Page 19 of Love Me Carefully
Then Leon called, furious with her for brushing him off. This was the first time they’d actually had an argument, the first time he’d raised his voice to her. But she was in no mood to deal with him either.
Having had enough drama for the day, she quickly ended the call and attempted to clear her mind. She had business to take care of—even though that business involved the one thing that scared her most in life, at the same time it provided her only escape.
* * *
Terrell had suffered through the night. Not only was his mother enthusiastic about this marriage but her fiancé apparently had a blemished past, one he needed to resolve before this wedding took place.
Still, that hadn’t been what had kept him awake. Eyes a wicked blend of brown, gold and green had haunted him through the night. They seemed embedded onto the backs of his eyelids, so that every time he closed his eyes he saw them. Whether piqued with interest or hot with rage, he was enamored of them. Then cold, manipulative black eyes replaced those intriguing eyes, and his anger flared. Tanya. Thoughts of her shattered the pleasure he’d had thinking of Leah.
He’d awakened in a foul mood that he was unable or unwilling to shake. At breakfast, he was short with his mother and agitated by Donald’s presence, although he was careful not to show it.
“Terrell, is something bothering you, son?” Donald asked at the table.
“No. I guess I’m just tired.” He wanted to ask Donald about the investigation Leah had mentioned, but didn’t want to upset his mother. No, he’d collect his information on Donald, then he’d confront the man. He was now certain that something wasn’t right with Donald Douglas.
“Your mother told me how hard you work. Maybe you need to take a break. There’s more to life than making money, you know,” Donald said as he sipped his coffee.
Terrell found that hard to believe, coming from a man who drove a luxury car, owned his own business and wore diamonds that could blind you. Leaning back in his chair, he asked nonchalantly, “What else is there?”
Donald chuckled heartily, then reached for Rosie’s hand. “There’s love. Find yourself a good woman so you can experience it for yourself.”
That was exactly what he wanted to do. Instead, Terrell’s gaze moved to his mother, witnessed her blush. Then he lifted his own cup. “I haven’t had much luck in that department,” he said gruffly. To his surprise a tall, leggy vixen stole into his thoughts.
“You haven’t found the right one yet, Terrell,” Rosie said softly. “But you will, and when you do, nothing else will matter.”
Terrell stood, having had enough of the love birds for the time being. “Well, when I find her, I’ll certainly let you know.
He emptied his cup and left them alone in the kitchen. He had a phone call to make.
* * *
The living room was quieter this afternoon. The couch with its cream and burgundy floral print beckoned Leah to partake of its comfort as she waited for Donald to join her and Rosie. Rosie looked tired, her usually cheerful features tight and restrained.
“Ms. Rosie, is everything okay?” she asked, fearing that she and Donald had experienced a fight or something. Many couples got so stressed out or so scared about the impending nuptials that they often got into silly arguments as a way of venting.
“I’m fine, Leah, baby. I’m just worried about…” Rosie broke off before telling Leah she was worried about Terrell. That wouldn’t be appropriate. “I’m fine, everything’s gonna be just fine.” With a timid smile the older woman looked at the younger one.
“Hello.” Donald came into the room, bringing an air of festivity with him. “Ms. Graham, it’s nice to see you again.” He extended his hand to Leah.
“Hello, Mr. Douglas,” Leah replied politely. She remembered seeing Donald Douglas occasionally in and out of the shop, apparently checking on his investment. “You can call me Leah.”
“Okay, Leah, you can call me Donald.”
“How about Mr. Donald?” Leah suggested jovially. “Are you ready to start planning the big day?” She wasn’t sure what had happened earlier that morning with the couple, but part of her job was to constantly remind them of the happy occasion they were embarking on.
“That’s fair.” Donald ran his hand over his graying hair. “I guess I am old enough to be your daddy.” They all laughed. “And I don’t know how much planning I’ll be doing, but I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”
Leah began the presentation, pausing to answer Rosie’s questions and carefully explain all the formalities of the contract and payments to Donald.
After two hours of invitations, napkins, favors, colors and other matrimonial chatter, Donald rose to leave the room. “Whatever you ladies agree on is fine with me. Leah, you can just send me the bill. And remember, whatever she wants, spare no expense.” He looked at Rosie adoringly before leaning over to kiss her.
Packed and ready to leave, Terrell came down the stairs. Earlier he’d gone to church with his mother, and now he just wanted to get home and do some work. Dressed in jeans and one of his more worn Howard sweatshirts, he made his way into the living room.
His mother sat on the sofa turning the pages of what looked like a large photo album. Next to her, a long-legged woman made comments about the materials found on each page. She hadn’t said she was meeting his mother here. He felt that same stirring in his gut he’d felt last night, and tried to figure out why only she made him feel this way.
“This invitation is nice, Ms. Rosie, if you decide to go with the ivory and peach we discussed earlier.” Leaning closer over the book, Leah pointed to the page with one long, elegant finger.
“Oooh, I like that one. And the rose on the front will be peach?” Rosie inquired.
