Role of a Lifetime (5 page)

Chapter Six

Sharese
pushed herself back from the table and patted her now full stomach. Joseph's grandfather, David Redwolf, prepared a feast for them, all Joseph's favorite foods. She had to remember to ask him for the recipes. Not that she'd dare to cook a meal as good as this one. Her chef would probably do a good job. “Now I know where Joseph learned how to cook.”

“
I have a long way to go to compare with Papa. He's the best.” He reached over and gave his grandfather a light punch in the arm and immediately followed it with a caress.

Sharese turned her head and blinked rapidly to keep away the tears. The love between the two men was so obvious and touching. She wished her grandparents were still alive. Both her mother's and father's parents passed away many years ago, even before she made it big on the stage. They would have been so proud of her.

“Dessert?” David stood and headed into the tiny kitchen.

She opened her mouth to refuse, that is until she spied the pineapple upside down cake in his hands. She eagerly held out a plate and he slid a generous slice on it, along with a couple extra maraschino cherries. A man after her own heart!

After practically inhaling the delicious cake, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She'd eaten in some of the best restaurants all over the world, but none of those meals compared with the one she just had. Probably because along with the good cooking was a healthy measure of love. The tears she'd tried so hard to keep at bay suddenly blinded her, making her swipe them away.

“
Everything okay?” Joseph asked with a worried look on his face. His grandfather was at her side in a flash, handing her several tissues.

It took several minutes for her to calm down and regain the ability to speak.
“I'm all right. It's just that, that, everything was so lovely.” A new round of tears began and she hid her face in her hands.

“Wow, if
you cry like this when you're happy, I'd hate to see you when you're upset,” David joked.

This brought a smile to her face and soon everyone was laughing. She stood and reached for her empty plate. Joseph swatted her hands away and motioned for her to sit back down. He quickly cleared the table and returned with a carafe of coffee. They took their cups out onto the front steps and quietly drank the strong brew.

The street was full of children playing in the dusty road, with their parents keeping watch from their own front steps or windows. Most of the boys were kicking a lop-sided ball back and forth; the girls played a game of tag, hiding behind broken down cars and leaning piles of junk. Sharese looked around her to find very little green space for the children to play in.

“
I'm working on it,” Joseph blurted out.

“
What?”

“
You're wondering why the kids don't have someplace nice to play.”

“
I need to add mind reader to your list of super powers.”

He leaned over and softly rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand. He let out a loud sigh and looked out on the children again.
“My goal is to revitalize the whole neighborhood, starting with this street and hopefully onto the whole reservation.”

“
Lofty goal.”

“
Yeah, but doable. As you can see, my people live in abject poverty.”

“
It's not so bad,” David interjected. “We have running water and electricity.”

“
But not much else, Papa.”

“
We're doing fine. You need to stop worrying about us and concentrate on your career. So, how'd the audition go the other day?”

Joseph cut his eyes in Sharese's direction and simply grunted.

“That well, huh?”

“
He did a fantastic job,” she quickly added.

“
Yeah, I did such a good job I wasn't offered the part.”

“
No, you weren't offered that part, but the director did suggest another one for him.”

“
By that sour look on your face, Joseph, I assume you turned it down.”

“
Damn skippy.” Joseph pursed his lips and looked off into the distance.

“
Why?'

Joseph stood and collected their now empty cups. Without another word, he walked into the house and closed the front door behind him.

“That boy has always been a stubborn one.” David's gaze returned to the children and he hunched his shoulders. “I guess part of it is my fault.”

“
How so?” she asked.

“
I always told him he could do anything he wanted to do, as long as he put his mind to it.”

“
What's wrong with that advice?”

“
I also did a piss poor job of preparing him for the outside world. All he's ever known is this place. Went to school here, college too. Didn't have much doings with others.”

“
Others?”

“
Whites, blacks, whatever. Came as a shock to him when he set out to conquer the world and found out most people couldn't look beyond his skin color and heritage.”

“
You're preaching to the choir, Mr. Redwolf.”

“
David, please.”

“
Okay, David.”

“
He's a hell of an actor. I knew he'd be something when he was a little kid. Always landed the lead in any play they put on at school.”

“
I sat in for his audition. He was fantastic.”

“
Do you know why he didn't get the part then?” When she failed to answer right away, he held up his hand. “No need to say anything. It was because he's Lakota, right?”

She no
dded her head and looked away. “I pleaded with the director to change his mind, but he refused.”

“
Joseph won't accept it now. Pride will keep him from doing it.”

“
But the part they offered him is a great one. I've read the script. I think he'd do a good job. Plus, this is his first role in a Broadway production.”

“
Which means?”

“
He has to start somewhere.”

“
I suppose you made this argument to him, and he shot you down.”

“
So far he has, but I won't give up on him.”

“
How long have you known my grandson?”

“
We met yesterday morning.”

“
And you have feelings for him already.” This was a statement rather than a question.

“
Yes.”

“
And it's apparent he has feelings for you. He's never brought anyone from New York to meet me. Hell, he's never brought any female here.”

Sharese let that little piece of information wash over her and sink in. She wouldn't allow this to get to her head, or her heart. He just brought her out here to prove a point, nothing more.

“So, what have you and my papa been talking about while I was gone?” Joseph came out the door and sat down beside her.

She scooted over to sit closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Not much.”

He gave a short laugh and wrapped his arm around her.
“Yeah, right. He probably told you my life story, am I right?”

David winked at her and she smiled in return. This felt right, being here with him in his environme
nt. She could get used to this.

“So where are we going now?” Sharese waved goodbye to David and the rest of the neighborhood as she and Joseph returned to the truck and headed down the road. They'd spent a couple more hours visiting with his grandfather, having a good time talking about nothing in particular. Just talking.

“
Someplace special.” He turned his head and gave her a dazzling smile.

She returned the smile and patted him on the hand.
“You mean another special place.”

“
So, you enjoyed yourself today?”

“
Of course I did. And for the record, I'm officially in love with your grandfather.”

“
Yeah, all the women fall for him.”

“
Tell me more about him.”

“
There's not much to tell. Like I said before, after my parents died, he raised me.”

“
Alone?”

“
Yeah, alone. My grandmother died a few years before my folks. Complications from diabetes.”

“
That's so sad.”

“
Diabetes is pretty prevalent on the res. So is alcoholism. I've insisted the writers on the soap mention these issues every once in a while.”

“
You know something? You're a good guy.”

“
Thanks, but I'm just trying to give back when and however I can. How about you?”

“
What do you mean?”

“
What are you doing for your old neighborhood?”

Sharese lowered her head and bit her lower lip.
“To tell the truth, not much of anything. I go home every once in a while when some organization wants to honor me, but...” Her cheeks burned as she realized just how little she did for her hometown and the residents. With all her success, she could certainly do a whole lot more. “After seeing everything you've done, I feel like a slacker.”

“
I doubt that.” He  took one hand off the steering wheel to touch the side of her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into the caress, loving the way he felt.

Silence reigned for the rest of their trip, with Sharese concentrating on the beautifu
l surroundings. Colorful rock formations she’d only seen in the movies dotted the horizon. As the sun began to set, he turned off onto a narrow, gravel road, the truck bouncing.

“
Are you going to tell me where we're heading yet?”

“
To one of my favorite places in the whole, wide world. I come here when I need to think, get my head together. When I need to reconnect to the earth.”

“
Then why are you bringing me?”

He shrugged.
“I guess I wanted you to see where I come from, the real Joseph.”

Her throat tightened and she could only nod her head in response to his declaration. No man had ever affected her like he did. This had to be a dream, one she prayed would not end anytime soon.

Joseph smiled as Sharese stared openmouthed at the tipi with the fire roaring out in front.  Thankfully the staff at the campground set everything up exactly as he instructed. He wanted this night to be perfect, something she'd always remember.

“
I'm speechless.” She walked over to the tipi and ran her hands lightly down the skins. “This is so soft.”

He wanted to tell her it did not compare to the softness of her skin, but instead he walked over, took her in his arms and kissed her, long and deep. Afterwards, he continued to hold her, lost in the flickering flames reflected in her brown eyes.  

“Excuse me, folks.” An employee of the campground appeared, causing both of them to jump. “Just stopped by to make sure everything was to your liking.”

Joseph smiled and held out his hand to shake.
“It looks great, thanks.”

“
Then I'll get out of your way then. Have a good night.” With that, the employee turned around and left as quickly as he arrived.

“
Are you ready?”

“
Ready for what?” she asked with a saucy wink.

“
Let's head inside the tipi and I'll show you.” He opened the flaps of the tipi and allowed her to enter first. His heart swelled she gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.

“
Joseph, this is beautiful.”

He had to agree. Although the outside of the structure looked like a traditional Lakota tipi, the interior was far from ordinary. A king-sized bed took up a large part of the space. Rose petals led from the opening and across the top of the bed.
“Are you sure this is okay?”

“
It's more than okay. I've never seen anything so romantic.” She practically launched herself into his arms and attacked his lips.

After enjoying their kiss for a few moments, he stepped away to close and secure the flaps.