We Didn’t See it Coming (18 page)

“What is it?” Milandra said, forgetting that quickly about her mother's journal. She took the photo from Noelle. Her eyes lit up.
She slapped Noelle with the photo. “You defied Father by sleeping with our lawyer.”

“Of course not,” Noelle yelled as she took back the photo. “This is some mistake. The truth is, I do like him, but I've never been to bed with him.”

“You're a liar! The picture speaks for itself,” Milandra yelled, jealous because her sister had had a man before her.

Kenley broke up their argument. “Milandra, she's telling the truth. Miss Half, our sister, did this.
She's
guilty.”

“Why would she do this to me?” Noelle wondered.

“She likes Mr. Chavis. I know that much,” Kenley declared.

“How do you know all these things?” Milandra asked.

Kenley explained how she discovered all the information. She told them about Baron and Aniyah's argument. Noelle was happy to know that he had pushed Aniyah away, but she was furious that the photo was created with her face on it.

Kenley gave them her last important discovery: “I also found the picture on Father's computer.”

“No, please, tell me that's not true,” Noelle cried

“I'm sorry, but it was on Father's computer,” Kenley said.

Milandra put two and two together. “Father's heart attack. That's it! Aniyah must have given it to him.”

“I'll strangle her! Father died thinking I had sex with his lawyer behind his back.” Noelle screamed. She began to take the rollers out of her hair. She let them fall on the floor like bouncing balls. “I'm going over there and have it out with her.”

“You'll do no such thing. Anyone that does something that despicable can do bodily harm to you. Just stay away from her. The important thing is that Kenley got the picture from her.”

“Thanks, Kenley. I owe you,” Noelle said as she gave her sister a hug.

“Just help me get around Miss Half, so I can still have my sweet sixteen pool party. I don't want to go to the yacht club. Mother is not here for the traditional one.”

Noelle smiled. “You'll have the pool party there.” She was ready to get even with Aniyah.

“We'll have to show the picture to Mr. Chavis,” Kenley said.

“No, we're not going to show him a nude picture of him and Noelle,” Milandra said.

Noelle knew this would be the time for her to go to see him. She fluffed her hair with her fingers. “I'm going over to his house tonight. I'll discuss this matter with him.”

“Wait, before you go, there's something else,” Kenley said.

“Oh God, please don't let it be about me.” Noelle wondered what could possibly be next.

“Mother knew Father was having affairs with the help. It's all in her diary. I feel so bad for Mother. She really loved Father. She praised him. She thought it was her duty to take his crap,” Kenley said.

“Watch your words,” Milandra said. “We'll read for ourselves what Mother really felt.”

“I'm going to see Mr. Chavis,” Noelle said.

“Call him first,” Milandra insisted.

“I will not,” Noelle said because she wanted to see him. She ran to her room and slipped on a leisure suit.

“Go to bed, Kenley. Stay away from the estate,” Milandra scolded her.

Kenley pouted. “I need to keep going there to keep an eye on Miss Half. The whore changed the locks on the doors.”

“I guess she changed it for her safety,” Milandra said.

“She doesn't want me coming over there—talking about how she's not a babysitter. She makes me ill.”

Milandra became curious and asked, “How did you get into the house?”

“Father shared one of his secret ways of getting in the house.”

Milandra laughed. “It's under a patch of grass.”

“He told you, too.”

“Yes, and Noelle also knows where it is.”

“I thought I had my own secret passage.”

“Run along. I'm going to sit and read Mother's words.”

T
essa rested in the arms of Baron in his family room. They watched a romantic movie that he had purchased on the way home. She lounged in her bra and panties. His chest was bare, but he wore pajama bottoms.

Baron kissed Tessa on the neck and tickled her nose with his tongue.

“You're supposed to concentrate on the movie,” she said as she tried to feed him buttery popcorn.

Baron turned his head away. “The movie is making me hungry for you, not popcorn.”

Tessa tossed the popcorn into her mouth. Baron noticed two actors in the scene were making out. He reenacted parts of the romantic scene.

He cupped his hand under her chin to turn her face toward him. He smothered her lips with his. He flicked the television off and got on top of her. Tessa grabbed the remote from him and flicked the television back on.

“Come on, let's make our own movie,” he begged.

“I've been waiting to see this movie. I'll make it up to you when it's over.” She smiled.

Baron saw that she was absorbed in the last part of the movie.
He sat up and pouted like a kid until the movie was over. He spoke, “When will you go speak to your niece?”

“I'll go see her tomorrow.”

He admitted, “I saw her earlier. She's crazy.”

“What happened?”

“She threatened me, insisting that if I don't become her man, she'll continue to blackmail me.”

“You didn't tell her you knew she wasn't my daughter?”

“No, I wanted to make sure you spoke to her first. I'm trying to see how I'm going to get that picture from her.”

“You will,” Tessa said as she made her way into his arms.

• • •

Noelle made her way out of the house. As usual, when the Houstons called for a ride, the driver was prompt. She ordered him to take her to the home of Baron Chavis.

Peeping down into the envelope at the photo, Noelle wished she had shared a moment of passion with Baron and her father would have thought they were a compatible couple.

What was going through Father's mind the day he saw the picture?

One thing she realized—it took him to his grave. As much as Noelle cared for Baron, she could no longer defy her father—even in his death.

She shed a few tears. The driver looked through his rearview mirror and witnessed her wiping her eyes.

“Everything okay, Miss Houston?” he asked.

“I'm fine. Thanks for asking.”

The driver stopped in front of Baron's home. Noelle got out and rang the bell. She saw a glow of dimmed lights in the house.

Inside, the bell startled Baron and Tessa. “Who could that be?”
he wondered. He peeped out of a side window. He prayed it wasn't Aniyah.

Noelle stood on the porch. He knew he had put her off more than she could stand, but to show up at his house, she must be desperate for him.

“It's Noelle Houston.”

Tessa picked up the bowl of popcorn. She whispered, “I'll be ready for you when you come to bed.”

Baron couldn't wait to get rid of Noelle. He ran and opened the door.

“Elle, what's wrong?”

She wept. “We have trouble.”

“Explain!”

Noelle handed him the envelope. He pulled out the photo of them. He calmly said, “Where did you get this?”

Surprised that he showed no signs of excitement, she said, “You act as if you've seen this before.”

“I have,” Baron acknowledged. “I tried to keep it away from you. I was hoping I could get it and destroy it before you got a hold of it. Where did you get it?”

Noelle made her way to his sofa to have a seat. She saw two glasses on the table. “You have company?” she asked.

“Never mind that. Tell me where you got this.”

Noelle explained how her sister was at the estate. Baron was thankful that he had not fallen weak to Aniyah's advances because Kenley would have seen them.

“Now we can rest knowing that the picture is in our hands and not in Aniyah's. She's terrible. You must stay away from her.”

“Did you know about Father's encounters with the help?”

“I was aware of it, but it wasn't my place to tell.”

“Mother called Aniyah's mother a whore.”

Baron wondered if Tessa was eavesdropping on the conversation. Truthfully, she was. She listened from the top of the stairs. She heard Noelle loud and clear.

“Believe me, Noelle, Tessa isn't a whore. I don't want to speak ill of your father. So let's leave it that way.”

Noelle was upset. “What I hate more is how Father hurt Mother's heart. And as much as I hate to, I have to hurt your heart.” She wept.

He let out a sigh of relief. “What are you saying, Noelle?”

“I can't defy Father. He died because he thought I defied him by being with you—someone he trusted around his family. As much as you have my heart, I can't be with you,” she cried.

Baron held out his arms. “I respect that. I'll always be some part of your life because of the closeness I have with your family. Hey, I'll be your big brother.” He smiled. “I do understand.”

Noelle made her way into his arms. He patted her on the back. Tessa heard their voices become silent for a moment before he spoke.

“I'll get rid of this picture right now.” Baron tore the photo up into tiny pieces. He let Noelle out of the front door so that he could go back upstairs to be with Tessa.

“I guess you heard everything,” he said.

“Yes, they think of me as a whore, and that's fine. My heart still goes out to those girls,” she said.

“In due time, they'll see the light about their father.”

To Baron's surprise, Tessa didn't utter another word. He led her into the bedroom. Together they shared the warmth of each other's bodies underneath the covers.

Noelle got to the limo and broke down into tears. She knew from the two glasses that she saw on the table that Baron had company.

She looked up to the second floor of the house as the lights went out. Some woman was getting what she couldn't have.

The driver saw how distraught she was. He walked over to her. “Miss Houston, let me take you home.”

He took her by the hand and helped her into the limo. She leaned against the window and looked out into the darkness of the night. The driver handed her a tissue.

“Thank you,” she said.

The driver looked through his rearview mirror. “Miss Houston, the pain will get easier in due time. I think I know what you need.”

Instead of driving her to the Houston Villa, he drove her to the Houston Estate. Noelle looked up to see that she was on the grounds of her once happy home. The driver drove her to the far end of the acreage of land. He got out of the limo and opened the door for her.

“Come on, I think you need to get in touch with the calmness of the lake.”

He held his hand to her and helped her out of the limo. Noelle stepped out.

“Yes. My mother always loved coming to this end of the estate. This is where she came for peace.”

Noelle walked closer to the lake. She looked out to see tiny flickering lights coming from the homes across the lake. Far away, a light glowed from atop a docked boat. She took a deep breath. “Oh, how tranquil the water looks. It makes you feel you can conquer all the worries of the world.”

“Yes and when you stand still and be quiet, you can hear the water talking to you.”

Noelle smiled. “Mother used to say the exact same thing.”

“Your mother is the one who told me that.” He smiled.

Shocked, she said, “How marvelous she shared her words with you.”

They both stood in silence. Noelle closed her eyes as she listened to nature. She took plenty of deep breaths, and then she folded her arms because of the breeze coming off the water.

The driver took his suit jacket off. “Here, take my jacket and put it around you.”

“Thanks, what is your name?”

“It's Sid.”

“You have been working for my family a long time.”

“Yes, I wouldn't trade this job in for anything. I enjoy watching elegant ladies.”

“Thanks for your kind words. I'm feeling better already.”

Noelle moved and the jacket fell from her shoulders onto the ground. She picked it up and brushed grass and dirt from it. “I apologize; I'll have your jacket cleaned.”

“It's fine. No harm done.”

He took the jacket from her and tossed it back around her shoulders. She turned to face him. His hazel eyes were like stars in the sky to her. That moment felt so romantic to her. Tears rolled down her cheeks from the thought of how much time she had missed from having companionship with a man.

“Don't start crying again, Miss Houston.”

“Call me, Noelle.”

“Noelle it is,” he said as he tilted his hat.

She took his hand and rested it on her face. She kissed the palm of his hand. Sid, the driver, stood his ground. He had to be cautious at what moves he made. His job was on the line.

“What's this all about?” he asked.

“It's my way of saying thank you for being a gentleman. Just this simple thing you've done for me tonight makes me so grateful.”

Noelle took it another step, making Sid feel uncomfortable. She reached up and hugged him. Sid kept his hands at his side.

“Don't be afraid to hold me,” Noelle said. “I give you permission.”

Sid held her in his arms. His jacket fell off her shoulders again and he warmed her up with his muscular chest.

Noelle rested her head on his shoulders. She began to sing an unfamiliar tune to him, moving gradually to her own beat. He saw that she wanted to dance so he rocked from side to side while she hummed.

She stopped and looked up at him. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

Sid brushed his hands through her curls. “As much as I want to, I can't at this time. I didn't bring you out here to seduce you during your weakest moment. I don't want you to do anything tonight that you'll feel ashamed of in the morning.”