Chapter Twenty
Avila awakened. She turned on the pillow and groaned, laying her hand across her head. Her eyes opened; then she swiftly shut
them. She choked back a word she had forbidden Ebony to ever say.
Avila turned her head, shielding her eyes against the morning light. Where was Ebony? Her watch read 10:23. Oh, yeah. That
was right. Ebony was at a sleepover. The thought relieved her. She wouldn’t have to get up and make breakfast. She could stay
on the couch and process everything that had happened last night. Too much had happened. As the night wore on, she had battled
fatigue, but now that she was awake, her mind scrambled to remember everything.
Then she remembered the letter Terence found in her mother’s drawer. The memory of his kiss washed over her. That kiss was amazing, even though it made her even more guarded. His lips were warm and supple and soft. His embrace made her feel protected and secure, at least momentarily. When she realized that she loved him, she froze up. All this time, she’d been emotionally running away from him. Despite that, he remained patient. Then Ms. Mable told her something completely amazing. Her mother had been providing for Ebony’s tuition whenever she was unable to do so. What could she make of that?
So much had happened.
Then they had left Ms. Mable’s house, and they kissed again.... She had a memory of him touching her waist. The kiss was
one of the best ever. Then they said good-night, and Terence left.
Avila turned her head into her pillow. Terence was the perfect gentleman. She dragged her feet from under the covers and sat
up, slowly.
Nothing else had happened, even though she toyed with the idea of more happening. After their kiss, she had crashed. She was
exhausted.
Her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. She thought of the papers that Ms. Mable gave her. The receipts from all the
years that her mother had paid for Ebony’s tuition. Wow.
Her mother was an angel in disguise.
Avila put on a shirt and pajama pants. She took careful steps around the room. Where was her purse? Had she left it at the
diner? She had to get something for this headache. She saw her purse lying by the front door. Terence had been kind to bring
it to her at the diner.
She fumbled for the bottle of aspirin, then emptied three into her palm. After she washed them down with a glass of water,
she went back to the couch and lay on top of the covers. It hit her again that she loved Terence. Was that the reason for
the headache? Was it that hard for her to admit to herself that she loved him?
She closed her eyes and pulled her shirt down over her stom ach, wrestling with the excess material. Should she tell him how she felt? Nah. That would be too complicated.
Could she return home, knowing she felt this way?
The question lingered. Perhaps she could. There were a lot of people who lived their lives loving someone else but not doing
anything about it. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?
The more she thought of the question, the more her pulse pounded. The sensation made her uneasy. Worry filled her. She wanted
to get rid of the question and get on with her life.
But the question begged for an answer, and Avila didn’t know how long she could put it off.
She reached for her phone to check her emails, and that was when she saw the message that came in from the theater. The subject
line read: Casting for The Piano Lesson. Avila quickly opened it.
Congratulations, Ebony! We are pleased to announce that you’ve been cast in The Piano Lesson . As you may already know, this is an Equity production. You’ll have to join the union if you aren’t already a member.
A thrill thrummed through her. Her daughter got the role. Yes. Yes. Yes! She would have to tell Ebony when she returned from
the sleepover. Oh my goodness. This was amazing.
This also meant that they would stay in Charleston for a bit longer than planned. The realization hit her. Staying longer
wouldn’t have been as bad if she hadn’t kissed Terence. Kissing him changed everything. Now she’d have to stay and deal with
those emotions. She couldn’t quickly return to New Jersey and forget what happened.
A knock at the door startled Avila.
The knock sounded again. That could be Samantha and Ebony. Avila hoped she didn’t look as bad as she felt.
She headed to the door, ready to tell Ebony the big news. Avila unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Ebony, guess what?”
The excitement left her voice as soon as she saw Terence.
He stood on the porch with a mug of coffee. He hadn’t shaved, and stubble lined his jaw. She met his gaze, the night before
fresh in her mind. What did he think of her now? She could feel her cheeks heating at the memory.
“I’m not Ebony, but perhaps this can make up for it. Brought you some coffee.” He held out the mug.
Avila took it and stared at the brew. Steam swirled upward, carrying the robust aroma to her nose. Her stomach lurched. “Thanks.”
She set it down on the end table. Her hand was unsteady, and a bit of a coffee splashed to the floor.
“You sound happy. What happened?” he asked.
She licked her lips. Should she bring that up with him? Then, they’d have to talk about the change in plans and... everything
else.
He stood there, waiting for her response. Might as well say something. “Um... Ebony was cast in The Piano Lesson .”
“That’s wonderful!” Terence smiled. “That also means that—”
“I know what it means.” Her tone was flat. “We’re staying for a bit longer than anticipated.”
“You don’t sound enthused.”
She held the memory of their kiss. Hopefully, he wouldn’t discuss it. “I’m enthused. I’m very enthused.” Avila closed her
eyes, wishing he’d somehow disappear right now.
He paused for a few seconds, as if sensing her thoughts. “I thought we could do more work on the house today.”
Phew. He didn’t bring up the kiss. Good, but she definitely couldn’t focus on her to-do list. She’d have to rearrange all
of their plans, and that might take a few hours. She’d have to make calls to her supervisor. Check Ebony’s homework that was
due and set up tutoring. “I’m not up to working today. With this change in plans, I have to reconfigure stuff. I need some
time to myself.” She made a move to close the door. “Thanks for the coffee.”
He stopped the door with his hands. “The house needs a lot of work though. You don’t want me to help you out with it today
while you do all of your reconfiguring?”
There was still work to be done, and her need to escape was greater now than ever. But she needed to finish alone. Terence’s
presence did things to her, things she couldn’t understand, much less explain.
“I want to help,” he added.
Avila looked him in the eye. “I know. And I appreciate your help. I just can’t right now. I have a lot on my mind.”
The light in his eyes dimmed. She ignored the guilt she felt inside.
“Are you concerned about the... kiss?”
Just when she thought he was going to let it drop, there it was. She nodded once.
Terence let go of the door. “I get that. If you need time, I’ll give you time. But at some point, we need to talk about last
night.”
Avila remembered the moves she made on Terence and more embarrassment filled her. “Sorry about the kiss. I don’t know where
that came from.”
He looked at her, and she was afraid that he could see everything she felt for him.
“That’s not the part we need to talk about,” he said softly.
His compassion put her on edge. She realized he was talking about everything that had happened last night. He was talking
about the conversation about her past career plans. He was talking about her father. Everything. But she didn’t want to talk
about that. She didn’t even want to think about it. She wanted to hide and run from it all. Just like her father had done
to her and her mother all those years ago.
The idea hit her, and it stole her breath. And Avila wondered if she wasn’t so different from her father after all.