Good Woman Blues (31 page)

“Slow down.” Charles put a hand on Gabriel’s
arm and stopped him from picking up the tray with their dessert on
it.

“Let’s give them a few more minutes. If we
time it right, we’ll go in just as Erikka sets Rachel on her ear.”
Charles wiggled his thick eyebrows in mischief.

“Not funny,” Gabriel retorted. “Get the tray
and move.” Charles heaved a dramatic sigh. “No sense of humor.
Getting as bad as your mother.”

Gabriel only spared time to squint at him
before he went back to the dining room. “Here we go. Erikka really
nailed this recipe, Mother.”

“How’s everybody doing in here?” Charles
glanced from Erikka to Rachel.

Rachel’s lips were pursed. She looked at
Gabriel. “Erikka was just telling me about her community
service.”

“Community service? Good for you. Giving back
to the community is a commendable thing.” Charles gave her an
affectionate pat on the shoulder. “Now let’s have some of that
pie.”

“The Senior Center could definitely use the
help,” Gabriel threw in. He concentrated on slicing into the
pie.

“Hmm,” was his mother’s reply.

Still, she allowed Gabriel and Charles to
steer the conversation elsewhere. Gabriel looked at Erikka. She
must have read his mind. She wore a relaxed smile when she looked
back at him. After coffee, they went into the living room. Gabriel
turned on music. Maybe smooth jazz would calm his nerves. Erikka
was doing okay, but his neck hurt from the tension. When the
doorbell rang, he started. Gabriel pulled aside the short curtain
that covered the window in the door. Vince waved at him
impatiently. When he let him in, Gabriel frowned. “What’s up?”
“Hey, little brother. I was in the neighborhood.” Vince seemed a
bit too jovial.

Gabriel caught the whiff of beer as Vince
walked past him. “You’re rarely in this neighborhood, if that’s
what you want to call it. Anything wrong?”

“Wrong, wrong. Don’t know why you assume the
worst. Maybe I was feeling a need to bond with my little brother.”
Vince walked with his shoulders back, each step taken too
carefully, as though calculated to keep him upright.

“Oh, crap,” Gabriel whispered, and tried to
head him off. Vince had gotten ahead of him by several feet. In
seconds he was through the foyer and into the living room.

“Mother and father. Fancy meeting you here.
Say, a pretty lady. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Gabriel came up behind him in time to see
Vince give a courtly bow. Erikka looked at Gabriel with a slight
frown. “This is my brother Vincent.”

“We certainly don’t need to stand on
formality. Call me Vince.” Vince smiled at her.

“Hi, Vince,” Erikka said. Her expression
relaxed.

“Did this little rascal tell you about me?”
Vince reached back in an apparent attempt to ruffle Gabriel’s hair.
He aimed too low, brushing Gabriel’s shoulder instead. “They grow
up so fast.”

Charles bristled as he stood. “You’re a
disgrace.”

Rachel lifted a hand. “Vincent, sit down.
You’re just in time for coffee. Gabriel and Erikka, let’s all have
another cup.”

“So this is Erikka. Gabriel, you hit the
jackpot!” Vince fell more than sat into a chair. “But then you
always seem to come out smelling sweet.”

“Uh, I’ll go get us that coffee.” Erikka
glanced from Vince to Gabriel as she left.

Gabriel waited two seconds before he grabbed
Vince by the shoulder. “Straighten up, Vince.” Gabriel said,
working hard to keep his voice down.

“Least you got a woman still around. As usual
you’re one up on me. Go on, rub it in.” Vince waved a hand and lost
his balance in the process.

“You could have a nice woman if you didn’t
get piss- ass drunk and act a fool,” Charles snapped.

“Vincent, what’s gotten into you?” Rachel
snapped.

“Trish ended it. Took me by complete
surprise. I thought everything was going fine. I mean, we had a few
fights now and then. But we always made up and—” Vince inhaled, and
let out a long breath as though to steady himself.

“Can’t say I blame her. Look at you,” Charles
mumbled, and stuck both hands in his pockets.

“Right, shouldn’t have expected sympathy from
any of you. I’m going to get out of your way.” Vince made two
attempts to stand. On the third try he wobbled to his feet just as
Erikka returned.

“Here’s your coffee,” Erikka said.

“Make mine to go. I’m the fifth wheel that’s
a crowd,” Vince said.

“I’ll drive you home. You can get your car
tomorrow,” Charles growled at him.

“I made it here, I can make it home.” Vince
attempted to push past Gabriel. When Gabriel shoved back, Erikka
got between them.

“Come on, Vince. Let’s go into the den. A
little pie and coffee will make things right.” Erikka put a hand on
his arm.

“Don’t baby him. What about your family,
Vince? Think beyond self-pity for a change!” Gabriel blurted
out.

Vince went rigid. “Listen to the wounded
artistic soul. Our parents always put him first, even when he was
screwing up. They made excuses for him.”

“Shut up,” Gabriel warned. Rage burned in his
chest as he faced his brother.

“He’s become an angel. Look closely, and
you’ll see his wings. He beats them in my face every chance he
gets,” Vince spat.

Erikka put both palms on Vince’s chest to
push him farther from Gabriel. “Okay, this isn’t the time for frank
discussion and sharing.”

“How did you thank us? By running off and
leaving the family to take the heat. We lost more money.” Vince
pointed a finger at him.

“What are you talking about?” Gabriel
said.

“Oh, Dad didn’t tell you?”

“That’s enough, Vincent. I mean it.” Rachel’s
voice sliced through the tense scene.

“No surprise. Before our little sister
relieved me of that burden, I ran the business. That’s right. I
did. Dad sank into depression, couldn’t get out of bed for days.
But we were all supposed to pretend you weren’t at fault.” Vince’s
voice got louder with each word.

“Stop this,” Erikka pleaded.

“No, no. Gabriel values the truth. Well,
here’s a great big whopping dose of it,” Vince went on. “A lot of
folks just didn’t want to deal with the Cormiers. I kept the
business afloat. Didn’t help my marriage either.”

“Screwing half the women in Lafayette didn’t
help your marriage,” Gabriel struck back.

“We tried to make it work,” Vince shouted.
“The stress got to Sonia. I spent so much time at work, with Mom.
The whole time they were defending you and criticizing every move I
made.”

“So, it’s all my fault that you swam in
expensive liquor and cheap women.” Gabriel tried to ignore the
roaring in his ears, a rage that blocked out reason. Vince had
always been jealous of him to the point of paranoia. “You’re
sick.”

“I said stop',' Rachel shouted.

“I have definitely overstayed my welcome,”
Vince muttered.

‘True, but you’re still too drunk to drive.
Charles, take Vincent to the car.” Rachel wore a hard expression as
she frowned at her oldest child. Her posture dared him to
argue.

“Yes, ma’am.” Vince shuffled down the hallway
ahead of his father.

Rachel looked at Erikka. “I’m sorry you had
to witness this unpleasant scene. I expected better from you under
the circumstances, Gabriel.”

“I’m sorry, Mother, Erikka.” Gabriel took a
deep breath and let it out.

Rachel smiled as she picked up her small
purse. “Gabriel was right, Erikka. Your pie was delicious. I
en¬joyed dinner. You must come to our home next time.”

“I look forward to it,” Erikka said, falling
right into the pretense that this had been a routine “meet the
family” night.

Erikka led the way, walking with Rachel to
the front door. Gabriel trailed behind feeling the entire scene was
surreal as the women chatted. He accepted his mother’s good-night
kiss. Gabriel and Erikka waved to Charles, who stood by the
car.

“G’night, Erikka,” Charles shouted. “Had a
great time.”

“We’ll finish those jokes later,” Erikka
said, in a cheery tone that sounded strained.

They watched the Lincoln disappear into the
night before they both went back inside. Gabriel sighed and rubbed
his eyes.

Erikka looped an arm through one of his.
“I’ll load the dishwasher. You’ve done enough for one night.”

“I’ll help.” Gabriel smiled down at her.

They walked to the kitchen holding on to each
other. Erikka put the plates in his dishwasher while Gabriel put
away the leftovers. Neither spoke as they worked. Once Gabriel put
the heavy pots in with the dishes, they headed for the den. Gabriel
sat on the sofa while Erikka turned on the big-screen
television.

“You have serious sibling-rivalry issues.
Y’all make me and Jaci look like the Cosby kids,” Erikka said
softly.

“Yeah.”

Gabriel held open his arms. When she came
into them, Gabriel sighed. Her warm body felt good. For the first
time the touch of a woman quieted his edginess. His head cleared
quickly. Back in the day, his anger would take hours to go away.
Erikka stroked his biceps with her hands.

He relaxed into the lush womanliness of her.
“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me, too.”

Content to feel each other, they watched a
movie with sound so low neither could hear the actors. Not that it
mattered. Gabriel was just grateful not to face the empty night
without her. Minutes passed before either spoke.

“How’s work?” Gabriel had enough of his
family for one evening. He turned all of his attention to her.

Erikka lifted a shoulder. “Okay, I
guess.”

“Really?” Gabriel felt her mood shift to one
of unease.

“Don’t start,” Erikka said, and tried to pull
away.

“Start what?” Gabriel replied, pulling her
right back against him.

‘The ‘I told you so’ speech. Working with
Lewis, Calder and Brinkhaus can cut years off my career climb. I’m
making contacts in a world most of my classmates only dream about.”
Erikka’s words came out hard and insistent.

“So I understand,” Gabriel said, and shut up.
Erikka seemed intent on convincing herself there was no reason to
worry. Lines of worry in her forehead said she hadn’t been quite
successful.

“Believe it or not, accounting can be a
contact sport. We go after the big jobs, so we have to deliver,”
Erikka went on.

“So, the problem is,” Gabriel said, with a
long pause.

To show he was being empathetic, Gabriel
stroked the small of Erikka’s back. Her grateful sigh went through
him and caused his body to stir. They swayed together gently. When
Erikka kissed his neck, Gabriel’s desire for her rose.

“The problem is this one company. I don’t
know. The three executives seem so cold-blooded.” Erikka gave a
short laugh. “And that’s saying something coming from a bean
counter.”

“Executives have to make hard decisions
sometimes.” Gabriel breathed in the scent from her hair.

“My recommendations might mean reduced
benefits. The alternative is a big layoff. I guess playing in the
big leagues has a downside I didn’t expect.” Erikka pressed a palm
to his cheek as she looked into his eyes.

Gabriel gazed back and saw how much she
needed him. Before she’d wanted him, for sure. Tonight was
different. She did not need him to suggest a solution. Moving and
shaking in the big leagues was her game anyway. No, Erikka needed
him to reassure her she wasn’t like them. He could see that in her
eyes.

“You were hired to suggest ways they could
cut back. How they do it is their decision.” Gabriel fingered the
soft cotton T-shirt she wore with blue jeans. His hands moved down
her back. The curve of denim over her delicious bottom turned up
the heat.

“How did we get on accounting?” she
whispered.

“If I could think straight right now, I might
be able to tell you.” Gabriel had closed his eyes sometime in the
last few moments. He guided her hands along his body.

Taking her hand, Gabriel led her into his
bedroom. He turned the lights down. A soft yellow glow bathed the
room. The bed was turned down. Erikka turned on the radio. They
slow danced and undressed each other between kisses. Her tender
touch smoothed away any leftover bad vibes from his fight with
Vince. In fact, her loving sharpened his mind and senses. Before
pushing everything aside but her, Gabriel made a vow. He would find
a way to heal their decades-long rift, a gulf that needed closure.
Vince and he would be old men before either of them knew it, and
life was too short.

“Baby.” Gabriel sighed into her thick
hair.

There was nothing more he could manage to get
out. She’d given him so much in such a short time. He cupped her
breasts and licked each nipple with a kind of reverence. As she
tugged him along with her to the bed, Erikka moaned his name deep
in her throat. Gabriel picked up the tiny foil square from the
nightstand and tore it open. Erikka took it from him. Her fingers
teased him higher as she unrolled it over his erection. Seconds
later he entered her. His first thrust made her whimper for more,
and he knew that long foreplay would satisfy neither of them. They
made love hard, fast, and as though they had no time left.

Enjoying their mutual animal abandon, Gabriel
watched her expressions. Her beautiful face yanked at his insides
until he felt a wonderful pressure. Letting it build, he pushed
into her faster, harder. No need to ask if he was hurting her.
Erikka rocked along with him as though she could take whatever he
gave. She shivered inside, pulled him along as she came. Seconds
later, Gabriel seemed to black out, except he could feel. Every
inch of his body came. The orgasm claimed his mind, traveled down
the length of his body, and reached into his soul.

“Honey,” Gabriel said once he could breathe
normally.

“Ummm.” Erikka still lay beneath him.