My Kind of Girl (4 page)

Traci pulled into the driveway of her
childhood home in the Frazier area of Memphis after leaving Sean’s
house. She’d vowed never to move back to Memphis after graduating
from high school and attending college at Vanderbilt for all of her
degrees. After her father died her senior year of college and her
brother, Larry, was stationed across the world on an Army base in
exotic Hawaii of all places, she didn’t want to leave her mother
alone. Traci had tried to convince her mother to move with her to
Atlanta when she was offered a job at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens
after college, but her mother didn’t want to move. So Traci applied
for a job in Memphis. She’d really hoped Atlanta would be a new
start for both of them considering her mom’s sister lived there and
was a widow as well. The sisters could’ve been roommates, but
Traci’s mother, Mildred, refused to leave the home she’d shared
with her husband for almost thirty years. She wasn’t physically
ill; just a little arthritis and she took medication to keep her
cholesterol down. Those issues didn’t worry Traci. Instead,
Mildred’s addiction to gambling was the issue.

Traci hated discussing it with anyone
except her brother, but sometimes she didn’t want to worry him
because he was so far away. Besides, she was the oldest and felt it
was her responsibility to take care of her mother. It had started
out harmless. Mildred decided to take her out of town friends
across the bridge to a casino in Arkansas. She’d won one thousand
dollars after having only spent one hundred and was convinced she
was a pro. That was over three years ago and she hadn’t stopped
except for a few times, but she’d fallen off the wagon a couple of
months ago. Traci didn’t mind her mother playing the slots or Black
Jack every once and a while. However, all of the time until the
point of not being able to pay her bills because she’d spent all of
her pension check for the month was ridiculous. Of course, Traci
bailed her out each time. It frustrated her, but her mother and
father had sacrificed and penny pinched in order to take care of
her and Larry. She wasn’t going to let her mother go without food
and electricity even though Larry had suggested it just to scare
their mother straight. Traci knew there were times when her mother
didn’t want to tell her that she’d spent the pension money gambling
and had lost all of it. She’d finally convinced Mildred last summer
to have her check direct deposited into Traci’s bank account. That
way she could pay the bills and give her mother an allowance. Traci
hated doing that, but it was the only way. However, by Christmas,
her mother had convinced her she could handle it. Traci switched
the direct deposit back to her mother’s checking account.
Unfortunately, last month she had found out Mildred was gambling
again. Traci just hoped she could try to convince her to go back to
counseling for her addiction and hopefully move to Atlanta where
there weren’t any casinos.

“
Hi Mom,” Traci said,
entering the small living room that was decked out in the brand new
leather couch and loveseat that her mother had purchased after a
big win playing poker last month, which was how she found out her
mother was gambling once more.

Mildred ran her fingers through her
gray curls. “Hey, babygirl … I didn’t know you were stopping by,”
her mother said uneasily, stepping back to let her daughter in but
avoiding full eye contact.

Traci glanced around the room and
spotted her mother’s purse and car keys on the coffee table. She
was wearing a burgundy velour jogging suit and her late husband’s
wedding ring dangled around her neck on a gold chain. Looking at
Mildred was truly like looking in a mirror except she was an inch
shorter and ten pounds heavier.

“
I was on my way home from
a client’s house. Just wanted to drop by to say hello.”

“
Come and sit down. Do you
want something to eat or drink?”

Traci sat on the couch and moved one
of the toss pillows to the side. “No, I’m fine. Not staying
long.”

“
So who’s the new
client?”

“
One of Dr. Arrington’s
sons. Sean, he’s a psychiatrist. He came with his mother yesterday
to the repotting workshop and afterwards asked if I could landscape
his backyard.”

Her mother sat in the recliner that
had belonged to her deceased husband. It was old, but she refused
to throw it out. “Is it three acres like his mother’s?”

“
Oh, goodness no. It’s
small and shouldn’t take too long. He wants to experience peace and
tranquility so I have some ideas running around my head. I’ll start
working on a design plan tonight.

“
That’s good,” Mildred
said, glancing at the clock on the fireplace mantle.

“
Are you late for
something?”

“
Um … not late, but I was
on my way out.”

“
I see. Can I tag along?”
Traci really didn’t want to, but she had a sneaky suspicion where
her mother was going considering she always wore her husband’s
wedding band around her neck as a good luck charm when playing
poker.

“
Tray …”

“
Mom, are you on your way
to a casino?”

“
Not exactly.”

“
A private poker
party?”

“
Yes.”

“
It’s the beginning of the
month. Did you pay your bills and at least stock the
fridge?”

“
Yes and yes. Are you
forgetting who the child is and who the parent is?” her mother
questioned sternly.

Bolting to the kitchen, Traci opened
the refrigerator and freezer, both of which were fully stocked. She
checked the pantry. It was full as well. At one point, her mother’s
gambling addiction had gotten so bad she barely had food and didn’t
tell Traci until she’d gone to the fridge to grab something to
drink.

When she returned from the kitchen,
her mother was holding out her checkbook.

“
You want to see my
cancelled checks as well?”

“
No, Mother. I just want
you get your priorities straight.”

“
I’ve told you this time is
different. I’m not just throwing my money away. When was the last
time I asked you for any money?”

“
In January when your
transmission went out.”

“
That had nothing to do
with gambling.”

“
Whatever.” Traci snatched
her tote bag from the couch and headed toward the door. “Just be
careful, Mom. Larry Jr. and I worry about you, especially Larry
since he’s so far away. Once you have a nice amount just quit. You
don’t have to try to double or triple it. Take your winnings and
leave.”

“
Anything else?”

“
I love you very much,
Mother. I just don’t want you to get caught up again.”

Her mother kissed her on the cheek. “I
promise you this time is different. Trust me.”

Traci sighed. Mildred had told her the
exact same thing before and now here they were once again. True,
she wasn’t spending all of her time at the casinos, but poker was
still gambling.

“
Okay, Mom. Call me when
you get home. I don’t care how late it is, call me.”

“
Yes, Tray. Drive
safely.”

“
You, too.” She gave her
mother a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

As Traci backed out of the driveway,
she said a little prayer that her mother would be able to control
her gambling habit this go around.

*****

Sean glanced at the crystal clock on
his cherry wood desk. It was almost three o’clock and his last
patient of the day had just left after an hour and a half session.
He was exhausted and famished since he’d miss lunch to squeeze in
one of his veteran patients who was having panic attacks again and
needed some reassurance.

Opening the folder on top of a deep
stack, he decided to peruse once more over the plans Traci had
emailed him that morning. She’d designed four different garden
layouts. He loved them all, especially the one that included the
fire pit. For some reason the vision of them cuddling and making
s’mores while sipping hot chocolate clouded his mind. He couldn’t
believe his thought process, but ever since she’d mentioned the
pit, he imagined her wearing one of his sweaters that of course
would be too big for her and giggling as she made the tasty treats.
She seemed the type to like s’mores and other fun
things.

Tapping his finger on his desk, he
reached out to grab his phone to dial her number. The Botanical
Gardens were closed on Mondays, but she’d mentioned in her email
that she would be there for a private tour for a celebrity until
three in the afternoon. It was a few minutes after the hour, and
he’d wanted to call her since yesterday after she’d abruptly left.
Teresa showing up unannounced had messed up his plans to get to
know Traci better. He’d been intrigued with her since he’d heard
her infectious laugh. However, thanks to Teresa, Traci had
hightailed it out of his home so fast as if it was on fire. He’d
noticed her eyes had glanced toward the handcuffs and the whip on
the island. He hoped she didn’t think he was some sort of Dom or
into S&M because he wasn’t. However, sex wasn’t vanilla to him,
either. Sean didn’t mind mixing in a little kink every now and then
to spice the moment up, or give into any fantasies or role playing
a woman may want … within reason.

He scrolled through his cell phone
until he found her name and pushed the call button. Grabbing the
plans he wanted to discuss, he leaned back in his black leather
swivel chair and was elated to hear her thick, sweet voice in his
ear.

“
Hello?” she asked in an
upbeat tempo.

“
Hey, this is Sean
Arrington.”

“
Hi. Did you have a moment
to look over my ideas?”

“
I did. I really love the
one with the fire pit and the outdoor daybed under the pergola. Not
sure how I feel with all floral vines, though. May be a bit too
girlie for me.”

“
That can be changed.
There’s other vines that don’t have flowers or very minimal ones.
Anything else?”

He closed the folder and slid it into
his briefcase. “Nope. I’m excited to see the finished
project.”

“
Cool. I was on my way to
the nursery that I usually use for projects outside of work even
though I’m buying all of your roses from the Botanical Gardens.
We’re having a sale this weekend, and I receive an employee’s
discount.”

“
That’s good. I’m all about
saving money.” He paused, glancing at his computer screen, which
showed a picture of her on the Botanical Gardens website next to
her bio. He’d learned a lot about her and her responsibilities at
the gardens. Plus, he’d enjoyed staring at her picture.

“
I can tag along if you
don’t mind.” He couldn’t believe he’d just said that. He wasn’t
that interested in shopping for flowers, but he wanted to see her
again.

“
Um … okay … sure. What
time do you get off?”

“
I’m off now. I can meet
you there in an hour.”

“
Okay. I’ll text you the
address.”

After they said their good-byes, he
jumped up and grabbed his suit jacket that was draped across the
back of his chair. He slid his notes from his last session into a
folder and proceeded to lock it in the file cabinet. Heading out of
the office door, he was met with a radiant smile from Raven, his
oldest sister. Her natural, thick curls were swept up into a bushy
ponytail on top of her head while a few tendrils rested on her
forehead, causing her to look younger than forty-one years
old.

“
Hey, you’re out of here?”
she asked, readjusting the stethoscope that rested on her white
coat.

“
Yep, I have an appointment
with Traci Reed. She’s landscaping my backyard.”

“
Right, Mother told me.
It’s about time. All that green grass is just plain boring. I was
delighted when Traci and Mother gave my front yard some curb
appeal.”

“
Are you on call
tonight?”

“
Nope. I switched with
another Ob-Gyn. Armand and I are taking the twins to a pottery
class for children and then pizza.”

Raven’s face beamed with true
happiness as she discussed her plans with her husband and children.
Sean had been overjoyed when his sister found love again with Dr.
Armand Phillips over a year ago in Brazil. Having lost her first
husband in the line of duty as a police officer and miscarrying
twins soon after, Raven had thrown herself into her work. While
she’d appeared strong on the outside, on the inside she was a
wreck. However, now with Armand and the six-year old twins,
Isabella and Israel that they’d adopted last year, she finally had
the family she’d always dreamed of.

“
I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.
Tell the twins Uncle Sean said what’s up.”

“
Will do. Tell Traci hello
for me as well. She’s such a sweet girl.”

“
Yeah … she is.” He nodded,
with a wide smile that he couldn’t seem to turn off.

Raven’s brow wrinkled as a puzzled
expression washed over her face. “Uh huh. I know that smile and
look. Are you trying to mack her?”

“
Mack her?” Sean tried to
muffle a loud laugh. “Rave, I believe that term went out with
mullets and stone-washed jeans. I’m not trying to do anything but
have my yard landscaped. However, she’s cool to be
around.”