Page 52 of Tempting Eden

She finally gave me a small smile. “That’s what I meant when I said ‘working.’”

“Better him than me.”

Tom stashed my small bag and pulled down the now-familiar steps for me. Then he turned his back to us, giving us some privacy out in the middle of the wide expanse of runways.

She gave me a look of mock incredulity. “I have never bitched you out.”

“Right.”

She started to protest, but I kissed her words away. I leaned her back and slipped my tongue in before standing her up straight again and releasing her. I wanted to give her a little something to think about while I was away.

“Oh, goodness,” she breathed and readjusted her sunglasses.

I left her like that, slightly flummoxed.

“That’ll have her waiting here for you like a chauffeur when you get back.” Tom grinned at me as we boarded.

“That’s the idea.” I waved my goodbyes as we taxied away. She waved back and placed her hand on her chest as if trying to still the beating of her heart.

Once in the air, I spent the hour and a half thinking about Mama Reed. My memories were mostly bad, but I couldn’t tell if they were unfairly painted in a negative light by my rebellious youth. I remembered Mama Reed whipping me, screaming at me, yanking my hair, and any number of other terrible things. But I also remember her holding Helen in her lap when the girl was sick, making sure the children in her home were fed, even if it was with expired canned beans or something similar. Maybe she did the best with what she had or maybe she was a monster. I couldn’t judge. Not now. Time had faded my mental photograph of her, making the dark streaks more vivid and blurring through the lighter areas.

I was jolted out of my sea of memories when we touched down. I didn’t realize we were already back in the city. The high-flying life was becoming commonplace for me.

Tom unloaded my small bag. The wind here had a bite to it, the chill finally setting in from a cold front pushing down through the southeast. The beach would still be warm for Eden’s party, but Birmingham had turned crisp and cool.

“Should I wait here for you?” Tom asked as we strode out to the cars.

“No. I’ll likely need to stay the night, hopefully no longer than that. I’ll call you tomorrow, if that’s all right. Sorry to cut into your beach time.”

“Beach time?” He took off his cap and smoothed down his wispy gray fluff. “Hell, I got a woman here in town, a widow, that’ll do things you’ve never even seen in the funny papers. I don’t mind spending the night back here with her one little bit.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the old timer. “Seriously?”

“You think my Top Gun stories are just meant to entertain the fellas?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“I suppose not.”

“All right. Give me a call when you’re ready to fly south. Otherwise, I’ll be warming up with Widow Lancaster tonight.”

I thanked him and dropped into the waiting car. I pondered whether I should go and see Ms. Temple first, tell her the news, or just go straight to Mama Reed’s address. In the end, I figured this was something I needed to face alone. I gave the driver the address, and he took off through town as the winds began to pick up. Large drops of rain, fat and heavy, slapped the windshield as we crested Red Mountain, the trees shaking their leaves into the roadway as the storm grew closer.

“About to get drowned out here,” the driver said.

“Looks like it.”

The sky darkened as we wended our way through an affluent neighborhood full of newer garden homes. Mama Reed lived here?

After passing through a crepe myrtle-lined street, we pulled up in front of a modest brick home.

“You sure this is the right place?”

The driver repeated the address back to me and confirmed the correct house number on the mailbox.

The deluge hit, rain pelting the car and creating a milky curtain all around us.

“Shit, man, missed your chance.”

“I’ll live.” I scooped up my bag and hurried from the car. I slammed the door and sprinted to the front stoop. The car pulled away as the door opened behind me.

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