Chemistry of Desire Read online

  “Did I invite you here? Because unexpected is uninvited,” Todd growled.

  “If you’d answer your phone or return a call I wouldn’t have to invade your privacy,” Jason replied. “But since you’ve put up this huge wall around yourself lately, this was my only recourse.”

  “Why don’t you just recourse yourself on out of here?” Todd slowed the treadmill down to a walk and wiped his face with the towel that was slung over his shoulder.

  Jason didn’t seem to react to his brother’s rudeness. In fact, he looked a tiny bit amused. He went over to the refrigerator to see if there was anything worth eating and shook his head when he saw nothing but some withered fruit and takeout containers. “There’s something very familiar and ironic about this situation,” he mused.

  Todd got off the treadmill and went to the kitchen area to get a big glass of water from the water cooler. “What are you talking about?”

  “It wasn’t too long ago that you were coming to my place, uninvited I might add, to needle me about the state of my love life. And now I get to do the same thing to you,” Jason said with a grin.

  Todd’s face darkened with anger, and he was about to tear into his brother when Jason held up both hands. “Look, man, I’m concerned about you. I’m not trying to yank your chain for the fun of it. You went on vacation to get some rest because you were stressed out and tired. You come back from vacation looking like hell and evil as a black snake. I know you well enough to know that something happened between then and now, and you need to talk about it.”

  “No, I don’t. There’s nothing to talk about,” Todd said stubbornly. “Why don’t you go on back to your happy home and mind your own damned business?”

  Jason ignored him as he went over to the super-size sofa and sat down, picking up the remote and turning on the giant flat-screen. “I’m not going anywhere until we talk, because your bad mood is affecting my happy home. I’m worried about you, and what worries me worries my wife. And I’m not having her upset over anything if I can help it. Especially not now. You’re going to be an uncle again.”

  Todd’s whole demeanor changed. “Seriously? That’s great news! When did you find out?”

  Jason looked at him sardonically. “Two weeks after you got back from Hilton Head. Which you would have known if you hadn’t tried to drop off the grid to sulk.”

  Todd looked slightly abashed. “Yeah, you’re right. Let me take a quick shower while you order some takeout. I guess I need to get a few things off my chest.”

  In a short while, the two men were sitting at the counter that divided the kitchen area from the rest of the loft, eating Thai food while Todd filled Jason in on why he’d been acting like an ass for weeks.

  “So after the initial shock of finding out that Emily and I were sharing the house, everything was great. She’s an amazing woman, Jason. She’s brilliant, for one thing. She’s also funny, athletic, totally beautiful and totally natural. Emily is like light-years away from any of the women I’ve been dating. When we were together it was like nothing I’ve ever had with a woman before. That’s why I knew I’d screwed everything up.”

  Jason looked blank for a moment. “I get it. You messed up because you weren’t treating her like she was special. You felt like you needed to start over and do it right,” he said.

  “Exactly,” Todd replied. “You know, I used to dog you about your revolving bimbettes, but that’s what I’ve been doing, too. You think it might be genetic?”

  They both laughed. “I’m serious, man. I used to stay on your case about that endless parade of gorgeous women that trailed after you,” Todd said, “and I started doing the same damn thing. Some of these women are total predators, man. They come after a guy with no shame whatsoever. They set their sights on somebody and come charging. And it’s not like they’re looking to get married. They just want a lot of sex and no commitment. A lot of them bring their own condoms,” he said, shaking his head.

  “All women aren’t that way,” Jason reminded him.

  “Of course they aren’t. I’m not that stupid. But the women I’ve been hanging out with definitely are. No strings, no commitments, they just want a good time. So I’ve apparently forgotten everything I ever knew about how to treat a lady. I should have been trying to get to know Emily instead of hopping in the bed with her. I should have been doing the candy, flowers and long walks thing, but instead I was all over her,” he said glumly.

  “So what did you do about that?”

  “I did the right thing. I told her that I’d made a huge mistake and I wished I’d handled things differently.”

  Jason raised both brows. “Okay, so you manned up. There’s nothing wrong with owning up to your errors and getting a fresh start. How’s that working for you?”

  “Not too well. If I call her cell, it goes straight to voice mail. If I call her at work, she’s in a lecture or a lab or something. If I call her at home, it goes to voice mail. I’ve sent plants, I’ve emailed; I’ve done everything but drive to Columbia to camp on her doorstep.” He looked both angry and miserable. “This is real messed up, Jason. I finally meet the perfect woman and fall in love, and she drops me like a hot rock and I have no idea why.”

  “Man, you sound like you’re about seventeen,” Jason muttered. In a normal tone of voice, he went on. “But since I went through the same thing with my lovely wife and you were a real stand-up brother while I was losing my natural mind, I’m going to help you out.”

  Todd looked slightly intrigued but doubtful. “How?”

  “I know where Emily is going to be and when. That is, if you think seeing her face-to-face would be of benefit to you.”

  Todd answered him in very loud and profane terms, but he was looking much more cheerful as he did.

  Chapter 9

  Emily drove to work with a smile on her face for the first time in weeks. She was feeling a lot better after her friends ambushed her. Their intervention had lifted some of the weight of the depression she’d been unsuccessfully trying to ignore since the end of her disastrous vacation. Now instead of feeling angry, bitter and gullible all day long, she felt bitter when she woke up and gullible before she went to bed. That left her a whole day in between to feel like a normal person, a person who hadn’t been duped in the worst possible way. Pretty soon she would be feeling better in the mornings. Then she’d be feeling better at bedtime, and then she’d be done with the whole thing.

  She parked her Mini Cooper in the faculty lot and walked to her building to get ready for her early class. One thing hadn’t changed: her love for her work. The fact that she’d let her guard down and gotten her heart smashed to atoms wasn’t going to ruin her career. She was actually smiling when she entered the science building. Exchanging greetings with her fellow professors and various students lifted her spirits even more, until she got to her office and found yet another huge potted plant awaiting her. She didn’t bother to look at the card; she knew the name of the sender perfectly well.

  She put her leather tote bag in its usual place and turned on her computer, talking to the department administrator as she did so. “Jessy, do you want another plant? If you do, please feel free to take this one.”

  Jessy was an older woman who handled the biochemistry department’s administrative duties with amazing efficiency. She came into Emily’s office with a wry smile on her face. “I’ll just put it out here with the others. One of these days you’re going to have to give that poor young man a break. He must be going broke sending all these pretty plants.”

  Emily gave her a half smile that was almost diabolical. “Good. I’m off to class,” she said cheerfully.

  Jessy shook her head as Emily took off at her usual fast pace. “You can run but you can’t hide. One of these days that young man is going to catch you. I hope I’m there to see it,” she said mostly to herself.

  Emily was so busy that she didn’t get a chance to check her messages until midafternoon. She was pleased to see that her mother had called.
Ever since Lucie Porter retired from her career in nursing, she’d been traveling. So much that Emily actually saw less of her mother than when she’d been a busy working woman. Emily returned the call and smiled when she heard her mother’s voice.

  “I didn’t know you were home. I thought you were still in Paris.”

  “I am still in Paris, dear. I’m calling because my travel plans have changed. I was coming home next week, but I’ve changed my mind. I talked to Ayanna last night and she had a wonderful idea. Instead of coming back to Columbia, I’m going to Chicago for a couple of weeks. I miss my grand-babies and I want to spend some time with them. And Ayanna wants to give you a big birthday party over the Thanksgiving weekend, so you have to come too. The timing is perfect because it coincides with your break at the university. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

  As usual, Lucie’s good mood was infectious. It was very difficult to be down in the dumps around her. Emily laughed at her enthusiasm. “Mom, slow down! You’re talking so fast I can barely keep up. But, yes, it sounds like a plan. I’ll just come to Chicago, then. It’ll be wonderful to see everybody, but I don’t need to have a birthday party. Tell Ayanna not to worry about it.”

  “Absolutely not! She’s looking forward to it, and she’s already started planning it.”

  Quite naturally, Lucie had the last word. She wasn’t bossy, but she was persuasive and, as she freely admitted, she liked having her own way. Her daughters had no problem indulging her because she was so sweet. They talked a bit more and when the call ended, Emily was smiling. There was a time when she and Ayanna hadn’t been close at all. Ayanna had told Emily about her funky attitude, and after a while Emily had conceded that her older sister was right. It had cleared the air and started them on a path to a much better relationship. She was also much closer to her mother now. She was really looking forward to going to Chicago. It wasn’t until she was walking out to her car that she remembered something vital. She remembered just why going anywhere near the Windy City was a totally bad idea.

  Sherri opened the door to her condo, looking concerned. “Come on in here, Em. You sounded a little stressed on the phone.” She gave Emily a quick hug and patted her on the back before turning to lead the way into the living room. Her condo was nicely decorated in earth tones with pops of bright orange and coral. There were cheerful African and Caribbean prints on the walls, as well as big healthy green plants.

  Emily walked into the living room, where she was greeted with great gusto by Sherri’s adorable and very precocious five-year-old daughter, Sydney. “Hi, Auntie Emily! I haven’t seen you in a long time,” she said. She was the image of her mother. She looked just as Sherri had as a child, right down to the long pigtails and the round eyeglasses that slid down to the tip of her nose.

  Emily picked her up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “It hasn’t been that long has it?”

  Sydney nodded her head vigorously. “It’s been a long, long time. Are you going to have dinner with us?”

  Emily was about to say no when Sherri interrupted. “Yes, she is. So why don’t you go take off your school clothes and wash your hands so you can help me set the table?”

  “Okay!” Sydney wiggled down from Emily’s arms and dashed off to her bedroom.

  “Come on in the kitchen and we’ll talk. We’re just having leftovers, so don’t act like this is an imposition. What’s up?”

  Emily sat on a stool by the counter that served as a breakfast bar and room divider. “I talked to my mom today. She wanted to tell me her travel plans. She’s going to Chicago for a couple of weeks, and I’m supposed to meet her up there because Ayanna wants to give me a birthday party. And I said of course I’d come, sure no problem.” She crossed her arms on the counter and propped her head up with one hand.

  Sherri was making a salad and looked up when Emily stopped talking. “Why so glum? It’ll be a great time.”

  “Where does Todd live, Sherri?” Emily stared at her friend, waiting for the penny to drop.

  “What do you mean, where does he live? He lives in… Oh, I get it. Hmm.”

  “Took you long enough,” Emily said grumpily. “I’ll be walking into the lair of the beast. I’ll see him up there, there’s no question about it. My sister is married to Johnny Phillips. Johnny Phillips’s sister Billie is married to Todd’s brother, and they’re all like best friends. We’re just one big happy freakin’ family. There is no way I could be in Chicago for any amount of time and not run into him.”

  Sherri had finished tossing the salad and put the bowl on the counter. “Good. You should run into him. It’s just what you need to do. You need to show up looking fabulous and rub his nose in it. That way you’ll be free of him and you can move on, leaving him to wallow in his own misery,” she said firmly.

  Emily looked at Sherri as if birds were flying out of her ears. “Are you feeling okay? This is me we’re talking about, Sherri. I don’t do gorgeous. I don’t have the gorgeous gene. I do smart. That’s my whole thing, girlfriend.”

  Sherri ignored her while she began heating the meat loaf and macaroni and cheese that she’d referred to as just leftovers. “Smart and gorgeous aren’t mutually exclusive. All you need is a few minor adjustments to your stubborn mind-set and a couple of fairy godmothers, and you’ll be fine.”

  Before Emily could demand to know what she meant, the doorbell rang. “And here’s our other godmother, right on schedule. Can you see what Sydney is doing and help her set the table while I answer the door? Thanks, Em,” she said breezily as she left the kitchen.

  Emily was too bemused to do anything but follow Sherri’s orders. She went in search of Sydney, who had changed out of her school uniform and into play clothes. She was standing on a little stool washing her hands, like the obedient child she was. “C’mon, chick, we’re going to set the table.”

  As they came down the hall they heard Alexis’s voice, and Sydney ran to greet her while Emily took a deep breath. She had a feeling she was going to be talked into something she wasn’t going to like. When she saw the gloating smiles on her friends’ faces, she gave a deep sigh and prepared to face the inevitable. They most assuredly had big plans for her, and she might as well save herself from long hours of argument and get with the program.

  Chapter 10

  Emily’s prediction proved to be absolutely correct. She didn’t understand quite how they did it, but Alexis and Sherri had convinced her that she was overdue for a new look. They were kind enough not to use the word “makeover,” but that’s what it amounted to. That’s why she was sitting in Alexis’s styling chair on a Sunday. They had gone to the early service at church, and Sydney was spending the afternoon with her grandmother. Emily had so much hair that Alexis wanted to do her on a day when she didn’t have any other clients. She was glad about that, because she would have chickened out if a lot of people were in the salon. Now, since it was just her and Sherri and Alexis, she didn’t mind sitting in the styling chair with a cape tied around her neck.

  She’d never been in the salon for longer than a few minutes, and she was most impressed. It was a clean, uncluttered place with a robin’s egg blue and chocolate-brown color scheme that was soothing and chic. There were a lot of stations for other stylists, as well as a section for manicures and pedicures and other beauty services that Emily had never had. She hadn’t even heard of most of them. Alexis told her to take the elastic off her hair and Emily did so, then she laughed at Alexis’s reaction.

  “Girl, this is a whole lotta hair,” Alexis said. “You’ve got enough for three people.”

  “Yeah, I do. I’ve never had it cut, except for when you used to trim the ends every so often. And as you know, I’ve never had a perm or had it pressed or anything. All I ever did was wash it and braid it up to get it out of the way,” Emily admitted. In a burst of frankness, she said, “It just seemed kind of pointless. I was never going to look as good as my sisters, so why bother. Ouch!” She turned around to stare at Alexis. “You pulled my hair
!”

  “Yes I did,” Alexis said without a hint of remorse. “This is Emily time. This is when you look forward with positivity and joy. We are not spending any time looking back with negativity and anger, you got that?”

  Emily nodded and smiled. It was so good to have girlfriends who were completely and totally on her side. Every woman needed some friends who “had her back,” as Alexis and Sherri did hers. “Yes, Earth Mother, I got it.”

  “All right, then, let’s get to work. Namaste.” Alexis loved having the last word. “And by the way, you’re still not getting a perm. Permanent waves make the hair curlier. Relaxers are what make the hair straighter. I wish people wouldn’t use those terms interchangeably,” she grumbled as she combed through Emily’s hair.

  “I’m putting myself totally in your hands, Alexis. You can dye it, fry it, snip it or clip it, whatever you want. I do have one question. Can my hair be donated to Locks of Love?”

  Alexis gave her a big smile. “Yes, it most certainly can. I’m not going to cut it too short. I’m going to cut it to right below your shoulders. That’s plenty of hair to donate, and you’ll still have a lot to play with.”

  It sounded fine to Emily, and she sat patiently while Alexis took a load off her head. She really felt as if a weight was gone, and she told Alexis so.

  “Just wait until I relax it,” she replied. “You’ll feel even lighter.”