This Time (6 page)

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Authors: Ingrid Monique

BOOK: This Time
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“Oh, my God!” Lori cried, grabbing her hands and looking her over. Yu' a'right?” Lori asked, frightened. Kelee smiled at her, nodding her head.
“Yu' weren't hurt?” Mrs. Jackson asked; she was brown skinned with natural reddish blond hair.
“No,” Kelee told her.
“Yu' sure?” Lori's face was filled with worry.
Kelee really didn't want Lori to be worried in her state. “Yes, I'm fine. It's just that my purse was snatched and the car was stolen. Lori, I'm really sorry about the car.”
“I don't care about the car.” Lori pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly. Kelee hugged her sister and breathed a sigh of relief.
“This man was nice enough to help.”
“Yu' have to be so careful nowadays,” Mrs. Wong volunteered; she was tall Asian/black with a short curly Afro and slanted light brown eyes.
“It can be dangerous downtown; yu' have to be very aware,” Mrs. Johnson added.
“Let me call the chief,” Mrs. Hill, a thin black woman with stunning gray eyes, said, and pulled out her cell phone.
“I'm sorry about the car.” Kelee looked at Lori.
“Please, stop with the car. I'm jus' glad yu' OK.” Lori squeezed her hand. At that moment Kelee was glad she had her big sister. Everything would be OK.
Mrs. Hill was kind enough to drive them home after reporting the car stolen to her brother, who was the commissioner of police. Mrs. Wong's husband owned a car dealership and informed Lori she could have a car tomorrow until hers was found or replaced. Kelee was grateful for the support system the women offered. She had only seen them as snobby rich women, but they were more like a sisterhood. They supported each other, she could see that now, and was glad Lori had them as friends.
Allan waited anxiously on the veranda as they pulled up to the house. They thanked Mrs. Hill for the ride, getting out of her BMW jeep. Mrs. Hill honked her horn before driving off.
“Yu'all OK?” Allan met them at the gate.
“We're fine,” Lori told Allan as he started to fuss over her.
“Wha' happened?” He focused on Kelee.
“I have to sit down,” Lori announced. Allan gently led her inside.
With Lori comfortably situated on the sofa Allan turned to Kelee for an answer. Kelee relayed the entire story to him.
“I'm really sorry about the car. I guess I wasn't careful enough.”
“Don't worry about the car, it can be replaced. Yu' safety is more important here,” Allan replied so strongly, it made Kelee nervous.
“I'm jus' glad someone was nice enough to help her get back to me,” Lori said, rubbing her belly. She looked tired.
“Who helped yu'?” Allan asked. “Some guy name Tyce, he drives a black BMW X5 jeep. Know him? No, describe him?” She did. When she was finished Allan shook his head. “I will be more careful next time,” Kelee said.
“His name was Tyce.”
Allan suddenly looked curious. Kelee wondered why.
“I will be more careful next time,” Kelee insisted.
“Stop scarin' her!” Lori slapped Allan on the arm.
“Sorry, didn't mean to.” Allan smiled, which put Kelee at ease.
“Wha' time is it?” Lori asked.
Allan looked at the clock on the wall. “Almost four.”
“Tell Nadine to start dinner for me. Sean is comin' to dinner tonight.”
“Need me to do anything?” Kelee asked, perking up. She had been anticipating seeing Sean again.
“Yu' don't cook, remember?” Lori reminded her.
Kelee rolled her eyes at her. ”Only because yu' did everything, mother-hen.”
“Yu' were lazy,” Lori teased.
Lori was right; she rarely did any cooking growing up. She didn't mind cleaning up, but she never did take to cooking. She knew the basics, but had never delved too far into it. If she did cook it was something quick and simple like grilled chicken or pasta. She never learned how to make traditional dishes; plus they took too damn long to make as far as she was concerned.
 
 
While Lori napped, and Allan retreated to his study, Kelee decided to help out by setting the dining table, after which she took a long cool shower. She was coming out of the shower wrapped in her robe when she ran into a wobbling Lori, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Why didn't yu' wake me?”
“Yu' looked so tired.”
“Come help me get out of this suit,” Lori said, heading into her room. Kelee followed. She helped her sister undress and marveled at Lori's naked pregnant body.
“Wha'?” Lori asked when she caught her staring.
“That belly is huge. Yu' sure yu' due in two months?”
Lori rolled her eyes.“Yes.”
“Looks like yu' going to drop sooner than that.”
“Don't I wish.” Lori groaned.
“Is it that bad?” Kelee asked,concerned with her sister's health and knowing how long it had taken her to actually get pregnant.
“Some days are better than others.”
Kelee rubbed her sister's bare belly, smiling.
“Could yu' pull me out some'ting to wear, while I take a quick shower? Sean should be here soon.” Lori headed into the master bedroom bathroom.
Kelee couldn't wait to see Sean. In a short time he had made quite an impression on her. She recalled the intense dream she had had about him the other night. The funny thing about the dream was that it was as if she had known him all her life. He felt like a long-last lover to her. Why? She wasn't sure.
Kelee went into Lori's walk-in closet and pulled out a floral print A-line dress. She laid it out on the bed, then pulled out underwear and a pair of flat mules.
Allan entered the room as she was about to leave. “I didn't mean to scare yu' earlier,” he started to apologize.
“It's OK. I just need to be more careful next time.”
He looked at her as if he wanted to tell her something, but he simply smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
“Are yu' guys in any danger or anything I should be aware of?” Kelee asked. Being politically linked brought some danger. But Allan was the minister of tourism. That job wasn't as dangerous as Sean's. However, if there was someone out there she should be concerned with she wanted to know.
“No, no,” Allan told her reassuringly.
She was relieved to hear that. “Good. Well, let me go get ready.”
“Sean is downstairs.”
“He is?” She couldn't help the excitement in her voice. Allan grinned.
“Yeah, he's havin' a drink on the veranda,” Allan told her.
Kelee rushed to her room down the hall to get ready. After lightly moisturizing her body she pulled on a cap-sleeve, snap-front, denim mid-calf dress. She applied light makeup and pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail. Half an hour later she ventured downstairs in search of Sean. When she didn't find him on the veranda, she went back into the house. She found him in the kitchen with Nadine. He was plating the fish they were having for dinner. Nadine was pulling the salad from the refrigerator. She paused in the doorway, taking in the vision of him. He was dressed in a chartreuse shirt, his sleeves rolled up. He wore dark blue slacks. He hadn't shaved, she noted from the five o'clock shadow. Somehow it made him even sexier. Even in the kitchen he looked good. He looked at her, then and a warm smile touched his lips. She blushed under his gaze.
“Need any help?” she asked, moving into the room.
“Thanks.” Sean handed her the platter with the delicious-smelling slices of swordfish covered in sautéed onions, scallions, and hot pepper. Kelee took the platter into the dining room, which was just off the kitchen. Lori and Allan entered the room as she placed the platter beside the bowls of fresh vegetables and rice.
“I'll get the punch.” Allan went into the kitchen. Kelee helped Lori into her chair, before sitting beside her.
“I see yu' glad he's here,” Lori whispered. Kelee shushed her just as Sean and Allan walked into the dining room. Allan sat at the head of the table. Sean sat to Allan's left, across from Lori and Kelee. Their eyes met and held and he smiled at her. Kelee suddenly felt flushed.
The conversation around the dinner table was light and entertaining until Allan mentioned Kelee getting robbed earlier. A look of dread came over Sean's face as he focused on her. She was struck by the intense concern on his face.
“Yu' sure yu' OK?” Sean's eyes searched hers. She couldn't help being curious by his concern. He really didn't know her enough to be this intensely concerned.
“Yes, I'm fine. All he did was grab my purse, which unfortunately had Lori's car keys in it.”
“Would yu' be able to recognize him, if yu' saw him again?”
“No, all I saw was his back,” Kelee told him.
“Are yu' sure?” Sean pressed. Kelee suddenly felt uneasy with his questioning. She'd forgotten he was a cop.
“Sean!” Lori warned. Sean looked at Lori and his intense expression disappeared.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm yu'.”
Kelee looked from Sean to Lori to Allan. Was she missing something here? “What's going on?”
“No'ting,” Lori started. “These two love to exaggerate 'tings too much. I was robbed once. Yu' jus' have to be very aware when yu' go downtown, that's all,” Lori said sternly.
Kelee looked at her sister, alarmed. She had never told her that. “Yu' were robbed?” Kelee asked.
“My purse was snatched; luckily a cop saw it all and caught the guy. Now can we change the subject?” Lori was getting upset and no one wanted that. They went back to enjoying the dinner.
“Keep next weekend free,” Allan told Sean.
“Why?” Sean asked.
“The Appleton Rum party in View Coast,” Allan told Sean. “Yu' are comin', right?”
“I could use some R&R,” Sean admitted, looking at Kelee. She pressed her lips together, preventing the smile that threatened to show.
View Coast was a resort area where tourists flocked. It was also the playground for St. Pala's elite. Kelee had to admit that it was exciting to know that Sean was going to be in View Coast for that weekend. Lori had told her about the weekend excursion, which she had been looking forward to. Having Sean there would make it a lot more enjoyable. She recalled the last time she was in View Coast and her memorable affair with a young dreadlock name Mike. But that was ten years ago; she was young and desperate to get rid of her virginity at the time. Which was kind of stupid, she had to admit. But she was young and immature in those days. Plus, her wild days were long over, or were they? she wondered as she looked at Sean St. John. The man was sexy and fine as hell and all she could think of was how he'd be in bed. As if sensing her thoughts he turned and his eyes met and held hers, promising her satisfaction to her thoughts. Kelee looked away, embarrassed by her thoughts and Sean seeming to know what she was thinking.
Just before dessert, Lori complained about feeling a bit tired, so Allan took her upstairs.
“Nadine made cake for dessert,” Kelee told Sean.
“Let me take yu' out for dessert?” Sean suggested. The way he said dessert told her that he had more than food on his mind. She concealed a smile that threatened to surface.
“That sounds good,” she responded cooly.
Moments later they were in his jeep and heading down the hill. He maneuvered his jeep around a bend. The other side of the road offered a beautiful view of homes cascading down the hillside and the lights of downtown in the distance.
 
 
“Are yu' sure yu' not married with kids somewhere?”
He laughed before responding. “Yes.”
“Yu' sure? I wouldn't want some crazed baby mother coming after me.”
“Yu' don't have any'ting to worry 'bout,” he reassured her with a smile.
“So tell me why yu' don't have a woman, again?”
“Again?” He gazed briefly at her, hiding a smile.
“Yes.”
“Because I don't like to get involved with a woman—not unless I really like her or want to be with her. I don't like to waste my time, do yu'?”
His answer wasn't exactly what she expected to hear. She didn't know how to respond.
“Do yu'?” he asked again.
“No, no,” Kelee responded, gazing at him. She was really starting to like him. He was straightforward and she liked that in a man. She had been lied to enough by the men in her past. An honest man was welcome.

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