Blueprint for Love (6 page)

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Vic sat across from his sister at a burger
place not far from where she and Maria lived. On a Friday night,
this place was packed with rowdy teenagers hell-bent on making
enough commotion to raise the dead. But going to noisy places
didn’t bother Vic or Andrea. They had their own language. That was
the great thing about signing. The world could be burning down
around them and they’d still be able to communicate.

Did you have fun at the
amusement park?
he signed.

Yes!
she answered.
Thanks for going on
the Death Drop with me.

Vic’s heart lurched at the
mention of the scary rollercoaster.
That
was a wild ride. I was worried about you. Most kids wouldn’t be
able to handle it.

I’m not a kid anymore, Vic.

You’re my kid
sister
.

She grinned, bringing the
tiny dimples in her cheeks out of hiding.
Bro, when are you going to realize I’m a woman?

Never.
He chuckled, but deep down he was serious.
I don’t like to think of my little sister growing
up and dealing with full-grown men. I can vouch for our gender. We
can be assholes.

Well, you’d better get used to it. In fact,
I’m dealing with your gender pretty well.

She tucked a blonde strand of hair behind
her ear. He preferred her natural color, a rich sable. But she told
him blondes had more fun, so she’d started coloring it a year
ago.

Is there some new guy I
should know about?
he asked.

She shrugged.
We’re friends with benefits.

Vic almost choked on the iced tea he was
drinking.

Andrea smirked.
Don’t act like you don’t have that type of thing
going on
.

Oh, yeah. He’d gotten some benefits in his
life, but nothing he felt comfortable discussing with his little
sister. That was so high up on the weird spectrum, it wasn’t
natural. Like picking up chicks with your dad. Ugh.

I don’t want to discuss that.

Andrea was signing a reply, but Vic’s
attention was diverted to a pair of teenage boys laughing and
pointing in his sister’s direction. His jaw clenched as he realized
the little thugs were making fun of them. One of them mimicked
Andrea with exaggerated sign language movements. Andrea couldn’t
hear the snickers, but Vic was determined to let the two youths
know he didn’t appreciate their evil sense of humor. He pinned them
with a look that conveyed the fury bubbling inside his stomach.

Insensitive fuckers.

They needed someone to teach them some
manners.

Andrea followed his gaze
to where the boys sat a few tables away. She placed a calming hand
on his forearm and gently squeezed.
Vic
, she wordlessly mouthed his name
in warning.

I could squash those two
like grapes
, Vic signed.

I know you could. But that’s not necessary,
Vic. I’m not bothered by them. Please let it go. They’re the ones
with the problem, not me.

Still, it’s fucking rude.

I don’t care about them. What I do care
about is how you got that lipstick on your cheek.

Vic frowned, wondering what she was talking
about. And then he remembered. Ronnie had kissed him on the cheek
after he’d dropped her at the hotel.

Oh, that. I can explain.

For the next ten minutes, Vic launched into
his short history with Ronnie, including everything from the
interview to how she’d manipulated him into taking her to her
sister’s event. He also told her how he’d nicknamed Ms. Jones the
Ice Queen.

Andrea laughed so hard, tears filled her
eyes.

Are you going to see her
again?
Andrea signed.

It wasn’t a date, Sis. It was more like a
comedy of errors.

Makes a great story for your grandkids.

He reached across the
table and felt her forehead.
That’s it.
You’ve obviously been taking some type of mind-altering
drug.

No, just a little pot.

“
What?” he yelled, and
then forgot he was supposed to be signing.
Don’t tell me. Your new guy has you doing this?

It helps me fit in.

He shook his head.
You need to leave that shit alone.

She pouted.
If I weren’t deaf would you feel that
way?

Yes.

When did you become such a prude?

When I learned that one wrong move could put
me behind bars.

That wasn’t your
fault.
She touched his hand in a
sympathetic gesture.

Too bad the jury didn’t see it that way.

You were protecting me.

He sighed, pushing away
feelings of melancholy and bitterness that had eaten at him for too
long.
You don’t look like you need
protecting, Andrea. Your life has gone on without me.

It was true. She was
changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly. It was her idea to get
voice recognition software that translated her text to speech. It
also translated his voice into text for her
,
so they could have a real phone
conversation. Of course, he knew the digital voice wasn’t his
sister’s real voice. But it showed how determined she was to be her
own woman.

Unshed tears glistened in
her green eyes. It was the one family trait they shared—other than
having the same mother.
I’ll always need
my big brother,
she said, reading his
mind.

Promise?

Promise.

That was good to hear. The thought of seeing
his sister again was what kept Vic going all these years. He’d do
anything to protect her. He had the prison record to prove it.

Let’s get you back before Mom puts out a
missing person’s report.

She
smiled
. Okay, but Vic…

Yeah?

You should call that lady back and tell her
you want the job. She owes you.

Ronnie had said the same thing—she owed him
big time. He didn’t look at it like that. He’d just happened to be
there when Ronnie Jones needed his help. Besides, something told
him the woman didn’t want him around. He knew her type. She was the
kind who liked things all nice, neat and orderly. Tied up with a
pretty red bow. Vic was neat, and he could be nice. But he was far
from orderly. Someone like him just didn’t fit in the Ice Queen’s
world.

Ronnie poked at the
southwest omelet on her plate. This was normally her favorite menu
item at Jimmy’s Eastside Diner, but this morning, her mind was
preoccupied with something else. Or rather
someone
else. Vic Romano. What was
he doing right now? Where had he gone after he’d dropped her off
last night? She still felt the warmth of his touch. She didn’t know
if he noticed or not, but his fingers absently rubbed her bare back
for a few moments after he’d placed her on the back seat. The
hungry look he’d given her made her new panties wet. And she’d
simply stared back, like she was in a lust-induced coma. She’d hate
to think what would have happened if they’d been alone. He could
have lain her down and spread her legs and…

She gulped her orange juice, ashamed of her
reaction to him. For one brief moment, she hadn’t wanted him to
leave. Better yet, they could have driven away and finished what
they knew was bound to get started if they’d been alone. She was
grateful for him coming to her rescue, but it was more than that.
The powerful spark between them convinced Ronnie that she should be
as far away from that man as physically possible. She felt out of
control around him. She didn’t like feeling out of control.

“
Ronnie, you haven’t said
a single word,” Toye accused. “Are you still buggin’ over last
night’s wardrobe malfunction?”

Ronnie stared at her cousin, sitting across
from her in the booth. Toye had joined Ronnie and her sisters for
their monthly Saturday breakfast together. All of their schedules
were so busy; this was the only time they could find to meet.

“
I’m not buggin’,” Ronnie
corrected. “I’m just tired.”

“
You can’t be hung over,
‘cause you don’t drink,” Marlowe added her two cents.

Ronnie shot back. “You do enough of that for
both of us, Marlowe.”

They all laughed, including Marlowe. She was
the youngest, and the most spoiled. At twenty-six, she didn’t have
the same concept of responsibility as her sisters did. In fact, if
Marlowe didn’t have Candace and Ronnie to answer to, all she would
do was spend money and party. If you could earn frequent flier
miles for shopping, she’d do it!

Candace tapped her fork against her plate in
rapid succession. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make.”

“
You’re pregnant!” Toye
shouted.

Candace pursed her lips. “Girl, please. No.
I’m planning a surprise birthday party for Gabe. I’m thinking his
boat will be the perfect venue. Nothing too big. Just family and
friends.”

“
Gabe is going to love
that,” Ronnie said.

“
I know! I just want to do
something special for him. He’s been so good to me.”

Ronnie could see the love her sister had for
Gabe. Her eyes lit up every time she talked about him. She was
happy for Candace. She deserved a good man in her life. God knows
they all did after the misery they’d seen their mother go
through.

Toye spoke up. “The best present you can
give Gabe is to have the damn wedding already.”

Candace rolled her eyes. Ronnie hoped Toye
didn’t piss her off this morning. Candace had decided to have a
long engagement, citing she was too busy to plan a wedding right
now. Gabe was patiently waiting on her. He really was a sweet
guy.

“
I’ll get married when I’m
good and ready,” Candace warned. “If Gabe doesn’t have a problem
with it, neither should anyone else.”

Ronnie couldn’t help wondering if Toye still
wanted Gabe for herself. But she would never bring that up. All
hell would break loose if Candace was reminded of that
incident.

“
Can I bring a date?”
Marlowe asked, effectively breaking the tension.

Candace nodded. “Sure. Who’s your latest
victim?”

“
Jamari.”

“
Your ex?”

“
Yeah, we’re on and off
again. You know how it is.”

Toye interjected, “I thought you said he had
bad breath.”

Marlowe shrugged. “Vodka should cover up any
smells.”

Ronnie laughed. Her heart went out to her
sister. But she felt bad for Jamari too. It wasn’t easy being
Marlowe’s boyfriend. Simply put, the girl was high maintenance.
Maybe she and Candace were partly to blame. They’d spoiled their
little sister to make up for not having the affection of a mother.
Now, Marlowe expected everyone to cater to her. She had no shortage
of dates, but her relationships lasted about as long as a gnat’s
life cycle.

“
What about you, Ronnie?”
Candace asked. “You can bring Jovan if you want. It’s a Rated PG
party.”

Ronnie smiled to cover up her sadness. So,
each one of her sisters had a date. Ronnie already felt like a
third wheel. Maybe she should just bow out at the last minute. Make
some excuse. Like she had to clean out her closet. Who would
believe that?

Well, it was a pretty big walk-in
closet.

“
You could bring Vic,”
Toye suggested, reading her mind.

“
Who’s Vic?” Candace
asked.

“
A hunk she showed up with
last night.”

Marlowe’s mouth dropped open. “What? Why am
I just now finding out about this?”

“
He’s just a guy who
dropped me at the hotel,” Ronnie explained.

“
Just a guy?” Toye sucked
her teeth. “I would say he’s a helluva man. Bronzed skin. Green
eyes. And a body so fine, he should carry a drool tray with him for
all of the women who can’t wipe the slobber from their lips in
time!”

All three women cracked up laughing. Ronnie
couldn’t help but smile. She pointed her finger at Toye. “Girl, you
are trippin’.”

“
Why didn’t I meet him?”
Candace asked.

“
You were too busy with
your speech,” Ronnie told her. “Like I said, he dropped me
off.”

“
Okay, who is this guy,
and how did you meet him?”

Ronnie gave her sisters an abbreviated
version, starting with the day Vic walked into her office and
ending with his subsequent rescue of her on the dark road.

“
I’m so glad you’re hiring
him,” Candace said.

“
I didn’t say that. In
fact, I had Olivia send his rejection letter a few days
ago.”

“
Why the hell did you do
that?” Marlowe demanded.

For some reason, Ronnie held back on
revealing Vic’s status as an ex-con. Maybe it was because he didn’t
seem dangerous. She didn’t even know what his crime was. She became
preoccupied with picking the onions from her omelet. “Um, I don’t
know,” she said. “Nothing concrete. He just came across as a male
chauvinist.”

“
Ronnie, that’s not a good
reason.”

“
Yeah,” Toye agreed.
“We’re in the construction business. Ninety-percent of the men in
this industry are chauvinists.”

Candace nodded. “Do you think we’d get any
respect if we didn’t have the financial power of Sampson’s behind
our name? If I was still a real estate agent and Marlowe was still
working as a temp, we couldn’t compete with the big boys.”