ALittleTasteofHome Read online

  “Miraculously he still is. Shut up, girl. Where were you? You were the one who was supposed to do the delivery.”

  “Did you see him? The one named Gavin.”

  “Yes, I saw him.” Sanura still paced, her hiking boots slamming into the floor. Her fists clenched and unclenched as she tried to regain her hold on her temper and in doing so missed the mischievous sparkle appearing in Allison’s baby blues.

  “And? What did you think?”

  “I think he is about the same as the rest of those rich white pricks working in the building on that floor. He didn’t say much but he wore a suit worth more than, well, I don’t even want to think about it. He wasn’t all that.”

  That was a complete and utter lie. Her eyes had found him the second she had entered the room, grateful her hat sat pulled down low over her eyes so he, and the rest of the room, couldn’t see the desire that sprang up in her at the first glance at him. Allison’s description of him did not do him justice; that body, those muscles, all of that fineness, wasted on a rich prick. A rich white prick.

  “Well, we could always tell them we can’t supply them with food anymore.” A sly look crossed Allison’s face. “If it would make you feel better. Or we could tell them that you own half of the business they just insulted.”

  “Hell no. Angry I may be, but not stupid. If they are willing to give us money, then I will take it. I’m not going to let their stupidity keep money from the business, I’ve heard worse things in my day. Besides, I won’t be doing the delivering again.” She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Will I?”

  “About that. I have news.” Allison sounded torn between being happy and sad.

  Immediately serious, Sanura hopped onto a stool and waited for her friend to continue. Eventually the silence got too much and she had to prompt, “And? What’s the news?”

  Allison looked at her best friend and shook her head. “Let’s do this in the office.”

  Sanura looked around, their place was busy and everyone worked hard and bustled around. Catching the eye of a worker, she yelled over the noise, “Sherry, Allison and I will be in the back for a bit. Will y’all be all right?”

  “We got it. No problem.” The petite brunette waved a hand in her general direction as she lifted her tray and walked out of the kitchen.

  The friends walked back to their office. It was a cozy hardwood floored room with the desks facing each other in the middle of the room. At the end of each desk there was another chair so if they were talking business with someone their visitor had a place to sit. Each of the young women had brought their own things to the office, so it was full of a mishmash of items. They gave people a little more insight into the two women who owned the restaurant.

  Tall black leather chairs sat behind each of the oak desks. Not one type of decor filled the room as each woman had their own preferences. A gray overstuffed couch sat along one wall piled high with dark purple and floral pillows. Two light green crocheted blankets were thrown across the back. It was obvious on occasion one of them had slept on the couch. The walls were covered with letters from children, framed art brought in by the women and one silver framed picture of a majestic black panther as he stood on a log looking down at something below him. From where he had been positioned it was Sanura he looked upon, almost as if protecting her. On another wall sat each of their degrees from college as well as the business license.

  Sitting in their respective chairs, Sanura again waited for her friend to speak. As she waited she looked at her desk. Three pictures sat on it. One was of her and Allison on horseback, one was of a tall, devilishly handsome dark-haired man standing proud in a full dress white naval uniform, and the third was one of her with three other black women. They stood, arms around each other, and at the bottom beneath each woman sat their names in digital print. Jace. Shanni. Mac. Chandi. The others she considered family.

  “Two things really.” Allison sounded distracted and scared.

  “Ali, what’s wrong?”

  “Pete’s leaving me. He said he found someone who could make him happy. He kicked me out of the house, said his new woman had to move in.”

  “That bastard,” Sanura seethed, immediately angered on her friend’s behalf. She had never really liked Pete, but tolerated him for her friendship with Allison. “Well,” she said breezily, “you will have to come home with me. You can stay with me until we figure out what to do.”

  Tears filled Allison’s eyes. “You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for. What would I do without you?”

  “That’s something you will never have to worry about. We’re family.” Sanura had a small sum of people she considered family and Allison was one of them. The employees they had were almost the rest. A trio of women, the ones in the photo on her desk, were the others. She’d met them on night when a hotel goofed up their registrations and the women had been fast friends ever since. With a wan smile, Allison got a bit of spark back in her eyes. “It will only be for a while. I am going to take that piece of filth to the cleaners.”

  “Good for you.”

  “The other thing. Why I have been late and not feeling up to doing the deliveries is because I am expecting.”

  “Expecting what?” Sanura asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

  Laughter bubbled out of Allison. “I’m pregnant, fool. You’re going to be an auntie.”

  Sanura’s mouth dropped open. “You’re pregnant? Ahhhhh!” The screech filled the room as she ran around the desk to hug her friend. “How far along are you? When did you know? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I can only answer one question at a time.” But she still hugged her friend back tightly.

  Sanura could feel the tension radiating from Allison’s small body but remained silent about it. She sat on the edge of Allison’s desk. “Does Pete know you’re pregnant?”

  “Yes. He thinks I’m making it up to keep him from divorcing me.”

  “What a jerk.”

  “Are you sure you want me to move in with you? I can find a small place.”

  “Nonsense. I would love to have you. It will be like college. Well, we will have more room. And it will be without the partying, boys, and school work.” Sanura moved her body back over to her chair and sat down.

  “Like you ever did any school work.”

  “Hang on now.” Sanura tilted back in her chair, devilish humor alight in her eyes. “I did some work.”

  “Right.” Allison snorted. “What you did was flirt. That’s it.”

  “I graduated, didn’t I?” Both women had grins on their faces as they continued to banter.

  “Yes, but to this day I still don’t know how you pulled it off. But most of your professors were men, so maybe that explains it.” Allison punched her in the shoulder as they headed out the door.

  It was a long-standing joke between them. Sanura had graduated summa cum laude with a double major in business and hospitality/food science.. Allison had a degree in accounting.

  They began their business together, equal partners in the restaurant they had named A Little Taste of Home. They had been in business for six years next week. The restaurant would be closed on that day except for the workers and their families for the celebration. The employees at the restaurant were a close bunch and they had a party every year. The same group of people worked here now as when they first opened.

  “Well,” Sanura began. “I’ll take over doing the deliveries if you will take over the paperwork. That way you won’t have to do the heavy lifting. Especially since this is when the number of deliveries pick up.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. I can handle the deliveries. I merely didn’t want to do them.”

  “Thanks, Mac. You’re the best.”

  “Are you going to tell the rest of the group?”

  “Yes. Tonight, when we close. They are my family as well.”

  “True.”

  The rest of the day passed quickly, with the evening rush
beginning as people came in for their dinner. Sanura always mingled with the patrons and made sure all their needs were met and they all knew her. She and Allison had a very loyal clientele, for they were very good at remembering special dates like anniversaries, birthdays, and more.

  After they closed, Allison followed Sanura home. Sanura carried most of the bags, leaving Allison to handle the final few. Entering the small house she owned, Sanura felt a sense of peace. She had gotten her home, a roomy three-bedroom, two-bath, for cheap and fixed it up. She was still trying for her dream house. An old plantation house along the beach. She loved the old southern homes with large pillars and high vaulted ceilings. One day.

  The living room of her current home had been gutted and now sat open and spacious with high ceilings. There were two couches and a love seat scattered among the room with an overstuffed chair along a window. The television rested on an old and restored stand.

  There was a very homey feel to the place. The bedroom she put Allison in had wolf décor. Shelves with ceramic wolves, wolf plates and hangings with Canis Lupis on it were on the walls of the room. The bed coverings were also done in the same theme—a pack of running wolves on a bluish-purple background. Even a wolf print border graced the top of the wall. “You can change the look if you want.”

  “I love this room. I always have.”

  This was the room Allison always stayed in when she spent the night with Sanura. They got her settled and then Sanura headed to the kitchen to make dinner for the two of them as Allison took a shower.

  * * * *

  Gavin entered his quiet condo. He still fumed over the remark David had made to the woman. For the rest of the day he had bounced back and forth over the idea of stopping by the diner and apologizing for their behavior today. When he walked by after work, though, it was very busy inside and he didn’t even know her name, so he kept walking as her face played over and over in his mind—her proud face as she took the comment without blinking, her quiet demeanor as she did her work. The gentle lilac smell that floated around her and the way her body looked under those clothes. As unflattering as the clothes were he knew she had a spectacular body.

  He listened to his messages as he undressed, yet again they were from women he had no intention of calling back so he erased them all. Dropping clothes in a careless disarray to lay wherever he wandered, he strode nude to the fridge. Gavin removed one of the few items he had in there, a cold bottle of water, before heading to his room for workout clothes. Once he had changed into his t-shirt and shorts he went to his spare room to begin his usual workout routine. He put his water on the shelf beside his towel and slid on his worn leather workout gloves. Until he became drenched in sweat and his breathing hard, Gavin lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and jumped rope. A few hours passed, quicker than he believed they had.

  That done, he showered and redressed in sweats and a possibly clean shirt. Glancing around his home, he realized he really needed to clean this place. It was a pigsty. He didn’t care; it wasn’t like anyone would be coming over. Not that they didn’t try.

  Gavin never answered the phone while he was working out; it was one of his unspoken rules. His machine was once again full of new messages from more women to whom he had foolishly given his number. He really needed to get it changed, get it unlisted and not give it out ever again. One message was from his mother.

  “Gavin.” Her sharp tone raked down his back. “You need to call me. I am having a party and want you there. I have someone you should meet.” There was a short pause before the voice continued. “Call me tonight. I don’t care what time. Call your mother!”

  As he called to order some dinner he debated calling her back. Finally he did, after his food came. He was surprised when he heard her answer the phone.

  “Rawlins Residence.”

  “Mother. It’s me.”

  “It’s about time you called me. Have you been avoiding me? Never mind, I already know the answer. Look, I know you don’t agree with everything I do, but it would mean the world to me for you to come to this party I am giving.”

  “Who is it you want to set me up with?”

  “Always so suspicious. It might not be a female I want you to meet.”

  “Right,” he scoffed. “Who is she?”

  “Someone I think you would be good with. And before you say no, I need your help.”

  That made him pause. His mother never asked for help. She gave orders, dictated, and never asked for assistance. “What do you need?”

  “Well, we are having a small party, only twenty people or so, but the last place we catered from was a disaster. I have my own people to serve, but I need a good place for food. A place that gives good-sized portions and food that tastes good. Not like plastic or rubber. A place that would settle the most jaded of palates. You eat out a lot—which if you had a wife wouldn’t have to do—but I digress. I want some recommendations.” Gavin barely heard she wanted some recommendations, for when his mother began her whole spiel about him needing a wife he held the phone away from his ear and counted to ten. “A place that can do it with relatively short notice.”

  One place popped into his head, A Little Taste of Home.

  “Well, we ordered from a place for a meeting today. The food was excellent, and the servings were huge. I couldn’t finish mine.” Why would his mother need anything catered? She could afford the best and in some cases already had it at her disposal. What was she up to?

  “As long as it is worth whatever they are asking for it. What is the name of the place?”

  “A Little Taste of Home.”

  “This party is very important to me. Pick me up tomorrow and we will go there for lunch. I will be ready at eleven sharp.”

  Click.

  She hung up on him.

  Gavin shook his head as he placed the phone back on its charger. That was the authoritaritative mother he knew. She had to be up to something since she had a whole staff of cooks at her beck and call. Who knew, maybe his mystery woman would be there tomorrow. It was Sunday, so maybe.

  He actually took the time to figure out what to wear for his lunch date with his mother. To make her happy is what he told himself but he knew deep down it was a lie. Even as he lay down to sleep his stomach was still doing those little flip flops they had done when he first saw the beautiful delivery woman.

  *

  At eleven forty-five the following day, Gavin Rawlins escorted his mother into A Little Taste of Home. It was very comfortable inside and delicious smells filled the air. On all the walls hung an intermix of naval items and rodeo items. They included ship pictures, crews, anchors, portholes, belt buckles, cowboy pictures, and lariats. But the back wall had only children’s pictures and letters on it. Very crowded, yet it all fit together.

  “Good morning,” a cheerful voice rang out. A small brunette with a powerful smile came up to them. “Would you be wanting a table or booth today?” She had a light Irish brogue which seemed a bit out of place when one was used to the Southern drawl.

  “Booth,” his mother said.

  “Follow me please.” She walked off, ponytail bouncing with each step as she led them to a booth by a window. “Here are some menus, and I’ll be back shortly to take your order. Can I get you anything to drink right away?”

  “Coffee please,” Gavin answered.

  “Do you have tea?”

  “Yes, ma’am. There is black, green, peppermint, and I believe there is some Earl Grey.”

  His mother gave a small smile. “Earl Grey.”

  “Very good. Sir, would you care for either cream or milk with your coffee?”

  He declined with a sharp shake of his head as he scanned the room for the woman he sought.

  “Very good. My name is Sherry and I’ll be right back.” She strode off and waved to the man coming in the door. “Good morning, Mr. Sheldon.” Sherry spoke loud enough for the older gentleman to hear her.

  The man grinned back and answered, “Good morning, Sherry.�
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  “Your usual today or are we going to be adventurous?”

  “My usual. I’ll leave adventure to you young ones.”

  Sherry laughed and shook her head. “One day, Mr. Sheldon, Mac is going to get you to try something different.”

  “I like what I get. Mac and y’all make it perfect, no need to change.”

  “Very well. It’ll be right up. You’re a bit early today so we don’t have it ready yet.”

  “Not a problem.”

  Gavin could tell the old man was well liked. He smiled slightly at the kindness shown to the man. And apparently he was a regular if they were having his food prepared by a certain time for him.

  Sherry was efficient, returning in moments with their drinks. On her tray was a small pot of hot water, a packet of two teabags and some fresh cream and milk along with the extra sugar. She carried the coffee in her other hand. She set it down and placed each item in front of the intended person. “Are you ready to order or would you like a bit more time?”

  “A bit more please.”

  “I shall return then.” With another smile she jaunted off.

  Gavin knew what he wanted so he looked around the place. The building was sound; he knew from an architectural point of view. But the décor was different. It didn’t fit what one would have expected coming into a restaurant with its name. Soft music played throughout the diner. Sherry came back and took their order. When she returned she had steaming hot food balanced on her tray.

  As they ate, Gavin kept one eye out for the woman he sought. “Well? What do you think?”

  “I think this place would do wonderful for my party.” His mother waved Sherry back over. “I would like to talk to the owner.”

  Sherry never blinked. With a smile she said, “I’ll be right back.”

  Moments later a slim blonde woman walked along side Sherry as they approached the table. She, too, talked to every person she passed, and they all smiled at her with kindness.

  “Hello. My name is Allison. Allison Drover. Sherry said you wished to see me. What can I do for you?”