.”
“You know if you are having any issue with Chand-”
“Don, thanks, but-”
“I’m serious. Just let me know.”
“Let’s talk about that another time. I have three pairs of eyes looking at me crazy.”
“Okay. Talk with you soon.”
******
“Mom, thanks for your patience while we visited the center.” Madison smiled at her mother, three hours later. They had stopped for lunch at a deli. “Thanks for trusting me to help with managing it even though I’m away.”
“The pleasure was all mine. The girls were amazing as usual. You know, I’m thinking of changing the name of the center to yours.”
“Mom, nooo. The performing arts center carries your name. What would grandmama and grandpapa think? It was a gift from them to you.”
“All right, let me put some more thought into that. But it’s totally your baby now. You have been doing a great job with it.”
“Thanks, Mom. But please don’t change the name.”
“Okay, that’s on pause.” Rozene smiled at her. “You ran me ragged today. All that shopping, running from store to store.”
Madison feigned a look of shock. “Oh, Mom, not you. You’re always filled with so much energy.”
“Yes, but my poor feet.”
“A little rest will get your feet feeling like normal again.” Madison smiled, encouraging. “Our dancers’ feet covered a lot of ground. I wish you would start dancing again.”
Rozene waved Madison away. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Mom -” Madison paused as the waiter placed their meals before them. “Thanks, Joey.”
Joey smiled, telling her, “You are most welcome!” before taking his leave.
“Mom, you’re the one who told me folks can dance at any age. Have you changed your mind?”
Rozene wrinkled her nose. “Let’s pray before you take me to task.” She prayed, then told her, “No. Haven’t changed my mind. Dancing is such a fun activity. Everyone should dance, no matter the age.”
“Now you’re talking, Mom. I’m picturing a mother daughter dance. Can you see it?”
“I walked right into that one. Sadly, my eyes were open so no excuse will suffice. Yes, I can see it, in the distant future.”
Madison smiled, and then took up her sandwich. “There’s hope then. I can work with that.”
“It may cost you a bit, but you can always hope.”
Madison was quiet for a moment and Rozene knew that she had something important to say but couldn’t get it out.
“What else is going on with you? You told me how great your classes were. I heard about your praise dance classes, but is there something else that Mom needs to know.”
Madison blushed. “I’m in love, but it’s complicated.”
It was Rozene’s turn to feign a look of shock. “Complicated?”
“Of all the guys to fall for, I had to fall for one who doesn’t seem to be aware I exist.”
“Say it ain’t so,” Rozene teased.
“Mom, he acts as if he doesn’t know I have strong feelings for him. While I on the other hand, I’m all smitten.” She grabbed her chest. “I want to tattoo his name on my forehead.”
Rozene smiled at her with understanding. After all, she and Larry did fall in love during high school, at a tender age according to her mother. “It can’t be that bad. He’s probably trying to get himself together; you are quite a tough young lady you know.”
“I hope not that tough.” Madison sighed. “His name is Tyler. And Mom, when I tell you he loves the Lord, I mean he genuinely loves God. He’s the youth leader at the church Mason and I attend but he’s also studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. He has another year left in school.”
This is serious. Rozene watched as Madison glowed as she spoke. This was the first time Madison had ever confessed about being in love … ever.
“Mom, I love him endlessly. My code name for him is HC - Hot Chocolate.” A girlish giggle
escaped her lips. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
Rozene chuckled. “You sure did.”
“Mom, he has such a great heart for people and he is an amazing speaker,” Madison gushed. “I went to youth service one Friday evening and he spoke about love. He said, ‘Please don't say, I love you unless you mean it. Love is an action word. Saying, I love you comes with action, responsibility, and commitment.’ He blew me away in that service.”
“Are you friends? What’s going on?”
“Yes. We are friends. We are together on all the church’s outreach programs and he helps me whenever the dancers minister at church or at another venue. He volunteers to operate the music, and set the stage, and whatever else needs to be done. He’s always there even when Mason can’t help because of his soccer practice or something else. But, Mom, it seems he only wants to be friends.”
“Did he say that? How old is he?”
“No, but his body language says it all. He’s all of twenty two,” she said dreamily.
“Have you been praying about it?”
“Yes. I love him, Mom.”
Rozene smiled at her. “It’s going to work out for your good, baby. Continue to commit the situation to the Lord and let him lead you. We’ll get to meet him in December, right?”
“I hope so. Oh, remember, you promised to do a session with my dancers when you and Dad pick us up in December.”
“Yes, I remember. The appointment is on my-” Suddenly, the color drained from her face as she looked beyond Madison into the eyes of Chandler. Ignoring her you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look, Chandler moved towards her. His stylish white Ralph Lauren shorts and navy polo shirt enhanced his eye-popping, jaw-dropping allure, causing heads to turn in his direction. In the distance, Rozene heard Madison’s voice pulling her away from her straying thoughts but before she could respond, Chandler arrived at their table.
“Mrs. Kanate, great to see you,” he flashed his charming, megawatt smile, extending his hand to her. “How are you?”
“Mr. Peynard. I’m doing great.” Rozene had no choice but to shake his hand, after which she quickly return it to her side. She didn’t bother to ask how he was doing, but that didn’t deter him. Neither did her cool disposition. She stilled herself as he opened his mouth to speak.
“Doing really great myself,” he mentioned, oozing pure joy. His dreamy eyes confirming - now that I see you. He looked at Madison. “This must be Madison. So nice to meet you at last.”
Madison shook his hand, clearly puzzled. “Ah, nice to meet you too,” she said extending her hand.
Chandler shook her hand and then released it, but not before telling her. “Heard so many great things about you.”
Madison smiled, sending an eyebrow lift in her mother’s direction.
“Mr. Peynard at one time volunteered with my book tour team.” Rozene hastened to clarify. “Thanks so much for helping out,” she told Chandler, her expression telling him to buzz off.
He flashed her a sensational smile. “You are always welcome. Anything for you, Mrs. Kanate. If you ever need me, you know where to find me.” He smiled at Madison. “Nice to finally meet you. Forgive me for disturbing your lunch.”
Madison returned his smile obviously taken with his charm. “No problem. Nice meeting you too.”
“Have an amazing day,” Chandler said, before leaving.
“You too,” Madison responded, while Rozene nodded her thanks.
Rozene released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Now, where were we?”
Madison’s eyebrows shot up. “That was strangely disturbing. Nevertheless, that is a fine man, Mom.”
Rozene maintained her cool. “Is he? Let’s talk about your Mr. Fine.”
Madison gave her a look that was between something isn’t quite right and what are you not saying? “Yes. Tyler is fine but it’s not just about his physique. He’s the kind of husband that I see …” She paused as her mother’s cell phone began to vibrate. Rozene looked at her phone in the pocket of her purse but made no move to retrieve it. “Are you going to answer, Mom? It could be Dad.”
“Right.”
Indeed, it was Larry who wanted them to meet up for dinner at 4:00 PM instead of 3:00 PM.
“Okay, honey, that time is good for us too. We are finishing up lunch. Then, we’ll do our much needed manicures and pedicures before joining you guys.”
******
Later that evening when Mason and Madison decided to spend time with their friends, Larry reminded them to also visit Armela, whom he knew would be overjoyed to see them.
After the children left, communication between him and Rozene was pretty much non-existent. He spent most of the evening hibernating in the study.
Around 9:00 PM, Rozene closed her laptop and was gathering her papers to clear the lounge area when she heard the bedroom door open and then closed. Larry entered the room and stood looking at her.
“I’m moving out now so you can relax,” she told him.
When she finally piled all her stuff together, she placed them on the table in the lounge area. She turned and found him still looking at her. Unnerved, she decided to speak. “I’m going to take a shower.” That sounds like an invitation. Showering together was a part of their usual routine … well, most times at night before they went to bed. “I mean, I’ll take a shower, then you can get the bathroom.”
His eyes twinkled with laughter. “I see.”
She hurried pass him to get to the bathroom, but stopped in her tracks when he spoke.
“Mason asked if we were okay. He said something was different about us. I tried to play it off but I don’t think he bought it. He told me there was some kind of weird vibes around us.”
“Oh, no!”
“It would help if you stop acting all nervous around me. At dinner, you were not your best self.”
“I’m trying, Larry. It’s just that I feel so ... so un-undeserving of your affection. And then, it’s hard because I know you don’t care for me anymore.”
“I did say that I would try for the children’s sake but every time I come near you, you freeze up. You need to relax. This was your idea, remember?”
“I’ll try harder,” she said, escaping to the bathroom to stop the flood of tears.
A loud sigh of sadness escaped Larry as he plopped down on the daybed.
Half an hour later, while Larry showered, Rozene slipped under the bedcovers, and began praying. She was grateful that despite her mistake, she still had her family. Before long, she fell asleep, only to be awakened by loud knocking on the door. Frightened, she flew back the bedcovers and sat up on the bed. “Who-who is it?”
“Us, Mom.” Madison’s voice floated in the room.
“Give -” Words left Rozene’s mouth as her eyes landed on Larry who was strutting toward her, all manly and powerful in a black silk pajama bottom. She was sure her jaw dropped. It sure felt like it. Her eyes met his darkened gaze, and for a moment her breath halted. When his eyes shifted to her body, she realized her red lace lingerie was on display, and quickly flopped backwards, pulling the bedcovers over her body.
“I’ll get it,” he told her in a huskily voice, pulling on the nightshirt in his hand.
She watched as his legs swung into motion. She was in for another sleepless night, peering at him on the daybed, while wishing she was in his arms. Then in a panic, her head whipped towards the daybed. Phew. Larry had cleared it.
Larry opened the door, “Come on in.”
The twins poured in, climbing on the bed.
Madison smiled at her mom. “We came to pray. Lord knows, Mason needs it.”
“And you don’t,” Mason threatened Madison with his eyes.
During Mason and Madison’s going-ons, Rozene shot a panic stricken look in Larry’s direction, as anxiety knotted her inside. Usually in the bedroom, they had always prayed with all four of them lying side by side and holding hands on the huge bed.
“How were your visits?” Larry
asked.
Rozene attempted to relax her face and made room for Larry on the bed but to her surprise, he slid under the bedcovers. She tried not to tense at their skin to skin contact for he had not buttoned his nightshirt.
Larry patted his chest and she rolled to rest her head on his chest while wrapping a hand around his waist. Oh, Lord, this is good. She snuggled deeper into his chest, her smile hidden from his vision. She almost moaned loudly when he began to caress her hair during the twin’s happy banter about the visit with their friends and Armela.
Larry tried his best to hold back the warmth that was shooting from his toes to the rest of his body. Then, he realized he had to hold back more than his amorous feelings. All on their own, his fingers had begun stroking Rozene’s hair. He shifted a bit, and then draped his hand across her shoulder.
It was then that Larry noticed the deafening silence. “I’m hearing you,” Larry told Mason who was speaking before he actually faded from Larry’s thoughts.
“Dad, you haven’t heard a word I said since Mom rolled on your chest,” Mason accused. “And Mom …” The twins collapsed on each other laughing.
Rozene’s eyes fluttered. What have I missed? “Did you say something, Mason?”
Mason pulled himself together, clutching Madison’s shoulder. “Mom, Dad, what’s going on with you two? We were barely gone a year and now we are back to find this kind of weird dynamics between both of you. It’s good, weird, and different, all in one.”
“We weren’t gone that long,” Madison chimed in. “I know you’re used to being here all by yourselves but you’ve got to let us in. Like we were.”
“And here I was thinking you would be gone forever,” Larry teased.
“Dad!” Madison exclaimed, squeezing his foot before releasing it.
“No such thing,” Rozene said, smiling. “You will always be our babies. Come on over and let us pray.”
As usual, Mason lay beside his Mom while Madison lay next to her Dad. They took turns praying.
An hour later, after chitchatting, the twins bid them goodnight but not before Mason teased, “Mom, don’t bring more babies in here.”
Rozene was momentarily stunned.
Mirrored Hearts: Sealed by Fire (Encounters of the Heart Book 2) Page 16
