Chapter 8
Leah noticed the gleaming black SUV pulling into the parking lot and smiled when she saw Derrick get out. Kayana had sent her a text earlier that morning letting her know that Derrick would come and get her at two thirty, and his smile matched hers as she approached him. She couldn’t pull her gaze away from his muscular, powerful biceps on display in a blue golf shirt he had paired with relaxed jeans and low-heeled black boots. His declaration that he worked out every day was evident, because there appeared not to be an ounce of fat on his lean upper body. He hadn’t worn a hat, and she was slightly taken aback when she stared at his cropped gray hair. The color shimmered against his smooth mahogany complexion like polished silver. She was grateful she’d worn sunglasses so he couldn’t see that her eyes were figuratively eating him up.
He cupped her elbow and led her to the passenger side of the SUV. “You look very nice.”
Leah’s smile grew wider. “Thank you.”
She wasn’t certain whether he was referring to her casual outfit or her hair, which she hadn’t blown out, allowing soft waves to frame her face. She had also applied a light cover of foundation, followed by a layer of loose face powder. The makeup concealed some of the discoloration, and with the sunglasses anyone glancing quickly at her wouldn’t be able to discern the imperfections.
She did not have time to react when Derrick released her elbow, bent slightly, and scooped her up in his arms and settled her on the leather seat, as her heart pumped a runaway rhythm against her ribs. She pretended interest in fastening her seat belt when he rounded the vehicle and slipped behind the wheel.
“Your vehicle smells new.”
He smiled at her. “It is. My old pickup had seen its best days.” Reaching up under the visor, Derrick took down a pair of sunglasses and put them on the bridge of his nose. “I hope you brought your appetite, because Kay and Graeme claimed they’re cooking enough for a small army.”
“Who else have they invited?”
“Just us. I don’t know if Kay told you that she OD’d on hosting gatherings at her home when she lived in Atlanta.”
“She did,” Leah confirmed. “When we had our first meeting we gave each other an overview of our lives just to break the ice. I hold the honor of being the oldest and the only one with children.”
“How old are your sons?”
“They are soon to be twenty-nine.”
He gave her a quick glance. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but how old were you when you became a mother?”
“I don’t mind, Derrick. I gave birth a month before my nineteenth birthday.”
“You got married at eighteen?”
“Yup. And my loving husband was thirty-five.”
“He was twice your age.”
Leah smiled as she stared through the windshield. “He missed it by one year. There were times when I felt more like his daughter than his wife.” Noises came from her stomach, and she put a hand over her midsection. “Sorry about that. My stomach has been talking to me all day.”
“What is it saying?”
“Feed me.”
Derrick chuckled. “Well, your belly will get its wish. Graeme and Kay live down this street.”
A gnawing hunger had forced her out of bed at dawn. Throwing on a short silk robe over her nightgown, she’d quickly brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face, and then made her way down the staircase to the kitchen. She’d peered inside to make certain Derrick hadn’t come in, although she knew the restaurant didn’t open on Sundays. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her in her bedclothes or the abrasions on her shins.
Confident that she was alone, she’d opened the refrigerator and found a container of sliced fruit and some leftover chicken. After brewing a cup of coffee, she’d microwaved the chicken and sat down to enjoy her unconventional breakfast. Satiated, she’d cleaned up and returned to the apartment to go through the closet to select something to wear for a backyard cookout.
Dresses and skirts were rejected because they exposed too much of her legs. It had taken a while before she decided on a white man-tailored shirt, royal blue cotton slacks, white tennis shoes, and a serviceable yellow straw hat she was able to roll into a cylinder and carry in her tote.
The morning had passed quickly as she made the bed and ironed all the wrinkled garments hanging in the closet. Leah hadn’t taken the time to neatly fold the clothes she’d packed before leaving Richmond. She’d wanted to conclude all the items on her to-do list before encountering Alan. She still wondered what her sons had said for him to leave the house once she’d been discharged from the hospital. Even now, she was uncertain what she’d say or do if she happened to come face-to-face with him. Leah wanted to hate Alan with every fiber of her being, yet she couldn’t. She kept telling herself he wasn’t worth it, that losing her was punishment enough.
Leah closed her eyes and made a silent vow that it was to be the last time she would give Alan Kent any energy. He wasn’t worth her time dwelling on him. And if she was truly honest then she would say it wasn’t worth her spit.
Derrick got out and came around to help Leah out. And if she had adult sons, where were they while their mother was being assaulted? The revelation that she was a mother wasn’t as shocking as the gap between her and her husband’s ages. What, he mused, would possess an eighteen-year-old girl to marry a man old enough to be her father? And she’d admitted that he’d treated her like a daughter.
He could not fathom his eighteen-year-old daughter coming to him with the news that she was in love with a much older man. Derrick would first question whether the man was a pedophile who preyed on young girls. His answer to Deandra would be “hell no ”; then he would make certain her so-called intended left town with a promise of pains leading to death if he remained.
The front door opened, and Kayana waved to them. “Go on in, Leah. I have to get something from the cargo area.” He had packed an ice chest with an assortment of aged steaks—ribeye, porterhouse, and filet mignon—and several bottles of rosé, red, and white wines. He gave Graeme the chest when he came out of the house to meet him. “I hope you can use some of the things in there.”
The retired high school math teacher smiled at him. “You know you didn’t need to bring anything.”
Derrick patted his shoulder. “You haven’t lived in the south long enough to know that folks never go to someone’s house empty-handed.”
“Give me time to learn, because Kayana has been teaching me a lot of southern sayings like full as a tick, till the cows come home, fixin’ to do, and sweating more than a sinner in church. ”
“We do have a lot of them.”
“Come on in the kitchen, Derrick. I figure we’d grill outside and eat in the screened-in porch.”
Derrick liked the layout of the updated two-story, two-bedroom cottage. The first time he’d come to Graeme’s house he’d been greeted excitedly by a sand-colored poodle puppy. “Where’s Barley?”
Graeme set the chest on the kitchen floor. “He’s probably outside with the ladies.”
He studied his brother-in-law, who appeared to have put on some weight. His face was fuller, and the puffiness and dark circles under his large gray eyes he’d had before he’d married his sister were no longer evident. Although Graeme was five years older, he claimed less gray hair than Derrick.
“You look contented, Brother Ogden.”
Lines fanned out around Graeme’s eyes when he smiled and patted his belly over a faded Harvard sweatshirt. “I have your sister to thank for that, Brother Johnson. She is truly incredible. There are times when I’m forced to pinch myself to make certain I’m not hallucinating.”
Derrick smiled. “It sounds as if you’re living the dream.”
“That I am.” He hunkered down and opened the chest. “What the heck did you bring?”
“I gave you some steaks that have been aged for about thirty days and I know I won’t sell in the next month or two. I shrink-wrapped them this morning. The only seasoning you’ll need is salt and pepper before you put them on the grill.”
“Kayana marinated some chicken and fish, but I suppose they can wait for another day, because these steaks have just become a priority. Thanks, Derrick.”
“No problem.”
“Kayana introduced Leah as her friend,” Graeme said in a low voice, “but I remember her coming to the island last year as a vacationer. Is she now a local?”
“She is for now.” Derrick was certain Kayana would fill her husband in on Leah’s status, but doubted whether she would disclose anything else about her friend. Besides, she’d breached Leah’s confidentiality when he coerced her to tell him how she’d sustained her injuries.
“Are you drinking wine, beer, or something a little stronger?” Graeme asked.
“I’m fine with beer. Do you need my help with anything?”
“No. I’m good here.”
“I’m going outside see if Kayana needs something.” Derrick had said Kayana when he meant Leah. He was trying to understand why her adult sons hadn’t protected her from their father’s fury. There was only one way to find out, and that was to get her to trust him enough to confide in him as she had in his sister.
The day was perfect for grilling outdoors. The early-spring afternoon temperatures peaked in the low-seventies with brilliant sunshine and a hint of a breeze. Graeme and Derrick took turns manning the grill while Leah and Kayana set the table in the screened-in porch with four place settings. Graeme had suggested eating indoors because the landscapers had disturbed a wasp’s nest, and there were still some lingering around.
Leah hung on to every word as Kayana told her about her honeymoon in the United Arab Emirates. She claimed to have been overwhelmed by the wealth and the skyscrapers that appeared to rise from the desert floor and disappear into the clouds. She revealed that Graeme had left their Abu Dhabi hotel room early one morning and returned hours later with a surprise wedding gift of thirteen-millimeter South Seas drop pearl earrings capped in yellow diamonds. She’d thanked her new husband in the most intimate way possible, and after ordering room service they spent the entire day in their suite.
Hours later Leah reclined on a chaise and closed her eyes as her fingertips made tiny circles in the poodle’s fur as he lay beside her. Barley had taken an instant liking to her, whining and going up on his hind legs for her to pick him up. She waited until she’d eaten much too much to oblige him.
“Are you all right, Leah?”
She opened her eyes and smiled at Derrick. Something about his face had nagged at her the first time Kayana had introduced her to him what now seemed so many months ago, but now that she’d had close contact with him it finally hit her. His dark complexion and dimpled smile called to mind the actor and former male model Richard Roundtree.
“I’m full as a tick.” She’d eaten perfectly grilled medium-well ribeye, Kayana’s incredibly delicious mac and cheese, deviled eggs, and grilled corn in the husks. Derrick and Graeme shared a smile with her statement.
“You’re not the only one who ate too much,” Kayana said, as she rested her head on her husband’s shoulder.
Leah averted her eyes when she saw Graeme press his mouth to Kayana’s hair. The gesture was so tender and intimate that she felt like a spy. It was obvious that not only were they in love, but they also loved each other, and what they’d shared during their brief marriage was something that had been missing in hers of long duration: passion.
She didn’t want to dwell on what she’d been missing; otherwise she would drown in a maelstrom of self-pity from which she would never emerge. Her intent was to get out of her current situation and start over. Perhaps she would travel abroad during school holidays and spend her summers on Coates Island. Leah had even thought about buying property on the island to use as a retreat whenever she wanted to get away from Richmond. Barley moved, stretching out front paws before settling back into a more comfortable position against Leah’s thigh.
Graeme pressed another kiss on Kayana’s hair. “I’ve asked Kayana to teach me how to make her grandmother’s mac and cheese, but she said it would take too long for me to get it right.”
“Tell him, Derrick, how long it took for Grandma Cassie to give me her approval that I’d mastered her mac and cheese.”
“Probably years. Our mother and grandmother were hard taskmasters. I really didn’t want to learn how to cook, but I wasn’t given a choice. Me, Kay, and Jocelyn were mandated to work in the Café’s kitchen during our school recesses and holidays. I used to complain that I didn’t want to learn to cook because I wanted to be a football player. My father would advocate for me, but there was no way he could stand up against two strong women tag-teaming him while claiming they had sacrificed everything to keep the doors open, so the next generation had better step up and learn the business.”
“Leah, did you know that my brainiac brother nearly made it all the way to the NFL?” Kayana asked her.
She met Derrick’s eyes, smiling. “No, I didn’t.” That explained his obsession with working out every day. Once a jock, always a jock.
“He attended the University of Alabama on full academic and athletic scholarships. He was an outstanding running back, and scouts from the NFL came to every game to watch him.”
“What happened, Derrick?” Leah asked him.
“I tore my ACL in my senior year.”
“Were you distraught that you didn’t go pro?”
“Initially I was, but when I look back and see the number of players with brain injuries, I realize it was the best thing that happened to me.”
“So, you went from football to running the Café.”
“He took a detour and worked on Wall Street for years before finally finding his way home,” Kayana interjected.
Derrick glared at his sister. “Leah doesn’t want to know about that, Kay.”
“But I do,” Leah said quickly. She wanted to know everything she could about the man who enthralled her as no other in her life had. Even when she’d met Alan he hadn’t had that effect on her.
“I’ll tell you later.” There was a finality to his promise.
The focus shifted to Leah when Graeme asked what she taught. “I was an English literature teacher for years before I was appointed as headmistress at an all-girls prep school.”
“How do you compare teaching at a public school to running a private school?” he asked.
“I never taught at a public school. My first and only tenure has been at Richmond, Virginia’s Calhoun Preparatory Academy for Girls. What about yourself, Graeme? Did you teach at a private school?”
“No, because I’d attended a Boston private school and saw how teachers gave kids grades they didn’t deserve because their parents donated big bucks to keep them enrolled.”
“How long did you teach?” she asked Kayana’s husband.
“Twenty years. Initially I planned to put in thirty before retiring, but there were other things I wanted to do before I got too old.”
Leah also wanted to do other things before she retired, but she hadn’t created her Plan B. “I have at least another fifteen or sixteen years before I can consider retiring.”
“Have you planned what you want to do once you retire?” Derrick asked her.
“Read, travel, and read some more.”
Throwing back his head, Derrick laughed. “Now I know why you and my sister are besties.”
“Don’t knock reading, brother love,” Kayana said, smiling. “If it hadn’t been for books, Leah and I would’ve never become friends and book club buddies.”
“What’s the allure of women bonding over books?” Derrick questioned.
“It’s a sisterhood thing,” Leah explained.
“Yes, it is,” Kayana confirmed. “Are you aware that black women read more than any other demographic group?”
Graeme gave his wife a skeptical glance. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”
“No, she’s not,” Leah said. “There are hundreds of black book clubs all over the country that get together on average of once a month to discuss books. Some meet in libraries, restaurants, or alternate members’ homes. Dudes bond over sports while we tend to bond over the printed word.”
“Dudes do read,” Derrick said defensively.
“Yes, they do,” Kayana confirmed, “especially the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.”
“That’s not right.”
“That’s sexist.”
Graeme and Derrick protested at the same time as Leah leaned forward to fist bump Kayana. The conversation shifted from books and education to national politics. Fortunately, everyone agreed when the name of a candidate was mentioned.
Leah could not help but compare this gathering to the ones she’d had whenever she and Alan met with other couples. The conversations were usually dominated by the men, while their significant others tended to nod in agreement like bobblehead dolls. She realized most were too intimidated or sought to downplay their intelligence to stay in their place.
She’d wanted to scream, shake them, and tell them there wasn’t a need to be in lockstep with their husbands because they feared being traded in for a newer, more submissive model. The one time she’d disagreed with one of Alan’s colleagues, all conversation ceased as the throbbing vein in her husband’s forehead indicated his rage and disapproval. And once they returned to Kent House, all hell broke loose when he reprimanded her for challenging the judge. It was Leah’s turn to lose her temper when she reminded him that she wasn’t going to remain silent when someone, anyone, spouted bigoted rhetoric. And it was the first time that Alan called her white trash and said that the instant he realized she’d come from a trailer park he should’ve run in the opposite direction; her acerbic comeback was he hadn’t run because he craved her trailer park pussy like a junkie craved crack. He’d stalked out of the house and stayed away for almost a week, and she knew he’d gone to the Bramble House to hook up with one of his whores.
“Now I know why you and my sister are friends.”
Leah wanted to tell Derrick Kayana was her only friend, and other than her brother’s wife, she was the closest she could get to claiming a sister.
Kayana blew her brother an air kiss. “It’s because great minds think alike.”
Leah spent the next two hours on the porch with her new friends ignoring the slight ache in her side. She hadn’t taken a pill in twenty-four hours, and that meant her body was on the mend. Like quicksilver, the weather changed, the skies darkening and the wind increasing in velocity. It was spring and the season for above-average rainfall and tornados. Leah was more than ready to leave when Derrick suggested it was time to take her back to her apartment.
She gave Barley a belly rub, and then pressed her cheek to Kayana’s and then Graeme’s, thanking her hosts for their generous hospitality. Derrick took her hand, leading her to his vehicle. The short drive back to the Café was completed in silence, each lost in their private thoughts.
Derrick assisted her down after parking in the lot behind the restaurant. “I’m going to be in the kitchen for a while to get a jump on tomorrow’s menu. Can I fix you something for a midnight snack?”
“No, thank you. I don’t want to see another crumb of food for the rest of the day.”
Derrick winked at her. “Just asking.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waited for him to open the door and disarm the alarm, and then she climbed the staircase and unlocked the door to her apartment. She now thought of the charming space as her home, even if it was only temporary. Leah had never regarded Kent House as her home despite living there for more than half her life.
She changed out of her clothes and into a tank top and a pair of shorts. By the time she’d entered the reading room and turned on a floor lamp and tuned the audio component to a station featuring classical music, it had begun raining. The sounds of rhythmic tapping of rain against the windows and the Chopin piano concerto created a relaxing backdrop when she opened The Alienist to pick up where she’d left off. The only positive thing that had come from her relationship with Adele Kent was she’d introduced Leah to classical music. Before she married Alan’s father, Adele had trained for a career as a classical pianist. She’d won several state competitions yet gave up her dream to become wife, mother, and social doyenne for the commonwealth’s capital city.
After Leah fed and put her sons in their cribs for an afternoon nap, Adele would summon her to the solarium for tea, when she’d wanted to lie down and rest after breastfeeding two infants. Leah had been warned by her doctor that it wouldn’t be easy breastfeeding twins, that she had to increase her caloric intake and take naps whenever she could. She had come to enjoy the music more than the tasteless cucumber sandwiches and the older woman’s incessant chatter about her plans for a dinner party or fund-raiser. Once Adele moved out of the house and into the nursing facility, Leah no longer had high tea. But habits were hard to break; she’d hang out in the solarium to read and listen to music.
* * *
In the three weeks since Leah had come to Coates Island she had baked mini regular, buttery, and cheese biscuits, doughnuts, scones, and quick breads with a variety of butters and jams for Kayana and Derrick to sample and approve.
All her bruises had faded, and she felt comfortable going into the dining room when diners were present. She couldn’t believe how quickly she’d become acclimated to getting up before dawn to go down to the kitchen to bake before Derrick or Kayana arrived. And her heart rate no longer kicked into a higher rate whenever she and Derrick shared the same space.
She finally finished The Alienist. It had taken days before she was able to rid her head of the atmospheric pager-turner with it’s realistic descriptions of gruesome murders. She also had filled pages of her steno pad with notations she’d jotted down after finishing each chapter. After the first two nights, she chided herself for reading the book before retiring for bed because she tended to dream about the spine-chilling scenes.
Leah’s bond with Kayana grew even stronger when it was her turn to prepare brunch. It allowed them more time and private moments together. “I’ve begun researching firms handling high-profile divorce cases,” she confided to her friend.
Kayana wiped her hands on a towel. “Do you think they’ll refuse to represent you once you tell them you’re suing Judge Alan Kent for divorce?”
“I’ll find out once I contact them. There has to be at least one firm that will not allow themselves to be intimidated. And I’m willing to spend every penny I have to rid myself of the bastard.”
Kayana removed her bandana and bibbed apron. “Don’t forget that you have a secret weapon.”
Leah nodded. “You’re right. I have the doctor’s report, my sons if they’re called to testify, and I also took pictures of my body with my cell phone. If you don’t mind, I’d like to upload them to you as backup in case I lose my phone.”
“Send them. I’ll make certain Graeme doesn’t get to see them or he may decide he likes redheads better than brunettes.”
“Don’t play yourself, Kay. Graeme is so in love with you that a woman could walk around naked in front of him and he wouldn’t even glance her way.”
Kayana scrunched up her nose. “I kinda like him, too.”
“Kinda, Kayana? You’re crazy about the man.”
“Truth be known, I adore him, Leah. After I divorced James I was so turned off on men that I got pissed if one even smiled at me. But once I got to know Graeme I realized I wasn’t being fair to him, because I tended to paint all men with the same broad brush. I want you to remember that once you divorce Alan. If you find someone willing to love and make you happy, then go for it.”
Leah laughed. “I’m not even divorced and meanwhile you have me hooking up with someone else.”
“I’m not saying you should remarry right away. Give yourself some time to reflect on what you want and need before you decide whether you want to make the relationship permanent.”
Leah chewed her lip. “How long did it take you from the time you started dating Graeme to know you wanted to marry him?”
“It didn’t take that long. We had our first date in June, and we married Christmas Eve.”
“That’s fast. In other words, you dated for about six months.”
Kayana sighed. “I’ll be fifty in three years, Graeme is going to turn fifty-three in a few days, and because we don’t have children we didn’t want a long engagement like younger couples.”
“I can understand that.” Leah thought about her own situation. She wasn’t responsible for anyone but herself.
Kayana unbuttoned and took off the chef’s jacket. “I’ve already locked the front door. I’m going to go to Shelby to pick up a birthday gift for Graeme. It’s not easy shopping for a man who has everything he needs.”
“Has he dropped any hints?”
“No.”
“Didn’t you say he’s an aspiring author?” Leah asked.
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you buy him a designer pen and have his name engraved on it. He can use it to autograph books once he’s published.”
“You’re a genius, Leah!”
“No, I’m not.” And she wasn’t. She had given Alan a similar gift for Christmas during a phase when they were able to be civil to each other.
Kayana hugged her. “Thanks so much. Once Derrick gets here, please let him know I had to leave to go shopping.”
“Will do.”
Leah waited until the door closed behind Kayana to take the broom out of the utility closet. She’d volunteered to help clean up after the restaurant closed for the day. Derrick and Kayana had set up no more than six tables for use during the off-season to minimize cleanup. Leah removed the tablecloths, left them in a pile in a corner, and wiped down the tabletops. She knew if Adele saw her cleaning off tables, sweeping and mopping floors, she would sternly remind Leah that she paid folks to do housekeeping. She heard Derrick come in as she pushed the long-handled broom over the floor.
“Where’s Kay?”
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “She had to leave because she needed to do some shopping.”
“How are you today?”
Leah smiled. “I’m good.”
“When you finish with that I’d like you to come into the kitchen. I want to show you something.”
“Okay, boss.”
A frown flitted over his handsome features. “Please don’t call me that.”
Leah heard the censure in his voice, wondering who or what had set him off, because normally he was very cheerful whenever he came in early in the morning or later in the afternoon. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.”
Was it really, Derrick, she thought, as she continued sweeping. She’d returned to the kitchen to see what Derrick wanted to show her when the cell phone she’d left on a shelf rang. “Please let me take this call.”
He nodded. “No problem.”
Picking up the phone, she recognized the caller’s name. It was Calhoun Academy’s administrative assistant. “Hi, Erin.”
“Leah, I’m calling you on my cell because I don’t want to use the school’s phone, because you know all the calls are recorded.”
Her heart stopped and then started up again as Leah sank down to one of the stools at the preparation table. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to warn you that you’re going to be fired.”
“Fired!” She hadn’t realized she’d shouted the word until Derrick turned to stare at her.
“There was an emergency board meeting last night, and there was a unanimous vote to let you go because you’d abandoned your position without authorization. The officers decided they couldn’t afford to leave your position vacant, so they asked Merrill Livingston to take your place until she’s officially appointed in the fall.”
“But they can’t fire me, Erin. They know I’m on medical leave.”
“I know that, but someone on the board uncovered an arcane clause in the school’s charter that states anyone on medical leave would have to submit medical verification every thirty days. They sent you a certified letter, return receipt, to your home two weeks ago asking that your doctor mail or fax a statement verifying your return date. They gave you five days to send in the documentation or you would be terminated. I checked your personnel file and you have enough accrued sick and vacation time for the next four months, which means they’ll continue to direct deposit your salary, but it’s your position that was in jeopardy.”
Leah ran a hand over her face. “I left Richmond after I was discharged from the hospital to stay with friends while I recuperate.”
“Didn’t your husband tell you about the letter?”
She went completely still. “Why are you asking about him?”
“He signed that he’d received the letter.”
Leah knew instinctively that Alan had read the letter and failed to call or email her about its contents. “I’m going to contact someone on the board asking them to delay sending out the termination letter until I get in touch with my doctor.”
“It’s too late, Leah. A messenger is scheduled to deliver it to your home tomorrow morning. Maybe when you come back to Richmond you can request to meet with the board and ask them to reinstate you.”
She wanted to tell Erin she hadn’t planned to return to Richmond until the third week in August. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as a feeling of helplessness washed over her. “Thanks, Erin, for the heads-up. And you don’t have to worry about our conversation. My lips are sealed.”
“Thanks, Leah. You know I really need my job.”
Leah ended the call, struggling not to cry. She wanted to tell Erin she also needed her job, but for entirely different reasons. She needed to show employment when she went to the bank for a mortgage. Her head popped up, and she saw Derrick with an incredulous look on his face. It was obvious he’d overheard her conversation.
“I just lost my job.” The tears filling her eyes overflowed, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sobs building up in the back of her throat.