Beale Street Blues (12 page)

"I know, but you can't pick my wife for me because you want grandkids."

"Of course, I want grandkids. I'm not trying to—I don't want you to never know what it's like to feel the love and happiness that grows in my heart every time I look into your eyes."

He reached across the small table, and placed his hand on top of hers. "Mom, I've been thinking a lot about a family, lately."

The sadness in her eyes drained away.

"But, you have to let me do this my own way."

Silently, his mother stared for a long while. "You've found someone. Well, tell me who is she?" She leaned forward and covered his hand with her other. "Do I know her family?"

"No, you don't know her family." Hell, he didn't know her family. "It's complicated."

"Complicated? How?" The frown lines etched in her forehead deepened.

No matter his age, she would never stop worrying about him. "It's nothing you can help me with. I have to do it myself."

"Well, if that Darling doesn't know how you feel…it's her loss." She released his hand and leaned back into her chair.

He blinked in response to his mother's words and knowledge. "What? How did you know?" Since his childhood, she'd always been able to tell him what he was thinking before he knew. She knew who he was attracted to in high school, or which of his friends he was fighting with. And it didn't change in college. She had mom radar that never allowed him to hide.

"Son, I know you." She laughed warmly. "I knew there had to be some reason you weren't trying to leave Memphis. The minute Melanie entered your office you changed and so did Darling."

He wanted to deny it, but it was nice to talk about it with someone. "I don't know what to do." That was the problem in a nutshell.

"Have you told her?" His mother lifted her glass of wine to her nose, and inhaled the bouquet.

"No." He sighed and fell back against his chair. "When we first met, she didn't work for us. Then she disappeared for a few months. And then there's Rodney and Barbara." The more he listened to himself, the more he understood why Darling pulled away at every opportunity. If he didn't know what he wanted, why should she trust him?

She nodded. "So, the job is the problem?"

"It's complicated. She's going through a nasty divorce."

"No, son, it's not complicated at all." She sipped her cocktail. "When your father left, life changed. But, like an idiot, I kept waiting. For some reason, I thought he might come back. I wanted the nightmare to end, but it didn't. Then, one day, you were a man—no longer a boy, and I was old and alone."

His mother's words cut right through him. He'd always known of her pain, but she'd never voiced it. "Mom—"

"No, it's okay. The reason, I'm telling you this is because I know the way I lived my life affected the way you live yours. That's why I play matchmaker." She laughed. "I guess I'm trying to make up for all those years of nothing."

There it was. His mother blamed herself for his fucked up life, but that wasn't on her. It wasn't even on his father. It was on him. He'd checked out a long time ago and until he met Darling, he hadn't cared. Sex without strings had kept his head on straight and his heart his own. "Mom, you were dealing with your own pain."

"Yes, but I never should've stopped being a mother to my son."

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "You didn't."

She patted his hand closest to her with her own. "Yes, I did. But, I promise, I won't ever do it again."

He knew his mother wouldn't break a promise she made to him. But, nothing she'd done had scarred him. It was his own fear of hurting a woman the way his father had her, as well as, the slim chance that someone might hurt him. "I don't know what to do, but I can't stop thinking about her."

"Son, a divorce can be difficult for a woman. People who've never been through it can't really understand what I mean. Right now, aside from a broken heart, she's letting go of the dream she had with her ex-husband. Family. Children. Whatever her dream was." His mother's gaze drifted off into the distance before she refocused on him. "She probably doesn't trust men and isn't sure if it's worth it to go through it all again."

"I know she cares for me, but she's scared." He closed his eyes and listened to the pianist. The soloist's soft sad music bounced through the empty halls of The Peabody. "What if I can't be a good man to her?" If he could confess his fears to his mother and to himself, maybe he could proclaim his feelings to Darling.

"I was scared. I didn't want to feel
that
way again, ever. As a mom, I didn't want anyone to hurt my son. What if you would've lost not only your father, but a step-father? I couldn't do it." She paused. "Can you be her friend and expect nothing?"

He searched his heart and ignored the argument his body put up in disagreement. "I want to be whatever she needs. Whatever she'll allow me to be."

"All those years ago, I needed a friend. Too many men wanted money..." She cleared her throat. "…Companionship, but no one wanted a no-strings-attached friendship."

"Be her friend?" he asked. How was he supposed to be only a friend to a beautiful sexy woman that filled his dreams every night?

"Listen to her. Be there for her. Don't try to be her hero or her prince charming. Why do men always think a woman needs rescuing?" she asked rhetorically. "You don't know what this other man did to her, or what her dreams with him were. Let her know how wonderful a man you are." She smiled. "Show her the man I know and she'll love you as much as I do."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

B
arbara had wasted too many weekends reviewing reports for upcoming tradeshows at Slater Enterprises watching Jaxon and waiting on the perfect opportunity. The bang of the overloaded box to the thinly carpeted floor ricocheted through the empty hallways. A happy tingle shot threw her as she dragged the box stuffed with brochures and useless trinkets.

Jaxon rounded the corner and rushed toward her. As he neared, shock or confusion clouded his expression. He slowed his approach. "Barbara, what are you doing here on a weekend?" he asked as he assisted her with the load she dragged.

She marveled at how easily he lifted the box and stacked it on top of another case lined up against a nearby wall.

"I needed to ship out a few more things for the tradeshow next week." The simplicity of her plan pleased her. She stifled a smile. "Instead of shipping all these." She waved her arm in the direction of the various boxes she'd filled and labeled. "I can drop some off with Darling."

"Does she need to carry it with her?"

No, but there's no other way to get him to Darling's house. She hadn't seen the woman who'd visited with his mother in weeks, so maybe there was still a chance for her. And when he sees Darling's neighborhood and her parents, he'll see she's not the right woman. There's no way she would fit into his life better than her. "She doesn't need the stuff for the booth. But, I pulled together packages of brochures and other items that she can use."

"What would she use them for?"

How many questions will he ask?
Rodney would never have questioned her. All she ever needed to do was flash a little skin and lick her lips, and he gave her whatever she wanted. Or, at least, she thought he did. He didn't give her the big ass budget Darling had. Bigger budget meant more shows, more sales, better bonuses, and happier employees. Everyone practically whistled while they worked. She would've been able to do the same thing, if she would've had the same support. "This is the first time we've attended this conference. I don't want to take any chances. With these materials, she can set-up and test the booth. She'll know ahead of time if we need more space or more materials."

He didn't speak, but seemed to mull over her words as he scanned the crap load of boxes strewn through the hallway.

She continued, "Sir, would you mind helping me load my car?" She beamed her most innocent smile.

As they loaded her car, Barbara, rehearsed what she could say to get him to drive to Darlings' house.

"Looks like you're set." He closed her trunk and slapped his hands together to remove the dust of the boxes from them.

Barbara reached for her phone. "Thank you, Mr. Slater." She tapped the screen to wake it up, and pretended to read a text message. "Sir, I'm sorry, but there's an emergency. I have to pick up my nephew. Would it be okay if I call Darling and let her know you'll bring this stuff to her?"

"I have plans. Can't you take it later after you help with your nephew?"

Damn. She thought he might jump at the chance to go to Darling's house. "Sir, she's driving out Monday and she's going to need this stuff."
Not really.
But, by the time he found out the truth, he'd be thankful she'd stopped him from getting any more involved with Darling.

"Okay, text me her address and pop your trunk." He attempted to squelch a smile.

"Thank you. You're a life saver." She hid a smile of her own.

Jaxon had strolled the deserted hallways of Slater Enterprises with no purpose, but no matter which way he turned, he ended his walk in the same place—Darling's office. Because he had no reason to be in Memphis and there was only one woman, he wanted to spend his time with. The weekends were nothing to him but two days that annoyed the hell out of him because he couldn't see her. He knew the ache in his gut wouldn't go away until she returned from her site visit for their next event in Little Rock. The trip to Little Rock would only be for a couple of days, but tell that to the knot in the pit of his stomach. He'd been grateful for the sound of dropping boxes that pulled him down the hall dragging his attention away from her empty chair.

Jaxon relaxed as he drove up to the front of The Peabody. But, he found it difficult to mask his excitement. It became equally as hard for him to wait patiently for his mom to fasten her seatbelt. "Sorry, mom, but this shouldn't take too long. We'll drop off the packages, and then I promise, I'm all yours for the rest of the day."

"It's good to see you smile. Is that because you can't wait to play a game of tennis with me, or because we're stopping by Darling's?" She stared straight ahead, but the subtle smile that curved her lips told Jaxon she understood his motivations too well.

He grinned as he pressed the gas a little too hard, jetting from the curb.

The older neighborhood Jaxon's GPS sent him to could not be correct. Could it? But, as he slowed and reached for the button to ask the navigator to correct his location, he saw her. With her hair pulled high on top of her head neatly into a ponytail, she wore a torso hugging t-shirt and shorts that drew his attention to her round bottom. One shoe on and one off, she ran across the yard chasing behind a little boy with the complexion of butterscotch that held the other one. "Cedric, give that back."

On wobbly legs, the smiling little boy glanced over his shoulder at her, but kept running.

It took a moment to find a parking spot on the crowded two-way street. Jaxon and his mother watched as children and adults climbed out of their cars heading toward Darling. The large front yard had become a temporary playground. A huge inflatable swimming pool had been placed in the center of the yard. Children bubbled with laughter as they splashed and played under the hot Memphis sun. Equally, as many children bounced to the beat of their own giggles, inside a beautiful white castle that rivaled the height of some of the surrounding trees.

An older man plated hot dogs and burgers. A snowy white haired woman whose height and physique resembled Darling's, mingled with the crowd. Each person Darling approached smiled and hugged her as if they'd known her their whole life.

Softly, his mother touched his arm. "Son, should we interrupt?"

"Barbara called to tell her I was coming." He popped the trunk and began to exit the car. "It shouldn't take me long."

She jiggled her seat belt. "I'm coming with you."

Before he could complain, she exited the car.

He grabbed the packages, and approached the crowd. The first day he walked into the corporate offices of Slater Enterprises, he didn't feel as anxious as he did making his way through the crowd toward Darling. Although Barbara had called, he felt that he was intruding on a very private family moment. Work should not cut into her time with the people she loved. How did Barbara manage to talk him into this?

As he passed by the older gentleman on the grill, he was certain that the man was Darling's father. The man's dark skin and facial features mirrored Darlings.

"Well, hello ma'am." Darling's father nodded at Jaxon's mom. "Young man, what can we do for you?"

"Hi, sir, my name is Jaxon Slater and this is my mother, Elaine. We came to drop off a few packages for Darling."

"Darling…" He pointed a long fork in Darling's direction. "…Is over there." He smiled with a slight nod of his head.

Jaxon knew exactly where she stood. He needed no assistance, but he allowed his eyes to follow the fork. "Thank you."