Gotta Get Next To You (2 page)

“Let me tell you—”

“I don’t need to hear it.” Nurse Cresson
turned away from Andrea. “Shonda, give her an appointment. She
can’t be too bad off if she can stand here arguing.”

With a furious frown, Andrea walked around
the corner of the office and down the hall that led to the
examination rooms. As she passed the public rest rooms, the smell
told her they had not been cleaned for some time.

“Hey! You can’t come back here without bein’
called,” Shonda yelled.

Nurse Cresson rushed out into the hall and
held up a hand. “You go right back the way you came.”

Shonda joined her, looking fierce. “Some
people got more nerve than sense!”

“You wanted to know my name earlier. Well,
I’m Andrea Noble. Your new clinic director,” Andrea said, her voice
like a razor. She wore a hard smile and nodded as the expressions
on their faces transformed from outrage to shock.

“But you ain’t supposed to be here until next
week.” Shonda’s mouth was slack with dismay.

Nurse Cresson’s dark eyes flashed with
suspicion. “Sally Ranger is supposed to come that day along with
some of the health clinic board members for a tour.”

“I can show you my driver’s license if you
don’t believe me.” Andrea held up her purse.

“No. I’m sorry,” Nurse Cresson said, forcing
a smile onto her crinkled face. “You just caught us off guard.”

“Exactly,” Andrea tossed back. “I got home
yesterday morning and decided not to wait for the official
tour.”

“Home?” Shonda blinked at her. “You’re from
around here?”

“I grew up in Bayou Blue. I’ve lived in
Chicago for nine years.” Andrea looked at her. Shonda was no more
than twenty and she did not recognize her. “What’s your last
name?”

Shonda hesitated. “LaMotte. I’m from down on
Sweet Road.”

Andrea remembered the LaMotte brood. They
were a rowdy bunch. She knew several of them. The women liked a
good fistfight as much as the men did. “I know Raleene and Wyvonne.
Are they your sisters?”

“Cousins.”

“The Crazy Dog Bar still there?” Andrea
walked past them. She glanced in several rooms as she talked.

“Yeah.” Shonda shot a worried glance at Nurse
Cresson.

“Uh-huh.” Andrea knew she had established
herself as a native. No outsider would know about the LaMottes and
the Crazy Dog.

“I can see we’ve got a lot of work to do. We
might as well start now.” Andrea turned around to face them
abruptly. Both women jumped back.

“We was gonna clean up ... I mean we always
keep it clean. But the janitor been sick.” Nurse Cresson’s gaze
darted around the hall.

“Really?” Andrea let skepticism lace her
tone. “Well, let’s just do a walk-through and see what we
have.”

For the next two hours she put Nurse Cresson
through the wringer. Andrea suspected Thelma Cresson was a nurse
with little real skill beyond first aid and not much ambition. She
made a mental note to find out what relative had gotten her this
job. Equipment at the clinic was in poor condition. There were no
real health education programs to help the largely poor, welfare
patients. Andrea made it clear to Nurse Cresson and Shonda that
things would change. Their morose expressions told her just what
they thought. After making a long list of things she wanted done,
Andrea headed for home. Once outside, she paused to glance
around.

It was a glorious sunny day. The sky was
still bright blue, but turning darker with touches of orange as the
sun set. Cottony white clouds floated along. Bayou Blue was
surrounded by lush prairies and bayous. Her grandmother’s house,
the house she’d grown up in, was three miles from town. Andrea had
not really paid attention to the area on previous visits home. But
Gran had told her that a group of businessmen were trying to revive
downtown. Having the clinic improved and under new management was
part of the initiative.

Being home again was part of Andrea’s own
five- year plan after her divorce. She’d been eager to come. The
concrete and fast pace of Chicago only served to make her feel more
disconnected. After a while, Gran’s urging that she come back to
her roots did not seem like a bad idea. Andrea wanted to get her
life on an even keel. The fact that crime and decay threatened
Bayou Blue angered her.

She walked halfway down one block and stopped
within a few yards of a store. Downtown Bayou Blue needed a
face-lift for sure. The shabbiness of abandoned storefronts
contrasted with the beautiful rural setting. Still, the Improvement
Committee’s efforts did show in a few places. Several historic
buildings had been attractively restored. Andrea had fond childhood
memories of skipping to keep up with her father’s long strides as
they walked downtown. Andrea mentally identified the old dress shop
where her father had bought her first party outfit. Around the
comer had been a combination shoe store and shoe repair shop. It
wasn’t much of a town by big city standards, but it was well worth
saving. The sound of footsteps brought her back to the present.
Andrea realized she’d wandered a good two blocks from where her car
was parked outside the clinic. The area was scattered with shabby
vacant storefronts. Trash and weeds filled two empty lots to her
left.

“Yeah, man. Them dudes crazy. I—Whoa, looka
that.” A male voice went from conversational to provocative.

Three men wearing low-slung jeans strolled
toward her. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. They were
young and lanky, their conversation filled with profanity. Andrea
looked around, hoping to see someone else on the street. But what
few businesses remained were closed and no one was in sight. She
turned around and started back to her car.

“Evenin’,” a different male voice called
out.

“What’s up?” A tall man wearing a tank top
and jeans trotted up beside her. He was soon joined by his
buddies.

Andrea increased her pace to reach the
clinic. “Hi,” she said over her shoulder.

“Hey, baby. How ya doin’?” A young man
grinned, revealing three gold teeth.

“I’m fine,” Andrea said without breaking her
stride.

“That ain’t no lie.” The young man rubbed his
chin with one hand.

Andrea glanced at him briefly. She’d worked
in a Chicago clinic that saw a lot of troubled kids and adults,
even gang members. This young man was more bluster than real
menace, but the two men with him were another matter. One had a
scar along his left cheek that he rubbed as though proud of it. The
other, shorter and the color of ebony, wore a red kerchief around
his neck. His muscle shirt was hiked up on one side.

They jumped ahead of her on the sidewalk,
blocking her progress, forcing Andrea to stop as well.

The one with the scar spoke first. “My name’s
Javon an’ I got what you need,” he said with a smack of his
lips.

Andrea’s throat tightened with fear. “Excuse
me, but I’m going to my car.”

“You outta your league. Classy lady ain’t got
time for kiddy stuff. I’m Bo, baby.” He let his gaze trail over her
body suggestively.

“Hi,” Andrea said. She tried once more to
continue on, but Bo did not move to let her pass.

“You must be new in town, ’cause I know all
the pretty ladies. And they know me.” His buddies guffawed and his
grin widened.

Andrea decided to make this her first
community outreach effort. She allowed the snickering and sassy
comments to die down.

“I’m from here, just been gone a long time.
I’m Andrea Noble, the new health clinic director.” She pointed
toward the Bayou Blue Health Clinic.

“I’m in good health. Strong as can be, baby.
Wanna feel?” Bo slapped his chest.

“No, thanks. But we’ll have information on
good nutrition and exercise, like weight lifting.” Andrea made a
stab at what might interest them.

“I see something I wanna pick up right here.”
Bo wet his lips; his eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at her
breasts. He took a step closer to her. “Yes indeed.”

Andrea frowned in distaste, realizing
suddenly that this was a bad idea. “Excuse me.” She made another
attempt to go around him. When he didn’t move, she tried to push
her way through.

Bo stopped smiling, his expression turning
hard. He glared at his laughing friends and they grew quiet. When
he turned back to Andrea, she felt a trickle of fear at the look in
his eyes, but she was determined not to let it show. She stared
back at him, chin raised.

“Why you in such a hurry? Be friendly.” Bo
moved closer, until he towered over her. He made a grab for her
arm.

Andrea jerked back, avoiding his grasp.
“Leave me alone.”

Bo grabbed for her again. “That ain’t the way
to—”

Andrea knocked his hand aside and kicked his
shin hard. Bo yelped at the glancing blow, and then lunged for her.
In a panic, she turned to run and collided with a man’s hard
chest.

“We got a problem out here?” a deep voice
asked.

Shaking with fear at the realization that she
was surrounded, Andrea looked up and up. He was at least six feet
four, with smooth skin like fine chocolate milk. His eyes were a
deep brown, like strong Louisiana dark- roast coffee, as he gazed
at them calmly. He wore a light blue cotton Henley shirt and blue
jeans that hugged narrow hips. He looked powerful even standing
still. Andrea was caught between the aura of masculine strength, as
palpable as the musky scent of cologne he wore, and the feeling of
fear that made her pulse race. Or was it fear? She stared at the
strong line of his jaw. This man inspired something more:
exhilaration. He surveyed the group of men calmly, and Andrea felt
as though the cavalry had just galloped across the horizon.

“Nah, we just gettin’ introduced,” Bo said.
He glared at Andrea. “Awright?”

“Funny. Looks like the lady is trying to get
away. What about it, ma’am?” He glanced at Andrea.

Bo’s whole body was tensed for battle. “Stay
outta my business.”

“I know y’all can’t read, so I’ll help you
out.” Wearing a mild expression, the handsome newcomer pointed to a
rectangular sign attached to the stone wall of the clinic. “ ‘No
loitering near entrance,’ ” he read.

Javon’s mouth flapped open as he decided to
join in. “You can’t tell us nothin’—”

“Come on, ma’am. Let’s go inside. The air is
cooler and better smelling,” he said with derision. The man put a
hand under her elbow and guided her inside the clinic.

Andrea was through the door before she could
protest, but for some reason she did not feel alarmed. This man had
a solid, reassuring presence. He radiated confidence, with a dash
of boldness thrown in. She looked at him and felt a shock of warmth
travel up her spine. When he fully turned to look at her, the
warmth turned to a full-blown fire. His full brown lips pulled back
in a dazzling smile, revealed gleaming white teeth. This man was
more than handsome. The knit shirt seemed to strain across his
chest. His muscular arms were even more defined when he put both
hands on his waist. His gaze went over her head briefly as he
checked to make sure the thugs were gone, and then back to her
face. He was stunning. A dimple in one cheek made the delectable
creature near perfect. He glanced around the waiting room.

“Looks like the roaches scattered.” He turned
around in a half circle.

Andrea said nothing, still taking him in. His
dark brown hair was cut short and the tight curls looked like soft
wool loops. She had a crazy urge to reach up and touch them. When
he faced her again, Andrea blinked rapidly. She must be losing her
mind. She looked away, sure that she was gaping at him like an
idiot.

Andrea recovered. “Thanks,” she said in a
restrained tone.

“You’re welcome, I guess.”

“I do appreciate your help,” Andrea said,
“but I’ve been in tough situations before.”

“Sure.” Disdain dripped from his voice. He
continued to look around.

“I worked in Chicago and dealt with lots of
people.” Andrea’s gratitude was being tested by his know-it-all
manner.

“This may not be Chicago, but you obviously
don’t know how much has changed.”

“Thanks again. But I think I do.”

“Is that right?” he said.

“Yes, that’s right.” She decided that what
she’d mistaken for charisma was really plain old-fashioned
arrogance.

“Well, I’d advise you to stay out of this
part of town.”

“Decent people should be able to go anywhere
they want,” Andrea said. “We can’t let hoodlums dictate what we
do.”

“Look, lady, use common sense. Unless you
want something to happen, don’t strut your stuff around here.” He
eyed her from head to toe.

“If being free to walk in town is ‘strutting
my stuff,’ as you so crudely put it, then I’ve got a right to strut
my stuff where I please, when I please.” Andrea spoke the words in
a rapid-fire burst and waved a forefinger at him. “You hear
me?”

“Yes, ma’am. Folks for miles around heard
you.” He nodded his head.

Two patients, apparently the last for the
day, stood staring at them in amusement. Several women were
nodding. One woman wearing large hoop earrings that touched her
shoulders bobbed her head from side to side.

‘Tell him ’bout it, baby, that’s right.”

Andrea lowered her hand quickly. What was
wrong with her? Causing big scenes, especially in public, horrified
her. And here she was; the instigator. She’d spent years trying not
to be like her emotional mother. Charlene could create high drama
over a broken fingernail.

“Maybe you could have taken care of yourself
out there,” he said, dark eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. A
twinkle of amusement lit his eyes.

Something about this man set off strong
reactions in her, first attraction, then wrath. Every hair on her
body seemed raised. And worse, she felt strangely elated.

“Just don’t make a simple walk into something
it’s not,” she managed to stammer out.