Dreams Do Come True (14 page)

Ebony parked in a slot at the hotel and walked in without paying the valet any attention. She headed to Jesse’s room. She needed to look into his eyes and ask him if he still loved Shontell. Ebony thought they were progressing, although she never really saw him unless he came to Detroit. He didn’t make any extra effort to ask her on the road like he had with Shontell. She was sure that he would. Of course he would, she told herself.  They were sleeping together and had been for the past four years.

Ebony knocked and waited for Jesse to open the door. She didn’t even try and change the way her tear-stained face looked. She wanted him to know that he had hurt her.

“Do you still love her?” She threw the accusation at him. “That has to be why you called her. You want to be back with her!” She continued to rant while Jesse watched her. She began pacing the floor and biting her nails. That’s what she did when she was upset or nervous. She stopped because she realized that he still hadn’t said anything. She squinted her eyes in anger. Who the hell did he think he was? She ran up to him and started pounding on his chest. She wanted him to feel the deep ache—the gut-wrenching pain—she was feeling right now. She kept hitting him until he grabbed her wrists and she fell to the floor at his feet, crying. She lay there. What did she have to do for him to see that she loved him? She needed him to know that she would do it. She didn’t care as long as he told her he wouldn’t leave her. She felt him pick her up. She kept her eyes closed as he rocked her.

Jesse felt like a heel. How did they get to this point? He must have really given her the impression that he wanted something outside of the sex they shared. He didn’t take her out anywhere but here in Detroit. He didn’t do half of the things for her that he did for Shontell. Why did women always have to read other things into sex, and then act like this when they finally realized the truth?

Jesse continued to rock her until he thought she had calmed down. He always wished that women would learn that most men, himself included, were simple creatures. It shouldn’t take a book—or even a talk show—to tell women what they should expect from men. All they had to really do was pay attention. If men were interested in a woman they showed it. They had no gimmicks and no lies. The last thing they would want to do was hurt them intentionally if they truly loved them. They would make time for them without a second thought. When you really want to be with someone, you always have time for them without excuses. He always gave Ebony excuses. He used to move heaven and Earth to have Shontell next to him, although she was mostly reluctant to be seen in public.  He sighed and got his mind right so he could continue this farce. He lifted her chin and made her look at him.

“Are you finished now?” he asked her, after he took the towel that was sitting next to him and wiped at her tear-stained face. She nodded, and he made her sit up. She scooted off his lap and sat next to him on the bed. He turned toward her and had her look at him. The look he saw on her face was almost the same as what he had seen on Shontell’s the night he saw her. It made him close his mouth. He stood up and walked over to his desk to get the vision out of his head before continuing. When he got his words together, Ebony was leaning back on the bed. She was sitting there watching him. Jesse felt uneasy for a few moments, but when he got his focus back he started speaking.

“Ebony, if I wanted her, why would I still be messing around with you? That boat has sailed. Shontell has made it clear that she doesn’t want to be bothered with me. I still like to make sure that she is doing fine.” He had to clean up the situation and make sure that she understood. She needed to continue to trust him so that she could get what he needed. He smiled at her. When she finally smiled back, he saw that as his opportunity to seal the deal. He knew what always made her do the things he needed.

He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her. She moaned. He took this as his green light to continue. He laid her on the bed and kissed her even harder. He undressed her, giving her what he knew she wanted. All women seemed to want it, with the exception of Shontell. An hour later, they were finished and he was sure she was pacified. He sent her home with a new plan in motion. She also begged to go on the cruise. He reluctantly told her that he would take her. He hoped that he could find a way to get what he needed, and get rid of Ebony as well. 

Shontell closed the curtains because she didn’t understand what the hell had happened with Ebony. She was acting weird again. It was the same strange behavior she had exhibited when they were having their phone meeting. She felt like she was hiding something. Shontell went over to the sink and washed the sticky coffee off of her hands.

She glanced at the clock on the stove. She was running behind. She needed to get dressed and finish her errands, and then come back and prepare for dinner. She hoped her car would be there by the time she finished getting ready.

She was glad she was making good time as she quickly checked on her cake and fruit pie that she had made for dessert. It was a new recipe, and she wanted to get her mom’s opinion. She missed her mother being at the shop with her. They had started the event company together. But when her health started failing, she had to cut back her hours. Now she helped out on an as-needed basis. She always loved cooking in the kitchen with her mom. Shontell’s mother was taught by her mother, whom Shontell never had the opportunity to meet. She had died two months before Shontell was born.

Shontell and her mother used to spend hours in the kitchen. Her dad always had to make them stop. He pretended to complain, telling them the house was too hot with all that cooking and baking. Yet, he never complained about how much food and dessert he ate from the taste testing.

When she pulled up to her parents’ house, her mother was talking to their next door neighbor, Ms. Margaret. She had lived there almost as long as they had. Over the last ten years, the Detroit neighborhoods had gone down. But now—with the new revitalization Detroit was implementing,—the neighborhoods were slowly coming back. People were now given chances to buy up the old abandoned houses and make things beautiful again. She had always wanted her parents to move, but they wouldn’t have it. She stopped trying, but she made sure they were safe and protected. She waved and spoke, but kept going inside so that she wouldn’t drop the dessert boxes. Her father met her at the door, taking one of the boxes from her.

“Thanks, Daddy. How are you doing today?” she asked after kissing him. She followed him into the kitchen. She really liked the new design. It was her anniversary gift to them. She had it done when they went out of town. Her mother cried for joy for two days after she returned and found her surprise.

“Baby girl, I am doing with these knees of mine…” He limped over to the cabinet and began pulling out the plates.

“Are you still having the pain and swelling?” she asked him, concerned.

“No more than usual. Ain’t nothing they can do anyways. It’s nothing but old age.” Shontell stopped and watched her father’s movements.

“Dad, stop saying that. You need to get a consultation. Will you at least make an appointment for when I come back? I will go with you.” She bent down to pick up a towel he’d dropped.

“Go where with him?” her mother asked before he could give her an answer. She walked into the kitchen and started turning off the pots. She pulled out the cups and silverware.

“Mom, let me help.” Shontell grabbed the items from her mother, heading to the table.

“Young lady, I got this. Now one of you needs to be answering my question.”

Her father looked at her and then at his wife. He knew what was about to come when she told her. He would be going because he was outnumbered. So he was quiet while Shon told her what they had been speaking about.

“Daddy…the issue of his knees and that they are still bothering him. I wanted him to at least go get it checked out, and I told him I would take him. He was about to give me a yes or no when you walked in and asked,” she explained. She started taking the stuff out of her hand and shooing her as she finished setting the table. Lydia looked at her husband of thirty-five years and smiled. He was very stubborn, but she knew he wasn’t going to tell them both no.

“Yes, he will go. Thank you for offering to take him. I will set up the appointment tomorrow,” she said without a second thought. She heard him moan, and she laughed.

“One of these days I am going to win a debate in my own house.” He was acting like he was mad. Shontell hugged her father, and he melted. This was his baby girl, and she would always be his darling.

“Where’s that young fellow I met? He seemed very nice…not like that Jesse.”

“Daddy, please. Don’t start. You already embarrassed me enough that night with your comment.” Shontell tapped him on the shoulder to show her displeasure.

“Darnell, what is she talking about?” her mother asked. Darnell told her about the night, but it seemed like he had forgotten something as usual. She looked at him with her arms folded. He looked sheepishly at the two of them.

  “He basically threatened him if he hurt me,” she told her mother.

“Darnell Banner, you didn’t!” her mother scolded. She knew where his heart was. They both wanted their daughter to be happy. A husband and some grandkids wouldn’t hurt either. She knew Shontell may not be ready, but she wasn’t getting any younger. Lydia wouldn’t say that out loud. She would never want to hurt her daughter’s feelings and bring up the miscarriage. She wished she could have taken that pain from her only child.  Shontell served her parents and sat down. Her father said grace, and then the questions started. Her mother wanted to know what he looked like. She pointed him out in one of the pictures she had taken with them that she had on her phone.

“Now that’s a handsome young man,” she told her daughter.

“I agree mama. I agree.” She smiled, thinking about him. They continued to ask her questions, and she reassured them both that she and Nico were being careful and taking it slow. She also told them she liked him a lot. Having had only one child made her parents very protective. She didn’t mind it much now. But when she was a teenager, it had driven her crazy.

They finished dinner. Shontell shooed her parents out of the dining room as she cleared the dishes. She went to grab her phone and check her messages. Nothing. Putting it back into her purse, she opened the boxes she brought in with her. Shontell placed the items on the tray, along with coffee for her dad and tea for her mother. Walking into the family room, she joined her parents. Setting the tray on the table, she handed her father his coffee. He reached for the sugar. She placed the fruit pie in front of him. She set the vanilla bean caramel cake in front of her mom. She sat down and waited anxiously for their responses. Lydia was the first one to speak, but she had an expression that couldn’t be read.

“Shon, is this your grandmother’s recipe?” she asked her. She could see her mother getting emotional, and tears instantly sprang into her eyes. The pie and cake Shontell made today were extra special. They were the final two things that she and her mother were trying to perfect.

“Yes mom, it is. Do you like it?”

“No,” her mother paused and didn’t look at her daughter.

“I love it. She would be so proud of you. I hope you will share with me what you did to it.” Shontell breathed out hard. She scared her. She wiped the tears off her face. Her father handed her a Kleenex.

“Shon, this pie is so buttery. It tastes like Ma Bell made this. It was one of the reasons I married your mother: all the pie I wanted,” Darnell said as he dodged the pillow that his wife threw at him. They all laughed. She loved seeing them so happy and playful after all their years together. She wanted what she saw with her parents’ relationship. Checking her watch, she stood up. She still had a few things to do before she left tomorrow.

She kissed them both and told them she would let them know when she made it to Miami. She got into her car and heard her phone ringing. She grabbed her purse and saw it was Ebony. She had been concerned about her. She had not talked to her since that morning. She was hoping that she wasn’t about to pull out of the meeting that they had scheduled for the morning before her flight. This was huge, and she needed to have it if she wanted to continue with her expansion and other plans. She rolled her window down some. She watched the kids playing outside as she mentally prepared herself for whatever this call was about.  

“Hey, Ebony. What’s going on?”

“Shontell, I am sorry to bother you. But my brother was in a bad accident early this morning. Because I didn’t answer the calls, I didn’t find out until now. I don’t think I am going to make the meeting tomorrow,” she lied. She continued talking before Shontell could respond. “I am going to have to take the rest of the week off.”  Shontell pulled the phone away from her ear. She wanted to jump through the phone and punch her. Shontell was glad that she didn’t pull off away from the curb yet, because she was sure she would have had an accident. Why was she doing this? She was purposely trying to sabotage her. She worked too hard for this to let it get ruined. Thinking of her mom’s emotions about her new desserts, she realized that this was for her mother and her grandmother even more than it was for her. She would not let her take that away.

“Ebony, are you serious? What is going on with you? What about the things we have booked for this week? I am not trying to be insensitive, but you knew I had my time planned for months. If I didn’t know better, I would say you are doing this to spite me.” She did not care that she was getting louder.

“Whoa, now that’s a low blow. I may not have as much as you have invested in Precious Timeless Events, but I am a part of that company too. So if it fails, so do I. Besides, they are small events. I am sure the staff can handle them. I gotta go. The doctor is coming in. I will be in touch,” she told her. She then hung up before Shontell could say anything else. 

Shontell almost screamed, but she caught herself so that she didn’t scare the kids. Something didn’t feel right. She quickly thought back to when Ebony started doing things out of the ordinary. It was right when she announced the expansion. She was upset that she hadn’t included her in the process. She felt like Shontell was being secretive. Well, now the tables were turned and Shontell felt that Ebony was being secretive. The expansion was funded in part by her and the rest by her parents. In her opinion, Ebony had no say so. Something told her she needed to watch her back.

The image of Ebony’s face when she walked into her home and saw her gave her the shivers. She started her car and activated her speaker. She called her two assistants and told them of the changes for the week. She gave them a heads-up that more permanent changes would be coming when she returned from her vacation. As soon as she was done with that call, she called a locksmith. She was getting her locks changed and her alarm recoded today. Shontell finished her last-minute packing while the locksmith and the security company worked. Once they left, Shontell felt better. She wished she could talk to Nico; she knew they were out doing promotions all day, so she didn’t want to bother him. She was surprised she hadn’t heard from him all day…not even a text. She closed her suitcase and placed it near the door. She turned on the tea kettle and sat on the couch. She had way too much on her mind.

Shontell was getting antsy. She needed to talk. While making her tea, she called Sandy. When Sandy answered, she immediately took over the conversation.

“Girl, Eric called me. He wanted to know if I would be okay with him spending time with me on the cruise. His brother pulled out at the last minute and he was now going to be solo,” Sandy told her. She could hear the excitement in her friend’s voice.

“I thought it was just a sex thing?” Shontell asked.  As she rolled down her window, a breeze immediately came through.

“I did too…but whatever happens…happens,” she told her.

“Okay…well…as long as you’re okay with it. I called to tell you that Ebony claims her brother is sick and she can’t work while I am on vacation. That woman is driving me crazy!” Shontell sipped her tea, as she waited for Sandy to say something.

“Shontell, I have something to tell you.” She could hear the hesitation in her friend’s voice. 

“What is it?”

“Monica said, when she and her classmate were coming from the competition last night, they saw Jesse and Ebony together. Monica said they were more than friendly. They were down there for the National Math and Science scrimmage matches at the Westin Hotel Downtown. “

“What!! What are you saying?” she yelled into the phone, almost dropping her phone in her hot tea. Shontell grabbed the edge of the counter and pressed down hard.

“I wasn’t there. I am informing you of what she told me this morning. You may want to try and reach Ebony and find out what’s going on.”

“Maybe I will. Maybe I just don’t care anymore.” Her head was beginning to hurt. She suddenly didn’t feel like talking right now.

“I will see you at the airport after my meeting.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Yes, I just need some time to think. Love you and talk to you later.”

“I love you too, and good night. Call me back if you still need to talk.” They ended their call. Shontell’s mind was racing. What were they doing together? Although they were both free to see whomever they wanted, she didn’t even know they talked to each other outside of when she was with Jesse. Why would Ebony do that to her? She hit a button and Ebony’s number auto-dialed. She answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Ebony. I wanted to check on you. How are you holding up? How’s your brother?” she asked, sounding cooler than she felt. She didn’t miss the hesitation in her voice.