out of real vanilla!” he scoured the cabinet, looking for the spice.
“And I suppose you don’t have any of the fake variety, like a normal man would, huh?”
“Fresh is best. Doesn’t taste right, otherwise. I think I have some nutmeg, that’ll have to work.” He added the powdered spice to his mixture.
He brought out the wire whisk and beat the eggs, milk and spice to a frothy blend before he dunked the thick bread slices into the mix and carefully placed them into the sizzling pan.
“I can smell it through the phone. Just what me and my hips need,” Milly groaned.
“Thanks…but don’t think I forgot your little comment.”
“What comment?”
“About my sex life…or lack of one,” he mumbled and sucked his thumb when he burned it after flipping the French toast over by hand.
The hot butter popped from the sizzling skillet, landing on his bared chest. Uttering a low curse, he jumped away from the stove.
If Milly could see him using his hands and not a spatula, she’d probably revise her opinion about how “uptight” he was.
He knew the impression he gave, to his sister, along with his daughter: that he was conservative, uptight and, if Angelica was right, a stick-in-the-mud.
But what the hell else would any nine-year-old say after she’d been busted skipping school and her father wasn’t jumping up and down cheering over the fact?
He’d done the exact opposite and had gone off in nine different directions, beyond angry she’d done something so stupid.
It made him wonder if he was doing a good enough job with her. Maybe what Anita Watson, her school principal, intimated, was true. Maybe she needed a stronger female presence in her life.
Then again, he knew damn well Angelica’s well-being was not the reason for Anita Watson’s concern.
“My sex life isn’t up for discussion, Mil. Angelica’s behavior is what’s paramount on my mind right now.”
“I know. It’s what’s on mine as well.”
“Did Angelica tell you why she did it?”
“We didn’t talk about it when I spoke with her. I didn’t think it’s was a good idea to talk about it at the time. I think she’s been punished enough.”
“I disagree. I don’t know what the hell to do. She’s skipping school and her entire attitude is changing. It’s like I have a different child, and I don’t like it, Milly. Gail is probably turning over in her grave,” he said and flipped the French toast onto his waiting plate.
“Davis, you’re doing fine. You’ve got to expect this. Most kids go through a rebellious stage; don’t beat yourself up. And Gail isn’t turning in her grave. I don’t think Angel’s behavior has anything to do with her mother being dead. I think if Gail were alive, it would be something else.”
“Yes, I know. You’re probably right, Mil, but lately, I keep remembering what Gail asked me, before she died.”
“That you make sure Angel has a black female role model?”
“Yes, I think maybe she was right.” He thoughtfully chewed the French toast. “Until now, I never gave it much thought. She has you and Aunt Mildred as good role models, so it’s not as though she doesn’t have any females in her life. But when you left, she didn’t have anyone. She lacked a mother figure to talk to and I think it was hard for her. She’s not as close to Aunt Mildred as she is to you.”
“God, I’m sorry, Davis. I didn’t realize the impact on Angel when I left. I was being selfish,” Milly replied, sadness in her voice, and Davis instantly wanted to retrieve his words.
He still wasn’t clear on the reasons Milly had decided, several months ago, to take a hiatus from Strong Construction. She’d left Stanton to visit friends on the west coast for an extended visit, saying that she needed to get away. She’d only recently returned and they hadn’t talked about her reasons for leaving.
“No, Mil, that’s not what I’m saying. It wasn’t your fault. You and I both know Angel started behaving differently before you left Stanton. Besides, you needed to get away,” he replied. “But maybe it’s time for her to have someone around her who can help her with things you and I can’t.”
“Davis, I never thought about that, honestly. Not until Gail said the same thing to me before she died.”
“I didn’t know she had.”
“Yes, she did. She thought it was important for Angel to have a black woman in her life. I agree with her.”
“Why?”
“It’s important. There are some things she’s going to need help with. Things you or I won’t be able to help her with. Life is harsh, Davis; you know that. And the reality is there are some people who aren’t color-blind, and can be cruel. Just like there are people who treat people with disabilities differently.”
Although Milly spoke from experience, because of her own disability, Davis remained silent. More than anything, Milly despised sympathy.
“Someone who was a good role model, maybe even worked with young girls. Maybe Angel would feel free to open up to her. But who? Who do we know that fits those criteria?” When her last few words sunk in, Davis grew wary.
“Don’t even try it, Mil. I know what, or who, you’re referring to.”
Davis felt the clench in his gut, the same reaction he had whenever the woman his sister was none-too-subtly referring to was mentioned or in his general vicinity.
The same woman who he’d convinced himself over the last nine months of their acquaintance was not an ideal woman to supervise the girls at the center.
The same woman who flitted through his mind with irritating regularity from since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
The one who’d been the cause of and starred in more wet dreams than he’d had since he was a randy seventeen-year-old adolescent.
He wasn’t a kid anymore. He was a grown man with responsibilities. And one of those responsibilities was to raise his daughter the best way he could. This meant having reservations about her being around someone who threw convention to the wind in her manner, dress and overall…presence.
“What do you have against Candice, Davis? Really. What is it?”
He damn sure couldn’t tell her he found Candice to be the wrong choice as the director of the center. She was way too free-spirited to guide and counsel a slew of impressionable young girls, his daughter included. But he still wanted to fuck the woman so badly it was all he could do not to howl at the moon in frustration.
Self-imposed frustration.
Because although she was very subtle, he knew the instantlust attraction he’d felt for Candice was reciprocated. Yet, he had no intention of letting her know that. It was hard enough keeping himself
