Chocolate Goodies (6 page)

C
oco attended Jerome’s and Benjamin’s graduation on Friday. Their suspensions over, they would be returning to their school on Monday.

“I wish that we could just come here for school,” Jerome said as he stood up at the podium. “None of my teachers there showed me any interest like Mr. Winters and everyone here.” His eyes traveled to where Coco was sitting. “Miss Stanley over there told me that I have to take ownership of my education, and that’s what I’m going to do.” He pointed to the principal and guidance counselor who were in attendance. “I was wrong for fighting, but I was protecting my sister. I was wrong and I apologize for the way I handled the situation. I’m in school to get an education.”

Jerome met their gazes. “I want that. I want to go to college, and starting today, I’m not going to let anyone stop me.”

His principal surprised everyone when he stood up and clapped. “Son, we are there to help you get that education. If you find we are lacking in some way, you come to me.”

“Do you think he means it?” Coco asked in a low whisper.

“I hope so, but don’t worry,” Ransom whispered back. “I’m going to be tracking Jerome. If there’s a problem, I’ll step in.”

Benjamin walked up to the podium.

“I feel the same way Jerome does. None of my teachers ever cared why I fell asleep in class or didn’t get my homework finished. They never asked me anything. They didn’t know that I worked forty hours a week to support my family because my mother has cancer. She can’t work.” His eyes teared up and his voice broke. “She couldn’t come here today because chemo makes her really sick. Mr. Winters checked around and found out that we could have a nurse come in and see to my mom, so that I don’t have to miss school. Mr. Stanley over there gave me a job with less hours and more money, so that I have time to study. When it’s slow at work, he says that I can get started on my homework. It’s kind of bad to end up in D-Unit, but in a way, it’s a good thing, too. It’s going to help a lot of kids everybody else has given up on. Mr. Winters, I thank you for all that you’ve done and I promise—I’m going to college and I’m getting that degree in mechanical engineering.”

The entire room exploded in applause.

Coco wiped away her tears.

Ransom hugged her. “You okay?”

“I’m so proud of them.”

He nodded in agreement and then stood up. “Benjamin and Jerome, come over here, please.”

They joined him.

Coco noted that they weren’t wearing the really baggy pants this time. They’d dressed in shirts and ties, and jeans that were loose but didn’t hang low. They both looked nice, she thought.

“You boys have committed yourselves to your education and I applaud your efforts. I also know that in order to accomplish the goals you’ve set for yourself you need tools. From all of us here at D-Unit, we would like to present you each with a set of encyclopedias. You’ll also both get a laptop computer, donated by IBM.”

The boys were speechless.

“We believe in you both and we know that you’re capable of great things. From this moment forward, do not look to the things of the past. Keep your eyes on the horizon and face your future with pride.”

Jerome hugged him. “Thank you, Mr. Winters. Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

Benjamin shook his hand. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

Coco walked over to Jerome. “I’m so proud of you.”

He grinned. “I’m a lil’ proud of myself.”

“You should be,” she told him. “In fact, you should be a lot proud.”

She moved to Benjamin next. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around a lot.”

“You sure will.”

“Please let me or Michael know if there’s anything we can do for you and your family.”

“Giving me this job was enough, Miss Stanley. I’m working twenty-five hours a week and I make twelve bucks an hour. I even have Sundays off now, so I can start going back to church.”

“I’m so glad we could help. Benjamin, don’t forget what I said. You are now a part of the Stanley Chocolates family.”

“That’s what your dad told me last night.”

Coco was surprised. “You met my dad?”

“He came to the factory. He said that he liked to meet all the new hires.”

Smiling, she nodded. “That’s him. I don’t know why I was so surprised earlier. He’s been doing that ever since I can remember.”

“Miss Stanley, you come from a real nice family. My mom’s family was like that. Most of them are dead now, though.”

“Do you have any family in this area?”

Benjamin shook his head. “My mom has one sister who lives in Texas. She’s thinking about moving back to Los Angeles in case…in case my mom don’t make it. She wants to be here for us.”

“I’m going to keep her lifted in prayer.”

“Thank you, Miss Stanley.” He hugged her.

“Hey, let go of my woman,” Ransom said.

“She a good one, Mr. Winters,” Benjamin told him. “Don’t do nothing stupid and lose her.”

Ransom met her gaze and said, “Benjamin, I heard that.”

“So I’m your woman now?” she asked in a low voice.

“Aren’t you?” he countered.

Coco folded her arms across his shoulder. “Oh, no you don’t. C’mon, spit it out.”

“You’re my woman,” he told her, his eyes never leaving her face. “I don’t want anyone else but you in my life.”

She grinned. “That works for me. So, since I’m your woman, how about joining me tonight for dinner? I’ll impress you with my cooking skills.”

Yeah, right. Call the caterers.

“Sounds good,” he responded. “I’m in the mood for a nice home-cooked meal.”

Coco glanced at her watch. “I’d better get back to the shop or Valencia might up and quit on me.”

Ransom walked her to the door. “Thanks for coming. I know that it meant a lot to Jerome and Benjamin. And me.”

She stole a peek over her shoulder, to see the principal talking to the two teens. “I just hope he’ll lift a hand to keep them on track.”

“I’m meeting with him and the counselor after the boys leave.”

Outside, Ransom kissed her. “See you tonight.”

Coco had dinner ready by the time he arrived. She had prepared a simple meal of chicken alfredo over pasta, a garden salad and garlic bread.

She watched him as he took a bite. “How is it?”

“Delicious,” he responded. “Why are you frowning? Is there something I don’t know?”

“I’m just not known for my cooking in the kitchen. I’m great when it comes to mixing chocolate, but for stuff like this I have to follow a cookbook.”

“That’s because this is not your passion,” Ransom said. “I love to cook. It’s a passion of mine, just like music.”

Marry me, please. Marry me and do all the cooking.

Ransom grinned as if he could hear her thoughts.

Coco felt a warm glow go through her, prompting her to take several sips of her iced tea. She couldn’t keep from peering at him throughout dinner. She reveled in his nearness, her body aching for him in a way that she’d never felt for any other man.

Maybe it’s time to pull out the dice and the chocolate body frosting.

Ransom was dealing with a battle of his own.

He felt heat radiating from his loins, and shifted in his seat, struggling to keep his desire for Coco under control. It had been much easier to maintain his vow of celibacy when he wasn’t seeing anyone, but with a woman as beautiful, as fine as Coco, and the way her big brown eyes drew him in, it was a struggle.

Have mercy.

That’s what his grandmother used to say. He’d never really understood why until now.

Ransom breathed a huge sigh of relief when Coco said, “I’m curious. Why do you care so much about these boys?” It forced his thoughts in another direction than the way they were going.

“I guess because I can relate,” Ransom told her. “I didn’t grow up with my father, and my mother worked all the time because she wanted to give me a good life.

I was drawn to gangs because they gave me the family I was missing.”

“You were part of a gang?” Coco asked.

“Not really,” Ransom said. “I was drawn to them, but my mother and my grandmother weren’t having it. My mom moved us in with Granny so that I wasn’t home alone. My grandmother had no problem setting me straight whenever I needed a reminder.”

Coco smiled. “Where
was
your father?”

“Around,” Ransom said. “He wasn’t with us—never was.” He paused a moment before adding, “Coco, my father was married and had other children. He was separated when my mom met him, but he ended up going back to his wife.”

“So you didn’t get to spend any time with him?”

Ransom shook his head. “My father never knew about me.”

“Would you like to meet him?”

“Yeah, it would’ve been nice, but I’ll never have that chance, sweetheart. He died a long time ago.”

“What about your siblings?” Coco questioned. “Do they know anything?”

“They don’t know that I exist,” Ransom stated.

Coco met his gaze. “I hope I’m not bringing up any bad memories by having you talk about all this. I don’t want to upset you.”

“You’re not,” he replied. “I’m fine.”

“Have you considered finding them?”

Ransom nodded. “I know where they are. It’s just that my father’s gone and I guess there’s no point in upsetting them with this.”

“I disagree. They are your family. Who knows, they may be very accepting of you, Ransom.”

“And then again, they may not. I’m not willing to take that chance.” Ransom swallowed his pain.

Coco wasn’t buying his act, however. “I can tell that this is bothering you. I think you should contact your siblings.”

“And tell them what? That their father had a relationship with my mother while he was still married to their mother?” Ransom shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

They settled down in the den after dinner.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, just how many photo albums do you have?” Ransom pointed to the stack on the shelf beneath her coffee table.

“Lots,” Coco responded with a chuckle. “I’m big on capturing memories. I carry a camera with me everywhere. The pictures on the wall—I took all those.”

“Really? You’re a very good photographer.”

“I wanted my own studio at one time, but I’m a Stanley,” she said. “Chocolate is what I do.”

“Sweetheart, you do know that you can do both.”

“You think so? You think I’m that good?”

Ransom nodded. “These pictures are excellent. Hey, can I hire you to be our official photographer for graduation ceremonies? You could do a much better job than I can.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “It would really help me out and I’ll pay you.”

“Ransom, you don’t have to pay me. Consider it my gift to the boys. I’ll even throw in sets for them.”

He hugged her. “Now take me down memory lane. I want to see what you looked like as a high school student and then college.”

“Why? Because you want a good laugh?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“Uh-huh,” Coco uttered. “One chuckle and I’m booting you out of here.”

Opening the blue-and-white album, she said, “This was my last year in high school. We lived in Riverside back then.”

“Riverside?”

She nodded. “I graduated from Riverside High School. Did you go there?”

Ransom shook his head. “You were a cheerleader. Why am I not surprised?”

His eyes traveled to the girl standing next to her in the picture. He studied her face for a moment. A strange sensation stirred in him, prompting him to ask, “Who is she?”

Coco grinned. “Oh, that’s my best friend, Elle. You know what? She has your first name for a last name.”

He felt as if he had been kicked in the gut. “Her last name is R-Ransom?”

Coco nodded and turned the page, oblivious to the turbulent thoughts racing through his mind.

“This is when we went to the prom.”

“Are these guys your dates?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Coco answered. “This one was my date and Elle went with him.” She pointed. “He turned out to be a jerk, though.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, he got mad because she didn’t want to sleep with him that night. Elle ended up riding home with me.”

“It looks like you two were very close.”

“We are. Our parents were best friends, so we spent a lot of time with them. Both of my brothers are close to Elle’s brothers. In fact, Michael used to date Ivy. She’s Elle’s oldest sister. He was heartbroken when she married someone else.”

Ransom was still reeling from the revelation that the woman he was dating shared a close relationship with his father’s children. He didn’t know exactly how many there were, and he wanted to ask, but knew that would stir Coco’s curiosity.

He considered that he might have given her too much information on his past. What if she started putting two and two together?

No one knows about me.

His mother had often told him that he looked a lot like his father. If that were true, then wouldn’t Coco have seen the similarities?

It angered him that she knew more about the other half of his family than he did. Coco showed him pictures from vacations that the two families had taken together. Ransom tried not to let it bother him, but it did.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. She wore a look of concern on her face.

Ransom rose to his feet. “Actually, I’m not feeling well,” he told her.

“Do you think my cooking made you sick?” Coco
appeared alarmed. “The chicken was cooked all the way through. I—”

He cut her off by saying, “Sweetheart, it wasn’t your cooking. Dinner was fine.”

“But you’re not feeling well. You were fine when you came over here.”

“It’s more from exhaustion,” Ransom said. “Look, I know we were going to go out later for dessert, but I think I’m just going to go home. I’ve got a long day tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

“Are you going to be able to drive?” she asked. “If you need me to, I can take you home. You can pick up your car tomorrow.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Coco walked him to the door.

He kissed her goodbye, then left quickly.

Later at home, Ransom went through his own photo album.

“Why didn’t you just tell him about me?” he whispered. “Why did you ever tell me about him? Didn’t you know that I would try to seek him out?”