“My goodness,” she said. “I nearly had a heart attack. Come in here, honey.”
Jeremy’s mother was a small woman with an ample figure and delicate manners. For as long as he had known her, she had worn her hair in a tight bun and worn diva hats to church on Sundays. Her dark copper face was always animated, always full of expression. To her sons, it was the face of love.
His mother put her bowl down on the living room table and patted her chest. “I swallowed my chewing gum.”
All three of them laughed. Then Jeremy hugged his mother, picked up the bowl for her, and the three of them went into the kitchen.
“Your father’s gone to get a few things from the store. He’ll be right back. I’m in here picking greens. If I knew you were coming, I would have had something made already.”
“That’s the point. I don’t want to be any trouble. I just wanted to see you guys. How are you doing? How are Grandma and Gramps?”
“We’re all fine, honey. How long are you staying? They’d love to see you.”
“I brought a couple of things for them. I’ll go see them tomorrow and take them to brunch. You guys up for it?”
“What time is brunch?” Edward asked.
“We know that if you’re going, it won’t start before two,” Jeremy said.
“Stop teasing your brother. You know he’ll make it at noon, if need be.”
Both Jeremy and his mother laughed. Edward pouted, and Jeremy grabbed Edward’s head, wedged it under his arm and rubbed his knuckles over his brother’s head.
“Okay, okay,” Edward said. “Uncle.”
“We’re just teasing, little brother.” Jeremy let his brother go. “We know how you love your beauty sleep.”
“Let’s say that we’ll meet at noon and go get them. You driving, Eddy?”
“Sure, but call me to wake me up.”
Jeremy and his mother laughed again.
They heard his father and quieted down.
“Marilyn, are you in here?”
“I’m in the kitchen, Carl,” she yelled back.
“They didn’t have the—”
His father got as far at the kitchen door. Then he saw his two sons standing at the dining table and did a double take. He put his bags down on the table and hugged his oldest son.
His father had a little potbelly and an easy smile, and when they were growing up, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his sons. The same was still true now. Jeremy had been taller than his father since his early teens, but whenever they were together, he always felt like he was looking up. His father was a hard worker, a calm presence, a good man—maybe the best he knew.
“Where did you come out of?”
His father patted Edward on the back and then went up to his wife. He tickled her ribs until she laughed and then kissed her.
“And you, too. Quiet as a mouse.”
The teasing between his parents was always spontaneous and usually comical. Today, Jeremy saw through the humor to the deep and lasting affection between them. It made him wish all the more that Angelina had come with him. It showed him how he wanted to be with her and how he thought they could be together—not the same as his parents but with the same tenderness between them.
He also now understood a bit better what it meant for his parents, both of whom were still working, to look out for his grandparents. His mother’s parents were the only ones still alive, and they lived on their own, but his parents—one or both—saw them at least every other day.
Jeremy went back to the living room and pulled a bag out of his carry-on.
“I got some things for you guys on the cruise. Next time, we all have to go together.”
He gave his mother the gold rope necklace with the matching earrings, and his father and brother matching mariner-link gold chains. The gold locket was for his grandmother and the watch was for his grandfather. He left those in the bag.
“You’ve done enough for us already,” his mother said.
He’d helped them get a new house and pay it off, but in his mind, that didn’t count, not after all they’d done to help him through school.
“It’s a good son who thinks of his parents,” his father said. “But there’s no need to go overboard.”
“Are you saving for a rainy day, sweetheart?”
“Always, Mom.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful, honey,” she said, opening the box.
“Thank you, Biggie,” Edward said.
“Thank you, son,” his father echoed, giving his arm a short squeeze. “Now, what are we going to do with you while you’re here?”
“You don’t have to do anything with me. It’s March Madness. We can stay in and watch the games.”
“Or you can come to a new club with your little brother.” Edward winked at him.
“That’s why you won’t get up until noon,” Jeremy said and then laughed. “I’ll pass this time, but maybe next time. You be careful out there.”
“Come on, both of you. Let me show you what I’m doing to the backyard and the garage.”
The two brothers looked at each other. Their father was endlessly building something. What was it this time? Jeremy kissed his mother and followed his father down the back porch to the backyard.
After a tour of the new barbeque pit in the yard and the new shelving in the garage, Jeremy’s father took them with him to the hardware store for some more building supplies, and they stopped to get some snacks for the game and some extra groceries.
“Next time, tell me you’re coming, and I’ll get us tickets for a game,” his father said.
Jeremy, the tallest of the three men and the older of the two brothers, carried the bag of concrete mix out to the back where his father would use it to finish a wall around the fire pit. He also realized what he’d be getting his parents for Christmas—new patio furniture.
They hung out at home for the afternoon, waiting for the first game to start while his mother cooked. His father would be lighting up the old barbecue that evening. He didn’t know that while they were gone, his mother had been on the phone to some neighbors and friends. The house would be packed that night because her eldest son was home.
There were twelve people in the house by the time the game started. His father watched the beginning of the game and then went to start the meat on the barbecue. Jeremy spent the evening getting drinks, refilling snack bowls and watching the game with Edward and a growing group of his parents’ friends.
The women who came either joined the group in front of the game or headed to the kitchen to help his mom—except for Amanda, his mother’s attempt at matchmaking. She was a neighbor’s daughter, and from the moment she hit the door, she made Jeremy her focus. She was nice enough, but she wasn’t Angelina, so she didn’t stand a chance. And for her, it seemed he was less a person than a means to an end, a means to a nice life, and Jeremy didn’t like that feeling.
He spent half of the evening sending her polite signals to leave him alone, and when she cornered him in the dining room, where his mother had set the food out, he finally confessed that he was already interested in someone in Florida.
She looked him up and down, like Safire had, and left his options open. “If it doesn’t work out, you’ll know who to call.”
Near the end of the second game, his brother left to go to the club, and he got up to help his parents start clearing things away. Most of the company had gone, and others took the signal as he gathered up glasses and plates. His father was taking a breather in front of the game, and his mother was still in the kitchen, where she had spent most of the evening.
“I heard you tell Amanda that there’s someone you’re interested in. Was that just to get her off your case, or is there someone?”
“Are you the one who invited Amanda, Mom?�
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He laughed as he said it because he could tell it was true.
“I’m sorry, son. But you know I’d like to see you and your brother settled down before I’m gone. Eddy’s just about as bad as you were at that age.”
“Okay. He has to come visit me in Florida. I think I have the perfect match for him,” he said and laughed, thinking of Safire.
“Don’t you go encouraging him. And beware of playing matchmaker like I just did. I won’t be doing it again.”
“Thank heavens.”
He laughed, and then his mother started to laugh.
“It was well intentioned.”
“There is someone I’m seriously interested in. But...”
“But what, honey?”
“We hit a couple of bumps, but mainly, she wants to call things off before they really get started because she has too many responsibilities right now.”
“Is she worth waiting for?”
“I think so.”
“Then give her time. Young people your age are just starting to build their careers, still trying to pay off college loans, still trying to get stable. If you give her time and show her you’re there, she’ll make time for you.”
“I’ve been trying to do that.”
“Good. I raised you right. Now, tell me about her.”
Jeremy smiled. Trying to tell someone about Angelina wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but he did his best, and his mother started to get the picture.
He felt odd talking to his mother about a woman. This was the first time since medical school that he had reason to mention one to her. It let him know how serious he really was about Angelina—serious enough to talk to his mother about her when she was telling him it wouldn’t work out.
It also meant that the stakes were higher if it didn’t work out. His mother would be asking. He hoped he would have good news for her.
They finished cleaning up and got to bed—late for his parents but just in time for him. The next morning he called and got his brother up. He heard the muffled sounds of a female voice and had to ask. “Anyone special?”
“Just a friend I met last night.”
“Mom’s right. I think I have to have a talk with you,” he said and then laughed.
“You better not be one to talk, Biggie. Don’t forget I got the 4-1-1 on you.”
“I know. Just be up front, and be careful.”
“I always am.”
“You have an hour. Get a move on. Old folks are waiting.”
“Okay, okay.” Jeremy heard more muffled female sounds. “I might be a few minutes late.”
“Don’t even think about it. Get a move on.”
“See you soon.”
After brunch with his grandparents and the rest of his immediate family, Jeremy took his mother for a little clothes shopping and spent the evening with his parents playing dominos and watching television. It was good just to be with them. He made it an early night because he had a morning flight that got him back to Miami in time to unpack and relax for the next day.
If the trip told him anything, it was that Angelina was having a bigger impact than she knew; his desire for her was more serious than he himself had known.
Chapter 19
When her Aunt Rose had the stroke, Angelina was just getting in from work. She spent every day of the next week at her great-aunt’s side in the hospital, leaving only to teach her classes and to look out for Philly and Alex. She brought her things to the hospital to work at her great-aunt’s side, but it was difficult to concentrate while worrying.
Others stopped in. Alex brought Philly, who had a seizure right there. Safire came twice. Jeremy came several times. But she was the staple—there every day, talking to the doctors, serving as the point of contact.
Aunt Rose never recovered enough to talk, and within the week she was gone.
The next several days passed in a blur. With only a few weeks of school left in the semester, Angelina couldn’t afford to be off work. But she still had to take care of the arrangements, and she had to be there to comfort Philly and Alex, especially Philly, who’d known Aunt Rose his whole short life.
Safire helped a bit with the arrangements, and Alex helped with Philly while she had to be away, and Jeremy came by often. But she was the linchpin who made the final plans, notified friends, found the paperwork. She hadn’t even had a chance to deal with her own grief.
And she was exhausted. She had been coping with Aunt Rose’s care during the day, looking out for the boys in the evening, working at night.
She didn’t start to cry until the day of the funeral, and then she couldn’t stop. For the past six years, Aunt Rose had been the only mother figure Angelina had had. She made it through the funeral and to the graveside, but she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face, and that was as far as she made it.
When she collapsed, it was as if she were falling from a great height into a soft place; it was almost a relief. She barely remembered being scooped up by strong arms and carried to a car. She barely remembered the sounds of muffled voices or petting Philly’s head, telling him that she was all right. She barely remembered the drive, or protesting that she was okay, or being scooped up again and carried inside. She barely remembered curling up on a big bed and crying herself to sleep.
When she woke up, it was getting dark outside, and she was still wearing her black dress. She didn’t recognize the room or know how she’d gotten there. It wasn’t a hospital. It was a home.
She got up, found the bathroom, washed her face, and went in search of her shoes and purse and whoever was there.
The plush carpet ran from the bedroom to the kitchen, where she found Jeremy in sweatpants in front of the stove turning over steaks.
“I have to get home,” she said. “People are coming. People are there already. I need my brush and my shoes. I need my car. I have to go.”
Without knowing she would, she started to cry again. And this time she was aware of the arms that lifted her against a hard body and carried her back to the bedroom. Jeremy laid her on the bed and lay down beside her, putting both of his arms around her.
“You don’t have to be anywhere. Safire is handling tonight. And Phillip and Alex are just fine. You don’t need to do anything but rest.”
His hand petting her hair only made her cry harder. Soon she had cried herself to sleep again.
The next time Angelina woke up, it was dark outside and quiet inside. She found her shoes and purse at the foot of the bed. When the door opened, she was sitting on the bed trying to get her bearings. It was Jeremy with a covered tray.
“You’re up. Do you want to eat in here or at the dining table?”
She followed him to the dining room, where he started unloading the tray.
“I should get home.”
“Here’s my phone. Call and check in with Safire to see how things are. And I’ll take you whenever you want.”
The moment she said hello she started crying, but she didn’t let Safire hear her.
“Is everything okay at home?...And Philly and Alex?...Should I come home?...Okay. Call me if you need anything. I have my cell phone...Okay. Bye.”
She wiped her eyes. “She said everything’s going fine and that Philly is fine. He’s in bed for the night. Alex is helping her clean things up.”
She sat at the table, eating slowly because she wasn’t hungry.
When Jeremy was finished, he sat watching her, making her conscious that she was pushing the food around on her plate.
“Is it okay? You want something else?”
“No, it’s delicious. I’m just not hungry. Thank you for making it.”
The events of the day were playing through her mind, and she kept coming back to the singing at the funeral of “I Done Do
ne What You Told Me to Do.” Tears started to fill her eyes, and she put her hands up to her face as they began to fall.
She felt arms come around her and turned into Jeremy’s embrace. He had stooped beside her chair, and now he knelt down and turned her toward him, encircling her shoulders and pulling her against his chest. Angelina wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let herself cry, her body shaking with sobs. After a while, her tears abated.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m making a spectacle.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
He kissed her forehead and rubbed his cheek along hers, getting wet with her tears. Then he pressed his forehead to hers and rubbed her back as she quieted. With one hand wrapped around her body and the other sunk into her hair, he dipped his head and gently kissed her lips. Then he pulled his lips away and pressed their cheeks together again.
“It’s going to be okay, Angelina.” He pulled back a little and looked into her eyes. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” she said, but tears still flowed down her face.
In the silence that followed, they moved toward each other at the same time. Their lips met, and their arms tightened about each other. Her resistance was gone. Angelina’s lips parted, letting Jeremy’s tongue move into her mouth and run along her own.
Angelina felt her heartbreak give way to the desire that was building inside of her. Jeremy’s tongue lit the flames of her yearning, and his hands began to run along her back, sending goose bumps over her body. Her hands gripped his arms as heat spread through her middle and down to her thighs.
She found herself moving upward as Jeremy stood, bringing her with him and pulling her body against his. She felt the swelling in his sweats through the weave of her black dress, and it pressed against her center, filling her with need. Her hips leaned toward it, raking her over him. She grew wet and started to throb. She wanted him so much. When he lifted her rear to drag her upward onto him, she moaned in his mouth.
When he broke their kiss, her eyes flew open. He breathed for a moment before he spoke.
“I didn’t bring you here to take advantage of your grief.” He let out a heavy sigh and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I’ve wanted you for a long time and don’t want to stop. But we should stop because you need to get some rest.”
Love on the High Seas Page 17
