Just Can't Get Enough (13 page)

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Authors: Cheris Hodges

BOOK: Just Can't Get Enough
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By the time she arrived at the hospital, her mind was muddled with thoughts of Darius and the love he had professed to her. How could she be sure that he really meant it? Celina walked into Thomas's room. She was surprised to see her mother sitting at his bedside.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Celina asked as she walked over to Rena and kissed her on the cheek.
“Well, John and I are leaving today and I wanted to visit with Thomas before we left,” she said.
Thomas smiled at his former wife and his daughter. “Your mother is a good woman,” he said as Celina leaned over and kissed him. “She's been here for a while, giving us a chance to catch up.” He reached out and stroked Rena's shoulder.
“It was good for me, too,” Rena said.
Celina watched her parents in awe, not knowing if she'd stepped into the twilight zone or not. There had been a time when the mention of Thomas's name sent her mother into a bitter tirade. Looking at them smiling at one another now didn't seem real.
“So,” Celina said. “Are you getting out of here today?”
Thomas nodded. “Yes, I am, thank goodness.”
“That's great,” Celina said. “I have everything at the house ready for you. Have you all had breakfast?”
Thomas shook his head. “Not unless you count this cardboard hospital food,” he said, pointing to the tray.
Rena rose to her feet with a smile still planted on her lips. “Why don't I go get us something to eat?” she said. “There is a nice restaurant near the hotel that has the best grits, pancakes, and eggs.”
Celina nodded, happy to have a reprieve from eating tasteless and overpriced food in the hospital cafeteria.
“Well,” Rena said. “I will be right back.”
Celina sat down beside her father and took his hand in hers, gently stroking it. “What's going on with you and Mom?” she asked.
Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “We had a long talk about our lives together,” he said. “We got through a lot of our past problems.”
“She forgave you?” Celina asked.
Thomas nodded, gave her hand a squeeze, and smiled. “Are you going to forgive me?”
Celina turned her head away from her father. What could she say? She needed to forgive him and she needed to let go of the pain that she felt her father had caused her. She found that was much harder than she thought it would be. Celina feared that her father would disappoint her again and she'd go back to the place where she was at twelve years old. Even though she was a grown woman who didn't need her father to escort her to the father-daughter picnic, those years without him had scarred her deeply. And she'd been taking it all out on Darius.
“I have forgiven you,” she said.
“Have you? I mean, Celina, we've never really talked about what the divorce did to you. Your mother told me a little bit today.”
She held her breath as Thomas talked. “I never realized that you knew about my affairs,” he said. “As hard as I tried to hide them from your mother, I never thought about how you'd feel if you found out.”
“The whole town knew. You can't keep secrets in a place like Elmore,” she mumbled.
Thomas nodded. “I know and I'm sorry that I ever hurt you or Rena. And just because I was a cheat, that doesn't mean that the man who loves you will do the same thing to you. I cheated on your mother because I was a young fool and didn't know that I was going to ruin two of the best things that ever happened to me. If I could turn back the hands of time, there are two things I'd change. I would've never started smoking and I never would've hurt your mother.”
“She seems to be over it,” Celina said, slipping her hand from underneath Thomas's.
“But you're not, are you?” His eyes shone with tears as a few drops of water slid down Celina's cheek.
She shook her head, then took a deep breath. “I'm not,” she said. “Watching you hurt Mom has made it hard for me to trust a man when he says he loves me. I remember when you used to tell Mom how much you loved her and how she was your everything. Then you'd go and stay out all night. Did you tell those other women the same thing?”
“Sweetie, I know what I did was wrong and I hurt your mother, but just because I messed up, it doesn't mean every man is going to do that. I did and still do love your mother. It's hard to explain why men do some of the things that we do. I was running from responsibility, from my own failures. Your mother made me focus on being a family man, paying bills, and I didn't want to do that. We were so young when we got married and I thought there was something in the streets for me and I went looking for it. Darius isn't like that.”
“How can I be sure?” she asked. Closing her eyes, she tried not to cry. Hot, fat tears spilled from her eyes anyway.
Thomas stroked his daughter's hair. “How many men do you know who would give up the bright lights and big city for Elmore to take over his parents' business? Is everything always going to be happy between the two of you? Not always, but I know that you need to give that man a fair chance.”
“What?”
“Don't judge Darius because of what I did. He is a good man and a hard worker. He's always shown me nothing but respect and I know he will do the same thing with you.”
Celina raised her eyebrow at her father. “Darius and I aren't going to work. I mean, I'm going back to New York soon and then there's the project in Paris. There are going to be too many miles between us for this to work.”
“It looked like you two were working the last time you were here. Celina, that man loves you. You have his nose open so wide I can see his brain when he talks. Don't lose him. Don't be like me and run from what could be the best thing to ever happen to you.”
Celina silently mulled over what her father said. Maybe he was right, but she wasn't willing to risk it. She had a plan. As soon as they returned home, she was going to hire a nurse and get as far away from Darius as she could. Once she returned to her art and New York, Darius would become a wonderful memory that she could push out of her mind.
So, I'm running, it's not like I haven't done it before,
she thought as she faced her father.
“I can't stay in Elmore forever,” Celina whispered, more to herself. “What happens when I return to New York?”
“No one can see into the future, but what happens if you never allow yourself to see what Darius's love feels like? Let your heart guide you,” Thomas said. “And, who said that I'm ready for you to go back to New York?”
Celina smiled at her father. “Maybe I can stay for a few more weeks,” she said as she leaned over and hugged him.
Rena walked in with three steaming boxes of food. “Well, this looks promising,” she said. “I wish I had my camera.”
Celina and Thomas laughed at Rena as she set the Styrofoam boxes on the foot of Thomas's bed. The three of them dug into the hot grits, fluffy eggs dripping with cheese, and buttery toast. While Thomas and Rena enjoyed crispy strips of bacon, Celina enjoyed her eggs.
“I still can't believe our child is a vegetarian,” Thomas said in between bites of bacon. “She grew up on this stuff and hamburgers, too.”
Rena smiled. “That's what happens when people move up north,” she said. “And you know Celina has always followed her own beat.”
“Stop it,” Celina said. “It's a much healthier lifestyle and I like it.”
Rena raised her eyebrow. “That's the problem with you young kids these days. You let TV and books tell you how to live. My mother lived to be one hundred, and she ate pork, beef, and chicken—cooked with lard.”
Celina rolled her eyes. She'd heard this speech the day she had given up meat and men. “And,” Rena continued. “Prince Charming doesn't exist, and Oprah can't solve all of your problems. You keep running away from love and I'm never going to have a grandchild or two to spoil.”
“All right, mother, I get it,” Celina said exasperatedly. She dropped her plastic fork in the box, suddenly having lost her appetite.
“Do you? Where is Darius?” Rena asked, folding her arms across her chest and dropping her own fork.
“At home, the last time I checked,” she said, avoiding eye contact with her mother.
Rena shook her head. “Here we go again. So, what phantom issue is ending this relationship?”
“Our relationship is not over because it never started,” Celina said. “And I don't want to talk about it.”
Rena picked up her cup of coffee and shook her head. “I know you don't, you never do. I'm not arguing with you today. I'm way too tired.”
Celina stood up and walked over to the window, avoiding looking at either her mother or her father. How could she tell her mother that she couldn't give herself to Darius because she had watched love destroy her and she wasn't the forgiving type?
“What do you want me to say?” Celina asked, as Rena walked over to her and placed her hand on her back.
“Celina, I want you to be happy. I was blessed to fall in love twice. I just want you to open yourself up to love once. I know you love Darius and he loves you. Don't let your hang-ups keep you from being happy.”
Celina nodded as her mother stroked her back. “Am I supposed to give up New York to be here with Darius?”
“No, you two can work out a compromise or something. That is, if you love him enough. And what's so special about New York, anyway? You didn't have a problem jetting off to Paris to paint. Why is it so hard for you to admit that you have feelings for that man?”
Celina nodded again. She'd been trying to fight it and deny it, but she did love Darius and she didn't want a life if he wasn't in it. He still had to prove to her that he had no hidden skeletons that would leap out of his closet and break her heart. Then again, there was Tiffany. What was it about that woman that gave her the creeps?
CHAPTER 13
Darius tried to focus on his work at the store, but all he could think about was Celina. Was she really going to bolt out of his life because of a misunderstanding? This didn't really have anything to do with him; it was more about her fear. If he could only get inside that dark space and shine his love so that she could see that he wasn't Thomas Hart.
“Darius,” Richard called out from the doorway of Darius's office.
“Yeah?” he said, thinking,
what now?
“Chief Wayman is out here for you.”
Darius nodded, thinking the mess with Tiffany was going be over soon. Maybe she had been arrested, which would've brightened his otherwise dark day.
“Send him back,” he said as he pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels and two shot glasses. The burly lawman walked into Darius's office with a scowl on his pie-shaped face.
“Chief,” Darius said offering the man a drink.
Wayman shook his massive head and didn't take the seat that Darius had offered him, either.
“What's going on, Darius?”
Confused, Darius shrugged his shoulders. “You tell me. This is about the fire and my window, right?”
“I'm here about two adults trading accusations and using my police department as some sort of go-between. Tiffany said someone threw a brick through the window of her house last night and she said you did it.”
Darius poured himself a shot of the brown liquor and downed it in one gulp. “That's a damned lie. Last night I was at home with Cel . . . a guest.”
Wayman sat down and took the bottle from the middle of the desk. “Darius, I like you, always had nothing but respect for you and your family.” He paused to pour himself a drink. “But you and Tiffany need to handle this immature beef between the two of y'all without involving me. I don't have time to answer calls from you two because she's jealous of your new girlfriend or vice versa.” Wayman gulped his drink, then headed for the door. “If this is a lover's quarrel, just send some flowers and get it over with.”
“Wait,” Darius said. “That woman has cost me $10,000 in the last month. She has to pay for that. If she isn't responsible for the fire and the brick through my window, then who is?”
“I need proof that she did anything. I'm talking to you just like I talked to her when you said she was the one who did all this stuff here. This is getting really old. I have less trouble out of the so-called gangsters in town.”
Darius rolled his eyes. “Chief, that woman is crazy and someone is going to get hurt.”
“That's not going to happen. You watch too much television. This is Elmore, not Los Angeles or Washington, DC.” Wayman turned and walked out of Darius's office.
Darius poured himself another drink. There had to be some way to prove that Tiffany was behind all of this. Darius downed his drink and poured himself another one.
Richard walked into the office and closed the door. “What's going on?” he asked.
“I feel like I'm in high school again,” Darius said as he reached for his bottle of Jack Daniels, but Richard moved the bottle out of his reach.
“Youngblood, Jack can't get you out of this.” Darius dropped his head on the desk. Richard looked at his boss and shook his head. “I got a feeling this is about more than Wayman's visit.”
Darius nodded slowly. “I messed up, bad,” Darius revealed.
Richard rocked back on his heels, thinking that his young boss's temper had gotten him into trouble. “What happened?” he asked.
Darius relayed the events of the night before and Richard shook his head, fighting back the laugh that danced in the back of his throat.
“When are you young cats going to learn not to lie about simple things? You know that woman is out to get you and Celina could help you if she knew the truth about what's going on.”
“But I don't want her involved. Celina has . . . Never mind.”
Richard shook his head. “You and Celina need to talk and then you need to find out if Tiffany is playing the role of psycho girl and press charges against her. If my woman gets out of bed to take a late-night phone call, I'm going to think the worst too. And you know women overthink everything.”
Darius stood up and ran his hand over his face. What Richard said sounded easy enough, but he knew Celina's trust issues were going to make it hard for him to convince her that he was telling the truth about Tiffany. Darius looked at the bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on his desk, knowing that there were no answers in the bottom of it. He needed his head to be clear. “All right,” Darius said, “I'm going to take off for a little bit.”
Richard saluted his boss. “I'll hold things down here,” he said. “Go get that woman.”
Darius headed home so that he could wait for Celina to return. No matter what it took, he was going to have to convince her that he was telling her the truth about Tiffany's antics. The last thing he expected to find when he arrived home was the Elmore fire department pulling up to his house. Darius stopped his car, ran up to his front lawn and looked for the fire.
“What's going on?” he demanded. Darius didn't see any smoke or flames. One of the firefighters looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. “Where's the fire?”
“We got a call that there was a fire here,” the firefighter said as he put his gear on. “We're going to check out the structure and see what's going on.”
Darius uttered an expletive and headed to his car to grab his cell phone. He'd dialed Tiffany's telephone number.
“Hello?” she said sweetly.
“I'm tired of your games,” he snapped. “Stop it right now.”
She laughed. “Well, Darius, how are you this afternoon ? I take it that the police have been to see you about my window.”
“Look, stop this madness,” he demanded. Darius clutched the phone so hard that his knuckles turned white. “You know I didn't do anything to your window. Now you have the police breathing down my neck. And you have the fire department at my house.”
“I have nothing to do with the fire department being at your house,” she said unconvincingly. “But if you're going to continue to blame me for something I didn't do, then you're going to get the same treatment. How is your new girlfriend?”
“That's none of your damned business. Is this about my relationship? Tiffany, I don't want you and that isn't going to change. You can set fires and throw all the bricks you want and I still wouldn't want anything to do with you. You need help.”
“Darius, who said I still wanted you? Maybe I just want to watch you squirm. You aren't going to get away with treating me like I'm a piece of trash you can toss away because you're done with me. I won't be ignored.”
“This isn't a damned movie. When are you going to realize that we never had anything to begin with, Tiffany? You're a leech and I don't need you in my life.” The dial tone sounded in his ear. Darius tossed his cell phone into the ditch.
The fire chief walked over to Darius. “We didn't find a fire or anything.”
“Who called you all?” Darius asked through clenched teeth.
“We got a call from 9-1-1,” he said. “Must have been some child playing a prank.”
Darius wanted to tell the fire chief the child was a grown woman with a grudge, but he shook the man's hand and thanked him for checking. Darius walked into his house as the massive fire engines drove away. He flung himself on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Things were going to get worse before they got better. He could feel it.
 
 
Celina smiled at Thomas, who was napping while she drove. She was glad her father was coming home and that they were working toward repairing their tattered relationship. Celina knew it was only going to be a matter of time before she and Thomas had significant roles in each other's lives and that he'd beat this cancer. He didn't seem like the same shell of a man that she'd found when she'd first arrived in town.
Celina's smile started to fade when she thought about what else was waiting for her in Elmore. Darius. She knew that when she got home Darius was going to be there waiting and she was going to have to make a decision. Was she going to allow him in her life or was she going to just pack up and head back to New York before her heart got broken?
Running from love wasn't going to be an option and leaving now would probably undo all the progress that she and her father had made. Besides, Rena was right; she needed to open her heart and let Darius in. She couldn't run forever. She knew she cared about Darius and leaving him would be one of the hardest things that she would have to do. But the situation with Tiffany worried her. The temptation for Darius to cheat on her was very strong and she didn't want to be hurt. What man could and would turn down a woman desperate to give him her body? She knew Tiffany was that kind of woman. Lust was all over her face that day Celina saw her leaning over Darius on his front porch.
Thomas snorted as he sat up in the passenger seat and looked at his daughter. “You all right?” he asked.
“I'm fine, Daddy. Maybe I should be asking you that, being that you're the one who just got out of the hospital.”
Thomas smiled. “I haven't felt this good in years. Seeing your mother was good, but having you here is the best medicine that I could ever have. I love you, Celina. Now you just have to make yourself as happy as you made me.”
“How do you suppose I do that?” she asked, even though she knew the answer to that question.
“With Darius McRae,” he said. “That man loves you and I know you could kiss the ground he walks on, too. Y'all probably been in love with each other since you were born. I remember watching you two play when you were children. I'd always had a sneaking suspicion that you two would end up together.”
Celina shook her head. “Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. We just have to make sure that you get well, all right? We're going to get you a nurse and we're going to have to make sure you have food in the house and . . .”
“Don't start dodging the subject,” he said. “What about you and Darius? You are going to talk to him before you go back to New York, aren't you?”
“Yes, Daddy, I'm going to talk to Darius.”
Even if it's just to say good-bye.
Thomas smiled and nodded. “That's good.”
When Celina pulled into the town limits of Elmore, she felt her chest tighten. She was only a few minutes from seeing Darius. What was she going to say to him?
Just speak from your heart,
she told herself as she turned into the driveway of her home. Celina glanced over at Darius's house, wondering if he was still at the hardware store. Thomas slowly got out of the car and bent over to retrieve his bags. Celina, however, was quicker, and grabbed them.
“Daddy, why don't you go inside and let me get your bags for you? Then I'll come and fix you something to eat,” she said. Celina heard Darius's front door close and, from the corner of her eye, she saw him standing on the porch.
“Hey there, young man,” Thomas called out.
“Mr. Hart, how are you?” Darius replied.
“Good, good. Why don't you come over here and help Celina with my bags and join us for dinner?”
Celina shook her head at Thomas's less than subtle matchmaking attempt. Darius walked over to the Hart house and stood next to Celina.
“How are you today?” he asked.
“All right,” she said softly.
Darius took the black bag from her hand. “That's good to know,” he said.
Thomas ambled up the front steps and unlocked the front door. He was going to go inside and get into his bed. His plan was to tell Celina that he was too tired to get up for dinner and to eat in his room, forcing her and Darius to eat alone. Maybe then they would fix whatever was wrong between them. He remembered being young and in love; the ups and downs of it all. Thomas stole one last glance at the couple before walking into the house.
Celina waved at her father, then turned to Darius. “He's not slick,” she said as she pushed her hair back.
“But I like his technique,” Darius said as he gave Celina the once-over.
“What? Did you lose something?”
“I don't know, you tell me.” Darius smiled and walked toward the front door.
“Darius,” Celina said as she followed him. He kept walking, about two steps in front of her. Celina caught up with him and grabbed his shoulder.
Darius opened the front door and set Thomas's bag in the chair next to the door. Then he pulled Celina into his arms. “Celina, I love you so much, I ache for you. The last thing I want to do is cause you a moment of pain. I'm not going to let you walk out of my life. If I have to follow you to New York, I will. If I have to buy every piece of your art to start an art gallery, I will, just to have a part of you next to me.”

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