The Good Luck Charm (The Good Luck Series) (11 page)

Jama didn’t immediately answer. When he put the car in park, she unbuckled her seatbelt and folded the newspaper. She leaned forward and tucked it into her large, black bag, then looked up at him.

“That, little brother, is something you’re going to have to figure out on your own. If you want Keely badly enough, then you’ll find the way.”

“Gee, thanks, sis.”

She smiled at him and opened the car door. “Any time, bro.”

He followed her up the walk, noticing the new flowers their mom had planted since he was last there, but stopped Jama before they reached the stoop. “Not a word of this to mom. Okay?”

“Of course.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Darren.”

“Scouts honor?”

“Yes.” Jama held up two fingers.

“Okay. Good.”

He let out a heavy breath and relaxed all of thirty seconds before the front door opened. Apprehension set in when his mom stepped out onto the stoop, beaming.

She cupped his face with her hands, her eyes shining with mirth, and then she gushed. “Oh my darling, boy. I’m so happy for you.”

A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. “Mom, what are you talking about?”

Lillian kissed him on the cheek, and then stepped back. “I heard it all over your cell phone. You must have pocket redialed my number.”

Jama laughed.

Darren groaned, reaching into his pocket for the phone and disconnected the call. He had to remember to lock the keypad in the future, or switch to a flip top.

“So spill the beans, son. Who is this girl you are in love with?” Lillian asked, leading the way into the kitchen. “And why haven’t you brought her by for me to meet?”

Darren followed, scowling at the merriment he saw in Jama’s eyes. “It’s complicated.”

“Bringing a girl home to meet your mother is complicated? Why? Don’t you think I’d like her?”

“She hates him,” Jama quipped.

Darren glared at her. “You promised to keep silent.”

Jama smirked.

“She hates you?” Lillian repeated, opening the oven door and taking out the rolls. “Why would she hate you?”

“Like I said, mom. It’s complicated. You see, Keely works for a competing advertising firm here in town. I learned we were competitors, but didn’t tell her right away. We were spotted on a date by her boss, which put her in an awkward position and jeopardized her career.”

“Thus, she hates him,” Jama surmised. “And it could all have been avoided if he just took my advice, but alas, he didn’t.”

Lillian shook her head, filling the breadbasket with the rolls. She turned and handed it to Darren. “Then you’ve got to make her change her mind, don’t you son.”

“If it were only that easy.”

“Nothing that comes easy is worth having. It’s what you have to work for that you cherish the most,” Lillian said, carrying the casserole to the dinner table. “Now, let’s eat before everything gets cold.”

Jama nudged Darren as she took her place at the table. “Don’t you hate it when she’s right?”

“Always,” he muttered.

Lillian waited until they were seated before she clasped her hands together in front of her. “Dear Heavenly Father, my life is almost complete. My children have admitted I’m right. Now if they’d only get married and provide me with grandchildren, I’d feel my life is full. Please bless our bodies with the nourishment of the food before us. Amen.”

Monday morning couldn’t come soon enough for Keely. Over dinner Friday night, Lucinda had insisted that she wait until then to contact Darren. Agreeing had been torture for her, but in retrospect, she felt it was worth it. She’d given herself time to plan and rehearse her speech. However, she hadn’t planned on meetings and presentations keeping her from seeing him all week. Every time she had a spare moment she tried calling him, but he was always out of the office.

Determined to settle things, Keely went to Wright and Associates before going into the office Thursday morning.

“May I help you?” the receptionist asked after putting a call on hold.

Keely cleared her throat and smiled. Being nervous wasn’t like her, but her palms felt moist. “I’m here to see Darren Wright. Is he in?”

The receptionist frowned. “Mr. Wright’s out of the office at a meeting. Did you have an appointment?”

“No. I was just hoping—” she stopped in mid-sentence spotting Darren and Shelby Mitchell coming out of a doorway. The woman slipped her arm through his and ran her other hand up his arm. From where Keely stood it looked as if Shelby couldn’t keep her hands off him. And Darren was allowing it. To make matters worse, Shelby leaned in and kissed him.

Keely froze where she stood and couldn’t stop staring at the pair. She was certain her mouth hung open and tried to close it. It was obvious Darren had moved on to greener pastures already. No wonder he hadn’t been back to the duck pond for a jog. He didn’t need a work out as long as he had Shelby at the office. Turning, she retreated to the doorway before she was spotted and humiliated further.

“Keely?”

At the sound of her name, she spun around and came face to face with him. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach and her eyes stung. She swallowed, trying to regain composure. “I thought you were out.”

“The meeting got cancelled. What can I do for you?” he asked, sounding too cool for her liking.

“Nothing.”

“You came over here for nothing?”

She nodded. “I thought it was something, but I realized it was nothing.”

He looked puzzled. “You’re not making any sense. You want to step into my office?”

“No. No I can’t. I’m late for an appointment.” And without further delay, she left Wright and Associates as fast as she could.

Darren watched her leave, convinced she’d come by for more than that. Had she seen Shelby kiss him? It had taken him by surprise. But surely Keely wouldn’t think the kiss meant anything to him. Would she?

“Was that Keely?” Jama asked, coming up behind him.

“Yes.” He didn’t even turn to look at her. He continued to stare out the glass doors.

“What’d she want?”

“I’m not sure. She made an excuse and left without really saying.”

“You better go after her.”

“Why? And get rejected again?”

“Did you stage that little kiss with Shelby?”

Darren turned and glared at his sister. “No. How could you think that? Shelby was all excited because I gave her the lead on the Grist account. It was nothing more than gratitude.”

“Really? From where I stood it looked like more than gratitude. The woman had her hands all over you. If I’d been Keely, I’d have thought you had an office romance.”

Darren furrowed his brow. “Would she?”

“Like I said, you’d better go after her. Explain things.”

He walked over to the receptionist. “Please hold my calls, Lorraine. I’ll be out of the office for a while.”

“Yes, Mr. Wright.”

“Oh, and Darren,” Jama said, handing him a tissue from the box on the receptionist’s desk. “Wipe the lipstick off your mouth before you go see her.”

“Thanks,” he muttered and rushed out the agency door.

Darren had always been a salesman – a damn good one, and now he had the most important account of his life. He had to sell Keely on the idea that he loved her and no matter what she thought she saw, his heart belonged to her.

Keely’s heart pounded as she maneuvered her way through pedestrian traffic down Gay Street. She felt sick at her stomach and her head hurt. The images of Shelby touching Darren and then kissing him kept running through her mind. Why hadn’t he stopped the woman? How could he have allowed her to kiss him like that? Especially if he cared about Keely the way he said he did. And he’d promised not to hurt her again. She should have never believed that in a million years.

“Lucinda, you were so wrong. So very wrong about him,” she mumbled, reaching up and touching the gris-gris charm. It was icy cold, but not so cold it burned to touch. That was an improvement.

She turned the corner at Clinch Avenue and walked the block or so down to Krutch Park. She found a bench in an alcove of the path and sat to clear her head. Closing her eyes, she took several deep, cleansing breaths willing the images of Darren and Shelby to vanish from her head.

Frustrated by the conflicting emotions coursing through her, she tried to regain composure. She’d been right to not trust him after finding out he worked for Wright and Associates. Lucinda could take her voodoo and her gris-gris back to New York with her. There was no way she’d be getting her heart broken by him again.

Darren searched Market Square and Gay Street before he headed to Jackson and Jackson. No matter what detour she made, he knew Keely would eventual end up back at work.

The smells of morning pastries and fresh brewed coffee mingled with the exhaust of passing cars assaulted his nose. He worked his way around the pedestrians and crossed the street at the crosswalk before going into the Tennessee Building. The building directory listed Jackson and Jackson on the fifteenth floor.

He waited with a group of employees for the elevator to arrive. It took even longer for the car to reach the fifteenth floor because of the many stops made along the way.

“Can I help you?” a receptionist asked in greeting as soon as he stepped off the elevator.

“I’m here to see Keely Jones. Can you direct me to her office?”

“Of course. Ms. Jones’ office is down this corridor and to your right. I’ll ring her assistant to let her know you’re here, Mr.?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll find it.”

“But I need to announce you.” He heard the exasperation in the receptionist’s voice as he walked down the corridor hoping he wouldn’t run into Tate or Edward Jackson.

A cute blonde stopped him before he reached Keely’s office door. He could tell by the way she stood he wasn’t getting past her. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Ms. Jones.”

“Well she’s not in and she isn’t expecting anyone this morning. Can I make you an appointment?”

“No.”

“I’ll tell her you stopped by, Mr—?”

“No. In fact, you never even saw me.” He turned to leave when he heard her say.

“You’re Darren. I think you better come with me.”

He turned back toward her and saw her smiling. “Why?”

“You shouldn’t be seen here. At least take the stairs down two flights. The door opens into a hallway that will lead you back to the elevator.”

He got the feeling the woman would be an ally as he followed her to the stairwell exit. “Do you know where she is?”

“No. In fact she should have been here an hour ago. She texted me and said she had an errand to run on her way into the office.”

He nodded. He’d been the errand.

“I’m Sue by the way,” she extended her hand to him.

“It’s a pleasure, Sue. I’m Darren Wright, but you already know that.”

Sue nodded and her cheeks flushed. “Who wouldn’t? You’ve been the buzz around the office lately. The administrative assistants are pulling for you and Keely to work things out. She needs a good man in her life, even if you didn’t tell her you worked for the competition. The Jacksons have no right to keep you apart.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I need all I can get.”

“Anytime. Should I mention to Keely you were here?”

“Sure.” Darren slipped down the stairs until he came to the hallway she’d mentioned. Then he tried calling Keely on her cell phone. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of that before. It could have saved him a lot of looking in all the wrong places.

As usual, he got her voice mail. “Keely, we need to talk. Call me.”

Keely didn’t bother going into the office. She called in sick. Something she never did unless she truly was flat on her back in bed. Neither her head nor her heart was in shape for work today. Unfortunately, going home meant she had to face Lucinda.

Getting out of the car, Keely walked over to the fenced-in lot and checked on Duke, stalling as long as she could before she went inside.

The aroma of chicory coffee and sweet beignets greeted her when she opened the backdoor. Her stomach growled and her mouth watered at the thought of eating one of those messy squares.

“What’s wrong?” Her friend sat at the table drinking coffee as Keely walked into the kitchen.

She laid her car keys on the table, sat down in one of the vacant chairs, and then laid her head down over her folded arms. “I feel like my heart has been wrenched out of my body and run over by a Mack truck.”

“Rubbish. What happened?”

Keely slowly raised her head and looked Lucinda in the eye. “I went to see Darren and tell him I forgive him for not telling me about his association with Wright and Associates, but I found him with another woman. Shelby Mitchell.”