Raging Blue (15 page)

Chapter
31

Blue

Blue pushed past Gavin as he greeted her at the elevator door. Appearing startled by Blue’s hasty entry, Gavin looked at her with confusion settled in his brows.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I promise you I will find out. I need to get to Atlanta ASAP. I just don’t want to go alone,” Blue spoke in a rush.

Gavin followed her with his eyes, looking as though he was having trouble keeping up.

“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Just slow down and start from the beginning. I missed something!” he replied, laughing.

Blue stopped pacing and chuckled, too.

“I’m sorry, Gavin. Let me start again.” Blue straightened her back. “Hey, Gavin! What’s up? My life is a wreck. How’s yours?” she said, then leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Gavin kissed her cheek in return, hugged her, and stepped back with raised brows. Blue laughed again, acknowledging just how bizarre her entry had been. Running her hand through her hair, she sighed and shook her head while smiling.

“I swear I don’t know what to do these days. Every time I turn around it’s something new.” Blue threw her hands up. “Are you busy? Can we go for a cup of coffee?” she asked, but then thought about running into Jay again. “You know what? Scratch that! Do you have coffee or tea here?”

“Which do you prefer? Coffee or tea?”

Blue looked at her watch. “With all the drama in my life, I’m wound up plenty. I’ll take herbal tea. No extra caffeine needed here,” she said and walked to the oversized window to take in the view of Central Park.

“Did you eat breakfast yet?” Gavin called out from the kitchen.

“Actually, no. You know what? I can’t recall the last time I ate.”

“Okay,” Gavin said as he returned to the living room. “Sit down and tell me what’s up. Then we can go for breakfast.”

Blue turned to him, but didn’t move. The view was so peaceful she didn’t want to leave the window. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine feeling the serenity of that peace fall all over her. She felt Gavin approach behind her.

“It kind of does something to you, doesn't it?”

Blue opened her eyes. “Yes, it does. If I lived here, I wouldn’t leave this spot,” she said, absorbing the serene sway of the treetops in the cool breeze.

She took a long, deep breath and closed her eyes again as if she were outside taking in the fullness of the air. After opening her eyes, she walked to the couch and sat. Gavin followed closely behind and joined her on the opposite couch.

“You ready for all of this?” she asked.

“Drop it on me.”

“Okay! The other day, I was having tea with my neighbor Kalisto, and Jay burst into the coffee shop on a rampage.”

“Who is Kalisto?”

“This guy that lives down the hall from us…from me? It’s not like we were out on a date or anything.” Blue felt a need to explain. “We went to the coffee shop down the block from the building.” Blue paused to allow Gavin to confirm.

He didn’t respond, but his expression encouraged Blue to continue. She fed him every detail about the fight between Kalisto and Jay.

The kettle screamed just
as she finished her story. Gavin got up, and moments later, he quickly returned with the hot water and all the fixings for tea to Blue’s liking. She fixed her tea while filling him in on all the other details he’d missed since they last spoke.

“Now here’s the kicker. Are you ready for this?”
She asked as she sat back on the couch, taking a cautious sip from the steaming cup of tea. “I got a call last night from Peyton King.”

Gavin looked confused.

“Exactly,” Blue said in response to his bewildered look. “Peyton asked me how much was I selling the house in Atlanta for, and I told her I wasn’t selling my house.”

“What?” Gavin asked with his brows stretched upwards.

“I need to go down there next week and see for myself. Will you come with me?”

Gavin sat still and chewed his bottom lip.

Chapter
32

Gavin

Gavin pulled his black Range Rover Sport into his father’s blacktop driveway in Cambria Heights, Queens. The hot smell
of rubber rose from the bottom of the car as he exited. According to the calendar, summer had come to an end, but it was apparent the sun hadn’t received the memo. The blazing heat had caused the asphalt to soften, and it felt sticky against the bottom of Gavin’s shoes even in early evening. Using his key, Gavin let himself into the home he grew up in and whistled two quick piercing blows. His father whistled back in the same fashion. A signal they shared dating back to Gavin’s childhood.

Immediately, Gavin felt his mother’s absence. Since her death a few years back, her lack of presence shrouded him whenever he entered their home.

“I’m in the den,” Mr. Gray yelled.

Gavin looked around and marveled at the cleanliness of the house. He knew his dad to be tidy, but today the place was spotless, making the outdated furniture sparkle with a sense of newness. The usual dimness that beheld the space was gone. Without the shine, the house looked like something out of an eighties sitcom, with worn floral couches, chunky wood furniture, and boring beige walls that were covered with mass produced artwork.

“What’s up, old man?” Gavin asked as he entered the room.

His father stood, shook Gavin’s hand, and hugged him.

“Who cleaned up for you?”

Mr. Gray looked over at him and smiled. “A friend,” was the only response he offered.

Gavin was an exact replica of his father, tall in stature with smooth, nut-brown skin. Only Mr. Gray’s salt and pepper mix gave him a distinguished air.

“I see,” Gavin said and let the issue hang in the air. “I haven’t seen the place this clean since Mom used to clean up around here.”

“I know. I miss that,” his father replied without taking his eyes off of the TV.

Both men fell silent for a moment as the evening news reported the latest on the political campaigns and the upcoming election.

Mr. Gray clicked off the TV and turned to his son sitting on the couch. “Let’s go sit outside. I’ve got some beers in the cooler.”

Mr. Gray lifted his strong, large frame out of his favorite chair with the built-in cup holder and led the way to the back porch. He popped open two beers and handed one to his son.

“The Jets didn’t start off strong, but I think they can make it this year.”

“What! Dad, you must be getting old. I’m convinced the Cowboys are going to make a comeback.”

“The Cowboys! Boy, you must be crazy. Listen here, let’s go ahead and bet on those old, tired boys. I could use your money,” Mr. Gray said and chuckled.

“You’re funny, Pops.” Gavin joined him in laughter.

“So what’s going on, son?”

“Besides Jay and Blue?”

“Oh, those two again. What’s he done this time? I read about him getting cut from the team. That boy has always been hardheaded. I never understood what Blue saw in him.”

“They’re getting divorced,” Gavin told him.

His father’s eyes stretched open, and Gavin gave up a few general details.

“That’s a shame,” he said, shaking his head.

“I know.” Gavin paused, trying to figure out how to get the rest of what he had on his chest out in the open. “Here’s my problem,” he said and looked at his father, who nodded for him to continue. “Jay and I have finally fallen out since all this stuff started to happen, and Blue…well, she’s been coming to me to talk and all because she says she has no one else to talk to. She’s too embarrassed to talk about this stuff with her family. They don’t even know about half of what’s been happening. And…”

“You’re falling for her, right?”

Gavin just looked at his father and wondered how he always knew.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asked.

Gavin was looking for answers, not for the ball to be thrown right back at him. He looked for his father to say something like, “Leave that girl alone” or “Don’t get caught up.”

“What I want to do and what I think I should do are two different things. That’s why I’m here.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Pop!” Gavin stood up and paced the porch. “This is not helping.”

Mr. Gray took another swig of beer and repeated his question.

“What I want to do is save her,” Gavin finally said, surprised by his own words.

“So you think she needs to be rescued?”

“I think she deserves sincerity. She needs it right now, and I know I can give it to her. I want to give it to her, but Jay is…was my friend.”

“You’ve always cared about her, haven’t you?”

Gavin couldn’t believe his father’s insight. He started pacing the porch again before sitting back down. Neither of them spoke for minutes.

“Pop, what would you do?”

“I saved your mom from my brother.”

Chapter 33

Mia

The ringing of the phone woke Mia with a start. The neon blue numbers on the alarm clock read 12:33. She squinted, adjusting her eyes to the darkness in the room before grabbing her cell phone. Princeton was calling. Mia shook Jay and pushed him over on his side to try and silence his obscene snoring. When that didn’t work, she jumped out of bed and tipped downstairs, answering the phone as she descended.

“Hello,” Mia said, trying to sound extra sleepy.

“Did I wake you?” Princeton asked in his baritone voice.

“Yes. I’ve got to get out early tomorrow morning. I have a lot of business to take care of. How about I give you a call in the morning?”

“Fortunately, that won’t be necessary. I just got off the plane, and I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Mia’s eyes stretched wide and anger burned inside.

“Princeton, I told you I have a lot of things to take care of in the morning. Tonight is not good for me. I really need my rest.” Mia held her tongue as she tried suppressing her anger.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bother you. I’ll just join you in bed after I take a shower.”

“No!” Mia practically shouted. “I really need to get out of here early. I didn’t plan on having any company, so the house is not…this is just not a good time. I’m really tired, and I need to be well rested tomorrow so I can focus. Besides, you didn’t tell me you were coming here.”

“I figured I would surprise you. Now, come on. Open the door. I’ll be there in ten minutes. I promise I won’t disturb you. I’ll even sleep on the couch. See you in a few. Okay, babe?”

Mia disconnected the call, raced up to the master bedroom, and swiped the light on.

“Get up! Jay! Get up! You’ve got to get out of here!” Mia yelled while pulling the covers off him.

She shook him until his eyes opened. Jay stared past her.

“Come on. You’ve got to get up and get out of here. You’ve got five minutes.” She raced to her bag and pulled out her keys. “Here, take my car. I’ll come by your house in the morning. Right now, you’ve got to go.”

Jay watched Mia dash around the room. She sprayed the room with a sweet smelling freshener to mask the scent of sex that clung to the air.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?” Jay asked as he swung his legs alongside the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Jay, you have to leave now! Here, put your clothes on.” Mia threw his pants and shirt at him. She moved feverishly, tossing Jay’s stuff in his bag. She cursed Princeton for this surprise visit. “You’ve got to get out of here. Princeton will be pulling up any minute, and he can’t find you here.”

“What? Princeton who?”

“Princeton Manning.” Mia stood still waiting for Jay to comment.

“Are you serious? You're messing around with that punk?” Jay chuckled. “Oh, so he must have set you up, too?” Jay sighed and shook his head.

Mia expected the name calling, but she didn’t expect the comment about Princeton setting her up.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That’s how Princeton works. He's got his chicks set up all across the game states so he can have a dedicated piece in each location. If you ask me, he’s stupid. Women throw themselves at men for free. Why waste all that money setting one up? He must have come to you with an offer you couldn’t refuse,” Jay commented, while pulling his shirt and pants on.

“Whatever, Jay. If you know how this works, then just get the hell out!” Mia tossed his bag into the hallway, traipsed into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind her. She felt like crying but fought the urge.

Jay pushed the bathroom door open, stared into Mia’s heated eyes, and asked for the car keys. Turning her face away from him, she folded her arms over her breasts as though she just realized she was naked.

“They’re on the bed. Just hurry up and leave,” she said with her back to him.

From the mirror, Mia watched Jay shake his head before walking out. Tears stung her eyes but didn’t fall.

She stayed in the bathroom until she heard the engine rev. That’s when she finally came out, climbed in her bed, and pulled the covers up to her neck.

No more than five minutes passed before she heard the dense thud of Princeton’s feet as he climbed the carpeted steps. Quickly, she swiped at the tears that were still spilling and pretended to be asleep. She could hear Princeton tip around the room, peel his clothes off, then shower before climbing into the bed behind her. His hand found its way around her bare waist, and he spooned her from behind. Within minutes, the rhythm of Princeton’s breathing steadied, and he settled into a light snore, while sleep evaded her as she wrestled with anger and shame.

She would be sure to officially decline Princeton’s offer in the morning. Sleep never came, but tears did.