My White Lottery Winner (BWWM Interracial Romance) (4 page)

“
No, it’s nothing like that. What I am talking about is giving you a special treat. Just for today,” he said.

“
You are sure about this?” she asked. “You are sure we will not be having this talk again?” She looked at him.

“
Why are you so against this, Dee? Is having something nice done for you so unheard of?” he asked. Desiree put her hand on his and shook her head.

“
It’s not that I don’t want all this done for me. But this was a lucky strike. It’s not something that happens every damn month. You need to be smart about this,” she said. Taylor looked at her and laughed cynically.

“
So you are telling me that I’m not smart?” he asked. Desiree shook her head.

“
Why the hell don’t you understand me?” she asked.

“
I understand you perfectly. You think I am not smart enough to even hit the jackpot one more time,” he said. She shook her head and looked at him in disbelief.

“
One, I never said that and two, all I’m saying is that you need to be smart with this money. Invest it or something; then you can live the life you want every single day because the money will be working for you,” she said.

“
So now you are trying to be one of those women who tell their men what to do, huh?” Taylor asked. Desiree took a long deep breath and gathered her purse in her arms.

“
You know what, you can do whatever the hell you want. I’ll find my own way home,” she said before getting out of the car. She looked at Taylor for a brief moment hoping that he would apologize or something but all he did was just look at her. She shook her head, spun on her heel and walked away from his car. She could feel him looking at her as she walked away but she did not care to look behind her. At some point, he even honked at her and tried to follow her but she went on walking until she got a cab. She got in and gave the driver her address. She wanted to be as far from Taylor as possible. If he could not take her advice in the right way, then maybe he didn’t deserve it at all…or her.

             
****************************************************

Desiree had made a stop at a Burger King before she went home. When she walked into the apartment, she found Cynthia seated in front of the TV.

“Hey you,” Desiree said as she walked towards Cynthia. ”I was beginning to think you don’t live here anymore,” she said. Cynthia laughed.

“
Actually, those were the same thoughts I had about you,” she said as Desiree sat down next to her.

“
Oh come on, Cynthia. You are never around,” she said, looking at her. “I actually see Rochelle a whole lot more than I used to as compared to you,” she added.

“
Really? Rochelle is in this house more than I am? I guess my social life is really picking up,” Cynthia said smiling.

“
Yeah, new guy is really causing ripples, huh?” Desiree asked.

“
Oh, more than you know,” Cynthia said smiling. “What about you? How is Taylor? Feels like forever since I saw him,” she said. Desiree rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“
Don’t get me started on his bull,” she said. At that moment, Cynthia became aware of the Burger King bag Desiree had set on her side.

“
What is that?” she asked.

“
Deep fried drumsticks, double beef burger and fries,” Desiree said with a smile.

“
Wow, this is really bad. What did Taylor do?” Cynthia asked. Desiree took a deep breath and shook her head before she helped herself to one of the drumsticks in the bag. She then told Cynthia everything that had transpired at the mall. “So, let me get this straight. You guys fought because he bought you stuff?” Cynthia asked. Desiree shook her head.

“
I don’t mind the stuff he got me. You don’t get it at all,” she said, looking frustrated. “It’s the whole idea of wanting to spend it all that I don’t like. I would rather if he invested the money instead of spending it all. I mean, I know it’s his money and everything but to be honest this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t want him to be one of those people who gets interviewed a year after they won and then the world gets to see how they are in a worse situation than they were before they got the money,” she said. Cynthia looked at her and nodded.

“
I’m sorry, love. I wish there was something I could do,” she said. Desiree took the bag and held it in front of her face.

“
We could share the comfort food,” she said. Cynthia smiled.

“
Do you still have your Zumba and Pilates videos?” she asked. Desiree nodded.

“
Yeah, why?” she asked.

“
Because I will need about three extra hours after eating this,” Cynthia said as she pulled one of the chicken pieces out of the bag. She smiled as she picked out one french fry and bit into it before she started on the chicken. As the two ate, Desiree’s phone kept on ringing but she kept hitting ignore and Cynthia knew better than to ask her to pick up the call.

After about half an hour, the house phone rang. Desiree looked at Cynthia and shook her head. “I have to pick it up, Dee. We don’t have the vibrate option on landlines,” she said as she stood up and walked to the kitchen. Desiree watched as her cousin picked up the phone. She knew that it would definitely be Taylor looking for her, judging by the way he had been calling her for the past hour.

“Oh hi, Taylor, long time no see,” Cynthia said. “Who? Dee? Yeah she’s here,” she said looking at Desiree who was now shaking her head. “But you know what, I think it would be better if you gave her some time to cool off. I won’t lie to you and tell you she is not here when I am looking right at her, but to be honest, she just doesn’t want to talk to you,” she said. Desiree took a long deep breath and leaned back. She didn’t care what Cynthia said after that, so long as Taylor got the point: that she didn’t want to see him.

“
Sooner or later you are going to have to talk to him,” Cynthia said as she walked back to the couch.

“
I know but I’d rather it is later rather than sooner. I don’t think I want anything to do with him,” she said.

“
Yeah, I got that,” Cynthia said as she sat down. “It’s weird. I always thought you and Taylor were the most perfect couple. The way the two of you are always able to communicate. What happened? I mean, if the two of you can’t work out then there is no hope for the rest of us,” she said as she went on to eat her chicken. Desiree smiled and pulled the burger from the bag.

“
I didn’t know you thought that highly of me…and Ericson,” she said smiling.

“
Oh, you are the best example of what a relationship should be like,” Cynthia said as Desiree took a bite of the burger. “Maybe I should have taken part in the speed dating rather than hosting it,” she added. Desiree laughed.

“
That speed dating thing did not work very well for some of the people there,” she said.

“
Oh come on, look at you and Taylor,” she said. “You guys are…cute and perfectly in love,” she added, smiling.

“
Yeah but look at the likes of Mark. Remember him? The rich douche?” Desiree asked. Cynthia smiled.

“
Guess everyone has to kiss their fair share of frogs before getting to their prince,” she said.

“
Guess so,” Desiree said before she took another bite of the burger. “I am going to be wildly constipated after this,” she said smiling. Cynthia looked at her and smiled. She knew how her cousin was when she didn’t want to talk about stuff and that was exactly what she was doing right now, changing the subject. She reached over and touched Desiree’s knee.

“
You guys will be just fine,” she said smiling. Desiree smiled and nodded.

“
I know,” she said as she stood up and walked to the kitchen. She took a bottle of water from the fridge and then walked to her room. When she closed the door behind her, she could not help but wonder whether she was being too hard on Taylor. She wanted to cut him some slack because after all, he was a man who worked hard and had just cut his big break. But she also needed him to be aware of his choices, how they affected their future. She opened the water bottle and took a long sip before she walked to her closet. She pulled out one of her old shoe boxes and then sat on the edge of the bed as she opened the box. She still did not know how no one had ever figured it out, that box was where she kept all her secrets. Her old family photos, her diary…everything about her life. Her eyes landed on an old photo of her mother. She was a beautiful woman, with short curly hair that framed a perfectly round face. Desiree always thought her mother looked more like Rochelle than her. She took the diary and opened it. A smile played on her face when she noticed that the last entry had been when she met Taylor.

He is the dream, definitely unlike Leon. He is honest, he is hot…very hot. He is just what I need to move on with my life. And did I say hot? Honestly, I have never had a thing for white men but he just could be the exception. He has all the perks of a white man and the advantages of a black man…if you know what I mean.

She smiled to herself as she read the last sentence again. She got comfortable on the bed as she went on reading.

It’s not that I have already had him…all of him, at least not yet but for the first time in a long time, I feel like I should take things slow, maybe because I want to have him around for a long time.

She smiled and took a pen from her nightstand. She had no idea what she was about to write but she decided that she would let her views just flow out of her like they had so many times before. She took a long deep breath and began writing.

Dear Diary.

It has been a long time since I last wrote. It’s almost like I substituted writing with Taylor and maybe that’s a good thing, right? So anyway, today we had our first fight about money. I hate to be the voice of reason but it is like he has no plan for the future. At least not financially. He is fine spending fifty grand on fluff while the future is knocking on the door.

She stopped writing when she heard her phone buzzing once again. She was tempted to ignore it but this time, she picked it up. It was a text from Taylor telling her that he was sorry. Normally, she would have texted back immediately but today, she was just too pissed off to let it slide. She tossed her phone aside and threw her head back on the pillow. That text had thrown her train of thought completely off. She had no idea what she wanted to write. She slammed the diary shut in anger and closed her eyes. She focused on taking deep long breaths to relax herself but what she did not know was that she relaxed herself all the way to slumber land.

Desiree had heard of out of body experiences but she had never really had one. She did not know where she was but what was totally familiar was the fact that she was in the same meadows that her mother liked taking her as a child. She looked around and smiled. This was exactly how she remembered her childhood. It was quiet, serene and totally unlike what she was used to in her normal life: her life after her mother left. She was still taking in the sights when she noticed a familiar face, the most beautiful face she knew. She looked exactly how she remembered her: short curly hair that reminded her of Rochelle, a round face and beautiful pink lips. Her dainty body was exactly the same as the last time Desiree had seen her. She was still looking at her mother on the horizon when she suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Hey Dee,” Karen Young said, looking at her daughter. “You have grown so much…you look so beautiful,” she said.

“
Mommy, what are you doing here? You’re dead,” Desiree said, looking confused.

“
I am. I have been for a while,” Karen said smiling. Desiree shook her head.

“
What do you mean, here? For me? Am I dying?” she asked, feeling scared. Karen laughed. It was the same soft laugh that Desiree remembered.

“
Not at all, honey. You are just confused,” she said. Karen looked into her daughter’s brown eyes and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You are confused about a lot of things,” she added.

“
What is that supposed to mean? How would you even know that? I haven’t seen you in years….decades even,” Desiree said.

“
True,” Karen said nodding. “But sometimes I have to come down and remind you what is really important. Like when I came for you when you were with that Liam guy,” she said. Desiree shook her head.

“
Who is Liam?” she asked.

“
The married guy you were seeing,” Karen said.

“
You mean Leon,” Desiree said. Karen rolled her eyes and shrugged.

“
That’s just another case of potatoes and tomatoes and how exactly we should be pronouncing the two,” she said. Desiree smiled. “So, yeah, I came for you then and you saw that fool for the idiot he is, and now I need to show you that you are being stupid with the situation at hand,” Karen said. Desiree looked at her and again shook her head.