Imagined Love (27 page)

Jade was confused by the abrupt change in his attitude until the exotic looking Puerto Rican woman came into the store.

“Hey, baby,” she said then walked behind the counter to kiss and hug Pierce. “You gone have to come up off some more money because I . . .”

“Ooh, I’m sorry, baby,” Jade said to the little boy she accidentally bumped into. Then she ran outside and jumped into her car. Pierce kept calling her name and even ran outside to try to stop her from leaving but she sped away. Jade drove across the street to Kentucky Fried Chicken and sat in the parking lot crying. “Idiot,” she mumbled. Jade couldn’t believe she was sobbing over a man she’d known less than an hour or that she’d been dumb enough to think she had actually met her soul mate!

The next morning Jade made the mistake of telling Landon about the incident at Quik Stop. He instantly started fussing at her to be patient and wait for

love instead of trying to force it. Thankfully Alejandra arrived for her appointment and granted Jade a reprieve from Landon’s onslaught of advice. Jade grabbed her purse and basically pushed the bride-to-be out the front door. She was hoping all the things they had to do that day would be enough to take her mind off things, but it didn’t work as well as she’d hoped. They were waiting for the seamstress to bring Alejandra’s wedding dress out when she reached over to touch Jade’s hand.

“What’s wrong, chicka? You seem down today.”

“Nothing,” she smiled, weakly.

“Girl, please, I’ve been around you long enough to know when something’s wrong. Your face gives you away every time. So spill it.”

“Well,” Jade sighed then started crying. “Ugh, I’m so stupid! Why am I sitting up here crying over some dude I don’t even know?” She reached inside her purse for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “Yesterday I met this guy and I thought we had a connection. But I guess I’m just lonely and made myself believe there was something there. He held my hand and I swear it was like electricity shooting through my body! I’ve never felt anything like that, even with men I called myself being in love with. So stupid me thought I had actually found the one but I didn’t as he made it abundantly clear.”

“Why? What happened?” Alejandra asked.

“He had just asked me out and was saying how excited he was about our date then all of a sudden he threw my hand down and backed away. I was standing there looking stupid wondering what was going on when his woman came in! And then this dude actually had the nerve to call after me like I really wanted to hear his excuses. I could almost hear him say it’s not what you think,” Jade said, shaking her head. “I’ve heard that line enough to last me a lifetime!”

“No way!” Alejandra gasped. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she said, hugging her friend. “But you know what? Be thankful you found out about this bastard before you wasted a year or two of your life on him. I know it hurts, chicka, but you will find that special someone. I promise you will. You’re such a warm and generous person and any man would be lucky to have you. So don’t give up, okay? For all we know one of your friend’s brother could be the one,” Alejandra said, nudging Jade’s arm. They both laughed.

During the first few weeks of working for Alejandra, Jade felt as if she was constantly being interviewed. Though, it had absolutely nothing to do with her experience in wedding planning. It was all personal. Was she single? What kind of men did she like? Did she want kids? Jade finally asked what was with all the questions and was informed by the fiery, Puerto Rican bombshell that she knew the perfect guy for her. Apparently Alejandra’s brother Juan was “the one” and she was relentless in trying to set them up on a date. It got to the point where Jade wanted to avoid their appointments sometimes because she knew Alejandra was

going to keep nagging her to meet him. The only thing that kept Jade from going completely crazy was the fact that Juan didn’t seem any more interested in being set up than she was. Their meeting was inevitable since he was in the wedding party but Jade knew she’d be way too busy working to interact with Juan. It wasn’t the first time one of her brides had tried to set her up and Jade was sure it wouldn’t be the last. However, none of them had been as persistent as Alejandra.

For the first few weeks after Labor Day Jade spent as little time in the office as possible. The tension between Landon and Gabrielle made it so uncomfortable that she preferred not to be there. And it wasn’t that she didn’t want to be supportive. Jade knew how much they wanted a baby and how hurtful it was to keep getting negative pregnancy tests results. Yet, she couldn’t take walking around on eggshells wondering when or which one of them was going to snap on her. Even though they always apologized later, it was too much to deal with and Jade began thinking more seriously about venturing out on her own. At the very least, she needed an office outside of Landon’s home. So when they had fights like the one that morning, he couldn’t yell at her to get out of his house.

Jade was relieved that Landon and Gabrielle were not home. She had planned to finish her work at the apartment but had to get a few files out of her office in order to do so. After grabbing everything she needed, Jade was on her way out the door when the phone rang. She ran to answer it and noticed a note from Landon stuck to her desk.

“A guy and a girl, this is Jade,” she said, scanning the note.

“So why did you run out on me?”

“Why did I . . .? Who is this?”

“Ah, now that hurts. You mean after the connection we had you don’t even remember me? Now I’m heartbroken,” he sighed. “It’s Pierce. You know . . . the guy from Quik Stop.”

Jade felt her heart drop into her stomach! And then she was puzzled. She could’ve sworn she gave him her home number. “Oh you mean the player. Mr. Don Juan. Yeah I remember you now.”

“See that’s just wrong, Ms. Jade. You’re stereotyping me. That’s racial profiling,” he laughed. She laughed too despite trying to act angry. “I know things looked bad but I promise you it’s not what you think. I promise you it’s . . .”

“Wait let me guess, she’s your cousin. Or no wait, she is your wife but she just doesn’t understand you the way that I do, right?”

“Wow, that guy Levi really messed you up, huh?”

“What?” Jade shrieked. “How do you . . .”

“Oh, your boy Landon told me.”

“What?” she yelled and nearly dropped the phone. “What are you talking about? How do you know Landon?”

“Well, a few days ago he came in here to find out what my problem was. He didn’t like the idea of me playing with your heart and decided to tell me so. I think he was prepared to beat my ass!” Pierce chuckled. “But unlike you he at least gave me the benefit of the doubt and let me explain.”

Jade’s head was swimming and she didn’t know what to think. What in the world would possess Landon to confide in a complete stranger about her humiliating personal life?

“Look, Pierce, you don’t owe me any explanations. We don’t even know each other. And although I was slightly intrigued by you, I got over it when you threw my hand down and backed away when that woman walked in. So unless you want to hire a guy and a girl to plan a wedding, there’s really nothing else to discuss.”

“Okay, well let’s plan our wedding then. I think it’s a little early in the relationship but if you’re in that big of a hurry to marry me I think we should go for it.” They both laughed.

“I don’t know how my boyfriend would feel about me planning a wedding with you.”

“Oh now you’ve got a boyfriend, huh? So you went out and got a man in the few days since I met you? Yeah right, what’s his name?”

“Uh, why do you need to know?”

“Umm huh, see you can’t even think one up, can you? You know you ain’t got no boyfriend,” he chuckled.

“His name is Juan if you must know.”

“Juan what?”

“Juan none of your business, that’s what. So go back to your wife and let me and my boyfriend be happy, okay?”

“Ah, that’s cold. But seriously, Jade, I’m not married. I’ve never even come close to being married. And I don’t have a girlfriend or sex buddy or anything like that. I’m not a player. I’ve got a mother and five sisters who’d beat the hell out of me if I tried to be one. In fact, that was my oldest sister Eva in the store the other day. She was waving at you from the window trying to get you to come back but you just burned rubber on me and left me standing on the curb like a chump,” he said, pretending to be mad.

“I’m for real though, Jade. I’m a one guy, one girl type of dude. And I really wanna have that date we planned. So why don’t you dump this Juan clown, fictional or otherwise, and find out what all that electricity between us was about. I know you felt it. That’s why you dropped all your stuff on the floor!” he laughed.

“Shut up,” Jade blushed. She was won over by his “one guy” statement.

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.”

“And it took you four days to call me?”

“Well, you are kind of mean. I had to build up some courage first. So I think I should be rewarded for grabbing the bull by the horns and . . .”

“Oh, so now I’m a bull?”

“The prettiest one I’ve ever seen,” Pierce cooed. “So what do you say? Are you game for dinner tomorrow night? I’ll cook something special and show you my mad skills in the kitchen.”

“Hmmm. Sounds tempting but . . .”

“No buts. Just tell your imaginary playmate Juan that you’re going out. I’m sure he’ll get over it. So here’s my address,” he said, giving Jade time to jot it down. “I’ll see you tomorrow night at seven, okay? Don’t be late.”

“Okay, but I need to warn you about something first.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“I’m not one of those shy, dainty chicks who only eat a piece of lettuce and a cracker. I eat! In fact, I’ve been known to eat grown men under the table so make sure you have enough. And I hope it’s good too because I don’t eat things I don’t like. Most people are polite enough to eat awful food to avoid hurt feelings, but not me. So I hope your culinary skills are up to par, mister.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Pierce smiled convinced he’d met the girl of his dreams.

The goofy grin Jade had on her face disappeared as soon as Landon walked into the house. “I’m gonna kill you!” she yelled.

Landon sat at his desk and began eating Chinese takeout as he waited to find out why his life was being threatened. Jade threw a fit over him telling Pierce about Levi. Though, she was curious as to why he did because it just seemed so out of character. Landon was always fussing at Jade for revealing too much, too soon about herself and yet he entrusted a complete stranger with one of the most humiliating things she had ever gone through.

When she finally stopped talking long enough for him to speak, Landon told her why he’d done it. He couldn’t fully explain it, but there was something about the way Jade spoke about Pierce, even though she was upset, that struck a cord with him. So he decided to talk to Pierce himself to find out what really happened. After spending almost an hour with him, Landon was convinced he had met Jade’s guy! That’s why he was thrilled to find out about their date the following evening. He even suggested the outfit Jade should wear. As usual, she made some smart aleck comment about knowing how to dress but Landon knew she’d be wearing the jeans and emerald green silk blouse like he’d said.

Twenty minutes earlier Jade had been rushing to get out of the office so she didn’t have to see Landon. Now she was hanging on his every word as he described, for the second time, his encounter with Pierce. She wanted to know the expression on his face when he said certain things or if he did that little sly grin that she found adorable. Landon tried to be patient but she was driving him nuts!

“Hey, don’t you have to get ready for Alejandra’s bridal shower?”

Jade kissed Landon’s cheek then ran out to the mall to get a gift. A few hours later she arrived at the Newark Community Center for the bridal shower. Jade walked in to find a few of the bridesmaids just starting to decorate and bring in the food even though the party was set to begin in less than an hour. She was instantly annoyed. And from the sound of yelling and cursing coming from the kitchen area in back, someone else was too.

“See this is some bull . . .”

“Okay, Auntie Luisa, we heard you! You ain’t gotta keep screaming at us! We here now and everything is gonna get taken care of, alright? Damn!” the young woman snapped, with the older one growing more enraged as she trailed her.

“I shoulda never trusted you fools with my baby’s special day! It’s gone break Hawn’s heart to walk in here to this half done mess! It’s like y’all don’t even care,” she huffed then headed back to the small kitchen area.

Jade only wanted to be a guest and hadn’t come to do anything but have fun and enjoy herself. However, the thought of Alejandra walking into her shower to find things the way they were was unacceptable. So Jade took over and had the ten bridesmaids working double time to get things in order. Within twenty minutes the tables were decorated, streamers and balloons hung, candles lit, and the food trays arranged beautifully. The DJ was all set to start and the gift and favor tables were in place.

The guests began streaming in by the masses and Jade was surprised to see men and children there. She thought it was just for women and hoped the gifts weren’t going to be opened in front of everyone. Hers was a very sexy piece of lingerie, definitely not appropriate for a mixed crowd including kids. So Jade decided it would be best to give Alejandra her gift in private and was heading towards the gift table when Luisa grabbed her hand.

“Thank you so much, baby. It looks really beautiful in here,” she said then embraced Jade. “Please forgive my mouth earlier. I was just so mad about Hawn’s friends and our family not doing what they was supposed to do. I don’t like no last minute, thrown together mess, you know? I feel like if you ain’t gone do it right then don’t do it at all. But I’m really glad you was here. My baby girl ain’t had nothing but wonderful things to say about you and I see what she means. I wanted to meet you a long time ago but Hawn was scared I would try to take over. But with you handling things I don’t have nothing to worry about with the wedding. So thank you, hear?”

“You’re more than welcome, Ma’am. It was my pleasure.”

The DJ announced the happy couple, the future Mr. and Mrs. Powell, and the crowd responded with loud cheers as Roland and Alejandra came in dancing. The party was in full swing after that as everyone ate, danced, and had a good time. Luisa took Jade around introducing her to various people including three of Alejandra’s four sisters and their father Jackie Jamison. Jade was struck by how different they looked and never would have guessed they were siblings. They were beautiful, though. It was as if the best of Jackie’s African American features and Luisa’s Puerto Rican ones were mixed together to make incredible looking kids.

Jade sat at the table with Jackie and his wife Shirley as well as some other family members. She could barely eat though from laughing so hard. Jackie was hilarious. He jived on her, his wife, and anybody else that caught his attention. In a lot of ways he reminded her of Mr. Phillips which was very comforting. What Jackie enjoyed most was how Jade was able to joke and jive right back and make him laugh just as hard. After an hour he began telling her how perfect she’d be for his son. As if on cue, Alejandra popped up at their table just in time to let her dad know she’d been saying the very same thing for months.

“You just the whole package, baby,” Jackie said, nodding his head. “Oh yes, my son would love you. I just know it. Where is that joker anyway?”

“He just came from the store. You know Mama got him back there slaving,” Alejandra’s sister Veronica said. “I been hiding from her so she won’t have me doing stuff.”

“How ‘bout we hit the dance floor, Ms. Jade. I might be a tad bit older than you but I bet I can move better.”

“Well you’re talking a lot of smack for somebody still sitting in his chair. Let’s hit it, grandpa.”

The two of them made their way to the dance floor where Jade showed out. The DJ played a Tito Puente song and she busted out with the Salsa. Jackie, who was smooth, charismatic, and quite attractive at nearly sixty years old, gave Jade a run for her money and they were having a ball. They seemed to get the crowd hyped up and more people joined them. Once the song was over Jackie realized he was more than a tad older than Jade and needed to sit down. So he grabbed one of his nephews to dance with her and was heading back to his seat when he spotted Alejandra talking to her brother.

“Juan, quit being rude and come meet my wedding planner!” she shouted. “My party is almost over and she’ll be leaving soon. Come on,” Alejandra whined.

“No thanks,” he said then attempted to walk away.

Juan’s sister was still trying to convince him to meet the woman when their father joined them. “Son, trust me on this one. This chick is a keeper. I put her through the test and she passed with flying colors. She’s definitely wife material. I’m telling you, boy. Jade is beautiful and . . .”

“Wait, who did you say?”

“Just come with me,” Jackie smiled.

“Alright you stragglers, I’m about to shut it down,” the DJ announced. “This is the last song of the night before we gotta get up outta here. So come get your groove on one last time tonight.”

Jade was doing the Samba walk with her “fierce face” on when Jackie grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her heart dropped!

“I want you to meet my son Juan . . . oh, excuse me, I mean Pierce as he prefers to be introduced.”

Jade and Pierce stared at each other with the biggest, brightest smiles on their faces.

“So wait, am I your imaginary playmate?” Pierce laughed, remembering that Juan was the name Jade had given her make believe boyfriend.

“What the . . . boy, what are you talking about?” Jackie frowned.

“Hey, ain’t this the girl from Quik Stop? The one that jumped to the wrong conclusion,” Eva winked at Jade.

Luisa gasped as tears came to her eyes. “This is the one you couldn’t stop gushing about and . . .”

“Okay, okay Mama, you don’t have to say all that,” Pierce interrupted her, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

It took a few moments for Alejandra to realize her little brother was the “bastard”. “Oh my god, Chicka! You were crying your eyes out over him,” she giggled remembering how devastated Jade was at the dress fitting. “See, I told you my brother was the one!”

“Aw, you were crying over me?” Pierce smiled, his intense eyes sparkling. All he wanted to do was take her into his arms. Instead his parents and siblings hugged and kissed Jade welcoming her to their family.

“Oh and did you check out her moves, son? That can tell you a lot about a woman,” Jackie winked at Pierce. “I think she got some Puerto Rican in her.”

“I think she about to get some Puerto Rican in her! Look how Juan standing there salivating. I bet you can’t wait to get it, can you?”

“Diana!” Luisa snapped. “Why you always gotta talk so vulgar and filthy? You embarrass me,” she said then snatched her thirty-seven-year old daughter away as if she were still a child.

Pierce and his sisters laughed like they’d been doing their whole lives where Diana was concerned. Even as a little girl she would say the most outlandish things and drive Luisa insane!

“Child, that’s your crazy sister-in-law there. You have to watch her ‘cause she liable to say any thing. I swear it’s like she got Tourette’s!”

Jade burst out laughing as did the rest of them. It was wonderful being there with Alejandra and her family, particularly Pierce. For the first time in her life Jade was convinced she’d finally found the place where she belonged.

The next morning Landon smiled when he saw Jade’s jeans and silk blouse hanging from the coat rack. And when she burst into his office with a huge, radiant smile, he knew she was truly happy. Landon got goose bumps when Jade told him what happened at the bridal shower. It was just more proof, as far as he was concerned, that she had indeed found her guy.

“I’m so happy for you, baby girl,” he said, hugging her tightly. “You deserve to be happy.”

After work, Jade showered, put on her infamous Skin Musk, and modeled the new emerald green heels she’d bought specifically for her date. Gabrielle and Landon gave their approval and she hurried out the door. Jade had given herself fifteen minutes to get to Pierce’s place but it took less than five—because it was in a group of townhouses behind Richard’s! She sat outside for a few minutes trying to calm her nerves. Then Jade walked up to ring the doorbell. Her stomach started

turning flips once Pierce opened the door and gave her that magical smile of his. He had to grab her hand and help her inside because she was too nervous to move.

“Welcome to the penthouse,” he said, still holding her hand. “Let me give you a little tour even though you can basically stand in one spot and see my entire place. This is the living room,” Pierce said, pointing to his right towards the large black leather sectional dominating most of the area. It was facing a huge entertainment center which covered the entire wall. “I kind of like music,” he smiled, following Jade’s eyes as she looked at his massive collection of albums.

She found it comforting that Pierce was still holding her hand. It felt natural as if he’d always been holding it.

“Wow,” Jade stopped suddenly. “This is so beautiful. I can’t believe you had your sisters do all this for you,” she teased.

“Aw, that’s cold, girl,” he laughed. “You don’t think I know how to set a table? I keep telling you I’ve got skills.”

“Is that right?” Jade smiled. “This is lovely, though. Thank you so much.”

“You’re more than welcome, pretty lady.”

Pierce gave Jade that sly grin and all she wanted to do was kiss him. Instead she leaned over to take a whiff of the long stemmed yellow roses he had arranged in an exquisite crystal vase in the center of the dining room table.

“So can I assume Alejandra told you these are my favorites?”

“No, Juan told me.”

Jade laughed so hard that she almost choked. “I guess I’m busted, huh? Juan told me,” she repeated and laughed again.

“Yeah I would say so. But it’s flattering to know you were thinking of Hawn’s brother even before you knew it was me,” he laughed.

A few minutes later Pierce served dinner. At first Jade was trying to be ladylike by taking small bites, but the chicken and rice dish he called arroz con pollo was so good that she ended up woofing it down like she’d never had a meal before! Pierce served it with a wonderful fresh salad and really tasty garlic bread which made the meal perfect. Although Jade had warned him about her appetite, he was shocked to see her eat two big helpings of everything.

“I take it you like Puerto Rican food.”

“The way you make it is good. My stepmother was Puerto Rican but she couldn’t cook worth jack. And your dad had me laughing so hard last night that I barely got to eat anything. I ended up going to Taco Bell on my way home. But this was really delicious. Thank you,” she said, trying not to belch. “So Ms. Luisa had you in the kitchen, huh?”

“Oh yeah. She didn’t want me to be one of those spoiled men who couldn’t take care of himself. So I cooked, cleaned, ironed, babysat, and everything else she could think for me to do. When people found out I was the only boy, and the baby

at that, they automatically assumed I was this brat who had everybody waiting on me hand and foot. But they couldn’t have been more wrong. My mama ‘nem didn’t do nothing for me!” Pierce laughed. “I’m just kidding. I mean, they did make me work but my family has always taken good care of me and I love them to death.”

Jade commented about how she would have never guessed all of them were related. Some looked all Puerto Rican some all Black and some, like Pierce, were a beautiful combination of the two.

“You think I’m beautiful,” Pierce chuckled, doing his best Ms. America wave. “Well, I think you’re beautiful. Truly I do.”

Jade looked down at her hands trying hard to hide the fact she was blushing.

“Now why are you doing that? Acting all bashful like you don’t know how fine you are. I’m sure you’ve been hearing it all your life. Trying to play me,” he winked at her and smiled.