Who it was who held you when you were crying and shaking because you lost your daddy? I was there for you, and I’m the one who lets you stay here without paying rent. You think you could afford your own place and attend law school all on your own?”
A sick feeling rose in her chest, her stomach tumbling over itself. She clenched her hands at her sides and swallowed a few times.
“That’s not fair, Mr. Leonard,” Brent put in. “She’s doing the best she can.”
“This is the best?” Uncle Leonard shouted. “Staying out all night, whoring?”
Della whirled around. “Who do you think you are calling me a whore? You don’t know what I was doing.”
“You weren’t in school. I know your schedule.”
“That’s the problem. You think you have to control everything I do. Believe me, if I could, I’d move out of here tomorrow!”
“Della—”
She held up a hand. “Don’t even bother. I know what you’re going to say. You’ll tear me down even more.”
Her uncle paled. For an instant he seemed frailer than she remembered, and it touched her heart. She did her best to steal against it. This might be another one of his tricks to control her.
“I would never tear you down,” he said. “I was the one who encouraged you to go to college when you weren’t sure. Then I pushed you to follow your dream and go to law school. I offered to pay for everything.”
She sighed and rubbed a hand across her face. “I know.”
“How about we stop arguing and have some breakfast,” Brent suggested. “If I can get a smile from my two favorite people, I could be persuaded to make blueberry pancakes.”
Uncle Leonard looked at him like he’d lost his mind, and Della laughed. Leave it to Brent to shatter the tension. “Idiot,” she teased. “I’m going to have a shower. I’ll take you up on the pancakes though.”
Della hurried to her room before her uncle could say another word. She stripped out of her clothes and hopped into the shower. With water as hot as she could stand it running over her body, she remembered Santi’s hands again. Not just his hands, his mouth, his body, everything about him. I want more, so much more.
After she stepped from the shower and was drying off, Della recalled Brent’s proposal. She’d known for a long time how he felt. More than once she had caught him staring at her with a mixture of love and lust in his gaze. Each time she put him off and avoided conversations that might lead to them changing their relationship to a more intimate one. Not that she hadn’t been tempted. Of course she had. Brent was her age, and he had a body and face a woman could lose herself enjoying. Baby blue eyes, blond hair, he had women young and old chasing after him. She had never considered limiting herself to black men. Why should she when so many tasty choices were out there? However, she had never even thought of a foreign man. Santi’s accent sent chills racing over her flesh and got her wet within moments of hearing him speak.
“Goodness, for real, Della?” she chided herself. “Stop thinking about him. We didn’t even make plans to see each other again.”
She did her best to dismiss him from her mind, and after dressing, headed out to the kitchen to devour Brent’s pancakes. That was another positive for her best friend. He loved to cook, and she loved to eat. Across the table from her, Uncle Leonard sat in a funk, and when she volunteered to stack the dishwasher, he joined her. She tensed, expecting the worse.
“Della,” he began.
“What is it, Uncle Leonard? Please don’t start lecturing me. I’ve had all I can stand.”
“I want to apologize.”
She almost dropped a plate. Uncle Leonard hated the use of paper plates. They always ate on good china he’d had since the Stone Age. “Come again?”
He frowned at her, the skin wrinkling above fully gray eyebrows. “I said I’m sorry.”
She grinned. “I heard you.”
“You always were a stubborn one. I knew I
A sick feeling rose in her chest, her stomach tumbling over itself. She clenched her hands at her sides and swallowed a few times.
“That’s not fair, Mr. Leonard,” Brent put in. “She’s doing the best she can.”
“This is the best?” Uncle Leonard shouted. “Staying out all night, whoring?”
Della whirled around. “Who do you think you are calling me a whore? You don’t know what I was doing.”
“You weren’t in school. I know your schedule.”
“That’s the problem. You think you have to control everything I do. Believe me, if I could, I’d move out of here tomorrow!”
“Della—”
She held up a hand. “Don’t even bother. I know what you’re going to say. You’ll tear me down even more.”
Her uncle paled. For an instant he seemed frailer than she remembered, and it touched her heart. She did her best to steal against it. This might be another one of his tricks to control her.
“I would never tear you down,” he said. “I was the one who encouraged you to go to college when you weren’t sure. Then I pushed you to follow your dream and go to law school. I offered to pay for everything.”
She sighed and rubbed a hand across her face. “I know.”
“How about we stop arguing and have some breakfast,” Brent suggested. “If I can get a smile from my two favorite people, I could be persuaded to make blueberry pancakes.”
Uncle Leonard looked at him like he’d lost his mind, and Della laughed. Leave it to Brent to shatter the tension. “Idiot,” she teased. “I’m going to have a shower. I’ll take you up on the pancakes though.”
Della hurried to her room before her uncle could say another word. She stripped out of her clothes and hopped into the shower. With water as hot as she could stand it running over her body, she remembered Santi’s hands again. Not just his hands, his mouth, his body, everything about him. I want more, so much more.
After she stepped from the shower and was drying off, Della recalled Brent’s proposal. She’d known for a long time how he felt. More than once she had caught him staring at her with a mixture of love and lust in his gaze. Each time she put him off and avoided conversations that might lead to them changing their relationship to a more intimate one. Not that she hadn’t been tempted. Of course she had. Brent was her age, and he had a body and face a woman could lose herself enjoying. Baby blue eyes, blond hair, he had women young and old chasing after him. She had never considered limiting herself to black men. Why should she when so many tasty choices were out there? However, she had never even thought of a foreign man. Santi’s accent sent chills racing over her flesh and got her wet within moments of hearing him speak.
“Goodness, for real, Della?” she chided herself. “Stop thinking about him. We didn’t even make plans to see each other again.”
She did her best to dismiss him from her mind, and after dressing, headed out to the kitchen to devour Brent’s pancakes. That was another positive for her best friend. He loved to cook, and she loved to eat. Across the table from her, Uncle Leonard sat in a funk, and when she volunteered to stack the dishwasher, he joined her. She tensed, expecting the worse.
“Della,” he began.
“What is it, Uncle Leonard? Please don’t start lecturing me. I’ve had all I can stand.”
“I want to apologize.”
She almost dropped a plate. Uncle Leonard hated the use of paper plates. They always ate on good china he’d had since the Stone Age. “Come again?”
He frowned at her, the skin wrinkling above fully gray eyebrows. “I said I’m sorry.”
She grinned. “I heard you.”
“You always were a stubborn one. I knew I
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