You're All I Need (7 page)

That motorcycle has been on my tail for three or four blocks,
Tia thought as she parked her car in front of her parents' home. The biker slid into the vacant spot behind Tia's SUV and sat idling.

With a hand on the steering wheel and a nervous flutter in the pit of her belly, Tia waited an additional beat. She fumbled inside her purse for her cell phone, intent on calling her father to come out to the car and walk her into the house.

Eyes trained on the rearview mirror, Tia examined the biker. He switched off the engine, swung his leg over the machine, and climbed off the motorcycle. Her gaze focused on his feet as he planted them on the blacktop.
Wait a second. I've seen those boots before.

Furious, Tia scrambled from the car, slamming the door. She marched right up to the biker. “Chris!” She lightly smacked his chest. “You scared the heck out of me. I thought I was being set up for a robbery.”

He flipped the visor back and hastened to say, “I wouldn't let anything happen to you.”

Ignoring Chris's declaration, Tia's hands clenched into fists at her sides, and her voice rose a notch. “What in the world are you doing here? Why are you following me?”

Chris pulled the helmet from his head and tucked it in the crook of his arm. He ran his fingers through his tresses. “I was worried. It's been a tough couple of days for you. I wanted to make sure you got home safely.”

Amazed, Tia stared back at the man. She shook her head and softened her voice. “It's very sweet of you to be concerned. I'm okay. Don't worry about me.”

He turned, taking a gander at the house. Curiosity was written all over his face. “Is this where you live?”

“No. I live downtown near work.” Tia waved a hand to the house. “This is my parents' home.”

He glanced around him, checking out the nearby properties, and asked, “Detroit has names for different parts of the city. What do people call this place?”

“Sherwood Forest,” she replied.

Suddenly the front door opened, and Mr. Edwards stepped out of the house, bounced down the stairs, and rushed to his daughter's side. He pushed his way between the pair, eyeing the man at his daughter's side. “You all right, Tia?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

Hands on his hips, Mr. Edwards frowned, tipping his head toward the younger man. “Who's this?”

Tia patted her father's arm reassuringly. “My coworker.”

“Mmm.” A note of suspicion lingered in his deep voice as he folded his arms across his chest. “What's he doing here?”

“He got concerned about me and wanted to make sure I made it home in one piece.”

Chris added, “I wanted to make sure Tia was safe.” Standing tall and straight, Chris returned the older man's gaze. He held out his hand and said, “I'm Chris Jensen.”

Mr. Edwards grasped the younger man's hand and pumped it up and down. “Good to meet you. I'm Greg Edwards, Tia's father.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“I appreciate your concern for my baby girl.”

“No problem.” Chris turned to Tia. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Greg Edwards tapped the man's shoulder and asked, “Where are you headed?”

“My hotel,” Chris answered.

“Hotel?” Tia's father grunted. “Are you living in a hotel?”

Chris nodded.

Tia sighed deeply and explained, “He's the attorney from France that I told you about. Gautier puts Chris up at the Detroit Marriott in the RenCen.”

Mr. Edwards lifted his chin. “Mmm! I imagine you would enjoy a home-cooked meal or two.”

“Very much so,” Chris answered quickly.

Tia's father placed a hand on Chris's shoulder and said, “Why don't you come in and have dinner with us?”

No!
Tia cried silently. She didn't want Chris at her dinner table while her parents questioned her about her breakup with Darnell. “Pop,” she began, “I'm sure Chris has other things to do.”

“No. I don't. I'm free,” Chris answered eagerly. “It would be an honor to share dinner with you.”

“Well, come on in.” Mr. Edwards led the way, strolling up the walkway with Chris behind him. Tia brought up the rear.

The trio climbed the stairs and entered the house.

“Tia-Mia, make the man feel at home.” Mr. Edwards pointed at Chris. “Take his helmet. Put it away.”

“Everything all right?” Mrs. Edwards called from the back of the house.

Mr. Edwards called back to his wife, “Yeah. We've got one more for dinner. Tia's work friend is staying.”

“Friend?” Jackie Edwards exited the kitchen and made her way down the hall, wiping her hands on a towel. “Hi, baby.” She kissed Tia on the cheek. She eyed Chris silently for a moment. “Who's your friend?”

“Momma, this is Chris Jensen. Chris, this is my mother, Jackie Edwards.”

Chris took her hand, and with all the flourish of a true Frenchman, he kissed the back of her mother's hand. “It's a pleasure.”

Momentarily flustered, Mrs. Edwards giggled like a teen caught in the middle of her first crush. Tia rolled her eyes, thinking,
Chris is putting on a show.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jensen,” Tia's mother replied.

“Call me Chris. My papa is Mr. Jensen.”

Mrs. Edwards collected herself. Her skills of ruling her family took over. “Let me set another plate. Tia, come help me. Greg, show Chris the family room. We'll call when dinner's on the table.”

All the members of the Edwards family responded to Mrs. Edwards's bidding without question. Tia followed her mother into the kitchen, knowing that the older woman's brain was swirling with a zillion questions.

“Set a place for your friend, and then I need you to get the platter for the roast,” Mrs. Edwards stated, moving to the range and opening the oven door. She slipped her hands into long oven mitts, removed a blue roaster, and placed it on the range.

Tia brought the white platter to her mother.

“Good. Thank you. Get me three serving bowls from the top shelf over there.” Mrs. Edwards pointed to the cupboard.

Nodding, Tia obeyed her mother, waiting for her to start the inquisition.

“How long have you been working with Chris?” Mrs. Edwards asked.

Tia's hands shook and the bowls rattled together. Steadying herself, she returned to the range. This was a safe, easy question. If the rest were like this, Tia could handle them. “About a month.”

Mrs. Edwards spooned green beans into a serving bowl. “Mmm. It makes sense. You were bound to have a few people from the home office show up here, since Gautier is a French company. Will this young man be in your office permanently?”

Tia shook her head. “No. I'm not sure how long he'll be with us. But I know he'll move on at some point. Maybe back to France or to another location.”

“Interesting.” She handed the bowls of green beans and carrots to Tia. “Put those on the table.”

Tia completed her mother's orders. “What else are we having?”

“Potatoes. Pot roast. Apple pie with ice cream.”

Impressed, Tia stated, “That's really nice for a weekday meal.”

“It was for you. I wanted to give you a little TLC. But I see you've got someone else for that.”

“Momma! Where did you get that idea?”

Mrs. Edwards waved away Tia's outburst. “No time for that now. Call your father and Chris to the dinner table.”

Tia turned to the door, thinking,
We're going to straighten this out as soon as I get a chance.

 

“Thank you for the lovely dinner,” Chris said. “I don't get the opportunity to share a meal with such generous and welcoming people.”

Tia's father drained his glass of Vernors ginger ale and said, “We enjoyed having you. Any time you want a little home cooking and company, come on by.”

Smiling, Chris rose from the kitchen table and picked up his plate. “You're very gracious. I'll wash these before I go. Are you finished, Tia?”

Tia nodded.

Chris removed her plate, stacked the dishes, and started for the sink.

Mrs. Edwards pushed back her chair and headed for Chris. “Don't bother with those. You're a guest. I'll take care of them.”

Dodging Mrs. Edwards's outstretched hands, Chris placed the dirty dishes on the counter next to the sink. “It's no bother at all.”

“Why don't you and Greg go back to the family room and watch the game?” Mrs. Edwards suggested. “Tia and I will take care of the dishes and bring dessert in for everyone.”

Greg pushed back his chair and rounded the table. He wrapped an arm around the Frenchman's shoulders and steered him from the room. “Come on, Chris. The baseball game should be heating up. Let's see how the Tigers are doing tonight.”

Tia gathered the remaining dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. She returned to the table and removed the cutlery and glasses, wondering when her mother would resume her interrogation.

It didn't take long. Seconds after turning on the water, Mrs. Edwards asked, “What's going on with Chris Jensen?”

“What?” Tia faced her mother.

“You heard me,” said Jackie Edwards as she opened the dishwasher and began rinsing a plate under the water spray. “Who is he?”

“You already know that. I told you about him. He's the new attorney from France,” Tia repeated while removing the salt and pepper shakers from the table and placing them on the countertop.

“Maybe I didn't ask the right question. Who is he to you?”

Tia marched across the kitchen floor and stood in front of her mother. “He's one of the attorneys I work with.”

“No. That's not what I'm talking about. You and Darnell broke up less than twenty-four hours ago. Today you turn up on my doorstep with a new man on your arm.” Tia's mother rubbed her hands together. “A white man. What's going on?”

“Momma, you've got it all wrong. Chris is part of the deal I made with Adam.”

Mrs. Edwards scoffed. “Adam's always in the middle of everything.”

“You sound like Darnell, Momma.”

Shrugging, Mrs. Edwards added, “If the shoe fits…”

“It's not my size. Darnell has always disliked Adam. I'm not sure why. But I suspect it involves jealousy. Adam shows him up for the lack of man he is. Darnell gets his kicks by stirring up messes. Don't listen to him.”

“Okay. I'll put Darnell on the back burner for a few minutes, but I still want to know about Chris.” She moved around the kitchen, removing dessert plates from the cupboard and forks and napkins from the drawer. “What's going on between the two of you? Are you dating? When did all of this start?”

“There is no ‘all of this.' Chris and I are not dating. Where did you get that idea?”

“From Chris.”

“What? I beg your pardon? Momma, there's been way too much Danielle Steel in your diet.”

“Ha-ha. Cute. Real cute, Tia-Mia.” Mrs. Edwards dropped her hands onto Tia's shoulders and said, “All I had to do was watch the two of you together. Chris barely kept his eyes off of you the whole time he sat at the dinner table. If I went into the family room right now and asked him how the fish tasted, I'd bet money he'd tell me it was perfect.”

“You didn't serve fish. We had pot roast.”

“My point exactly. His focus was exclusively on you.” Tia's mother squeezed her shoulders before dropping her hands to her sides.

“What does that prove?” Tia asked.

“He stayed focused on you all through dinner. You were what he was interested in. Nothing else.”

“I think you're wrong and that you're exaggerating the situation.”

Mrs. Edwards laughed softly. “You are so naïve. Chris followed you home to make sure you were okay. Tia-Mia, he's slowly circling his prey like a fox before he pounces. You may be unaware of it, but that man has some serious plans for you, and I'm not sure I like it.”

“I don't understand. Even if we were involved, dating each other, what's not to like?”

“Chris is here for a while! An unspecified amount of time. Am I right?”

Sensing a trap, Tia nodded slowly, trying to work out the details in her head. “Yes.”

“At some point in the near future, he's going back to France,” Jackie Edwards stated confidently.

“Possibly. So?”

“Baby, don't let him steal your heart. He's not for you. I know you and Darnell are finished, but don't make a second mistake. Give yourself a little breathing room before you venture into the realm of dating again. Don't test the water with any man before you've completely recovered from Darnell.”

“I don't know any other way to tell you this. There's nothing between Chris and me. We're colleagues and friends. Period.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Mrs. Edwards laughed. “Tell your old mother anything. Come on. Let's dish up dessert.”

“Momma, there's nothing for you to worry about. I'm fine. Darnell disappointed me and hurt my feelings, but I'm dealing with it.”

Her mother studied her with that practiced ease that always made Tia squirm like a child caught in the middle of a lie. After a moment, Jackie Edwards nodded. “Be careful. Take your time.”

Tia opened her mouth to deny the relationship again. Her mother lifted a hand, cutting off Tia's words.

“Think about what I'm saying. Don't rush into anything, especially not a new relationship with a man who could easily leave town as quickly as he showed up. I know you and Darnell were together for a long time, and sometimes relationships fall apart, just like yours did. You've got plenty of time to find the right man. He's out there for you. Give yourself the opportunity to heal before moving to the next man.”

Her mother made perfect sense. Had she noticed something that Tia was deliberately ignoring?

Tia tried to offer her mother a reassuring smile, but her face felt unresponsive and unyielding. “Don't worry,” she pushed from stiff lips. “I'm not looking for the next man. I've had enough, Momma. I want peace for a while.”