Southern Gossip: A Complicated Love Story (6 page)

Marlon smiled. “I know you do.” He loved that Jennifer was a go getter from within the city. She wasn’t born in a wealthy family, but she worked hard to prove her worth. She made power moves and assisted his father with all kinds of things. She probably knew more business about his dad than he did at that point.

“So, have you seen A’keem?” She questioned.

“We spoke when he and Seth showed up to Mama Gray’s earlier.”

A waitress interrupted them as she walked over to their table. “Hello, I’m Alexis and I’ll be your waitress today. What can I get for your drinks?” She asked.

“I’ll have a glass of ice water.” Jennifer said.

“And I’ll have a Hypnotiq Martini.” Marlon responded, “Oh and a glass of water.”

The waitress smiled at Marlon noticing who he was. “I’ll be back with your drinks. Do you need more time looking over the menu for something to eat?”

He looked over at Jennifer. “Sweetheart,” he called out.

“Uh yes, we need more time.” She said looking up at the waitress, but she was still gazing at Marlon. Jennifer cleared her throat loudly to grab the waitress’s attention.

The lady immediately looked at Jennifer and smiled. “Okaaaay, I’ll be back with your drinks.” She said, somewhat embarrassed. However, she made sure to shake what her mama gave her as she left the table in hopes that Marlon was looking. 

Jennifer grinned. “Can we ever go somewhere where the women aren’t hitting on you?”

Marlon laughed. “She was definitely not trying to hide it.”

“Well, I guess a girl can’t help that her man is as fine and smart as you. I’d be offended if women didn’t want you.” She loved his deep brown, round shaped eyes that sat gazing at her. His rich chocolate skin was perfectly toned and his smile kept her panties moist. He was definitely a good looking brother with a well kept chiseled frame. He always had a way of making her feel special and she definitely didn’t want that to change that. Jennifer had sat there trying to feel her boyfriend out, but since he wasn’t saying much of what she wanted to hear, she decided to just straight up let it out. “So, I heard that Jada Kent is back in town.”

Marlon wasn’t expecting that, because he actually wanted to tell her about it first. However, he didn’t hesitate to respond. “Well, she is back but I don’t know for how long.”

“Have you seen her?” She quickly asked.

He decided to come clean, not wanting to lie about it. “Yes, I was heading to Mama Gray’s and she happened to be outside coolin’ on her porch.”

Jennifer grinned a bit. “She happened to be outside?”

Marlon looked down at the table wishing the waitress would hurry back with his drink. “Yeah, she was sitting on her front porch.”

“Oh I see. So you were passing by there or something?” She asked, knowing good in well that the only way Marlon would have seen her was if he went the long way to Mama Gray’s and had to drive by her house or if he took the short cut and rode through the Kent’s back yard to get there quicker. Either way it was fucked up, because he still made it his business to see her.

“I hopped on the 4-wheeler and rode through the path this morning. No biggie.” He nonchalantly stated.

“No biggie,” she mocked him then smugly grinned again. “We’ve known each other for five years and you haven’t once wanted to take the path to your grandma’s house since you and Jada parted ways. I mean, what was the point of it this morning? It’s like you wanted to see her or something.” She said.

Marlon looked in her loving eyes. He knew the woman sitting across from him had mad love for him and he didn’t want to disappoint her. She’d been his homey, his lover, and friend in helping him get over Jada since she’d left and he was forever grateful to her for that. The last thing he wanted was for her to have doubts about them and their relationship. She was smart, classy, a little edgy, and feisty. All the things he loved in a woman being that his mom was the same way. She was beautiful, fine, and very skilled in the bedroom to be three years younger than him. He did love her, but she didn’t give him that feeling… that feeling that Jada gave him.

“So, did you want to see her?” Jennifer asked again.

“I can’t lie. I did.” He admitted. “I wanted to see if there was anything still there.”

“Hm, is that right?” Jennifer asked with a slick roll of the eyes. “And, was it anything there?” She took in a deep breath not wanting to hear the truth if it was.

“Nah, I mean it was good to see that she was alright and all, but there was nothing there.” He lied.

Jennifer stared into his eyes. She wanted to see if he was lying. It seemed as if he was being honest, but she couldn’t fully trust it. Jada was back and this was just the beginning of a long awaited battle between a rival she’d only heard or read things about. Unfortunately, she’d only met her once in passing, but she knew her face all too well. She was like the reflection of Jada’s past and it irked her at times. They were both cheerleaders and homecoming queens at the same school, just a few years apart. To top it off, they both had love for the same man. She’d heard of the family feud and the inevitable, complicated love story that history seemed to follow. She also knew about the fall outs between the brothers, and the way that the Kent women couldn’t get it together. It almost drove her crazy just to know these things and the only way it was over was if Marlon had truly let go of her.

“So you sure it’s nothing?” She asked again as the waitress came back with their drinks.

The waitress cut in. “Okay, are y’all ready to order now?”

Marlon sipped the mixed drink from his straw as soon as he got it, and then looked over at Jennifer. “I’m sure it’s nothing there.” He stated again then directed his attention to the waitress. “And yes, we’re ready to order.”

At that point all he wanted to do was eat and get out of there. He couldn’t take another grilling about Jada Kent or he was going to start being really honest about his feelings and he didn’t think that nobody was ready for that.

Chapter 4

Mrs. Gray knocked on the Hilton’s large front door. Lynn Hilton quickly opened it up, standing in the doorway wearing a red, silk robe with a smile on her face. Mrs. Gray literally couldn’t stand her. She was like a real pest in her ass.

“So what brings you by?” Lynn questioned with a slight raise of her eyebrows.

“We need to talk.”

Lynn gently tossed her long, dark brown hair behind her shoulders. She just stood there for nearly thirty seconds watching Mrs. Gray as she turned up her snooty nose. Mrs. Gray hated when she did that little nonchalant swirl like she was running things. For her to have a black father and a white mother, Lynn looked more like a full blooded white woman with a serious tan trying to look black. Behind that dark tan and that, ‘I don’t give a damn attitude,’ Mrs. Gray knew that her shit smelled just like everyone else’s.

“Hm, well come in and have a seat.” Lynn finally said as she turned her back to head into the entertainment room to talk. Mrs. Gray shook her head at how flat Lynn’s ass was as she followed her inside of her lavishly laid out pad. “Do you want a drink or something?” she asked as she poured herself a shot of Scotch.

“No thank you,” Mrs. Gray responded. “I only wanted to stop by and talk with you since you’re over the gossip column in the Rocky Spring’s newspaper.”

Lynn smiled. “Is this concerning the next issue coming out tomorrow about Jada Kent being back in town?”

Mrs. Gray cringed inside. “I had a feeling that you already knew about that.” She said with an uneasy feeling. All the power that they had over the city was nothing compared to that damn trashy ass newspaper. It was either against you or with you and the Grays had the pleasure of having them both. “I think you should wait awhile before you start writing about a matter that doesn’t concern you or the city.” She said.

Lynn sipped the Scotch from her glass. “Well, its entertainment isn’t it? We all know that, ‘Here’s The Tea,’ is a hit when it comes down to staying in folk’s business; especially y’all wealthy, country folks.” She grinned. “Don’t worry though; I haven’t gotten a whiff about anything else if that’s what you’re concerned about. I only print up what is being sent to me. I keep telling you, other than that, I find out my information right before the city does.”

“So, you’re gonna remain adamant about not knowing who the source is behind ‘Here’s The Tea,’ but they’re on your payroll?”  Mrs. Gray questioned.

“Yes, they’re on my payroll, but their checks are deposited into a bank account which I can’t get any information on besides routing numbers and account numbers. I keep telling you that I don’t know who sends me the information. It’s all private. I do know that the information I get though is nine times out of ten accurate.”

“So you say,” Mrs. Gray chimed in.

“Look, I just have my company print it out. Don’t shoot the messenger.” She nonchalantly stated while sipping on her Scotch.

Mrs. Gray stared at Lynn. She wasn’t someone who could be trusted. She was a conniving old witch who had nothing but hate in her heart for anybody doing well for themselves. She was lonely and enjoyed getting dirt on everybody who was somebody in the city. She probably had many different sources for ‘Here’s The Tea,’ no telling.

“It’s just close to election time and I don’t want any heat coming our way, you know. I don’t need any negative attention being spread about, especially concerning Jada Kent and my family. My boys have moved on and there is no love lost. I don’t want this city focusing on something like that. We have way more important issues out there.” She stated.

“Oh, I understand.” Lynn said as if she cared anything about Celeste and her feelings. She looked towards her desk as an alerted message informed her that a fax had just arrived.

“I know you’re a busy woman so I’ll let myself out.” Mrs. Gray said. “But please, think about it before you print untrue things about my family.”

Untrue,
Lynn thought, knowing that, ‘Here’s The Tea,’ didn’t release its gossip or speculations unless it was a true story behind it.

Mrs. Gray turned to walk out then stopped suddenly. “If you have to write about Jada Kent just leave the Gray’s out of it. I’m not asking.” She threatened with a smile then gracefully left.

It definitely wasn’t the first time that Lynn and her newspaper had been threatened, but she’d been playing a game for thirty plus years where there were no competitors allowed. She wasn’t the least bit worried. As a matter of fact, it felt good to have the clever Dr. Celeste Gray drop by her home. It only meant that the city was about to get some hot and steamy news as the smell of drama filled the air. She walked over to her fax machine pulling off the received paperwork and smiled. Indeed the drama was unfolding and Mrs. Gray had more to worry about than Jada Kent coming back to town.

***

A’keem and Seth rode around the city with the dark tinted windows rolled up and the air condition blasting cool air. Seth looked over at his cousin. “So, where are we headed now?” he asked as A’keem puffed lightly on a freshly rolled, fat blunt.

“Hell, I don’t care. I just wanted to get my license straight so I wouldn’t have to hear my mom’s mouth.” A’keem said with a strained voice as he let out a cloud of smoke then passed the blunt to Flow who was chilling in the backseat.

“So, how you say she looked again?” A’keem asked looking back at Flow.

“She looked good as hell chilling with Serenity.” Flow responded thinking about how good Serenity was looking in her tight fitted Daisy Dukes. That round ass still had him smiling.

“She was with Serenity?” Seth quickly asked.

“Yeah, they were shopping in Victoria’s Secret and shit.” Flow responded causing Seth to smile when he heard that.

“Oh yeah,” A’keem cut in. He felt a little bothered that Jada hadn’t reached out to him since she’d been home. He thought about their last encounter. Maybe it was really over, he pondered. He remembered them discussing that they’d let things be and both would walk away not ever looking back, but they’d said that before.

A’keem reached for the blunt as Flow passed it back to him. He was somewhat confused by Jada’s actions of even returning home without so much as giving him a courtesy call to say kiss my ass. She had to know that his feelings were strong for her at one point and running into her by surprise would surely do something to him. “I just don’t understand why she didn’t let me know that she was coming home. I mean, I didn’t have to see her if she didn’t want me too, but she knows better than anybody that I damn sho’ don’t like surprises.”

“She should’ve just picked up the phone and called you, point blank. Didn’t you say even Marlon knew?” Flow asked.

“Yeah, he knew because he stopped by the Kent’s house this morning to see her. You know my brother is gonna always try to be one up on me when it comes to Jada Kent.” A’keem responded, but in actuality he was already a few steps ahead.

“Damn, the kid didn’t waste any time.” Flow commented.

“I can’t blame him.” A’keem admitted. “I probably would have done the same thing if I had the chance to see her. I mean, we have a lot of history with this girl.”

Seth shook his head. “Tell me about it.” He knew all too well how the brothers had a thing for Jada ever since they were children. They’d fight over her then make up until they saw her again. It had gotten so bad that when they turned thirteen Miss Kent and Mrs. Gray had a sit down with the brother’s and Jada. Both parents made them promise to never have sex with Jada unless she was absolutely sure that she wanted to be with him or the other. The only way that would be determined was if she accepted a marriage proposal by either of the boys. A familiar promise that Eleanor Kent and Mama Gray tried to pin on Denise Kent involving the brothers, Ian and Evan Gray back in the day.

“Maybe she’s just waiting to call you.” Flow said, feeling a little bad for his homey.

“Nah, I ain’t worried. If she do then she do, and if she don’t, I’ll live.” A’keem said, but he didn’t mean it.

“That’s right Cuz,” Seth encouraged him. “Aye, its Saturday and nice as hell, let’s get out and party tonight. We can stop by the
Lion’s Den
and chunk a lil change in the air.”

“Sounds muthafuckin’ good to me,” A’keem said with his strong southern accent.

Flow nodded his head in agreement. “That’s cool with me too. Plus, Nia said that she and Regina were stopping through there too. Perfect.” He said.

“Who else is gonna be with them?”  Seth inquired. It was something about the
city
girls
that turned him on with their straightforward personalities and stylish hair weaves. He liked the way some smacked gum while talking casual shit about life. Even more so, they loved to cook and kept a nigga fed. They were so equipped with pleasing their men that they’d even clean his dick and balls with a warm soapy wash cloth after having good sex. It had to be something that only they were taught because the stuck-up, wealthy
country girls
that he knew weren’t with all that.

Country girls
were known to be Southerly classy in the streets and some sure freaks between the sheets, but waiting on a nigga to wash his nuts after sex wasn’t happening. However, the
city girls
were go getters for the
country boys
. Everybody in Rocky Spring’s knew that if a
city girl
landed a
country boy
then she was set for life.

“I think she mentioned that Regina’s cousin is coming and another one of her home girls name Pam.” Flow told Seth.

“Oh hell yea, I’m ready to go.” Seth said with a huge smile on his face. “Cuz, ain’t Regina the one who’s always hittin’ you up?”

“Yeah, that’s her thick, sexy ass. I beat it four times already and I must say that she got some good pussy. Give a brother a run for his money.”

Seth grinned, “Word.”

“She’s been saying some sweet things about you to her home girl, Nia. You know how women talk.” Flow egged on.

“Yeah, I can imagine. Last time I hit it, I’d fucked her to a slow jams CD that she’d made.” He blurted out.

“Nooooooooo,” Seth disappointedly said with a shake of the head.

“Damn, bro. You know that’s against the rules. Fucking a woman to slow music means you’re making love to them. You don’t need that heat.” Flow reminded him.

A’keem nodded his head definitely agreeing. “Yeah, you’re right.
City girls
don’t play when they feel like they’ve been played with.” He stated, remembering a lesson learned a few years prior when he’d dated two women from the city at different times. He did like them both, but in the end he didn’t see himself being with neither of them. They didn’t take the break-up too well. One cut all of his tires and keyed the hell out of his new Aston Martin. The other woman turned out even crazier. While he was paused at a stop sign she ran into the back of his father’s 2009 Ford F-150 Platinum 4-D crew cab truck in her small 1998 Maxima, only destroying the front of her car. Needless to say that didn’t stop her, because once he’d parked at an apartment complex in the city to visit a friend, she showed up. She destroyed his father’s truck, and then spray painted it with the words,
your son is a whore
! It looked like it was written at least ten times in big bold, runny red letters.

Seth pulled up to The Gray’s family estate which was known as the big house where Mama Gray lived. The guys exited the car after Seth had parked in the long driveway leading up to the mansion. Seth immediately headed inside the house to use the bathroom leaving Flow and A’keem outside.

A’keem looked over at Flow while leaning against Seth’s black Range Rover. “You think I ought to stop by there?” He asked still thinking about Jada.

“I think you should if it’s on your mind like that.”

“I don’t know bro. Maybe I should just leave her be. You know if she wanted me to know that she was back she would’ve called.” He said.

Flow fired up a Newport. “Yeah, I feel you.”