Too Little, Too Late (25 page)

A
LEXIS SHUT HER OFFICE DOOR
, glanced at the message, and dialed the number.

After they exchanged hellos, Hosea said, “I was hoping you’d call me back.”

“Honestly, I was curious. I was surprised to get your message yesterday.”

“I hope you don’t mind my calling.”

“I’m actually glad you did.”

Then they shared a strangers’ silence. Awkward. As if neither knew what to say next.

Hosea jumped in first. “I wanted to check on you. Make sure that you’re okay.”

“Would you like to get together?” she blurted out, then wondered if he was as surprised as she was by her invitation. “There are a few things…I just want to know…”

“Sure.”

She smiled when she heard his smile. The wall between the strangers came tumbling down.

He said, “Got any plans tonight?”

“I do now.”

“What about meeting at one of my favorite restaurants. Ever heard of Heroes?”

She paused. His favorite restaurant was hers. She remembered all the times Brian had taken her there—for birthdays, anniversaries, so many wonderful celebrations.

And tonight was certain to be a special occasion. She was having dinner with the man who had the sad fortune of being married to Jasmine Larson.

“Heroes will be great,” she said.

They made plans to meet at eight, and Alexis hung up feeling better than she had in a week.

J
ASMINE’S HANDS TOUCHED THE GOLDEN
bar across the smoked-glass door of the Wellness Center. It was hard not to think about the last time she’d entered this building.

She didn’t exactly remember how many years ago it had been, but she did remember her mission then. To become Dr. Jefferson Blake’s wife. The only problem was he was already married. To Kyla, her best friend for over thirty years.

She shuddered.
What was I thinking?
Swinging the door open, she put those thoughts and that past behind her.

Good thing she’d been changed.

At the welcome desk, the receptionist asked her name and when she told her, the woman popped up from her seat. “Mrs. Bush,” she spoke quickly. “Dr. Lewis asked me to walk you back to his office right away.”

Jasmine smirked as she trailed behind her escort down the long hall. If he could have, she was sure that Brian would have met her in the alley behind the clinic at midnight. As it was, he was not happy about this meeting.

“What can I do for you, Jasmine?” he had asked when he called her back less than ten minutes after she’d left the message.

“I need to see you.”

“For what?”

“So that we can talk about my husband and your wife. They’re seeing each other.”

He had paused. “No they’re not.”

“Yes, they are. Look, I’m not going to discuss this on the phone.”

It had taken some time, but Brian finally agreed to meet.

“Not in public,” he demanded.

At first, she’d been insulted. But then, she’d calmed, knowing Brian was right. Their last public meeting didn’t fare well and neither one of them wanted Alexis—or Hosea—barging in on them.

So when he’d suggested the clinic, she’d asked, “What about Jefferson?”

“He’s out of the office this afternoon. No one here knows you.”

The receptionist tapped on the door once, then stepped aside.

Behind the desk, Brian stood, and Jasmine took a quick breath. The last time she’d seen him, she’d been standing in the middle of her family. And he’d been the enemy.

But now as she heard the door close behind her, Brian didn’t look like the adversary she remembered. He looked like the man who—with his hands, and lips, and all his other parts—had given her bouts of pleasure that she could not deny.

She blinked those memories away. Because with that pleasure came pain.

Why am I thinking about him like that anyway?
She despised this man.

She said, “We have a problem,” with as much attitude as she could muster.

“Hello to you, too, Jasmine,” he said, taking a seat behind his desk.

“There’s no need to be nice, Brian.” She sat across from him. “If you don’t believe we have a problem, all you have to do is remember the way Hosea and Alexis looked at each other the day she found out…”

If she hadn’t been so afraid of losing her husband, Jasmine would have been pleased with the shadow of doom that cast over Brian’s face as he pushed himself from his desk and ambled toward the window. But she found no joy in his sorrow. His pain was hers too.

Still, she gave him no time to recover. “I found Alexis’s number in Hosea’s phone.”

“That doesn’t mean a thing,” he said without looking at her.

“He’s called her twice. Yesterday.”

She couldn’t see his face, but she could almost feel the heat rising beneath his skin.

She said, “So what are we going to do about this?”

He shrugged. “What can we do?”

Jasmine rolled her eyes. She could not believe he wasn’t ready with a battle plan to win this war. She marched to where he stood. “You need to talk to your wife,” she demanded. “Keep her away from my husband.”

He faced her, but at first, he said nothing. His eyes wandered over her for seconds and now it was heat that rose beneath
her
skin.

She took a deep breath, tried to calm and cool herself. Tried not to pay a bit of attention to how the air-conditioned office had warmed.

Finally, he said, “What am I supposed to do? Alexis is a grown woman.”

His tone sounded as if he’d given up. But Jasmine had no intention of being denied. “You can’t control your wife?” she taunted him.

He stepped closer to her, fought back. “No more than you can control your husband.”

“Look, Brian,” she said, holding her place, not caring that only inches of hot air were between them. “Both Alexis and Hosea feel betrayed. And that makes them vulnerable. If we don’t do something, a week from now, you’ll be singing, ‘She used to be my girl.’”

He glared at her. “This is your fault.”

She reared back. “My fault?” Crossed her arms. “You must’ve forgotten.” Her neck moved with each word. “All those times that you came after me? You should have just left me alone!”

He said, “And you shouldn’t have gotten pregnant,” with as much anger as she had.

She laughed, with no humor. “Both of us were there, Brian. You need to step back and remember.”

Silence.

And in the passing seconds, they both remembered.

Jasmine was not sure what happened next. She wasn’t sure if he had leaned into her. Or if she had fallen into his arms.

But their lips met. And then, their tongues. And then, their hands. Touching, fondling, stroking like all those times before that had brought them now to this place of trouble.

Jasmine could barely breathe, could hardly think. Could not push away.

She wanted more.

And Brian held her like he wanted the same.

His hands moved to the straps on her sundress, slipping them from her shoulder. Then, his tongue followed.

She moaned, and held him tighter.

Then…a sound. But not from him.

A knock. Then another.

And the door slowly opened.

Brian jumped two feet away from Jasmine. But not in time.

“Brian, I was just checking on—”

Kyla stopped. Stared at Jasmine. Then turned her glare to Brian. Her eyes were flashing with fury when she turned back to Jasmine. “What are you doing here?”

Jasmine’s head was pounding hard, just like her heart. But as if nothing was going on, she said, “Hey, Kyla,” because she couldn’t think of anything else to say to the woman whose husband she’d tried to seduce into more than a one-night affair. To the woman who was once a best friend, but now was an enemy.

Jasmine straightened her dress, then grabbed her purse. She turned to Brian. Her plan had been to give him a last warning—about her husband and his wife. But when she looked at him, all she could see were his lips.

With the back of her hand, she wiped away his taste from her mouth, brushed past Kyla, and without a good-bye, dashed from the room.

“B
RIAN
! W
HAT WERE YOU DOING
!” Kyla demanded to know.

He held up his hands. “It’s not what you think.”

She snatched a tissue from her purse, waved it in the air. “You need to wipe Jasmine’s lipstick from your mouth.” She tossed the tissue and it floated toward his desk. “And then tell me that nothing happened.”

He picked up the tissue, wiped the ginger-berry gloss from his lips, and sank into his chair. He held his head in his hands.

“Brian,” she said softly. “What are you doing with Jasmine?”

He couldn’t look up. Couldn’t stand to see the tears he heard in her voice that matched the ones in his heart.

She said, “I thought you were trying to work things out with Alex.”

“I am.” It took strength and courage to raise his head. “Kyla, please. I’m telling you. I love Alexis. There’s nothing…going on with me and Jasmine.”

“That’s not the way it looked to me.”

“
She
kissed
me,
” he said, wanting to believe that. “I was pushing her away when you walked in.”

Kyla folded her arms, twisted her lips.

He continued his defense, “I was so shocked I just stood there for a moment. But then I pushed her away. I was just asking her what that was about when you came in.”

She stared him down.

“You’ve got to believe me.”

“It’s hard to do that with what I saw.”

“But I’m telling the truth. It was Jasmine—she came on to me.”

He could tell that she was considering his words. She had to—all she had to do was remember how Jasmine had trapped her husband, and she would know that the same had just happened to him.

“What was she doing here?” she asked.

He swallowed. “I…don’t know. She said something about Alexis and Hosea getting together, getting hooked up.”

“What!”

“That’s what I said. I think it was just a trick to come to the office.” He paused. “Kyla, you’ve got to believe me.”

Seconds passed, then slowly, she nodded.

He took a deep breath. “I know this is a lot to ask, but…please don’t say anything to Alexis.”

She crossed her arms. “I can’t make that promise. She’s my friend.”

“I know,” he said quickly. “But I really want to work things out and if you tell her this…there’ll be no chance.”

She took a deep breath. Stood silently, contemplating.

And Brian prayed. Prayed that she wouldn’t tell Alexis, but prayed even harder that God could make him understand what had just happened. He didn’t even like Jasmine.

That woman is the devil.

He couldn’t believe she had leaned into him. Put her arms around him like that. Pressed her lips into his.

At least that’s the way he remembered it.

“Kyla, please,” he begged again.

She exhaled a long breath. “I won’t say anything to Alexis,”

Now he breathed, but she only gave him a short reprieve.

“But if you hurt her, Brian—”

“I won’t. I’m telling you, I love her.”

She nodded. “I don’t know why, but I believe you.”

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. You get only this one shot from me.” She leaned over his desk. Glared at him, said, “If I ever see you with Jasmine again and Alexis doesn’t know about it, I’ll make sure your marriage is over.”

Brian pushed back in his chair a bit. This was not the Kyla he’d come to know over the years. Kyla Blake was always the gentle, kind, too nice, too sweet woman who loved everyone.

But there was no kind of love in her eyes right now. Instead, her gaze burned right through him with her rage, with her threat.

He swallowed, sufficiently admonished. “I won’t see Jasmine again.”

She stepped back. Nodded. Her point made. “I’m going to buy a little insurance.”

He frowned. “What does that mean?”

She swung her purse over her shoulder. “I’m going to make sure that Jasmine stays away and in the process, it might just be time for a little payback.”

She was gone before he could ask her anything more. Not that he wanted to know. At that moment, all he wanted to do was stay far away from Kyla Blake.

H
OSEA WAS SUCH A GENTLEMAN
.

That was Alexis’s thought as he stood when she was led to their table. He held her chair, waited for her to sit.

A gentleman.

Just like Brian.

She shoved Brian out of her thoughts. He didn’t belong there. Instead, she smiled at Hosea as if he were her new best friend. “Thanks for meeting me.”

“No problem,” he said, taking the menu from the hostess. “Have you been here before?”

She pushed those before times from her mind. “Yeah.” She glanced at the menu that she already knew by heart. “I’m not really hungry. I think I’m just gonna have a glass of wine.”

“Not on an empty stomach.” Hosea gave their waiter the order for appetizers—the Blackened Shrimp Cocktail and Filet Mignon Carpaccio. Then ordered a Coke for himself and wine for Alexis.

When the waiter left them alone, she said, “Can we get right to this, or do we have to go through all the niceties?”

He laughed. “This is your party. Whatever, however.”

She inhaled, ready to let loose a stream of questions. But she asked only, “How did you stay with Jasmine after you found out about their affair?”

He sat back, crossed his legs. “It happened before we were married,” he said, just stating the fact. “We weren’t even engaged.”

“But the baby—”

She recognized the pain that wrinkled his face. She had a matching ache in her heart.

“At first, I thought she was mine. But Jasmine told me the truth—”

“
She
told you the truth? What did you do? Hold a gun to her head?”

He shook his head a little like he didn’t approve of her words. “She told me that you two weren’t big friends.”

“More like big enemies. Especially now.” The waiter had barely placed the food and her glass in front of her before Alexis took a sip. Then another. And another.

Hosea slipped a shrimp onto his fork, but she pushed her own plate aside. Pulled her wine closer. “So,” she began, “the baby didn’t make you freak out?”

He nodded as he chewed. “At first, I did. We’d been married for six months when I found out and left. I tried to get our marriage annulled right then. But God got in the way. He got all in my head, and the whole time I was away, He let me know that I was messing up His program. He badgered me until I went back to my wife.” He shrugged. “Since then, we’ve been making it work.”

“So, you just thought about God, and now you’re over it?”

She could see his pain rise again. “Far from it. Don’t know if I’ve gotten over it or if I’ll ever learn to live with it. It’s hard at times, but all I have to do is look at Jacquie—”

“That’s her name?”

“Yes,” he said with pride. “Jacqueline, the best thing in my life.” He paused, and then an afterthought, “Along with my wife.”

She squinted, trying to see him better. “I don’t know how you still love Jasmine.”

“It’s a love that comes from God.” He looked as if he was thinking about his own words. “You and Brian…how are you doing with this?”

“Can you spell divorce?” She emptied the wine that remained in her glass, then motioned to the waiter for another.

He said, “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s where God’s leading you?”

She shrugged. “I haven’t spent a lot of time talking to Him about this. Guess you can say I’m kinda pissed off He let this happen.”

“Can’t blame God for our mistakes, but I know how you feel. Believe me, I was in the same place.” Hosea sat back as if he needed a moment of thought. As if he wondered if he was still in that place. “Look, I’m not a fan of your husband,” he started again, “but if God put you and Brian together, you’ve got to find a way to work it out. No man, no woman, no situation, no circumstance…not even a child should tear you apart, if it’s about God.”

Alexis peered at him closer. Wondered if this man was for real.

She’d always been so skeptical about men. Yes, Kyla had Jefferson, but even he—the good doctor, loving husband, doting father, man of God—had cheated. There was her father and his hobby—cheating. And the men she dated from her teens to her thirties. All cheaters. A good man—that was an oxymoron.

Then she met Brian.

Her knight had been married before, had fathered two sons. So if not even children could keep him and his wife together, then something had gone wrong. He’d said irreconcilable differences. She’d wondered if that was code for “I cheated.” But he’d convinced her that he was the man God had chosen for her. And if that was the case, surely he could be trusted. For five years, that fantasy had been her truth.

But for five years he’d cheated on her over and over in the name of addiction. Made her know for sure that there were no good men.

Except for this one who sat across from her. Hosea Bush, who talked about God and forgiveness even in the midst of this madness.

She took a sip from her fresh glass and wondered if Hosea had ever cheated. If he had ever thought about cheating. Wished that he had. Wished that Jasmine could feel the kind of hurt that she wreaked on the rest of the world.

“Jasmine doesn’t deserve you,” she said when she finally put her wine glass down.

“There are lots of things I don’t deserve, but I thank God for His grace and even more so, for His mercy. Remember that, and you and your husband will have a starting point.”

She smiled, but inside she was shaking her head. That part of her life was over. She was just here, just talking, because she was curious.

“Tell me about Jacqueline.”

His smile erased all of his pain. “She’s a wonderful child. Has this great personality. Very inquisitive. Wants to know about the world. I’m sure she’s going to be the one to find a cure for cancer and AIDS. And after she finishes with that, she’ll be the first black female president, right before she flies for NASA and leads a space station on the moon.”

Alexis laughed. “She’s that special, huh?”

He nodded, but then his smile went away. “I know this is hard, Alexis, but remember that in the middle of this, God created a bright life. God has to have a reason. I can’t believe that Jacqueline’s here to tear you and Brian apart.”

Alexis sighed. “I don’t know how Jasmine does it. She always gets the perfect man.”

“I’m sure she dated some duds.”

“Doesn’t matter who she’s dated. All that matters is who she married. And when it comes to getting the ring, she’s two for two for the good guys. Two great men married her.”

Hosea frowned. “Two great men?”

“Yeah.” Alexis chuckled. “What did she tell you about Kenny? Did she say that her first husband was a dud?”

Hosea grabbed his glass, took a sip, then returned the soda to the table. Spoke slowly, softly, “She doesn’t talk much about her…first husband.”

“I don’t know why. Kenny was as great as you seem to be.” She sipped more wine. “But I guess it’s never a good idea to talk about the ex with the next, huh?”

“That’s what Jasmine says.” Hosea rested his arms on the table. “But I’ve always been a bit curious…about Kenny. How long were they married?”

Alexis squinted, trying to recall. “I can’t remember, exactly.” She took another sip of wine. “Ten, no, more like fifteen years.”

“Why did they divorce?”

She drank more wine. “I don’t know, but I’m sure it was her fault.” She took another sip. “She never told you any of this?”

“Yeah, yeah, she did. But I like to get different perspectives.”

“I don’t like your wife, but I could learn something from her on how to marry a good man.”

Hosea leaned back from the table and Alexis paused, peered at him through foggy eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Seems like I upset you.”

“Not at all.”

“Guess I shouldn’t be talking about your wife this way.”

“You have no idea how glad I am that we had this talk.”

She finished the rest of her wine, then stared at the bottom of her empty glass. “Maybe I should have another one.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

She looked up. Studied him for passing seconds. “Maybe you should come home with me.”

It was his turn to let seconds go by. Without a bit of judgment, he said, “Maybe I shouldn’t.”

She shrugged. “Can’t fault a girl for trying. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, though. I don’t usually invite men home with me.”

His face was soft with compassion. “I know that.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t know me. But I just thought after spending a night with you, I might be able to do a little of that forgiving you’re talking about.”

He smiled, said nothing.

“And maybe we could have a baby of our own.” She leaned back and laughed, a bit loudly. “That would fix ’em, huh?” But just as quickly, her sadness returned. “Brian and I never had any children.”

“Do you want to talk about that?”

She shrugged. “No. Yes.” She sighed. “Brian already has two sons that he hardly ever sees. He said he didn’t want any more children. Said he wanted to focus all his love on me.” She laughed some more, sadly. “That sounded great at the time, ’cause all I wanted to think about was my husband and my business.” She stopped. Sounded now like she wanted to cry. “Guess my business is all I have now.”

Hosea motioned for the waiter. “I think it’s time for us to go.” He paid the bill, then asked the waiter to call for a cab for Alexis.

“No,” she protested. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not driving.”

Alexis closed her eyes. There he was, doing that good man thing again. She thought about asking him to go home with her once more. Maybe he’d changed his mind.

“You can pick up your car in the morning,” he said, helping her rise from the table. “If you need a ride back here, call me.”

At the front, they stood side by side, silently waiting until the taxi rolled up. Before she slipped inside, she hugged him. Held him tight. And long. “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this.” Her reddened eyes watered with those words. “I don’t think I can.”

“You can,” he whispered, his lips close to her ears. “I’ll be praying for you. And that’s what you need to do. Take this all to God.”

She sniffed, then crawled into the cab. She gave the driver her address, then stared at Hosea through the window, wishing even more now that he’d gone home with her tonight.

Keep hope alive!
That was Alexis’s thought when her cell phone rang the moment the cab turned the corner. Maybe Hosea had changed his mind.

But as soon as she glanced at the screen, that hope deflated like a busted tire.

“Hey, girl,” she sighed.

“Dang!” Kyla exclaimed. “Don’t sound so happy to hear from me.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just tired.”

“You sound it. Where are you?”

“In a cab. On my way home. From dinner with Hosea Bush.”

“Really,” Kyla said, her voice filled with surprise. “What—”

Before Kyla could ask any more, Alexis said, “And I even asked him to come home with me.” She lowered her voice. “And I wasn’t talking about having tea.”

“What?” Then Kyla sighed. “Okay, how much wine did you have?”

“It wasn’t just the wine,” Alexis said, before she told Kyla about their talk through the dinner. “He’s such a nice guy, Ky. He really cared about how I was feeling and wanted to help me get through this. I don’t know how he ended up with Jasmine.”

A moment and then, “Alex, do you have Hosea’s number?”

Alexis frowned. “Why? Don’t tell me you want to ask him to dinner and then get him to go home with you?” She giggled.

“No…”

It was Kyla’s tone—suddenly too serious—that sobered Alexis. Made her frown deepen. “What’s up, Kyla?”

“I want to…look, just give me the number and trust me.”

With a sigh, Alexis pulled the message slip she’d kept from her purse. “Everyone’s asking for trust from me these days.”

“Well, if you’re talking about your husband, you and Brian will have to work that out. But me? I’m your best friend. Trust is automatic.”

“Yeah, and remember when you trusted Jasmine?” Not a second passed before Alexis wished that she had just swallowed those words. “I’m sorry, Ky.”

Time passed. “You’re forgiven. I’ll just say that it was the wine, not you.”

Alexis gave Kyla the number, then clicked off just as the cab stopped in front of her condo. She tossed a twenty into the driver’s hand and didn’t wait for the change. She didn’t care about that. All she wanted to do was get into bed. The problem was, she’d be doing it alone again. And tonight, that wasn’t the way she wanted it.