Authors: Marie Rochelle
Jenisha
rolled her eyes at her. “True, there aren’t too many men out there willing to tell a woman he loves her first.”
True knew
Jenisha
was right, but she didn’t want to go into it right now. “I think I’ll go back home after Stephen’s birthday party.”
She made herself more comfortable by sitting yoga style. “Now, it’s your turn to reciprocate. Did you date any sexy cowboys in
“No, I didn’t date at all while I was there,”
Jenisha
answered.
“Why not?”
True gasped. “You’re stunning. I’m surprised you aren’t married by now.”
Jenisha
shrugged. “I guess I’m not marriage material.”
She sighed. “Well, if you don’t want to talk about sexy cowboys I’d better leave.”
“Let me grab my car keys from the kitchen and I’ll take you home,”
Jenisha
said getting off the couch.
* * * *
The bright warm
Jenisha’s
hair inside the silver convertible as she drove True back to Stephen’s condominium. The faint scent of salt water clung in the air whilst blowing around them.
“Are you coming to the party next week?” True asked.
“I don’t know. You know I’m not much of a party person.”
“Now you know with Stephen turning the big 30, he’ll have a killer party to celebrate that milestone in his life.”
Jenisha
grinned. True was right Stephen was known for having amazing parties. “Sure tell him I’ll be there.” She answered pulling up in front of three-bedroom condominium.
True hugged her before opening the car door. “I promise we’ll get together again before I leave town.” She said before rushing from the car toward Stephen’s front door.
* * * *
True was surprised to find Stephen waiting for her when she went inside the house. “Did you have fun catching up with
Jenisha
?” He asked her tossing his wire-framed glasses on top of a thick stack of paper. “I was surprised when you called me from her house,” he said. “I haven’t seen her since she got back to town.”
“I loved it!”
Picking up the box of Crunch
'n' Munch
off the table.
She popped a handful in her mouth. The sweet and salty favor tasted wonderful to her tongue.
“It felt good to talk to another woman. I don’t have any female friends in
“I’m writing down ideas for the party next week and trying to work on a report at the same time.” Stephen replied, “Have you decided yet if you’re staying?”
“Only if you want me to.”
She
said,
tongue-in cheek.
Stephen tapped her on the head with his pen. “Stop playing around with me. You know that I want you to stay for my party.”
“Ouch,” True yelped rubbing the sore spot on the top of her head. She glanced around the room and then back at Stephen. “Where’s Michael?”
“He called me from the airport right before you did. He got booked on another assignment in
Paris
for two weeks.”
“But that means he won’t be here for your birthday party,” she gasped.
“Yeah, he won’t be here for my birthday.”
True rested her chin on her raised knees. “Are you upset?”
“I’m a little hurt,” Stephen confessed. “I know how important his job is to him, but he could have turned this assignment down.”
Hearing the hurt in Stephen’s voice, she touched the back of his hand “Are you going to talk to him about your feelings when he gets back in town?”
“I’ll talk to Michael,
under
one condition. You have to talk to
Hayward
as soon as you go back home. Do we have a deal?” Stephen asked.
“I’ll try to, when I get back to
Hayward
as opposed to his with Michael. Stretching her hands out behind her True rested her weight on them.
“Stephen, you look exhausted. Why don’t you go upstairs to bed?” True suggested.
He stared down at her for a couple of minutes then said, “Okay, I think that’s a good ideal,” he said rising from the seat.
“Don’t you stay up too long either,” Stephen said as he bent down kissing her forehead.
“I won’t.” She promised. “There’s a movie on television I want to see, then I’ll go to bed.”
He nodded then walked upstairs, a minute or two later she heard his bedroom door shut. Taking the seat Stephen just vacated, she clicked on the television. “How did the two of us end up with men who might be first-class jerks?”
She searched the stations for Universal Solider. She loved
Dolph
Lundgren there was something about those blue eyes, with his accent, that made her pulse race.
* * * *
The next morning True got up early to fix a surprise breakfast for Stephen. After their conversation last night, she wanted to do something to lift his spirits. Taking two pancakes off the griddle, she placed them on top of the stacks on the counter and carried them over to the table. She didn’t want him staying in the house all day working, so she hoped he would agree to her plan.
Walking over to the sink, she started working on the breakfast dishes and then stopped when she heard Stephen footsteps coming down the hall. A few minutes later the familiar scent of brute filled the kitchen the second he strolled in and sat down at the table.
“Good morning sleepy head.” She moved away from the sink and joined Stephen at the table.
“True, you didn’t have to fix me breakfast,” Stephen complained.
She looked at the pancakes, bacon, sausage and orange juice on the kitchen table. It brought back wonderful memories of all the times she would come over early and fix breakfast for the both of them. “Don’t worry about it. I had some extra time this morning and I wanted to do something special for you,” she sighed piling food on her plate. “But I do have a question for you?”
“What is it?” Stephen asked stacking pancakes on his plate.
“Do you want to go shopping for party items today?”
“Sure.
Why Not?”
Stephen replied, pouring maple syrup over his fluffy pancakes. Cutting into them, he shoved a forkful into his mouth. “Damn I miss your cooking. Call
Jenisha
and see if she wants to come. We can make a day of it.”
Both were lost in the own thoughts, True and Stephen sat the table with each other and ate fluffy thick pancakes. Neither one wanted to get into heavy conversation, so they relaxed and enjoyed the peace and solitude.
Wiping his mouth, Stephen shoved his empty plate away and got up from the table. “I’ll wait for you outside in the car while you call
Jenisha
,” he said leaving the room.
True grabbed the phone off the table and stared at it while her mind wandered to
Hayward
. Was he even thinking about her? Did he even miss her?
* * * *
“Staring at her house isn’t going to make her be there.” A voice said trying to reason with him.
Hayward
tossed two ice cubes into a crystal glass and poured a large amount of brandy over them. Picking up the drink, he gulped the liquid in one swallow, “I know
,
staring at her house won’t bring her back any sooner.” The alcohol numbed the pain eating away at his heart. He knew that he couldn’t blame anyone but himself.
“I only wanted to feel closer to her. I hope she comes back home and lets me explain.”
Damn, he missed the hell out of her
. “If she doesn’t then I’ll find her and bring her back with me.”
“You can’t drag her back here. She’ll return when she’s ready,”
Clinton
exclaimed.
“How long will that take?”
Hayward
growled.
“It will take as long as she needs,”
Clinton
said. “What did you think would happen after Samantha told her you had a wife and child?”
“She didn’t tell True they have been dead for over two years,” he snapped.
“Have you given thought that True may not want you back?”
Hayward
flung his drink against the wall. The sound of breaking glass echoed in the room. Fear and anger knotted his stomach muscles at the thought of not being able to hold
True
in his arms again. In his heart he had always been afraid that she might find out the truth, but he never thought it would be from that bitch Samantha.
“I can’t lose her because of Samantha.”
“Ms. Pinson isn’t going to clean that glass up,”
Clinton
teased, trying to calm him down.
“She won’t have to bother it. I’ll get it later.” Broken glass was the least of his problems. “Clint, I’ve never been this in love with a woman and it’s killing me not knowing where True is. Why didn’t I listen to you?”
Hayward
shook his head in regret. “If I had told her the truth, Samantha wouldn’t have any thing to use against me.”
“You’re really in love with her.”
Clinton
asked shocked.
“Yes, I love her more than I could ever think possible.”
Hayward
admitted. “I hope she comes back home and gives me a chance.”
“Are you going to tell her everything?”
“I can’t tell her about the private eye now, even if I wanted to. Are you crazy?”
Hayward
sputtered. “She’ll leave for sure if she already hasn’t.” Sometimes he didn’t understand how his brother’s mind worked.
Clinton
leaned forward in his seat. “What in the hell is wrong with you?” He questioned. “You can’t be serious. If True comes back from wherever she is and takes you back you’re still going to keep secrets from her.”
“Don’t you understand I’ve never lied about my wealth I just haven’t mentioned it.”
“Promise me you’ll at least think about being honest with True,”
Clinton
begged.
Hayward
had never seen his brother this upset before. Why was
Clinton
so concerned about his relationship with True? Did he really want True to leave him, so he could have a chance at her? No, his brother wouldn’t do that to him.
Clinton
was only showing brotherly concern and nothing more. “Okay, I promise I’ll be honest with her when she comes back.”
* * * *
“Who in the hell is this,” Sylvester grumbled into the phone.
“You know who it is,” His boss snapped back. “Who else would be calling you at
True
?
“No,
Hayward
came back a few days ago, but she wasn’t with him,” Sylvester mumbled sitting up in bed.
“Shit, where in the hell is she?”
“Listen, I don’t know where she is, but the second she comes back home I’ll call you.” Sylvester growled.
“Mr. Cantrell, you don’t want to make an enemy of me,” his boss whispered
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Sylvester apologized. He hated to apologize, but he would do whatever it took to get his money.
“Good. Now remember you’re only there to take care of True. Since I know now that
Hayward
is in the picture, I’ll take care of him myself.”
He still didn’t understand why his boss flipped out over the picture of
Hayward
. “I don’t understand why you want the
Campbell
man gone now too. I thought you only wanted
True
out of the picture?”
“I’ve a score to settle with
Hayward
for something he did years ago. I never had the opportunity to get revenge, but now I do. I still can’t believe that while I was hunting for that bitch True, I found him too.”
“So, you’re planning to kill two birds with one stone?”
“In one word-yes,” his boss hissed, and then hung up the phone.
.
Chapter Ten
Positioned at the back of the room, True watched
Jenisha
and Stephen interact with the other guests at the party. She grinned at the fun batter between her two best friends. No matter who the party was for, Stephen always knew how to have a good time. She took a small sip of her
unspiked
punch.
Whitney Houston’s
‘I Want To Dance With Somebody.’
provided background music. She watched as a few people moved from the table to the dance floor. It felt amazing to be with Stephen on his birthday, but she still missed a tall, dark-haired, blue eye man back in
She desperately wanted things to work out with
Hayward
.
However, if he was a married man she would accept it and move on. Being here, the past two weeks made her realize how much she didn’t want to be alone. There was a man out there for her and if she hadn’t found him, she would keep on looking until she did.
“Are you okay?”
Jenisha
asked while falling down in the empty spot beside her.
The unique scent of Emerald drifted toward her. That was
Jenisha’s
signature scent; the only one she wore.
Her spiral curls bounced around her slim shoulders as her hand brushed them away from her cheek. She loved the firecracker red dress that
Jenisha
decided to wear tonight; it stood out beautifully against her ebony skin.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said taking another sip of the punch, “I was thinking about
Hayward
and what will happen when I go home.” She noticed the frown lines in the middle of
Jenisha’s
usually smooth forehead. “Stop worrying about me so much.”
Jenisha
looked at her. “I can’t. You’re my best friend and you would do the same thing for me.”
Leaning back into the chair she laughed, “Look at Stephen over there with those all those presents. I don’t think he knows which one to open first.”
She hoped he liked her gift. It was something he had wanted for a while.
She flinched when
Jenisha
lightly touched her arm. “Don’t pretend with me.” She heard the hurt in her friend’s voice as it echoed in the small area around them. “You’re worried about what
Hayward
is going to tell you.”
Why couldn’t
Jenisha
leave it alone and go back to the party? She didn’t want to ruin Stephen’s birthday. He had worked so hard on making it a success. Her fingers played with the moisture on the side of the glass, “We need to discuss so many things. I don’t know if I want to hear the truth.” Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She could only image how it would feel after her conversation with
Hayward
.
“My offer still stands to go with you back home,”
Jenisha
said cutting into her thoughts.
She smiled at
Jenisha
, and shook her head. “No, I’ll fly home and after I get there I’ll call
Hayward
from the airport.” She chewed at her bottom lip, and tasted her vanilla lip-gloss. “I think he’ll come and pick me up,” she whispered. Was she counting on too much?
Would
Hayward
really come and pick her up after the way she left him in
Stamford
?
“He’ll be so happy to hear from you that he would do anything you asked,”
Jenisha
teased.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“Well, I’ll see when I get home,” True replied taking a sip of her punch.
“Isn’t this supposed to be a party?” A voice
interrupted .
True grinned at Stephen as he came towards them with two huge slices of cake on paper plates.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He looked gorgeous in his black slacks and crisp white shirt against his naturally tanned skin.
“Sorry Stephen, we were having a little girl time,” True said.
“Well, I guess its okay since you brought me the wonderful money clip,” Stephen teased.
“I’m so pleased you liked it.” She grinned.
“No, I loved it.” Stephen corrected kissing her on the cheek.
She loved having Stephen as a friend. He was always there when she needed him no matter what. He helped her through one bad relationship and now he was here at her side again with
Hayward
.
The music suddenly stopped playing in the background. She spotted three guests over by the CD player trying to figure out how it worked. She knew it would only a matter of time before a guest called Stephen over there to fix the music. She was smart, but Stephen’s CD player was even too complicated for her to work.
“You know it’s only a matter of time before one of them calls you over there, don’t you?” True took another sip of her punch. Coughing at the warm taste, she sat the cup on the table next to her.
Stephen nodded and chuckled at her. “I’m surprised they didn’t call me when the music first stopped.”
She waved her finger under Stephen’s nose and he brushed her hand away from his face. “You’re going to regret those words, birthday boy.”
“You know you might be right. I better go before someone does yell for me,” he said handing her the two plates. He winked and then walked away.
“It’s really good that you’ve a friend like Stephen. He’s there for you no matter what. That’s hard to find in a guy nowadays,”
Jenisha
commented.
True transferred her gaze from Stephen over to
Jenisha
. She spotted the strange, faraway flashed look that in her friends her eyes. What’s going on with her best friend that she didn’t know about?
“
Jenisha
, what’s wrong? I can tell you’re hiding something. Whatever it is you know that I’m here for you.”
Jenisha
examined her quickly. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
* *
* *
After finishing her cake, True went looking for Stephen and let
Jenisha
rejoin what was left of the birthday party. Finding Stephen by the refreshment table, she reached out and placed her hand in the center of his back. “Can I have a dance with the birthday boy?”
“Sure.” Stephen said dropping the dirty paper plates into the trashcan.
Taking his hand, she lead Stephen out to the dance floor as a slow song played in the background. “I promise not to step on your toes or grab your butt while we‘re dancing,” she joked remembering a dance from their past.
“In my defense, I grabbed your butt only once during our dance at senior prom,” Stephen said pulling her into his arms. His free hand moved up and down her back. “And if I remember correctly you asked me too, because you didn’t want Paul Stevenson coming on to you anymore,” he pointed out.
Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck, “I didn’t think you would actually do it.” The memory still brought a smile to her lips. Paul Stevenson had been the biggest jerk in school. He had made fun of her all during their junior year, but senior year he got his mind set on taking her to the prom. “I almost passed out when I felt your hands on my butt, but Paul did leave me alone the rest of the night.”
Brushing his lips across her cheek, Stephen whispered by her ear, “When have I ever denied you anything? You’re the only person who never judged me or criticized me. You accepted me from day one. I couldn’t ask for a better friend than you.”
“Why did you have to say that? I feel the same way about you too, green eyes.” Fixing his collar, she ran her hands across his shoulders and tried to enjoy the rest of their dance, “I’m going to miss you when I leave,” True sniffed, holding back tears.
“Are you’re really leaving me tomorrow?”
Stephen asked.
“I have to go back home,” True answered. “There are things I need to work out.”
She didn’t want to think about
Hayward
or their future on her last night in
Los Angeles
.
“Are these things named Hayward Campbell?” Stephen teased. “How do you plan on working them out,” he smirked devilishly.
Pushing Stephen in the shoulder, she said, “I’m going to miss the hell out of you.”
Stephen’s mouth brushed the side of her temple. “I’m going to miss the hell out of you too. Now you know you can come back for a visit anytime you want.”
“I might take you up on that,” True mumbled. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “But right now I want us to dance with the birthday boy.”
“Your wish is my command,” Stephen replied spinning her across the dance floor.
* * * *
True helped Stephen usher
Jenisha
and the remaining guests from his house around
“Your party was so much fun, Stephen.” Moving away from the door, she went over to the dining room table and started clearing it off.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” Stephen said. “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
She stopped throwing plates in the trash and glanced over at Stephen. “I’m leaving first in the morning. The plane should land in
Hayward
will come and pick me up
“Don’t you think you’re assuming a lot? What if he doesn’t show up?”
“
Hayward
is a gentleman. He wouldn’t leave me stranded at the airport.” True said adamantly.
“I hope you’re right,” Stephen replied. He turned on his heel and strode through the kitchen door dragging the full trash bag behind him.
* * * *
The next day came too quickly for True, as she stood inside the airport in front of
Jenisha
and Stephen. She made them promise not to cry. However, the second her flight number was called, the tears started to fall. “Okay, we have to stop this or I won’t be able to get on the plane,” True mumbled brushing tears away from her eyes.
“Is that such a bad thing?” Stephen asked.
She looked over at Stephen, “Yes, it would be a bad thing, because I need to go home and face my problems with
Hayward
.” She placed a light kiss on his cheek; then turned toward
Jenisha
. “Take care of him.”
Jenisha
wrapped her up in a tight hug. “You know I’ll do my best when he isn’t fighting me,” she teased.
She hugged her friend back and whispered in her ear. “I’m really concerned about Stephen, so check in on him when you can.”
Moving back from the embrace,
Jenisha
stared down into her face. “I promise to look out for him.”
Blinking back fresh tears, True stared at her two best friends. Her flight was announced for a second time. “I
have
to
go, but I’ll call you as soon as possible. She turned away from them and walked toward her plane.
* * * *
Hours later
True
stood inside the packed airport and clutched the cell phone in her hand.
Should I call
him or not?
She had kept the phone hidden inside her purse while she was staying with Stephen. She hadn’t wanted to be weak and answer it in case
Hayward
called. What if he doesn’t come and pick you up? What will you do then? A cynical voice questioned, cutting into her thoughts. Well, there was only one way to find out. She dialed
Hayward
’s phone number.
“Hello?”
Hayward
deep voice answered.
She couldn’t speak. She forgot how good his voice sounded.
“Hello is anyone there?” He repeated a second time.
“
Hayward
, it’s me.”
“Kitten, where are you?”
Hayward
yelled.
“I’m at the airport. Do you think you could come and pick me up? If you can’t I can find another way home,” she said in a rush.
“Don’t you dare go
anywhere!
I’ll be there to get you.”
He declared, and then hung up.