And for him to just call her on such short notice, and then become abrupt when she wouldn’t drop her plans and go out with him, bothered her too. Did he think she was desperate? Did he think jumping back into a relationship with him wasn’t a major deal for her too? He was a catch, and she knew it. No doubt about that. But did that mean she wasn’t?
But then her phone rang again. When she saw that it was her friend Shameika, she smiled and quickly answered.
“Hey, Meek.” Grace and Shameika met last year, at a gathering of doctors’ wives, and they hit it off immediately. They’d been fast friends ever since. “What’s up?”
“What’s up with you?” Shameika asked. “It’s been a few days after the funeral. I wanted to make sure you were still holding it together.”
Grace smiled. “Thanks, friend. But I’m good.”
“Who would have thought, when we met at that doctors’ wives party a full year ago, that a year later neither one of us would be a doctor’s wife?”
Grace laughed. Shameika’s divorce was final a couple months ago. Grace helped her through the pain, and she was there for Grace now. “Shows you how quickly things can change.”
“Yes,” Shameika said. “In an instant. So where are you?”
“Heading back to town. Desi’s spending the weekend with my mother.”
“Oh, that’s good. Want to do something tonight?”
“Do something? Like what?”
“Like wherever. You’re a free bitch now. Let’s go where the free bitches go!”
Grace laughed.
“I’m just playing,” she said. “But why don’t you get out of the house, Grace? Some of us are thinking about getting together and going out on the town tonight. You come too.”
It had been a long time since Grace went out on the town. And maybe it would be nice to just hang out with some of her girlfriends for a change, with no pressure, with no wondering if a relationship was going to work out. But that wasn’t what she wanted to do tonight. “Not tonight,” she said. “But I may feel differently tomorrow.”
“Just want some me time tonight?”
“Something like that,” Grace said.
“I completely understand, girl. I can be that way sometimes too. But then I think about all those women Lester cheated on me with, and how he hated that he had to give my longsuffering ass alimony, and I have to get out. I refuse to be alone. So I understand. But if you change your mind, please do not hesitate to call me.”
Grace smiled. “I won’t.”
But just as Grace and Shameika were saying their goodbyes, a call waiting appeared on her car’s screen. When she saw that it was Tommy again, she finished her call with her friend, and answered Tommy’s call. Two calls from him in the span of minutes? She was impressed.
After Tommy ended his call with Grace the first time, he started to go into the meeting and was going to forget about their conversation. But he couldn’t forget it. He found himself lingering at the conference room door, with his hand on the knob without turning it. He wondered why she wouldn’t change her plans for him. Had she changed her mind about having a relationship? They hadn’t exactly decided anything yet. But did something change? Did some other joker lay a claim on her while he was taking it slow? It had been two weeks. There were probably a ton of men who knew what a catch Grace was, and taking it slow with her was the last thing on their minds. But the thought of another man coming in and grabbing Grace before he had a chance to reach out his hand to her, scared the shit out Tommy. Could he lose her again before he even had her? He moved away from that conference door, and phoned Grace again.
“What kind of plans?” he asked as soon as she answered the phone.
Grace felt as if she had missed something. “Excuse me?”
“You said you had plans tonight. What kind of plans?”
It wasn’t exactly his business, and Grace probably would have said so to any other man. But Tommy was not nor ever would be any other man. “Plans,” she said.
“Do these plans involve a man?” Tommy couldn’t believe he asked that question, but he had to know.
Grace couldn’t believe it either. She frowned. “A man? No, Tommy, they do not involve a man. Why would you ask that?”
“Whatever plans you have tonight, cancel them. I want to take you to dinner.”
Grace was pleased that he at least was willing to call a thing a thing now: he wanted to take her out. And there was a time when she would not have hesitated one iota. She would have all but thrown herself at Tommy. Book and champagne be damned! But she had to take the long view this time around. If they were going to make this work, it had to be on her terms too. “I don’t want to cancel my plans,” she said to him. “I’m not free tonight.”
Tommy was surprised by her response. He fully expected her to cancel her plans without question. Especially since this was his second phone call to her! But she stuck to her guns. She had plans, and she was sticking to them. A part of him was pissed. He really wanted to be with Grace tonight. But another part of him respected her response. Because it put him on notice. Because it made him realize that she was no longer that reliable Timex that took his licking and kept on ticking. She was a Rolex now. To get her, he was going to have to work for it. To be with her was going to cost him. “What about tomorrow night?” he asked.
Grace smiled. Bingo! “Tomorrow sounds good,” she said.
Tommy smiled. It sounded good to him too. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”
They said their goodbyes, and ended the call.
But Grace’s joy was just beginning. Because she felt she handled it right. She handled it on her terms too. She felt she was handling her brand new life, her brand new freedom as Shameika would call it, just about right.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
But before Grace could get with Tommy, she had to get rid of Shameika. It was Saturday night. They were in Grace’s bedroom. And Shameika wasn’t feeling any outfit Grace tried on.
“Wait a minute,” Grace said as she stopped applying her makeup and looked at Shameika through her dressing table mirror. “Why are you involving yourself with which outfit I plan to wear? Didn’t you come over here to borrow a purse?”
“I have the purse,” Shameika responded gleefully. She was lying across the bed with the expensive Gadino bag, a purse Tommy purchased for Grace years ago, by her side. “And don’t worry, I’ll take superior care of it. You’ll have it back tomorrow. But it matches my outfit perfectly.”
“I agree,” Grace said, and then smiled. “But that still does not explain why you’re still here.”
“Don’t even front,” Shameika said, smiling too. “You know exactly why I’m still here. You still haven’t told me who you’re going out with. Who’s the lucky guy, Grace? I promise I won’t tell a living soul.”
“Ha!” Grace said with emphasis, as she continued to apply her makeup. She and Shameika both knew how preposterous such a promise actually was.
“I’m serious,” Shameika said. “Just tell me who is he!”
Grace wasn’t thinking about Meika. She knew her too well. If she was to tell her that her ex-husband was going to be her date tonight word would spread around to their village of friends faster than a wildfire. And Grace wouldn’t hear the last of it.
“Grace, come on,” Shameika said. “I’m serious.”
“What you need to be serious about is getting up out of here. I’ve got to finish getting dressed.”
“You should be glad I’m here,” Shameika said, giving up on any hope of getting Grace to spill the beans. “From the look of your selection of outfits, you should be thanking your lucky stars that I decided to stick around. Because you need help, girl.”
“I need help?” Grace asked.
“Yes!” Shameika responded. “All of these grandma clothes! I have a nice body, I know I have a very nice body, but your body is slamming, Grace. If I had a body like yours, I’d be wearing the shit out of clothes, you hear me?” Grace laughed. “I
would be throwing down! But you dress like Mother Teresa or somebody. All prim and proper. No skin showing anywhere. Men like skin, honey!”
Grace glanced at Shameika through her dressing table’s mirror. Shameika was a woman in her thirties, but since her divorce she’d been dressing as if she had rediscovered her teenage years, with everything tight and pulled and revealing. Her taste and Grace’s taste were worlds apart. “I appreciate your input,” she said, “but I think I can manage.”
“And why are you putting on makeup before you put on your dress?”
“That should be obvious,” Grace said, applying very sparse eyeliner. “It’s a pullup.”
“Oh, right. You put on so little makeup anyway, it probably wouldn’t have mattered either way. And what do you mean it’s a pullup? What’s a pullup?”
“The dress I’m wearing tonight,” Grace said. “All I have to do is pull it up.”
But Shameika was confused. “What dress? You haven’t picked out an outfit yet.”
Grace smiled. “Wanna bet?”
Shameika was surprised. “Which one? I haven’t given my stamp of approval on any of these so-called clothes you’ve got lying on this bed. Which one are you going to wear?”
“Meek!” Grace said, knowing her friend was stalling for time.
“Okay, okay,” Shameika said as she, and the borrowed Gabino purse, got off the bed. “Dress like a nun all you please. But I’m telling you, if you expect to keep a man’s attention and not end up alone, or if you do wrangle him, not end up in divorce court, you’d better bring it. Show some skin, Grace. Men like skin! I’ve had more dates since I divorced Lester than I had since I was a teenager!”
Grace was doubtful of her causation. “And you think this renewed attention is all because of how you dress?”
“For the most part, yes,” Shameika responded. “Why wouldn’t they want all of this? They look at this cleavage, bam! They look at this ass, bam! They look at this face, bam! And I’m talking young dudes too. Oh, they love them some Shameika. I’m having the time of my life, girl.”
Grace smiled. Shameika had a very messy divorce. She was glad to see her over it. She stood up and gave her friend a hug. “And I’m happy for you,” she said as the two friends embraced. “You deserve to enjoy your life.”
Shameika smiled. Most people didn’t get her. They didn’t seem to understand her type of energy at all. But Grace did. Grace never judged her.
And when they stopped embracing, Shameika’s concern turned to her loyal friend. “What about you, Grace? Aren’t you worried now that Ed’s gone? It’s going to be different, I can tell you that myself. Especially financially. I earn a good living, but Lester’s and my income together made for a fantastic living. I don’t have that anymore. Especially when his alimony payments run out in a year.”
“It’s different, yes, but I’m fine,” Grace said.
“I know you own Trammel, but that’s never been a company that turns huge profits. No trucking company in this economy does anymore. But aren’t you going to need all of that extra income Ed used to bring into this household? Doctors make the big bucks.”
Not when they had a struggling practice, they didn’t, Grace thought. “I’m okay,” she said.
“You mean you’re okay because you get Destiny’s child support?”
“I don’t even touch that money. It goes straight into a trust fund for Destiny.”
“A trust fund?” Shameika was confused. “Come on, Grace! Tommy Gabrini is that child’s father. She won’t need any trust fund from you.”
“Well, just in case she did,” Grace said. “She’ll have it.”
“But what’s going to take up the slack then? No Ed money. No child support money.”
“I get a sizeable alimony,” Grace said. “I’m good.”
But Shameika was even more confused. “You get a sizeable alimony? In my best Gary Coleman imitation: what you talking ‘bout, Willis?”
Grace laughed.
“But for real, girl,” Shameika said, serious again. “What alimony?”
“Tommy pays alimony.”
“But you were married! He continued to pay you alimony even after you married Ed?”
Grace nodded. “Yes, he did.”
“You were able to get that kind of divorce settlement? Where your ex pays you alimony even after you married somebody else? Who is your attorney?”
“No,” Grace said. “It wasn’t like that. Tommy wasn’t supposed to pay alimony at all. It wasn’t in the divorce decree. I didn’t even ask for it. But even after we separated and before the divorce, he would send me a check for Destiny’s expenses, and a check for my own expenses. He just started paying it.”
Shameika could not believe her ears. “He just started paying it?”
“Yep.”
“Are we talking a few dollars thrown your way, or real money?”
“Real money.”
Shameika was doubtful. “I know you, Grace. What is our definition of real money?”
“He gives me ten thousand a month,” Grace said to her friend.
Shameika’s eyes became so comically bigger that Grace had to laugh. She loved Shameika’s lack of airs.
“TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?” Shameika responded. “Your ex-husband pays you TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS in alimony long after you guys divorced, and even after you married another man, and even though he didn’t have to pay you a dime?”
When Grace nodded, Shameika shook her head and gave Grace another hug. “I’ve got to give you your props, lady. You must be living right. Or you were putting it on him right. You have got to be doing something right!”
Grace couldn’t help but laugh.
“Now I’m leaving,” Shameika said. “I’ve got my tea for the night! Hell, for all eternity!”
They both laughed. “But I’ll be real good to go if you would only tell me who your date could possibly be.”
“Bye, Felicia,” Grace said with a grin and Shameika, laughing, left the bedroom. “And lock the door behind you!” Grace yelled after her.
“I’m going to leave it wide open!” Shameika jokingly yelled back as she made her way downstairs. But unlike her threat, she did lock the front door as she headed out.
She smiled grandly, however, when she saw Tommy’s Ferrari driving up. And when she saw him, it all clicked. Tommy was Grace’s date! Had to be! What man would pay his ex-wife alimony that he didn’t even have to pay in the first place unless he cared something powerful for that woman? And now that Ed was out of the picture, it made picture perfect sense to Shameika.
But it still floored her. She didn’t see this coming! She didn’t know Grace while Grace was married to Tommy, but she’d heard of Dapper Tom Gabrini from way back. She’d heard he was a mobster with style who had a thing for the black chicks. She’d heard he was a nice guy on the surface, but an animal in bed.
She met him for the first time when he came to Grace’s house to pick up Destiny. And Shameika couldn’t lie: she wanted him, sexually, for herself. What hot-blooded woman wouldn’t? She was newly divorced and especially horny and she would have loved to go a few rounds with that badass Italian. But she respected Grace too much. She wasn’t losing the best friend she’d ever had over some man, she didn’t care how great he looked, or how great he could do her. She kept her distance.
As he pulled up, she walked down the stairs and toward his car. He pressed down his passenger side window.
“Hey there, OG!” She was jovial, as she always was with Tommy, when he pressed down the window. She leaned in against his window frame. “Long time, no see. How are you?”
Shameika’s enormous breasts met Tommy’s gaze first. But it was her good humor that he liked. “I’m good, Shameika. How are you?”
“Better now that I see who Grace’s mystery date is tonight. I’m so glad Grace is getting out of this house for a change I wanna dance a happy dance. I was worried about her for a minute. I tried to get her to go out with me just last night, but she
wouldn’t do it.”
“Yeah, I asked her out last night too,” Tommy said.
“How did you get her to change her mind and go with you tonight?”
Tommy smiled. “I begged,” he joked.
Shameika laughed, although inwardly she was perplexed. Was Grace out of her ever loving mind? Who in their right mind would make Tommy Gabrini beg to be with them? Then again, Shameika thought, Grace once divorced him, and he still paid her alimony. Whatever Grace had, he apparently wanted. What was turning him down for a date to Grace? “Well I’m glad you begged,” Shameika said with a smile. “Grace is worth the extra effort.”
Tommy nodded. “I agree with that.”
“But take your time,” Shameika said as she began to leave. “She’s not quite ready yet.”
Tommy thanked her for the heads’ up and then watched as she made her way to her brand new Lexus. No doubt a present to herself after that huge divorce settlement he heard her ex had to shell out. He also saw her carrying a purse he once purchased for Grace. She probably borrowed it the way he’d always known ladies to do, which was fine by him.
But mostly he watched the way she moved. She sashayed her hips as if hips were going out of style and she and she alone had to do everything in her power to keep them relevant. But he liked Shameika. She was a very beautiful, very sexy African-American woman, and she flaunted her sexuality. But her moral core was even stronger than her confidence, which pleased him too. He never liked any of Grace’s prior friends. They were users and abusers as far as he was concerned. But he was happy to know that Grace now had a circle of friends, a circle led by Shameika, that reciprocated her kindness.
After Shameika drove off, blowing her horn as she did, Tommy remained in his car and made a series of phone calls with the extra time. When finished, he got out of the car and headed for the front door.
Tommy Gabrini: The Grace Factor Page 12
