Troublemaker (3 page)

In that instant, Alexandria knew that her grandma Allene's visit wasn't going to be the joyful reunion she'd fantasized about.

“H
ow can two small words cause so much trouble?” Victoria whispered aloud as she stared at the name flashing across her cell phone screen. Her body stiffened against the soft fabric of her high-back office chair while she bit down on her ruby-colored lower lip; a nervous habit she'd developed when she was a teenager. The name P
ARKER
B
RIGHTWOOD
flashed at her like a warning light, and she knew that a call from him was something for which she needed to brace herself.

She sat forward, propped one elbow on top of her large mahogany desk, and debated whether she should answer his call or let it roll into her voice mailbox. She knew she'd have to talk to him sooner or later, so rather than avoid and ignore him—a costly mistake she'd made in the past—she hit the talk button.

“Hello, Parker.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?”

“Because you sound so formal. Not like your usual self.”

She wanted to ask him how he could possibly know what she usually sounded like. After all, it wasn't as if they talked on a regular basis. Those days had ended many years ago. But she also knew that as much as her life and circumstances had changed in that long span of time, a few delicate, if not complicated, things hadn't, and Parker was one of them.

“You sure you're okay?” he repeated.

“I'm sure. Now how can I help you?”

He chuckled. “There you go again, talking to me like a greeter in a department store.”

“I have to keep things on a business level with you.”

“Oh, and why is that?”

She took a deep breath. “Because you don't know how to act.”

“Well, since you're the consummate purveyor of proper etiquette, maybe you can give me a few lessons. I'm a very good student and I catch on pretty quick, but you already know that, don't you?”

She smiled on the other end, despite not wanting to.

They were both quiet for a short pause. Victoria could hear him breathing through the silence on the other end, and she imagined the sly grin that was no doubt spread across his lusciously soft lips, which carried a perfect tint of pink. She was almost pulled in for a moment, but she quickly regained her focus. “I don't have all day, Parker. What do you want?”

“Victoria, I think you're losing that gracious Southern charm that always made you so lovable, and I might add, irresistible.”

“Get to the point or I'm hanging up.”

“Okay, okay. I want to know if I can add two more guests to the list for the reception?”

Victoria reached for her silver-plated pen and softly tapped it against the top of her desk as she let out a small sigh. She knew that Parker's question was nothing more than an excuse to talk to her. When he'd called last month asking her the very same thing, she'd told him then that according to the guest list which she'd spent hours meticulously creating, all in preparation for the final headcount for his son's and her daughter's wedding next month, there was room for up to five additional guests.

Ever since that bright, sunny afternoon one year ago when her daughter, Alexandria, had happily told her that she'd reconnected with PJ, her childhood best friend, who happened to be Dr. Parker Brightwood Sr.'s son, Victoria had known that trouble was waiting to find her.

A storm cloud of memories had rushed back into her life that day, but unlike her encounters with Parker from the past, she now knew she'd have to handle him, and their dealings, in a very different way.

Rather than rehashing the fact that she'd already answered his question last month, and pointing out that his phone call was basically a ruse to engage her in conversation, she simply went along with the flow. “Yes, Parker, that's fine. You can bring two more people. Anything else?”

He chuckled again, this time in a slow, seductive tone. “Damn, that was easy. If I'd known you were going to be so accommodating I would've asked for more . . . much more.”

His smooth, deep, and sexy voice hadn't changed over the years. And even though his words were laced with dangerous innuendo, coming from his mouth, they sounded as good and as sweet as apple pie. Silky seduction was part of his undeniable charm, and it had worked on her more times than she cared to remember. Victoria knew she couldn't be drawn in by his sexiness or the natural chemistry they'd always shared. She had to use her head and shut things down before they had an inkling of a chance to get started.

“I know exactly what you're hinting at, Parker. And I'm not having it. We're too old to play these ridiculous cat-and-mouse games.”

“Who's old, and who's playing games?”

Victoria pressed her hand against her left temple. “Bring whomever you want. Just make sure you all show up on time.”

“Are you upset?”

“No, I'm irritated.”

“Have you been having a rough day?”

“Not until you called me with this foolishness.” Now she couldn't hold back any longer. “You knew full well when you dialed my number that you could invite more guests because we discussed this last month when we talked. You didn't have to call me today.”

Parker cleared his throat. “Victoria, I have a hectic schedule and a very busy practice at two hospitals. Sometimes it's hard to keep everything straight. I know we've talked about this before, but I honestly wasn't sure if I'd reached the headcount you gave me, so I wanted to check with you before extending an invitation to two of my colleagues.”

“Uh-huh, right . . .”

“It's true.”

“Sure, Parker. Whatever you say.”

“Listen, I'm being straight with you. I have no reason at all to lie. You know I don't play games.”

“Sure, you don't.”

“Damn, I don't remember you being this cold.”

“Put on a jacket and get used to it.”

Parker laughed, then lowered his voice. “You're really something else.”

“Are you finished?”

“No, I have one more question.”

Victoria sighed, not sure she wanted to hear what he had to say, much less answer to it. “Go ahead.”

“I want to know what's wrong with me calling you? We're going to be in-laws . . . family, in a manner of speaking. A phone call is much more personal than an email. I can get personal with you, can't I?”

Victoria squirmed in her chair. “Get personal? What's that supposed to mean?”

“Anything you want it to.”

“Parker, I don't have time for this. Like I said, bring whomever the hell you want to bring, and as I told you at the beginning of this conversation, don't call me again with any more foolishness.”

Parker's deep voice took on an even deeper tone. “Our children's wedding day isn't foolishness.”

“You know what I meant.”

“I know what you just said.”

Victoria stood up and walked over to her office window, pacing back and forth in her black patent leather peep-toe heels. “Of course the wedding isn't foolishness. It's going to be the single biggest day of Alexandria's and PJ's lives, and I know without a doubt that it will be the start of a happy future for them both. What I'm talking about is the way you're always dropping hints and alluding to things . . .”

“Alluding?” Parker interrupted her in a surprised voice. “Victoria, we go way back, and you know me. I don't allude, I take action. I might flirt, but I don't drop hints. I'm direct and I say what I mean.”

“Then why are you calling me during the middle of the day with this?”

“I thought I already explained that.”

Victoria took a deep breath, continuing to pace back and forth.

“I hear you taking those deep breaths,” Parker said. “Just calm down and stop pacing back and forth in front of your window. Relax.”

Victoria stopped in her tracks. He knew her too well, even after all these years. She walked back to her desk and sat down. “You're right. We're going to be in-laws soon. We'll be seeing each other at the holidays and other occasions as the years go on, so I want to get something straight right now.”

“Okay, I'm listening.”

“I'm happily married. Our children are getting ready to be happily married. And from what I hear, hopefully you will be happily married, too. So please stop this flirting or whatever you want to call it. This isn't right and it needs to end with this call.”

Parker cleared his throat and let out a small laugh. “That's really interesting. I don't know who you've been talking to, but I can assure you that marriage isn't on the table for me. However, I couldn't agree with you more about PJ and Alexandria, and I wish them nothing but the very best. I love Alexandria like the daughter I never had, and I have no doubt that she and my son will enjoy many years of happiness.”

Victoria wasn't about to tell him that PJ had been the source of her information, or that he wasn't a fan of his father's significant other, and now she regretted making the comment. “I'm happy to hear that, Parker, and I'm glad we understand each other.”

“I think we always have.”

“Okay, well, you take care and I'll see you at the wedding.”

She didn't give him a chance to respond. She hit the end button and leaned back against her chair as she let out a deep breath. She thought about the wise saying that Alexandria had told her grandma Allene had whispered to her one evening.
You can never go wrong doing right.
Victoria knew that Parker was anything but right, and if she wasn't careful with him, she could find herself going in the wrong direction.

Parker had broken her heart in what seemed like another lifetime, and the poor choices she'd made with him years later had nearly cost her the happy marriage she'd talked about moments ago.

“This time I'm going to do the right thing. I'm not going to make the same mistake a third time.”

But even as Victoria spoke those words, a small voice told her to hold on tight for the bumpy road ahead.

E
ven though the end of Alexandria's conversation with her grandma Allene had left her knowing there was some sort of trouble looming on the horizon, she felt overjoyed to have been able to connect with the wise old spirit. She was especially excited about the prospect of actually having face time with Allene, which she knew was a rare and special privilege. She was drawn from her hopeful thoughts when she heard keys rattle in the doorknob.

“Hey, baby,” PJ said as he walked through the front door.

If there was one thing that was guaranteed to make Alexandria feel happy and peaceful all at once, it was seeing the big smile on her fiancé's face when he greeted her at the end of a long day. Dr. Parker Brightwood II, or PJ, as everyone had called him since he was a baby, made her feel as if she were looking at sunshine and rainbows whenever he stepped into a room.

No matter what challenges she faced or mountain-high obstacles that sometimes presented themselves, PJ's loving presence could melt them all away. Not only did he have a smile that could make toothpaste envious, his smooth, baby-soft skin, curly black hair, deep brown eyes, subtle dimples, and muscular frame made her feel the heat of his passion, especially in the bedroom.

But the thing that endeared him to her most wasn't his extraordinary good looks, or his incredible lovemaking skills that always pleased her. What had captured her attention, drawn her in, and made her want to be his wife were his gentle spirit and compassionate heart. He was a good man and one of the most sincere human beings she knew. From the first moment they'd reconnected last year, she'd known he was the one.

He could wow her with his intellectual prowess just as easily as he could make her laugh at his silly jokes. He was the type of man who could thoroughly enjoy a lazy afternoon lying around the house, then switch it up by dressing in his dapper best to hit the town by nightfall. She also liked that he was a man's man—rugged, responsible, hardworking, loyal, and honest. He made Alexandria feel loved, safe, and protected, not just by the words he spoke, but by the proof in his everyday actions.

Alexandria set her wedding magazine on the coffee table and smiled back at him. “Hey, honey, how was your day?”

“Busy, but very, very good. How about yours?”

She paused and accepted PJ's soft kiss on her lips as he bent over the sofa. “My day was pretty routine until I heard from Grandma Allene. She contacted me this afternoon.”

“Really?” A mixture of excitement and caution coated PJ's voice. “It's been a while. Is everything okay?”

Alexandria knew that the concern in his voice was justified because whenever Allene contacted her it was usually to warn or advise her of some sort of impending trouble. And because it had been a few months since Alexandria had heard from Allene, there was a good probability that something bad was about to happen.

“I'm not sure what's going on,” Alexandria responded, “but Grandma Allene's going to help me through whatever is ahead, which I think must be pretty big because she's here . . . in our world.”

“Ali, what do you mean, she's here in our world?”

“You know how I usually talk to her through whispers when she contacts me, or when I'm able to reach back and see her in another place and time? Well, when I saw her today it wasn't in a different realm, it was in the here and now. When I asked her where was she, she said she was where it all began, and that means she's in Nedine.”

PJ shook his head from side to side in disbelief. “She's in South Carolina?”

“Yep. At the house my great-grandfather built, our family homestead.”

PJ stared at Alexandria in amazement. “Even though I've witnessed you say and do some pretty incredible things, I'm still blown away by all this. Ali, it's so mind-boggling.”

“I know. Sometimes I feel as shocked and bewildered by it as you do.”

PJ sat down beside her on the sofa. “Why's she in Nedine? Why didn't she come to you here in Atlanta?”

“She said that Nedine is where everything started, and she wants us to come there because, and I quote, ‘It's time to bury the past and start new beginnings'.”

PJ tilted his head in confusion. “I don't understand. What does she think you and I need to bury from the past?”

“I think the
we
she's talking about is my family.” Alexandria closed her eyes for a moment, concentrated, and then smiled with the knowledge that she was right. “Yes, she was definitely talking about my family. That's why she wants me to bring them with me when I go there.”

“When does she want you to come?”

Alexandria closed her eyes again and took a deep breath, seeming to almost meditate. “Soon. Like, in two weeks . . . yes, definitely in two weeks.”

“You do realize our wedding is only four weeks away?”

“Yes, honey, I know. But I'll still have time for a quick weekend trip to South Carolina before our big day.”

PJ leaned in and held Alexandria's hand. “Okay. If this is what Grandma Allene wants us to do, I'm all in.”

“You mean you'll go with me?”

“Of course.” PJ gave her a soft smile. “We're a team. You're going to be my wife and that means supporting you in whatever you do. Just say the word.”

Alexandria returned his soft smile with a big one of her own. “This is why I love you so, and sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.”

“Pinching hurts—how about a kiss? It's much softer and more fun.” He leaned into her and delivered a gentle kiss to her lips.

“That's nice.” Alexandria felt warm and fuzzy. But her tingly feeling didn't last long because in a flash she thought about her family. “Somehow I'm going to have to convince my mom and dad to come. And Christian will definitely need to come along, too,” she said, referring to her younger brother who'd just graduated from Morehouse College a few months ago and was now living in New York, about to enter Columbia's business school.

“You mean we'll have to spend the weekend with your brother?”

Alexandria fully expected that reaction from PJ because she knew how her brother could be. Despite his upper-class background and fine education, Christian had a reputation for being a bad boy. He loved to party and have wild fun with even wilder women. But what pushed him into the limits of danger, and why PJ treated him with cool reserve, was the fact that Christian had begun to dabble in two things that were sure to lead to trouble—gambling and drugs.

“I know you don't care that much for Christian, but he's family and he's going through a rough time right now. Maybe this trip will be good for him.”

“I hope so.”

Alexandria let out a sigh. “I know he can be a bit much to deal with, but he's growing and he's still trying to find himself.”

“Ali, he's a grown-ass man and he knows exactly who he is and what he's doing. You know I don't judge, but given what he's into, I'm very uncomfortable spending any length of time with him.”

“I understand, and at times I feel the same way. When I spoke with him last week I told him that he needed to get his life in order. He's entering grad school and if he's not careful he'll ruin his future behind the mess he's doing.”

PJ shook his head. “I've seen so many brothers with promising futures get caught up in that world. Drugs are dangerous, period, and I hope your brother realizes that before it's too late.”

“So do I.”

“Your parents have been very patient with him. They're good people.”

Alexandria nodded. “I'm really blessed to have a good family, and I'm so glad you get along with them.”

“Me too. They've welcomed me with open arms, even the ones I don't know very well, like your Uncle Maxx,” PJ offered. “Didn't he grow up in Nedine with your grandfather?”

“He sure did.” Alexandria loved her uncle Maxx. He was her dearly departed nana Elizabeth's brother and her grandpa John's best friend. He was in his late nineties, and though age had slowed him down from the wild lifestyle he'd led up into his eighties, his mind was still sharp and he still got around fairly well on his own. His days were now spent taking short walks in the park with his great-grandchildren in Dunwoody, a picturesque suburb situated outside the Atlanta city limits where he lived with his grandson.

“Do you think Uncle Maxx should come, too?”

“Yes, I do.” Alexandria smiled. “Although he's related by marriage, he's still family, and Nedine is his home. I just hope he's up to making the trip. When Mom and I visited him a few weeks ago, he seemed to be slowing down.”

PJ nodded. “Uncle Maxx is a true character. He's done so much and had so many experiences, I guess it's finally time for him to take it easy. I'm sure if he's up to it he'll come.”

“You're right. I'll call my mom tomorrow to get the ball rolling so we can set some plans into motion.”

“This is a lot to process, especially on an empty stomach,” PJ said as he took a deep breath and inhaled the aroma of food. “Can we talk about this over dinner?”

“You hungry?”

“Starving. And something smells good, too.”

Alexandria loved that PJ enjoyed her cooking. “I made shrimp scampi, roasted new potatoes, and steamed asparagus.”

“You worked all day at the office and then came home and made dinner?”

“Well, I have to admit, I left a little early. I wanted us to enjoy a hot meal together.”

“What did I do to deserve you?”

Alexandria smiled. “Apparently something really, really good.”

“I know that's right. I hit the jackpot.”

“I can't believe you still have an appetite after everything I just told you.”

“A man's gotta eat. Besides, you can't fight the devil on an empty stomach.”

Alexandria dropped her playful smile and sat stock-still. Her hands trembled slightly as her eyes blinked quickly. “What did you just say?”

“Oh, that's something I heard one of the nurses at the hospital say this morning. Her name is Ms. Brown. She's an older lady and she has all these unique sayings. I thought it was interesting and kinda true. Not that your family is the devil or anything.”

Alexandria looked at him with wonder. “That's one of my grandma Allene's sayings. I've heard her repeat those very words in visions.”

“Get outta here.... Do you think it means something?”

Alexandria didn't want to alarm PJ, but she also didn't want to hide the truth from him. “Yes, I think it does. Grandma Allene always says that coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. Nothing happens by chance, everything is part of a plan. The fact that she contacted me today and the nurse at the hospital repeated one of her sayings . . .”

“Do you think Ms. Brown has the gift or something?”

“I'm not sure, but I believe her saying that in front of you was intentional. You were meant to hear that so you could repeat it to me.” Alexandria took a cleansing breath to calm herself. She didn't want PJ to think something bad was about to happen, because she honestly didn't know what all this meant. Things were happening so fast.

But the one thing Alexandria was certain of was that her grandma Allene was going to help her find the answers to her questions. In the meantime, she had to figure out a way to get her family down to Nedine in two weeks, and in the present, she needed to arrest PJ's worries. “I'll get to the bottom of this later. Like you said, you've gotta eat, and I have some food in the kitchen to feed you.”

PJ smiled. “I like the sound of that. Feed me, baby!”

Alexandria put on a smile. “Right this way.” She took PJ by the hand and led him to the kitchen, all the while saying a soft prayer of protection for her family.