Fire and Desire (Arabesque) (21 page)

Three weeks later

C
orinthians slowly opened her eyes to face another day. Sunlight filtered through the curtains in her bedroom, bathing it in a soft, golden glow. She yawned, then stretched. She started to get out of bed when suddenly a moment of dizziness and a feeling of nausea hit her, making her lie back down. She frowned. The same thing had happened to her yesterday morning, as well. Maybe her mother had been right in saying her resistance was probably low and that she was coming down with the flu or something.

It had been three weeks since she had flown to Louisiana from Key West with her parents and Josh. A lot of good things had happened since then. The Navy SEALs had infiltrated the terrorists’ hideout and had overpowered them without harming any of the hostages. It had been a happy ending, although the leader of the terrorist group had managed to get away without being captured.

Her boss, Adam Flynn, as well as S. T. Remington, the president and CEO of Remington Oil, had flown to her parents’ home to see her. S. T. Remington had ordered that she take some additional time off work with pay, four weeks to be exact, and that if she felt she needed more to let him know.

Dex and Caitlin had also flown to Louisiana to see her, and the flowers she had received from a number of people, including Rasheed Valdemon, had certainly lifted her spirits. Brenna had come to stay with her during her first week back. She had enjoyed the company of her best friend.

Corinthians slumped under the covers when she thought about the one thing that had bothered her over the past three weeks. Not once had Trevor called her. A part of her had not believed he would dismiss her from his life like he had, but he had proven her wrong. Each day she promised herself she would not think of him and that she would not care, but she ended up doing both of those things anyway.

When Corinthians heard the soft knock that sounded on her bedroom door, she sat up again, willing her bout of dizziness and nausea to pass. “Yes?” she called out through the door. “Come in.”

She was surprised when Joshua walked in. “Josh, I didn’t know you were home.”

His frown was automatic. “I’m not home. I’ve told you more than once that this place can never be home to me. Home is Texas.”

Corinthians raised her eyes to the ceiling. Her parents’ move from Texas to Louisiana had always been a sore spot with Joshua. She had been in her freshman year of high school and Josh had been attending college at the University of Texas, when their parents had announced her father’s acceptance to pastor a church in Alexandria, Louisiana. Josh had been furious and could not believe their parents would consider moving away from their beloved native state of Texas. He remained in Texas and refused to consider her parents’ beautiful home as his, although he visited their parents occasionally. She had had no problem with the move although it had meant leaving Brenna. But the two of them had decided to keep in touch and hook back up when they attended college at Grambling State University near Shreveport.

“Sorry, I forgot. My mistake,” she said. “When did you get in?”

“Late last night, but you had already gone to bed so I decided not to bother you. I’m only going to be here today. I’m flying out first thing in the morning.” He came and sat on the edge of her bed. “How have things been going?”

“Fine, but I may be coming down with the flu. For the past few days I’ve been unable to keep anything in my stomach.”

Joshua stood and immediately backed away. “Thanks for telling me. I can’t afford to be sick.”

“Why? Haven’t you and your GOP friends cut enough social programs yet?”

It was evident Joshua did not appreciate her comment, but Corinthians didn’t care. There was no way she would ever endorse her brother’s political views.

“Let’s change the subject, shall we?” Joshua said, taking a seat in the chair in what he considered to be a safe distance from her.

“It’s your call,” she said, smiling. “One day you’ll realize your mistake.”

“And one day you’ll realize yours. Speaking of mistakes, I’m glad you didn’t let anything develop between you and Trevor Grant while the two of you were on the run in the jungle.”

Corinthians raised a brow and looked pointedly at her brother. “What are you talking about?”

Joshua shrugged. “I did mention the article that appeared in the newspapers right before you and Grant were rescued, didn’t I?”

“No. What article?”

“Nothing I was concerned about, of course, but a certain reporter who I’ve rubbed the wrong way one time or another took advantage of your escape into the jungle with Grant to get back at me. He wrote an article that insinuated you and Grant had a thing going on, and that’s the reason he went to such extremes to protect you. But I assured anyone who asked that it wasn’t true.” Joshua shifted in his seat so he could look at her intently. “I was right, wasn’t I, Corinthians?”

For the longest time, Corinthians didn’t answer as pain sliced through her. The only thing she and Trevor had going on was in her mind…and her heart. “Yes, you were right, Joshua.”

Joshua let out a deep sigh of relief, not noticing the mist forming in his sister’s eyes. “I’m glad because it would have been a big mistake. The two of you aren’t suited. You have everything going for you, and Grant has nothing. He’s a laborer and not a professional person. He probably just barely finished high school. That’s usually the case when men leave school and go directly into the military, and…”

Total anger consumed Corinthians. How dare Joshua put Trevor down. He sounded like a downright snob. “Shut up, Josh, and listen to me for just one minute, if that pea brain of yours can handle it. Trevor Grant is more of a man than you or your GOP friends will ever be. He’s a professional in every sense of the word. He knows the meaning of hard work. I mean
real
work and not the paper-pushing kind you’re accustomed to doing. Nor does Trevor spend his time each day skinning and grinning in someone’s face trying to earn political points.”

Fit to be tied, she got out of bed and walked over to where Joshua sat. She was boiling mad. “And as far as an education, he has a college degree, which he earned while working his butt off in the military in a special military unit. But above that, he has something you don’t have—common sense and integrity, and plenty of it. Don’t you ever put Trevor down in my presence again.”

“What the devil is wrong with you, Corinthians?” Joshua asked, taken aback by the way she had gone off on him. He had never seen his sister this out of control before. “I didn’t know the subject of Trevor Grant was such a touchy one with you. All I did was make a few observations.”

“No, Josh, what you did was a total put-down of a man you know nothing about. And that’s not fair. I won’t tolerate you doing that to the man who saved my life.”
The man that I love,
she thought further. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like you to leave.”

Without wasting any time, Joshua quickly stood and angrily walked out of the room.

Trevor looked up from his meal when Dex and Clayton approached the table. “I was beginning to think the two of you weren’t coming.”

“Sorry we’re late,” Clayton said after he and Dex sat down. “Gramma’s visiting the folks, and you know her. She’s dreamed about fish for the past couple of nights and had to question all of us about it.”

Trevor lifted a dark brow as he picked up a bottle of hot sauce and poured it over the huge piece of fried fish on his plate. “She had to question you about
her
dream? Why?”

“Because it was a fish dream,” Dex said as a way of an explanation. “You know what it supposedly means when someone dreams about fish, don’t you?”

“Nope,” Trevor said, taking a huge swallow of Pepsi. “What does it mean?”

Dex shook his head. “According to her, it means someone’s pregnant. I know for a fact it’s not Caitlin. Clayton claims it’s not Syneda and I talked to Justin to confirm it’s not Lorren. Daniel and Raymond both swear it’s not Tracy or Kattie, and we know it better not be Christy,” he said of their baby sister, who would be entering her junior year of college in the fall. “So I guess this time Gramma’s dream is a false alarm.”

A chill of unease crept up Trevor’s spine when it suddenly occurred to him that the one time he and Corinthians had made love, he had not used any protection. He put his fork aside, stopped eating and stared down at the piece of fried fish on his plate. “Has your grandmother ever had dreams like this before?”

“Yeah, lots of time,” Clayton said, flipping through the menu the waiter had just handed to him. “And usually she’s right on the money.” He frowned and turned to Dex. “And that’s what worries me. Do you think we ought to have a talk with Christy, just in case?”

Dex’s charcoal-gray eyes darkened. “Don’t even think it, Clayton. I don’t feel like murdering somebody today.”

Clayton nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, Christy and I had a long talk earlier this year about safe sex.”

“You did what!” Dex exploded. “Heaven help us all if
you
talked to her about safe sex. You should have been talking to her about ‘no sex,’ Clayton, not ‘safe sex.’ If I ever find out some mother’s son has touched her, I will personally take him apart piece by piece.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be there to rearrange his body parts. All of them,” Clayton added.

Trevor had tuned out Clayton’s and Dex’s conversation. His mind was in total chaos. Surely if Corinthians had gotten pregnant she would have called and told him, wouldn’t she? He knew she was still at her parents’ home in Louisiana. He had picked up the phone to call her several times, but had changed his mind. He was probably the last person she would have wanted to hear from.

“Tell me some more about your grandmother’s dream,” he said, interrupting Clayton’s and Dex’s conversation.

Dex and Clayton stopped talking. Their eyes centered on Trevor curiously. “What is it you want to know?” Dex asked.

“Whatever you can tell me. Is there a certain type of fish that she dreams about? Is it one large fish or a bunch of little ones?”

Clayton shifted his shoulders with uncertainty. “I don’t know, man. It could be a piece of fish like the one you’re eating, or one that’s out there kicking around in the middle of the ocean. I don’t really know. All I do know is that if it makes its way into her dream, it usually means someone’s pregnant.”

Trevor nodded. “Someone in your immediate family?”

“No, it doesn’t have to be a family member. It could mean someone she knows is pregnant or someone she knows has gotten someone pregnant.”

Dex had been sitting quietly listening to Clayton’s explanation and studying Trevor at the same time. The way Trevor was absorbing Clayton’s words pushed Dex to ask the question. “So what do you think, Trev? Do
you
know anyone who could be pregnant?”

Without answering, Trevor jumped up from the table. “I need some time off work, Dex.”

Dex lifted a brow. “Sure. How much time do you need?”

“A few days.”

“Beginning when?”

“Now,” Trevor replied throwing more than enough money on the table to pay for his unfinished meal. “I’ll see you guys later.” He then quickly walked out of the restaurant.

Clayton frowned. “I wonder what that was all about.”

Dex couldn’t hold back his smile. “I might be wrong, but I think Gramma may be right on the money again.”

Stella Grant paused briefly, building her courage, before she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. When the door was opened, Maurice looked at her with surprise in his eyes. “Stella? What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”

She took another deep breath. There was no need to back out now. “Yes, everything is fine, Maurice, but I do need to talk with you about something. Do you think that you could spare me a few minutes of your time?”

He stepped aside. “Sure, come in.”

Stella entered Maurice’s home for the very first time. She glanced around. He had a nice place and she told him so.

“Thanks. Can I offer you something to drink? I have a few cans of Coke in the fridge if you’re interested.”

“Thank you, I’d like one.”

“All right. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just make yourself at home.”

Stella nodded, wondering how a woman could make herself at home in her husband’s house. A house she had never been inside before. However, she decided to do what he had said and make herself at home. She sat down, kicked off her shoes and relaxed against the sofa. When he returned from the kitchen moments later with her drink, she was sitting on the sofa with her feet tucked under her.

Maurice couldn’t help but smile. That had always been Stella’s most comfortable position whenever she sat on a sofa. “Here we are. It’s good and cold just the way I know you like it.”

She took the drink he offered. “Thanks. How long have you been living here?”

Maurice shrugged. “Pretty close to fifteen years now. At first I lived in one of those apartments on Helena Street. That was all right for Trevor since he was older, but I wanted more for Gina. I knew she had a nice yard at home with you, but I wanted her to have a nice yard whenever she came to visit me, too.”

Stella nodded. She then took a sip of her drink. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, Maurice, but I appreciate how much you tried to work with me on making our separation as painless as possible for Trevor and Gina back then. Divorce can be real hard on children. In some cases devastating.”

Maurice decided to remain standing. He walked over to the fireplace and leaned against the mantel. “We didn’t get a divorce.”

Stella turned away from looking at Maurice, her throat tightening. “Yes, I know and that’s what I came to talk to you about.” Finding strength, she turned and looked at him. She gnawed nervously on her bottom lip before saying, “I came to talk to you about a divorce.”

A shaft of pain tore through Maurice with Stella’s words. During all the years they had been separated, the issue of a divorce had never come up. When he had married her, he had intended for it to be forever. His mind couldn’t help but conjure up memories of him and Stella the first day they had met. He had been a bus driver for the city transit system, and she had worked as a clerk for the library. Back then, taking a bus to work had been her only means of transportation. The highlight of his day had been picking her up from her bus stops every morning and evening.