Playing the Hand You're Dealt (29 page)

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Authors: Trice Hickman

BOOK: Playing the Hand You're Dealt

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She looked completely stunned.

“Emily, you act like you've committed a big sin by being with him. Loosen up.”

“I can't believe you're okay with this.” She blinked.

“Hey, as long as you're happy, I'm happy.”

Emily sat in silence, looking down at the floor.

“Oh, for Christ's sake, enjoy the fact that you're in love,” I said.

Emily looked up at me with a warm, sincere smile, and took a deep breath as though a load had just been lifted from her shoulders. She spoke softly. “I do love him. I always have.”

“I know, and I'm glad you didn't wait until it was too late to finally admit your feelings.”

“I just felt so conflicted, and I didn't know how you'd take it, or what you'd think of me.”

“See, there you go again, always worrying about everybody except yourself. I love that about you. But honestly, you shouldn't give a damn about what I think, or anyone else. Just as long as it works for you.”

A smile covered her face. “Samantha, I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm so glad this is out in the open and that you're really okay with it.”

I looked at her and shrugged my shoulders. “Why wouldn't I be? You know I love him to pieces.”

“I know. He said you'd be happy for us, and I guess he was right.”

“Is he still here?” I asked, looking around again. “I don't want to interrupt anything.”

“Um, no . . . he left right before you got here, but he's coming back later tonight.”

“Oh, that's right.” I nodded with understanding. “I forgot that Bradley has relatives in the city. Is he out visiting them?”

Emily shifted in her seat and started coughing again.

“You okay?”

“Um, yeah. I'm fine,” she said, looking self-conscious, like she'd been exposed.

“Listen, I know you said you'd never go back to Bradley, but don't be embarrassed about it. I'm glad you were able to admit that you made a mistake and that you're giving your relationship another try. I guess that's what you meant about everybody needing a chance at redemption.” I smiled and ran my finger across her beautiful bracelet for emphasis.

We talked a little longer before I glanced at my watch and realized I only had fifteen minutes to spare before my lunch visit with Mother. So in keeping with my new change of attitude, and not wanting to be late, I gave Emily a big hug and told her that we'd have to look into booking companion flights to Atlanta to see our men, and then headed out the door . . . on my way to set another chain of events into motion.

I was glad when I saw Daddy's Range Rover parked in the garage because if things got funky between Mother and me, he would be around to make sure we didn't hurt each other. After last night, anything was possible.

I walked through the back door and found Mother sitting at the kitchen table. Even though she said she hadn't slept all night, she looked as fresh as the flowers in her garden. Then again, I couldn't remember a time when she didn't look picture perfect. The only blemish on her perfect exterior was the pink mark I'd left on the side of her face from last night.

“I'm glad you came,” she said, looking me up and down from head to toe. “That's a lovely ensemble . . . nice pumps.”

I wanted to smile, but I held it back along with my guard. “Thanks.”

Cautiously, I took a seat across from her and tried to determine what was really going on behind her eyes. She rose from her chair, retrieved two glasses from the cabinet and a bottle of champagne from the fridge. “In the middle of the day?” I asked, looking at the bottle of Perrier-JouÃ«t.

“We're celebrating your birthday, remember?”

Mother poured a glass for me and then one for herself. She sat down and raised her flute to make a toast. “May all your days be filled with nothing but the best. Happy birthday, Samantha.”

I raised my glass, tapping it against hers. I sipped slowly as I watched her go back to the refrigerator and return with two plates of food. She sat one in front of me. “Lunch, compliments of last night's leftovers.” She smiled sheepishly.

I didn't know what to make of her behavior. Demure and sedated wasn't my mother's style; pushy and extreme was more like it.

“What did Tyler get you for your birthday?” she asked, taking a bite of a tomato wedge.

“The earrings I'm wearing.”

She nodded approvingly. “That young man has exceptional taste. I really like him, and I like him for you. I'm so happy that you two are back together.”

I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. As optimistic as I wanted to be, I smelled a rat and I was determined to get to the bottom of the real reason why I was sitting across from her, all dressed up, forcing artificial conversation. I put my fork down, wiped my mouth, and looked Mother dead in her eyes. “Let's cut through the niceties and small talk. What's really going on?”

“Samantha, I told you. I want to make amends.”

“Yeah, that's what your mouth said.”

“Why don't you believe me?”

“Because that's not what you do.”

Mother sat ramrod straight in her chair. “Oh, and what
do
I do?”

“Let's see . . . berate people, manipulate situations to your advantage, hurt people's feelings, think solely about yourself, and put on phony airs.”

“Is that all you think of me?” she asked in a pitiful voice.

“That's all you've ever shown me.”

“Maybe I've changed.”

I looked at my watch. “Less than eighteen hours ago I tried to apologize to you, and you stood in the backyard belittling me like you didn't give a damn about my feelings. And then you slapped me. Now you expect me to believe that after thirty years and eighteen hours, you're a changed person.”

“How dare you speak to me that way.You have absolutely no right,” she huffed.

It was her standard “how dare you” line that I'd heard all my life. The indignant, self-righteous Brenda Baldwin I knew had returned in a flash. I pushed my chair back, reached for my handbag, and started to leave.

“Samantha, please don't go,” Mother pleaded.

“Tell me why I should stay.”

“Because I need you. I'm about to lose everything I love and I need you.”

“What are you talking about?”

She looked down at the half-eaten food on her plate and the empty champagne flute. “I've turned so many people awayâeven your father chose to stay out with that dreadful Ross Morgan last night rather than be here with me,” she sniffled, “and he didn't come home until shortly before you arrived.”

“And that concerns me how?”

“It seems everyone hates me. At least that's what Gerti said.”

That got my attention. Slowly, I sat back down in my chair. “Gerti said that?”

“Yes, she did . . . among other things.”

“Other things like what?”

Mother sniffled again and reached for a silk napkin on the table, dabbing it against an imaginary tear in the corner of her eye. “Hurtful things.Things I'd rather not repeat.”

“Were they accurate?”

“No. Actually, nothing she said was true.”

“Really?”
I said with skepticism. “I've never known Gerti to lie about anything. Aside from Emily, she's the most honest person I know.”

Mother smirked with irritation. “Well, you don't know Gerti like I do. The truth is that she's never really cared for me.The only reason I've kept her around all these years is because she does such a good job around this house. But until last night, I never knew that her dislike for me was rooted in pure jealousy.”

“Gerti's not jealous of you.”

“You didn't hear the things she said to me.”

“No, I didn't. But I've never heard Gerti say an unkind word about you
, ever.
”

“You don't know the side of your beloved Gerti that she showed me last night.”

I shook my head. First she wanted to make amends with me and now she was bad-mouthing Gerti, the only person in this house who halfway liked her. I didn't know what to make of this bizarre visit that she'd been so desperate for us to have. More than ever, I was convinced that she was up to something. I was pissed that I had allowed myself to get all worked up. And I'll admit, I was a little hopeful that she and I might have a chance to finally put our differences behind us and start working toward a better relationship. But now I could see there was no way that was going to happen. “Mother, I think I better go.”

“But we haven't even had dessert.”

“I don't want dessert.”

“Fine!” Mother laid her fork across the side of her plate and pushed it away. Just then, Daddy came into the room. I looked up at him and he could see there was hot tension in the air.

“Hey, Sam,” he said with caution, ignoring Mother completely. “Everything all right?”

“I'm cool.”

“Good.” Daddy nodded. He walked toward the refrigerator, searching it like he hadn't eaten in days. “Glad you're here. Now I can give you the latest news on Carl.”

Mother and I both braced ourselves. “What news?” I asked.

“Carl's in serious trouble, and this time they have enough evidence to finally put him away.”

Daddy had called one of his contacts this afternoon and found out the details of the arrest report. As it turned out, not only had Carl been in possession of an unregistered handgun, they'd found a powdery white substance in his Escalade, which had been parked out front. Added to that, they obtained a search warrant for his house early this morning and found evidence that tied him to a new and deadly form of crack cocaine that had appeared on DC streets within the last few months.

Daddy went on to say that the authorities had Carl under tight surveillance for months, which was one of the reasons why they arrived on the scene so quickly last night.

“Bail is off the table,” Daddy said. “Flight risk.”

I thought about how strangely Carl had been acting, and now this explained why. He was hooked on the new stuff he was selling. I felt relieved that Carl was under tight lock and key for now, preventing him from any further craziness. But a part of me was also sad. He was the father of my child, the man I had shared many experiences with, some bad, but not all. Now he was right where he'd always feared, in a tiny jail cell. I looked at Mother, expecting her to say something rude, nasty, or mean, but she didn't. I think Daddy was surprised by her silence, too.

Finally, she spoke as she fumbled with her napkin. “I'm sorry for what happened last night.”

This was the first time she'd apologized since I got here. I immediately became pissed because I knew her contrition was all for Daddy's benefit. I had to get out of the house so I could think about everything that had happened. I walked over to Daddy, gave him a kiss on his cheek, and turned toward the door.

“You headed home?” he asked, claiming the spot where I'd been sitting as he dug into a bowl of pasta salad he'd gotten out of the fridge.

“Yeah, then Tyler and I are going to take CJ out for ice cream.”

“That's lovely,” Mother said.

Daddy and I both ignored her.

“Oh, and by the way, I have wonderful news,” I said as I looked at Daddy, not wanting Mother to think I was including her in our conversation.

“What's that?” he asked.

I brightened with a big smile. “Emily and Bradley are back together. Isn't that great!”

“Yes, that's wonderful news,” Mother cheered. “I'm so happy for her.”