Seasons (36 page)

“Yes,” Nita answered quietly.

“Nita,” Jaci said softly. “This is all probably a lot easier said than done. But just do your best, honey. You’ve got that
strong Winslow blood flowing through you. And most importantly, God has promised to never leave or forsake you. Draw on His
strength and power. He’ll see you through.”

“Now how do we get to your house from Interstate 45? Do you remember how to get there, Jace? No?” C.J. asked, then said, “We’ll
call when we hit the city limits, Nita. Don’t take no mess off of nobody. Tell them when your cuz’s hit the door, we’ll be
taking names and whipping tail!” They were relieved when they heard Nita laugh.

“Thanks, guys,” Nita said in a stronger-sounding voice. “I can hardly wait till you get here. It’s going to get crazy around
here, and I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t know ya’ll were on your way.”

“Nita. Got a pen handy? Okay, take our cell phone numbers down. If something comes up in the meantime and you need to talk,
call us! Anytime between now and when we get there. The phones will ring in the car. Now I want you to remember that and do
it. We’ll check on you first thing in the morning before we hit the road.”

“C.J. has spoken,” Jaci said. “Now you better do it! We’re going to go now so we can get things rolling. We’ll see you tomorrow
afternoon, and hopefully Gina will be rolling in about the same time.”

They hung up and sat there in silence, not knowing what to say. It wasn’t an easy one to call. Their last encounter with Frank
had not been pleasant. In fact, they had gone to Dallas and whipped his butt for beating up on Nita. Of course after that,
Frank had forbid them to ever set foot in his house again.

“We’ll be back if you ever lay a hand on her again, you can count on that,” they had yelled back at him on the way out.

Since that time, they kept in touch with Nita by phone, calling when they knew Frank wasn’t home and making sure she told
them if he hit her again.

“Jace?” C.J. finally whispered. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be feeling right now, but I’m having a hard time feeling
sorry Frank is gone. All I feel is relief.”

Jaci took a deep breath, thankful C.J. had voiced her thoughts. “Same here, Cij. All I can think is that it could have been
Nita. I was worried sick that the sucker would kill her one day. At least we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“What time do you want to leave tomorrow?” C.J. asked. “I’ll drive. But I gotta try to figure out what to do with Geordi if
his parents don’t show up tonight like they promised,” she said disgustedly.

C.J.’s brother and his wife left the baby in C.J.’s care for weeks at a time, leaving most people under the impression that
he was her baby. “I guess we might as well plan to stay all of next week, since the services probably won’t be until next
weekend. Tell you what. Just call me in the morning and let me know what time you’ll be ready. I don’t think you’ll be getting
out of here anytime soon tonight.”

Jaci thought hard. “Why don’t we see if Randi will keep Geordi until they show up? If you don’t feel comfortable with that,
we’ll just have to take him with us.”

A quick knock was immediately followed by the door slowly opening and Jason peeking in.

“What’s going on?” he asked, entering all the way and looking at Jaci.

“Nita, our cousin in Dallas, called to let us know that her husband was found dead today.”

“Oh God! Where was he found?”

“In a hotel room,” Jaci answered with distaste.

“Oooooh!” Jason looked shocked. “That’s not the noble way to go out is it? What happened to him?”

Jaci and C.J. looked at each other. “Oh Lord. We didn’t even ask. We were too busy trying to deal with the fact that he’s
dead,” C.J. answered as she walked toward the door. “Thanks for inviting me, Jason. I had a really good time. I’m going to
gather up my little guy and go on home. Jace, you got a really nice guy here. Treasure him, girl. And remind him what happens
to men who mess with the cousins.” She gave a wink as she walked out the door.

“What’s she talking about?” Jason asked, looking puzzled. “What do ya’ll do to people?”

“Nothing. Just ignore her,” Jaci said, following C.J. through the door with Jason right behind her. They walked slowly down
the stairs in silence. C.J. immediately gathered a now-sleeping Geordi and his things to leave.

Jaci walked over to Randi and spoke quietly to her.

“Oh my God!” Randi said in a shocked voice.

“C.J. may need a babysitter until her brother and sister-in-law get back. Can you keep Geordi for her?”

“Sure,” Randi answered. “Just pack him up and bring him on over. When are ya’ll leaving?”

“As early as we possibly can tomorrow. We promised Nita we’d be there as soon as we could.”

“Well, I guess we’ll go ahead and leave now too,” Randi said. “How much longer you staying, Mom?”

“Girl, please! You see that man headed this way?” C.J. pointed to Jason. “He’ll have a conniption fit if Jaci tries to leave
anytime soon. She’ll get home when she gets there.

“Call me in the morning, Jace. Oh! I’ll get in touch with Gina,” C.J. called over her shoulder as she headed around the side
of the house toward her car.

Jaci waved okay to her as she walked back to Jason and gratefully accepted his hug.

“Okay. What time are we leaving tomorrow?” he asked.

Jaci thought for a minute before answering. “Jason, to be honest, it’s not a good idea for you to come. We’re going to be
busy helping Nita with the arrangements and everything, and trying to keep her from falling apart, I don’t think . . .”

“I know you don’t think I’m going to let you go up there without me? Not with that fool Maxie lurking around!”

Sensing a battle in the offing, Jaci shored up for it. “Honey, Dallas is a big place. There’s probably not the remotest possibility
of even accidentally running into Maxie. And what do you mean, let me?”

“I meant . . .” Jason said with a stubborn look, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go alone.”

“Well, I won’t be alone, my cousins will be there, and furthermore, how do you think I’ve survived all these years without
you? I’m not exactly Winnie foo foo! I’m fully capable of taking care of myself.”

“I disagree. That guy has been trying to get to you for months. After that stunt he pulled bringing his mother to your house,
I don’t put anything past him. I’m going.”

“Your concern warms my heart, but no, you’re not.”

He gave her a hard, determined look, turned away from her, and walked over to his parents. She knew he was telling them what
had happened.

His dad immediately stood, went outside, and said in a loud voice, “Okay, people, party’s over! We’ve had a death in the family.
Time to break it up and go on home.”

Everybody looked surprised, then questioning, as they stood and prepared to leave. It was still early for them. Only a little
after nine o’clock.

Jason came back to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down the hallway and into his office, only to find his brother there
with a woman in what looked to be an intimate conversation. He closed the door and redirected their path upstairs to his bedroom.

As he watched the unfolding scene, Big Pat said to his wife, “I see a fight brewing. Junior probably don’t want Jaci to go
up to Dallas. I need to talk to that boy. You can’t put a harness on a woman. You gotta let her run free. If she’s yours,
she ain’t going nowhere.”

Cecelia chuckled. “Well, I don’t think Jaci needs any help. She’s not going to let him harness her. I can tell she’s not going
to take any mess off of him. She’s just what he needs.”

“You’re not going with me!” Jaci stated as soon as the bedroom door closed behind them.

“You can’t stop me from going. I’ll follow you up there whether you like it or not.”

“That would be stu . . . uh . . . illogical.”

“You started to call me stupid,” Jason said accusingly.

“I did not! I said ‘that,’ not ‘you,’” Jaci responded.

“You meant me!”

Jaci looked at him with irritation. “Why are we arguing over whether something is stupid or not? That’s not the issue here.”

They looked at each other and laughed.

“We’re wasting time, aren’t we?” Jason asked.

“Yes, we are,” Jaci answered. “I’ll have to leave real soon so I can get home and pack.”

“You’re not leaving here anytime soon. And that’s one argument I will win tonight.”

Jaci smiled and remained silent. She knew to quit when she was ahead.

They walked back down the stairs hand in hand. Jason heard his dad in the kitchen, giving directions to the caterers, while
his mom and aunts busily put food in the freezer and cleaned up the kitchen.

Everybody looked around, surprised when they saw them approaching. Big Pat said, “We were trying to shut things down for you.
We didn’t know what time ya’ll might resurface. Ron and Pat are outside helping the caterers load up.”

“What he means is, he didn’t know
‘who’
was going to re-surface,” his mother said. “My bet was on you, Jaci.”

“Mine too,” his dad admitted. “And looks like we won. You going to Dallas, son?”

“I don’t know.”

“You going to Dallas, Jaci?”

“Yep.”

His parents and the others cracked up and continued laughing as they finished up in the kitchen and said good night.

“Now what in the world was that all about?” Jason asked, looking at Jaci.

“I have no idea,” Jaci answered smilingly, but she had her suspicions.

Jason locked the doors and led the way into the family room.

“Oh man!” Ron yelled from outside. “They’ve locked us out! I wanted to take some food home with me!”

Patrick went to his car, a big smile on his face, and drove off.

“So how are you going?” Jason asked when they got comfortable on the family room sofa. “I know you don’t plan to drive. If
so, you’ll have to take my car. I don’t trust yours on the highway.”

“I’m riding with C.J.”

“Is she taking the baby?”

“No, I don’t think so. His parents are supposed to get back tonight. If they don’t, Randi will probably keep him. Or C.J.
may decide to take him with us. Right now she doesn’t know.”

“Dang! Ya’ll sure got that together quick. So how long do you plan to be there?”

“I don’t know, honey, that’s hard to say. But I don’t foresee any services until the end of next week. And I’m saying that
hoping it’ll work out that way. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time for me, but I have to go. Nita needs us with her
right now.”

“So where will you be staying?”

“Hon . . . ey! I don’t know. At the house with Nita, or at a hotel. None of that can be determined until we get there.”

“Be sure to take your cell phone so we can stay in touch, okay?”

“Yes, dear,” Jaci said with a smirk. “Anything else?”

“Will you let me know when the arrangements are completed? Maybe I can drive up for the services and we can ride back together.”

“Sure. But have you forgotten about the men’s conference? That’s next week isn’t it?”

“Oh man! I think you’re right. I’ll just have to find someone to cover my sessions for me.”

“You can’t do that! You’re one of the main speakers. And they couldn’t have made a better choice for someone to do a session
on black entrepreneurship. You’re the best, baby.”

Jason grinned. “You’re just saying that to help you win this argument. I know what that’s about. We’ll see.”

M
axie sat in his regular spot—in his old recliner in front of the television. As usual these days, he was unable to get his
mind off Jacetta—the mother of his child and the sexiest grandmother he had ever seen. He had been stupid, he sadly acknowledged.
When they first met, Jacetta’s youth and inexperience had made it easy for him to take advantage of her. He’d made a lifestyle
of duping ignorant women, getting what he wanted, and dumping them. He hadn’t thought or planned anything beyond that. But
even back then Jacetta had plans to do something with her life. She had already graduated from college and had started work
toward her master’s degree. He wondered if she ever completed it. Perhaps if he’d been as smart as he had thought, he would
have envisioned her as she was today. But maybe it wasn’t too late, he thought, smiling with delight at the opportunity before
him.

Maxie called George every week to keep tabs on Jacetta. He was still angry and humiliated at the way things had happened on
both of his visits to her house. He’d lost out on both of those encounters, mostly because of her so-called fiancé. He wasn’t
a good loser, and one way or the other, he would find a way to come out on top. If nothing else, he would show that Gilmore
guy that he would not be pushed out of Jacetta’s life until he was ready. Jacetta needed to get that message too.

He’d felt like jumping with joy when George mentioned that Jacetta would probably be coming to town for a funeral. Maxie didn’t
care what brought her, he was just glad she was coming. He immediately began to make plans. He would get her alone so they
could talk, confident that he could talk her around to his way of thinking. He would steer clear of their past . . . that
would be the wrong strategy. He needed her to forget that. He would appeal to her as the woman she was now, and would convince
her to give them another chance because of their daughter and grandchildren. In truth, establishing a relationship with his
daughter and grandchildren had never entered Maxie’s mind.

T
hey arrived in Dallas midafternoon Sunday. C.J. decided to bring the baby because she hadn’t heard from his parents and she
didn’t want Randi to have to watch him indefinitely. They found Nita’s house easily but were disconcerted to find several
cars already parked in the driveway and lining the street in front of the house. They were surprised and delighted when Gina
came running out to meet them. Thankfully, she was in Arkansas when C.J. tracked her down. Gina’s drive from just across the
state line in Arkansas was slightly shorter than their drive from Houston.