“I object.” Feigning horror in an attempt to dissuade the line of questioning, Ebony straightened up. “Smoke has always had a confident, sexy walk.”
Jessica waved her off. “He even had his ear pierced. And what has he let Skeet do to his car? Spinners and a tint so dark it can’t be legal. His car is like every other high-rollin’ thug’s car.”
“And about half the other guys on the west side. This is all new to him. Maybe he’s experimenting.” She played with her braids. “I’m experimenting.” She dropped the braids. “Have you considered he’s working to fit into the environment in ways that won’t compromise his morals?
“Pretty soon I have to lose the blonde microbraids.” She flashed her fingers. “My acrylic nails are so long they curve, and don’t get me started on my tip ring.” She toyed with the tiny ring on the tip of her nail. “I have two to three rings on every finger. All gone.” She proudly displayed her twenty-four rings and numerous bracelets. “I’ll need to dress the part of a business woman in corporate America. Superficial changes do not change who I am.”
“Humph, you have an answer for everything, don’t you? Okay, let’s say you’re correct, and he isn’t working for Trae.”
A big smile paraded across Ebony’s face. “Okay, he doesn’t work for Trae. Now I need to pack Crystal’s bags.” She stood.
Jessica stopped her from leaving. “Not so fast, missy. You have a different issue you need to work through with Smoke.”
Somehow she knew Jessica would never give up. “What issue?” She plopped into her chair.
“He’s ashamed to introduce you to his friends, work associates, parents.”
Ebony’s jaws dropped. “That’s not so. Where did you get such a crazy notion? I’ll have you know his grandfather is half-black.”
“Yeah, so I’ve heard,” she replied dryly. “It’s apparent Smoke’s family wants to lighten up and cross over. He could pass, but if he marries you…” She hunched her shoulders. “Well, let’s just say you would set his family back more than a few generations.”
Willing her outrage away, Ebony calmly said, “This is the twenty-first century, Jessica. There is no need for anyone to pass.”
“That’s easy for you to say, but what would his lily-white mama say?”
“If you must know, he hasn’t introduced me to his family because he doesn’t get along with them. He had been living here for a month when we met, and he hadn’t called them once. They’re snobs, and having a beautician’s daughter as a girlfriend wouldn’t sit nicely. He’s already told me he expects problems.”
“A dark-skinned daughter of a beautician sounds more accurate. How about his business associates? Doesn’t he ever have business dinners?”
“He’s only been here a few months.” She knocked the ceramic kitten-shaped toothpick holder over and played pick-up sticks.
“Yeah, I know. And in that time he’s turned the south side office into a high-traffic, big money-making firm.”
“You’re grasping for straws. Since we met, Smoke has spent almost every evening he’s been in town with me. I’ve even been to his office a few times.” She opened her eyes wide and made jazz fingers. “There’s no conspiracy to hide his dark-skinned girlfriend.”
“How do you know he was out of town?”
Ebony stared at Jessica, wondering why she pressed so hard. “I never realized you’re a conspiracy theorist. No matter how I answer, you’ll find another plot, another angle. I love you for watching my back, but I’m fine. Trae and Smoke aren’t plotting against me. I need to pack a bag for Crystal and get ready for my date.”
Ebony scrutinized her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of her bedroom door. The cool aqua of her long flowing tank dress contrasted well with her smooth dark-chocolate skin.
Thoughts of Richard pointing out contrasts warmed her heart. She readjusted the bobby pins in the French roll she had put her hair into. She still couldn’t believe she had bleached her hair blonde. What possessed her to listen to Skeet? She chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Trae asked from Crystal’s doorway.
“I can’t stand my hair.” She grabbed her pale aqua shawl off the computer desk.
“Humph. Welcome to the club.” He crossed the room. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop ordering from Chadwick’s?” He took the clearance catalog off the computer desk and tossed it into the trash, then took the shawl and dropped it on the bed. “You deserve the best.”
“This is the best I can afford, plus I like the clothes.” She eyed his charcoal Armani suit. “Don’t throw hate my way because I can spend twenty bucks and look like a million.”
He laughed, admiring himself in the mirror. “Hell, I’d look good in a used paper bag. Come here a second.”
He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “We make a handsome couple.”
She stepped away. “Looks aren’t everything.”
“No,” he paused, “they aren’t. I was out of line.” He stroked her cheekbone with his fingertip. “You’ll always be my girl.”
He hid so many things from her, yet she refused to believe he would set her up. “You’ll always be my guy, but I’m Smoke’s woman.”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry your pretty little head.” He pushed a stray braid into her French roll. “Smoke’s my dawg.”
“He’s been promoted to dawg? How does Skeet feel about sharing this honorable position?” She had thought her comment would lighten the mood, but it didn’t work. All joking aside, she said, “Tell me what’s wrong. What happened?”
“I lost something today. I never truly realized how valuable it was. Now it’s too late.”
The regret in his voice touched her. She hugged him.
He rocked her gently in his arms. “You don’t know how much I needed this,” he whispered.
“Is this why you arranged the sudden visit to your mother? You think it’s too late to repair the relationship.”
“I wish it was that simple.” He backed away. “I’m tired. Don’t pay me any never mind.”
The pep in his step was missing, and he looked mind-weary. “It’s me and Smoke, isn’t it?”
“I honestly want you to have a happy life together.” He sat on the bed.
She longed to believe him, but fear of his motivations nagged her. “Something’s been bothering me about you and Smoke. I should have mentioned it sooner.”
A slow, devilish grin creased his face. “No, Smoke isn’t working for me. Jessica grilled me yesterday. She’s lucky she’s your girl.”
Ebony let out a sigh of relief. “Why did you accept him so easily?”
Feet still on the floor, he lay back, patting the bed for her to lie beside him. She sat at the computer desk instead.
“It hasn’t been easy. Sometimes I see you two together and want to strangle him.”
“What about other times?”
“I’ve never seen you as happy as when you’re with Smoke. You’re so free with him, and I’m jealous.” He stared at the ceiling fan. “I love you, Ebony. Staying out of the way of your happiness is the one selfless thing I’ve done in my life. It’s not easy.”
Doubt still crowded her mind. She sorted through the photos on her desk of Trae, Skeet and Richard playing pool in the beauty shop basement. “Given your history with white men, why did you trust Smoke so quickly?”
He sat up. “Full of questions today, aren’t you? I didn’t trust him at first. I just acted like I did. I had him checked out to make sure he wasn’t DEA or some other type of cop. I didn’t expect you and Crystal to fall for him so quickly. Damn.” He shook his head. “Smoke was perfect for you, except he was white and not me.” He chuckled uneasily. “He even fits in with us. He knows how to walk a tightrope as well as you.”
“So you stepped aside.”
“I can’t give you the life you want. He can. I had to swallow my pride and push aside my jealousy. Smoke will take good care of you, and won’t try to keep me out of your lives. He’s a good man.”
“Thanks Trae.” She crossed the room and hugged him. She saw this as his way of finally letting go. Soon she’d be free. They released each other. “I’m really proud of you. We’ve grown up,” she said.
“I shocked myself. You won’t believe this, but I’m actually thinking about finding my dad.”
“That’s great! Why did you change your mind?”
“I’ve been soul-searching a lot lately. You’ve told me a thousand times I was using Dad’s color as an excuse. I don’t know. I feel like I need to try with him.”
She bit her bottom lip. He wasn’t the same person as a year earlier, and between his acceptance of her and Richard’s relationship and this declaration, something didn’t sit right with her.
“You’re gonna bite that off. What do you want to know?”
“You’ve changed, Trae.” She took his hands into hers. “Your heart isn’t in your work anymore. Leave the life.”
He caressed her face. “The only way out for me is death. I want more for you and Crystal.”
A chill went down her spine as everything fell into place. “Dan left the life. He can help you.”
“That was years ago. Times have changed.”
“Yes, they have. Death isn’t your only option.”
His hands glided over his braids. “I’m into something—something big. I want to see it through. Once I do, the only out for me is death, jail or both. I’m not sure I can keep you safe.”
Her eyes and nose stung. Her conflicting emotions for him battled. She reminded herself that everyone deserved to be saved. “Please don’t do it, Trae. Stop before you start.” She blinked away tears.
“I can’t walk away. I’ve been dreaming and working toward this day for years, and soon…”
“Soon what?”
“I thought this victory would fulfill me, but I feel hollow.”
“Why do it?”
“Don’t get me wrong.” He leaned forward. “I want this, Ebony. I want it so bad I get hard thinking about it. But what comes next?”
“I know you can’t tell me what you’re up to, but after this job, please leave the life. Start a new adventure, new challenges.”
“If what I’m trying succeeds, they won’t let me walk away. At least not for a few years.” He grabbed Crystal’s suitcase. “That kid’s awfully quiet out there.”
She allowed him to change the subject. Richard cooked to avoid talking. Trae became super dad. She had learned to give them both their space to think.
* * *
Richard leaned against Ebony’s front door. After tonight there would be no turning back, and he still hadn’t told his parents about her. They had never accepted him, and he wouldn’t give them the chance to reject Ebony.
Admitting to himself that he still wanted his mother’s acceptance, he sighed. Nonno kept telling him to stop being stubborn and call his mother, but Richard couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was past tired of her treating him like a second-class citizen.
The last time he spoke to Stephanie, they argued over his move to Chicago. She insisted he move to the New York office, where his father had more business connections.
She would never approve of Ebony. He closed his eyes. Marrying Ebony meant losing his chance at winning his mother’s approval.
Visions of Ebony chasing him and Crystal around the condo with a Super Soaker filled his mind. Ebony accepted and loved him as is. With her, he had already won. He turned toward the door.
* * *
Richard walked into the flat and greeted everyone.
Crystal looked around Ebony. “Smoke!” She ran and jumped into his arms. “I’m going on a plane.”
Trae took her from him. “Let the man take his coat off, then pounce on him.”
Richard couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ebony. She hid her anxiety behind a plastic smile. “Whoa, a plane ride!” His attempt at cheerfulness failed miserably. He hung his coat, then set his loafers on the rack.
Excited and oblivious to the somber moods in the room, Crystal nodded. “We’re flying to Florida to see…” She frowned. “Who are we seeing again?”
“My mother.” Trae set her down.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. We’re gonna stay in a hotel with a pool.”
Richard sat on the couch beside Ebony. Her usual fire had faded. “I love you,” he mouthed.
Crystal looked from Richard to Trae to Ebony. “What’s wrong, Mama?”
Ebony patted her hand. “I’m just a little tired. Oh, shoot. I forgot to pack your swimsuit.”
“I’ll get it.” Crystal ran off.
“Stop running in the house,” the three adults said in unison.
Trae sorted through his briefcase. “I have something for you to sign before I leave.” He found the forms, then set them on the coffee table.
To Richard’s annoyance, Ebony reached for the papers and pen without hesitation and signed. This type of behavior had to stop. “Can I see those?” Richard asked.
“No,” Trae calmly replied.
Ebony handed the papers over to Richard. Trae jumped forward, snatching the documents. “What are you doing?” Trae snapped.
“I’m in no mood for this. Let Smoke see there’s nothing to be suspicious of.” She held her hand out.
Richard watched her stare Trae down, and his heart filled with joy. Unlike his mother, Ebony would always be on his side.