Lovers and Takers (4 page)

And although Roni spoke those strong words, and was smiling as she searched her closet for her own style of clothing, she was dreading this night.
 
It would mark her first time on any kind of “date” since Curtis left her at the altar nearly two years ago.
 
And after all of the pain and humiliation, and the anger and recriminations, the pain kept creeping back.
 
The only reason she agreed to go to this dinner at all was because of her cousin.
 

At twenty-five, Kara was a full ten years younger than Roni, and Roni always felt a sense of responsibility for her.
 
It was Kara, after all, who had begged Roni seven years ago to let her come to Florida and live with her.
 
Kara had graduated from high school in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, and wanted to be with her cousin desperately.
 

Roni reluctantly agreed, believing that at least she could keep an eye on her good-hearted, but risk-taking cousin.
 
And Kara did the work.
 
She went to college and graduated and did what she had to do.
 
Now Kara had her own place, had landed a job with the vaulted Varnadore Global, and was dating the boss’s son.
 

But Roni still worried mightily about her young cousin.
 
Because for all of Kara’s bubbly personality, there was a devil-may-care, irresponsible,
ledge-dwelling
side to her, too.
 
And Roni, always the practical one, was the only person who knew how to reel her back in.
 
Which she knew she would have to do once again when Kara finally stopped her foolish dreaming and realized that rich men like Jake and Aubrey Varnadore didn’t fall in love with uncultured, unsophisticated, down-to-earth gals like them.
    
                                                           
                                                                       

TWO

Pam Varnadore flew down the staircase of their family home anxiously looking for her brother.
 
Looking even younger than her nineteen years, she was dressed airily, in a bright pink and yellow free-flowing dress with a white band around her long, wavy hair.
 
Her boyfriend Druce Lincoln often told her that with her sense of colors, he wondered if he was in love with a woman, or a Crayola.
 
Pam found it quite funny.
 
Aubrey failed to see the humor.

“There you are!” she said when she saw her brother in their living room.
 
He was slouched on their Corinthian leather sofa, pecking away on his smartphone.
 

“‘Sup?” he said, not bothering to look up at his younger sister.

“Why don’t you put that thing away and relax for two minutes?
 
Goodness!”
 
She plopped down on the flanking leather chair, her girly dress ballooning around her.
 
“You’re getting more and more like Daddy every day.”

Aubrey snorted, still not looking up.
 
“I doubt that.”

“Then put it away.
 
Please?”

Aubrey gave his sister that look that bespoke irritation and affection.
 
She smiled that smile of hers that melted many a man, including her brother.
 
He sat his phone on the coffee table, leaned back, and folded his muscular arms.
  
“Better?” he asked.

Pam smiled.
 
“Yes, actually.”
 
She loved Aubrey completely.
 
She loved his strength, his kindness, and his boyish good looks.
 
He was looking more and more like the black version of their father every day, if you asked Pam.
 

But she dreaded the idea of him
becoming
their father: a workaholic who had so little time for anything but work.
 
It had gotten so bad that their father never had anybody but superficial beauty queens on his arm, and in his bed, to avoid the real work of a real relationship.
 
In all the years after her parents’ divorce, Pam could not recall her father ever being in a committed relationship with anyone.
 
Maybe Kara’s cousin Roni could change all of that, as Kara seemed to think, but Pam doubted it.

And she could only pray that Aubrey, who was a bigger workaholic than their father, didn’t end up like that.

“So,” Aubrey asked, “what is it that requires my undivided attention?”

“Can’t I just want to spend some time with my big brother?
 
Ever since you moved out of Dad’s house last year, I never get to see you that much.
 
I don’t know why you had to move out.”

“I had to move out because I’m a grown-ass man.
 
I should have moved a long time ago.”

Pam smiled.
 
“I wanted to get my own place, too, but Druce said I should wait.”

“And Druce is right on that score,” Aubrey agreed.

“Why is he right about that?
 
I’m grown too.”

“You’re nineteen, Pammie.
 
And when your Lupus flares Dad likes you to be here at home so he can make sure you’re taking care of yourself properly.”

Pam hated that her brother even mentioned that she suffered from Lupus.
 
Her symptoms were usually mild, but sometimes she would have more severe flares. But it had been months since she’d had any debilitating flares like that.
 
She handled it by not talking about it, preferring to view her ailment as a non-issue when it was in remission and not problematic.
 
During those times she chose not to even think about it.
 
Tonight was one of those times.

“Anyway,” she said, quickly changing the subject, “I wanted to talk to you before our guests arrive, and before Daddy comes downstairs.”

“Ah, let me venture a guess,” Aubrey said.
 
“It has everything to do with Druce Lincoln?”

Pam smiled.
 
“Yes!
 
How did you know, Aubrey?
 
Did he tell you?”

“Druce tells me nothing.
 
What was he supposed to tell me?”

Pam tried to be coy, but was too excited to pull it off.
 
“He’s going to do it tonight!”

Aubrey looked at his sister.
 
“Do what?”

“
Duh
!
 
You know what!”

“What?” Aubrey asked, confused.
 
But his sister would only smile.
 
“What, Pam?”
 

But Pam continued to look at him with that desperate smile she often displayed when she and Druce Lincoln were up to no good.
 
And that was when Aubrey realized what she meant.
 
His already big eyes stretched even larger.
 
“You have got to be kidding me.”

“Isn’t it great?”

“He’s doing it here?
 
Tonight?
 
In front of
Daddy
?”

“Of course in front of Daddy!
 
Isn’t it exciting?”

“No, it’s not exciting, Pam.
 
I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.”

“It’s a great idea, what are you talking about?
 
Druce says---”

“I don’t really care what Druce says, thank-you very much.”
 
Aubrey exhaled and looked at his kid sister. His beautiful eyebrows knitted, giving her that serious look of his.
 
“It’s not a good idea, Pam,” he made clear.

Pam’s heart dropped.
 
She knew that nothing about her relationship with Druce was perfect, but she loved Druce so much!
 
“Reality
check
, okay?
 
Druce says you’re just jealous of him.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Aubrey said, nodding his head.
 
“I’m just jealous.
 
I’m just jealous of the guy that works
under
me.
 
Give me a break!
 
Druce is the one who needs a reality check, okay?”

“Then if he’s so
unrealistic
then why haven’t you fired him?
 
I’ll tell you why.
 
Because you know he’s good at what he does.”

“Yes, he’s good at what he does,” Aubrey admitted.
 
“He’s the best at what he does.
 
That’s the only reason I put up with his nonsense.
 
But I’ll tell you because I know you’ll run back and tell him: he’d better watch himself.”

But Pam wasn’t persuaded that Aubrey would do anything to lose Druce’s expertise.
 
“He says he should be running the sales department instead of you,” she said.
 
“He says he should be senior vice president and second in command instead of you.”

“Yeah, he told me the same thing.
 
Tells it to me every time he scores a big get.
 
So I asked Dad about it.”

This didn’t surprise Pam.
 
Aubrey told their father everything!
 
“You did?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“And what did Daddy say?”

“He agreed with Druce.”

This pleased Pam.
 
“Daddy
agreed
with Druce?
 
Really?”

“He really did.
 
So I asked him why
doesn’t he put Druce in
charge of the sales department then, if he’s all that.”

Pam looked nervously at her brother.
 
She knew that Druce wanted to be in charge of sales more than anything in this world.
 
“And what did Daddy say?” she asked.

“He said there’s more to being a successful businessman than winning big contracts, as Druce is great at doing.
 
You also have to have a moral core.
 
I’m his son, he said.
 
He knows my moral core.
 
He doesn’t know shit about Druce’s.”
 
Pam looked at him as if she was offended.
 
Aubrey threw up his hands.
 
“I’m only telling you what Dad said.”

Pam frowned.
 
“It’s always so complicated!
 
I love Druce and want to be with him, that’s all I want.
 
Why does Daddy keep making it so complicated?”

“Because you’re only nineteen, Pammie.
 
He and Mom married when they were real young too.
 
He doesn’t want you to make the same mistakes he made.”

“But if he only got to know Druce better.”

“Will you stop?
 
Dad’s a busy man, all right?
 
I’m worried about him.
 
With all of this talk of a hostile takeover, he hardly has time for you and me, let alone Druce Lincoln!”

“But if he gets to know Druce better, he’ll like him.”’

Aubrey rolled his eyes.
 
Talking to that sister of his sometimes was like talking to a brick wall.
 
Druce was one of the best sales executives around, he’d give him that, and the Varnadore Corporation wasn’t about to let that level of talent get snatched up by a competitor.
 
But there was still something unsavory about Druce Lincoln, something he couldn’t even identify, that gave Aubrey pause.
 
He wouldn’t trust the guy as far as he could throw him, to put it bluntly.

“Why does he have to propose to you right now?” he asked his sister.
 
“You’re only nineteen years old.
 
Why can’t he give you a chance to grow and to sow your wild oats, or whatever it’s called?
 
Why now?”

But such a question was obvious to Pam.
 
“Because he loves me, Aubrey, and I love him.
 
I don’t know why you and Daddy have such a hard time understanding that.”

“But proposing to you in front of Dad tonight, without giving him any heads up?
 
I don’t get it.”

“Druce wants to show Daddy that he has backbone, and isn’t all cautious like you.
 
He’s a risk taker.
 
He wants to show Daddy that he’s a leader.
 
That he’s a man’s man.”

Aubrey snorted.
 
“He’s a man’s man by proposing to the boss’s rich little girl?
 
Yeah, I could see how that would be such a sacrifice.
 
I could see how that would be such a man’s man kind of courageous act.”

“Quit playing!”
 
Pam said playfully.
 
“It does take courage.
 
He wants Daddy to rely on him, and give him more responsibility.
 
He wants to prove that he’s no flash in the pan.”
 
Then Pam sighed with frustration.
 
“I just thought it would be neat if you were supportive,” she said.