Chapter 16
Leah left Aron and Caleb in Richmond four days after the memorial service. She had only delayed her departure because it had been a while since she had spent some time with her sons, while they had decided to stay until the reading of Adele’s will before flying back to New York. Kayana had sent her a text message that Cherie was on Coates Island, had settled into her bungalow, and couldn’t wait for the three of them to be together again.
She was only ten miles from the island when she called Kayana to tell Cherie to meet her at the Café. The anticipation of seeing her missing book club friend was what she needed to shed the pretense of having to be gracious, when she wanted nothing more than to be away from what she thought of as make-believe. Everyone had only glowing sentiments for Adele, but Leah knew she could be cutthroat and manipulative. However, she did not want to speak or think badly of the dead because they could not defend themselves. She was on her way home to her friends and the man she had grown to love. She had heard women speak of the men in their lives as their rocks, and Derrick Johnson had become her rock.
Leah maneuvered into the parking lot behind the Seaside Café and cut the engine. The restaurant was closed for the day, and the white van with the restaurant’s name and logo on the side was missing, which meant Derrick had gone to pick up some supplies. She parked next to Kayana’s SUV and tapped the code to access the rear door.
Leah walked through the kitchen and into the dining room and saw Cherie sitting at a table with Kayana. Cherie had let her hair grow out, and her natural hair framed her face like black, wispy clouds.
Cherie noticed her and stood up, arms extended. “You look incredible!”
Leah hugged the younger woman and kissed her cheek. “So do you.”
Cherie held her at arm’s length, her light-brown eyes narrowing. “What happened to your bling?”
Leah met Kayana’s eyes. “Kayana didn’t tell you.”
Retaking her seat, Cherie patted the one next to her. “No. Sit down and give me the deets.”
Leah knew she was talking about details. “I’m divorcing my husband.”
“Well, damn, Red. You said he’s a lot older than you, so why don’t just wait for him to kick the bucket?”
“I can’t wait that long.”
Cherie leaned back in her chair. “I go away for a year and come back to find Kayana married and you getting divorced. What made you decide that you’d had enough after all this time?”
“He hit me.”
Cherie twisted her mouth as she slowly shook her head. “Did you cut him low?”
Leah couldn’t help but laugh. “I would have if I’d had a knife. But I did manage to knee him in the balls, and that’s when he pushed me down the staircase.”
“Shit!” Cherie spat out. “What did your sons say or do?”
“I’ll tell you everything after Kayana whips up a few drinks. Because you’re going to need one once I finish.”
It was as if they’d never parted when Kayana made the sour apple martinis she’d served for their first meeting, as Leah told Cherie everything that had happened to her that rainy day in January and why she’d left Richmond for Coates Island. “I just went back for a few days because my mother-in-law died, and I wanted to be there for my sons.”
“You’re a better woman than me, because I would’ve let my boys jack up their father if he’d hit me.”
Leah took a sip of the deliciously frothy cocktail. “I got something better for his ass. When I got to the house and he called me a bitch, I had to stop Aron from hitting him, because he’s not worth them losing everything they’ve worked for. And because he continued to disrespect me by inviting one of his whores to the memorial service, I called my lawyer and told her I’m no longer willing to settle for two million but to get as much as she can from him. Now that he’s inherited his mama’s share of the estate, I want it all.”
Kayana gave her a fist bump. “That will learn him about disrespecting the mama of his kids.”
“What if he doesn’t want to give up the ducats?” Cherie asked.
“He’ll give them up or lose his so-called good name when I let the Commonwealth know that Judge Alan Stephens Kent beat the hell out of his wife.”
With wide eyes, Cherie stared at her. “You would really do that?”
“Yes, I would. Alan just can’t let well enough alone. Calling me a bitch in front of my kids and flaunting his whore at their grandmother’s memorial service took the rag off the bush. Now I’m going for the jugular.”
“He must have taken a page out of my ex’s book,” Kayana said. “He’d invite his whore to our home every chance he got. It would’ve continued if the dumb shit had wrapped up his meat and didn’t get her pregnant. He waits until he’s eligible to join AARP to be saddled with a little baby. It serves his stupid ass right because he couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
Cherie raised her empty glass. “That calls for another round.”
Leah stood up with Kayana. “I’m going to need something to eat or I’ll be on my face.”
Derrick walked into the dining room, and Leah felt her pulse quicken. Not seeing him for a week, now he made her heart dance with happiness, and she knew her feelings for him went beyond what they’d shared physically. He came closer and leaned down to kiss her.
“Welcome home.”
“It’s good to be home.”
Derrick stood straight. “You ladies are drinking without eating?”
“I was just going to get something from the kitchen,” Kayana told her brother.
“Sit, Kay. I’ll bring it.”
Kayana looped her arm through Derrick’s. “I also need to make another round of martinis.”
“Whoa! You ladies are about to get lit up!”
“Not to worry, brother love. You can be our designated driver.”
Cherie waited while Kayana and Derrick went into the kitchen before she turned to Leah. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew,” she intoned. “When I saw you staring at Kayana’s brother with your tongue hanging out, I knew you had the hots for him.”
“Well, nothing was going to happen because I was still living with Alan, and he claimed he never got involved with women that were in relationships with other men.”
“I don’t know why, but I never figured you would go for dark meat.”
“And I’d never figured you would go for white meat.” She knew she had struck a nerve when Cherie averted her face. Leah had hoped Cherie would stop goading her, but it was obvious the younger woman was still angry about her ex, who just happened to have been white.
“I’m sorry, Leah. That was uncalled for.”
“If you knew it was wrong, then why did you say it? You’re how old? Thirty-three—”
“Thirty-four,” Cherie corrected.
“You’re thirty-four and you still act like a spiteful teenager. How many times are you going to apologize for saying something better left unsaid?”
Cherie closed her eyes. “I’ve been working on myself. When I met you last year I thought you were so lucky because you were married, and that’s something I always wanted for myself.”
Leah dropped an arm over Cherie’s shoulder. “Remember me telling you I hadn’t slept with my husband in ten years and that he cheated on me throughout our marriage. That’s not something I want for any woman. I envied Kayana when she told us she’d left her husband once she knew he’d cheated on her. Meanwhile I didn’t get the nerve to leave mine until he tried to kill me. I told you before that you have the looks and the smarts to get any man you want. Just don’t settle for one that tells you what he believes you want to hear.”
Cherie nodded. “How is it with Kayana’s brother?”
“In three words, a-may-zing.”
Cherie laughed. “Good for you. Are you going to marry him?”
“No. We’re content to live together.”
“Damn, Red. You do move fast.”
“Once you get to our age you don’t have time to play games.”
“That’s what Kayana said about her and her new husband.”
“Derrick has offered us his she-shed for our meetings.”
“He has a she-shed?”
“He calls it a garden shed, while I call it a she-shed. It’s really charming and perfect for our meetings.”
“When are we going to hold our first meeting?”
“We have to ask Kayana if she’s finished reading The Alienist. And if she has, then maybe we can meet this Sunday.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Cherie questioned.
“It’s masterpiece of fiction writing. But I must admit some of the murder scenes were so graphic that I found myself closing the book and not wanting to pick it up. But I knew I had to finish it to find out who was doing the killings.”
“I told you it was dark.”
Kayana returned with a chilled pitcher of martinis. “Derrick’s bringing an antipasti platter.”
“Did you finish reading The Alienist?” Leah asked her.
She set down the pitcher. “Yes. And I loved it. Thanks, Cherie, for recommending it.”
Cherie inclined her head. “Does this mean we can begin our first meeting this Sunday?”
“I don’t see why not,” Kayana confirmed. “Did Leah tell you we have a new venue?”
“Yes. She mentioned a she-shed.”
“It’s much better than meeting on the patio, and my brother has offered his kitchen.”
Cherie refilled her glass. “I hope we’re not going to put him out.”
Kayana rolled her eyes upward. “Girl, please. He and Graeme have already made plans to hang out at my house and watch ball games until their eyes bug out.”
“I heard that, Kay,” Derrick said, when he reentered the dining room carrying a large serving tray with a platter of cold appetizers, forks, small plates, and cocktail napkins.
“If I didn’t want you to hear it I would’ve whispered,” she retorted.
Derrick set the tray on the table, turned on his heel, and walked away. “Is your brother upset?” Cherie asked Kayana.
“Nah. Derrick rarely gets upset. Right, Leah?”
She smiled. “Right.” Leah wanted to hang out with her friends, but she also needed to reunite with her man. Spending the week at the Kent House, despite its immense size, was suffocating, and she prayed it would be the last time she would have to walk through its doors.
* * *
Derrick heard the garage door go up and knew Leah was home. He was waiting for her when she walked into the kitchen. “How did it feel to get the gang back together?”
Smiling, Leah approached him and hugged his waist. “Wonderful. And thank you for the antipasti or I would’ve had to call you to drive me back.”
Derrick cradled her to his chest. “What did you do last summer when you had to go home?”
“Kayana would drive us or we’d take the jitney. I’m going upstairs to shower and change into something a lot more comfortable. Please wait for me to come down.”
He wanted to know how she’d fared in Richmond, but if she didn’t mention it, then he wouldn’t. Rather than put pressure on her, he would wait for her to open up to him.
Derrick did not have long to wait before Leah returned with damp hair and wearing an oversize T-shirt, shorts, and socks. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” he asked when she settled herself in the breakfast nook.
“Please.”
He stared at her before turning on the coffeemaker. “You look tired.”
“I am a little. I don’t want to go to bed now because I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back.”
As much as he wanted to make love with her, Derrick realized it could wait. “Do you want anything with the coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
He brewed her coffee, set the cup with a splash of sweet cream on the table, and sat opposite her. “I called my lawyer to let her know I want more money from Alan.”
Derrick slumped back in the booth. “What happened?” He listened, struggling not to lose his temper when Leah told him about her husband’s offensive behavior. “What the hell is wrong with him?”
Leah peered at him over the rim of the coffee cup. “He’s sly like a fox, Derrick.”
“He’s an asshole, Leah. It’s like he’s begging for someone to hurt him.”
“That’s what I told my sons. If they hurt him, then he can play the victim.”
“I never thought about that.”
“I didn’t live with the man all those years not to know what he’s capable of. He just retired from the bench, and he’s drinking more than ever. I heard that he has hired a driver because he’s crashed a couple of cars and doesn’t trust himself to get behind the wheel.”
“He sounds self-destructive.”
“It’s chickens that have come home to roost,” Leah said, as she held up a hand to smother a yawn. “I’m sorry about that, babe.”
“There’s no need to apologize. After driving, drinking, and then driving some more you have to be exhausted.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You got jokes, Derrick Johnson?”
“No,” Derrick said, deadpan. He hadn’t meant to tease her. “Richmond, Virginia, is not around the corner.”
“And next time I go back I hope it will be the last time. Now that I’ve changed my demands it’s going to be a while before I’ll have to attend a deposition.”
“Divorces, whether contested or uncontested, are still traumatic for everyone involved.”
“Fortunately, I don’t have young children, so it’s just me and the judge in this cage match.”
Derrick recognized a steeliness in Leah that hadn’t been obvious months ago. Some women would’ve gone off on their husband if he’d had the audacity to flaunt another woman in her face, and especially with his sons in attendance. And his calling her a bitch in front of them meant he had lost all sense of decorum for himself and respect for the woman who’d made him a father.
“I decided to revise the menu for the summer season.”
Leah became immediately alert. “Why, Derrick?”
“I still want you to bake for the Café, but the cakes will be listed as daily specials. That should take some pressure off you to feel compelled to bake every day.”
She thought because she’d been gone a week he had changed his mind about her being responsible for the restaurant’s baked goods. “I can live with that. Maybe I’ll do a couple of marathon baking sessions and you can store them in a refrigerated case.”
“That sounds like a plan. The cleaning company came in while you were away and cleaned and aired out your she-shed. I also set up the grill in the backyard and bought a tank of propane. You have to let me know what you want to grill before Sunday, and I’ll try and have it for you.”
“What are our choices?” Leah asked.
“Steak, chicken, ribs, and fish.”
“You mean fish as in grilled salmon?”
“Fish as in salmon, stuffed snapper, crab, and lobster.”
She stared mutely at Derrick, her heart pounding with the blood rushing through her veins. He continued to surprise her with his generosity. It wasn’t about buying her precious jewels, or giving her a credit card with an unlimited balance, or even driving her to a dealership where she could select any car in the showroom, but it was his concern for whether she was feeling well or what he could do to make her day better.
“You just kicked the Café book club up several notches.”
Derrick winked at her. “Anything to make my love happy.”
“Am I?” she whispered.
“Are you what?”
“Your love?”
A frown settled into his handsome features. “What did you think, Leah? Do you actually believe I would invite you into my home to live with me if I didn’t love you?”
“I . . . I don’t know.”
A dimpled smile replaced his scowl. “I hope you know now. I told you before that you’re free to come and go whenever you want, because I don’t want a repeat of what you had with your husband. When you were gone last week that’s when I realized how important you’ve become to me, and I pray it’s reciprocated.”
“It is, Derrick. And as much as I wanted you to come with me to Richmond, I knew it would not have ended well. Just as I don’t want my sons embroiled in the shit that I have with Alan, it goes double for you. If I didn’t have you to come home to, I know the vindictive bastard would’ve gotten to me.”
“I will never let him get to you, babe. We’re in this together for the duration.”
Leah got up and came around the table to sit on Derrick’s lap, her arms going around his strong neck. “I love you so much,” she said in his ear. That was something she’d never uttered to another man. “And I hope I make you half as happy as you’ve made me.”
Derrick buried his face against her neck. “Happier.” He slid off the bench seat, bringing her up with him as he stood. “I think maybe you’ll need a little convincing.”
Leah did not remember Derrick carrying her up the staircase and into his bedroom; nor did she recall his undressing her, and then himself. What she did recollect was his suckling her breasts as waves of pleasure raced through her body, and her hips rising off the bed to meet him. She dug her fingers into his biceps, trembling uncontrollably as a rush of moisture flowed down her inner thighs onto the sheets; he reached down to stroke her clitoris and continued feasting on her breasts.
Leah was losing control and didn’t want to climax without him inside her. “Please,” she pleaded shamelessly, her body on fire.
Heat, followed by chills, then more heat singed her sensitive flesh. Derrick kissed her mouth, the hollow in her throat, his mouth charting a path down her body. He tasted her breasts, belly, the inside of her thighs, retracing his path as he explored every inch of her. She didn’t want him to stop. Her lover had discovered erogenous zones on her body she hadn’t known existed. Her heart pounded so hard she was certain it could be seen through her chest.
Derrick positioned his erection at the entrance to her sex and slowly entered her body, his moans overlapping hers. She opened her legs wider to take all of him where they’d become a perfect fit. Leah gloried in the hard body atop hers, his swollen penis sliding in and out of her wetness. A shiver of delight washed over her, a moan slipping past her lips as she felt ready to climax. She bit her lip, stopping a moan. Finally letting go, her first orgasm took over, holding her captive for mere seconds before another earth-shattering release rocked through her core, taking her beyond herself as he released himself inside her.
“You are so incredibly beautiful,” Derrick whispered in her ear as her body calmed from multiple orgasms. She groaned in protest when he pulled out, lay beside her, took her hand, and threaded their fingers together. If she had doubted his love for her, he had just proved it with his unbridled lovemaking.
Shifting slightly, she rested her left leg over his and pressed her breasts against his muscled shoulder. She closed her eyes, smiling when Derrick raised her hand and kissed it. It was the last she remembered as she fell into a sated sleep reserved for lovers.
* * *
The weather decided to cooperate for the first meeting of the Café book club when the afternoon temperature rose to the upper seventies and no clouds meant no rain. Derrick turned on the gas grill and then left to spend the afternoon with Kayana’s husband. He’d gotten up early to wipe down the patio furniture and set up the umbrella shading a round table with six chairs.
When Kayana had suggested a menu of surf and turf, he’d prepared a platter with aged steak, stuffed crab, lobster tails, and prawns. Cherie had contributed the ingredients for a raspberry lemonade virgin mojito. They had agreed to serve mocktails for the summer to not only cut down on calories but also to stay focused. Leah used her grandmother’s recipe to make cole slaw, Cobb, and Niçoise salads. She’d asked Derrick to make the dressings for both salads. Cherie pointed to the platter with the Cobb salad. “I can’t believe you lined up each ingredient into rows.”
Leah smiled. “Rather than toss everything together, I wanted you to pick out what you like.” She used diced cooked chicken, avocado, chopped tomato, crumbled blue cheese, bacon, minced fresh parsley, chives, and romaine lettuce torn into bite-size pieces.
“Nice,” Cherie crooned.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a salad Niçoise,” Kayana said, as she uncovered the platter with the prepped fish. “I made it once when I lived in Atlanta, and hardly anyone touched it.”
Leah set the table with place settings for three. “I think it’s the anchovies. Whenever Derrick makes the dressing for a Caesar I make certain he doesn’t use too many anchovies. Even though this recipe calls for sixteen, I used only four fillets. And some traditional recipes call for raw vegetables, but I prefer cooking the potatoes and steaming the green beans.”
Cherie filled tall glasses with mint leaves, simple syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, and sparkling raspberry lemonade, and then garnished each with fresh raspberries, mint, and a lime wedge. “Hanging out with you two is like taking cooking courses. By the end of the summer I’ll know how to cook enough different dishes so I can stop eating out or ordering in.”
“How often do you eat out?” Leah asked her.
“At least three or four times a week. Whenever I cook for myself I usually make enough for last several days, then I get tired of eating it, so I’ll order in or go out.”
“Just say you make spaghetti and meatballs. Divide them into single-serve portions and put them in the freezer. You can do the same with chili, or mac and cheese. Date and label them, and that way you don’t have to eat the same thing every day,” Kayana suggested. “I used to do that before I got married. I’d spend the entire weekend cooking, and when I came home after work all I had to do was make a quick salad and heat up whatever I wanted to eat in the microwave. Not only did I save time but also money.”
“That’s a fabulous idea,” Cherie agreed. “Now that I’m going back to school I have to be conscious of my time.”
“Are you going full-time?” Leah asked her.
“Yes. You know that I have an undergraduate degree in early-childhood development, but I need education courses because I plan to teach.”
Leah recalled that Cherie had been on leave from her position as a parent coordinator at a Connecticut childcare center when she’d come to the island last summer. “If you need some advice as to what courses you want, maybe I can help you out with that.”
Cherie smiled. “Thanks, Leah. I’d really appreciate that. By the way, are you still headmistress at that private girls’ school?”
Leah shared a look with Kayana. “That’s a story that will need more than mocktails.”
Cherie froze. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish,” Leah said.
“Is it a secret?”
“No, Cherie. It’s not a secret. I’ll tell you after we eat because I don’t want to ruin my appetite.”
“Dam-m-m. That sounds serious.”
She laughed at Cherie’s shocked expression. Leah returned to the house to get cruets of salad dressing and a pot with several sticks of butter and garlic powder. She put the pot on the grill without direct heat for the butter to melt, and when Kayana placed the steaks, seasoned with salt and pepper, on the oiled grates the air was filled with the delicious aroma of grilling meat.
Leah had not realized until she sat down at the table with her book club friends that she’d been waiting all year for this moment. To reunite with women who understood and didn’t judge her, and women whom she could call friends. Living in a mansion, wearing haute couture and priceless jewelry, and having servants at her beck and call paled in comparison to sitting around a table eating, drinking, and discussing books on a small island off the coast of North Carolina.
Cherie touched her napkin to her mouth. “Tell me, Red, why you’re no longer headmistress at that fancy school.”
“My husband got me fired.”
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was, Cherie.”
“He beats you, but that’s not enough, so he gets you fired. No wonder you want a chunk out of his ass. Don’t you know any thugs that would grab him when he’s getting his car and take him somewhere and fuck him up, Leah?”
“No, Cherie, I don’t know any thugs.”
“Even though I went to a private school and college I still know dudes in my old neighborhood I could call to have my back if I needed them to take care of a man that put his hands on me. That’s what I call hood justice.”
“Believe me, Cherie, if I hadn’t pleaded with my sons not to lay hands on Alan, he wouldn’t be breathing today. Aron and Caleb are six-three, two-thirty, and they were ready to take him apart.”
“Shit!”
“Well, damn!”
Kayana and Cherie had spoken at the same time. “Had he lost his mind when he hit you, knowing his sons would come for him?” Kayana asked.
“Apparently not, because he’s drunk most of the time.”
“Let’s hope his drunken behind doesn’t come down here starting trouble, because my brother will use an illegal football move and clothesline his ass.”
“Enough talk about my soon-to-be-ex,” Leah said. “Talking about him is giving me indigestion.”
“I really like this cole slaw, Leah,” Cherie said. “It has just enough crunch and bite.”
“It’s the collard greens.”
“Wow. I’d never think of using collards in slaw.”
“Live and learn, sweetie.”
“Maybe instead of going back to Connecticut at the end of the season I should sell my condo and move down here.”
“What about school?” Kayana asked.
“I can take online courses to get a master’s in education.”
“If you decide to go that route, then I’ll definitely help you,” Leah volunteered.
“What say you, Cherie?” Kayana questioned.
The gold in Cherie’s light-brown eyes glinted like polished amber. “I’m going to give it some serious thought. I’ve already resigned my position at the childcare center, so if I sell my condo that means I’ll be able to make a clean break.”
Leah continued to stare at the beautiful young woman with large, light-brown eyes in a flawless gold-brown complexion. It was the set of her full lips that made her look as petulant as her moody personality. She could not imagine what a man had done to Cherie to sour her on men and life.
“How are we going to top today’s meal with lobster, filet mignon, and prawns?” Cherie asked.
Kayana shrugged her shoulders. “If we put our heads together we’ll come up with something.”
“I can make flatbread with an assortment of toppings,” Leah said.
“I’d like that,” Cherie stated.
Kayana nodded. “I agree.”
“Are we going to discuss The Alienist out here or in the she-shed?” Cherie asked.
“She-shed,” Leah and Kayana chorused.
* * *
Twenty minutes after putting away leftovers, the three women sat on the bed and in a cushioned rocker as Cherie opened the meeting as the moderator for her selected title. “What about it did you not like?”
“It was the over-the-top graphic descriptions of the bodies of the murdered children,” Leah said.
“I was bothered that all of the victims were children,” Kayana agreed, “but it was the dark atmospheric depiction of the seamy underbelly of New York City during the period that left me feeling uneasy. It was as if everyone was corrupt or deviant—pimps, police, cross-dressing boy prostitutes, and former mental patients.”
“Even when the characters lived in or visited mansions, it was as if the darkness persisted,” Leah added.
Cherie nodded. “I’ve read this novel twice, and each time I felt as if I’d been transported in time where I could smell the cooking odors coming from the apartments in the tenements, visualize the horse droppings in the streets, and the stench coming from the sewers where people discarded their garbage. It was a time in New York where it wasn’t safe for decent people to venture out after dark because gangs of roving kids would shank you for your shoes as they would for your wallet. People nowadays complain about gangs, but New York City had more than its share of gangs from young kids to the Black Hand that had begun to make their foray into organized crime.”
“What I did like,” Kayana began, “was the introduction and development of psychological profiling.”
“But remember, even though they’d employed the science of fingerprinting,” Leah reminded Cherie and Kayana, “it still at that time wasn’t accepted as a method of identifying the killer.”
“The author got a thumbs-up from me because his characters were racially and ethnically diverse as the city was at that time period and still is,” Kayana stated.
Cherie nodded. “That’s what I really liked the most, because it added color and flavor to a novel with accurate historical detail. Leah, is this a novel you would recommend for your high school students?”
“Maybe for an English AP course, but not my regular students. If I taught a college course I definitely would make it required reading. What about you, Kayana? If you taught a course, would you recommend this title?”
“It would also be appropriate for psychology students. I would have them select one of the characters and analyze them.”
The discussion continued with each selecting their favorite character and analyzing him or her. The sun had sunk lower on the horizon when they adjourned their meeting. Everyone decided to wait four weeks before holding the next meeting. That would give everyone time to read the next two titles. Leah had volunteered to be the moderator for Memoirs of a Geisha.
She was grateful they’d changed from a book a week schedule, because she’d committed to baking for the restaurant, which cut into her reading time. And now that Kayana was married she also had less time for herself.
Leah locked the shed and returned to the house when she heard Derrick pulling into the garage. She waited for him to enter the kitchen. “How was your bro-fest?”
He flashed a dimpled smile. “Great. How was your book club meeting?”
“Wonderful. We’re not going to meet for another month to give everyone time to catch up with the required reading.”
Derrick took a step and breathed a kiss under her ear. “Does this mean I can make plans for us to spend Sunday afternoons together?”
“Yes, it does.”
“Let me know where you’d like to go or do, and I’ll try to make it happen.”
Leah brushed a light kiss over his mouth. “Thank you, darling.”
“You’re welcome, love.”