Fallen Woman(40)

“Jase took them out for an early lunch and to the park to play. How are you feeling?”

“Right as rain, child.” She smiled warmly at me, and I was grateful I hadn’t called the paramedics. Her eyes were bright and her grin full. Maybe she truly did just need sleep. She studied my face momentarily before laughing and waving me off. “You worry too much, girl.”

I knew this wasn’t going to go over well, but I’d hate myself if I didn’t offer. “Miss Pearl, why don’t you let me take you to the doctor this week? Coughing up blood is not healthy, and I’d feel better if I knew you’d had a checkup.”

She petered around in the kitchen, ignoring me completely, until she peeked her head around the cabinets, her face full of sass. “Did you say somethin’?”

I got up from my sinkhole on her couch and made my way to the kitchen so she couldn’t avoid me. “I know you heard me, so why don’t you let me take you?”

“No doctor’s got nothin’ that’ll fix me. I’m old, Gianna, and old people wear out. I ain’t done livin’ yet, so quit tryin’ to put me in the grave. I promise when I need to go, I’ll tell ya.” She patted my forearm in an effort to comfort me, but I was anything but.

I wanted someone with a medical degree to assure me she had tons of time left, to promise me that this woman I loved would be around for years to come. I was selfish—it was about my need for her to be healthy so we could have her for as long as possible. My kids and I adored her—she’s our only family, and life without her just wouldn’t be the same.

Relenting for the time being, I dragged two chairs outside the front door so Miss Pearl and I could sit and chat with two glasses of iced tea and soak up some vitamin D. It wasn’t often the two of us got to sit around and shoot the breeze without the noise of four kids circling us. I lived for these moments, the times when I felt like I was her only special person. She had a knack for making each of us think we were her favorite, but I knew the truth—she loved every one of us more than we could ever measure, and when the time for her to leave us actually came…we’d all be better for having known her.

~~~

Drake called and wanted me to be his date at a party he was holding at his house in a couple of days. I wasn’t really feeling it and hemmed and hawed around about whether or not I could go. I told him I’d call him back after I checked on some things, but he could tell something else was going on. I hadn’t expected him to tattle on me.

“Hello?” I answered Jase’s call a few minutes after having hung up with Drake.

“Hey, babe. What’s wrong?” He didn’t mince words; he just went straight for the gusto.

“Nothing, why?” But I wasn’t down with telling him what happened with Holland. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I couldn’t tell him the truth, either.

“Then why don’t you want to go with Drake?” If Drake were nearby, I’d punch him in the gut for a being such a baby that he had whined to Jase. Heck, I hadn’t even told him no—I’d said I’d call him back. Jerk.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go to Drake’s.” That was true. “I’m worried about leaving the kids with Miss Pearl overnight.” That was true, too.

“Has she had another incident?”

Damn. “No. But it’s a lot to ask of her when I know she’s not in great health.” Truth again.

“Fair enough. I’ll watch them. All four of them. They can come to my house and spend the night.”

He’s got to be kidding. “You’re not going to watch four kids…alone. You’ll never survive.” I rolled my eyes at his insipid idea.

“Jesus, Gia. I’m an adult. How much trouble could it be? It’s not like they’re tyrants. I’ll pick you all up and drop you off at Drake’s. It’ll be perfect. Miss Pearl gets a night off, too. Tell her to have Derrick ready.”

And just like that, I had apparently accepted Drake’s invitation. I could’ve strangled Jase, but if I wasn’t willing to admit why I was hesitant, it wasn’t fair for me to expect him to understand. He thought he was helping by taking the kids so I could make some money.

“Do you not ever need anyone to accompany you anywhere?” It slipped out before I could catch it. My question was met with silence on the other end, silence I tried desperately to recover from. “Ignore that. I didn’t mean to ask that.”

“Did you want me to take you out with me?” There was a hint of a smile in his voice and a playful lilt in his tone. He was messing with me, but I was uncomfortable playing back. He thought it was a game, but I had real emotions.

“I was just wondering. No big deal.”

“The truth is I don’t go out as much as the guys do. They like to be seen. Me, not so much. But I can promise you there’s no one else I’d want to be seen with, so when I do have somewhere to go—you’ll be the first to know.”

He repeated the same details Drake had just confirmed, so I’d know when and where. I’d have to go during lunch on Monday to get an outfit. This should’ve been fun, but every aspect of it filled me with dread. Things were bad when shopping held no appeal.

Saturday came with a gusto. Drake had informed the salesperson I needed a pants outfit suitable for lots of walking. I wondered what he was going to have me do at his house that I needed appropriate footwear, but it wouldn’t be long before I found out. Jase pulled into the driveway of a house I could only describe as enormous. I guess it was a modern mansion, but mostly it was just huge. The need for flats was the distance I’d be walking around the house to mingle with guests and check on things in the kitchen. I wondered briefly if Drake had hired me to manage the staff, but he quickly squelched that fear. Regardless of where we were in the house, every time the doorbell rang, he had me go with him to greet another arriving guest, and with the rich preferring to arrive fashionably late, there was a ton of walking involved. Each trip, Drake became a little more familiar, showing his guests a cozier side of him. He whispered to me, “People trust married men more than they do single guys. I need to appear committed tonight and hopefully gain some investors.”