Permanent Resident at the Purse Table (7 page)

Ava sat in her car, rubbing her sweaty palms together, as she waited in the fifteen-minute pickup lane outside of Toni's terminal at the airport. Revealing her serious slip-up to Toni would surely get her read the riot act, but she needed to tell someone. How could she even explain acting on her poor judgment?

When Toni walked through the sliding doors, Ava popped her trunk and got out of the car. “Glad you made it back safely.” She held on to her tears like a mother holding a newborn.

“Me too.”

After they made their way into their seats, Ava lowered the keys into her lap and stared downward.

“Sorry, I didn't you call back yesterday. We shot all day, and then the photographer's assistant threw him a little birthday celebration afterward.” Toni breathed a concerned sigh. “You sounded distressed on your message. What's going on?”

“I don't know where to begin.”

“Just say it. You know we can get through anything.”

“I . . . I . . .” Ava cleared her throat and burst into tears. “I slept with Ishmael.”

“You what!” Toni's stunned eyes widened.

“I know. I can't believe it either.” Her voice cracked as she went on. “I don't know exactly how it happened. One minute I was helping him look for Rene, and the next we were kissing in the kitchen.”

“Kissing in the kitchen?”

“Yeah.” That sounded like a bad song. “I dropped my wine glass on the floor and he helped me clean it up.”

“So you were drunk?”

“No. Maybe. I don't know.” The trio probably all needed to put the alcohol down. Their past proved they couldn't handle having a drink or two.

Toni massaged her temples. “You had to be drunk to sleep with that fool! How could you do this to Rene? How could you do this to yourself?”

“I wasn't in my right mind. Xavier popped up over there earlier and we ended up getting into it. My mom ticked me off with her usual comments. And I did have quite a bit of wine.” Ava grabbed a Kleenex from the glove compartment. “Plus, Ishmael kept telling me how special and beautiful I was. It was all bad timing.”

“Bad timing?” Toni's face puckered. “Ava, going to the bank and it getting robbed while you're there is bad timing. This goes way beyond bad timing.”

“I know, Toni. But I don't know how else to explain it.” What had her life boiled down to? The few flattering comments Ishmael made overrode her morals and loyalties to Rene. Was Ava really that simple of a woman?

“Well, you better think of some way to explain it to Rene. You are going to tell her, aren't you? I mean, you can't let her marry that poor excuse for a man.”

“Yes, of course I'm going to tell her. I just need some time.”

“I knew he was a dog. But dang, Ava, did you have to be the one to prove it?” Toni couldn't seem to stop shaking her head.

“I can't believe I did this.” Ava sniffled. “I'm going straight to hell, aren't I?”

“I don't know about all that but you need to sit down and talk with Rene. I'll be there if you want me to.”

“I think I will take you up on that. She's going to want to kick my tail.”

Toni nodded. “As well she should. But I'll be there to help you talk through it.”

Ava would go to the Lord in prayer that Rene wouldn't resort to violent behavior, but it'd be good planning to have Toni present as a backup just in case.

Having dropped the bomb on Toni and making it out with only minor bumps and bruises, Ava put the car in drive and journeyed on to Toni's house. How many major bumps and bruises would she have to try to make it out with when she divulged the news to Rene? What a mess. She and Rene were like sisters. In fact, they were closer than Ava was with her own family. How could Ava, under the influence or not, make that act of intimacy with her friend's man okay in her head? It was going to take a lot of prayer. After Ava did tell her, she'd give Rene her space and hope for the best.

 

 

Toni unhooked her seat belt as Ava pulled into the driveway. Struggling to be finished with the conversation, her lips tightened. She had much more to say to her friend on the Ishmael subject, but didn't want to step on her while she was down. “Well, just so you know, I'm going to dinner with Roderick this evening.”

Ava's eyes read confusion.

“The guy from the club the other night.”

“Oh, yeah. With the jacked-up friend.” Ava giggled nervously. “Who am I to be talking, right?”

Toni's lips pulled at the corners.

“Be careful.” Ava waved. “Text me if you want me to call you with a sudden emergency.”

“I will and you hang in there. Isn't there some saying church folks use like this too shall be passed?”

“You mean this too shall pass?” She giggled. “We're not talking about kidney stones.”

Mmh.
Oh, now Ava wanted to correct her but couldn't correct herself before she decided to slip under the covers with Ishmael. What holier-than-thou saying did she have for that?

Toni removed her bag from the trunk and trekked into her house.
How could Ava let this happen?
Did she not see what Toni was going through having been cheated on by Eric? Ava had a front-row seat to Toni's pain. And now Ava, the other woman, had made sure Rene was the star of the show. Ava had her set of issues, like everyone else, but the way she dealt with them in the past had never been this crucial.

By the time Toni dropped her bags in her bedroom, she was ready to call Roderick and cancel. However, she needed a distraction from her thoughts of Eric as well as Ava's unfortunate situation. As she plopped down on the bed, her cell phone buzzed. The text message read: Hope u had a safe trip. See u tonite at A Taste of Italy off Gessner at 7. Lookin forward to it. Rod

If Eric knew that Toni was dating again, how would he react? She'd only been in a relationship with him and he was her first and only. He'd always possessed a certain pride about that fact. Making him jealous would be a good way to get him back for his indiscretions, but what was the point? What would stepping down to his level really accomplish? And using an innocent guy like Roderick to do it would be against what she stood for. It'd almost make her no better than Ava. Almost. Toni loved Eric and wasn't interested in hurting him. She just wanted him to know how much his actions hurt her.

She napped until about four, and then ascended out of bed and chose the right outfit for her first date with Roderick. Everything needed to be perfect. Toni wanted to make sure if she wanted a second date, he would too. She showered and perfected her makeup, crafting her look to resemble one of her modeling photos.

When she cruised into the valet parking lane, Roderick stood outside of the entrance of the restaurant. Still as handsome as he was the first night they'd met, he strolled over to her as she handed her keys to the parking attendant.

He opened his arms. “I've been waiting to see you all day.”

“I've looked forward to this as well.” She smiled.

Roderick opened the door, and escorted her into the restaurant. The hostess scrolled down the list and found their reservation. She motioned for the waitress to guide them to their table. Roderick and Toni followed the bubbly waitress through the dimly lit eatery.

The décor was high class. Tables were adorned with crimson roses, fine china, burgundy cloth napkins, and full place settings including a bunch of pearl-handled silverware Toni was never sure about. One fork for this. Another for that. What was wrong with cleaning one fork off with the napkin and carrying on with the meal? Smells of steak and fresh seafood tugged at Toni's stomach.

Roderick pulled out Toni's chair, the gentleman Eric had forgotten to be. He ordered a bottle of wine. “Their signature Merlot is like they have a vineyard right in their backyard. Can I interest you in a glass of red wine?”

She nodded, then recalled Ava's fiasco that involved wine. Toni should probably turn the offer down. “Maybe just a glass.”

“How was your trip back?”

“It was good. A little turbulence here and there but nothing too scary.”

“I appreciate you meeting me for dinner.”

“No problem. I don't have to work tomorrow so I'm good.”
But I'd rather be at the house chillin'.
Toni's attitude was stank. Could she put aside her thoughts of Eric and disappointment in Ava to enjoy a meal with a potential companion?

Small talk continued until their entrees made it to the table. Toni revealed more about her clothing design projects and dreams, while Roderick shared he was up for a promotion soon if he could produce his next two commercials without any hiccups. She had always been attracted to professional brothas, so he already had a check in the plus column.

He ate the last bite of his medium-rare steak and put his fork down. “Hey, I have an idea.”

Toni wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Yeah, what's that?”

“Why don't you come down to the station tomorrow since you're off? I can fit you into a test shoot. We'll be shooting tomorrow afternoon. And if all goes well, I may be able to get you in a commercial or two.”

She shook her head. Was he trying to run a line on her? “I don't know. I've mostly done print work, but no commercials.”

“You can do it. Just be yourself and be beautiful. I know you won't have any trouble with the latter.” Roderick winked at her.

“Thank you. But are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Of course, I'll need to take a headshot or something in with me in the morning. We have narrowed it down to two actresses and a model for this new campaign. You could even the playing field for the models. I could let you know by lunch.”

“Really?” Commercials did sound appealing and would be a nice change in her hectic travel schedule.

“Yeah, why not? Do you have a photo or your portfolio with you?”

“No, I left everything in my suitcases at the house.”

He leaned back in his chair. “It's not a problem. We could get it before the night is over.”

“Mmm. I'm not sure about that. I don't know you all that well to have you coming to my house on a first date.”

“It's no biggie. I understand. But I will need to show my boss something. I can't have you come in sight unseen on our final callbacks.”

“Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt this once. This is business, right?”

He grinned. “That's right.”

The waitress brought the check, and he paid in cash. They rose out of their chairs and headed out of the restaurant. Roderick followed Toni to her house in his black Range Rover. He had a good job, nice car, was attractive, and could possibly help her get to the next level in her career. Happier by the minute that she decided to go on the date, Toni periodically checked her appearance in the rearview mirror, and even freshened her lipstick at a stoplight.

When she got out of the car, he rolled down his window. “You want me to wait here?”

“I appreciate that, but you can come in. I'll get my portfolio and you can decide what photo will be best to take with you.” His offer to wait outside made her more comfortable with the situation.

Roderick hopped out of the car and trailed behind her. She offered him a seat and went in her bedroom to locate her leather briefcase. Her modeling portfolio was stacked on top of everything else. She grabbed it and bounced to the front of the house.

He opened the folder and turned page after page. “This is beautiful, Toni. Yep, I could definitely get you a test shoot, so keep your afternoon free.”

“Thanks, Roderick. I will.”

He moved closer. “I'll take this photo here of you on the beach in the swimsuit, and this one in the clothing store. We'll show range.”

They shared a laugh.

“Okay, I'll be right back.” Toni drifted into her office and searched among her files of photographs from different modeling jobs. She located the two photos he requested, put them in an envelope, and returned to the living room.

Roderick's suit jacket lay across the back of the loveseat. She turned the corner to see him standing with every button on his shirt undone. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” He unfastened his belt.

“It looks like you need to put your clothes back on.”
Who does this fool think he is?

“Oh, no, Ms. Lady, we're just getting started.”

She snatched his jacket from the loveseat and hurled it at him. “We ain't getting nothin' started.”

“Are you telling me you let me in to get some pictures and nothing else?”

“That's exactly right. And you can leave my pictures here, and just get out.”

“I ain't going nowhere.” Roderick thundered over to her and wrapped his hands firmly around her arms.

“Are you crazy? Get your hands off me!”

“You know you want this. All that talk about not letting anybody in here on a first date. Well, this is a first date, and I'm here.”

“That was about business. And now I see you were just trying to work your way in my house. Now let go of me and get out!” She was an idiot for trusting this joka. All his talk, fueling the idea in her head that she could be a spokesmodel or that he could help to push her career in another direction. Toni had to be more careful in the future.

He pulled her blouse out of her skirt and his hand traveled underneath her clothing. She grabbed his hands to push them off her, but she proved too weak for his burly strength. “Did you not hear me? I'm telling you to get out.”