Unexpected, a Holiday Short Page 2

  I eyed her like Jay had eyed me, then mimicked him stepping away. She mused, sipping her wine.

  “Maybe he needs to warm back up to you. Give him a little time. You’re sitting next to him at dinner — plenty of time to get reacquainted.”

  She set down her wineglass and grabbed mine. “Help me carry this stuff to the buffet so we can sit down to eat.”

  3

  “So... Jay. What keeps you busy these days?”

  Faith refused to move me to a different seat, despite my begging. She was convinced he just needed a hot meal and some time to warm up to me and he would be fine. I wasn’t so sure about that.

  “Work,” he bit out. “I’ve been building my business for the last ten years.” Then he dipped his head and stabbed at a mound of green beans, stuffing them into his mouth.

  “Oh. Well, that’s good. You’re winning contracts, so it looks like all that work has paid off. What about in your off time? Are you still playing—”

  “Nah,” he said, grumbling, shaking his head. “I don’t get into too much outside of gym time.”

  Surprised, an eyebrow shot up. I always knew him as an outgoing young man, involved in sports and myriad campus clubs. “Really? You used to play on the intramural football league. And you guys always sponsored Game Night. Remember when we’d get a bunch of board games and card games together, some drinks–”

  “Ooh, those were fun,” Faith said, jumping in. “I was the Scattergories Queen!”

  “Yeah, well, some people grow up past their college days,” said Jay, swiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “Some people have business to take care of and can’t be running the streets like they don’t have any responsibilities.”

  “Who’s running the streets like they don’t have responsibility?” I asked. “Everyone needs an outlet for relaxation and stress release. Maybe you need to pick up a hobby.”

  Jay paused, then slowly rolled his eyes over to me. I stared him down, daring him to step over the imaginary line in the sand I’d just drawn. “Are you trying to say something to me?”

  “You seem uptight, is all I’m saying.”

  “I don’t give a shit what you think—”

  “Obviously.”

  “… so you can keep your opinions–”

  “Jay. Saidah.” Faith's voice was low but stern, and even though I was a grown woman, I knew she meant business. Then she smiled. But I saw right through that fakery. “It’s Christmas. Let’s not.”

  “Tell her to let’s not. She’s the one over here deciding what folks need.” His chair scraped roughly against the hardwood floor as he pushed back. “I need to refill my drink.”

  I watched a beet-red pallor cross Anthony's complexion. “Hey, man. Take it easy on my floors. We just got them re-done last spring.”

  “Nobody cares about your damn floors,” he mumbled, shuffling away from the table, headed toward the bar.

  I eyed Faith, but she was glaring at her husband, who gave her a helpless shrug of his shoulder and wide-eyed stare.

  “Uhm…” Will cleared his throat, eyeing his brother out of the corner of his eye. “The… the prime rib — it's delicious. Everything is just great. I like the macaroni and cheese. I dabble a bit in the kitchen, but this is on another level. Do you use gruyere in your bechamel sauce?”

  “Yes,” she said, brightening. “I do. You have quite the cultured palate. Thank you, Will.” Faith graciously accepted the compliment, a smile on her lips but worry in her eyes as Jay approached the table, his glass brimming with dark liquid. He dropped into his chair and dug into his meal again.

  “Yeah. It’s all great.” He picked up a knife and began sawing at a slice of fork tender beef, scraping against Faith’s fine china. “I sure appreciate this pity meal y’all invited me to since my wife left me and moved in with some broke ass–”

  “Jay,” said Will, his voice at the bottom of his throat, practically growling through clenched teeth. “Take it easy, man.”

  “And the bitch is asking for fucking alimony, like I wanna pay her to not be married to me. Fuck her, man. She can marry that broke nigga she left me for. Let him buy her Gucci and Prada, let him pay her credit card bills.”

  He dropped his knife, sending a spray of Au jus across his chest. “Shit. This is fuckin’ cashmere, goddammit. Why y’all got these weak ass knives for cutting meat?”

  Faith hopped up from the table and sprang into action. “Take it off. I have some club soda I can treat it with and I’ll put it in the steamer. Won’t hurt it at all.”

  Jay’s limbs were loose; his words slurred as he pulled the sweater over his head and tossed it at her. She took it and escaped to the laundry room. He resumed his seat in his undershirt and jeans.

  I reached for my glass of wine and sipped. I sure was glad I left my calm and peaceful condo to share dinner with a drunken boor. He had the demeanor—and the capacity—of a man that had been drinking for a long time. No wonder his wife had left him. I felt like I’d dodged a bullet, myself.

  “Don’t care about her anyway,” Jay quietly raged, before inserting a forkful of food into his mouth. “Got bitches everywhere that want to be with me. One right next to me that won’t leave me alone. Hey Will,” he said, his head lobbing toward his brother, across the table. “Why don’t you tell her I don’t date fat bitches?”

  “That’s just fine, Will,” I responded, giving him a bright smile. “Because I don’t date sloppy drunk assholes. Excuse me.”

  I pushed my chair back from the table, picked up my plate and marched into the kitchen. I ran into Faith on her way from the laundry room.

  “Thanks for dinner, honey. I’m out of here.”

  “Nooo…” Faith’s eyes bugged out and reached for me, wrapping her thin fingers around my arms. “Do not leave me alone with these men! Anthony won’t say anything and Jay is so damn drunk–”

  “That drunk just called me a fat bitch.” I grabbed my purse from the alcove next to the refrigerator where I’d left it when I came in. “I don’t care how handsome he used to be or how much I thought I loved him. I’m not sitting through one more second of that.” I jabbed my finger toward the dining room where it sounded like Jay was getting started again.

  I leaned toward Faith and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Merry Christmas. Thanks for the Gucci clutch. Can’t wait to break it in. Ya’ll try to have a good day.”

  The sound of my heels echoed up into the high ceiling as I headed toward the front door, pulled it open and started down the sidewalk toward my car. I stopped long enough to gawk at the Range Rover rudely parked diagonally across the driveway. It looked as if Jay had arrived drunk and got worse.

  The front door opened, and Will stepped out, rushing down the steps. He and Jay had similar features, but obviously Will was younger. He stopped when he was a few steps from me and shoved his hands into grey-black distressed jeans. His sweater, a rich cranberry, looked nice against his lighter skin tone.

  “Uh… I didn’t… I’m sorry; I never caught your name.”

  I glared at him for a moment or two before I answered. “Saidah. Saidah Harland.” As if on automatic, I offered him a hand. He took it like he was going to shake it, but he held it in his hands, stroking it between his palms. “Your brother is an asshole and a drunkard. I’m sure you know this, so why you let him jump all over me and didn’t say a thing–”

  “Ms. Harland... Saidah. Jay’s actually my half brother, but they raised together us, so…” He lifted and lowered his shoulders in a shrug. “Anyway. That’s why I came out. To apologize for him, for the way he treated you and the things he said. It was uncalled for and I should have stepped in earlier.”

  “Well…” My hand felt warm, enclosed in his. My body felt warm under the gaze of his espresso brown eyes. “I… thank you. For the apology. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re not taking off, are you? Because of him?”

  “I didn’t want to come over here anyway, but Faith said he was coming to dinner
and I thought maybe…” I shook my head, then looked down at our hands, mine still intertwined in his. “I guess you really can’t go home again.”

  “He…” Will turned to look back at the house, like he could see through the brick exterior to the scene in the dining room. “Jay’s had a rough time of it, the last few years. The business hit a rough patch and his wife got impatient with the restructure. She left last year, but as you heard, she’s holding out for a ridiculous amount of alimony now that the business is doing well again.”

  I nodded, understanding. Not forgiving, but it helped to know where the vitriol was coming from. “I appreciate the explanation. He's still pretty loose with his mouth and I don’t appreciate that.”

  “I completely understand and I’m sure when he gets right, he’ll be embarrassed at himself. But I was hoping I could make up for my brother’s behavior.”

  I pulled my hand from his, warm as it was, and started inching toward my car. “I don’t need you to make up for him. I need him to do better.”

  “Please. Don’t… don’t go. You haven’t even had dessert yet and–”

  “Is that another crack about my weight? What is it with you two? A woman is bigger than a toothpick and she’s suddenly too fat for you?” I propped my hands on my hips and lifted my chin in defiance.

  “No!” He said, almost shouted. “Saidah… no. That wasn’t a crack about your weight. And not that you need me to tell you you look amazing, but… you look amazing.”

  His eyes skipped down my figure and back up, lingering at my chest. I lifted my hands to block his vision and glared. “I’m sorry. My brother may not be interested—actually, I think he’s too drunk to be interested in anything, but I really appreciate what you’ve got goin' on here.”

  “Hunh,” I grunted, eyeing him. “You’re not... weird or anything, are you?”

  He laughed, showing off a wide smile of straight white teeth. He had a small dimple high on his left cheek. “Uh, no. I’m not weird. I don’t think I am, anyway. Faith was telling me about you before you got here. How you work with at-risk kids and volunteer at the nursery at Children’s Healthcare. How you two have been friends since your first day at Albany. And how you and Jay were together for a while. He must have lost his damn mind or something, because if he let a woman like you get away he had to have been crazy.”

  “My sentiments exactly. All this flattery aside, I need to get going. I appreciate the apology for your brother, but there’s nothing you need to do to make up for him. Have a good day, and I hope you’re driving home.”

  I stepped back, then turned around and walked to my car. I heard sneakers on the pavement, keeping a respectful distance but still following me. I reached the driver’s side door and turned to find him standing on the other side of the car.

  “Take me with you.”

  My eyebrows shot up in complete surprise. “I’m sorry, do what?”

  “Jay’s miserable and I’m uncomfortable and they’re his friends, not mine. And I’d like to talk to you some more.”

  “It’s Christmas Day. Where am I supposed to be taking you?”

  “Anywhere. Waffle House. The parking lot at the mall. Let’s just…” He turned, glanced at the house, then turned back and winked at me. That pretty brown eye winked at me. “Jay will probably pass out soon, and then I’ll come back and take him home. Let’s escape for a while.”

  4

  I slid into the car, closing myself in when I shut the door behind me. I could just back out of the driveway, away from these people ruining my holiday even more than it would normally have been.

  I thought he was crazy. Stone cold nuts. But… intrigued, I pressed the button to unlock the door. He smiled and pulled the handle, then slipped inside next to me. The interior of the car filled with the scent of his cologne—cool, crisp, woodsy with an edge.

  “So…” I eyed him.

  “So.” He stared at me.

  “Where am I supposed to be taking you? Everything’s closed.”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. Just… away from here.”

  I sighed and put the car in reverse, then backed out of the driveway and meandered through the subdivision until I got to the main road. There were a few shops, restaurants and bars along the highway. I prayed something close would be open.

  Minutes later, after wandering streets that resembled more ghost town than booming metropolis, I pulled into the parking lot of an Italian restaurant that was open and bustling with business.

  “We can at least get dessert, some coffee. Sit awhile.”

  “This works for me,” said Will, already stepping out of the car and heading to the front door. He held it open, and I walked inside, where I was enveloped by the scent of fresh garlic bread and marinara sauce.

  “Two please,” I told the hostess, who showed us to a table in a sunny corner of the restaurant. I flipped right to the end and perused the dessert menu, trying not to feel odd about being on an impromptu date with a man I didn’t know, who was the brother of a man I used to date, who had summarily rejected me not once or twice but three times in the span of a few hours.

  “Why don’t we get the dessert platter?” He suggested. “It comes with options and we can both try a few things. I don’t know about you, but I can put away some sweets.”

  “Sure, if you want.” I closed my menu and slid it to the edge of the table. “So. You and Jay aren’t full brothers. How much younger are you?”

  “Four years, almost. We have different mothers.”

  “You must both take after your father.”

  Will smiled. If he could blush, he’d probably be the shade of a Red Delicious apple. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Like looking at a set of twins, practically. But you seem much different from Jay.”

  He folded his arms and settled them on the table, shrugging a shoulder. “Not saying I can’t be a jerk now and then. I’m human. But nah, I don’t drink like him.”

  “How long has he been like that? And is that why his wife left?”

  “He doesn’t handle stress well. The business nearly failing almost did him in. I’d say it’s been building for a while but only got really bad in the last year.”

  He sipped a few swallows of the water the waitress had left. “And yes. That was a big reason his wife took off. The drinking, plus not having any money… she said that wasn’t what she signed up for. I guess I see both sides.”

  “Both sides?”

  “Yeah. I get her point, but I also believe that marriage vows are real. In sickness and in health. For richer or for poorer and all that.”

  “But if he’s calling her names, getting drunk, not taking care of her… she’s supposed to honor some vows? That’s far beyond rich or poor, sick or healthy. What about his vows? His role?”

  I shook my head, taking a few swallows of water myself. No sense in getting worked up about a man that dumped me to date several women of varying race and size. I had no dog in this fight.

  Will chuckled and leaned forward. “Let’s not talk about my brother. He’s taken up too much time and attention that I want to spend on getting to know you.”

  My face burned hot. I couldn’t look at him for very long, otherwise my thoughts would trend toward pathways it hadn’t traveled in a long time. It had been… a while… since I’d had more than brotherly thoughts about a man, since I’d craved powerful arms around me and the scent of masculine cologne and the deep tenor of a voice that made me feel like I was safe.

  “Alright. Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Okay.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling at me. “You must not have family close by if you spend Christmas with Faith and Anthony.”

  It was an innocent enough observation, at least I was sure he thought it was. But the question had, for years, made me uncomfortable. It forced a conversation that I hadn’t been getting better at enduring. And though I knew I didn't have to have the conversation, I wanted to.

  “Uhm. No, not re
ally. My parents…” I blinked, attempting to keep my emotions at bay. “I have some aunts and uncles scattered around, but Faith and Anthony are my only close family.”

  A shadow crossed his face. His gaze dipped to his water glass, then flicked back up to me. “I’m sorry. I was curious. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t talk about them often. Not everyone needs to know my business.”

  “You can talk to me. I’d love to know more about you. Everything about you, actually.”

  I almost laughed and had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Is that so? You’re curious about your brother’s college ex-girlfriend?”

  “Sure. I’m curious about all kinds of interesting things like… what kinds of books you like to read? What does your name mean? What’s your signature drink? Do you travel? What do you think about when you’re alone, in your quiet time?”

  I laughed. “You’re pretty damn curious. So, I like to read a little of everything. Biographies, self-help. Some crime drama, a little romance, some literary highbrow. And yeah, I like to read children’s books to the babies at the nursery.”

  “Okay,” he said, laughing. “We have some interests in common, though I have a heavy daily newspaper and Time, Newsweek, Financial Times habit.” He sipped more water and waved a hand at me. “Go on.”

  “Uhmm…”

  I shifted in my seat, unbuttoning my light jacket and slipping it from my arms to lay it on the seat next to me. Not only was it warm in the restaurant, Will’s pointed, steady gaze with those dark eyes was heating my insides to a near boil. I could hardly breathe under his stare.

  “My name is Arabic; It means ‘fortunate’. I like a glass of cabernet, but I’d rather an Amaretto Sour if you know what you’re doing. I love to travel. Faith and I take a trip every year when I’m done with my school year. I usually need it,” I finished with a sigh and a roll of my eyes.

  He nodded. “You’re a teacher, right? Yeah, I understand that. You deserve it.” Will paused, though still staring. “And?” He prodded.