Chemistry of Desire (5 page)

E
mily finally stopped her narrative long enough to finish her glass of wine. Her two BFFs were staring at her raptly with their mouths slightly open. Sherri was the first to recover.

“Wait a minute, girl. You can’t just stop talking like that. It’s cruel and unusual punishment! What else happened?”

Alexis agreed emphatically. “Okay, so far you haven’t said anything that explains why you’re in such a foul mood. Shoot, it sounds to me like you were having a great time on Hilton Head with Mr. Man. So who peed in your Kool-Aid, sister? Did he pick his teeth at the table, pass gas in his sleep, call you by somebody else’s name or what?”

Emily was rolling the stem of her wineglass back and forth with her fingertips. “Nope, nothing like that,” she said quietly.

Sherri made a face from sheer frustration. “I love you, Em, but you need to talk faster. I’m with Alexis on this one. So far everything you told us sounds like it’s straight out of a Janice Sims novel. Or a Brenda Jackson book, you fast little heifer.” She left the table to get something out of her large purse and came back with a sneaky smile on her face. “I have some extra ammunition here. This can be yours if you finish telling us about your rendezvous. While we’re still young,” she said with a raised eyebrow.

Emily’s face broke in to a real smile as she took Sherri’s bribe, a giant bag of pistachios. She reached for them as Sherri pulled them away from her.

“These are conditional nuts. You have to earn them,” she reminded her.

“That sounds like the name of a song, or a group. ‘Conditional Nuts,’” Emily mused. “Girl, don’t play with me. Hand over the bag or my lips are sealed and my disposition will be much worse.”

Alexis intervened, snatching the bag from Sherri and tossing it to Emily. “Enough of the silly stuff,” she said sternly. “It sounds like you and Todd were on your way to something really good. What happened?”

Emily opened the bag and plunged her hand into the salty, fragrant delight that awaited her. “It’s the oldest story there is,” she said dryly. “He dumped me.”

“What do you mean he dumped you?” Sherri asked indignantly.

“I believe it’s a real simple concept, the basis of many breakups the world over. Boy and girl meet, boy and girl have spectacular sex, boy tells girl it was a big mistake and it’s over. Easy-peasy,” Emily said with a distinct sound of bitterness.

“He told you it was a
mistake?
” Alexis, the original ride-or-die girl, looked as if she was ready to head up to Chicago to kick Todd’s behind.

Emily had poured another glass of wine, and she took a large swallow before speaking. “We’d been together for a few days. The first day we were like good friends, and the last three we were like good friends with excellent benefits. It was the best time I’ve ever had. The last morning I woke up and he was sitting on the side of the bed, all dressed. His bags were in the doorway, and he tells me that he’d made a mistake and he was sorry and he hoped I would understand. And he left.” She raised her wineglass again, holding it up in a mock toast. “So I’ve been a little out of sorts lately.”

Sherri was stunned into silence, but Alexis certainly wasn’t. “What a jerk. Trust me, you’re better off without him. Men can be such idiots,”
she growled. “Any more of that wine?” She picked up the empty bottle and made a face.

“Look in the pantry,” Emily said. “Pick anything you want.”

“Emily, I really can’t believe he did this to you. Do you think he’s some kind of sociopath? I mean to be able to turn his feelings on and off like that, it’s just not normal,” Sherri said. Her face was a mask of concern.

Emily gave a short, harsh laugh. “No, I don’t think he’s a sociopath, or anything fancy like that. I think he just got a good look at me and decided he couldn’t hang with the gangly professor anymore. I’ve seen the kind of women he dates. I’ve been up to Chicago several times since the first time I met him, and I usually see him with some real fancy chick. You know, with the perfect hair, the perfect makeup, the perfect body and color coordinated everything. The kind of woman I could never be in a hundred years.”

Sherri gave a sharp shake of her head and said, “Don’t go there, Em. You are just perfect the way you are. If he’s too shallow to know that, it’s his loss. He’s just not worthy of you.”

Emily gave a wan smile. “I’m not so sure about all that, but I appreciate you saying it.”

Alexis brought over the bottle of wine she’d selected, along with Emily’s fancy corkscrew. She held both items out with a frown. “This is just a
suggestion, but you might want to consider a regular ol’ opener. Or a bottle with a screw top for your low-class friends like me,” she grumbled. Emily deftly opened the bottle and poured some wine into her glass. Alexis smiled gratefully.

“Okay, ladies, raise your glasses. Here’s hoping that he’s just as miserable as he deserves to be,” she said with a steely glint in her eye. “I don’t care what he said. He’s somewhere right now feeling like the world’s biggest moron, which he is.”

“I concur,” Sherri said.

Emily didn’t say a word. She just finished her wine.

Alexis took a few sips and put her glass down. “Just don’t get down on yourself, Emmie. I think the chemistry was too much for him,” she said slowly. Sherri nodded in agreement, although Emily looked puzzled.

“Chemistry, honey,” Sherri emphasized. “This is your field, Emmie. You should understand it better than anyone. Chemistry is the attraction between men and women, and it’s a very potent thing. It’s what keeps the world turning, so to speak. Yours is really powerful, girl. You turned that man inside out and ran his butt back to Chicago. That’s power,” she said as she and Alexis did a ladylike high five.

Emily’s cheeks were hot, and she decided to ignore them as she cracked more pistachios. She
had to smile at the image of Todd fleeing Hilton Head to escape her womanly wiles.
I know that’s just sister-love on their part, but I truly hope he’s suffering the results of all that so-called chemistry. And I hope he feels as bad as I do.

It was a miserable, rainy day in Chicago, and it suited Todd just fine. He’d been in a foul mood since he left Hilton Head, and clear, sunny weather was wasted on him. He managed to keep his angst under control when he was working, but when he was alone it was a different story. He was too health-conscious to wallow in alcohol and his personal convictions made drugs totally taboo, but he still needed an outlet for his conflicted emotions. Working out seemed to be his best bet, and he’d been doing so with a vengeance since he returned home. His loft apartment had a corner that held gym equipment that he used when he couldn’t get out to run, like today. He was pounding away on his treadmill when his brother Jason came into the loft.

“Did I invite you here? Because unexpected is uninvited,” Todd growled.

“If you’d answer your phone or return a call I wouldn’t have to invade your privacy,” Jason replied. “But since you’ve put up this huge wall around yourself lately, this was my only recourse.”

“Why don’t you just recourse yourself on out of
here?” Todd slowed the treadmill down to a walk and wiped his face with the towel that was slung over his shoulder.

Jason didn’t seem to react to his brother’s rudeness. In fact, he looked a tiny bit amused. He went over to the refrigerator to see if there was anything worth eating and shook his head when he saw nothing but some withered fruit and takeout containers. “There’s something very familiar and ironic about this situation,” he mused.

Todd got off the treadmill and went to the kitchen area to get a big glass of water from the water cooler. “What are you talking about?”

“It wasn’t too long ago that you were coming to my place, uninvited I might add, to needle me about the state of my love life. And now I get to do the same thing to you,” Jason said with a grin.

Todd’s face darkened with anger, and he was about to tear into his brother when Jason held up both hands. “Look, man, I’m concerned about you. I’m not trying to yank your chain for the fun of it. You went on vacation to get some rest because you were stressed out and tired. You come back from vacation looking like hell and evil as a black snake. I know you well enough to know that something happened between then and now, and you need to talk about it.”

“No, I don’t. There’s nothing to talk about,” Todd said stubbornly. “Why don’t you go on back
to your happy home and mind your own damned business?”

Jason ignored him as he went over to the super-size sofa and sat down, picking up the remote and turning on the giant flat-screen. “I’m not going anywhere until we talk, because your bad mood is affecting my happy home. I’m worried about you, and what worries me worries my wife. And I’m not having her upset over anything if I can help it. Especially not now. You’re going to be an uncle again.”

Todd’s whole demeanor changed. “Seriously? That’s great news! When did you find out?”

Jason looked at him sardonically. “Two weeks after you got back from Hilton Head. Which you would have known if you hadn’t tried to drop off the grid to sulk.”

Todd looked slightly abashed. “Yeah, you’re right. Let me take a quick shower while you order some takeout. I guess I need to get a few things off my chest.”

In a short while, the two men were sitting at the counter that divided the kitchen area from the rest of the loft, eating Thai food while Todd filled Jason in on why he’d been acting like an ass for weeks.

“So after the initial shock of finding out that Emily and I were sharing the house, everything was great. She’s an amazing woman, Jason. She’s
brilliant, for one thing. She’s also funny, athletic, totally beautiful and totally natural. Emily is like light-years away from any of the women I’ve been dating. When we were together it was like nothing I’ve ever had with a woman before. That’s why I knew I’d screwed everything up.”

Jason looked blank for a moment. “I get it. You messed up because you weren’t treating her like she was special. You felt like you needed to start over and do it right,” he said.

“Exactly,” Todd replied. “You know, I used to dog you about your revolving bimbettes, but that’s what I’ve been doing, too. You think it might be genetic?”

They both laughed. “I’m serious, man. I used to stay on your case about that endless parade of gorgeous women that trailed after you,” Todd said, “and I started doing the same damn thing. Some of these women are total predators, man. They come after a guy with no shame whatsoever. They set their sights on somebody and come charging. And it’s not like they’re looking to get married. They just want a lot of sex and no commitment. A lot of them bring their own condoms,” he said, shaking his head.

“All women aren’t that way,” Jason reminded him.

“Of course they aren’t. I’m not that stupid. But the women I’ve been hanging out with definitely
are. No strings, no commitments, they just want a good time. So I’ve apparently forgotten everything I ever knew about how to treat a lady. I should have been trying to get to know Emily instead of hopping in the bed with her. I should have been doing the candy, flowers and long walks thing, but instead I was all over her,” he said glumly.

“So what did you do about that?”

“I did the right thing. I told her that I’d made a huge mistake and I wished I’d handled things differently.”

Jason raised both brows. “Okay, so you manned up. There’s nothing wrong with owning up to your errors and getting a fresh start. How’s that working for you?”

“Not too well. If I call her cell, it goes straight to voice mail. If I call her at work, she’s in a lecture or a lab or something. If I call her at home, it goes to voice mail. I’ve sent plants, I’ve emailed; I’ve done everything but drive to Columbia to camp on her doorstep.” He looked both angry and miserable. “This is real messed up, Jason. I finally meet the perfect woman and fall in love, and she drops me like a hot rock and I have no idea why.”

“Man, you sound like you’re about seventeen,” Jason muttered. In a normal tone of voice, he went on. “But since I went through the same thing with my lovely wife and you were a real stand-up
brother while I was losing my natural mind, I’m going to help you out.”

Todd looked slightly intrigued but doubtful. “How?”

“I know where Emily is going to be and when. That is, if you think seeing her face-to-face would be of benefit to you.”

Todd answered him in very loud and profane terms, but he was looking much more cheerful as he did.

E
mily drove to work with a smile on her face for the first time in weeks. She was feeling a lot better after her friends ambushed her. Their intervention had lifted some of the weight of the depression she’d been unsuccessfully trying to ignore since the end of her disastrous vacation. Now instead of feeling angry, bitter and gullible all day long, she felt bitter when she woke up and gullible before she went to bed. That left her a whole day in between to feel like a normal person, a person who hadn’t been duped in the worst possible way. Pretty soon she would be feeling better in the mornings. Then she’d be feeling better at bedtime, and then she’d be done with the whole thing.

She parked her Mini Cooper in the faculty lot and walked to her building to get ready for her early class. One thing hadn’t changed: her love for her work. The fact that she’d let her guard down and gotten her heart smashed to atoms wasn’t going to ruin her career. She was actually smiling when she entered the science building. Exchanging greetings with her fellow professors and various students lifted her spirits even more, until she got to her office and found yet another huge potted plant awaiting her. She didn’t bother to look at the card; she knew the name of the sender perfectly well.

She put her leather tote bag in its usual place and turned on her computer, talking to the department administrator as she did so. “Jessy, do you want another plant? If you do, please feel free to take this one.”

Jessy was an older woman who handled the biochemistry department’s administrative duties with amazing efficiency. She came into Emily’s office with a wry smile on her face. “I’ll just put it out here with the others. One of these days you’re going to have to give that poor young man a break. He must be going broke sending all these pretty plants.”

Emily gave her a half smile that was almost diabolical. “Good. I’m off to class,” she said cheerfully.

Jessy shook her head as Emily took off at her usual fast pace. “You can run but you can’t hide. One of these days that young man is going to catch you. I hope I’m there to see it,” she said mostly to herself.

Emily was so busy that she didn’t get a chance to check her messages until midafternoon. She was pleased to see that her mother had called. Ever since Lucie Porter retired from her career in nursing, she’d been traveling. So much that Emily actually saw less of her mother than when she’d been a busy working woman. Emily returned the call and smiled when she heard her mother’s voice.

“I didn’t know you were home. I thought you were still in Paris.”

“I am still in Paris, dear. I’m calling because my travel plans have changed. I was coming home next week, but I’ve changed my mind. I talked to Ayanna last night and she had a wonderful idea. Instead of coming back to Columbia, I’m going to Chicago for a couple of weeks. I miss my grand-babies and I want to spend some time with them. And Ayanna wants to give you a big birthday party over the Thanksgiving weekend, so you have to come too. The timing is perfect because it coincides with your break at the university. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

As usual, Lucie’s good mood was infectious. It was very difficult to be down in the dumps around
her. Emily laughed at her enthusiasm. “Mom, slow down! You’re talking so fast I can barely keep up. But, yes, it sounds like a plan. I’ll just come to Chicago, then. It’ll be wonderful to see everybody, but I don’t need to have a birthday party. Tell Ayanna not to worry about it.”

“Absolutely not! She’s looking forward to it, and she’s already started planning it.”

Quite naturally, Lucie had the last word. She wasn’t bossy, but she was persuasive and, as she freely admitted, she liked having her own way. Her daughters had no problem indulging her because she was so sweet. They talked a bit more and when the call ended, Emily was smiling. There was a time when she and Ayanna hadn’t been close at all. Ayanna had told Emily about her funky attitude, and after a while Emily had conceded that her older sister was right. It had cleared the air and started them on a path to a much better relationship. She was also much closer to her mother now. She was really looking forward to going to Chicago. It wasn’t until she was walking out to her car that she remembered something vital. She remembered just why going anywhere near the Windy City was a totally bad idea.

Sherri opened the door to her condo, looking concerned. “Come on in here, Em. You sounded a little stressed on the phone.” She gave Emily a
quick hug and patted her on the back before turning to lead the way into the living room. Her condo was nicely decorated in earth tones with pops of bright orange and coral. There were cheerful African and Caribbean prints on the walls, as well as big healthy green plants.

Emily walked into the living room, where she was greeted with great gusto by Sherri’s adorable and very precocious five-year-old daughter, Sydney. “Hi, Auntie Emily! I haven’t seen you in a long time,” she said. She was the image of her mother. She looked just as Sherri had as a child, right down to the long pigtails and the round eyeglasses that slid down to the tip of her nose.

Emily picked her up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “It hasn’t been that long has it?”

Sydney nodded her head vigorously. “It’s been a long, long time. Are you going to have dinner with us?”

Emily was about to say no when Sherri interrupted. “Yes, she is. So why don’t you go take off your school clothes and wash your hands so you can help me set the table?”

“Okay!” Sydney wiggled down from Emily’s arms and dashed off to her bedroom.

“Come on in the kitchen and we’ll talk. We’re just having leftovers, so don’t act like this is an imposition. What’s up?”

Emily sat on a stool by the counter that served
as a breakfast bar and room divider. “I talked to my mom today. She wanted to tell me her travel plans. She’s going to Chicago for a couple of weeks, and I’m supposed to meet her up there because Ayanna wants to give me a birthday party. And I said of course I’d come, sure no problem.” She crossed her arms on the counter and propped her head up with one hand.

Sherri was making a salad and looked up when Emily stopped talking. “Why so glum? It’ll be a great time.”

“Where does Todd live, Sherri?” Emily stared at her friend, waiting for the penny to drop.

“What do you mean, where does he live? He lives in… Oh, I get it. Hmm.”

“Took you long enough,” Emily said grumpily. “I’ll be walking into the lair of the beast. I’ll see him up there, there’s no question about it. My sister is married to Johnny Phillips. Johnny Phillips’s sister Billie is married to Todd’s brother, and they’re all like best friends. We’re just one big happy freakin’ family. There is no way I could be in Chicago for any amount of time and not run into him.”

Sherri had finished tossing the salad and put the bowl on the counter. “Good. You
should
run into him. It’s just what you need to do. You need to show up looking fabulous and rub his nose in it. That way you’ll be free of him and you can move
on, leaving him to wallow in his own misery,” she said firmly.

Emily looked at Sherri as if birds were flying out of her ears. “Are you feeling okay? This is me we’re talking about, Sherri. I don’t do gorgeous. I don’t have the gorgeous gene. I do smart. That’s my whole thing, girlfriend.”

Sherri ignored her while she began heating the meat loaf and macaroni and cheese that she’d referred to as just leftovers. “Smart and gorgeous aren’t mutually exclusive. All you need is a few minor adjustments to your stubborn mind-set and a couple of fairy godmothers, and you’ll be fine.”

Before Emily could demand to know what she meant, the doorbell rang. “And here’s our other godmother, right on schedule. Can you see what Sydney is doing and help her set the table while I answer the door? Thanks, Em,” she said breezily as she left the kitchen.

Emily was too bemused to do anything but follow Sherri’s orders. She went in search of Sydney, who had changed out of her school uniform and into play clothes. She was standing on a little stool washing her hands, like the obedient child she was. “C’mon, chick, we’re going to set the table.”

As they came down the hall they heard Alexis’s voice, and Sydney ran to greet her while Emily took a deep breath. She had a feeling she was going
to be talked into something she wasn’t going to like. When she saw the gloating smiles on her friends’ faces, she gave a deep sigh and prepared to face the inevitable. They most assuredly had big plans for her, and she might as well save herself from long hours of argument and get with the program.