Perfect Timing (7 page)

“S
o, Christopher, what have you been doing for the past ten years?”

Mentally running through an answer that he could give Maxi without deliberately lying gave Christopher pause. No matter what type of friendship they may have shared in the past, he wasn't quite ready to tell her everything just yet. “After I left Savannah I headed up north, to Detroit, and found work with a construction company there. Basically, I've been associated with the outfit ever since.” He leaned back in his chair. What he'd just told her wasn't a total lie. It wasn't the complete truth either.

Maxi nodded, finding it amazingly easy to relax and enjoy Christopher's company, now that they had cleared the air between them earlier in the cabin. They had found a table in the back of one of the restaurants on board ship. Christopher had ordered a small glass of brandy and she had settled for a tropical drink. “So, what do you do at this construction company? Build things?”

He smiled over his glass at her thinking of all the upscale shopping malls and office parks that The Regency Corporation had built over parts of the United States within the last four years. The Landmark Project, their latest huge business venture, involved building several ski resorts, the first of which would be in Alaska.

“Yes, we build things.” After taking a sip of his drink he asked. “What about you? Did you ever make it to Howard University?”

Maxi couldn't help noticing how the rays from the sun shining through a nearby window shone on Christopher, highlighting his sable brown coloring. She also noticed other things as well—like how his fingers, that appeared so innately strong, were curved gently around the bowl of his brandy glass. “Yes. I spent four years there, earning a degree in African-American Studies. Then I returned home and got my graduate degree at Savannah State.”

“Was it hard leaving Washington to return to Savannah?”

“What you should be asking me is if it was hard leaving Savannah and moving to Washington. My father died a couple of weeks before I was to report to Howard and that was hard on me. As you know, Dad and I were close.”

Christopher nodded as he took another sip of his drink. He had liked and respected her father. The older man had made him feel welcomed on the occasions that he had visited. “I'm sorry to hear about your father, Maxi.” He'd known about Mr. Chandler's death from Mr. Thompson's updates. But at the time he had just gotten settled in his new life in Detroit and had been determined to put Maxi out of his mind.

“Thanks, Christopher.” She looked down at her drink as she twirled the straw around in it. “What made matters worse was that Mya decided at the last minute not to go to Howard University with me. She followed Garrett to Texas Southern instead. That was something I hadn't counted on and the news nearly crushed me. Especially after all the plans the two of us had made.” She released a long sigh as she remembered that time and the impact it had on her and Mya's friendship.

“Needless to say, I ventured to a new city and started a new phase of my life alone. Although it may not have been hard for some people, it was a big adjustment for me. I had grown up in Savannah all my life and felt comfortable with the people and my surroundings. Washington was totally different. The diversity in the culture as well as the attitudes of the people was totally overwhelming. It was hard for me to blend in at first.”

Christopher studied her as he listened to what she was sharing with him. In a way he understood. When he had made it to Detroit he had found it overwhelming as well. But he had always been a loner and hadn't ever wanted to blend in and knew with Maxi it was different. By nature she was an outgoing person who made friends easily.

“I find it hard to believe you had trouble blending in, Maxi. You're the type of person who could blend in anywhere and with anyone. You have that air about you; that warm southern hospitality wherever you go,” he said softly, the dimples in his cheeks extending into a smile.

“Well, I did have a hard time,” she said dryly, remembering that time. “I got the roommate from hell; a spoiled brat whose father was a politician with clout. She decided I was a person no one should like and made sure no one did. For half a semester most of the people in the dorm wouldn't talk to me. Things got a lot better after my roommate popped up pregnant the second semester. Her father sent her out of the country for a while. I eventually moved off campus into an apartment and got a male roommate, a guy by the name of Wilson Harris. Wilson was smart as a whip, easygoing and fun to be around. He was also gay, which was something he wasn't ready to share with the rest of the world quite yet. And because he was so drop-dead gorgeous, no one had a clue. The two of us living together gave him the rouse he needed to keep his family in the dark for a while. It also gave me a chance to escape unwanted suitors since a lot of people assumed Wilson and I were an item. I discovered that a male roommate worked out better for me than a female. Wilson and I roomed together until we finished college. During those years we became good friends.”

Christopher took another sip of his drink. No wonder she had found their co-ed sleeping arrangements on the cruise comfortable. “Do the two of you still stay in contact?”

“Yes, he writes to me often. He and his partner are living in Los Angeles and he's extremely happy.”

“Did his family ever find out about his alternative lifestyle?”

“Yes. They gave him a hard time at first but eventually they came around. I'm glad they did. It had been hard for Wilson to deceive them for those three years.”

“So what do you do now?” he asked smoothly, from genuine interest.

“I'm a college professor. I teach African-American History at Savannah State and totally love my job. It's very fulfilling and rewarding to educate students about things in our history that they didn't know about. This summer I'm teaching a special class on Great African-American Women.”

“Sounds interesting.” He checked his watch. “Are you planning to attend the function the class is having tonight?”

“Yes. You?”

“No. The only function I plan to attend is the reunion banquet the last night.”

Maxi nodded. “I guess I better go back to the cabin and get dressed. Will you give me about thirty minutes alone to do that?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” She stood. “And thanks for buying me a drink.” She turned and walked off.

For long moments after she left, Christopher continued sitting at the table alone, gazing out a nearby window, watching the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and going back over in his mind his conversation with Maxi. So much for his determination not to let her get under his skin. His intentions made little difference whenever he listened to her talk. Her voice was still soft and enticing. It could lead a man to all kind of irrational thoughts.

Doomed. He felt doomed.

M
axi had put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup and had slid into her dress when there was a soft knock on the cabin door. “Yes?”

“Are you decent?”

She smiled at Christopher's deep familiar voice. “Yes, just about. But come on in. You can help me with the zipper.”

Christopher slowly opened the door and stepped inside, not sure what he would find. Again he was surprised but really should not have been. Maxi was a beauty. He had discovered that fact in the first grade. But what he hadn't counted on was her still being the most beautiful female he had ever seen twenty-two years later. But she was.

After leaving her face his gaze went first to her hair, liking the way she had combed it back away from her face with a beautiful white flower pinned to the side above her ear. In his mind the style made her look like an island princess. When she noticed where his attention had strayed she said. “The welcome reception. It's a tropical theme. That's the reason for the flower.”

A little smile touched his lips. “Oh.”

He then moved his gaze down to her feet, which were encased in white open-toe sandals. She had pretty toes, he thought. They were polished a bright red. He'd never had a fetish for a woman's feet before but the sight of hers could definitely turn a man on. They seemed soft, cuddly, sexy.

His gaze then moved to take in her dress. It was a tropical print silk that looked as soft as a summer's breeze, and the way it swayed around her body clearly showed all her feminine curves. He took a step toward her, suddenly deciding he didn't want her going to the welcome reception without him.

“Are you going to stand there or are you going to come over here and zip me up?”

Maxi's question brought him back around. He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at her intently. “I'm not Wilson Harris, Maxi.”

She lifted a brow. “Meaning what?”

He took another look at her from head to toe. Slowly. Deliberately. He wanted her to feel his gaze touch her like an intimate caress. It worked. He saw the way her breathing went from even to uneven, the way the pupils in her eyes darkened and the way her lips parted when she released a breathless sigh.

“Meaning you can't feel as comfortable in sharing space with me like you did with him,” Christopher said huskily. “Where he may not have been interested in you as a woman, that does not hold true for me. Fair warning.”

Her gaze met his for a long moment. “Warning taken,” she said before turning around and presenting her back to him. “Now zip me up, please.”

He closed the distance between them, wanting to do more than zip up her dress. A few ideas came into his head but he forced them out. Standing this close he was getting the full effect of her perfume. Alluring. Seductive. Feminine. His hand trembled as he eased up the zipper, especially when he could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. He stepped back before he was tempted to do something stupid. “All done.”

Maxi slowly turned around to face him. “Thanks.” She then noticed his attention had shifted to the beds. “They came and changed the sleeping arrangements. The bed had been two singles and they pulled them apart to make them up separately. I think the way they have them arranged now is sufficient, don't you? I'll take the one closest to the window. You can take the one closest to the door.”

His gaze returned to her as the corners of his lips curved upward in a smile. The beds were not in close proximity to each other. They were separated in the middle by a long dresser and the bathroom. If she got the one by the window, there would not be a reason for him to cross into her area unless he had something on his mind. “Yes, I think the way they have them arranged is sufficient.”

Maxi picked up her purse from the dresser. “I'm meeting Mya and Garrett a little early on the upper deck. I'll see you later.”

Christopher gave the doorway Maxi walked through a disapproving glare. He then quickly moved into the bathroom to take a shower, deciding to make an appearance at the welcome reception after all.

M
ya walked out on deck and was met by the scent of the ocean and the sight of Garrett looking out over the waters. As if he sensed her presence, he turned around. His gaze captured hers and he smiled, opening his arms to her. She automatically went into them.

“Sorry I kept you waiting.”

He studied her outfit, a pair of white loose-fitting linen slacks and a matching white linen shell. “It was well worth the wait, sweetheart. You look gorgeous.”

His compliment pleased her. “Thanks, Garrett.” She glanced around. They were early. “Have you run into anyone we know yet?” she asked as they began strolling along the deck.

Garrett's face pinched into a frown. “I ran into Ronald Swindel. He was looking for Maxi. He claimed to have called her cabin and a man answered so he hung up. He figured there must have been some sort of mix-up.”

Mya nodded thoughtfully. “I believe there was. Maxi mentioned it to me earlier. She must have gotten switched to another cabin or something.”

“That explains it then, although I'm sure she would just as well not have gotten a call from Ronald. He hasn't changed at all. He still brags on himself and thinks he's all that. I have a feeling he's still interested in Maxi after all these years.”

Mya shook her head smiling. “Well, Maxi was never interested in him. She only had eyes for one guy back then.”

Garrett lifted a brow. “Who?”

“Christopher Chandler.”

Garrett released a soft chuckle. “Too bad Chandler didn't know that.”

“Why?”

“Because he only had eyes for Maxi.”

Mya stopped walking and looked at her husband, surprised. “You're kidding, right?”

“No, I'm not kidding. All the guys knew it. That's why none of them bothered to hit on Maxi. Christopher was like a watchdog protecting her. And since he had started school late and was two years older than the rest of us—with a bad reputation for kicking butt, too—everyone took heed of his warnings. The only person who didn't was Ronald. That's why he and Christopher knocked heads so many times.”

“Wow, I never knew. Neither did Maxi.”

Garrett gave his wife a warm smile. “That's understandable. Back then Maxi had her eyes glued to the books and you had your eyes glued to me. Neither of you were very observant to other things going on around you.”

Mya laughed. “I guess we weren't.” She and Garrett began walking again. “We used to have some good times together, me and Maxi. They were the greatest.”

“Yeah, everyone used to call the two of you M and M candy because you were so close.”

“I remember. It was so good having a girlfriend who you could share things with. We used to tell each other everything.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said solemnly, taking her hands into his. “And that's the reason the two of you lost what you had. I convinced you not to tell her what was going on with us that summer and why you changed your plans about Howard University.” He gazed down at his wife. “And to this day you never told her, have you?”

Mya shook her head. “No, I promised you that I wouldn't tell anyone.”

“I think it's time you told her.”

They stopped walking again. She looked up at Garrett. She wouldn't tell him that she had thought that very same thing. “Why?”

“Because it's time for the two of you to recapture what you once had. You and Maxi had a very special friendship, one few people can boast of sharing with another individual. You were closer than sisters. There was nothing she wouldn't do for you or you wouldn't do for her. I think this cruise provides the perfect opportunity for you and Maxi to patch things up.”

He glanced over her shoulder. “Here she comes. After I say hello I'm going to leave the two of you alone. I'll catch up with you when it's time for the reception to begin. All right?”

Mya nodded. She then reached upward and kissed him on the lips. “Thanks for being the love of my life.”

He smiled. “Thanks for being the love of mine.”

They then moved forward to greet their old friend.

 

Garrett swept Maxi up into his arms, lifting her easily off her feet. “It's good seeing you again, Maxi-million,” he said, calling her by the nickname he'd given her years ago. He kissed her on the cheek.

She curved her arms around him and hugged him. “Same here, Garrett. You still look good and although I still don't like football, I always tune in when I know you're playing.”

He laughed as he released her. “That makes me feel special.”

“You are.” Maxi then turned to Mya and smiled. She was flooded with memories of the first day they had met. Even without all those braids, Mya practically looked the same. At twenty-eight her cute and adorable features had transformed into those of a beautiful woman with satiny brown skin, chocolate-colored eyes with a noticeable slant to them, huge dimples in both her cheeks, and a head of luxurious black hair that fanned around her shoulders. “Hi, Mya Ki'Shae.”

Mya grinned. “Hi, yourself, Maxine Jeanae.”

The two gave each other a warm embrace. “It's so good seeing you, Maxi,” Mya said, holding back the tears in her eyes. “We have so much to catch up on don't we?”

Maxi wiped the tears from her own eyes. “Yes, we do.”

“I'll see you ladies later,” Garrett said to them.

“Hey, you don't have to run off,” Maxi said, smiling up at him.

Garrett returned her smile. “I'm not going far. I'll meet back up with you two at the reception.” He turned to leave then turned back around when he thought of something. He flashed Maxi a wide grin. “Oh, by the way, Maxi-million, Ronald Swindel was looking for you. Thought I'd give you fair warning.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Maxi shook her head. That was the second fair warning she'd received that day.

Mya touched Maxi's arm, reclaiming her attention. “Come on.”

Maxi lifted a brow. “Where are we going?”

Mya smiled softly. “Someplace where we can fix something that should never have gotten broken.”

Maxi stared at Mya. “What?”

“Our friendship.”