Page 20 of Leave It to Us
“I’ll come by tomorrow and bring Deacon, the contractor, with me. Then I’ll make the introductions, and we can all sit down and goover the rest of Ms.Betty’s plans,” Jeremiah said as he eased the cart into a right turn.
Larger live oaks and palmettos jumbled together along both sides came into view just up ahead, and Yvonne gasped. A heaviness settled in her chest as she recalled this particular dirt road—Prospect Road. She knew exactly where it led and what she’d see in just about twenty minutes. Her fingers clutched the material of her tote, and she focused on taking slower, deeper breaths.
“Good, because I’ve got a feeling this is gonna be a big project,” Tami said.
“Oh no,” Lana replied with a shake of her head. “Grandma Betty always took good care of her house. And judging from the way it looked when we were here last year, there’s not much to do. We can meet with the contractor in the morning—that’s good. So we can get this ball rolling.”
When they’d first learned about the house and the project, Yvonne hadn’t wanted to be on the island any longer than necessary. But Lana’s remark had sounded almost desperate, like staying here a second beyond what was required would cause some great catastrophe. It was odd—but then again, it wasn’t. None of them had voluntarily come back here after they were seventeen—eighteen, in Tami’s case—because she’d taken a gap year from college. Freda had threatened to physically carry her onto campus and deposit her in a dorm the fall of Tami’s nineteenth birthday if she didn’t get herself registered for classes.
It was only because Grandma Betty had insisted they spend every Thanksgiving together that they’d returned to Daufuskie at all. And even then, for those few days, they all seemed to roam around the house, taking meals when their grandmother mandated it and wishing to be back in the city when she didn’t. Nothing had been the same here once they’d grown up, and Yvonne couldn’t help but wonder—and possibly hope—if this time would be different.
Chapter 10
TAMI
There was no place like the summerhouse. And as tired as she’d been the night before, Tami hadn’t been able to sleep in, as she’d originally planned. Excitement had danced in the pit of her stomach the way it used to on Christmas morning. Excitement, anticipation, purpose.
Her room was the smallest of the four on the upper level of the house because she was the baby. At least, that’s what Lana had said. But as a toddler, it had been a perfect room, from what she could recall. It was mostly memories of the white eyelet curtains that had hung at the window, the peach comforter on her toddler bed, and the pretty pale-green pillows lined across the back of a toy chest that doubled as a seat. Daddy used to sit on that seat with her on his knee. He’d have one arm around her waist, holding her so she wouldn’t fall because she’d always had tons of energy and could barely keep still for more than ten minutes at a time. In his other hand, he’d hold whichever book he was reading to her. A fairy tale—she knew because she’d loved fairy tales since she was a child and knew her daddy was responsible for that.
Herdaddy. Whenever she thought of Daniel Butler, she was reminded of strength and steadfastness. Of loyalty and trust and love. He’d believed in her, was proud of everything she’d done and had toldher so often. While she’d had no recollection of what it had felt like to live in a house with him and her mother because they’d divorced when she was just a year old, he’d never let her doubt how much he cared for her. And each summer, he came to pick them up and brought them here to his mother’s house—his family’s home—she’d felt connected to him in a way she knew she’d never experience again.
Sure, there’d been boyfriends—lots of boyfriends, if she let her sisters tell it—but none of them had really understood her. None of them got her in the way her father had. Now, maybe that was a weird comparison to make. Like, what guy should think of her the same way her father had? Weird and gross. But there was part of her that did crave a man who’d look at her with the undeniable love that Daniel had had. A man who’d respect her mind with all its quirkiness—specifically the ADHD diagnosis, which her mother had never acknowledged—and the music that often sat dormant in her soul. He’d love her during her chatty times and when silence was the only comfort she could find. And he wouldn’t try to change any part of her, not the way her mother and her sisters insisted on doing.
But those were thoughts for the distant, distant future. She wasn’t looking to fall in love tomorrow and dedicate herself to working on a sustainable relationship. There were other things she wanted to do first—namely, get and keep a job that she was passionate about. Which was why the moment she’d stepped out of the shower, she crossed the bedroom to her nightstand and picked up her phone to check her emails. Nothing from 40A Records, the barely five-year-old music company producing some of today’s hottest R & B and hip-hop stars. Her interview with them last week had gone extremely well, and she was praying hard that this position would come through for her.
Just like she’d told Gabriel, it was a very entry-level position. She’d probably be answering phones and running errands, but at least she’d be in the music-industry environment, a place she’d only ever imagined herself being when she’d been in this house with Grandma Betty.
Trying not to let “no news” plague her too much, she rubbed her favorite Love-scented lotion from Bath & Body Works over her body and then slipped into a flowing lavender sundress. She redid her hair, pulling it up to the top of her head and securing it with a band again—but instead of smoothing it into a neat bun, she left her puffy curls out. It was a little after nine when she walked out of her bedroom and down the hall that led to the main staircase.
She tucked her phone between her breasts and jumped when it vibrated just as she was about to take the first step on the stairs.
“Hey, you,” she said after seeing the familiar name on the screen and swiping up to accept the call. “You slackin’ off at the job already today?”
Gabriel’s deep chuckle sounded through the phone, and her lips involuntarily spread into a grin. She began walking down the steps.
“Now, you know I’m always focused on the job,” he replied.
“Really? How are you focusing if you’re on the phone with me? You know I’m an attention grabber,” she joked.
“That you definitely are, Tamela. That you are.” This was the second time his voice had sounded a little off to her.
The first had been last week, when he’d stopped by her apartment with pizza. The way he’d told her to let him know if she needed anything had been odd. Just like now. Though his words weren’t that different, Tami was confident in her looks and how she appealed to men, even if she couldn’t boast the same certainty about other aspects of her life. So when she’d said she was an attention grabber, she’d meant that wholeheartedly, and since Gabriel wasn’t blind, he’d conceded to the truth of those words. But it was the way he’d said it, like there was something else to his tone ... reverence, maybe? Okay, that may have been over the top. She inwardly chastised her dreamy little mind.
“Well, anyway, whatchu up to? Sitting behind that desk, thinking about what you’re gonna have for lunch?” One thing she and Gabriel had in common was that they both loved food.
He chuckled again. “Nah, not really. I was just thinkin’ ’bout you and wanted to check in to see that you made it there safely. I mean, since you didn’t call or text last night.”
She hadn’t even thought to do that, and when he’d been texting her throughout the day—before she’d boarded and after they’d landed—he hadn’t specified that he wanted her to. “It was late when we got in,” she said, which was the truth. Something told her that saying she didn’t think that was necessary wasn’t the right response.
“Yeah, I figured that. But everything’s cool? You ain’t ready to choke one of your sisters, are you?”
Rolling her eyes as she walked through the foyer, she noted that nothing seemed to have changed since the last time she’d been here. Nothing except for the fact that Grandma Betty was now gone.
“Absolutely not,” she replied with a quick shake of her head to clear the gloomy thought. “Even though Lana was pressin’ her luck. And all I did was try to help her little stuck-up ass. I swear, she gets on my nerves, acting like I don’t know anything.”
“You sure that’s what she thinks?”
“That’s how she acts. Her and Yvonne. They’re both always talkin’ to me like at any moment, they might need to start talking slower so I’ll comprehend. I’m not stupid.”
