Tempest couldn’t believe it. They were so thoughtful. One of the others came forward and handed Tempest her purse.
“Your car is in the visitors’ lot, row B,” Gold Tooth added. “I gotta tell you, though. You’re gonna need one hell of a cleanup job on your backseat. It’s mad nasty.”
Tempest opened her purse to get her wallet. Everything was still intact.
“Let me give you fellas something for your trouble. I don’t have much cash on me, but if you give me your addresses—”
“Naw, sistah.” Gold Tooth shook his head dramatically. “We like to do a little community service e-ve-ry now and then.”
They all shared a good laugh, even Tempest.
“Besides, that girl Kensington—she could’ve been one of our baby sisters or sumptin’,” Ronnie said.
They began to walk off down the hall to the elevator. No sooner had they turned the corner than Geren appeared. Tempest was overjoyed to see him. She’d asked one of the nurses to contact him but didn’t think she’d succeeded.
Tempest ran into the safety of his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Kensington?” Geren asked, holding Tempest snugly.
“She’s fine.”
“The baby?”
“She’s fine, too.”
“A girl, huh?” Geren let out a sigh of relief. “So what happened, sweetheart?”
“Baby, do I have one hell of a story to tell you.” Tempest pulled him toward the nursery. “First, I want to introduce you to the newest Nubian queen.”
CHAPTER 20
memories
geren reached over and pushed the handle on the passenger door until it was slightly ajar.
“Hop in!” he shouted out to Tempest. The heavy rainfall had already begun to invade the car in the span of a few seconds. “You’re getting soaked!”
Tempest swung the door open wider, hopped in, and slammed it quickly. She was indeed soaked, and she could have kicked herself for not tossing a compact umbrella in her briefcase that morning. It must have been all the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. The day had started out stressful and gone downhill from there.
The mere sight of Geren immediately lifted her spirits. He always had that effect on her.
“Thanks for picking me up. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it.” Geren took Tempest’s briefcase out of her arms and tossed it in the backseat. “I’ll use any excuse I can find to see you.”
Damn, great minds really do think alike, Tempest thought to herself. She could have just as easily taken a cab home, but she chose to call Geren instead. She wanted to see him. No, scratch that. She needed to see him.
Tempest eyed Geren seductively, wishing he were inside her that very second. “The Toyota dealer said my car, rather my birth mobile on wheels, should be ready by seven.”
Geren chuckled. “Birth mobile on wheels. That’s funny.”
Tempest found nothing amusing. The incident with Kensington had been nothing short of traumatic for everyone involved. Fortunately, both Kensington and baby Sydney were healthy and unharmed.
She opted to change the subject. “Maybe we can kill a little time, and you can drop me by there before they close.”
“Sure,” Geren eagerly agreed. “What do you have in mind? An early dinner?”
Tempest shook her head. “I’m not really hungry. Are you?”
“Naw, I’m still full from lunch.”
An aggressive driver behind them started pressing heavy on his horn. Geren had on his hazards in a lane restricted to no parking from four to six.
He merged into the rush-hour traffic. It had been a quick shower; the rain was already tapering off a bit.
Tempest looked out the window at all of the people rushing to their cars, the bus stop, or wherever, trying their best not to get wet. One expensively dressed sistah was on the corner doing battle with an umbrella turned inside out by the strong wind gusts. She was glad that wasn’t her.
She diverted her eyes to Geren, who was concentrating on the traffic. “I have an idea.”
“What’s that, baby?”
“Let’s go antique shopping or some other bourgeois thing like that.”
“Sounds good, but—”
“But what?”
“Does the evening have to end there?” Geren asked hesitantly. “When you pick up your car? I was hoping we could be together tonight.”
Tempest blushed uncontrollably. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Geren lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her gently on her palm, taking a long whiff of the pear-scented lotion he’d grown so accustomed to. It smelled like heaven to him.
“So what brings you down to Georgetown anyway?”
Tempest sighed heavily. She really didn’t want to discuss her stressful day. “I had a meeting with the board of directors of the Shearer Foundation.”
Geren turned the busy corner at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. “I’ve never heard of them,” he stated, keeping an eye out for an antique store.
“That’s not too surprising. They prefer to keep their affairs on the down-low.”
“Kind of like the Mafia, huh?” They both cackled. “What does the foundation do exactly?”
“Several things. Among them, handing out fat grants to nonprofit organizations.”
“Ahhh, like the teen pregnancy center?”
“Uh-huh. They’re one of our largest benefactors. The city gives us some money, but not nearly enough to get by on.”
“I see.”
“Today was our annual review.” Tempest took another deep breath and exhaled. “I had to get up in front of a dozen filthy rich people and account for every penny of the money they so generously forked over to us.”
“Sounds thrilling,” Geren said, an edge of sarcasm in his voice.
Tempest looked at Geren like he’d lost his mind.
“Ha, are you kiddin’? I have a migraine that won’t quit.”
Geren started rubbing her knee. She was as stiff as an ironing board. “Don’t worry. I’ll hook my baby boo up with one of my award-winning massages and fix you right up. Make you feel like new.”
“Ummmmmmm,” Tempest moaned, relaxing her head against the headrest of the car, relishing the thought of Geren’s hands all over her. “As long as it’s a full-body massage.”
Tempest opened her eyes just in time to see Geren winking at her. “That can definitely be arranged.”
Tempest couldn’t stand it one more second. She reached over the gearshift and caressed Geren’s dick through his pants. “Why don’t we just head to your place?”
“What about your car, sweetheart?” Geren asked, even though he couldn’t have cared less about the car. His dick was already rock-hard. He’d been fantasizing about being with her all day.
Tempest brushed her lips across his right cheek, slid her tongue in and out of his ear, and whispered, “I’ll get it in the morning.”
Geren got frustrated with the traffic on M Street and decided to cut over to P Street. It was an entirely different story now; he was trying to get some sex. He wanted to get Tempest back to his place, but quick.
The situation on P Street was a little better. Tempest was still rubbing Geren’s dick and undressing him with her eyes. He inched up her skirt and had the elastic of her panties halfway pushed over so he could finger her when Tempest almost made him wreck the car.
“Wait! Stop the car!” Tempest exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” Geren asked after losing control of the steering wheel for a second and regaining control.
Tempest let go of Geren’s dick and started beating on his arm. “Stop! Stop right here!” she squealed. “It’s for sale! I don’t freakin’ believe it!”
Geren put on his right ticker and began parallel parking. Tempest jumped out of the car while his front end was still out in the street.
Geren finished parking and joined Tempest on the curb. It was barely drizzling by that time, but Geren winced when a
messenger on a mountain bike swished past them, almost splashing a puddle of water on them in the process.
The near miss didn’t seem to bother Tempest. She was too busy staring at a huge brownstone with a For Sale sign attached to a stake on the front lawn, along with a Lucite box containing pamphlets of information.
“You know the people who live here?”
“No, not really,” Tempest replied solemnly. “Not the ones who live here now, but my grandparents used to own this house.”
“Really?” Geren took a longer, more detailed look at the house. All of the windows had antique beveled glass, and there was a huge front porch. He also noticed a second entrance on the side and assumed it was a basement apartment—most of the older houses in the district had them. Geren had always admired their architecture.
“They passed away about twelve years ago,” Tempest responded without turning around to look at him. She didn’t want him to bear witness to the tears she was attempting to fight back. “My grandfather died of lung cancer. He was a heavy smoker.” Geren walked up close behind her on the sidewalk and rubbed her shoulders. “My grandma passed less than six months after he did.”
“Cancer, too?” Geren asked.
“No. For all intents and purposes, she was in perfect health. I’ve always believed she died of a broken heart.” Tempest wiped her nose with the sleeve of her gray blazer. “Loving someone for more than half a century and having him suddenly ripped from her arms must’ve been devastating for her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Geren whispered, kissing Tempest on the top of her head.
“Thanks, but death is a part of life.” Tempest turned so she could gaze into Geren’s eyes, wondering if he would be willing to love her for half a century. “My mother wanted to keep the house in the family, but my two uncles wouldn’t hear of it. All they saw were dollar signs. Property in Georgetown is extremely valuable these days. My grandparents bought the house when it was still fairly reasonable.”
Geren ran his fingers through Tempest’s hair and kissed her on the forehead.
“Anyway, they insisted on selling it to a young corporate lawyer and his family. My mother literally begged them not to. I’ve never forgiven my uncles for that. They’re so damn selfish.”
Geren’s curiosity about the house grew stronger by the second. “I wonder why they’re selling it?”
“I haven’t a clue.” Tempest turned her attention back to the house. So many wonderful memories—her grandma baking homemade brownies in the kitchen, her grandfather reading the Old Testament to her by the fireplace in the den. “Maybe they’re leaving the D.C. area.”
Geren desperately wanted to see the inside of the house. Something about it just drew him to it. Maybe it was the love for it he heard in Tempest’s voice.
He pointed at the house. “There’s a light on in the rear of the house. Want to go knock?”
“That’s pointless!” Tempest seemed agitated at the mere suggestion. “I could never afford a house like this. Not on my salary. Not in my wildest dreams.”
Geren knew Tempest was right on point with her assessment. Several of his clients lived in Georgetown, and being their investment broker, he was well aware of the market value of their homes.
A lightbulb went off in his head. “Would you buy it if you could?”
“Without question. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood involve this house.”
“Tell me about them,” Geren prodded, just as a clap of thunder exploded over their heads.
Tempest glanced up at the sky. It was dark gray. An electrical storm was impending.
“Maybe later. Let’s go,” she insisted, heading back to Geren’s car. “This is only depressing me.”
Once she got in, she noticed Geren was all the way up on the lawn by the realty sign. “Geren, you coming?” she shouted.
“Here I come,” Geren replied, shoving one of the pamphlets into his left pants pocket.
CHAPTER 21
when the other shoe falls
it was pouring down rain when Tempest pulled into the gravel parking lot of the playground. She glanced at the digital clock on her dashboard: 2:35. Janessa had left a message with Linda, asking Tempest to meet her there at two-thirty.
Figuring there was absolutely no way Janessa would be out in that weather, Tempest reached into the glove compartment to get her cell phone. She had the first four digits of Janessa’s home number punched in when she noticed someone sitting on a swing on the far side of the picnic shelter.
“Janessa!” she said to herself, pushing the car door open and unbuckling her seat belt simultaneously. She looked on the back floor of her car to see if she had an umbrella but remembered she hadn’t replaced it after the last shower. It was in her office. The continuous rainfall in D.C. was becoming frustrating.
Tempest sloshed through the mud, unconcerned about damage to the heels of her navy pumps. She had to get to Janessa. She’d had this terrible feeling in her gut the second she got the message, and now, seeing Janessa drooped on the seat of a swing in the middle of a shower made her heart speed up.
“Janessa, what are you doing out here?” Tempest shouted, while there was still about ten yards between them. “Linda gave me your message!”
Tempest stood in front of Janessa, but Janessa didn’t even acknowledge her presence. She kept her eyes glued to the ground. She had on her postal uniform, so Tempest asked her, “Why’d you ask me to meet you here, and why aren’t you at work?”
Still nothing! Tempest kneeled down in the mud, letting the left leg of her taupe pantsuit absorb the dirt. She grabbed both of Janessa’s shoulders and shook her. “Janessa, look at me, dammit!”
Janessa finally raised her eyes, and Tempest was startled by their blank, lifeless expression. She stood up, forcing Janessa to get up off the swing, and guided her toward the covered picnic shelter. “Come on, let’s go over here under the shelter. We’re both going to get pneumonia if we stay out here.”
As soon as Tempest forced Janessa down on a bench at a picnic table, an earsplitting clap of thunder came out of nowhere. Tempest had always been afraid of storms. She remembered when the lightning used to dance through the house when she was a child. She would always bury herself under the covers and pray she wouldn’t get struck.
But now, the pitiful look on Janessa’s face made Tempest reconsider her priorities. Her first duty was to help her friend get through whatever was bothering her. She had to get Janessa to open up to her.
“Please talk to me,” Tempest pleaded. “You’re frightening me, sis!”
Janessa looked out toward the jungle gym and finally uttered some words. “Remember when we used to play here?”
“Yes, of course I remember,” Tempest replied. The playground was located within a ten-block radius of the homes where they both grew up. “We used to spend every Saturday afternoon having a ball on the play equipment.”
Janessa grinned slightly. “Hmph, that’s not how I recall it. You were too much of a punktress to go down the giant slide at first. We all used to tease you something terrible.”
“Yes, and your skank ass pushed me down it one day while I was sitting at the top trying to get the nerve to come down it by myself.”
They shared a laugh. Tempest was glad Janessa wasn’t totally withdrawn. She still had her sense of humor.
“Janessa, it’s not that I mind reminiscing about the good times, but it’s the middle of a workday, and we’re sitting out here in the middle of a thunderstorm. What’s up with that?”
Janessa took Tempest’s hand. Tempest noticed that Janessa was trembling, and her hands were practically icicles. “You’re freezing, Janessa!” she said, releasing her hand and removing the jacket of her suit, leaving herself exposed to the elements with nothing but a thin, silk blouse on. She placed it around Janessa’s shoulders and rubbed her arms, trying to generate some body heat.
“You know what’s ironic about life?” Janessa asked.
“
What’s ironic?”
Janessa leaned against Tempest, placing her cheek on Tempest’s breastbone. “Whenever things start to look up for me, something horrible happens to ruin it all.”
Tempest wanted to babble off fifty-eleven questions but refrained and limited herself to one. “I’m lost, sis. What’s going on with you?”
“This should be the happiest day of my life, other than the day I first met you.” Tempest smiled. Meeting Janessa was also the best thing that had ever happened to her. “Instead, my life has turned into a complete nightmare.”
“Janessa, I’m not sure what this is all about, but you’re a wonderful woman and a great friend. Whatever this is, we’ll work through it together. First, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. What nightmare are you talking about?”
Janessa sat up, looking at Tempest through tear-drenched eyes, leaving a trail of them on Tempest’s blouse. “Do you want the good or the bad first?”
“Good,” Tempest replied without hesitation.
“I got accepted into Howard for the fall semester,” Janessa blurted out.
“That’s fantastic news!” Tempest exclaimed, suddenly feeling better.
“I even got a full scholarship,” Janessa added. “The one you suggested I apply for.”
“Gurl, that’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you!” Tempest gave her a huge bear hug. “Why do you consider that a nightmare? Are you worried about making good grades? If so, you can cut that out right now, because you’ve always been smarter than I have. You just never applied yourself.”
Janessa was flattered by the compliment, but it didn’t help the situation any. “School’s not a problem, Tempest, because I won’t be attending. Not in the fall. Not ever.”
Tempest was confused. She thought getting a college education was what Janessa wanted. “Why not?”
“Because I can’t deal with going to school, going to work, studying, and—”
“Janessa, I told you I’d help you out financially if need be. We agreed you would go to school during the day and work part-time in the evening.”
“Let me finish!” Janessa snapped.
Tempest went quiet and waited to hear the bad news that was apparently still lurking around the corner. Janessa had mentioned good and bad.