CHAPTER 15
Tyson
Tyson got up early the next morning. He couldn’t sleep.
He wasn’t accustomed to anyone being in his home besides him, and something about having estrogen flowing through the house excited him.
He hadn’t had a serious relationship in years, and just the thought of having female interaction was a nice change of pace, especially when the woman was Gabrielle.
She was young, respectful, and as sweet as they came.
He hadn’t understood why Dilvan, his idiot cousin, would treat her the way he had.
She was utterly beautiful. He meant it when he told her that at dinner last night.
And not only was she pretty on the outside – she was just as beautiful on the inside.
There was something refreshing about her. Enchanting, even.
She was one of those natural sisters – had thick, black hair, bundled up into a bun.
The natural hair not only gave her an exotic look, but she looked real.
Looked like nature birthed an angel. She had smooth, milk chocolate, blemish-free skin that the sun shone favorably on as if she was one of the chosen.
She didn’t need to pile on makeup to look beautiful or hide flaws because she had none – none that were physical, anyway.
Her eyes were bright and dark brown. Beautiful, perfectly curled eyelashes decorated her eyes.
Her lips are plump and full. She had a smile that could transform darkness into light.
Nothing about her repulsed him. Not one thing.
The only thing wrong with Gabrielle was her mental state, her age, and the fact that she was married to his cousin.
Dilvan had damaged her far beyond what he or anyone else would ever know.
He knew that for sure because she hadn’t liked making eye contact when speaking to him.
And even after they spent the day together yesterday, she felt leery about inviting him into her room last night, as if he would harm her somehow.
She was also young, twenty-one, inexperienced and just really starting to live on her own.
And the family drama – his life was too good to get involved with any of it.
As it stood, he was already involved since doing this favor for Padma, and he would see it through.
He would help Gabrielle get back on her feet.
He’d be her friend, confidant, and whatever else she needed him to be.
And he’d make sure Dilvan never hurt her again.
* * *
While Gabrielle was still sleeping, he made breakfast pastries – sausage, eggs, bacon, cheese, ham and veggies – all baked in a pastry and smothered with country gravy. He’d also taken the time to make a fruit salad with strawberries, peaches, and mangoes.
Tyson took some plates from the cabinet and placed them on the island in front of the barstools where they’d sat last night.
Then he waited. Gabrielle was up pretty late the night before, so he wasn’t sure what time she’d come down for breakfast. His house was small, so he’d know right away when she was out of bed.
Since he hadn’t heard any noises, she was still sleeping.
Or, maybe she was just resting, lying there and thinking about the predicament she was in.
He didn’t know, but until she came down, he’d go about his business. He poured a cup of coffee and called Padma. He hadn’t spoken with her in a couple of days, and he needed to check in with her about the desserts for the restaurant and to give her an update on Gabrielle.
“Hi, Tyson,” she answered. “I meant to call you yesterday, but I got sidetracked.”
“I know how busy you are, Padma. You don’t have to explain.”
“How’s my girl?” Padma inquired.
A smile touched his lips. “She’s doing well now that she’s free from your son.”
Padma sighed. “Speaking of Dilvan, he decided to come home early.”
“Why? His shoot got canceled?”
“No. Somehow, he found out Gabrielle was your uncle’s bone marrow donor, and now he feels a certain kind of way about it.”
Tyson snapped his head back. “Wait…what?”
“Oh, you didn’t know either? We did a good job of keeping it under wraps, but yes, Gabrielle was the donor. It’s why I named the foundation after her.”
“Man! I did not know that,” Tyson responded while thinking about the selflessness of Gabrielle to do something so honorable for his uncle.
“Hardly anyone knew,” Padma continued. “I wanted to keep it that way, and I especially didn’t want Dilvan to know.”
“Why’s that?”
“I didn’t want him to develop an affection for Gabrielle only because of what she did for his father. I wanted him to fall in love with her because he realized how good of a woman she was to him.”
“Yeah, and how’d that work out? Maybe if you’d told him–”
“I know, but what’s done is done.”
“So, he came back early because he found out?”
“Yes. I don’t know how he found out, but he did. He called himself confronting me because I didn’t tell him about what Gabrielle had done. Tyson, you know I’m a pretty easygoing person, but I let him have it.”
“I don’t understand why he feels he has the right to be so angry.”
“I’ll tell you why. He’s trying to blame me for the way he treated Gabrielle. I was right–had he known about the transplant, he would’ve treated her with more compassion. So it’s my fault for not telling him.”
Tyson shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s what I told him.”
“So, he’s supposed to be remorseful now?”
“According to Beatrice, he is. She said he’s been less talkative and is very withdrawn.”
Tyson rubbed his mustache, thinking about this.
If Dilvan wanted to apologize to Gabrielle, he didn’t see the harm in it, but he would be present, just in case Dilvan tried to do anything to her.
But would she go back to him? That’s what bothered him even more, because while he knew he couldn’t make decisions for grown folk, something about this situation made him want to.
She couldn’t go back to him – not after everything she’d been through.
If anything, she should be pressing charges.
There was no reason why he was still free and among society after the things he did to her.
“What’s on your mind, Tyson?”
“I was wondering if allowing Dilvan to apologize to Gabrielle would help her move forward, or set her back even more.”
“Honestly, I don’t want her anywhere near him.
My son needs to be taught a lesson, and while I hate what he did to Gabrielle, at least now he sees how his attitude and treatment of people can backfire.
Just because you have money doesn’t mean you walk around with your nose in the air.
I mean, look at you–you’re successful. You own a chain of five-star restaurants, and you treat people with respect.
That’s what I’ve always admired about you, Tyson.
Money has never changed you. You’re still modest. You live in that cute little house when you could live in a mansion if you chose to do so.
You help me out at the restaurant–devoting your time to cook desserts that you fund with your own money. If only Dilvan could be more like you–”
“No one is like me, Padma. I’m one in a million.”
“You truly are.”
“But hey, maybe Dilvan will change. He’s still young–still doesn’t know what he wants out of life. Don’t have a clue how to treat people. Everything is about him. What he wants. What he needs. One thing is for certain, though–I won’t let him lay another hand on Gabrielle.”
“You two have been getting along well, I take it.”
Tyson took a sip of coffee. “We have. She’s a remarkable young woman. I’ve only spent a few days with her and I know that. He had her for six months and blew it.”
“Do you think she has it in her to forgive him?”
“There ain’t enough forgiveness in the world,” I say.
“You know forgiveness is for her–not him.”
“I don’t care who it’s for. After two miscarriages, ain’t nothing he could do or say to make it right. Not a thing.”
“I hear you, nephew. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you too much longer.”
“Wait, while I have you on the phone, how are you on desserts at the restaurant?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say we’ll be good until Monday.”
“Okay. I’ll be there Monday morning to make another fresh batch of pastries.”
“Sounds good, Tyson. I’ll see you on Monday, then.”
“Yep.”
Tyson set his phone back on the table, then walked to the living room and stood at the bottom of the staircase, listening for noise upstairs. He heard the creaking of the floor and smiled. He was sure Gabrielle would be down any minute now.
To pass the time, he took his laptop to the kitchen and checked the inventory for his restaurants.
Whenever a certain item of food was low, he’d get automatic notifications through the high-tech inventory system he purchased.
He hadn’t delegated this process to any of the restaurant managers because he liked to keep a hand in the business without fully putting all the work on the staff.
After all, it was his business. He still wanted to feel a part of it.
“Good morning,” Gabrielle said, startling him. He was so engrossed with ordering products, he hadn’t heard her come downstairs.
He immediately turned around, saw her standing there in a pink blouse and white shorts.
“I didn’t scare you, did I?” she asked.
He grinned. “No. I was so busy playing around on my laptop that you were able to sneak up on me.” He folded his laptop shut. “Anyway, come on in and have a seat. I cooked some breakfast.”
Gabrielle got comfortable on a barstool, then yawned while rubbing her eyes.
“Still tired?” Tyson inquired. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 11:00 a.m.
“A lil’ bit.”
“You’re not having trouble sleeping, are you?”
“I think it’s just because I’m in a strange environment.”
Tyson grinned. “What’s so strange about my house?”
“You know what I mean,” Gabrielle responded with a smile on her face.
“Do you drink coffee?”
“No. I’ve never tried coffee. My dad didn’t drink coffee, and he never let us drink it either.”
“Then what is your morning beverage of choice? I have cranberry juice, apple juice, V8, and there’s always water.”
“Water is fine.”
She watched Tyson take a tall glass, walk over to the refrigerator and hold the glass under the ice dispenser. Then he filled it with water and walked back toward her with the glass and a plate of food.
“Here you go. Let me grab your fruit bowl.”
He quickly walked back over to the counter, took a bowl of fruit, and placed it in front of her. After gathering the rest of the food, he sat down next to her.
“Oh, I thought you might’ve eaten by now,” Gabrielle told him.
“Nah, I wanted to wait for you. I enjoy our conversations over meals.”
That brought a smile to her face.
Skipping the fruit for now, she looked at the plate and asked, “What’s under the gravy?”
“Taste and see.”
Gabrielle broke off a chunk of the pastry with her fork and after rolling it around in the gravy, she tasted it.
Tyson watched her chew. His aphorism as a pastry chef was to use food to seduce the palate and he was a great seducer. His tasty pastries were featured in Food Network Magazine and Bon Appétit. Many celebrities visited his restaurants all around the country to try his famous recipes.
“That’s really good,” she said enthusiastically. “Oh my goodness!”
“That good, huh?”
“Mmm,” she mumbled. “Yes. What is it?”
“What did you taste?”
“I think I tasted eggs, bacon, some vegetables...”
“Yes, and a few other meats and some cheese. I baked it in a pastry, then made this country gravy to top it off.”
“Delicious,” she commented, right before taking another forkful to her mouth.
He began eating as well. “I spoke to Padma this morning. She told me Dilvan was back.”
Gabrielle frowned and dropped her fork on her plate. “Back? He wasn’t supposed to come back until Sunday.”
“I know. He came back early.”
Tyson watched her instantly withdraw as if the thought of Dilvan being back in town brought fear to her heart. Her hand was visibly shaking.
“Why–why is he back so early?”
“Well, apparently, he found out about the good deed you did for his father.”
Gabrielle covered her mouth. “Oh my gosh! He wasn’t supposed to know. I–I can’t believe this.”
“Gabrielle?” Tyson said, to get her attention before she completely lost it. “Talk to me.”
She sighed. “I didn’t want Dilvan to know because I just knew if he found out, he’d hate his father as much as he hates me.”
“I’m not following you, Bri.”
Gabrielle blew a breath and placed her hands at her temples. “It took a part of me to save his father’s life, so as much as Dilvan despises me, I thought that, if he found out I was the donor, he’d begin to hate his father just as much.”
“It’s having the opposite effect. According to Beatrice, he’s been beating himself up over the way he’s been treating you after finding out what you did for his father...my uncle.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Believe it. Padma told me this morning.”
Exasperated, Gabrielle sighed heavily and snapped, “I can’t believe she told him!”
“She didn’t. She doesn’t know how he found out, but I’m certain she wasn’t the source.”
Tyson took a sip of coffee. He hated this as much as she did, but he also didn’t like the fact that her whole demeanor changed at the mention of Dilvan’s name.
No one should make another person tremble or feel the amount of fear he imagined she was feeling right now.
“Let me ask you–would you be willing to have a sit-down with him?”
“No,” Gabrielle responded quickly, her hands trembling.
Tyson saw her hand shaking and touched her arm. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
“I don’t want to talk to him, Tyson.”
“I’m not going to force you to, Bri. I just think it’s an integral part of your healing process.
Just think about it, and shall you decide you want to, I’ll be right there.
Just let me know when and where. And, if you decide you don’t want to, I’ll respect that, too.
Just think about it and let me know. Can you do that? ”
She nodded.
“Perfect. Now, let’s finish breakfast. I’m taking you phone shopping today.”
“Phone shopping?” she questioned, looking him in the eyes.
“Yes. You need a cell phone, correct?”
“Yes,” she replied sheepishly. “But–”
“That’s why I’m taking you phone shopping, my dear,” he said, holding her gaze and biting into a juicy slice of mango.