All I Want for Christmas (3 page)

“Hey baby, happy
Thanksgiving. I’m just leaving,” said Margie, the part-time
housekeeper, as he walked in. She air-kissed him on the cheek and
brushed by.

“Whoa! Happy turkey day to
you, too,” Carlos said, catching her by the arm. He pecked her on
the right cheek. “You’re running out of here like the kitchen is on
fire.”

“Nope, the fire is in the
dining room. I came by and brought my red velvet cake in time for
dessert. Now I’m outta here. Besides, my house is still full of
relatives watching football.” Margie was about to go on when raised
voices sounded in the background. “Goodbye and good
luck.”

Carlos sighed for the second time and watched
her go. “Please, take me with you. Adopt me. Please.”

Margie chuckled. “You’re always welcome, but
we both know you better show your face in there.”

“Yeah, warm family fun
awaits,” he muttered.

Carlos walked down the
short hall, through the kitchen and into the formal dining room.
His parents sat at either end of a long, oval table. Trey, his
younger brother by two years, sat on one side with his son, Keith.
Carlos’ younger sister, Brianne, sat on the other side of the table
with her husband and their two children. In contrast to the smiles
that Carlos had just left behind, no one at this dinner table
looked happy.

“Good evening, everyone,”
Carlos announced and was greeted in return. Then his family got
back to their regularly scheduled program.

“Have a seat, son,” his
mother said, waving at the empty chair to her left. She turned her
attention back to Carlos’s father. “Stay for cake and visit with
your grandchildren.”

“Business doesn’t stop for
holidays, Yvonne.” Jefferson Williams Jacobs, ‘JW’ to family and
friends, drained his wine glass. The slice of cake on his saucer
was untouched.

“Granddaddy, can I have
your cake?” asked Brianne’s daughter, Cheyenne, giving him her most
fetching smile.

“Cheyenne, one piece of cake is enough,”
Yvonne said sharply.

The girl looked down. “Yes,
ma’am.”

“You’re sweet enough
without more sugar,” JW replied. He picked up his granddaughter’s
plump little hand and kissed it.

“Let’s go play that new
game daddy bought me. C’mon,” suggested Keith. He grabbed his
ten-year-old cousin’s hand and pulled her from her
chair.

“Me, too,” said Lincoln,
Jr., Brianne’s youngest. He seemed thrilled to seize any chance to
escape the table. He was tall for a seven-year-old boy and already
into sports.

“Not without giving me a
hug first, young lady,” JW said to Cheyenne in a pretend gruff
voice.

“Love you,” the girl
whispered to him, as though it was a treasured secret shared
between them. Then she raced after her eleven-year-old cousin and
younger brother.

JW waited until the
children had disappeared into the large family room down the
hallway before turning back to his wife. “Stop making that child
feel bad about herself. You and Brianne watch like hawks every time
she takes a bite of food.”

“Daddy, I’m trying to get
Shy to eat healthy. That baby fat, as you like to call it, might
not go away otherwise.” Brianne patted her lips with one of her
mother’s fine linen napkins.

Her husband, Lincoln,
drained his wine glass dry and followed his father-in-law’s lead.
“Leave the kid alone, Bree. You’ve put on a few pounds and nobody’s
hounding you about it.”

“Oh no you didn’t.”
Brianne’s light-brown eyes flashed and for a few seconds she looked
like her mother.

“
Lincoln, apologize to
Bree. She gained those pounds giving you two beautiful children,”
Yvonne snapped.

“Linc is talking to
his
wife about
his
daughter. He didn’t
ask for, nor does he need to take a poll before doing so,” JW
clipped. He pushed his chair back and stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse
me, I’m going to check on that shipment.”

“You will not leave this
house,” Yvonne said firmly. “At the very least, our grandchildren
deserve some of your precious time.

“I didn’t say I was leaving
the house, Yvonne,” JW shot back. “My inventory staff worked half a
day today and entered things in the computer. I’ll be in my
office.”

“I wasn’t insulting you,
babe. You’re fine as ever,” reassured Lincoln. He gave Brianne a
quick kiss.

She raised an eyebrow at
him. “Sweet talker! Are you ready for some football?”

“See, Carlos, I have the
perfect wife
–
nice butt and loves football.” Lincoln winked at Brianne as
they both stood and started down the hallway.

“I’ll bring the beer,” Trey
offered.

“You’ve had enough to
drink. You’re driving, remember?” Yvonne stated firmly and stared
hard at him.

Trey sighed, but said
nothing.

“I’ll check in on the kids
and then watch a few minutes of the game before I do some work,” JW
said. He gave his wife a quick, pointed look before turning his
attention to Carlos. “Hey, son.”

“Happy Thanksgiving to
all,” Carlos said in a dry tone. He shook his father’s hand and
then walked the length of the table to kiss his mother. “I can’t
stay long.”

“Yeah, I hear that waiting
tables is rough,” Trey teased.

Carlos gave him a thin
smile in return. “I had a great time as a matter of fact. I met
some really nice, down-to-earth people.”

“They say Rod organizes a
wonderful event for those people,” Yvonne said.

“Actually, Nedra Wallace
does the hard work. She had that dinner organized and running like
clockwork.” Carlos pointed to his father’s uneaten slice of cake
and sat in the empty chair that had been left for him.

“Take it,” said JW, sitting
down. He pointed at Trey. “And you can wipe that smirk off your
face.”

“
I believe I met her once,”
Carlos’ mother replied, watching him chew a bit of the cake. “I’m
not sure we know her people, JW.”

“Humph,” was her husband’s only reply. “So,
Carlos, you thought about what we discussed?”

Carlos chewed slowly for a few seconds and
then sipped from the water glass left at his place setting. “We
didn’t ‘discuss’ it. You talked as if the decision had been made.
My answer is the same. I’m not selling my business and working for
you.”

“Detailing the cars of drug
dealers and scruffy small-time pimps is a bad business move,” JW
retorted. “At least consider relocating.”

Carlos cleared his throat
and avoided his mother’s gaze for the moment. “Stop stereotyping
people just because they live in a poor neighborhood.”

“Priceless Thanksgiving dinner conversation,”
Trey quipped. “I’m going to play with the kids.”

“I sure hope you didn’t buy
Keith one of those profanity filled, violent games,” Yvonne called
after him.

“Of course I did, mom. Kids
learn a lot from experiencing real life,” Trey tossed back over his
shoulder.

“I’m going to my office,”
announced JW, standing. He followed Trey out of the dining
room.

Yvonne stared daggers at
their retreating backs and then drank some of her wine. “Your
father loves to keep to a schedule, even during family
time.”

Carlos sighed. “Margie’s
red velvet cake is a taste of heaven. As for dad, he’s regular in
his habits and it’s made him successful, even through the
recession.”

“Oh yes, your daddy is
consistent. He sticks by his commitments: same wife for
thirty-seven years and the same mistress for seven years.” Yvonne
raised her glass in a mock toast and then drained the rest of the
wine.

“Mother, I don’t think...”

“Sorry, dear. Scratch that
last remark from your memory.” Yvonne laughed and refilled her
glass. “I won’t ruin our family holiday gathering.”

“Hmm.” Carlos ate some more
cake without looking at her.

Yvonne sipped her wine.
“So, you were very impressed by this Nedra Wallace? She’s Rod’s
assistant at the constable’s office. They must work very
closely
together.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Carlos
snapped.

“I wasn’t implying any such
thing. I only meant that she has a responsible position under him.”
Yvonne studied her son in silence for several moments.

Carlos ignored the subtle double entendre. He
put his fork down and stood. “I’ll help you clear the table and
load the dishwasher.”

“No, dear,” she replied.
“Margie cleared up almost everything and even packed up the
leftovers. Brianne and Trey have their bags. I’ll fix one for you,
too.”

Yvonne rose slowly to her
full, commanding height of five foot eight. She liked to joke that
dressed in three-inch heels and judge’s robes, she could scare the
pants off most attorneys.

Carlos thought she looked
regal, but she swayed slightly for a few seconds.
Too much wine.
“No, you
don’t have to do that,” he said. “Join the others for the game.”
Standing, he put an arm around her shoulders.

“I could use some alone
time after all this family bonding,” Yvonne replied, patting his
cheek and picking up her wine glass.

“Okay,” Carlos said,
feeling slightly guilty as he watched her walk off to the
kitchen.

In all honesty, he had
offered to let her join the family so that
he
could escape. He guessed that
more drama was on the way. Watching his mother, he felt sad for
her. Brianne and Lincoln were happy, for now. Every year Brianne
became more like their mother. Trey seemed to live on sarcasm and
dissatisfaction. As for their father...? Carlos shook his head and
started for the den. Then he remembered the warm, genuine smile of
a curvaceous woman with milk-chocolate skin. He walked into the
formal living room for some privacy and took out his cell
phone.

****

Nedra fussed with her hair
one last time before stepping out of her Honda Accord. The cool
fall air caused her to button her black, suede jacket all the way
up. The Fish Bowl was a popular restaurant, specializing in
seafood, and there she was meeting Carlos, the son of the prominent
Jacobs couple. She hoped it wasn’t a mistake. They only met two
days earlier.

Carlos’ call on
Thanksgiving night had been a delightful surprise to Nedra and
caused a sensation at her family dinner. Her older sister would not
stop talking about it, and her mother had frowned and said she
should have introduced him by now. Nedra grimaced at the memory of
the ensuing commotion, caused by the three women trying to get in
on her personal business, but she had stood firm. That only meant
her oldest sister, Jarae, would play detective and try to sniff out
the facts.

Nedra wanted to keep Carlos
as her own little secret until she knew where things were going.
The last thing she needed to hear was another chorus of “tick-tock”
as they all reminded her that she wasn’t getting any younger. At
forty, she was the only one without any children.

Nedra entered The Fish Bowl
and left those bleak thoughts outside
. I’m
just here to have a nice dinner and maybe get to know him better.
If he’s a creep, I’ve got my own transportation home.
She smiled at the approaching waitress. “I’m
meeting someone. I’m early, so I’ll take a table and
wait.”

“Of course.” The waitress
started to lead her towards a table and then paused.

Nedra followed her gaze to
find Carlos walking towards them. She tried not to blurt out the
first thing that popped into her head, which was how absolutely
scrumptious the man looked. Carlos was wearing a forest-green,
V-neck sweater over dark-brown slacks. His half-smile made him even
more handsome, if that were possible. Nedra wasn’t the only woman
who noticed.

“Hello there. I sat at the
bar and watched some sports news. You look wonderful,” Carlos said,
placing a hand under her arm.

“Hi, and thank you,” Nedra replied.

He’s early for our first
date, starts off with a compliment and he’s gorgeous. Oh yeah,
I’m already having a nice evening. Unless he grows a hump in his
back and starts to drool, I’m taking this man home!

Nedra used the time it took
for them to get seated in a cozy booth to exercise some
self-control. Still, she couldn’t help but give a victory smile to
a few women who stared.

The waitress glanced at
her. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’ll have spring water
with a slice of lime, if possible,” said Nedra.

“Sir?”

“Pinot Bianco for me,”
Carlos replied.

The waitress nodded and
hurried off.

He glanced at Nedra. “Just small sips since
I’m driving.”

“Otherwise I’ll have to
take you home,” she answered and then clamped her lips shut. She
almost added, “Drink up, baby. Drink right on up!”

“I promise you that I don’t
make a habit of drinking and getting behind the wheel,” he assured
her. “So, now we’re getting to know each other right off the
bat.”