A Merry Little Christmas (8 page)

He ignored the exaggerated “ouch” Angelique gave and easily ducked the punch she threw at him, then he did something her bro
thers had done to her for years; he
placed one large hand in the middle of her forehead and held her at arm’s length while she vainly tried to get at him. As he avoided her
windmilling
arms, he continued to study the artwork scattered on the table.

“Are you sorting these out for the museum showing?” he asked.

Angelique immediately stopped trying to hit him and stood still. “Yes, I am. I still can’t believe someone is that interested in my work,” she said quietly. “I don’t think I’m ready for all this.”

A.J. pulled her into his arms for another fierce hug. “Listen, Angel, don’t ever doubt your skill with the camera.
Ever.
I’m going to go over every picture with you and help you catalog them into an exhibit. Clay and I may have taught you the craft of photography, but the art is in you. It’s all you, Angel. When do you meet with the folks from the museum?” Angelique
didn’t answer him for a moment because
she was too happy to be held in his
strong
arms. She really did love him; A.J. was an indispensable part of her life. “I meet with them in a couple of weeks. Actually, it’s not a them, it’s
a
her
. She was just hired not too long ago. I think she moved back here from California or someplace.”

AJ.’s face lit up with interest. He knew some people at the museum and was always interested in what went on there.
“Oh, yeah?
What’s her name?”

Angelique immediately consulted the neat leather notebook that was like a second brain to her. She laboriously scanned her precise block print and pointed at a name she had written phonetically to remind her of the pronunciation. “Umm, she has an unusual name. It’s Aneesah. Aneesah Shabazz. That’s pretty, isn’t it?”

A. J. agreed that it was a stylish name indeed. He stuck his head into the kitchen and asked where the food was. “Aren’t you guys cooking today?” he asked wistfully. Eating was one of his favorite things to do, especially on holidays.

Angelique immediately looked so woeful that A.J. asked what was going on.

“We were supposed to go to an open house today but I can’t go now. I’m hiding from Adonis Cochran because I kissed him on New Year’s Eve,” she confessed.

A.J. tried without success not to look amused. “So are you a bad kisser or something? Why do you have to hide from the man?”

“Because we hate each other, A.J., you know that. And because I kissed
him
and I have no idea why. And for your information, I’m a very good kisser. I think I am,” she amended. She gave him a good imitation of a sultry look and offered to show him her technique.

“No, thanks, I’ll take your word for it! Tell you what, take me to the open house and pretend like I’m your date. We’ll stuff our faces and get out of there fast and then go down to the beach and shoot some film before sunset. Hurry up, get dressed,” he demanded. “I’m hungry!”

Angelique dashed up the stairs to change clothes and get Paris off the phone. Suddenly she was looking forward to the afternoon.

***

Aneesah finished sipping her cup of tea while she watched Donnie across the kitchen table. He returned her look of concern with a carefully bland look of his own.

“Okay, what’s on your mind Aneesah?
I can hear those wheels turning from here,” he said.

Aneesah shrugged as she got up to put her cup and saucer in the sink. Washing her hands carefully, she patted them dry with a paper towel from the dispenser on the counter and then turned to face Donnie. “I don’t want you to think that I took your proposal ligh
tl
y,” she said softly. “I was honored Donnie, I really was. But I care about you too much to
venture
into something that’s going to end in disaster. I respect you too much and I value your friendship too much.”

Donnie nodded briefly and continued to look at Aneesah, admiring her beauty. “I’m not going to say I don’t understand what you’re saying, because I do. I’ve always viewed marriage as something sacred, something to be taken very seriously. My family gets married and stays married; you know that. But I have to be honest with you and tell you that I’ve been giving more and more thought to the idea of being married. I want that commitment, that partnership, that love and companionship that makes marriage so wonderful. And you’re the kind of woman I want to be married to, Aneesah. I can’t
li
e to you about that.”

Aneesah stared at him for a few seconds and then crossed the room to take her seat again. “The ‘kind’ of woman you want you marry?” she repeated in a dangerously quiet voice.

“Yes,” Donnie said confidently. “You’re tall, full-figured, smart, educated, you have class, style and ambition. You’d
make
a perfect wife for me and we’d have some big healthy babies, too.” He sat back and smiled with satisfaction until he got a better look at Aneesah’s face, which was wearing an expression of total incredulity. He could see that he’d wandered into a minefield, but, like most men, had no idea how he’d gotten there or how to get out. He then resorted to the universal and ancient male plea for enlightenment.

“
What
?”

Aneesah had the universal female response to the one-syllable word drawn out to several times its normal length by the floundering man across the table. She puffed up her cheeks and blew out a long and forbearing breath, then crossed her arms over her ample and tempting bosom.

“Adonis Cochran, you need to quit! Here I am feeling bad for turning you down and you had no more love for me than the man in the moon!” she said indignantly. “You look around and decide it’s time for you to have a wife and you whip out
your
i
-Pad
to make a grocery list. And when you decide that I have more of the items on my shelves than anybody else, you decide to do
your
shopping at my store, is that it? Well, I have news for you, Adonis, you don’t go shopping for a wife off a list of attributes, or what you
think
are attributes,” she said hotly. “You’re an intellectual snob, you know that? I never would have thought it possible, but you are! As long as somebody has a few degrees and some ‘back,’ you’re right in there. You should be ashamed of yourself. That’s not how you go about deciding on a life mate, you idiot!”

By now Aneesah was so steamed, she’d risen from the table and was pacing back and forth and gesturing with her long, graceful hands. Donnie had dropped his head down to the table and was groaning aloud as he listened to her recite his many shortcomings. How had his life become so very unmanageable in such a short period of time?

“Are you listening to me?” Aneesah asked sharply. “This wouldn’t be a good time to fall asleep, I assure you.”

Donnie sat upright immediately. “I’m listening, Aneesah, I’m listening! But I thi
nk you’re overreacting a little…
” His words were cut off
by Aneesah’s prompt response.

“I’m not overreacting, you’re
und
erreacting
! Who in the world makes a checklist and then tries to pick out a mate on that basis? Where in the world did you get that nutty idea?” she railed at him.

Donnie, gamely trying to gain points, actually had an answer for her. “British royalty,” he said triumphantly. “They do it all the time.”

Unfortunately, his words seemed to push yet another button in Aneesah.
“Oh, great!
This is your model for a happy marriage, an all but defunct political system that has nothing whatsoever to do with how you live your daily life? Or maybe you think you’re some kind of king, is that it?”

His face blazing with heat, Donnie was tom between trying to argue more and trying not to laugh. Aneesah was really worked up now, and she was really beautiful when she was angry.

“Donnie, love is something that catches you unaware, it’s not something you just go out and pick up when it’s convenient for you. Marriage is hard work. It’s tough being around the same person day after day in good times and bad. It’s hard enough when you love that person to death. But when you just up and decide someone is a good candidate for matrimony and it’s time you were hitched, you’re committing romantic suicide.

“For a marriage to work, you need to have passion, excitement, desire and romance. Someone needs to be able to take your breath away with a kiss, to surprise you with love every day. And you can’t sit there and say that the person has to be this tall, this wide, have this degree or that many IQ points. Real love doesn’t work that way.” Aneesah paused for a moment and put her hand on her hip. “You dodo, I thought you had more sense than this. My whole Christmas was ruined because I thought I’d really hurt you. And when I think of how much you spent on that stupid ring... ooh! Come walk me to the door. I’m about to leave in a rage because now I’m mad at you, Adonis.”

Donnie watch her big, shapely bottom move as she whirled around to leave the room and decided that having two feet in his mouth was plenty; he probably needed to shut up right about now. He got up from the table and hastened to get Aneesah’s coat.

“How long are you planning to stay mad at me?” he asked politely.

Aneesah looked at his handsome, unshaved face, his rumpled jeans and cruddy sweatshirt, and made the sound
sistahs
the world over make when disgusted.
“Mmm-hmm!
At least the rest of today and maybe part of tomorrow, that’s for sure. I may allow you to take me to dinner later in the week to make up for it. But you have to swear that you’re going to think about what I said,”
she said as she slipped into her coat. “Don’t just sit around watching football today—really
think
about what I said. Love is too precious and marriage is too important to play around with.”

Donnie hugged her tightly and promised her. “Aneesah, you’re right, and I was wrong. Although I still believe in my heart that you’d make a beautiful wife for me or any man, I promise that when I get married it will be to the right person for the right reasons. I swear,” he said solemnly, ending the hug and holding up a hand like a scout reciting his pledge.

“The words are nice, but that’s the wrong hand,” Aneesah said wearily.

Chapter Five

No one was happier than Donnie to have the holidays over and the normal work year start in earnest. He’d had quite enough of parties, rich food and endless gatherings, and was ready to go back to work and get back in his right mind. Even though he was back on a normal kilter as far as his feelings about marriage and Aneesah’s refusal of his proposal, there were some strange things afoot in his world. He knew that whatever remained of his mental turmoil would be erased once he plunged back into work. The strange things all centered on the woman he called Evilene, but he was sure it was leftover holiday angst.

There was the New Year’s Day incident, for example. After his heartfelt chat with Aneesah, he really did think about what she’d said to him, and after a long shower and a much-needed shave, he’d hauled himself over to Alan’s house for the traditional open house. He was ready to relax and kick back with the rest of the family, and was even anticipating seeing Angelique again while the memory of that spectacular kiss was still fresh in his mind. He’d have been less than human if he hadn’t admitted to a certain amount of curiosity about how they would react upon seeing each other. Within minutes of his entrance he had a very different perspective on the situation: there was Angelique and there was that A.J. with his arm around her.

Oh, so it’s like that, is it? Okay, cool, if that’s how you are, Evilene.
Donnie let this and other savage thoughts disrupt his enjoyment of what usually was a relaxing day with his family. He’d given a lot of thought to how he would act when he saw her again, but it hadn’t once occurred to him that Angelique would bring a date to the open house. He’d always suspected that this A.J. had a more-than-brotherly interest in Angelique and now he was sure of it. A.J. was hanging on to her like she was his personal property, and she was acting like she enjoyed the treatment, smiling up at the man for all she was worth. Donnie hadn’t really noticed those deep dimples before, but now it was all he could see. Her long, thick eyelashes, her pretty, juicy lips turned up in a constant smile and her amazing dimples begging for the tip of his tongue to sample their sweetness—the entire package drove him crazy.

Donnie was so twisted at the sight of Angelique and A.J. that he ignored her presence completely for the short time they were there. He had just gotten Faye, his sister-in-law, to fix
him
a plate of fried turkey, black-eyed peas, greens, com-bread and yams when he looked up and the objects of his disdain had vanished, not to be seen again the rest of the day. With considerable effort he concentrated on watching football with his brothers and playing with his nieces and nephews. He made it a point, however, not to attend the open house Paris and Angelique were hosting the next day. He wouldn’t h
av
e
admitted it to a living soul but he was really angry with Angelique. She had no right to kiss him like that if she was involved with some
other man. And to bring that man into his
family’s home, w
ell, that was just too much. The less he saw of the sneaky little wench, the better.