Unchained Hearts (Baxter Family Saga) (5 page)

“It’s past seven and we need to get ready. I’ll warm up breakfast and you hit the shower.”

While she went to the bathroom, he put on his shorts and scrounged around for something to heat up last night’s food in. After putting everything in the oven, he quickly stepped out and grabbed a toiletry kit from his car. A pair of older women stared at him, mouth open at the half-naked man who came out of the neighbor’s house. Unabashed, he wished them good morning and went back inside. He could only imagine what they thought of him, but the way he adored her, they could think whatever they liked. By the time he came back, the shower had stopped and Virgilia had just stepped out. Giving her a quick surprise kiss, he disappeared into the bathroom.

Cass came out, waist wrapped in a towel, hair slicked back and Virgilia’s breath caught in her throat. He was truly the most handsome man she had ever met. She’d almost convinced herself this was a dream, that he wasn’t real. But there he was. The man who showed her bliss, care, support, ecstasy, even hope all in the space of less than forty-eight hours.
 

Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, he took her hands. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. This should feel fast and unnatural but it doesn’t. I should doubt everything right now, questioning you, me, us more, but I’m not. I feel like this is—”

“Home,” he said simply. She nodded slowly. “This feels right,” Cass said, pulling her to him. “And I don’t want to fight it.”

Cass sniffed and ran to the kitchen. He’d totally forgotten about the leftovers and grabbed them out of the oven just in time. It was close to eight-thirty and he’d promised to get her to class by nine. They quickly ate, dressed and left. He drove like a man possessed, smiling as he watched her hang on for dear life. 

“You drive like a maniac,” she said, grateful she had a seatbelt to put on.

“Only when I know I’m going to be late.” He gave her a quick kiss and promised to meet her at three-thirty.

On his way to the house, he drove more calmly and planned his strategy. He didn’t know how Virgilia would react to the news of what he was about to do, but he decided to take the chance. 

He parked outside the house and bounded in. Everyone was just finishing breakfast.

Quinn was the first to see him and ran to give him a hug before heading to the library. He gave his mother the requisite kiss.

“You’re home early.” He heard his father say, noting the touch of sarcasm and the wry smile. 

“And just in time for coffee,” he replied as he grabbed his father’s cup and took a swig. Julian gave his son a look and grabbed his cup back.

His mother excused herself as he sat next to his father. 

Julian knew a thing or two about sowing oats and knew exactly what his son was up to, or so he thought. 

“So tell me, who was she?”

Cass blushed and Julian took note of the slight seriousness in his son’s face. What is this? He thought. Cass was never one to brag, but he was usually more forthcoming when it came to women.

“She’s unlike anyone I’ve met and I know she’s the one for me.”

Julian put down his coffee cup and stared at his son. 

“She’s smart, she’s ambitious, she’s had a hard time of it, but she’s survived because of her wits. She takes my breath away and I know it’s crazy, but she feels the same way.”

“You must introduce us to this woman.”

“Well, Dad, you already know her.” Julian furrowed his brow and sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he looked at his son. Cass looked his father in the eyes and sighed. “It’s Virgilia.”

Julian sat up and leaned against the table.”Milly’s assistant housekeeper?” he asked. “Our Virgilia?” Julian couldn’t believe his ears. In some ways, he was fascinated, in others he was worried. Did this girl target his son?

Sensing his father’s disbelief, he told him the story of how they met. Julian listened intently and with a touch of envy. His son had found something unique and rare, much like he had at one time, but was forced to let go.

“She’s in college, going to school for architecture.”

“Really? Your mother never mentioned that. Then again, I’m not surprised. Joan tends to buy into the racial superiority junk too easily for my taste.”

“I know Mom has her beliefs, but Dad, Lila’s smart. She took the job here because she couldn’t find anything else.”

“A lot of people tend to turn away qualified candidates just because they’re black. They think it brings down the image of the company or some such nonsense. I’ve known too many people who’ve had their lives changed by that thinking and not in a good way.”

Cass reached in his pocket, pulled out Lila’s drawing and showed it to his father. Julian uttered a slow whistle. “This is some expert drawing. The interns in my office are years away from this, and she’s in her sophomore year?”

He nodded. “She’s on scholarship, has her own house, paid off. It was her mother’s. She died when Lila was eight. She’s learned to get by on her own. She’s also a great cook. Last night after we—” Cass stopped himself and watched his father grin. “Well, let’s just say, she’s a great cook. Dad, she dreams of being an architect and I want that for her more than anything.” He sighed. “Is there any way we can help her?”

Julian looked at his younger son. He never hid how much he loved Cass. That was probably the reason Grayson was so distraught; he blamed himself for that but in Cass, he saw the person he wished he could have been a long time ago. He couldn’t help but feel a certain closeness to Cass that he just couldn’t muster with Grayson, despite his efforts.

He took the paper from Cass and looked at it again. “Well, what I’ll do is pass this on to a few contacts and see what they tell me. Then if we can get her into an interview, we’ll see how they respond. It’ll be a test for me to learn more about who I’m doing business with. Those who suddenly have no positions will be pushed down my contact list. Business should be a level playing field and those who don’t agree, will see just how unfair it can get.”

“That would be great. Can you get the drawing back to me as soon as possible?”

“Why?” Julian asked suspiciously.

Cass cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. He used to do that when he knew he did something wrong and was loathed to admit it.

“I didn’t exactly tell her I took it,” he said, “or what I was planning.”

His father chuckled. “So what you’re telling me is you are doing this behind Virgilia’s back?” Cass just stared at him. He put his arm around his son’s shoulder and pulled him closer. “Son, let me enlighten you on the concept of
the dog house.
”

***

If his father was right, he was going to have to tell her the truth upfront. He wasn’t looking forward to her possible reaction, especially after his father shared one of his own similar experiences. 

He made dinner reservations for six-thirty at the classiest restaurant his father knew. The plan was to take her to a public place for some ice cream and then break the news. Once she cooled down and Cass properly begged for forgiveness, he would use dinner to smooth things over. God, he hoped this worked.
 

Cass picked her up at the designated spot at three-thirty and took her to the small family owned ice cream shop on Ludlum. After they got their ice cream, they sat down outside and enjoyed the warm day.

“Lila,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I did something.”

“Okay,” she said, scooping some creamy rocky road ice cream into her mouth.

He took another deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He turned and looked at her. “I took one of your drawings to my father.”

“You did WHAT?” She set her cup down on the table. “Cass, how could you? He’s going to think I’m using you to get some kind of ‘in’ with your family.”

“Actually, when I told him I took the drawing without you knowing, he suggested I bring you here. It’s where he always brought his girlfriends to smooth things out.” He hoped his attempt at some sort of humor would help him. But she just stared at him.

“Look,” he started. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s just that your sketches are so good and you’d be a great intern. I know the money is good and it can definitely help you with your tuition and books…” Virgilia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. His father gave his son advice on how to tell his girlfriend bad news.
I’m his girlfriend
, she thought.
He thinks of me as his girlfriend. His father called me his girlfriend
.

Lila just stared at Cass, who didn’t really know what else to say. So he apologized again. 

“Lila, say something. I’m sorry, I—”

“Cass?”

“Yeah.”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

He happily complied and kissed her deeply.

“What you did for me, what your father said...thank you. I’m not used to people doing things for me,” she said, looking at her ice cream cup. “This is kinda new to me. I’m used to being on my own. I had to be.”

He pressed his lips against her temple. “Not anymore, you’re not.” She turned to look at him. “I feel like, when you’re happy, I’m happy. I want to help your dreams come true, so I can see that smile on your face.”

She didn’t know what to say. Tears welled up in the back of her eyes.

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?” she said. “Your family knows about us. I just wasn’t sure if he would accept me.”

“Now that he knows about you, yes. My father is not like a lot of business owners out there. He believes a fair shake is a fair shake.”

Virgilia nodded. “Okay.”

“So, we’re all right?”

“Yes.” Her voice quivered as he saw tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just happy, that’s all.” She sniffed. 

“Well, you weren’t crying last night or this morning.” Cass grinned and she playfully shoved him. He took his thumb and wiped away her tears. “As long as these are tears of joy, I’m happy. I will also take moans of ecstasy and screams of passion anytime.”

She laughed, kissing the man she knew she would love for the rest of her life.

****

Things Fall Apart

****

It took a few interviews, but Virgilia was able to find an internship with a company that helped her get the practical experience she needed. She was finally able to quit the housekeeping job.

Joan stood, dumbfounded as Virgilia handed her the letter of resignation. Before she turned and left, Joan started laughing. “So, this is why you wanted to work here,” she said in between chuckles. “You thought that if you could get your hooks into my son he would save you or take care of you or whatever your kind thinks.”

The hair on her neck rose. “What kind would that be, Mrs. Baxter?” Let her say it, Virgilia thought.

“Blacks, Negroes, African-Americans, whatever the nom du jour. You think all you have to do is put out and he will take care of you forever.”

“Lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but unlike other women out there, I was taking care of myself long before I met your son.”

“I bet you were,” Joan said, stepping closer to Virgilia. “You are nothing but an intrigue to my son, Newton. He goes through women like water through a faucet. In that regard, he’s a lot like his father.”

Joan crumpled the letter and tossed it to the side. “These are Baxter men, men of influence and prestige. You’re nothing more than the help, a toy on the side that’s useful at night when the urge strikes.”

Joan grew serious and Virgilia just stared at her. For the first time, she could see the deepening lines on her face. Joan Baxter was fighting a losing battle that was a lot bigger than her son’s new love and a lot older than she cared to remember.

Virgilia shook her head and turned to leave, when she stopped. “You know, you and Milly are two sides of the same coin. You can’t see anything beyond what you think you know. The world is changing and you just can’t handle it.”

“The world may change, Virgilia, but the rules are still the same. Nothing lasts forever and what you think you have with my son is nothing more than a pastime. He’s a Baxter and when they get tired of their toys, they stifle them.”

Despite her steely demeanor, Joan’s words hit her, not because they were true, but because a part of her felt the same. And it wasn’t going away. She wondered if it ever would.

***

Joan continued to be sullen about the whole situation and was worried about Grayson, who had fallen deeper into drugs. It was exactly twelve-thirteen in the morning when the phone rang. Julian was on his way to bed and picked it up.

“Hello, is this the Baxter residence?” It was a female voice on the line. She spoke with some authority.

“Yes, this is Julian Baxter.”

“Hello, sir.” Her voice sounded nervous now. “My name is Officer Carla Genny and I’m with Miami PD. I’m calling about Grayson Baxter.”

“Yes,” he stated, standing up straighter, bracing himself.

“Your son was found at a party inebriated, and the Chief wanted me to call you personally to let you know he is at the station.”

“Is he all right? Is he hurt?”

“Yes, sir, he is fine. He’s just talking, anxious about being released and going home.”

Julian loved his son despite his penchant for self-destruction. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Please tell the Chief thank you for the notification, but I think my son could use a night to think about his choices.”

Officer Genny was at a loss. She had expected demands and threats as many parents of rich brats thought themselves too good to breathe the same air as the rest of the world.

“Officer, Genny, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please pass a message to my son.”  

“Of course, sir.”

“Please tell him, ‘This ends now’.”

Julian told the young officer he would be by to personally pick up his son tomorrow afternoon. He hung up the phone. Before heading upstairs, he made one more call.

If there was ever a man who hated going to bed at night more than he did, he’d never met him. Julian had thought he had come to grips with his choices, but there were moments of reflection which caught him off guard. He opened the door and walked in. Hearing the door, Joan turned on the light.

“I thought I heard the phone,” she said.

“That was the police. Grayson is in jail,” Julian said, unbuttoning his shirt. “I told the police to keep him there until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Why would you do that—”

“Because he needs to learn, Joan.” Julian rarely raised his voice to anyone for any reason, but this time, he needed to make sure she got the point. “You coddle him. You make excuses for him when what he really needs is help.”

Turning his back to her, he sat heavily on the bed and took off his shoes.

“He needs to be at home.” 

“He needs professional counseling. I’ve called Dr. Patterson. He’s going with me tomorrow to pick Grayson up and he’s going for treatment. There’s this clinic out west that’s doing some good work and has some promising results.”

Joan’s heart sank. She had lost both of her sons in less than one day. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Getting up from the bed, her eyes brimming with tears, she wailed. “Why are you doing this to me, Julian?” 

Abruptly getting up, Julian turned to Joan. “You? Grayson is killing himself because of God knows what you did to him and all you can do is turn this into some pathetic attempt at martyrdom?”

“I didn’t do anything to Grayson, Julian. You’ve always favored Newton. He’s your chosen one, the heir, and Grayson, he’s not even good enough to be the spare.”

“Why? Because he’s not really my son?”

Joan froze and Julian smiled. “I’ve known ever since he was a child.”

“How did you—”Joan searched her brain, wondering what she had let slip.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s always been my son and will always be my son, Joan. My one mistake is I trusted you with him for too long. You corrupt whatever you touch and that’s why when Newton came along, I kept a closer eye on him.”

Joan was still silent, wracking her brain, wondering, trying to remember. Julian walked up to his wife and looked her straight in the eyes. Joan shook. She had seen that look many times.

“I made my deal with the devil when I married you, Joan. You are
my
curse. Tomorrow, Grayson is getting the help he needs to get better and far away from you. Newton has found what you made sure I would be denied all these years and you are not going to get in the way of that. And Quinn, with Cass and Virgilia around, she has a chance of being a better person than either of us.”