Sweet Southern Nights

Chapter 3

Angela breathed an audible sigh when she opened the wall oven door to find the large roast chicken had cooked to a perfect golden-brown. “Is it okay?” Levi said, standing behind her.

Smiling and moving to her left, she winked at him. “Take a look.”

“Hot damn! The girl can cook!”

“Bite your tongue! I don’t know what kind of women you’ve been hanging out with, but one thing I’ll readily admit is that yours truly can jam in the kitchen.”

Levi took a step, his chest only inches from Angela’s back. “The women I date usually don’t cook.”

“Don’t or can’t?” she asked.

He smiled. “Don’t.”

“How or where do you eat?”

“We make reservations, or I’ll cook for her.”

Shifting slightly, Angela stared up at Levi over her shoulder. The word keeper came to mind and she wondered why some woman hadn’t become Mrs. Levi Eaton, except, of course, if he was afraid of marriage. And, if he was, then he would fit quite nicely into her plans since she had no intention of ever getting married. In that moment Angela decided she would try to keep Levi around until he went back to New York—unless he decided otherwise. After all, he appeared to be every woman’s fantasy. He was gorgeous, intelligent and single. But, then she thought about Robert.

She saw Levi’s mouth moving before she realized he was talking to her. “I’m sorry, but my mind was elsewhere,” she apologized.

“I asked if you wanted me to help you bring anything to the table.”

Angela blinked as if coming out of a trance. “Yes. After I take the chicken out of the roasting pan you can take it out to the terrace.”

Taking off his suit jacket, Levi draped it over the back of one of the chairs in the breakfast nook. He then loosened his tie, unbuttoned and turned back the cuffs to his shirt. His gaze swept around the gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Double-wall ovens, two sinks, two dishwashers, a counter-depth refrigerator-freezer and a cook-top range and grill were a chef’s dream kitchen.

The house had quintessential Southern architecture with a wraparound porch, second story veranda, window shutters and a trio of ceiling fans on the front porch.

“Is there someplace that I can wash my hands?” he asked.

Angela pointed to a door at the far end of the kitchen. “There’s a half bath over there.”

She watched as he walked toward the bathroom. Even his walk was sexy. He didn’t walk or glide—he had a swagger. It was in that instant that she decided she was going to call on everything in her feminine arsenal to keep Levi Eaton around for as long as he remained in Kentucky. And if she and Levi became friends, then she would be more than willing to make the drive to Maywood Junction to see him. Having him around would assuage her mother’s concern that she was ruining her reputation by seeing a different man every few months.

The women in Dianne Chase’s social circle were quick to report that they’d seen Angela with a guy one week and another a month later, much to her mother’s consternation. Not only did Dianne have an unmarried thirty-something daughter, but none of her sons were married and she still wasn’t a grandmother. However, what her mother failed to realize, even after Angela informed her she wasn’t sleeping with any of the guys she dated, was that she didn’t really care about such salacious gossip.

Even though she told them on their first date that she had no intention of sleeping with them, that didn’t stop her dates from trying to change her mind.

Levi returned to the kitchen just when Angela was taking the chicken from the pan and placing it on a platter. He smiled when he saw that she’d put on a black pin-striped bibbed apron.

“Let me do that,” he offered, lengthening his stride until he was standing next to her. Lifting the rack from the roasting pan, he managed to slide the bird onto the platter with little or no effort. The tantalizing aromas titillated his nose. “What did you stuff it with?”

“Long-grain rice, raisins, finely diced apples and ground cinnamon.”

“It smells amazing.”

“It tastes amazing,” Angela confirmed. “I can’t take credit because it’s my aunt’s recipe. She threw a lot of dinner parties in this house, and her culinary style was to combine as many dishes into one that you can. She said if you’re serving chicken, then stuff it so you don’t have to prepare separate side dishes.”

Levi gave Angela an incredulous look. “You live here with your aunt?”

Angela laughed, the sound resembling the tinkling of a wind chime. “No. She now lives in a chateau in France’s wine country with her longtime lover. She gave me the house as a wedding gift.” She compressed her lips. “It was the only gift that I didn’t have to return.”

He heard the throatiness in her voice when she’d mentioned wedding gift. “Your aunt sounds like a colorful character.”

“Colorful wouldn’t begin to describe her. Folks around her called her everything but a child of God. And those were the compliments. They’d failed to realize she was her own woman who lived by her own set of rules. If something made Nicola Chase happy then she made everyone around her happy. If not, then stay out of her way.”

“It sounds as if you are quite fond of her.”

Walking over to the refrigerator, Angela took out bottles of chilled white and rosé wines. Using her shoulder, she closed the door. “I grew up wanting to be just like her, much to my mother’s horror.”

Resting his hip against the cooking island, Levi crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you?”

“I wish.”

“Don’t you like how your life has turned out?”

“Please don’t get me wrong, Levi. I’m quite satisfied with my life. It’s other folks who don’t believe I am.”

She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Levi followed with the platter as she led the way to the glass-enclosed sunroom. Charcoal-gray solar blinds provided privacy from prying eyes. When he’d followed the private road leading to Angela’s house, he noticed that it overlooked a lake surrounded by a copse of weeping willow trees.

His gaze swept over the room, the focus of which was a table covered in a white linen tablecloth with a black-and-white-striped runner, and set with china, crystal and sterling silver. White candles in varying heights flickered in crystal votives, hurricane lanterns and candelabras. Angela touched a wall switch and track lighting illuminated the space like starlight pinpoints, while soft music filled the room from concealed speakers.

He set the platter down on the table beside a vase of white and deep pink flowers. “This is very, very nice.”

Angela met his eyes across the table. “Thank you.”

Levi stared at Angela, whose face was illuminated by the soft light coming from the candles, his gaze moving slowly over her features as if committing everything to memory. He’d spent less than an hour with Angela and already he found her incredibly fascinating. She appeared conservative in her choice of attire, yet her home and furnishings were luxurious and exquisitely tasteful. She seemed reserved yet daring, somewhat of a contradiction.

“Who do you mean by others?”

“My mother in particular, and a few of my brothers would probably agree.”

“They’d like to see you married with children.”

She nodded. “What they don’t understand is that I’m quite happy being single. Aunt Nikki never married and she enjoys being a free spirit.”

“In other words she’s content to live with her lover rather than marry him.”

Angela gave Levi a mischievous smile. “She couldn’t marry him even if she wanted to.”

“He’s married.”

She nodded. “He and his wife have lived apart for more than two decades.”

“Why doesn’t he divorce her?” he asked.

“He would if his estranged wife wasn’t a devout Catholic. They live apart, but he supports her financially.”

Intrigued, Levi asked, “Did he and his wife have any children?”

“They had a son, but he drowned in a boating accident when he was a child.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Angela sighed audibly. “Yes, it is. He wanted my aunt to have a child, but she refused because she didn’t want to have a child out of wedlock. Excuse me. I have to go back and get the salad.”

Rounding the table, Levi pulled out a chair at one of the place settings. “Sit down. I’ll get it.”

“That’s all right. You’re my guest.”

Leaning over her head, Levi took a deep breath, breathing in the subtle fragrance of the perfume clinging to Angela’s body. The scent was like its wearer—subtle and sexy. “You cooked, so it’s only fair that I help out.”

“What if you open the wine and allow it to breathe while I get the salad and put the asparagus on the grill,” she countered in a soft, but stern tone.

Levi resisted the urge to salute Angela. Her refusal to let him help told him more than he needed to know about her. She was stubborn and controlling.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, reaching for the corkscrew opener resting on a folded napkin. “Are you rolling your eyes at me?” he asked when she rested her hands at her waist.

“I’m not old enough to be a ma’am.”

“How old are you?” he asked, removing the foil and inserting the corkscrew into the bottle of rosé.

“You should know better than to ask a woman her age.”

Levi lifted broad shoulders under his crisp white shirt. “It doesn’t matter. I can always ask Duncan.”

Angela rolled her eyes again. “Thirty-two,” she spat out, “and soon to be thirty-three.”

He winked. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

“What else are you going to ask Duncan about me?”

The soft pop of the cork was the only sound in the room as Levi and Angela stared at each other. “If I wanted to I would’ve had Duncan tell me everything about you before we met. He asked me to do him a favor and I said I would. I’m willing to be your date tomorrow, and the only thing I’m going to ask is that you do the same for me at my family reunion, since my mother will undoubtedly have some woman there for me to meet. She thinks it’s time I settled down and give her some grandchildren.”

Angela compressed her lips. “As long as we understand each other I think we’ll get along quite well. Excuse me, but I’m going to get the salad and grill the asparagus.”

“Angela,” Levi said as she walked away. She stopped but didn’t turn around. “I’d like to sit down and enjoy the food you’ve prepared without talking about us.”

“So what do you want to talk about?”

“Your aunt, sports, books, movies or TV for a start.”

She half-turned and smiled at him over her shoulder. “Thank you, kind sir, for giving me a choice,” she drawled in her best Southern accent.

Throwing back his head, Levi laughed, the rich sound echoing in the room. “You’re quite welcome, ma’am.”

Angela couldn’t remember when she’d spent a more enjoyable evening with a man. Not only was Levi a great listener, but he was also a wonderful conversationalist. They’d discussed sports. He’d seemed surprised that she was so knowledgeable about the subject, but after she’d explained that she’d grown up with five brothers and a father who were sports nuts, he’d understood completely.

Between forkfuls of food, washed down with the chilled wine, dinner was a comfortable and leisurely affair.

Levi raised his water glass. “When you talk to your aunt again, please let her know her roast chicken recipe is exceptional.”

Angela inclined her head. “I’ll definitely let her know.”

“How often do you speak to her?”

After dabbing the corners of her mouth with her napkin, she placed it beside her plate. Resting her elbow on the table, Angela cupped her chin in the heel of her hand, and stared at Levi through lowered lids. “There are times when I hear from her a couple of times of month, and then it’s like she disappears. Then out of the blue she’ll call me and explain that she’d jetted off to some exotic destination. If it’s not an African safari, then it’s shopping in Hong Kong. The highlight of one of her trips was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. She laughs whenever I say I want to be like her when I grow up.”

Levi stared at her. “Are you?”

Angela smiled. “I’m halfway there.”

“How are you halfway there?”

“I work for myself and make my own hours. Aunt Nikki was a set designer for film and stage, and she told me I would never be completely happy until I worked for myself. I was a teacher when my cousin Traci, who’d been through a contentious divorce, moved from Frankfort to Louisville and asked me to go into business with her.”

Levi’s expressive eyebrows lifted when he asked, “What about teaching?”

“I gave it up. Traci’s paternal grandmother worked as a chef in a Frankfort country club and was a collector. Nowadays you’d call them hoarders. Whenever she catered private dinner parties, she’d ask her clients for their old china, stemware and silver in lieu of payment. The collection was so large and it took Traci three months to polish the silver and wash the china and stemware by hand. Then she hired an appraiser and after he gave her a figure, she decided to open a gift shop called the Garden Gate. We do quite well selling estate pieces, but most of the business comes from wedding registries. We carry Waterford, Lenox, Baccarat, Limoges plus a wide selection of wedding party gifts. Some of the items are what I consider luxuries.” A mysterious smile softened her mouth. “I splurge and treat myself to two crystal pieces each year—one for Christmas and the other for my birthday.”

Levi’s gaze went from her mouth to the vase and candleholders. “They’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “If you ever need a gift for a wedding or a baby shower let me know and I’ll give you the family discount.”

“I’m going to take you up on your offer because there’ve been a few newborns in the family this year.”

Angela traced the rim of her wineglass with a forefinger. The glow from the track lights and flickering candles flattered the planes of Levi’s face. His gentle manner, deep voice and effortless conversation made her feel as if she’d known him for weeks instead of hours. “Let me know when you’re free and I’ll give you a private showing.”

“I’m off on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays,” Levi quickly offered.

“The Garden Gate is closed on Sundays and Mondays.” Mondays were when she spent most of the day writing, and she rarely scheduled anything that day. Levi would be the exception. “When do you want to come in?”

“I’ll call and let you know.”

Angela was certain he’d heard her sigh of relief because she’d hoped to finish her manuscript by midweek. She normally would’ve indulged in a marathon writing session on Sunday and Monday. But her cousin Yvette’s wedding had forced her to change her plans.

“I’d prefer you come on Sunday, since Traci and I usually meet with consignment customers and prospective brides on Mondays.”

Leaning back in his chair, Levi studied the woman whose cooking skills were exceptional and who continued to amaze him. He found her guarded, much too guarded whenever she talked about herself.

“Where did you go to college?”

Angela picked up her wineglass and took a sip. “Spelman.”

“Why did you decide to go there?”

“My mother and grandmother were both Spelman alums. And you, Levi?”

“Howard, and then the University of Pennsylvania med school.”

Her brow furrowed. “If you were already at Howard why didn’t you go to med school there?”

“I gave it a lot of thought, but realized I wanted to be close to my family in Philadelphia.”

Angela sat up straight. “I thought you said you were from Miami.”

“My dad’s family is from Philadelphia. However, there are some Eatons who live in D.C., West Virginia, South Carolina and Texas now.”

“Is your father a doctor, too?”

Smiling, Levi shook his head. “No. He’s a judge.”

“So he likes putting away the bad guys.”

“He loves it.”

Angela’s eyes lit up in excitement when her mind churned with ideas. “Tell me about the Eatons, Levi.”

Levi took a surreptitious glance at his watch. It was after ten—much later than he thought. Somehow he’d lost track of time talking with Angela, and for him that was a good sign. “Perhaps I’ll tell you about them some other time. Besides, you know enough about me so that we won’t seem to be total strangers tomorrow.”

“What do I tell people when they ask how long we’ve been seeing each other?”

“We tell them the truth.”

“And that is?”

“We’ve just started dating.”

Angela nodded, wondering if that explanation would satisfy her mother. That was why she was always reluctant to introduce a man to her family—her mother in particular. She’d immediately launch into an interrogation. Her father was less concerned with her love life as long as word didn’t get back to him that some guy had caused her grief.

Benton Chase had wanted to personally go after Robert when he ran off with her maid of honor. It had taken everything for Angela to convince the men in her family not to inflict bodily harm on Robert Gaskin. She had always been a believer in “what goes around comes around.” If he cheated on her, he would eventually cheat on his new bride or she would cheat on him.

When Angela’s engagement had been announced, a collective sigh went up all over Louisville since she’d managed to snag one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. They were the perfect couple—the children of two of Kentucky’s most prominent African-American families. Uniting the Chase and Gaskin families was cause for celebration, and had Louisville buzzing.

However, what Angela didn’t know at the time was that her fiancé had been sleeping with her best friend, Savannah, who was to be her maid of honor. They’d managed to keep their relationship a secret until the night before she and Robert were to be married. A few hours after the rehearsal dinner, Robert had called to tell her that he and Savannah were flying to Las Vegas to marry, because they were expecting.

What had surprised Angela most was that she didn’t cry. Pain, humiliation and anger had rendered her emotionless. It was as if all of her feelings were suppressed, and as her life unfolded she seemed to be just going through the motions.

She shifted in her chair when she heard soft meowing. Miss Divine had emerged from her hiding place in the laundry room. Pushing back his chair, Levi stood up. “I didn’t know you had a kitten.” He stared at the tiny white feline with splotches of dark brown fur. Her eyes were blue-gray, and her nose was pink and black, with a long tail that was darker brown than the rest of her body.

“Miss Divine is not a kitten. She’s almost four.”

Levi approached the cat as she sat still, watching him come closer. “Is she the runt?”

“Miss Dee is not a runt!”

He gestured at Miss Divine. “What else can she be, Angela? She’s no bigger than a six-month-old kitten.”

Angela walked over to her cat. And when she leaned over to pick her up, Miss Divine scooted to sit between Levi’s legs. “Come here, baby,” she said, beckoning her closer. Miss Divine responded by rubbing her face against the leg of Levi’s trousers.

“Why you little traitor,” she gasped when Levi picked her up.

Levi rubbed a finger over the soft fur. “She knows I like cats.”

Angela rolled her eyes. “Miss Dee is usually skittish around strangers. Whenever the doorbell rings she runs and hides.”

“I’ve never seen a full-grown cat this small.”

“She’s what is called a Singapura. The breed originated from feral cats that lived in the drains of Singapore. Because they’re quite scarce in the States, they are very expensive. I heard that an owner of a male Singapura was offered ten thousand dollars from a breeder.”

“That’s incredible.” He smiled when the cat purred loudly. “You came to see who’s taking up your mama’s time, didn’t you, Miss Divine?” He winked at Angela. “Do you think she’s a little jealous?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Levi.” He gave her a smile that made her heart stop, and then start up again much too quickly.

“You wouldn’t say that if I took her home with me.”

Angela let out a gasp. “You wouldn’t!”

He winked at her. “I would if you let me.”

“That’s not happening. I would’ve thought you were a dog lover, not cats.” Levi angled his head and stared at Angela as she stared up at him. It was the first time he noticed that her head only came to his shoulders, even though she was wearing heels. He was six-two, and if he had to guess, Angela was at least eight inches shorter than him in her bare feet.

“I like dogs, too. But cats are different. They’re more independent and completely unpredictable. You have to walk dogs, play fetch, and they hog up the space on the sofa when you’re trying to watch a game. I doubt whether this little darling weighs more than six pounds.”

“She weighed four pounds during her last visit to the vet.”

His gaze shifted to the cat purring contently in his arms. “She likes me.”

“I like you, too. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you live with me.”

Without warning, Levi’s expression became stoic. “Did I ask if I could live with you?”

Her face reddened, the color settling in her cheeks. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

Levi handed Miss Divine to Angela. “You can cradle your baby, while I clear the table.”

Angela shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. There’s not much to clean up.”

He smiled, but the expression did not reach his eyes. “You cook, I clean.”

She wanted to tell him not to push his luck, but decided better of it. After all, there was more than one way to skin a cat. Sorry, Miss Dee, she thought. There was something about Levi Eaton that reminded her of the male characters in her romance novels—pushy, arrogant, and oozing with enough sex appeal to earn an R-rating. Smiling sweetly, she said, “Leave everything on the countertop and I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

Twenty minutes later, she stood on the front porch with Levi. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Levi took a step closer, cradled her face, dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers.

She froze, and then relaxed as he deepened the kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He was there and then he was gone. Angela stood watching the taillights of his car fade into the darkness. Steadying her shoulders, she closed the door and locked it. It wasn’t until after she’d cleaned up the kitchen, put everything away and extinguished the candles that Angela finally admitted that Levi Eaton was exactly what she needed to put to rest any notion that she’d been pining for Robert Gaskin. She’d never been one to seek revenge, but this was one time she was looking forward to it.

Spending time with Levi had convinced Angela that she was more than ready to face her past and finally put it behind her.

Chapter 4

The telephone on the bedside table rang twice before Angela raced over to answer it. “Hello,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

“Hey, you. Do you still need a date?” asked a familiar voice.

“What have you done now, Traci?”

“Nothing.”

Cradling the cordless receiver between her chin and shoulder, Angela returned to the en suite bathroom. “I’m going to put you on speaker while I put on my makeup.”

“Okay.”

Sitting down at the vanity, she picked up a small sable brush and deftly applied shadow over her eyelid. “Talk to me, Traci.”

There was a brief pause before Traci’s voice came through the speaker. “Reggie’s brother said that he’s willing to be your date for the wedding if you can’t find anyone else to go.”

Angela groaned, still unable to understand why her cousin continued to date her ex-husband. Although she’d always liked Reggie, it was his brother that she could only take in small doses. His ego was as large as his waistline.