Recipe for Desire (24 page)
Authors: Cheris Hodges
“I’m thinking about going to Paris.”
“What?” Jade exclaimed. “That’s been your dream for the longest time.” She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
“But what about everything that you’ve built here?” Alicia asked. “Do you really want to start over?”
“More specifically, what about Marie?” Jade asked.
Devon folded his arms across his chest. “I’m hoping she will come with me.”
Alicia and Jade exchanged knowing looks. “So, does this mean there’s going to be a wedding before you head to Paris?” Jade asked.
“Because no sane woman would just leave the country with a man without a ring on her,” Alicia said.
Jade squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “You would,” she said.
Alicia smacked her lips and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. You know I’ve always been the practical one out of the group.”
“If that’s what you believe,” Devon said. “But, yes, I’d marry her either in Paris or on the plane ride there. Problem is, I haven’t told Marie about Paris yet. I want to get through the fund-raiser, first.”
“You’d better tell her!” Jade and Alicia said in concert. He laughed. “Y’all are probably right. Oh, my father died,” he said, no emotion in his voice.
Jade and Alicia stared at him as if they were waiting for or expecting a breakdown. Jade asked, “Are you all right?”
Devon shrugged. “It’s not as if we were close. I made my peace with him and let go of my anger. Am I going to break down and cry about his passing? I don’t think so. He’s been dead to me for years.”
“Will there be a funeral?” Alicia asked. “Are you going or making the arrangements?”
He shook his head. “I’m sure his people will take care of that,” Devon said.
“Wow,” Jade said quietly. “You know, I can’t blame you for feeling that way. Bless the dead, but your father was something special.”
“That’s one way to describe him. Listen, I don’t want to talk about him. The kitchen staff can cook my menu, and you won’t see any difference in the food quality.”
“But we’re going to miss you,” Jade said. “Wait until we tell Serena.”
Alicia laughed. “I bet she’ll cry.”
Devon shook his head, then joined in the laughter. “If you guys don’t mind, let’s keep this quiet for a little bit. I want to tell my staff and, of course, I want to talk to Marie about it.”
“All right,” Alicia said. “But how long do we have before you leave?”
“At least six months,” he replied. “We still have the fund-raiser for My Sister’s Keeper and more meals for me to cook for you guys.”
“You’d better stock Serena’s freezer before you leave or poor Antonio and A.J. are going to starve,” Jade joked.
“Maybe you guys should invest in some cooking lessons for your girl,” Devon said. “I’m heading for the kitchen now.”
Chapter 23
Still basking in the afterglow of makeup sex, Marie decided to go home early and prepare for her dinner with Devon. Slipping behind the wheel of her new Jaguar, she smiled, thinking how her life had changed since being with Devon. The party girl was no more. She honestly didn’t miss that life, either. She hadn’t been on the blogs or in the papers for the wrong reasons. She thought about sending a thank-you basket to the judge who handed down her sentence those months ago. Had it not been for him, she would’ve never met and fallen in love with Devon Harris. Maybe they should’ve gone out and flaunted their relationship. They could make all the right headlines and become the darlings of the city. Nah, she wanted to keep this relationship just between the two of them. Still, she wanted one last night out. She needed to say good-bye to the party scene and leave it in hands that cared, but definitely not hers.
Just as she was about to back out of the lot, there was a banging on the trunk of the car. Looking in the rearview, she saw William standing there. “He just won’t go away,” she muttered as she mulled over the idea of slamming the car into him. Knowing that she wouldn’t do anything but cause trouble for herself, Marie simply pulled forward and rolled her window down.
“Stalker much?” she exclaimed.
“We need to talk and I’m not leaving until we do.”
“Just like I said weeks ago, I have nothing to say to you and that hasn’t changed.”
He walked over to the driver’s side and glared at her. “You think you can just ignore me? I lost everything because of you.”
“You had nothing to lose to begin with. Get away from my car before I turn you into a speed bump.”
He stepped back and smirked at her. “You say I didn’t have anything to lose, but you have a lot to lose. How would your new man feel if he knew the truth about you?”
“What madness have you made up in your head? Please go find Greta or someone who gives a damn to listen to what you have to say. I don’t. Now. Move!”
William glared at her and shouted. “I’m going to sue you!”
Marie flipped the ignition off and hopped out of the car. “On what grounds? You’re going to sue me for being stupid enough to accept your engagement ring? You’re going to sue me for not seeing you for the trifling piece of crap you are? Am I supposed to write your broke ass a check to get you out of my life when you are the one who was at my event kissing your ex-wife? Or is that ‘current meal ticket,’ I’m a little confused. You know, I should thank you. Had it not been for you making an utter fool of me, I would’ve never met the man who means the world to me.” She stalked back to her car, grabbed her purse, reached into her wallet, and flung a twenty-dollar bill at William. “Why don’t you take this and go buy a damned clue?” Marie hopped into her car and sped away. He had one more time to try to threaten her or just show up at her business or her home and she was going to have him thrown in jail. William wanted a payday, and she would not be extorted by that loser. Still, Marie headed to her father’s office to ask him how she should handle this thing with William.
As Devon headed to his car, he heard someone call out his name. He was shocked to look up at Solomon Crawford. Yes, the men had come to an understanding, but they were far from best friends.
“What’s up?” Devon asked.
“I was in the neighborhood and figured I’d get Kandace some dinner since she keeps talking about New Orleans chicken,” he said. “Listen, I wanted to ask you something.”
Devon eyed him suspiciously. What could Solomon want with him? “Go ahead.”
“Will you be my daughter’s godfather? And before you say no or anything, hear me out,” he said.
“Why would you want me to be your daughter’s godfather? We’re civil, but I’d hardly call us close.”
“I know how much you love my wife. And I know the love you have for her has changed over the years. This whole circle of friends you all have here is the closest thing to a real family I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I had money growing up, but never people who truly gave a damn around me.”
“Are you sure you’re comfortable with this? It wasn’t too long ago that you thought I wanted to steal your wife away as soon as you turned your back,” Devon said folding his arms across his chest. “And you’re right, I do love Kandace. I guess it was always meant for us to be close like this. She found her happily ever after with you and I’m hoping to find mine elsewhere as well.”
“I know, you and the party girl. But since I know you love my wife, I know you’ll love my daughter as well. And, trust me, I think Karma is going to bite me in the ass, so I need all the backup I can get. Me, with a daughter.” Solomon shook his head.
“If you’re this stressed out this early, you’re going to worry yourself into a heart attack by the time she’s sixteen.”
The two men headed into the restaurant so that Devon could prepare Kandace her favorite dish. Seeing this side of the great Solomon Crawford was nearly comical. But it showed Devon something else as well: Kandace was with the right man. The love Solomon had for his wife and daughter was tangible. Devon wondered if he’d feel like this when Marie gave birth to their kids. He wanted two, preferably two boys.
“When are you guys going to have little Kiana’s christening?” Devon asked as he mixed the spices for the chicken.
“No time soon. I’m still in shock that I’m someone’s father. How do I do this and not mess it up?
Devon nodded. “I say we do the opposite of what our fathers did and we should be great fathers.”
Alicia walked into the kitchen and smiled. “I thought you’d taken off. Hey, Solomon,” she said.
“What’s up, Alicia?” he replied.
“Kandace wanted some dinner, and while I’m in here, I might as well take care of my dinner date entrée.”
Solomon shook his head. “So, you and that chick are serious?”
Devon bristled. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
Solomon threw his hands up. “I’m not trying to say anything, but if I can give you a word of warning.”
“Uh-oh,” Alicia mumbled. Devon stopped mixing and glared at Solomon.
“What?” he asked.
“I don’t know Marie and I’m sure she’s a nice girl. But I’ve seen a lot of party girls in my day, and it’s a lifestyle that’s hard for them to give up, and it comes back to bite you at the more unexpected times,” he said. “Just putting it out there.”
“Well, she has changed a lot,” Alicia said. “I just read on that silly
After Dark
blog that she’s now considered MIA and they’re trying to see who’s going to take her place on the party scene.”
After Dark
blog that she’s now considered MIA and they’re trying to see who’s going to take her place on the party scene.”
“And,” Solomon said, “this isn’t New York.”
“Thanks for your concern, both of you,” Devon said. “But I got this.”
Alicia shrugged and tossed her head back. “I hear you, player. Oh, wait,” she said, pointing at Solomon. “You used to be the player.”
“And all this time, I thought you were the nice one,” Solomon shot back.
“They are all evil,” Devon said. “Especially the one in denial.” He nodded toward Alicia as she left the kitchen.
Solomon turned to Devon once Alicia left. “So, are you going to consider being Kiana’s godfather? She’s going to need you to balance out those three godmothers.”
“I’ll do it,” he said. “But it may be a long-distance job.”
“Yeah, I do want to move back to New York,” Solomon said. “Not sure how Kandace is going to like that.”
“Guess we’re in a similar position. I wonder how Marie’s going to feel about moving to Paris.”
“Paris? Damn. I get the feeling that she won’t say no. That’s every woman’s dream to be whisked away to the city of lights,” Solomon said. “You’re right, you do have this.”
As Marie drove to her father’s office, her cell phone would not stop buzzing. Every time she glanced at the phone, the screen read Unknown. The only thing that came from answering a call from an unknown number was trouble. But when the phone buzzed again, curiosity got the best of her.
“Marie Charles.”
“Miss Charles, it’s David Cross from
Charlotte Living
magazine. How are you?”
Charlotte Living
magazine. How are you?”
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“Well, I’m calling because I know that you’ve been seen around town with Chef Devon Harris, and I was wondering if you had any information about the funeral arrangements for Devon’s father.”
“What?” she asked. “His father passed away?”
“You weren’t aware? According to the Associated Press, he passed away this afternoon,” the reporter said. “We’ve tried to contact Mr. Harris, but he’s not at the restaurant.”
Marie ended the call and made a quick illegal U-turn and sped to Devon’s loft. Was he all right? Had he left to go to Atlanta? Why hadn’t he told her about his father? What if he didn’t know? Then she needed to get to him before he got a call from a reporter. She made it to NoDa in record time and saw that Devon’s car wasn’t in the parking lot. She reached for her phone and started to dial his number when it buzzed again. Another unknown number.
What now?
She grabbed the phone and pressed the answer key.
What now?
She grabbed the phone and pressed the answer key.
“Yes?”
“Marie Charles?” a female voice asked.
“Who is this?”
“Helen Conover from the
Charlotte Observer.
My colleague passed your information on to me.”
Charlotte Observer.
My colleague passed your information on to me.”
“I don’t have any information about Devon Harris Sr.’s death. I would suggest calling one of his charities in Atlanta ...”
“Miss Charles, that’s not why I called. I have been trying to reach Chef Harris to confirm a rumor I heard about him taking over a French restaurant and becoming the face of the Paris Food Network.”
“What?” Marie murmured. Paris. What other changes did he have going on that she knew nothing about?
“Miss Charles? Do you at least know how I can reach Devon?”
“I–I don’t,” she said as she watched Devon pull into the parking lot. She disconnected her call and hopped out of the car. Devon stepped out of the Mustang with a confused look on his face. “You’re early,” he said. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Devon, what’s going on?” she asked. “I just found out two things about you from reporters. Pretty important things that I’d like to think my boyfriend would tell me.”
He calmly reached into the backseat and removed two bags from the restaurant. “Let’s take this inside, all right.”
Miffed, she followed him up the stairs and inside. “Really,” she mumbled as he held the door open for her.
“I keep forgetting that reporters have you on speed dial,” he said. “So this is about my father?”
“And Paris,” she said. “When were you going to tell me about either of these life-changing episodes in your life, or didn’t I warrant ...”
Devon brought his index finger to her lips. “I didn’t find out about my father’s death until I left your office. I’m still processing it, because I don’t feel any emotions about his passing. So, forgive me if I didn’t rush to tell you. As far as Paris goes, I haven’t officially given them an answer and I was going to discuss that with you tonight over dinner.”
Marie tilted her head to the side and tried to think of something to say, but she couldn’t. There was no way she could be angry. “Devon, are you going to Paris?” she finally asked.
He took her hand into his and kissed it. “It depends,” Devon said.
“On?”
“You.”
“Me?”
He nodded and led her to the sofa. They sat down, and Devon pulled Marie against his chest. “Have you ever seen Paris at night? It’s a sight that you can barely describe with words, and the smell. Chocolate, freshly baked bread, and the sweetest breezes. When I was a student in Paris, I fell in love with that city.”
“Why did you come back?” she asked.
“I had to be here for my mother,” he said. “And I never got a chance to go back to Paris until now.”
“But what about everything that you have here?” she asked, though she wanted to ask about her and their relationship.
“Of course, I’m going to have to turn over running the kitchen at Hometown Delights, but the most important thing I have in Charlotte, I’m hoping I can take it with me.”
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