Deborah Mello - In the Light of Love

“I love working at Wesley. You know that. And knowing I’ve done something good for someone else more than warms my heart.”

“Sure you do. But trust me, you and that warm heart of yours will love a little Saturday-night Johnson much more.”

The two women laughed as Mya kissed her cheek then lifted her petite body out of the passenger seat. Talisa watched as her friend eased her way inside the house, turning to toss her a quick wave as she did. Pulling out of the driveway, Talisa couldn’t help but notice as Kenny Davis greeted her friend excitedly, pulling the woman into a deep kiss in front of the home’s large bay window. Talisa suddenly thought of Dr. Jericho Becton and wondered what a Saturday night with that man might do for her.

It had been a long time since she’d last had a date. Dating had never been easy for Talisa, feeling more like a chore than an event to look forward to. Talisa had always been more comfortable volunteering her time for some worthy cause than trying to make polite conversation with a man over a meal she was too anxious to eat and enjoy. It didn’t help that the few men she had dated had not met her mother’s approval, each having some moral flaw or imperfection Mary London found fault with. Insult to injury was Mary’s quickness to point these flaws out with such sheer venom that it caused Talisa to question and doubt her own judgment.

As Talisa maneuvered her car toward home, she heaved a deep sigh, her gaze dancing between the road and her rearview mirror. Reflecting back on the evening’s events, she was suddenly appalled by her behavior. What had she been thinking to bid thousands of dollars for a date with some man? Dollars she knew she didn’t have no matter what her dear friend had promised her. Talisa shook her head. Jericho Becton had made her lose her mind. Talisa had been so enamored with the prospect of seeing him again that she had allowed the possibilities to sap every ounce of common sense from her head. If her mother ever found out there would never be any peace between them, Talisa thought, imagining the ranting that would ensue if Mary ever gained knowledge of her daughter’s actions.

Talisa was suddenly dismayed. Obviously the interest had not been mutual, she thought. After the auction, he had made no effort to find her, hadn’t even bothered to seek out her company, if only for a few minutes. The man barely knew her name and didn’t have a clue how to reach her. Clearly, she mused as she pulled into the driveway of her home, getting to know her wasn’t something Jericho Becton was interested in doing.

The young man’s silence had begun to wear on her nerves and Irene Becton said so. “What is your problem, Jericho? You’ve been pouting since before we left the hotel. And you were downright rude to Shannon Porter.”

Her son cut his eyes in her direction, his large palms gripping the steering wheel of his father’s latest acquisition, a steel-gray Jaguar XKR sportscar. The vehicle accelerated ever so slightly, the tires spinning over seventy miles per hour in a fifty-five mile per hour zone. The movement was not lost on his mother.

“Slow down before you wreck your father’s new car and I have to hear about it. Besides, you don’t need to be getting any speeding tickets. Did you drink tonight? Good Lord, that would be all this family needs, you being stopped for a DUI. Slow down right now, Jericho!”

The man pursed his lips, biting his tongue as he pulled the car into a parking space in front of the Corner Bakery Café. Shifting the car into Park, he turned off the engine. Still refusing to meet his mother’s gaze, he could feel her stare boring a hole straight through him. “I need a cup of coffee,” he muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the vehicle, pretending not to really care if his mother heard him or not.

Irene slammed the car’s door as she made her exit and headed into the café behind her son. Taking a seat in an empty booth she watched as he headed into the men’s room before returning to take the seat across from her. Jericho focused his attention on a menu, still pretending to ignore her presence.

Irene smiled. “If you were three I’d have smacked that behind of yours already. Now, I’m not going to take but so much more of this foolishness. You’re almost thirty-four years old, Jericho. So, act like it. Tell me what has you so upset.”

Jericho allowed his gaze to rest on his mother’s face. As they both studied each other, he heaved a deep sigh, filling his lungs with air. “I’m sorry,” Jericho said, the beginnings of an apology painting his expression. “I’m just irritated that Shannon did what she did. Why didn’t you warn me she was coming?”

“Because I didn’t know Shannon was coming. But if I had, and if I had told you, you would have refused to participate.”

“You’re right. I would have. I may still not participate.”

Irene shook her head. “Shannon is a sweet girl and she adores you. She comes from an excellent family. We have been friends with her parents since before you two were born. I don’t understand why you treat her the way you do.”

Jericho rolled his eyes, then gestured for a waitress to come take their orders. A small girl with a large bustline smiled eagerly as she made her way to the table.

“Are you ready to order, sir,” she said, her grin as wide as her full face.

“Two coffees, please, one regular and one decaffeinated. And I’ll have an apple pastry.”

“How about you, ma’am?”

Irene returned the girl’s smile. “Just coffee, thank you.”

Reaching for the menus the girl promised to be right back, then headed toward the kitchen.

“What happened between you and Shannon?” Irene persisted.

Jericho tossed her a quick glance, then shifted his gaze across the room, avoiding his mother’s stare for a second time. He shrugged, driving his shoulders skyward before responding. “Shannon is desperate for a husband and I’m not interested in the job. She seems to be having a difficult time accepting that, though.”

Irene sensed that there was much her son wasn’t telling her. She nodded her head ever so slightly before responding. “Well, she made a very generous donation to the hospital tonight. You don’t have to marry her but you do have to spend a day with her.”

Jericho shook his head. “That’s what irritates me the most. Shannon knows full well that I have no interest in spending any time with her. To make matters worse, things were so crazy with her following me around that I didn’t get a chance to catch up with Miss London. I really wanted to get her telephone number. Now, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to track her down. What if she’s not from Atlanta?”

“Are you talking about the other young woman bidding against Shannon?”

Jericho nodded, noting how his mother rolled her eyes in response. “What?” he asked, his annoyance resurfacing in his tone.

Irene laughed. “If you want her telephone number all you have to do is ask. You seem to forget that she had to register so that she could bid. I should have her contact information in all that paperwork we packed in the trunk of that car. But, how do you know she’d even want you to have her telephone number?”

Jericho grinned, a sudden rush of hopeful anticipation filling his face. “I just know, Mom. If I’d had half a chance, I’d have given her mine. And thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

His mother waved her head from side to side, reaching to rub her palm against the back of his hand. “I think I do, but if you keep acting up like you were before, you’re not going to be very happy with me. You will see the back of my hand on your bottom and then some, and I don’t care how old you are.”