Regina Hart - Passion Play

“I just got here myself.” Maxine was the least neurotic of the three other women. Her neat, close-cut natural complemented her pixie, coffee features.

Rose’s companions had their drinks—a water, an iced tea and a lemonade. She waited as they gave their dinner requests to their waitress. The entire table ordered vegetable entrées, as usual. Rose was tempted to mix it up and order a meat dish. Instead she ordered the same thing she always did when they met once a month: the lentil salad, Azifa, and a glass of ice water with lemon.

While they waited for their dinners, Rose listened as the other lawyers brought each other up-to-date on personal and professional events. Maxine was a junior partner with a law firm not far from the restaurant in the Short North neighborhood. She’d been dating a chemist for the past several years. Tasha Smalls was unhappily married with two young children. She was legal counsel for a financial institution headquartered in downtown Columbus. Claudia Brentwood-Washington had her own practice in the suburbs, and never missed an opportunity to boast about her well-trained husband and prodigy daughter.

Why do I do this to myself? Rose’s gaze chased around the warm, vibrant colors of the restaurant’s traditional decor. The air was fragrant with exotic spices, well-seasoned meats and savory stews. Their dinner conversation always reminded Rose of everything she should have had. She wasn’t married. She wasn’t even dating anyone. She was happy with her job at the law firm, but she wanted more. Why am I here?

Their conversation was briefly interrupted as the server brought their entrées, then Rose returned her attention to her former classmates.

She’d met them during their first year at law school while attending a Black Student Union meeting. Despite their different backgrounds and personalities, they’d stayed in touch over the past ten years, mainly through emails and these once-a-month dinners.

Tasha shook her head, sending her long, thin braids over her shoulder. “Rose, I felt so sorry for you when I heard that Ben was added to your legislative update panel for our reunion. How are you holding up?”

That didn’t take long.

Rose lifted her eyes to hold Tasha’s dark gaze. There was a time when she would have believed the innocent expression on the other woman’s round, nutmeg face. But now she recognized the satisfied glint in Tasha’s eyes. “Ben and I were over a long time ago.”

“What are you going to do?” Claudia always looked as though she’d just walked out of a salon. How could she maintain a solo practice, care for her family and look perpetually perfect?

“Why do I have to do anything?” Rose shrugged one shoulder, feigning indifference. She swallowed a forkful of her salad. The savory dish tasted like ashes. Her ruined appetite was one more sin to count against Benjamin.

Claudia and Tasha exchanged incredulous looks.

Seated beside Rose, Maxine sipped her iced tea. “Ben probably got himself assigned to Rose’s panel for the exposure, hoping she’d once again make him look good.”

Rose lowered her gaze to her barely touched salad. Long ago she’d come to the same conclusion: Benjamin had used her success and popularity at their law school to meet people who could help him. She’d been so in love with the snake in disguise that she hadn’t realized he’d only been interested in her body and her connections, not necessarily in that order.

“When did you finally notice he’d only been using you?” Tasha’s question echoed her thoughts.

Maxine forked up her salad. “We’re supposed to be getting caught up on each other’s news. Why are we reliving the past?”

Rose glanced at Maxine, grateful for her intervention. However, Tasha wasn’t done.

“Talking about Ben does qualify as catching up with Rose.” Tasha pinned Rose with another watchful stare. “After all, finding out you’ll be presenting with him during our reunion is your latest news, isn’t it, Rose?”

“Actually, it’s not.” The words were out before Rose knew she was going to say them.

“What do you mean?” Claudia’s warm brown eyes sparked with curiosity.

“You have other news?” Tasha was caught off guard. It was a rare occurrence for her.

“Don’t keep us in suspense.” Maxine nudged Rose’s arm. “What is it?”

The moment of truth. Rose took a long drink of her ice water with lemon, then forced out the words. “I’m dating someone.”

Maxine smiled into Rose’s eyes. “Tell us about him. How did you meet?”

“What does he do?” Claudia leaned forward.

“Is he for real?” Tasha hid her sneer behind a tight smile.

Rose met the challenge in her friendly adversary’s almond-shaped eyes. “What makes you think he’s not?”

Tasha spread her hands. “Why are we only now hearing about him?”

“I didn’t want to tell anyone until I knew whether he was serious.” Not bad for an on-the-spot response. Rose gave herself a mental round of applause.

“That makes sense.” Maxine set aside her nearly empty salad plate.

“I understand.” Claudia sipped her iced tea. “You want to take your time.”

“Exactly.” Rose nodded as she finished off her salad.

The young server returned to clear away their empty plates and leave behind their individual bills.

“Why don’t you tell us about him now?” Tasha’s smile was a taunt. She checked her bill, then inserted her platinum credit card into the black leather bill holder.

“I’m still not ready.” Rose added her card to her bill holder, as well. “But hopefully you’ll have a chance to meet him during the reunion.”

Their server returned to collect their bills. Rose searched her brain for a change of topic.

“Meeting your new boyfriend at the reunion should be interesting.” Tasha’s shoulders shook with her laughter.

Rose frowned. “Why?”

Tasha shrugged. “Because Ben will meet his replacement—”

“He’s not Ben’s replacement.” Rose’s tone was sharp. Was Tasha deliberately poking her temper?

“And you’ll meet Ben’s new wife.” Tasha drank her diet soda. “Did you know she’s pregnant?”

The temperature in the café seemed to drop by at least ten degrees. There was a buzzing in Rose’s ears. “Ben’s wife is pregnant?”

“You didn’t know?” Tasha tilted her head. “She may be too far along to attend the reunion.”

A shaft of hurt and anger so sharp sliced through Rose like scalding steel cleaving her in two. She clenched her teeth against the pain. Benjamin was living the life he’d promised her.

“Well, I wish them every happiness.” The lie was sour in her throat. She didn’t want him to be happy. She wanted to hurt him back.

“Good for you, Rose.” Maxine saluted her with her iced tea. “You’ve moved on and gotten over Ben.”

That sounded like something Lily would say. The realization made Rose uncomfortable with her deception. Her gaze drifted away. Their server returned with their credit card receipts.

“It’s getting late.” Rose checked her silver wristwatch. “I’d better get going. It was great to see everyone.”

Claudia stood. “At least show us a photo of this mystery man.”

Rose chuckled as she stood, as well. “I don’t carry his photo.”

“You don’t want to talk about him. You don’t carry his photo.” Tasha led them from the restaurant. “I have doubts that he really exists. I hope we meet him before the reunion.”

Rose’s shoulders tensed. So do I.

Chapter 2

“I need a boyfriend.” Rose puffed the words as she and Iris continued their five-mile jog through the Park of Roses on Saturday morning.

It was the last day of spring, the day before the longest day of the year. Even this early on a Saturday morning, the park was busy with cyclists, walkers and other runners. Rose jogged beside Iris past the tennis courts. The row of maple trees on their left formed a canopy over them. They continued down the incline to the music of the birdsong around them.