The Savvy Sistahs (16 page)

“Do you know Mr. Devereau?” he asked, and had a feeling she did even before she answered.

Carla nodded slowly. “Yes, Stanley, I know him.”

The next morning

Carla picked up the phone. “Yes?”

“Have you seen the newspaper this morning?” Brandy asked quickly.

Carla raised a brow. “No, I just brought it in but haven’t had a chance to open it yet. Why?”

“Open it, read it, and call me back.”

Carla frowned. Whatever Brandy wanted her to see had to be important. “All right.” Hanging up the phone she reached for the paper on the table and opened it. She inhaled sharply when she saw the headline on the front page of the Orlando Sentinel.

Wealthy West Coast Industrialist sets sights on Osborne Computer Network

After completely reading the article, Carla angrily tossed it aside. Jesse wasn’t wasting any time letting his intentions be known, which left her at a disadvantage since she hadn’t made any type of announcement to her employees. Seeing the article in the newspaper was a lousy way for them to find out that their jobs might be in jeopardy. To counteract the damage caused by the newspaper article, she would schedule a meeting with all of her employees once she got to work and follow it up with a brief press conference.

But what really tore her heart in two was the statement in the newspaper that her mother had sold her shares to Jesse, thus giving him enough shares in the company to control it. Angry beyond belief, Carla picked up the phone to call her mother only to be told moments later by Charles, her mother’s second husband, that Madeline had left that morning for Memphis and he didn’t expect her back for least three days. Carla hung up the phone thinking,
How convenient
, but she intended to confront her mother when she returned.

Although they were not what one would consider close, nevertheless Madeline was still her mother, and as far as Carla was concerned that constituted some sort of loyalty. But her mother had betrayed her and had turned her back on her in the worst possible way. She had literally yanked from under Carla’s feet any financial stability she’d had for herself and Craig.

Carla inhaled deeply as she picked up the phone to call Brandy back as she’d promised she would. She needed the support of her friends now more than ever.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray,
and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
Psalms 55:17

Chapter 14

T
he three women in Amber’s office stood in a circle, their hands joined and their heads bowed in prayer.

The sistah-circle.

They had always encouraged and uplifted each other, been supportive of one another, and in times like these they had also been there to pray together.

Today was a day to celebrate Amber’s success, the second anniversary of Amber’s Books and Gifts. It was also a day for the three of them to focus on their current trials and tribulations and to thank God for their friendship and faith, and to ask Him for the strength to endure whatever lay ahead and to keep their spirits high. They also asked for protection, guidance, and Divine intervention. They knew the power of prayer. It worked wonders and a person’s prayers did get answered. Brandy, Carla and Amber admitted to being living witnesses of that fact.

When the praying was finished they hugged and cried while reaffirming their love for each other, their friendship and bond, and most importantly their faith and belief that no matter what, their Father would never forsake them.

Grey stood leaning against a bookcase with a steady eye on the closed office door. As soon as he and Brandy had arrived, Brandy and her two girlfriends had gone inside and closed the door behind them. That had been over twenty minutes ago and he was beginning to wonder just what was taking so long. There couldn’t be that much talking in the world. He then remembered just how much yakking went on whenever the females in the Masters family got together and reclaimed that thought.

He glanced around the room. More people had arrived and most had headed straight for the tables that were loaded down with food and punch. He checked his watch again. Once Brandy came out he intended to stick to her like glue. That last note had him edgy, pissed off and in the ripe old mood to hit somebody just for the hell of it.

The call he’d gotten earlier from the Bureau in D.C. hadn’t helped matters. The lead, which had looked promising yesterday, was now a dead end and he wasn’t too thrilled about that. He sighed deeply. There had to be something that he was overlooking. Something was staring him straight in the face that was so damn obvious and simple he just couldn’t see it for shuffling through the more complicated stuff.

He had questioned Brandy’s secretary, subtly of course, to find out how she’d come in possession of that letter. The forever cheerful Donna Fields had told him that Perry Hall, the security manager, had given it to her to pass on to Ms. Bennett. Quickly following that lead he had then spoken directly with Hall, who seemed just a little bit annoyed that he was asking him anything. Grey had lied, saying that Brandy wanted to know where the letter had come from in order to thank the person who’d sent it, but unfortunately there was no return address. Hall had simply shrugged and said that someone had placed the letter in his mail slot by mistake, which was the reason he had given it to Donna Fields to pass on to Brandy.

For some reason, there had been something about the entire scenario that didn’t sit well with Grey. Another thing he found rather interesting was that the man he’d hired to keep a close watch on Thomas Reynolds had reported that on occasion Reynolds would drive out of his way to the hotel after closing his restaurant. He would circle the parking lot just to see if Brandy’s car was parked in its usual spot. That information didn’t sit too well with Grey, either.

Before his thoughts could darken any further, the office door opened and the three women walked out. Each one could be considered gorgeous. They were women who could take a man’s breath away just by entering a room, women who looked like they meant what they said and said what they meant and dared you to think differently, women who enjoyed good times but knew how to deal with the bad. To his way of thinking, there was only one word to describe the kind of women they were.

Savvy.

His gaze locked on one in particular. Brandy Bennett could make his blood heat without even trying. He swallowed deeply. Now was not the time for his thoughts to turn sexual. He needed to stay focused and keep his mind on getting the case solved and not think on how to get between Brandy’s legs. But damn if the thought didn’t constantly cross his mind.

A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard again when she glanced over in his direction. She was staring at him like there was a possibility she would need to be kissed senseless again. Soon. Maybe even right now.

He could handle that.

Grey wondered, if he breathed in deeply enough would he be able to smell her scent? As he watched, Brandy excused herself from her friends to walk over to him. The woman had a pair of legs that made him want to weep. And her skin was awfully soft too, he thought, as a flare of heat shimmered through him.

He wondered if he could convince her that tonight they needed to move beyond the kissing stage. In fact, he was game to go back to the hotel and strip naked right now if she was. He shook his head, wondering if he had suddenly lost it. He needed to concentrate on keeping her safe and not getting her in bed. Hell, getting her, period.

“Hi, Grey.”

“Brandy,” he acknowledged, trying to keep his gaze on her eyes and not let it drift lower to her lips. “For a moment I was beginning to wonder if I would have to come in there after you,” he said, reaching out and tucking a wayward braid behind her ear. “Must have been some discussion.”

“We weren’t talking.”

He lifted a brow. “You weren’t?”

“No.”

“You mean the three of you were locked up in that office all that time and weren’t doing any talking?”

“Yes.”

“Then what on earth were you doing?”

“Praying.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise. Everyone had some kind of beliefs but he hadn’t expected her to be the pray-every-day-wherever-you-are kind, and found that rather interesting. He cleared his throat and asked, “Think it will help?”

She smiled at him, the kind of smile that made him appreciate being a man and doubly appreciate her being a woman, and said, “Of course. Prayer always helps. I’m a living witness of that.”

He started to tell her that he was, too. As an agent he had come close to death numerous times and had had to pray himself out of several sticky situations.

Moments later Brandy said, “When I first arrived, I was really worried about Carla, especially after what I read in this morning’s paper. But now I know in my heart that she’ll be fine and things will somehow work out for her.”

Grey nodded. He decided not to tell her that he didn’t share her optimism. He had also read the article in the newspaper that morning and it didn’t look good. Whether Brandy wanted to accept it or not, Carla Osborne was about to lose her company.

“This place is getting crowded. Amber has to be pleased with this turnout.”

Grey nodded again, wondering how soon he could let her know that he would be
pleased
if they were to head back over to the hotel.

“Ready to mingle, Grey?”

He sighed deeply. Evidently her thoughts weren’t riding the same range as his. In fact they weren’t even close. “I’m ready when you are.”

Together they moved into the crowd and with every step Brandy took, Grey was right by her side.

Amber’s heart began pounding and her pulse began racing when the crowd shifted and she spotted Cord Jeffries.

He had come.

And he was staring right at her. A shudder swept through her under his gaze and she wondered if he felt it. She tilted her head back to continue to make eye contact. His eyes were dark, totally electrifying, and oh so sexy. He was standing next to the table with a cup of punch in one hand and a cookie in the other. It was one of the cookies that she had baked herself, carefully following the recipe her sister had given her the week before. It was a long-standing joke in her family that she couldn’t cook and that anyone eating her food would be at risk, but she had been proud of how the peanut butter cookies had turned out and Cord seemed to be really enjoying his.

She thought it was a total turn-on to watch him nibble the cookie and wondered if he would nibble on her flesh the same way if given the chance. Ever since that first day he had walked into her shop she’d been trying to convince herself that she wasn’t interested in a relationship, and even if she were, she lacked the confidence to handle a man like Cord Jeffries. He had the ability to make heat flare all through her with just a smile and a glance. She didn’t even want to think what his touch would do.

As she continued to watch him, deciding at some point she needed to start mingling with her guests, she saw him wipe his brow several times like he was getting extremely hot. Then he slowly loosened his tie.

Her eyes widened with concern when the empty punch cup dropped to the floor and he suddenly seemed unsteady on his feet, almost to the point of staggering backward.

She made a move to cross the room to him but found she hadn’t been quick enough. He tried to grab hold of something to keep from falling but instead got thin air. Horrified, Amber watched as Cord Jeffries gave up trying to stand and crumpled lifelessly to the floor.

Chapter 15

C
arla took off her shoes the moment she entered her house. Now if she could only get rid of her headache just as easily, she thought, as she immediately headed to her son’s room. She felt an overwhelming sense of love when she entered and found him asleep in bed cuddling the stuffed animal Sonya had given him last Christmas.

Her gaze then shifted to Mrs. Boston, who was asleep in the rocking chair not far away from the bed. Her hands were still clutching the book she’d evidently been reading from when both she and Craig had fallen asleep.

A shudder suddenly passed through Carla when she remembered the look on Jesse’s face that day when he had left her office. She was smart enough to know she had pushed him too far and now he was deliberately trying to hurt her. The question of the hour was, just how far would he go? He had already set the wheels in motion to take over her company, and she wondered what was next. Would he try and gain custody of Craig?

Her anger defused at the thought. There was no way on God’s green earth she would let him or anyone take her baby away from her. She would fight him with everything she owned before she let that happen. She would mortgage her house twenty times over if it was necessary. Craig meant everything to her and she would not lose him. He was her life and she would do anything to keep him.

Walking closer to the bed she glanced down on him. The glow from the nightlight illuminated his features. Even in sleep he looked so much like Jesse it was uncanny. Even if she had lied and said Craig was not his son, all it would take was for Jesse to see him and it would be obvious.

“Carla? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon,” Mrs. Boston’s whispered voice floated across the room.

Carla smiled softly over at the woman who had awaken. “Yes, well it’s been a very tiring day. Come join me in a cup of coffee before you leave. I need to talk with you about a few things.”

Mrs. Boston had to make a stop at the bathroom and Carla used that time to call Amber’s bookstore to see if there was any update on the condition of the man who had passed out in Amber’s shop.

Brandy’s bodyguard had swung into action and had done what was necessary while someone had the good sense to call 911. Amber had gotten so upset that she’d left the anniversary celebration to follow the ambulance to the hospital. Brandy and Grey Masters had followed in their car. Carla hoped the guy was okay, especially after finding out that he was the same man Amber had talked to her about that night. It was plain to see that Amber didn’t consider him just an ordinary customer.

By the time Carla had the coffeemaker going, Mrs. Boston walked into the kitchen with a concerned look on her face. “You look tired, child. You need to get more rest.”

Carla nodded. If she looked tired now she didn’t want to think how she would be looking a few weeks from now while standing in the unemployment line. “I’ll be fine Mrs. Boston, and thanks for your concern.”

“Well, the way I see it, your mama should be here with you. That’s what family is for at times like these. I still can’t believe she turned her back on you that way by selling that stock. I read the article in the newspaper this morning and then watched you at that press conference on television. My heart just wanted to bleed. Your daddy has probably been rolling over in his grave all day.”

Carla couldn’t help but smile because she had thought the same thing several times today. In fact she had thought of her father a lot lately. She missed him so much and always would. She reached out and gently touched the other woman’s hand.“Well,no matter what,I believe everything will be okay. But Jesse Devereau is making it difficult and that’s what I want to talk with you about.”

Mrs. Boston nodded as she took a seat at the table while Carla poured them both a cup of coffee. Carla glanced down at the older woman who had always been there for her. She then thought of her friends who were there for her now.

Carla joined Mrs. Boston at the table. “If you read this morning’s paper and saw my news conference then you know that this wealthy industrialist has acquired all the shares he needs to take over Osborne Computer Network.”

The older woman nodded. “Yes, and I can’t believe your own mother sold him those shares to help him do it.”

Carla inhaled deeply. She still was having a hard time accepting it herself.

“And who is this man who’s taking over your company?” Mrs. Boston asked, interrupting Carla thoughts. “Where on earth did he come from? And for him to have that much money, why haven’t I heard of him before? He certainly hasn’t been featured in
Jet
magazine.”

Carla’s couldn’t stop the small smile that touched her lips. Next to the Bible, Mrs. Boston considered
Jet
magazine as gospel. But to be quite honest, she hadn’t known Jesse was all that rich either.

“He does all of his business mainly on the West Coast.”

Mrs. Boston frowned. “The West Coast? Well, as far as I’m concerned he should have stayed out there. The nerve of him coming south and messing with your company.”

Carla took another sip of her coffee before saying. “Mr. Devereau has what he considers a good reason for what he’s doing.”

Mrs. Boston lifted a brow. “And what reason is that?”

“Anger. He’s pretty upset with me right now.”

Mrs. Boston’s brow lifted even higher. “And why is he upset with you?”

Carla sighed deeply. “Because I refused to tell him what he wanted to know about Craig.”

The other woman leaned closer. “And what did he want to know about Craig?”

Like her mother, Mrs. Boston had no idea who had fathered Craig. The only persons who knew were Sonya, Brandy, and Amber. “He confronted me on two different occasions and asked if Craig was his son.”

Mrs. Boston’s other brow lifted and she sat back in her chair. “Is he? Is that man Craig’s daddy?”

Carla moistened her suddenly dry mouth before saying, “Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell him?” Mrs. Boston asked softly.

Carla lifted her chin. “Because he doesn’t need to know. He lied to me that night.”

Tilting her head to the side, Mrs. Boston smiled sadly, knowingly. “And you’ve hardened your heart.”

Carla closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that she had. From that one night she had fallen hard for Jesse, and then to find out he’d lied to her had hurt. To him it may have been just a one-night stand, but to her it had been more until she’d discovered he had lied. A wave of pain swept through her and tears she couldn’t contain any longer clouded her eyes.

Mrs. Boston reached out and captured Carla’s hand in hers. “I believe in my heart that everything will work out for you, Carla. I do believe that.”

Amber paced back and forth in the hospital’s waiting room while Grey and Brandy sat on the sofa and watched her. It had been two full hours since Cord has been admitted and they still didn’t know how he was doing.

“Are you sure she just met this guy?” Grey leaned over and whispered to Brandy.

Brandy nodded as she continued to watch Amber’s agitated pacing. “Yes. According to Carla, he’s someone who started coming into the shop a few weeks ago. Evidently, he’s a valued customer that she’s really concerned about.”

Grey chuckled. “Yeah. Right. There’s concern and then there is concern. If you ask me, she’s taking this particular customer’s well being to a whole new level.”

Brandy nodded. Grey was certainly right about that. She had never seen Amber this upset over anyone—especially when that person was a male. Like her and Carla, Amber had placed her full concentration on establishing her business and making it successful than on building a relationship with a man.

A few minutes later, a doctor in a white coat came through the double doors that separated the visitors from the hospital employees. “Who’s a relative of Cord Jeffries?”

Amber immediately stepped forward. “I am.”

The doctor nodded and then asked.“And what is your relationship?”

Amber blinked. “Excuse me?”

The doctor raised a brow. “I asked what is your relationship to Mr. Jeffries. Are you his sister, wife, cousin, fiancée…?”

“Uh, I’m his fiancée.” As soon as Amber said the lie, she turned and met Brandy’s shocked expression and decided she couldn’t worry about that now. She quickly turned back to the doctor. “How is he?”

“Nothing that a few days of rest won’t cure. It seems your fiané passed out from sheer exhaustion.”

Amber raised a brow. “Exhaustion?”

“Yes, he’s evidently been working himself to death and hasn’t been eating properly. Your man needs to take better care of himself.”

Amber nodded. “And you’re sure that’s the real reason he passed out?”

The doctor looked at her confused. “Yes. Why? Do you have another diagnosis that you want me to share with me?”

Amber shrugged. “Well…he was eating a cookie at the time he passed out. One that I baked.”

The doctor looked at her for a long moment as if expecting her to tell him more and when she didn’t he said. “And your point?”

“I can’t cook.”

The doctor chuckled. “Don’t feel bad—neither can my wife, but it hasn’t killed me yet. Your cookies had nothing to do with him passing out. In fact, from the look of things, your cookie is probably the only meal he’s had all day. He hasn’t been doing a good job of eating the right foods and what happened today is his body’s way of telling him that he needs to make an improvement. Things might be worse for him the next time. If I were you, young lady, I would make sure he does whatever he has to do to improve.”

Amber nodded. “Is he awake? Can I visit him?”

“I gave him something to make him sleep for a while. Forced rest you might say. And I’ll be releasing him in the morning if his regular doctor, Dr. Phillips agrees. It’s my understanding that Dr. Phillips is of town on business but will return later tonight.”

“Can I see Cord now?” Amber asked, hopefully.

“Like I said, he’s sleeping, but I guess you won’t be satisfied until you see for yourself that he’s fine, right?”

“Right.”

The doctor smiled. “It’s refreshing to see a woman who’s concerned about the man she loves. I’ll make sure the nurse knows I’ve given your permission to see him for as long as you want. I’ll even have the nurse bring a cot in for you in case you want to stay all night. That way you’ll be there whenever he wakes up. I’m sure he’ll want to see you.”

“Thanks, Doctor.”

“You’re welcome and good luck to you and your young man,” the doctor said. He then asked, “Have the two of you set a wedding date?”

Amber swallowed as she felt her nose getting longer with each lie she told. “No, sir.”

“Well, don’t wait too long.”

“We won’t.”

As soon as the doctor was no longer in sight, Amber glanced up and saw Brandy and Grey Masters approaching.

“Excuse me and Amber for just a minute, Grey.” Brandy then firmly took Amber’s hand and pulled her to the other side of the waiting room. “What’s going on? Why did you tell the doctor that you’re Cord Jeffries’ fiancé? I almost choked on my Coke when you said that.”

Amber shrugged. “That’s the only way he was going to give me any information, and I needed to make sure the reason Cord is here isn’t my fault.”

Brandy raised a brow. “You mean that thing with the cookie?” she asked, since she’d heard every word of Amber’s conversation with the doctor. So had Grey.

“Yes. And I’m still not sure my cookie isn’t what did him in. You know that I can’t cook.”

Brandy nodded. Yes, she did know that. “Yeah, but only because you’ve never had a reason to try. There was no reason for you to learn how when your mom enjoyed doing all of the cooking, right?”

“Right.”

“And cookies are rather easy and you did follow the recipe, right?”

“Right.”

“And the doctor did say Jeffries passed out from exhaustion and not from eating your cookie, right?”

“Right. But I have to make sure, Brandy. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if there’s still doubt in my mind. And that doubt won’t be erased until I can speak with Cord’s own personal physician tomorrow.”

Brandy crossed her arms over her chest, determined to make Amber see reason. “And what if, in the meantime, his family shows up? How will you explain your existence?”

“That won’t happen. In an earlier conversation we had, he happened to mention he has no family.”

“What about a girlfriend? What if he really does have a fiancée and she arrives and finds out that you’re impersonating her? Hell, she might be ready to kick your butt and not only are you not a cook but you’re also not a fighter.”

Amber hadn’t thought of the possibility that there might be a woman in Cord’s life and she really should have. Men who looked like him normally wasn’t footloose and fancy free. “That’s a chance I’ll have to take.”

Brandy shook her head. “And you’re actually going to spend the night?”

“Yes. Please give Jennifer and Eileen a call and let them know I’m still at the hospital and to close things up for me.”

Brandy took a long, hard look at her friend. “Are you sure about this, Amber?”

Amber didn’t hesitate in answering. “Yes, I’m sure. Just be here to give me support, no matter what.”

“Oh, girl,” Brandy said, giving her friend a sistah hug. “You know I will. And I’ll call Carla when I get home to give her another update. But Lord knows she has enough troubles of her own to deal with right now. Looks like we all do. But we shall overcome won’t we?”

Amber smiled as she clasped Brandy’s hand firmly in hers. “Yes, we will certainly do that. We have to keep the faith.”