Inner Circle (29 page)

“Ummmm, excuse me? We had the car custom-programed using
my
voice,” Eve protested.

“Oh, my bad, girl. Damn, I knew that bitch sounded familiar,” Amber laughed.

“Forget you. Just for that, I outta put your ass out and make you walk,” Eve pouted.

“Quit being so sensitive. You know I’m just playing with you. Now, keep going.”

Eve listened as Amber read off the addresses. “Eighteen sixty-seven, seventy-one, eighty-three, eighty-five. There it is!”

Eve turned into the driveway and up to the black wrought iron double gates. Although there was an intercom in place, the gates were open, allowing her to drive up to the circular driveway. Ahead, she
could see a row of luxury cars complete with Callie’s Porsche Cayenne, Jackie’s Jaguar, and Jai’s custom-painted purple Range Rover. Eve’s stomach fluttered at the thought of what she was going to say to Jackie when she saw her again. She contemplated sharing what she knew with Amber, but by the time she made it home, Amber and Olivia were already in bed, and although the information was juicy, she felt it wasn’t worth waking her up about it.

By morning, Eve had had a sudden change of heart and figured she owed it to Jackie as friend to at least talk to her about what she saw, rather than talk about her with someone else.

As she and Amber made their way up the driveway, they marveled at the sight of the house.

“Wow! And I thought her old house was nice,” Amber exclaimed. “This is gorgeous!”

Eve agreed the entrance to the house was breathtaking. The driveway encircled a lawn so well-manicured that is looked artificial, and in the center of the lawn was a massive three-tiered marble fountain that was at least fifteen feet high with a cherub carving that rested atop. The serene sound of the tinkling water could be heard from inside the car, tempting Eve and Amber to almost not depart.

As they made their way to the front door, Eve admired the oversized bamboo wooden pots filled with flowers that dotted the walkway. The ladies enjoyed the intoxicating aroma of gardenia and vanilla that greeted their every step.

They laughed as the doorbell belted out a chimed-inspired rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

“Welcome, ladies,” Jai greeted them with a smile as she held the wooden doors open. “Come on in. Excuse the jeans and tee shirt, but we’re still going through boxes. And you know by
we,
I mean
me
!”

“If the outside is any indication of what awaits us inside, then let me go ahead and compliment you now . . .” Eve praised.

Jai pointed out the unfinished foyer that was outfitted with impressive cream and beige marble tiling that led to a double spiral
staircase that served as the platform for a stunning four-tiered chandelier that hung from the ceiling of the second level.

“Exquisite, Jai,” Amber added.

“Thanks. I love it, but I’m still trying to find my way around. I keep trying to tell Tony that bigger doesn’t always mean better, but what I can do?” Jai beamed. “Jackie and Callie are already here, so we can get started. I’ll give everybody a tour after the meeting.”

Eve and Amber followed Jai down a long hallway covered with complementary tile that matched the tile in the entrance. They passed a row of closed doors, which, according to Jai, hosted an office, grand living and dining room, as well as two master suites.

Eve took note of the Rembrandt-inspired painting that graced the walls. Although she wasn’t an art connoisseur, Eve always appreciated people who regarded art enough to make it a part of their space.

Jai led them into the family room where Jackie and Callie were already seated and munching on hors d’oeuvres.

“Hey, guys,” Callie and Jackie said simultaneously, and then laughed at their unison greeting.

“What’s up, you two?” Amber laughed.

“Hey!” Eve added, trying to avoid eye contact with Jackie. Instead, she fixed her attention on how small Callie and Jackie appeared on Jai’s peanut butter-colored sofa.

“It’s something else, isn’t it?” Jackie asked walking over to Eve. “Girl, and we thought our husbands’ football money was something.” She placed her hand on Eve’s shoulder. “Shit, if I had known baseball players rolled like this, I would’ve invested in a fucking bat.”

Eve cut her eyes at Jackie’s hand on her shoulder. The thought of one of those same fingers that had just been inside Paula’s pussy, now resting boldly on her shoulder, sickened her. She forced a smile until she got a glimpse of Jackie’s infamous red boots. She felt the same knot form in her throat that had introduced itself to her in that skybox when she discovered Jackie was the one wearing those boots.

“I know, right?” was all Eve could manage as she eased her shoulder
from Jackie’s grasp. Quickly, Eve walked over to the wall-sized window and admired the view. She took deep, long breaths as she looked at the Olympic-sized swimming pool that was nestled in the center of the backyard. From where she was standing, the backyard seemed to extend forever.

“Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that a perfectly round swimming pool?” Eve asked extending her neck to get a better look.

“Yes, girl! And between you and me, I think the only reason Tony wanted this house is because of that damn pool. He’s having the floor of the pool painted like a baseball!”

“Go on, Tony! I ain’t mad at him,” Jackie chuckled, sitting back down on the couch next to Callie.

“Well, I hope Chase doesn’t find out about that ‘cause I don’t need him getting any ideas,” Eve laughed.

Jai grabbed her spiral notebook from the smoked glass coffee table and took a seat at the end of the sectional. “I hate to rush you, ladies, but we need to get through the meeting so that we can eat and take a quick tour of the house. Unfortunately, our fundraising meeting with the mayor got pushed up to seven.”

“No worries, let’s get started.” Eve pulled her agenda from her folder. “The meeting is officially called to order,” she announced. “Jai, do you have the minutes from the last meeting?”

“I do, but I have to apologize. My printer hasn’t been set up yet, and I haven’t had time to type or print them.”

“Then I move that we table the minutes until the next meeting,” Amber offered.

“Thanks, Amber,” Jai said.

“Second,” Jackie added.

“Okay, moved, seconded, any objections? Perfect, the minutes are tabled.” Eve thought for a moment. “I think, since we have tabled the minutes, I am going to take executive privilege and table any old business until the next meeting. That includes the financial report and any new member submissions. So let’s go on to new business.
Any new business?” Eve looked around the room, but no one spoke. “Okay, if no one has any new business, then let me take this opportunity to congratulate us on the great job we did with the mentoring program last week.

“I got a call from the superintendent of L.A. Unified, and they’re thinking of incorporating parts of our program into the district’s curriculum, so be prepared. If all goes well, we may be called on to speak before the school board. So congratulations, ladies. Give yourselves a hand.”

Eve waited until the brief applause subsided. “Well, that’s all I have. I guess we can officially say this is the shortest meeting in Wives’ Association history,” she laughed. “Does anyone else have anything we need to discuss?”

There was silence, and then the ladies all started to giggle.

“Okay,” Eve said laughing. “It was obvious that no one, including me, feels like having a meeting.”

“I move that the meeting be adjourned,” Jackie said, trying not to laugh.

“I second,” Callie giggled.

“Moved and seconded. If no objections, it’s a wrap,” Eve said smiling as she took her seat.

“Actually, I don’t have anything to discuss, but I do have an announcement,” Amber said softly.

“An announcement? Didn’t you hear the meeting is over?” Jackie groaned.

“Only if it’s good news,” Jai said. “It seems like every time one of us makes an ‘announcement,’ someone has a crisis.”

“Well, I think it’s good news,” Amber replied with a slight smile.

“Then let’s hear it,” Jackie coaxed. “Because I’m hungry as hell, and before you got here, Jai informed us that she whipped up her famous jambalaya!”

“I promise to make it quick!” Amber smiled.

“What’s the announcement?” Eve asked curiously.

“Well, Olivia and I are going home.” Amber sighed as if she was relieved to get the words out.

“Excuse me?” Eve was caught off guard.

“Congratulations! She said she’s going home,” Callie echoed Amber’s words.

“No, I heard her, but wait a minute. When did this happen? What brought this on?” Eve interrogated.

“Sounds like the same question to me,” Jackie said. “Would you mind letting her answer at least one of them?”

Eve glanced at Jackie but decided not to respond and turned back to Amber. “Okay, Amber, answer.”

“I actually talked to Sean, and he really wants me and Olivia to come home.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Eve couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Yes, I am,” Amber responded assuredly.

“When did you decide this? The last discussion we had, you still didn’t know if you wanted his cheating ass back. And those are
your
words, not mine.”

“Damn, Eve, give her a break. If she wants to go home, we should support her,” Jai said. She moved closer to Amber and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“I do support her. In fact, no one has done more to support her than I have. I just want to know why the sudden change of heart.”

“It’s not sudden. I’ve really been thinking about it, and it’s time,” Amber offered.

“Time? Time for what? Don’t tell me this is because you’re staying with me and Chase. I told you, you and Olivia are welcome for as long as you need.”

“I know, Eve. And no, it has nothing to do with you and Chase. You’ve been wonderful. But I have a different perspective now that we don’t have the Sa’Myra thing hanging over us, and I realize that I still
love Sean. We took vows that said through the good and the bad. I just think we owe it to those vows to try to stick it out.”

“I get it, and I’m happy for you, girl. Now can a bitch get some food? I’m ready to eat,” Jackie chimed in.

“Jackie, pleeeeease! Can you just get serious for one minute? I don’t want to see or hear about you eating anything.” Eve paused a moment realizing the verbal attack she’d just administered to Jackie. It was all she could do to avoid looking at Jackie so the visual of her and Paula wouldn’t return.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Jackie snapped back.

Eve knew she was wrong and that now was not the time to address her issues with Jackie. She quickly relented and apologized for her outburst. “I’m sorry, Jackie. It’s not you. It’s just . . .” She paused, trying to gather her thoughts and focus on what she wanted say. She took a deep breath and turned to face Amber. “I just want you to be sure about this, Amber.”

“I am sure. Sean and I have already discussed it. It’s what we both want.”

Eve eyed Amber suspiciously. “Well, if you’ve actually thought this through, and if it’s really what you want, then I’m happy for you, and I wish you only the best.”

“Thanks, Eve. Your support is important to me. In fact, all of you have been great, and I really appreciate you having my back.”

“Good!” Jackie said, raising her glass. “Then I say we make a toast! Here’s to Amber, Olivia, and Sean. May your reunion be blessed and good, and may the sands of time remove all memory of the bad.”

They all chuckled and took a sip in agreement.

“Damn, Jackie,” Jai said, “that was nice. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“I have my moments,” Jackie said, popping her collar. “Plus, I figured that was better than what I was going to say.”

“Oh, Lord,” Callie said. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but go ahead. What were you going to say?”

“Well, Amber reminded us that the vows state through good and bad, and I was just going to add that they also state till death do us part, which means that sometimes you may have to kill a muthafucka’!”

“On that note, I say we all have another drink,” Jai said laughing as she led the way across the room to the bar.

Eve laughed and noticed that everyone else was laughing except Amber. She made eye contact and gave Amber a supportive smile. Amber smiled back, but Eve couldn’t help but notice that it was a tentative smile masking an actual look of discomfort.

“I don’t mean to sound repetitious or doubtful, Amber, but are you
sure
you’re telling me everything? I mean, you didn’t mention anything to me on the way over.”

“Eve, stop overanalyzing everything and just find it in your heart to be happy for me.”

Feeling like she had been a little hard on Amber, Eve called for attention. “Ladies, I have a suggestion. In honor of Amber’s reconciliation, I would like to suggest that we have a moving party. Just us girls! I’ll make breakfast, and we can get started early. What do you say?” She gave Amber a sympathetic grin.

“If it’ll get you to shut the hell up, then count me in,” Jackie smiled.

“Me too,” Jai said. “When?”

“How about tomorrow?” Eve asked, turning to Amber.

Amber hesitated. “Can we make it Saturday? Sean’s parents are here until tomorrow, and the last thing I need is to deal with Miss Tami. My housekeeper has already told me that she’s been there all week talking shit and rearranging things. I need her ass good and gone before I go back.”

“That’s probably why Sean wants your ass back. A week with his mama must make living with you seem like Christmas!” Jackie laughed.

“Saturday’s good for me,” Jai said.

“Not me. I’m sorry, love, I have a prior engagement,” Callie reported.

“I understand,” Amber said.

“Great! Saturday it is. I’ll e-mail you all tomorrow with the details.” Eve slapped her hand on the bar. “Now, Jai, is it true? Did you
really
make jambalaya?”

“Yes. I’ll have Edna warm it up and set us a table while I show you around.” Jai made her way out of the room.

“I’ll help,” Amber said following Jai into the kitchen.