Have Your Cake (12 page)

“I know we’ll both be busy, but don’t forget about Monday.”

She captured the spark of his stare. The vision of him made the rest of the world fade away. She nodded. He bent down to administer a leisurely kiss, seeming to convey everyone and everything could wait for them. She moaned into his arms before he loosened his grip.

“I better let you go,” he whispered, “before the world gets a glimpse of how we rodeo.”

She giggled and stepped from his hold, taking both his hands. “I’ll call you.”

“You better, or I’ll come looking for you.”

“Cowboy, you don’t know where I’ll be.”

“Mm.” He tugged her closer, letting go of her hands. His arm swooped down around her lower back to hold her casually. “Guess I’ll have to follow the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar.”

She smiled up at him. “You said blueberry this time. Remember?”

He chuckled. “I did. Now, don’t make me have to burn up your sister’s minutes.”

She giggled. “You speak pretty good sister-girl, Cowboy.”

He kissed her forehead and ushered her to the passenger side of the car. She noticed Iona standing at the opened driver’s side watching their every move. When he opened the door, Iona hurriedly hopped inside.

Asher ran a thumb across Cyana’s jaw before stepping away and closing the door. They had Monday. It was enough.

Cyana sighed, leaning back against the seat with closed lids once Iona put the car in motion.

“Did I just see what I thought I saw?” Iona asked. “Was that white boy totally diggin’ you?”

“Oh, Iona,” she sighed, “Asher is so intense.”

“Ce Ce, did you and him have a
good time
together?” Iona raised her eyebrows.

“Oh shush. I’m the oldest. Besides, there hasn’t been anyone since Eric. I’ve been good.”

“But, a white boy? Not only that, but
the
white boy.” Iona’s voice fluctuated up an octave on “the”.

“Girl, you talk like this never happened before, and look at you.”

Iona flashed a glance in the rearview mirror at her bright brown skin and silken loose curl pattern she’d slicked back. She patted her bun. “Um-hum. I
am
beautiful,” she boasted. “At least you know what your kids will look like.”

They both snickered.

“And what do you mean by ‘
the
white boy’ anyway?” Cyana said, emphasizing “the” as Iona had and crossing her arms across her chest.

“Girl, you have been in the Milway for how many days? Do you know the man’s name?”

“Asher?” She shrugged. “He introduced himself as Asher, the Milway Project Manager.”

“You were tangoing with a man and didn’t know his full name?” Iona sucked her teeth. “Mama was right. You are such a bad influence on me.”

“Mama would never say anything of the sort, Iona.”

Iona burst with laughter at her offense. “I’m glad you had a good time. I was so worried about you. Things could have been worse.”

“Iona?” Cyana needed to bring her sister’s wondering focus back to the subject at hand. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“Oh!” Iona reached into the glove box and tugged out a replica of the leaflet stuffed in the foyer vases of the Milway Mansion. “Girl, open the flyer, look to the bottom of the last page in fine print and tell me what it says.”

Cyana rolled her eyes at her sister’s drama, but followed the instructions and started to read the small print. “Owned and operated by Asher Wilmington and partner Joshua Wilming...” Her stomach dropped and jaw did the same.

Iona glanced over at her from the road. She took her hand off the wheel, reached up and shut Cyana’s mouth. “Um, like I said,
the
white boy.”

“Oh my god. Iona. Oh my god. Asher is a...a.”

“Wilmington, girl. Um-hum. Joshua is his nephew. The wedding coordinator for this party is his mother.”

“But he never—Iona, he didn’t tell me.”

“And you didn’t ask,” Iona said. “How did you know you could trust him?”

“He has good vibes,” she scolded.

Iona nodded with a smile. “Yeah. You right. Tight buns, too.”

Cyana dropped the flyer in her lap and covered her mouth with both hands. “Oh, I’m gonna be sick.”

“Not in my car,” Iona squealed, swerving over to the curve.

“No, don’t stop driving. Go go go. We gotta get outta here.”

“You need to quit freaking out about sleepin’ with a rich white boy,” Iona admonished.

“Oh no.” Cyana banged her head against the headrest. “This isn’t happening to me. It can’t be.”

“What is the problem, Ce Ce? The last time you acted like this about sleeping with someone you made me an aunt.”

Her hands went to her belly. “I lapsed on my pill.”

“What! You never lapse on the pill. Ce Ce, you’re responsible, you’re level-headed, you—”

“Ripped my purse. They fell in the road and got run over by a car.” She muttered, placing her hands to her temples. “We didn’t use anything.”

“Nothing?” Iona asked.

She shook her head.

Silence stretched in the vehicle as regret coiled through her. “Well, Ce Ce, it was only once. Maybe the pill hasn’t worn off yet.” Iona patted her thigh.

Cyana moved her hands from her temples to cover the burn of her face and shook her head again.

“Oh. Okay. Twice.”

She shook her head.

“Oh girl,” Iona sighed, “looks like you done stepped in a whole heap of doo-doo this time, Fertile Myrtle.”

Cyana sighed as her hands entwined in her lap. “Oh, I was so irresponsible. I got caught up in the moment. In him.”

“In those gorgeous eyes and firm biceps?” Iona shot her a lighthearted grin and batted her lashes.

Cyana gave her sister’s thigh a light tap. “Stop picking. This is bad enough.”

“Oh jeez, Ce Ce. You got your family. We’ll be fine. Unexpected pregnancy isn’t the end of the world. You’ve been through it before when Eric came along. I’m in it now with Josiah. Chill, girl. It’s not like it was the first time. At least we’re grown now.”

Cyana sighed and dropped her head back. “Yeah, but...I don’t know. He’s a client, too.”

Iona shot her a sly smile. “Was it good?”

“Oh, Iona,” Cyana sighed and stared at the ceiling of the vehicle while clutching her fists to her chest. They both burst in laughter.

“Well, it’s about time you blew the dust off your stuff down there. Let’s celebrate your rich fling with collard greens, fried chicken and a bottle of wine.”

“Mm, that sounds good,” Cyana said. “We can have strawberry shortcake for desert with bourbon whip cream.”

“Girl, ain’t white cake your favorite?”

She tapped Iona’s thigh again and gave her a scolding glanced before they laughed.

T
he biggest room at Mama’s house was her kitchen. The driveway entrance led Cyana into a small room where she could leave her shoes, and then into a hall going straight there. She stripped her shoes, set her purse in the closet and wiggled her toes against the cool tiles before strolling the short hallway. The enormous kitchen opened off to the left of the house. A stove lined the back wall with white cabinets. A gas range, a grill, fryer and additional range accommodated every cook in the house. A set of double ovens and a fridge sat left of the u-shaped area.

Memory of working in the baking kitchen bubbled joy in her. Cyana sighed, spying her favorite workplace. A smaller countertop with plug-ins separated the baking space from the eating area big enough to have a childcare zone in the left corner. This is what she considered a real kitchen, unlike the pathetic corner of her kitchen in Chicago.

The large back windows overlooked the yard with an array of colorful kick balls and toys. A large peninsula of dark brown countertop with an inlayed sink separated the traditional kitchen space from the baking section located directly behind the double ovens. The industrial freezer, fridge and a pantry dominated the back wall of the baking room with stools lining the peninsula where Mama Huffing sat.

Mama smiled from behind the laptop before she stood. A short gorgeous woman with a salt and pepper curly fro, apple cheeks and loving eyes. “There’s my baby.” Her dark skin still glowed with supple softness and her hug was strong. “Oo, baby girl you’re getting too skinny,” Mama said, setting her hand on an ample hip.

“I’m fine, Mama.” Cyana smiled.

She ran her chocolate gaze over Cyana. “I’ll never understand why you new mothers insist on starving yourselves. You’re as small as your sister.”

“We aren’t starving. My son is twenty. I’m not a new mother anymore.”

“Oh girl, don’t make your mama feel old,” Iona said. She entered the room and kissed Mama’s cheek.

“Mama, how about this cake?” Cyana asked.

“Baby girl, you’re ready to get to work?”

“Yes, I feel behind.”

“I knew you would.” Mama Huffing shook her head. “You’re such a work-a-holic. Don’t worry, I took care of you. Come on in here and have a seat.” Mama gestured towards her place at the counter. “The computer’s up. You can look at the project form. I’ll set up your workspace.”

“Thank you,” Cyana said taking the seat Mama had left.

The laptop had the food service software opened up. The wedding menu print cards ready. To her satisfaction, Dolphins crossed the top of the menu cards. She clicked the shopping list and smiled. “Mama, you’re doing a great job with the software.”

Mama emerged from the pantry with the cart containing an industrial mixer. “Yeah, baby. Learning the program was so much easier after spending some time with you. I just wasn’t gonna let you go upstate without understanding how to get full use out of the software.”

Cyana opened the cake file and examined the ingredients list. She plugged in the party size to make the needed changes to the data.

Mama finished her trips from the pantry and came to the island with three Illinois football jerseys. “Who’s ready to do some cookin’ while we watch the baby?”

Pride swelled in Cyana’s chest. Mama had installed a flat screen in the kitchen just for the purpose of watching Eric play. “Oh, Mama, you didn’t.”

“Of course I recorded the game. None of us were able to see all of it. I thought it might be nice if we watched it together.”

Cyana’s smile grew at the memory of Eric’s touchdowns. “I watched enough of it.”

Mama tossed her a jersey. “Well, don’t spoil it for the rest of us.”

It was good to be home. The Huffing kitchen soon filled with soulful smells and laughter. A trip to the grocers made the day’s end a dramatic show of Huffing family antics, exhausting the group of ladies into a good night’s rest.

C
yana woke with a longing in her chest for Asher. The birds chirped. The sun shone through the windows reminding her of the lake. She sighed against the satin covered pillows. The day just wasn’t quite as good when she knew Asher wasn’t downstairs waiting for her.
Man, I have it ba
d
.

She took a long breath before rolling towards the other bed on the opposite end of the room. The cute cherub she’d shared the area with sat with a plush yellow duck in his arms and a thumb in his mouth.

“Auntie, up.” Josiah kicked his legs as he bounced on the bed excitedly.

He was gorgeously plump with almond-shaped gray eyes ringed with brown, toasted skin with silky honey blonde curls atop his head.

Iona’s ex had promised the world, got her pregnant and abandoned her with his son. Thankfully, her sister didn’t suffer under the hands of an abusive lover, but abandonment was its own form of wrong. Mama was right to warn them about the men in their lives. Seemed like Mama had been the only Huffing’s female lucky enough to find her true love.

Cyana sat up, holding out her arms. “Come here, Josiah.”

He hopped off the bed and came to her as if he spent his whole life in her presence, but she had left the state to support Eric shortly after Josiah’s birth.

“What do you want to do this morning?” He pointed to the bookshelf.

“Do you want to read?” He grinned at her with his small shiny teeth. “Okay, go get what you want.”

She stretched out on the bed. He cuddled into her belly just as she had snuggled up to Asher the day before. She brushed a wild ringlet from his face and started the story about ducks.

Iona appeared at the doorway towards the end of the book. She smiled and waited patiently for Cyana to finish. “Josiah, did you wake your auntie?”

He shook his head vigorously. Cyana laughed.

“Like turning back the hands of time, ain’t it?” Iona said.

“He’s so perfect,” Cyana said while Josiah scooted off the bed and ran to Iona with the duck dangling in his grasp.

“Maybe you’ll have your own some day.” She winked as she took the little man’s hand and closed the door behind them.

Cyana fell back in the bed. To be a mother again wasn’t so scary. She wasn’t a teenager like the first time. She knew what to do if the child was sick or cranky. Iona’s practice with Eric made her a crack-shot mom for Josiah. Cyana sighed wondering what having Asher’s child would be like. The thoughts only brought a deeper yearning to be with him.

Her throat tightened suddenly with the recollection of moments like these. She’d given her heart away before, tied so much of herself into the love of another being. The pain of the mistake twisted in her gut. Time and again she’d needed Jamal and he was nowhere to be found. In hindsight, having Eric’s father in the streets with his buddies chasing skirts was better than having him at home swelling her face and squeezing her neck, declaring the baby she carried wasn’t his. The truth spoke for itself. She was a virgin before Jamal impregnated her with Eric.

Cyana folded her lips into her mouth and inhaled a long breath against the sadness sprouting inside her while resting a hand on her chest. “Don’t do it to yourself, girl,” she whispered. “Keep your heart closed. It’s just not worth it.”

C
yana immersed herself in the wonderful world of batter, modeling chocolate and marzipan. She’d taken over the baking area. Mama Huffing sat on a high stool next to the stove stewing down vegetables for the family’s signature barbeque sauce. The printer near Iona hummed into life while she bounced Josiah on her knee and remained engrossed in the laptop on the peninsula.

The house phone rang and snatched the attention of all the women from their tasks. “I got it,” Mama said. Cyana almost immersed herself back into her mission of painting edible metallic onto her handcrafted orchid petals when she overheard Mama say, “Yes, your mother’s here now.”

She set the fragile flower down, smiling while wiping her hands clean with a towel. Mama waved the cordless at her while walking it over.

“Thanks.” Cyana held the phone between her shoulder and cheek while she worked. “Hey baby,” she chirped.

“Hey, Ma.” Eric’s baritone voice carried over the phone. “How’d you like the game?”

She laughed. “It was so exciting. You did well.”

She could envision his pearly white smile in her head while he chuckled. The thought broadened her grin.

“Yeah, I got some people looking at me now.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said.

“I can’t stay on long. I’m in between classes. I called Auntie when I couldn’t get a hold of you on your phone. I’m glad you made it home okay, even though I’m concerned about my headstrong Ma making a sixteen hour drive all by herself. Especially in your old beat up car.”

She shook her head. “Boy, don’t worry about me. I’m doing better than my car is right now. The car is doing hella’ better than my phone.”

He burst into laughter. “When they invent a wrist bungee you’ll be able to keep up with a phone.”

“You know your Ma’s luck with gadgets. I didn’t mean to worry you. The replacement should arrive here through the mail in a few days. Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine. I’m glad you’re in Georgia ‘cause I’m on my way down.”

She straightened in her seat, placing a hand to her chest. “Really?”

“Yeah. That’s why I called. We gotta play the Panthers in LaGrange next Friday. I was thinking about skipping a few classes to beat the bus down.”

“Boy, you know you better watch those grades.”

“I’m an A student, Ma. They’re my best classes. I can catch up on BioChemistry in my sleep.”

She chuckled at his confidence. She understood how much he enjoyed science, but remained willing to mother him despite his age and intellect. “Why?”

“I want to see you. I got some news. Will you meet me next Saturday for an early dinner?”

“Of course I’ll meet you. But, why not just tell me the news over the phone?”

“Ma, I gotta tell you this to your face. Don’t worry, it’s not bad. You trust me?”

She dropped her free hand to her apron, gripping it loosely at her lap with a short sigh. “Yes, Eric. I trust you.”

“Okay. Don’t forget to watch the game tonight.”

“Like I ever would.” She smiled.

“Love ya, Ma,” he said.

“Love you too, baby.” Cyana walked the phone back over to Mama.

“What’d he want?” Iona asked.

“To meet for dinner next Saturday.” Cyana shrugged, glancing at both Iona and her mother who each smirked. “Okay, what’s going on? You two know about it.”

“Not tellin’,” Mama said.

Cyana stalked over to her sister. Iona pretended to zip her lips and toss the key before ignoring her warning stare.

Cyana rolled her eyes. It was pointless trying to get information out of those two. Her attention fell to the computer screen where a photo a young Asher sat center the page. He was being led by a police officer with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Cyana gasped. “Iona, what are you doing? What is this?”

“Oh, shit. Sorry, Mama.” Iona apologized for her language.

“Iona, are these about Asher?”

Cyana skimmed over the headlines: “Playboy millionaire arrested.”, “Wilmington charged with assault.”, “Wilmington to face criminal charges.”; “Wilmington family losses.”

“Oh my god, Iona.”

“Don’t get upset, Ce Ce. I was just doing a little research on the man. You can’t be too careful these days. After what happened to me, I wasn’t gonna let some rich white boy date my sister without knowing a little about him.”

“Iona, this is an invasion of privacy.”

Iona raised her shoulders in defense. “It’s public news.”

“Yeah,” Cyana pointed at the newspaper. “In Texas. Not here. Not in Georgia.”

“I just did a regular search for his name. This is what came up.”

“Iona,” Cyana scolded.

“Girls!” Mama’s voice cut through the kitchen.

Cyana startled. The irritation at Iona was shifting towards the embarrassment of her truth being revealed. Iona swallow her next words. Cyana sucked in a steady draw of air to calm the thundering in her chest. “Now that is quite enough yelling in this house.”

“I’m sorry, Mama.” Cyana’s voice was quiet with her apology. She rubbed at her arm while glancing at the floor.

“I haven’t heard a single thing about what you two are saying. Ce Ce, what rich white boy?” Mama’s stern look held the warning Cyana better tell the truth, making her feel fifteen again.

She tugged on her sleeve. “Oh, Mama. I met the most incredible man at the Milway.”

“She met Asher Wilmington,” Iona blurted. “They’ve been getting along quite well.”

Cyana pivoted to her sister to shush her.

“Cyana, did you do something with our client you want to discuss with me?”

“I didn’t know who he was, Mama. He didn’t give me his last name when I met him or I would never have—” She cut off and covered her mouth.