Come Share My Love (8 page)

     “Oh, I’m sorry.”  Shyla was relieved, but it was short lived.  “I must have picked up his phone by mistake this morning.  This is his number.  He must have mine.  He’s not available at the moment would you like to leave a message?  I’ll make sure that he gets it.”

     “No.  Thank you just the same.  I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”

The woman thought she heard a whimper.  “Are you alright, Miss?”

     “Yes, I’m fine.  I better let you go.  Again, I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”  She hung up.  “Well it sure didn’t take him long to find someone else.  That definitely wasn’t a white woman’s voice.”

     “It’s not a…hello…hell…o!” Venice shrugged her shoulders and closed the phone.  “That was strange.”

     “What was strange?”  Zackary had just walked into his parent’s family room.

     “First I have to apologize.  I took your phone by mistake this morning.  It looks so much like mine.”

     “Yeah, I figured that out.  Braxton called.  When I answered he said ‘hey baby, what are you wearing?”

Venice laughed.  “And what was your answer?”

     “I told him he didn’t want to know.”  They both laughed.

     “Anyway, I answered your phone and I’m sorry.”

     “Don’t be.  Who was it?”

     “That’s what was so strange.  It was a woman but she wasn’t sure it was your phone.  When she found out it was she apologized for disturbing me and hung up.  I could have sworn that she was holding back crying.  She didn’t leave a name or number just hung up.”

     “Huh.  That is strange.  What about the caller I.D?”

     “Private.”  She glared at him.  “Is there something going on that you don’t want anyone to know about?”

     “No!”

     “Come on now.  Are you sure?  A woman calls your phone and crying because she can’t reach you.  Or maybe she thought I was your woman.  Now that would be a disaster.  Did something happen in Jamaica that
changed your mood when you got back?  Brax said you called one night and you were so happy, even he was happy.  But you’ve been down since you’ve been back.  What’s happened since then?  Is it a woman?”  She winked.  Venice was a character and she didn’t let up until she got answers.  She grew up with the Trellis children.  They were not the best of friends in the beginning but as they got older they couldn’t let one another go.  It was taking Zackary too long to answer.  “Well?”

     “Yes.  It’s a woman.”  He fell into his father’s easy chair.

     “You don’t sound all that happy about it.”

     “Nothing happened the way I wanted it.”  He was quiet for a minute.

     “You know, Zack, I’m a very good listener if you want to talk.  Ask your brother, he can vouch for me.”

     He smiled.  “I know you are, sis.  I guess I shouldn’t have expected this woman to be any different than Gloria.  She’s not committed.”  Zackary scratched his head.  “Who am I kidding?  Shyla is nothing like Gloria.  Besides I’ve already fell for her.  She seems to have a problem with me.  Sis, am I boring or something, a square.  I was a little nerd back in junior high and high school.”

     “Stop it.”  Venice tried to control the laughter that was bubbling up inside her.  “What kind of problem?  What could she possibly have against you?  And no there is nothing wrong with you.  And I definitely can’t picture you ever being a nerd.”

     “Well I was.  Ask the fellas.  They’ll tell you.  It was only because of them that I didn’t get bullied.  Would you mess with my brothers?”

     “Hell no!  They both scared the heck out of me when I met them.  Now you, were an angel, but Bren and Brax, I think they got excited every time I came around just so they could pick at me.”

     “You were easy.  Braxton picked on you because he liked you, Brennan picked on you because he knew that Braxton liked you.”

     “Is that right?”

Zackary laughed.  “Yeah.  You see it didn’t last very long.  Braxton told Brennan it was time to stop the clowning because you were going to be his woman.”

     “That’s why they stopped picking at me?”  Zackary nodded.  “I never knew.”

     “Yep that was the reason.  So now back to my problem. I can feel the connection and I know that she can too but she acts as though she wants to be left alone.  I was sure that those kisses we shared in Jamaica would seal our fate but looks like it only scared her farther away.”

     “You’ve kissed her?”  Venice fanned herself.  “It must have been nice.”

     Zackary smiled.  “It was very nice.  It almost floored me.  I think she got a little scared when that first kiss, almost turned into something more.  We were on the dance floor.”  He shook his head.  “If we had been anywhere else I wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation with you.”

     “Why don’t you try to call her, Zack?  Maybe there’s something she wants to talk to you about.”

He shook his head.  “Why would she?  She hasn’t wanted to speak to me since before we left Jamaica.  I’ve called her several times since then, left message after message, even sent flowers.  She hasn’t responded.  This is the first time she’s contacted me in over a month, if that was even her.  Let her stew a little while.  When I’m ready, if I ever get ready to call her again, I will.

     “Zack.  I can tell you have strong feelings for this woman.  I see it in your eyes every time you mention her name.  Even if the incident wasn’t pleasant your eyes light up when you think about her.  What’s her name again?”

     “It’s Shyla.  Shyla Wilkes.”  He grinned, almost laughed.  “She’s a pistol.”

     “Is she as pretty as her name suggest?”

He nodded.  “She’s beauty at its finest, more beautiful than one
can imagine.  And I mean inner beauty as well as outer beauty.  She doesn’t wear make-up.  Maybe a little mascara at times but nothing more, she doesn’t need it.  She has the perfect mouth, a perfect set of white teeth.  Remember that Colgate commercial when we were growing up and the woman brushed her tongue across her teeth?  Those are the kind of teeth Shyla has.  Beautiful.”  He was hooked.  He seemed to be in a faraway place.

     That’s where he was when his brother Braxton walked in.  He was so wrapped up in talking about Shyla he forgot where he was.

     Braxton leaned over and gave Venice a quick kiss.

     “Who is he daydreaming about?”

     “Sshh, baby.  Just listen.  He’s talking about his future bride.”

    “What?  Zack’s planning on getting married, again?”

     “I’m betting on it.  Not this week but possibly someday soon.”

     Braxton sat down on the arm of the chair next to him.  “Well I’ll be.  Mom and dad will get a kick out of this.”

     That snapped him out of it.  “Kick out of what?” he asked.  Unaware of what had just taken place.

     “Hey bro, what’s up?”  They stand and shake with a hug.  “What brings you out here?”  Braxton had just returned home from a business trip of his own.

     “Taking a leave of absence for a few days and helping Connie with some work here.”

     “How was your vacation?”

     “It could have been one of the best I’ve ever had.”

     “What prevented it from being that?”

He shrugged.  “A woman.  The most beautiful, voluptuous, carefree, argumentative, exasperating woman I’ve ever met.  And I can’t get her out of my mind.”

     “An island babe?” Venice threw him a strange look.  “What?”

     “No, she’s from here.”

     Braxton clapped him on his shoulder.  “Well damn, little brother.  I’m inclined to believe that you’re a man in love.”

     “Right.”

     “Honey did you see the way his eye color changed and brightened up when he mentioned her.  Our little Zack is in love,” he squeezed his cheeks.  Zackary slapped his brother’s hands away and started laughing.

     “Yes I saw that, but let’s not tease him.”

     “I’m not teasing.  Just stating what I saw.  You saw it too, right?”

     “Yes I did but you’re gloating.”

     “That’s because I believe it was my little brother here who said he would never fall in love, even again.  In fact he said he’d never fall for another beautiful face.”

     “She’s ugly then.”  He spoke fast.

     “You just said she was beautiful, voluptuous, exasperating-”

     “Stop okay?  I know what I said about falling in love and I admit that I was wrong, dead wrong.  Shy’s more than just a beautiful face.”

     “So you are in love, then?” Braxton asked.  He wanted to be clear on all counts.

     “So it seems.  I can’t see what else to call it.”

     “So who is she?”

     Zackary smiled again.  “Her name is Shyla.  Shyla Wilkes.”

     Braxton sat up.
“That beauty that’s related to Felton, isn’t she Essence’s cousin or something?”

Venice hit him with her elbow.

     “Sorry love.  You know you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”  He leaned over to kiss her.

     “I thought you said that I was the mo
st beautiful woman in the world,” his mother said entering the room.

     “You are, for my mother.  I could never judge you against other women of the world it wouldn’t be fair.  Only to other mother’s and you’re the best there is.”  He stood to kiss her cheek as well.

     “Welcome home, Braxton,” he nodded.  “You’re a good son.”

     “Spoiled is what he is,” Venice said.  “Didn’t you just tell my mother last month that she was the best?”

     “The best Mother-in-law, baby, get it right.”

Good save, Venice mouthed.

Don’t I know it, he thought and winked.

     “Hi mom.”

     “Hi, son, are you settled in over there?”

     “Yes.  I will be in and out for a few days but I will make time for dinner so make sure you set and extra place setting for me.”

     “Don’t worry.  Your place was set when you told your father you were on your way.”  They hugged.

     “Let’s get back to the conversation at hand.  You’re not getting away with anything.”  Braxton told Zackary.

     “What did he do now?”  Brennan, Braxton’s twin had just walked in.  He kissed his mom and then Venice.  “How are you beautiful ladies today?”

     “Fine,
” they both rushed.

     “We were talking about Zackary’s girlfriend.”

     “She’s not my girlfriend.”

    “Not yet.  But you have a plan, right little brother?”

     “Let’s just say, I’m working on it.”

     “The fourth of July bash is coming up. 
Why don’t you invite her?  She can meet the girls and from that alone you’ll know whether you and she should have a relationship or not.”

     “That’s true.”  Venice said.  “You know the twins don’t like anyone.”

     “Especially their own mother,” his mother said just below a whisper but Zackary being able to hear a dog whistle heard her.

     “Mom that’s not nice.”

She frowned.  “Sorry baby.  I’m just saying that-”

     “Well don’t, please.  I have enough problems with her than I care to deal with.  My daughters tell me I don’t love them when I leave them with her.”

     “Maybe they are trying to tell you something, like they don’t want to be with her.  She did abandon them when they were just infants.”

     “Mom stop!” he almost snapped.  “I know this, alright, but she is their mother.”

     “Just because she’s their mother doesn’t give her rights.  Everyone isn’t cut out to be a mother Zackary Trellis.  And the sooner you realize that the better off you will be.”  His mother snapped back then stormed out of the family room and went in seclusion in the comfort of her bedroom.

     “Vivie
?” her husband said as she dashed passed him.

     “Mom?” all the others called after her but she was gone.

Their father came through the door with his hand fisted and upon his hips. 

     “Alright, which one of you ingrates upset my Vivie?”

     Zackary, Brennan, Braxton and Venice all said together while pointing their finger. 

     “Him.” 

     “Your namesake,” Brennan laughed.

     “Me.”

     “Zackary!”

     “Dad.”

     “What’s the problem son?  Have you lost your mind?”

     “No dad.”

     “Then why?  Why would you upset your mother, son?  You’ve been back an hour.”

     “It wasn’t intentional dad.  We were just-” his father shut him down.

     “Save it.  You get up there and make things right with your mom.”

     “But dad-”

     “Now son, don’t make me have to repeat myself.”

     “Yes s
ir.”  It was like he was still that little kid.  He was damn near thirty and his father still treated him like he was a baby.