Yield to Love (8 page)

Roque hated coming here. This place was for
weak-minded people who couldn’t get a grasp on reality. He was not
weak. He strode through the double doors and walked across the
stark white Formica toward the front desk. The scent of bleach
assailed his nostrils. At least the staff kept the place clean.

“
Hello, Mr. Coleman. I
haven’t seen you in awhile.” A pretty red head dressed in pale blue
scrubs held a clipboard to her chest.

He struggled to remember her name. Jackie?
Joslyn? He was no good with names. He only knew she was always nice
to him whenever he visited. Well, everyone here was nice. They knew
he paid the bills. What he liked about this lady was she never
tried to flirt with him. He appreciated that. It was one less thing
he had to deal with.

She shifted her clipboard
and he saw her nametag.
Jenny.
“Hello, Jenny. I’ve been busy.”

“
No worries. Come right
this way. I’m sure your sister will be happy to see
you.”

Roque followed Jenny down a familiar hallway
he knew by heart. Every piece of artwork, every chip in the
putty-colored wall, even the spot on the floor where the tile was
uneven were familiar to him. He’d been coming for years. Nothing
changed here, except the occasional staff member. He liked it that
way. Predictability soothed him. Especially when it came to his
sister. He liked knowing the same people were taking care of
her.

“
She seems to be doing
much better,” Jenny informed him. “The psychiatrist said she’s
making progress.”

He nodded. Years ago, before he could afford
something so grand as this, his sister was languishing away in a
halfway house. He was glad to see this place was making a
difference.

He spotted
her before she saw him. He stood at the entrance
to the recreation room while he watched his sister, Raven, from
afar. Descended from German and black parents, she’d inherited more
of their father’s Afro-Caribbean roots. In her youth she’d been a
beautiful woman. Today, her dark curls were unruly. Her brown eyes
had faint half crescents beneath them. And her olive skin had an
ashen pallor. His sister was a shell of her former self.

Roque strode toward her, navigating his way
past metal folding chairs scattered around a variety of game
tables.

She looked up as he approached. A light
shone through the dullness in her eyes. A faint smile lifted the
corners of her lips. “Roque, so good to see you. It’s been a
while.”

He bent down to hug her while she remained
seated in an armchair. “I’ve been busy.”

He felt guilty about not visiting her all
this time. He just couldn’t stand to see her like this. Couldn’t
stand to be in an environment with people like this. He took the
empty seat next to her.

“
How are you doing,
sis?”

“
Not bad. Still not a day
goes by that I don’t miss him.”

By ‘him’ Raven was referring to her deceased
son who’d died tragically of a brain aneurism over ten years ago. A
year after his death, she started going crazy. She refused to get
rid of any of his clothes. She’d go shopping and buy clothes in his
size, in the style that reminded her of him. Soon, her entire home
was filled with boys clothing, toys, and things she thought he
would like. And when she ran out of money, she started stealing
things. That’s how she ended up in jail. A psychological evaluation
determined she was suffering from Depression. No one knew how bad
it was, until the bank was about to foreclose on her home. Roque
went to the house and saw the mess. His sister had turned into a
hoarder. That’s how he knew about the devastating effects of
hoarding. If he would have noticed the signs before, he could have
helped her. That’s why he was so insistent that Marlowe clear her
mother’s house out. He knew firsthand how bad hoarding could
be.

“
Is there anything I can
do for you?” he asked.

“
You’re a good brother,
Roque. But you can only help people who want to be
helped.”

“
You don’t want to be
helped?”

“
I’m going to heal when
I’m ready and not before then. You can’t force someone to heal.
Especially when death is involved. It’s a process that takes
time.”

Roque wondered how much more time Raven
would need. She’d been in here for almost five years. But as long
as he was alive, he would always take care of her. For the next
hour, he gave his sister his most valuable commodity—his time. They
reminisced over old times, and for a while, he had his kid sister
back again. It was just like when they were growing up together and
they shared all of their secrets. Before the sickness took over her
life.

“
And how’s my little niece
doing?” Raven asked.

“
Jade is fine. You know
with her it’s a battle of wills. There are days when I feel like
I’m losing. She’s growing into a young lady, and I’m trying my best
to get her through life. What she really needs is a female role
model.”

“
She has you. You’re the
only role model she needs.”

“
I appreciate
that.”

“
She still have all those
animals?”

Roque chuckled. “Yeah, but she had a minor
setback a few days ago.”

"
What happened?”

“
One of her pets was
killed.”

“
How?”

“
It
was an accident. Marlowe didn’t mean to do it, but Jade took
it pretty hard.”

“
Who’s Marlowe? Your
girlfriend?”

“
Hell no!”

Raven laughed. “Sounds
like
she’s someone who’s gotten under your
skin.”

“
If you knew her I’m sure
she’d get under your skin, too.”

His sister leaned back and folded her arms
across her chest. A devious grin curled at the corners of her lips.
“You like her,” she said matter-of-factly.

“
Not a chance. We’re like
oil and water. She’s bullheaded and spoiled. Doesn’t know the
meaning of the word compromise.”

Even as he said the words, he thought about
the way Marlowe’s lips yielded to his. She wasn’t stubborn then.
She’d melted against him, filling the hard lines of his body with
her softness. Days ago, he’d watched her walk from his house. The
tempting sway of her round backside made the muscle between his
legs harden. His body’s reaction to her bothered him. Why did that
woman bring out the beast in him?

“
Something about the look
in your eyes tells me there’s more to this woman than you care to
mention,” Raven guessed.

“
I don’t want to talk
about Marlowe Jones right now. That woman is damned
infuriating.”

“
Brother, I might be the
one locked in the crazy house, but you’re nuts if you think I
believe your lame explanation.” His sister wagged her finger at
him. “Seems to me like you’ve finally met your match.”

“
I assure you, she is not
my match. End of story.”

Roque huffed. He’d already let Marlowe
occupy more time in his mind than any woman should warrant. He was
sorry he’d slipped and mentioned her name to Raven. Now, his sister
was going to constantly bring the woman up.

“
Aw, c’mon. Don’t be
sour,” Raven teased. “Stay for lunch. We’re having tapioca
pudding.”

“
Ugh. I pay for better
meals than that. You don’t have to eat that shit.”

“
I happen to like
tapioca.”

“
What else do they serve
around here?”

“
Well, we had filet mignon
yesterday. Sorry you missed it.”

Roque grinned. “Okay, I deserved that.”

She giggled. “So are you staying?”

“
Yes, I believe I
will.”

###

Marlowe recognized Jade the moment she
sauntered past the cosmetics counter at Neiman’s. She really was a
stunning young lady when she wasn’t scowling. She walked in like
she owned the store, sporting a pair of designer skinny jeans and
an oversized t-shirt imprinted with an image of a popular boy band.
The green, glittering eye shadow she wore reminded Marlowe of a
neon sign.

“
Does your dad know you’re
wearing makeup?”

Jade shrugged. “What do you care?”

“
I don’t. But if you’re
going to wear it, at least tone it down a bit. You don’t want to be
mistaken for a circus runaway.”

Jade rolled her eyes.
“Number one, this is Chanel. Number two, people run away to
join
the circus, not to
run away from it.”

“
Yeah, whatever. Aren’t
you supposed to be in school today?”

“
I’m on
bereavement.”

“
You’re lying.”

“
Fine. I
ditched.”

“
If your dad finds
out…”

“
He won’t find out. I know
a kid who works in the attendance office at school.”

Marlowe couldn’t believe the nerve of this
girl. “What’s so important you had to meet me here?”

Jade shoved her hands in her front pockets.
“Like I said, I need your help.”

“
With what?”

“
Even though you’re a
murderer, you obviously have style and taste.”

“
A backhanded compliment.
Lovely.”

“
I need a woman’s touch.”
She pointed to her chest.

“
You want fake boobs?”
Marlowe asked.

She scowled. “No, I need a bra. I don’t know
what size or how to get measured.”

The snappy comeback Marlowe had planned died
on her lips. Damn. Poor girl. At least Marlowe had older sisters
growing up. Jade had no one, it seemed.

“
Well, I’m honored you
came to me,” Marlowe said.

“
Don’t go getting all
mushy on me,” Jade quipped, reminding Marlowe who she was dealing
with. “And don’t take me to Victoria’s Secret. I went there
already, but they didn’t have anything that looked like it could
fit me. So, until I get my fake boobs, I need something
else.”

Marlowe couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay,
Jade. You came to the right person. Let’s do this.”

Hours later, the two of them sat at a coffee
shop a few miles from the mall. Marlowe’s trunk was stuffed with
bags, most of them Jade’s. Dang! That girl could shop.

“
Thanks for helping me
out, Marlowe. Surprisingly, I had a good time.”

She sipped the caramel mocha latte Marlowe
had allowed her to get. Well, more like Jade had manipulated
Marlowe into buying, saying something about caffeine had been
proven to stimulate brain cells in adolescents. Whatever. Foam
coated the girl’s top lip. Cute. Jade was obviously a middle-aged
woman in a twelve-year-old body.

“
I have to admit, I
thought you wanted to meet me so I could buy you another
spider.”

“
No. I’m still grieving
for Charlotte. I don’t think I could get another spider without it
reminding me of her. Now, I’m thinking about getting a baby
hammerhead shark. Of course, Daddy would have to convert the pool
to a huge fish tank.”

Marlowe gaped. “Are you serious?”

“
No.”

The two of them giggled. Marlowe would have
loved to see Roque’s reaction when his daughter brought that
creature home.

“
You know,” Marlowe told
her, “you’re fun when you’re not mean-mugging all the
time.”

“
My dad’s the only one who
can make me smile.”

Marlowe blew the steam from her cappuccino.
“What about your mom? Where is she?”

Jade shrugged. “She comes and goes. She’s
supposed to have visitation rights, but half the time she cancels.
The other half she just never shows up. I haven’t seen her in a few
years.”

“
I can relate,” Marlowe
sympathized. “My mom died when I was around eight or nine. I barely
remember her.”

“
My mom left because my
dad wasn’t making enough money. She hooked up with some dude who
lavishes her with whatever she wants. Now, Dad is rich. So, she
left for nothing.”

“
Does she have any other
kids?”

“
No. That guy’s so old, he
probably farts dust.”

Marlowe laughed. “How old is he?”

“
Fifty-five.”

“
Girl, please. That is not
old.”

“
When you’re twelve it
seems ancient.”

“
I guess you have a
point.”

“
I wish my dad would have
some more kids. I think I’d make a great big sister.”

“
I think you would,
too.”

“
He said there are no
candidates. Which I don’t understand because he’s a good-looking
guy.” She sipped her latte again. “Don’t women love the tall, dark
and handsome type?”

Marlowe scoffed. “Yeah, but no woman likes a
guy with a bad attitude.”

Jade’s thin eyebrows jumped. “You think my
dad has a bad attitude?”

Marlowe couldn’t believe she’d said that out
loud. “Uh, let’s just say he can be somewhat abrasive.”

“
Abrasive? Like
sandpaper?”

“
Exactly.”

Marlowe imagined there must be a lot of
desperate women falling at Roque’s feet who wouldn’t mind putting
up with his domineering personality. After all, he was incredibly
handsome.