Tia climbed the basement steps, lugging a basket of clean laundry. She turned down the hall to her living room and dropped onto the sofa. Worn out, she pulled a pastel green towel from the basket, shook it out, and then folded it. Once she finished this load, Tia planned to start dinner. Lately, nothing appealed to her. She thought a salad might perk up her appetite.
The doorbell rang. Tia groaned. She really didn’t want any company right now. For the first time in days, she would have one evening in her home without family and friends. If she sat quietly and pretended no one was home, maybe whoever stood at her door would go away.
Someone jabbed the doorbell a second and then a third time. This person didn’t plan to leave. Sighing, Tia rose. If it was a family member, she could hurry them through their visit and send them on their way.
Tia headed for the front of the house and opened the door. Surprised, she stared at her visitor.
“Hi, Tia-Mia.”
“Hello, Momma.” What is she doing here? Tia wondered. She glanced past her mother and saw only her car parked in the lot. “Is everything all right?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“What about Grandma Ruth?”
“Doing great.”
“Oh.” Then why are you here? Tia wondered. “Is Daddy with you?”
“No. He’s at home.” Smiling hesitantly, Mrs. Edwards’s shaky hand brushed away a lock of hair. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Tia opened the door wider and stepped aside.
If everyone was doing fine, why had she received this unexpected visit? Tia’s forehead crinkled into a frown, and her belly cramped into knots. Something didn’t feel right. Tia snatched a quick look at her mother. She’d never seen her look like this. Lack of confidence was not one of her mother’s characteristics. Normally, Momma practically oozed confidence. If she could bottle it, they’d live in Malibu instead of Detroit. “I was in the living room folding up towels. Come on in.”
Mrs. Edwards followed Tia down the hall to the living room. The older woman perched on the edge of the couch, tightly clenching the strap of her purse sitting at her side.
Tia studied her mother’s hand clenching and unclenching the leather strap as she returned to her previous spot and resumed folding towels. “What’s on your mind?”
“Chris,” Tia’s mother stated.
Tia dropped the towel she was folding. She reached down and picked up the square of terry cloth. “Sorry.”
“How is Chris? Have you heard from him?”
She gazed at the striped fabric and muttered, “I don’t know. He’s in France.”
“He hasn’t called? Sent you a note?”
“No. Nothing.” Why couldn’t her mother leave things alone? Tia didn’t want to think about him. It was still far too painful.
Nodding, Mrs. Edwards continued to question Tia. “What about work? How are things going there?”
Tia felt as if she were on safer ground, so she let her guard down. “Busy. I don’t know if I told you this, but Adam and Wynn are going to have a baby.”
That brought a smile to her mother’s face. “Really? Was it a surprise, or were they trying to have a baby?”
“Definitely a surprise. I’ve never seen Adam happier.”
“Good for them. And Chris’s position? What’s happening with that? Does Adam plan to fill it or leave it open until Chris comes back?”
Surprised, Tia blinked several times. How had her mother brought the conversation back to Chris so smoothly?
“I don’t know,” Tia muttered softly as she concentrated on matching up the stripes on her towel set.
Mrs. Edwards licked her lips and leaned closer to Tia. “This is hard for me, but I have to do this.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through since your grandmother took sick.”
Tia’s eyes widened. Where had this come from? “It’s okay. Grandma needs me.”
Studying the carpeting, Mrs. Edwards shook her head. “No, she doesn’t. It was never about her. I needed you, and I used her illness as a way to keep you near me.”
“Momma, you don’t have to—”
Jackie Edwards placed a hand on her daughter’s arm. Her voice quivered as she spoke, “Stop. I’m sorry. I haven’t been very fair to you lately. To be honest, I’ve been horrible. You didn’t deserve it. Tia, baby, I was selfish. I didn’t want you to go. I shut my eyes to how much it hurt you when Chris left.”
“That’s between Chris and me. Don’t worry about it.”
“I do. It’s not just between you and Chris. I made it our family’s business. Truly, I never had anything against Chris. He was nice, handsome, and respectful. What worried me was the way he looked at you. Almost from the beginning, I could tell that you meant something very special to him and it scared me. I also could tell that he was no pushover, not like Darnell, who went along with everything. Chris wanted you and went about finding a way to have you.”
Tia’s head began to pound with the pressure of all this. “Momma, why are you telling me this stuff now? I don’t understand.”
“Your sister came by the house today.”
“Nia? For what?” This situation was getting creepier by the minute. “What does that have to do with me?”
“It had everything to do with you. She wanted me to know how miserable you were and how you missed Chris.”
Tia hid her expression by lowering her gaze. Yes, she missed Chris terribly, but she didn’t want to upset her mother.
“Nia loves you more than anyone else.” Mrs. Edwards ran her tongue across her lips. “Your happiness is important to her. Your sister made me acknowledge some hard truths about myself.”
Tia smiled. Yes, she knew Nia always fought for her, but this battle was between her and Chris. It had nothing to do with her parents or her siblings.
Her mother cupped the side of Tia’s face and said, “I’m sorry. I’ve been selfish. Nia was right. You do deserve to be happy. I want you to call Chris and tell him that you’re on your way to France to meet him.”
Her heart leaped for joy, and then reality set in. She wasn’t sure Chris would want to see her. “I can’t, Momma.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not sure Chris wants to see me. Plus, my plane ticket expired a few days ago. I can’t afford to buy another one.”
“Is that all?” Jackie Edwards reached into her purse and pulled out a computer-generated form. She handed it to Tia. “I think this will solve your transportation problem.”
Tia gazed questioningly at her mother. “What is this?”
“It’s a ticket to Paris, silly.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I don’t have a clue about tomorrow. Hell, I could drop dead tomorrow. I hope I won’t, but nothing is promised. I do know that I want you to be happy. Chris loves you and completes your world. So, I’m saying go be with him. Call that man. Tell him you’re on your way and get on a plane to be with him.”
She dropped the towel in her hands and reached for her mother. Tia held on tight to the older woman. “I love you, Momma.”
“I know. And I love you.” Jackie Edwards let out a shaky breath. “It’s time for you to have your own life, family, whatever. Go pack. Your flight leaves in about three hours.”
“Three hours!” Tia yelped. “Oh my God. There’s no way I’m going to be ready.”
“Yeah, you will. Whatever you don’t have, buy it in France.”
Nodding, Tia rose and moved around her mother. The older woman caught her hand as she passed. “Tia-Mia?”
Already planning her wardrobe, Tia glanced at her mother. “Hmm?”
“Always remember that your family is here for you. There’s a lot of stuff that you’ve never encountered before. I wasn’t joking about the race thing, the cultural thing, or even about his family. Be ready for a lot of changes in your life.”
“I know, Mom.”
“Actually, I don’t think you do, but that’s okay. Remember, I’m only a phone call away. If you need me, call because I’ll be on a plane to get to you as soon as I can.”
Tia grinned. The lioness was back, and she didn’t plan on anyone betraying or hurting her cub. “Okay. Is that it?”
“No. You tell Chris that I’ll be watching to make sure he treats you right. And if things go bad, he’ll have to answer to me.”