When Love Calls (21 page)

“Sounds great.”

They ordered, talked, ate, talked and then talked some more. It wasn’t until they were sitting at the table laughing about the strange coincidence of both of them knowing Mamma Lou that Randolph finally showed up. He kissed Juliet on the cheek, then kissed Alyssa on the mouth. Juliet smiled, humored by her brother’s public display.

Completely out of character for him, she knew when he first told her about Alyssa that she was someone special to him. He’d never gone out of his way to introduce any of the other women in his life to her before.

“We’ve already eaten,” Juliet said.

“Like I didn’t know you’d start without me,” Randolph joked. “How’s mother and baby?”

“We’re both just fine.”

“Excellent, any hints you want to share?” he asked.

“No, and you’re not supposed to ask, remember? You’ll have to wait and see just like everyone else.”

“Hints?” Alyssa asked curiously.

“It’s a long, crazy story, but the gist is that the family’s betting on the date of arrival.”

“Betting, really?”

“Oh, yes, when my sister-in-law, Madison, had her twins my husband won the pot.”

“That’s funny,” Alyssa said.

“Oh, but that’s only the beginning. You’ll see.”

Randolph looked at Alyssa and smiled.

Since he’d already grabbed something to eat, he walked Juliet to her car and said goodbye, then walked Alyssa to her car. They stood there awhile talking, both glad that he was back in town.

“What are your plans for this evening?” he asked.

“I’m taking my grandmother out to dinner.”

“Your grandmother, Allie Granger, I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds like a great lady.”

“She is,” Alyssa said, hoping to postpone or possibly avoid their meeting as long as possible. “So, what about you, any plans tonight?”

“I have a poker game with the fellows tonight.”

“The fellows?”

“My brother-in-law and the rest of the family.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“So I guess this is it. I’ll see you later,” she said.

“When later exactly?”

“I don’t know.”

“How about joining me at a small dinner party tomorrow?”

“Family, friends or colleagues?” she asked.

“Family and friends. Juliet will be there.”

“She’s wonderful. We had a great time.”

“I figured you would. She likes you, too.”

“Really? And how do you know that?”

“It’s a brother thing. So, tomorrow night, dinner?”

“I’ll let you know, okay?” she said evasively.

He nodded, knowing that was all he would get at the moment. And since they were still standing on the street, he didn’t press her for a definite answer.

They said goodbye, and he headed back to his office.

He caught up on some work for the next two hours, then went home, changed and drove back into the city.

The poker game was at Trey’s house in Woodley Park.

He heard the rowdy group before he even rang the doorbell. When the door opened, J. T. Evans, his brother-in-law, shook his head sadly. “My brotha, you might want to turn around and leave while you still can. Trey has been philosophizing all night.”

“Excellent, I could use a bit of comic relief.”

They chuckled and hugged as he walked in and greeted the rest of the players. Tony Gates and his cousin Raymond Gates, Dennis Hayes and Juwan Mason were already there. J.T. handed him a drink as they all took seats at the poker table already set up in the center of the huge living room.

The entire house was designed for a bachelor—rich dark paneled wood, large-cushioned sofas, sleek electronics and of course, a fully stocked bar. A massive flat-screen television hung on the main wall and was turned to a sports channel with the picture-in-picture split screen tuned to two other sports channels. A humidor filled with cigars sat on the coffee table. An enormous buffet of spicy Buffalo wings, smoked meats, fruit and sandwiches was laid out on the side table and a tub filled with bottled beers, sodas and spring water covered with ice sat on either end.

Several brand-new decks of cards were already unpacked and being electronically shuffled and color-coded chips were already stacked at each setting. And of course, Trey started the whole thing as usual.

“So, where is our host?” Randolph asked after greeting everyone.

“An important phone call,” J.T. said. “Business, of course.”

“As usual,” the rest chimed in unison.

“There he is,” Trey said as soon as he entered the room and saw Randolph. “Finally a little backup from a true believer.”

Randolph shook his head, already seeing where this was going.

“Told you to leave while you had a chance,” J.T. said.

“No, no, no, don’t go influencing him with that. J.T., Randolph and I are the only ones here with common sense enough to avoid the plague.”

“The plague?” Randolph asked, looking at Raymond. Raymond just chuckled and shook his head.

“Yes, the plague,” Trey reiterated as a round of moans and boos interrupted his tirade. “Okay, now, if you’d just listen to what I was saying, it’s very simple, but only a few of you will really understand ’cause the rest of you are already a lost cause.” There was another loud uproar as everyone started booing Trey.

“And what exactly is this evening’s topic?” Randolph asked.

“What else?” Dennis said.

“Mamma Lou,” they said in unison again.

“Same as it always is, women—” Juwan started.

“Romance, love—” Dennis added.

“Marriage—” Raymond continued.

“And of course, Mamma Lou,” Tony ended.

“Okay, okay, now wait a minute, keep an open mind and hear me out. Here’s my latest theory.” There was another round of groans and moans. But Trey, forever calm and collected, cleared his throat and continued. “The plague is upon us, my brothers. Spread by tender bodies, sexy lips, long, luscious legs and seductively innocent smiles. Now, a number of you are already lost. Consider yourselves extremely blessed to have found the good women you have. But not everyone will find what you have. The rest of us, specifically Randolph and myself, will hold up the honor of bachelorhood because we all know that only lunatics get committed to marriage and this is why.”

The groans and moans got even louder.

Chapter 15

“H
i, perfect, you’re right on time,” Alyssa said, hurrying down the front steps just as Randolph got out of the car.

“Hi,” Randolph said, looking at her, slightly puzzled as he walked around to open the door for her. “Is this your grandmother’s house?”

“Yes.”

“I was curious about the different address you gave me when I called. Are you visiting for the day?”

“No, actually I moved in with her.”

“When did all that happen?” he asked, then closed the door and went back around to the driver’s side. “When did you move in?” he repeated as he sat behind the wheel and started the car.

“Umm, Saturday morning and all last week.”

“I see,” he said, pulling away from the curb.

“She needs me right now and I need to keep an eye on her and her Alzheimer’s to make sure she’s safe. The disease is so unpredictable. There’s no way of telling when it’s going to come on.”

“Okay, speaking of which, when do I get to meet this remarkable woman? I expected to meet her this evening,” he said.

“Soon. She was napping when I left,” Alyssa said, happy that her secret was still safe. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she could avoid the two of them meeting, but she was definitely going to do her best to make it as long as possible.

“I hope so. I’m looking forward to meeting her, and your dad, as well,” he said, steering onto an access ramp leading to northern Virginia. “What’s he like?”

“My dad, he’s great. He knows everything there is to know about beer and wine and I’m seriously not just bragging. His name is Benjamin Wingate and he owns Wingate Lounge in D.C. It’s one of the few bars that still has its own distillery on the premises. He even knows how to run it.”

“A distillery, cool. And he still operates it, that’s very interesting,” he said.

“Yeah. Of course, he doesn’t actually make his own alcohol or beer, but my grandfather did when he had it years ago.”

“Your grandfather owned it first?”

“Actually, my great-grandfather owned it first, back in 1933. It was right after Prohibition was over. Apparently everybody and their brother was opening a bar or lounge or pub when the laws changed. Few of them survived, obviously, but Wingate was one of them.”

“It’s been in the family for over seventy-five years?”

“That’s right,” she said proudly, “through riots and wars and storms and everything else, it’s been there.”

“And what about you? You ready to be a barkeep?”

“Actually I work there on the weekends sometimes when my dad needs help. I started when I was in college. The tips helped pay for my books.”

“Really? I’ve always thought that there was something particularly sexy about a woman behind a bar.”

“Uh-huh, is that right?”

“Oh, most definitely,” he assured her. She smiled and shook her head. “So that means that someday you’ll be taking over for your dad, right?”

“I don’t think so. As a matter of fact, my dad’s talking about retiring soon and moving to a warmer climate. He said that he’s tired of the business and he’s ready for something new and different.”

“I can see that,” Randolph said.

“So, tell me about the wine business. What’s it like to own a winery in San Francisco?”

“Not as glamorous as you might think.”

“What’s the day-to-day like?”

Randolph started talking and Alyssa listened and asked questions. The conversation continued until they pulled off the beltway, at McLean. They continued onto the main road, then turned down a few side streets and traveled a few more miles until they drove down a long private driveway.

They pulled up in front, then drove around the circular brick driveway already crowded with stylish late-model cars. “Wow, look at all these cars, it’s like a private showroom or something. Dinner with just family and friends, huh?” she confirmed as the car came to a stop.

“Precisely,” Randolph answered, parking between a gray Saab and a dark green Lexus.

She nodded, looking around anxiously. “Nonbusiness, nonpolitical associates, no newspapers or photographers, right?”

“Not a politician or photographer in the bunch, I promise you,” he assured her, then reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing her. She nodded weakly. He could feel the tension in her stiffness. “Come on, relax. It’ll be fun and you’ll be fine. Trust me, remember, just family and friends.”

“So, what exactly did you tell them about me?”

“I said that I would be bringing a guest, a friend, a very close friend.”

“And they’ll be discreet?”

“They’re like family to me. Believe me, they’re not likely to take out a full-page ad in the newspaper. Why?”

“I just don’t want this getting around.”

“This?” he asked.

“This, us…hanging out, you know.”

“Why not? We’re not doing anything wrong. We like each other and enjoy being together. That’s nobody’s business but ours, and if by chance, others know, so be it.”

“It’s not that easy. I mean, for you. You have a reputation—” she began.

“I also have a life and I want you to be part of it.”

“I’m just not ready to be publicly outed yet. Can you understand that?”

He paused, seeing the angst in her expression. “Okay, as you like. We’ll be discreet.”

She nodded again as Randolph got out and walked around to her side of the car. She tried to relax, but her nerves were just too jittery. Meeting Randolph’s sister was one thing. Now meeting others in his life was definitely another. Suddenly she wondered how many women had been in her very same position.

The door opened. He took her hand and she followed him down the brick-lined lane to the front door. He rang once. And a few seconds later, the door opened and the evening began.

Dinner at the Evans family home in McLean, Virginia, was beyond memorable. What started off looking like complete chaos turned out to be a very elegant sit-down dinner for sixteen in a home that could only be described as utterly breathtaking. By the end of the evening, Alyssa felt like a princess at Prince Charming’s ball.

First they were immediately welcomed at the front door by Jace and Taylor Evans, who were the perfect hosts. They made her feel instantly welcome. Taylor introduced Alyssa to Madison, Tony’s wife, who did the honors of introducing her to everyone else. Dispersed through the first floor and out on the veranda, everyone was cordial and amiable, greeting her with open arms.

J.T., Kennedy, Juwan, Raymond and Hope were in the living room discussing art therapy. They paused to welcome her and to chat a few moments. Randolph told them how they met and the conversation turned to great first meetings as everyone talked about theirs. Then as the discussion turned again, Randolph and Madison stayed to add their two cents as J.T. got up and continued with Alyssa.

“Hi, Gorgeous, miss me?”

Just exiting the living room, Alyssa looked up at a large blue and gold bird in a huge elaborately adorned, gilded cage standing in the corner beside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“And this is Gorgeous,” J.T. said, making another introduction.

“Oh, my goodness, he’s beautiful. What kind of bird is he?” The large bird flew down to the nearest wooden post and sidestepped to get closer.

“He’s a South-American macaw and he’s outrageously spoiled, so don’t let him fool you.”

“May I?” she asked, before moving closer.

“Sure,” J.T. said.

“Hi, Gorgeous, miss me?” the bird repeated, nuzzling closer to the edge.

“Hello, Gorgeous,” Alyssa said, smiling, then sticking her finger in and stroking the shocking neon-blue and gold feathers. The bird dipped his head repeatedly, encouraging her to continue. She did happily.

“A word of warning, if we don’t walk away now, he’ll have you doing that the rest of the evening. As I said, he’s really spoiled thanks to Keni and Madi.”