A Family Reunion (20 page)

“I can’t wait for dinner Saturday night at your place,” he whispered in her ear before totally releasing her and taking a step back.

Alexia nodded. She had a feeling that she would be the main course. For a reason she couldn’t explain, her heart began pounding with excitement at the very thought of that. But then another thought suddenly brought her back down to earth. Quinn Masters wasn’t a man she would be able to handle as easily as the others. She definitely had to rework her strategy.

Taye stood on the other side of the door and stared at the tantalizing vision in a blue denim shirt and tight faded jeans as he escorted Kennedy up the walkway. She tried not to frown when the conversation she’d had a few days ago with Alexia and Rae’jean crossed her mind. Did Michael have plans to spend the weekend with someone? She forced herself not to think about it. After all, what he did with his free time wasn’t her business.

“Hi, Aunt Taye,” Kennedy said cheerfully. “Thanks for having me over.”

Taye smiled and gave Kennedy a hug before saying, “You don’t have to thank me, Kennedy. You’ll always be welcome here, and I’m looking forward to spending time with you.” She then glanced up at Michael. “Hi, Michael. Did you have a hard time finding the house?”

He smiled. “No, you gave great directions. I didn’t know we lived so close by.”

Taye moved aside to let them enter. “Yeah, but the homes in your subdivision are a lot more upscale and the yards are humongous.”

When Michael and Kennedy stepped into Taye’s living room, Michael’s first impression was that he was seeing what a real home should look like. Although everything was neat and tidy, the room looked lived in. There were magazines on her coffee table and a number of throw rugs on the floor and wall shelves overflowing with books, which reminded him of how much she enjoyed reading. She had live plants in various places and several black art pieces hung on her wall. Everything he saw created a warm, cozy, and homey atmosphere for Taye and her daughters. “Where do you want me to put this?” he asked, indicating Kennedy’s overnight bag.

“Just leave it there. The girls should be able to get it upstairs. I’ll call them down.”

As soon as Sebrina and Monica found out Kennedy had arrived they ran down the stairs, eager to see her again. Taye and Michael found themselves alone when the three girls raced up the stairs dragging Kennedy’s overnight bag.

Michael stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched his daughter scamper off without telling him good-bye. “Kennedy, haven’t you forgot something?” he called after her.

Kennedy turned around with a bemused look on her face. “What?”

“Your father.”

It took her a minute to get what he meant. She raced back downstairs, gave him a quick hug, then raced back up the stairs again. Moments later she and Taye’s daughters disappeared into a bedroom and closed the door behind them.

“I’m crushed,” Michael said softly.

Taye couldn’t help smiling. “Cheer up, Michael; it’s not that bad. At least she’s still giving out hugs, and that’s good.”

Leaning against the banister, he asked, “Are you sure?”

Taye nodded her head. “I’m positive. Trust me.” She checked her watch. “But if you’re hopeful they’ll be back down anytime soon, don’t hold your breath. The big news of the day is Alexia’s decision to leave Body and Soul, so they have a lot to talk about. They’ll stay up there until I call them down for pizza.”

“Pizza? What time are you serving pizza?”

“Around six. You’re welcome to stay if you’d like.”

He shook his head. “Thanks for the invite, but I can’t do that. Kennedy will wonder why I’m hanging around and think I’m having a hard time letting go. I’ve never let her spend the night away from home before.”

Taye lifted her brow, surprised. “She’s never had friends whose parents you trusted?”

“That wasn’t it exactly. It’s just that I always wanted her to sleep in her own bed at night where I always felt she’d be safe.”

Taye nodded as she remembered the first time the girls had spent a night away from home. She understood how he felt. He was a loving and protective father. “Well, I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to let her stay here with me and the girls.”

“I didn’t think twice about it. I know you’ll take good care of her.”

“Thanks, Michael.”

“Don’t mention it.” After a brief pause he said, “Well, I guess I’d better go.”

Taye nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for pizza?”

“Yes, I’m sure, but thanks again for asking.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They looked at each other and grinned when they noticed their responses were repetitive.

“I’d better go,” he said, once again repeating himself.

Taye nodded. “I’ll walk you out.”

As they walked out of Taye’s house together, Michael complimented her on how well kept her yard was. He also mentioned that he spent a lot of time in his. While he was discussing their yards, Taye’s mind momentarily drifted elsewhere. She couldn’t help wondering if Michael had a date for the weekend. When they reached his car, he turned to her before walking around to the other side. “I plan on staying home all weekend, so if you need me for anything that’s where I’ll be. And tomorrow I plan to work outside in the yard all day.”

Taye shook her head. He hadn’t said anything about having a date. “The girls are going to take in a movie tomorrow.” She smiled. “In fact, they plan on taking in three movies, back to back. I’m dropping them off at the theater, and I’ll return to pick them up seven hours later.” Her smile widened. “And before you ask, yes, they’ll be safe. My girls do it all the time. My friend Sharon’s sister Danielle manages the place, and she always keeps an eye on the girls for me. Plus, I bought Sebrina a cell phone to use in cases such as this. They have strict orders not to leave the premises until I get there, and Danielle makes sure of it.”

Michael nodded. “I trust your judgment, Taye, but thanks for telling me about your plans anyway.” He tapped a few times on the top of his car before asking, “What do you plan to do for seven hours while waiting on the girls?”

Taye shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll probably come back here and mess around. Why?”

“Why don’t you come to my house?”

“Your house?”

“Sure.” His smile was slow and his eyes glittered from the reflective light that shone off his car. “I live closer to the theater than you do. You can come by my house and kill seven hours. I can use an extra hand in the yard since you’ve taken away my free labor for the weekend. Have pity on me and come help me out tomorrow.”

Taye grinned. “I guess I could do that, since you’re looking like a pathetic little puppy. Just go easy on me, all right?”

“Hey, I’ll even let you ride the mower.”

“A riding mower?” At his nod she said, “Wow! Since I still have the push kind, that ought to be fun.”

Michael chuckled. “It will be. And bring your bathing suit. After we’ve worked our tails off we can take a swim in the pool.”

“All right.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said before walking around the car to get inside. He waved to her as he drove off.

Taye remained standing in her driveway, watching until he was no longer in sight.

“Gee, Aunt Taye, I’d think twice about helping Daddy with yard duty tomorrow if I were you. He can be a slave driver at times.”

Taye couldn’t help but smile as she bit into her slice of pizza. “Yeah, I’m sure he can be, Kennedy, but I know how to handle your father. We go back a long way, remember?”

Kennedy nodded, grinning.

“Maybe you ought to tell my mom about the man-hungry lady, Kennedy, so she can be prepared,” Sebrina said before taking a huge swallow of iced tea.

Pretending ignorance, Taye asked, “What man-hungry lady?”

Kennedy rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “She’s talking about our neighbor Mrs. Boykins. She has the hots for Dad. I tried to warn him, but he doesn’t believe me. He thinks I’m too young to understand such things. But it’s obvious that she wants him in a bad way and would love to get me out of the picture.”

Taye frowned. “Why would she want you out of the picture?”

“Because she doesn’t like kids. She gave hers away to her ex-husband.”

Taye nodded. “You think your dad likes her?” After she asked, she wished she hadn’t.

Kennedy wrinkled her nose at such a notion. “No. I know for certain that he prefers not being bothered, but he’s too nice of a man to tell her.” Her eyes suddenly took on a mischievous glint. “Maybe you can help him out by pretending to be his girlfriend tomorrow, Aunt Taye.”

Taye laughed. “Oh, Kennedy, I couldn’t do something like that. Besides, I probably won’t even see the lady.”

“Oh, you’ll see her all right. She’ll probably break her neck coming across the street to check you out. Like I said, she has designs on Daddy real bad.”

Taye couldn’t help wondering if Michael had designs on the woman as well. But she found it hard to believe, especially if Mrs. Boykins didn’t like children. She couldn’t imagine him getting serious about anyone who would not accept his daughter. He loved Kennedy very much.

“And you really think I’ll see her tomorrow?” Taye asked before biting into her pizza.

“It’s a sure bet that you will, Aunt Taye.”

Taye nodded. In that case, she couldn’t wait to meet the man-hungry Mrs. Boykins.

Just as Rae’jean poured the last of the coffee from the pot into the sink, the doorbell rang. Wondering who it could be, she placed the coffeepot on the counter and headed for the front of her apartment. When she opened the door she found Grady standing there.

“Grady? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” Before he could respond, she asked in an alarmed voice, “Lynn?”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “No, nothing’s wrong and Lynn’s fine. May I come in?”

“Sure.” She stepped back. After he entered, she motioned him to the sofa. “I would offer you some coffee, but I just poured out what was left from this morning. But I could make more if you—”

“No,” he interrupted. “I’m fine. I don’t plan on staying long. I left Candace at the hospital with Lynn.”

Rae’jean nodded as she sat in the chair opposite him. Although she hadn’t seen Grady’s sister, she’d heard from Shawna that she’d arrived. “And how is Lynn doing?”

Grady leaned back against the sofa. “She’s improved greatly. In fact, they plan on releasing her to go home tomorrow.”

Rae’jean smiled. “Oh, Grady, that’s wonderful. I know you must be happy about that.” After a few moments of silence, she asked, “Why are you here, Grady?” His visit was unexpected, and she decided not to beat around the bush with small talk.

“I wanted to talk to you privately. To thank you.”

Rae’jean shrugged. “You don’t have anything to thank me for, Grady.”

“Yes, I do. Because of you I was able to be honest with myself regarding my true feelings. They were deep-buried feelings I thought I had gotten over, but in essence I really hadn’t.” He released a long weary sigh. “I feel bad about us, Rae’jean, and wanted you to know it. I couldn’t stand it if you thought I intentionally used you in any way.”

His words were a painful reminder of the gossip floating around the hospital. Rumor had it that he had dropped her like a hot potato when he realized he was still in love with the woman he’d been engaged to marry three years ago. Rae’jean had only shaken her head when she heard it. Anyone who knew Grady, who really knew him, would realize that he wasn’t capable of doing that sort of thing. He was too compassionate a person to intentionally use anyone.

“I don’t think that, Grady, and if you’re referring to the hospital gossip, don’t waste your time worrying about it. People will say whatever they want to say. We can’t stop them. But you and I know the truth. Things just didn’t work out for us and we decided to end our engagement. It’s as simple as that.”

“I still care for you, Rae’jean,” he said softly.

“And I still care for you, but not the way it’s supposed to be, and we both know it. I can handle the gossip, so don’t worry about me. I’m fine. What we shared was too precious to get tarnished by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Grady smiled faintly. “They don’t know, do they?”

“No, they don’t. I don’t regret letting you be a part of my life, Grady. Nor will I ever. You are a very compassionate and giving person.”

“And so are you.” He hesitated briefly before adding, “And I know there is someone out there who will give you the kind of love you deserve, Rae’jean. I wish you all the happiness one person could possibly endure.”

A lump tightened in her throat. “Thanks, Grady.”

“I also hope things work out with your finding your father. I know I had misgivings about your need to locate him, but now, after discovering how delicate and fragile life can be, I think maybe you should look for him.” Grady released a long deep breath. “I think you should do whatever makes you happy.”

Rae’jean couldn’t help wondering if finding her father would make her happy.

Grady rose from his seat. “I better go. I promised Candace I’d be back in an hour or so. Since Lynn is being released from the hospital tomorrow, Candace wants to get her apartment in order.”

Rae’jean nodded as she stood. “Thanks for coming by, Grady. I think the best way to ward off any more gossip is for us to continue to be friends. In time the gossip will die down as long as we don’t give anyone fuel to keep it going.”

“I agree.”

“And I think it would help if I were to drop by to see Lynn before she leaves the hospital. What do you think about that?”

He smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. I know she would love seeing you. I’ve told her everything. She knows you’re the one who forced me to face my true feelings.”

Rae’jean nodded. “Then it’s settled. I’ll make it a point to drop by and see her.”

After Grady left, Rae’jean walked over to the window and looked out. She couldn’t help wondering if perhaps he was right and she should try to locate her father. Like he said, life was too delicate and fragile. Besides, there was a part of her that needed to know more about the man who had fathered her other than the fact that he’d been a door-to-door insurance salesman at one time. What had he done over the past thirty years? Was he married? Did he have any other children? More important, was he even still alive?

Turning, she walked over to the table and picked up the phone book. She decided to make an appointment to see a private investigator, one who specialized in finding missing persons.