Gotta Get Next To You (5 page)

“Yes, I’m the boss. I look forward to setting
things straight and keeping them that way.” Andrea folded her arms
and stared at him.

Jamal did not lose his smile. “I’m with you
on that, ma’am.”

“Exactly what I was saying just a minute
ago,” Gran jumped in. “Having good workers is key. Andrea is darned
lucky to have a man like you.”

Andrea ground her teeth. She tossed a sharp
glance at her grandmother. “Gran ...” She hoped her tone would say
it all.

Gran ignored her attempt and made a show of
serving Jamal. “Here you go, darlin’. A nice helping of
Louisiana-style red beans.”

Andrea moved close to her uncle. “When did he
show up?” she mumbled in his ear.

“While you were outside,” Uncle Curtis said
in a low voice.

Andrea watched Gran’s performance and fumed.
“Gran is unbelievable.” She spoke more to herself than to Uncle
Curtis.

“Some of this, Andrea cooked.” Gran served
him a helping of cornbread. “She’s mighty handy in the kitchen when
she wants to be.”

“Which I rarely do,” Andrea called out. “Hate
cooking. Eat out every chance I get at the finest restaurants. I
don’t do windows either.”

Gran chuckled. “Lordy, these single girls. Of
course, things change once you get to be a couple.”

“My grandmother used to say the same thing,”
Jamal chimed in. He shot a sideways glance at Andrea.

“There now! Didn’t I say he had southern
roots?” Gran patted his back. “Doesn’t matter where you grew up,
you’re one of us.”

“Oh, please,” Andrea whispered.

Uncle Curtis cleared his throat. “I’m goin’
to go back to the game and give y’all more room.” He darted
off.

“Me, too,” Leonard added. He seemed unaware
of anything amiss. “You comin’, bro? You can bring your plate.
Right, Gran?”

“Nah, I’ll stay here and finish. Wouldn’t
want to make a mess,” Jamal said, glancing at Andrea.

“Gran ain’t fussy like some. Man, that game
is—”

“Don’t rush him out, Leonard. We’re talking
with your cousin,” Gran cut in sharply, and tilted her head to
Andrea.

The light came on in Leonard’s eyes after a
few seconds. “Oh, yeah, yeah. Y’all talk.” He winked at Andrea, and
then loped out.

Andrea wanted to scream with frustration. Her
uncle had abandoned her, and now Leonard assumed she was a willing
participant in this scenario. She could imagine the story that
would shortly be told to the rest of the family. By tomorrow
morning, all of Bayou Blue would be buzzing about her love life.
Andrea’s hands formed fists.

“Gran, you have a short memory,” Andrea
said.

“What, baby?” Gran wore a guileless
expression. “Oh, you’re right!” She slapped the table. “I forgot to
tell your cousin Pam about the church fair.”

“I haven’t heard anything about a church
fair,” Andrea said. “Wait a minute.”

“You oughta include a booth about the clinic.
Great way to tell a whole bunch of folks about all the improvements
you’re making,” Gran said.

Jamal pushed away the now empty plate. He
glanced at Andrea, then at Gran. “You know, Miss Mavis, you’ve got
an idea there.”

“Good.” Gran beamed at him. “Y’all talk about
it. Matter of fact, go on outside. It’s too nice to be stuck in the
kitchen.”

“I’m sure Jamal wants to watch the game,”
Andrea said. “And I’m going to do the dishes.”

“That hungry pack in there is gonna dirty up
more dishes in a few minutes. Go on out and enjoy the weather.”

Gran pulled Andrea by one arm and beckoned to
Jamal at the same time. She cut off the exit toward the house and
propelled them to the back door. Jamal went willingly.

“Nice breeze blowing today, too. Get Andrea
to show you that old oak out there. Planted by her great-
great-granddaddy. I don’t need y’all in here crowding me when I
clean up.”

“But you just said there was no point to
washing dishes,” Andrea protested.

“This is my kitchen and I decide when to
clean it. Quit contradicting me, for goodness’ sakes! Go on.” Gran
gave Andrea one last shove onto the back porch.

Jamal followed soon after. “This is a wild
guess, but I think she wants you to show me around.” He wore a
crooked smile as the door shut firmly.

Andrea glared at her grandmother’s retreating
back. “If she wanted you to take in the sights, she could have done
it herself.”

“And leave her hostess duties? She obviously
takes those seriously.” Jamal grinned.

“Yeah, right,” Andrea said with a
grimace.

“I could wander around the swamp on my own.
Just call out the bloodhounds if I’m not back in an hour.” Jamal
cocked his head to one side and gazed at her.

Andrea looked into a pair of dark eyes deep
enough to get lost in. They were the color of strong Louisiana
coffee. Andrea tried to remember what it was that irritated her so,
but couldn’t when he looked at her that way.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” she
heard her-self say.

“Does that mean I’ll get the guided tour?”
Jamal swept out a muscular arm.

Andrea watched the fluid motion in
fascination. She imagined him lifting weights, or wrapping his arms
around someone in a solid embrace. Hard muscles, smooth skin. A
crazy urge to touch him took hold of her again. She hurried down
the steps to put distance between them.

“It won’t be much of a tour. Just trees,
grass, and muddy water.”

“Hey, it beats concrete and traffic jams any
day.” Jamal caught up to her.

Andrea concentrated on her surroundings and
not looking at him again. At least until she’d regain her senses.
“So how long have you been in Louisiana?”

“About three years.”

“You don’t seem like the small-town type.”
Andrea led him toward the massive oak tree.

“I moved to New Orleans to get away from big
cities. I got tired of the crowds and hassle.”

“I see. Still, it must have been an
adjustment.”

“I got used to it. I needed to get away from
Los Angeles.” There was a hint of tension in his voice.

“Life gets tough sometimes. That’s the way it
is.” Andrea made an opening to find out more about him. He looked
pensive for a moment, and then smiled.

“You were in the big city, too. What made you
come home?” he asked, deftly changing the focus to her again.

“When Gran told me about the clinic, I
couldn’t resist. This parish has needed preventative health care
for poor people since forever,” Andrea said. As they approached the
wide trunk, she plucked a wisp of Spanish moss from a branch that
curved to the ground.

“You didn’t have any ties to keep you in
Chicago?” Jamal turned to her. The question in his eyes was
clear.

“There’s nothing in Chicago for me now. I’m
divorced,” she said. Andrea blushed and looked away.

“I see,” he said. “Seems we’ve got a lot in
common.”

Andrea looked up at him. He smiled and her
breath caught, his smoky eyes pulling her in so deep she felt
consumed by their warmth. She wanted to pull back, turn away from
that hypnotic gaze. She’d been here before, her mind fogged by
romantic fantasy. Then she remembered that pain had followed that
particular pleasure. Andrea blinked and pulled herself back from
the edge.

“Well, that’s about all there is to see,”
Andrea said, her voice brusque. “Let’s go back inside and catch
that game.”

She spun around and started to march off. He
grabbed her arm, and Andrea felt a jolt, as if an electric charge
raced up her arm. As she’d imagined only moments before, his skin
was warm and a bit rough. She did not pull away. Every muscle
vibrated with a hunger for more.

“I’m not into baseball,” Jamal said in a
quiet voice. “And I expected us to go much farther.”

Andrea tugged free of his hold. “We won’t,”
she said, and faced him with a controlled smile.

“Okay, later then.” Jamal shrugged casually.
He seemed confident there would be a next time.

“I don’t think so,” Andrea said in a clipped
tone. “Let’s get something straight. I don’t date employees. And I
wouldn’t date you even if you weren’t an employee.”

“I was just talking about a walk in the
woods, Nurse Noble. You’re safe from me.” He strolled off with an
un-hurried stride.

Andrea glared at his back. Okay, so she had
jumped all over that conclusion, but he didn’t have to gloat about
it. Worse, he was walking off with the last word.

Andrea spluttered frantically and searched
for a come-back.

“Let’s just stay clear of each other as much
as possible.”

“That will be hard. The clinic isn’t all that
big.” Jamal’s mouth lifted at one comer, causing one dimple to
appear.

“Then we’ll have to make the best of it.
Remember, I’m in charge. Just do your work and we’ll get along
fine.” Andrea brushed back her hair and walked past him.

“I can see we’ll have so much fun.”

Andrea kept going and did not look back.
“You’re not there for fun.”

“Good thing, too,” was his droll
response.

She increased her pace and reached the back
porch in record time. Andrea stomped cross the wooden planks and
through the kitchen door. Gran met her with an expectant smile.

“Bet y’all had a nice walk, eh? That boy is
too good to be true.” Gran’s smile faded when Andrea continued to
frown at her.

“Never again,” Andrea burst out. “No more
trying to fix me up, Gran! I mean it!”

“Some gratitude! Here I give you a perfect
chance to be alone with one of the finest young men for two hundred
miles and what do you do?” Gran put both fists on her wide
hips.

“I didn’t ask you to invite him! Jamal Turner
is not the kind of man I need right now.” Andrea rubbed her
forehead in exasperation.

“Don’t talk trash, child. He’s smart,
hardworking, and comes from a good family. Women for miles around
want him.”

“He’s already got a hot love affair going,
with him-self!” Andrea waved her hand. “The man’s got ‘dog’ written
across his forehead. He—”

“Hush,” Gran said, waving frantically for her
to be quiet. “Here he comes.”

“Miss Mavis, that view is everything you said
it was.” Jamal ignored Andrea and gave Gran his full attention.

“Have some dessert, sugar. Guess you need
some refreshment right about now.” Gran shot a look of reproach at
Andrea. She patted his shoulder as though to comfort him. “Go on in
the living room and I’ll bring you some pie and cold milk.”

“No, thanks, Miss Mavis. I’m full. I’ll be
going now. Bye-bye.” Jamal grinned at Andrea as he headed out.

“Shame on you,” Gran said within seconds of
him disappearing.

Andrea pushed down another acid comment and
counted to ten. “Gran, I know you’re trying to help me, but don’t.
I’m not attracted to that kind of man.”

“So you don’t like sexy, tall, intelligent
men?” “Looks aren’t everything. Besides, I’ve got my hands full
right now. I’ve got a lot of responsibility.”

Gran did not budge from her position. “You
need more than a job, Drea.”

“I’m not ready. It’s too soon. Please try to
understand, Granna.”

It was the name Andrea had called her
grandmother when she was little. It usually melted her
grandmother’s rock-hard will. Gran’s fierce expression eased.

“I know you’ve been hurt, sugar. I shouldn’t
be rushing you like this. But I want you to be happy.” Gran crossed
to Andrea, hugged her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “There
now, you go on with the rest of ’em and I’ll bring you a slice of
pie.”

Andrea planted a kiss on Gran’s plump cheek.
“Thanks, Gran. Really.”

She went out the door and down the short hall
past the formal dining room that led to the den. Andrea knew this
wasn’t the end of her grandmother’s matchmaking efforts. It would
take at least three times before Gran would accept that she was not
interested in Jamal. Period. No way.

She paused and checked her appearance in a
mirror hanging on the wall. The woman who looked back was cool,
collected, and definitely not interested in Jamal Turner. Andrea
practiced several facial expressions of haughtiness and disdain.
Satisfied, Andrea sashayed into the room with her shoulders back
and chin up. She would let Mr. Wonderful know he wasn’t the center
of the universe. However, when she walked into the living room, she
found herself glancing around for a glimpse of him. He really
wasn’t there. She told herself she was glad he was gone as her
fingers caressed the arm he had touched.

A musical female laugh accompanied by a
lower, deeper one jabbed a hole in Andrea’s gratified mood. She
rolled her eyes. Jamal again. He caused a minor sensation among
female staff and patients just walking down the hall. To Andrea it
was a source of constant irritation. Another round of laughter set
her teeth on edge. What was so dam funny anyway? There was a knock
on her door and Katy came in. As clinic manager, Katy was
responsible for the day-to-day operation of the clinic.

“How you doin’ in here, boss?” Katy’s Cajun
accent was slight, but distinct nonetheless. Her long black hair
was pulled up in a twist.

‘Tine. I’m just finishing up the paperwork
for the new nutritional program.” Andrea tapped a stack of forms in
triplicate. “Between state and federal red tape, it could take
another two weeks.”

“Yeah, but at least we’ll be able to give out
those

WIC coupons again.” Katy sat down in one of
three chairs facing Andrea’s desk.

“It took me three hours of hard talking to
get us back in. But I can’t blame them. Four hundred dollars worth
of coupons missing.” Andrea shook her head. “Did I say talking? I
meant begging!”

“I know. You think they’ll do more than
question the former employees?” Katy said just above a whisper.

“Probably not. But I’ll bet they were either
selling those things or giving them to their buddies.” Andrea was
still angry. Daily she found more evidence that confirmed her
decision to fire so many of the former staff and start fresh.