overboard.”
“Yeah. Just a little.” He laughed and sat down at the table.
Brooklyn poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him. “So, I guess you’re excited?”
“I suppose so.” He shrugged, careful not to meet her stare as he piled food onto his plate.
An awkward tension cloaked mother and son while one tried not to ask too much and the other avoided straight answers.
“I want you to promise to call if you need me to come get you for any reason,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, more on autopilot than anything else.
Brooklyn couldn’t explain the wave of sadness and guilt or her undeniable fear of spending the summer alone. Trying to keep the conversation on safe ground,she thought it best to run down the items he needed. “Did you pack enough underwear?”
She laughed at the incredulous look he gave her. “Sorry. It’s hard turning the mother thing on and off,” she offered as an excuse.
He smiled and made her day.
An hour later, as she placed the dishes in the dishwasher, the doorbell rang.
Jaleel bounded down the stairs.
Brooklyn’s heart sank. She dried her hands and went to join her son just as he opened the door.
“What are you doing with a tux?” she asked, pointing to the suit draped over his shoulder.
Evan walked through the door.
Jaleel shrugged, but a smile quirked his lips. “Dad rented it for their engagement party.”
Brooklyn turned hard eyes toward Evan. “What engagement party?”
Yasmine popped up at Isaiah’s mother’s home some time after lunch and was bursting at the seams with news. “I finally met with Ms. Macy Patterson today for lunch,” she announced, and then stopped in her tracks when she noticed Isaiah was wearing an apron.
“Don’t say a word,” he warned, and then waved for her to follow him into the kitchen.
“Never a camera around when you need one,” she muttered, with suppressed laughter.
Once in the kitchen, he resumed slicing and dicing onions on a cutting board.
“I never knew you were handy in the kitchen.” She grabbed a mitten and peeked inside the oven.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” He chuckled, turning away from the counter to stir the sauce on the stove. “Tell me about your meeting.”
Yasmine laughed and closed the oven. “Businesswise it was a boon. Her company is practically salivating over the prospect of working with Rotech.”
“That is good news.” He nodded though it wasn’t the information he wanted to discuss. He glanced at his best friend and waited with strained patience for her to continue.
Instead, Yasmine took her time helping him stir the sauces and sniff everything she came across.
“Well?” he finally asked.
“Well, what?”
“You two didn’t talk about anything else?” he probed.
“Oh.” Yasmine smiled slyly. “She did say something about her total embarrassment over what had happened the other night at dinner.”
Isaiah waited—and waited—then asked, “Is that it?”
Yasmine laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Quite the eager beaver, aren’t you, Romeo?”
“Why don’t you stop playing around and just tell me what I want to know.”
“At first it was kind of difficult getting information out of her, but after a couple of drinks, she loosened right up.” She eased onto a stool next to the counter.
“And?”
“And, she was once your Juliet’s best friend—that is until Macy stole her husband.”
“She said that?”
“Not in so many words—but yeah. Frankly, I think these people need an all-expense-paid trip to The Jerry Springer Show. ”
“That bad?”
Yasmine cocked her head as her eyes rolled upward. “You know, now that I think about it, you two have a few things in common. Her husband left her for her best friend and your girlfriend left you for your uncle. This would be like two rejects finding eternal bliss.”
Isaiah’s jaw dropped as surprise colored his eyes. “Rejects?”
She shrugged, and then laughed.
“Yeah. Just a little.” He laughed and sat down at the table.
Brooklyn poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him. “So, I guess you’re excited?”
“I suppose so.” He shrugged, careful not to meet her stare as he piled food onto his plate.
An awkward tension cloaked mother and son while one tried not to ask too much and the other avoided straight answers.
“I want you to promise to call if you need me to come get you for any reason,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, more on autopilot than anything else.
Brooklyn couldn’t explain the wave of sadness and guilt or her undeniable fear of spending the summer alone. Trying to keep the conversation on safe ground,she thought it best to run down the items he needed. “Did you pack enough underwear?”
She laughed at the incredulous look he gave her. “Sorry. It’s hard turning the mother thing on and off,” she offered as an excuse.
He smiled and made her day.
An hour later, as she placed the dishes in the dishwasher, the doorbell rang.
Jaleel bounded down the stairs.
Brooklyn’s heart sank. She dried her hands and went to join her son just as he opened the door.
“What are you doing with a tux?” she asked, pointing to the suit draped over his shoulder.
Evan walked through the door.
Jaleel shrugged, but a smile quirked his lips. “Dad rented it for their engagement party.”
Brooklyn turned hard eyes toward Evan. “What engagement party?”
Yasmine popped up at Isaiah’s mother’s home some time after lunch and was bursting at the seams with news. “I finally met with Ms. Macy Patterson today for lunch,” she announced, and then stopped in her tracks when she noticed Isaiah was wearing an apron.
“Don’t say a word,” he warned, and then waved for her to follow him into the kitchen.
“Never a camera around when you need one,” she muttered, with suppressed laughter.
Once in the kitchen, he resumed slicing and dicing onions on a cutting board.
“I never knew you were handy in the kitchen.” She grabbed a mitten and peeked inside the oven.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” He chuckled, turning away from the counter to stir the sauce on the stove. “Tell me about your meeting.”
Yasmine laughed and closed the oven. “Businesswise it was a boon. Her company is practically salivating over the prospect of working with Rotech.”
“That is good news.” He nodded though it wasn’t the information he wanted to discuss. He glanced at his best friend and waited with strained patience for her to continue.
Instead, Yasmine took her time helping him stir the sauces and sniff everything she came across.
“Well?” he finally asked.
“Well, what?”
“You two didn’t talk about anything else?” he probed.
“Oh.” Yasmine smiled slyly. “She did say something about her total embarrassment over what had happened the other night at dinner.”
Isaiah waited—and waited—then asked, “Is that it?”
Yasmine laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Quite the eager beaver, aren’t you, Romeo?”
“Why don’t you stop playing around and just tell me what I want to know.”
“At first it was kind of difficult getting information out of her, but after a couple of drinks, she loosened right up.” She eased onto a stool next to the counter.
“And?”
“And, she was once your Juliet’s best friend—that is until Macy stole her husband.”
“She said that?”
“Not in so many words—but yeah. Frankly, I think these people need an all-expense-paid trip to The Jerry Springer Show. ”
“That bad?”
Yasmine cocked her head as her eyes rolled upward. “You know, now that I think about it, you two have a few things in common. Her husband left her for her best friend and your girlfriend left you for your uncle. This would be like two rejects finding eternal bliss.”
Isaiah’s jaw dropped as surprise colored his eyes. “Rejects?”
She shrugged, and then laughed.
Similar Books
