Jeremy wasn’t expecting the question. Trying to engage Aunt Rose, he’d almost forgotten about the bags.
“I brought some flowers for Angelina, and I brought a game for Phillip and Alex.”
“Flowers are always good for a lady. Where’s Philly, though? Alex, go call him. We supposed to be keeping an eye out.”
Alex got up from the other sofa and jogged up the steps two at a time. In a moment, Phillip came down the steps in front of him.
“Philly,” Aunt Rose opened her arms for him to come. He stepped into the circle next to her legs and looked at Jeremy.
“Hi, Phillip. How are you doing? Any more seizures?”
Phillip shook his head. “Hi.”
“Last week there was one. Frightened us all to death.” Aunt Rose squeezed Phillip in a hug. “He’s been fine here lately.”
“I brought something for you and Alex. I hope you don’t already have one.”
Jeremy pulled a PlayStation out of the bag and put it on the table. Then he pulled out some games for it and riffled through them to separate them before handing two to Phillip and two to Alex.
“You can play his,” he said to Alex, “but we probably don’t want him playing yours.”
“This is great,” Alex said. “Thank you.”
“You too, Phillip,” Aunt Rose said. “Thank Jeremy for the present.”
“Thank you, Jeremy.”
“Do you know how to hook it up?” he asked Alex.
“No, but I can figure it out.”
Jeremy handed Alex the box and got up to help him read through the directions.
“Aunt Rose,” said Alex, “do you mind if we use the television for a little while?”
“No, child. You all go ahead.”
Once Alex and Jeremy got the game hooked up, Alex called Phillip over.
“Which one of yours do you want to put in first?”
“I like this one.”
They put in the game, and Phillip and Alex took seats on the floor in front of the television to start playing. Jeremy went back to his seat near Angelina’s great-aunt. When they got the game going, he explained the objective and some of the moves to her, not sure she understood. He was wrong to doubt.
“Get those things, Philly,” she said after a while. “Don’t worry that Alex is winning. Get ’em.”
“Hey,” Alex said, “you’re not supposed to take sides.” He laughed.
“I’m only helping him. You’re winning.”
“I’m supposed to win. I’m older.”
“No, the little ones can win sometimes.”
“Not this time,” Alex said, into the game. “I got him this time.”
“What’s going on here?”
Jeremy turned around to see Angelina. She’d come down the steps so quietly that they hadn’t noticed her. She had on her orange capris, a white chemise blouse and flat sandals on her feet. She looked beautiful, and he wanted nothing more than to take her back upstairs and peel every stitch of clothing from her newly washed body, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. She put her purse down on the credenza and came into the living room.
“The children just playing this new game that Jeremy brought,” Aunt Rose explained.
“We’re playing this game,” Philly said, moving to the television. Alex put it on pause. “You have to get around these and get these to get powers so you can get to the next level. Come look.”
“In a second.”
Jeremy had gotten up when he heard her voice and now stood in front of her. She didn’t seem terribly pleased to see him. In fact, her expression said that he was an intrusion. But she tolerated his kiss on the forehead and took the flowers from him when he got them out of the bag.
“Thank you.”
“Come see, Angie,” Phillip said.
They both moved to the couch.
“Okay, go ahead,” she said, and Alex started the game again.
Phillip started telling her what he was doing in the game and how it worked.
“That’s very good, Philly.”
“You want to try it, Angelina?” Alex asked.
“No, not this time.” She got up. “Let me get some lunch ready so you guys can eat.”
Jeremy followed her into the kitchen. “Can I take all of you to lunch?”
“No, we’re just having sandwiches.” Then she added, “You don’t have to bring things for us.”
“I like bringing things for you. Here, let me help with the sandwiches. I’m the sandwich master.”
She stepped out of the way for him to spread the mayonnaise and started opening cans of chicken noodle soup.
“I thought we decided that this wasn’t a good idea,” she said.
“No, you decided. I disagreed.”
“I can’t play with you today. I have a million things to get done.”
“Maybe I can help.”
“Angelina,” Aunt Rose called from the living room.
“Yes, Aunt Rose.”
“Be sure to make enough for Jeremy.”
“I am,” she called back, getting Jeremy two more slices of bread.
“Good, dear.”
“I don’t need help on my errands.”
“You have it anyway. Don’t fight it.”
She let out an exasperated breath but held her tongue.
“It’s time to eat,” she called. “Put the game on pause.”
When everyone was finished, Angelina got up from the table.
“You guys clear the table and help Aunt Rose back to the living room. Alex, do you need anything from the store?”
“No, Angelina.”
She seemed not to believe him, but she let it go.
“Do you need any other games?” Jeremy asked.
“Actually...” Alex looked at Angelina to see if she would mind.
Angelina stopped and looked at Alex on the couch. It was clear that she was taking this seriously.
“I can get it,” she said. “What?”
“They have a new Madden game out.”
Jeremy didn’t know the games, but he certainly knew sports.
“Madden the football player?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah, that or Thundershock.”
“Okay,” Angelina said. “We’ll look.”
Alex still hesitated.
“You don’t have to get it, though.”
“I know. I’ll see,” Angelina said. She picked up her keys and then turned back to the boys.
“When you’re ready, play for an hour, and then let Aunt Rose watch her shows.”
“Okay,” Alex said, putting in the game again.
“Philly?” Angelina called.
He went to her, and she hugged him against her legs. “An hour. Is that okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Oh,” Aunt Rose remembered, “Ms. Lee gonna stop by this afternoon with some greens.”
“That’s good. I’ll make something to go with them. I’ll get something at the grocery store. See you guys soon.”
She grabbed her purse from the credenza, which now had her flowers on it, and Jeremy followed her out to her car. It was clear that she was just tolerating his presence.
He went with her to the pharmacy for her great-aunt’s medicines, then to a discount store to pick up something Philly needed for school and some other household items. Then they found the games that Alex wanted.
“That’s how much they cost?” Angelina asked. “Why are they so expensive?”
“It’s just how they can price them. It’s big business. But I’m getting these.”
“Are you sure? You’ve already gotten them games. We don’t have to get these now. I can get them for his birth
day.”
“Nope, this is part of my treat.”
She shook her head but held her peace.
Next she stopped so she could get copies of a test she needed for Monday, then she mailed some bills. This went quickly, and the two of them were pretty quiet along the way.
“The next stop is going to take a while,” she said. “Maybe I should drop you home before I go.”
Jeremy reached out for her, running his fingers along the edge of her face. He saw her shoulders lift and her body shudder as she looked at him.
“I’m spending the day with you. What’s next?”
“The grocery store. It’s the last errand before home.”
“Let’s go.”
They got a cart and started going up and down the aisles as she loaded it.
“So tell me,” he said. “Why didn’t you think Alex was telling the truth when he said he didn’t need anything?”
She sighed. “Because he never says he needs anything, and he doesn’t have a job, so he must need something—clothes, shoes, to go out somewhere, something.”
“Do you give him an allowance?”
“Yes, until he gets a job. But it’s small.”
“It’s good that he doesn’t want to put a strain on you. You’re already providing everything he needs.”
“Yes, but we’re his family now. He should be able to say if he wants something.”
“He did today.”
“Yes, that’s why I let you get them. Usually, he never does.”
They were in the cookie aisle. Jeremy took out his phone and hit a preprogrammed number.
“What kind of cookies do you guys like?” he asked. “Philly wants the one with the cream in the middle.”
Angelina swatted him as he started loading the requests into the cart.
“Ask Aunt Rose...vanilla wafers. We got it. Is there anything else?...Okay. What kind of ice cream?...Okay. We’re not there yet, but we’ll get it.”
“You are crazy,” Angelina said.
“We like cookies.”
When they got to the meat section, he added some extra selections. “These are on me.”
She tried to get the lamb out of the cart but he got hold of it and turned around while she chased it. Before long, they were both laughing like children.
“This is silly,” she said and swatted him again.
“But it made you laugh. I love to hear you laugh, Angelina.”
She got quiet for a moment, and he wrapped his arm around her, drawing her along the meat section.
“I’m going to fix the lamb for you guys one day. Just hold it for me.”
“I don’t actually know how to cook it, so it’ll be waiting.”
They laughed again.
When they were rung up, he slipped past her and got his card into the machine before she could stop him. She bumped into him trying, and they both ended up laughing. He was glad to see her having a good time and glad to contribute financially to the day.
After she bumped into him, he held her around the waist. They were in public now. She didn’t complain, but she seemed a little self-conscious, if also a little expectant. Unfortunately, he had to release her to help with the cart and the bags.
When they got back home, the boys came out to help them get everything inside. Alex was excited about the games, and Jeremy, looking at the young man, felt foolish for the assumptions that he’d made before. Alex was like an older son to Angelina, and now Jeremy couldn’t even imagine them being anything else.
Angelina watched as they moved things inside, clearly wary of the way he’d insinuated himself into her family. But she said nothing and began unpacking the groceries.
“There you are,” Aunt Rose said. “Invite the young man to dinner, Angelina.”
Angelina rolled her eyes but said very politely, “Would you like to stay for dinner, Jeremy?”
Aunt Rose couldn’t see them because they were standing behind her chair, and Angelina shook her head.
“I’d love to. Thank you.”
Jeremy helped her start dinner and then spent some time with Aunt Rose and the boys while Angelina finished. He went back in to help set the table, and they had a real family meal together. Phillip filled them in on the games they’d played, with Alex and Aunt Rose adding details.
“When is Phillip’s next appointment?” Jeremy asked.
“Not this Tuesday but next Tuesday.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Angelina had some papers to grade, so after helping with the pots, Jeremy got ready to leave.
“Walk him to the door, honey,” Aunt Rose said from the kitchen table.
Angelina rolled her eyes again, but she walked with Jeremy to the front door. Aunt Rose could see them from the table, and under her watchful eye, he gave Angelina a chaste kiss on the lips.
“I think your great-aunt likes me,” he teased.
“I know she does,” Angelina said. “This is only for her satisfaction.”
Jeremy took that as a challenge and pulled Angelina out of the line of Aunt Rose’s sight. Alex and Phillip were back at their game and couldn’t see them from in front of the television.
He pulled her close to him and kissed her again, this time harder and longer, opening her mouth with his and exploring it with his tongue. He ran his hand up and down her back until he felt her body shiver, and then he pulled her closer to him, lifting her hips just a little to bring her center up to his.
Finally, her arms came around his neck, and her body pressed back against his. When he brought one of his hands to her breast, her lips went soft beneath his, and she held onto his tongue with her mouth, sucking it inward. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her harder against him. A quiet murmur escaped her throat.
Her own voice seemed to bring her out of the moment. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He kissed her temple where he had kissed it that morning, turned around and headed down the walk to his car.
Jeremy turned on his engine and smiled. His body felt hot, flaring from the taste of Angelina’s mouth and the feel of her. And he knew beyond doubt that she had felt it just as much. She might not want to admit it, but they’d gotten inside one another on that cruise, and it wasn’t going away. He, for one, was still taken by this woman.
Chapter 17
Angelina was putting notes on the last paper from a student in her class on early African-American history. This one was on the way Black women both resisted and reinforced traditional gender constructs during the racial uplift movement that occurred throughout the Reconstruction Era. It used works by Frances E. W. Harper and Anna Julia Cooper as primary sources and had two additional secondary sources.
It was well written, easy to read and followed the directions. It was a good essay, the kind she lived for. There would be no need to torment herself over the grade—A. She entered the score in her grade book and shut it.
She had papers for her survey of American history to 1865 and paragraphs for her World War I course. At least the paragraphs could get done on Tuesday, her next day off from classes.
She cleared the papers from the center of her desk and was about to pull out the notes for her critical article. But it was almost midnight. She wouldn’t get much done before having to turn in. Instead of that, she wrangled her creative writing from the bottom of another pile so that she could reread the last few chapters and at least stay in touch with what she hoped to do.
It was a historical novel about a family of Blacks who owned slaves in South Carolina. They were second-generation slave owners, and the father was also known as a slave breaker. It was supposed to be about all of the ironies involved in being Black and owning slaves.
Ever since the cruise, though, it had started taking on an unexpected romantic
subplot. The daughter of the family, who hated slavery and hoped to attend school in the North to get away from it, was falling in love with one of the slaves they owned, an African-born man who’d been sold farther south because he was rebellious. It fit her themes, but she would have to go back and redo her outline to take into consideration this major new plot strand.
Angelina read the last five chapters, the ones she’d written since the cruise. There it was—a plot that she hadn’t figured on, coming to life before her eyes. And the more she thought about the romance plot, the more the slave seemed to her like Jeremy: tall and dark, the color of cocoa, with angular lines but a sweet smile and intelligent eyes. She finished and put down the pages, shocked because she realized that she had been seeing the slave as Jeremy in her mind all along.
She wouldn’t have time to work on the novel for a little while, but she could rework her outline in between getting other things done. She didn’t have time to see Jeremy, either.
That hadn’t stopped him from being a presence in her life, though. He’d taken the boys out for a movie and pizza one Saturday, arranging it with them and Aunt Rose while she was running errands. They’d seen an animated movie and had gotten back while she was making dinner for herself and her great-aunt.
He’d also come to see them at Philly’s last appointment. He was loitering at the receptionist’s desk when she got there, and he joined them in waiting until the call came for Philly to go inside. That was simple enough, because he worked in the same building, but he was also back in the waiting area when they got out. He got a rundown of the latest news from Alex and then kissed her on the forehead before heading back to work.
And today he’d taken the boys and Aunt Rose out for brunch when she had protested that she had to do class prep and grade papers. She’d worried that he’d have a hard time managing Aunt Rose, but Alex helped, and the whole afternoon seemed to have gone off without a hitch. In fact, her great-aunt was delighted to get out of the house, and she couldn’t stop raving over the food once she got back.
She was happy for her great-aunt and pleased that she would be able to get a whole set of papers graded, but there was still a problem. All of this was a way to get to her, but she didn’t see how it could work out. Meanwhile, her whole family was starting to like Jeremy.
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