Chapter 13 Giselle
Giselle
“I thought you, Kam, and Taylor were supposed to be going to lunch at one,” Shawn said, coming into the bedroom. He glanced
down at his watch. “It’s already twelve fifteen, and it takes a good twenty minutes to get to her and Tariq’s place.”
Giselle really hadn’t wanted to go out to lunch with them, but of course Kamryn had asked while the entire family looked on,
so she couldn’t readily say no. “I’m leaving in a minute.” She rolled her eyes when she saw Kamryn’s name pop up on her ringing
cell phone. “Hello.”
“Hey, Giselle. Just checking to see if you’re on your way. We don’t want to miss our reservation.”
“I’m heading out the door in a few minutes.”
There was a pause, then Kamryn said, “Since you haven’t left yet, Taylor and I will just meet you there. I’ll text you the
restaurant’s address when I hang up. We’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.” She disconnected, and a moment later the text came through. “I’m going to meet them at Harold & Belle’s instead of
going to the house, so it should cut out some time,” Giselle said to Shawn, who still stood lounging in the doorway. She put
the address into the Maps app. Or maybe not.
With the Saturday traffic, it would take a good forty-five minutes to get to the restaurant from their Redondo Beach home.
Maybe she should’ve just driven to Marina Del Rey.
That way she could’ve been a passenger. Sighing, she stuck her feet in her flats, stood, and picked up her purse.
Shawn pushed off the doorframe and closed the distance between them. He slung an arm around her shoulders and brushed a kiss
over her lips. “Try to enjoy yourself. You’ve canceled on the last couple, yet she’s still inviting you. It sounds like Kamryn
is trying to get to know you. Meet her halfway, and you might be surprised that she’s not as bad as you’ve been making her
out to be.” He placed a finger over her lips when she started to speak. “Just relax. Now get going. Harold & Belle’s isn’t
around the corner.”
“I know.” She headed for the garage with Shawn trailing her. “See you when I get back.”
As Giselle expected, she ran into several pockets of traffic and got there fifteen minutes late. She told the hostess she
was joining two other people and spotted Kamryn and Taylor at a table laughing. Taking a deep breath, she pasted a smile on
her face and started toward them.
“You made it,” Kamryn said with a smile. “I hope you didn’t run into too much traffic. We did.”
Giselle took one of the two vacant chairs. “Same. There’s always traffic, no matter what day it is.” Picking up the menu,
she asked, “Did you guys order already?”
“No,” Taylor answered. “We’re having a hard time deciding. I love seafood, and I’m torn between the catfish, shrimp, and salmon.
Then again, the fried chicken sounds good too.”
Kamryn laughed. “Maybe you’re just hungry.”
“I’m starving. I only ate some yogurt and a boiled egg after I came back from my run. What looks good to you, Giselle?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only been here once years ago, and I don’t remember what I had.
” Daphne had invited Giselle to join her family for her high school graduation celebration after overhearing Giselle’s mother say that she didn’t have money to waste taking her out to dinner, and that it would be better spent on something everyone in the family could benefit from.
Pushing aside the bitter memory, Giselle refocused on the meal choices. After going round and round, they settled on sharing
the catfish nuggets, hot links, and chicken wings appetizers with a couple of sides.
After the server departed, Taylor said, “I probably should’ve gotten a salad since I was eyeing that peach cobbler. Then again,
I may pass because if it doesn’t taste anywhere close to Mama Yvonne’s, I’m gonna be mad.”
“Girl, that part,” Kamryn said, saluting her with her glass of tea.
Giselle smiled. “Hers is the best I’ve eaten.”
Kamryn set her glass down. “Since we’re talking desserts, what’s your favorite, Giselle?”
“Anything chocolate works for me.”
“Oooh, me too.” Taylor brought her hands to her chest and pretended to swoon in the chair. “Then again, I love pound cake,
peach cobbler, apple pie . . .” She waved a hand. “Need I go on?” The three women laughed. “Seriously though, I absolutely
love s’mores. I remember having them almost every weekend as a teen.”
Kamryn wiggled her eyebrows. “Mmm-hmm, and I’m sure there was one particular person who ate them with you. Makes the memory
that much sweeter.”
Taylor angled her head. “I hadn’t thought of it in quite that way, but you’re right. Most of my best memories were with Austin.”
“And the smile on your face says you’re recalling one of them right now,” Kam said.
“My lips are sealed. What about you, Kam? Although whatever you make I’m sure is a favorite because you can throw down in
the kitchen.”
Giselle resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why everyone acted like Kamryn was the only person who knew how to cook was a
mystery to her. So the woman could bake a couple of things.
“Aw, bless you, my sister. Yeah, the 7UP and pound cakes are probably my favorites, but Mama Yvonne’s peach cobbler is right
up there. I made her recipe—just a half—to see if I could pull it off. Tariq thought I’d gotten it from his mom, so I’ll consider
it a success. Have either of you made it yet?”
“I haven’t had time,” Giselle said, reaching for her lemonade. The last time she’d tried to duplicate one of Mama Yvonne’s
recipes, it turned out disastrous, even though she’d followed the instructions to the letter.
Taylor waved a hand. “Girl, no. I’m just going to wait until you or Mama Yvonne makes it.”
“I think you should make it for Austin. It’ll be a perfect welcome home surprise. Then again, he might be looking for a different
kind of welcome.”
“And I plan to give him exactly what he wants.”
The two women shared a smile that wasn’t lost on Giselle, and she felt as if she’d missed something. She couldn’t help but
notice the ease with which they conversed, and in a way, she felt like a third wheel. Thankfully, the server returned with
their food and extra plates.
“Mmm, this smells so good.” Taylor immediately picked up a plate and filled it with a little of everything. “Sorry, y’all.
I told you I was hungry,” she said with a giggle after popping a French fry into her mouth.
Kamryn shook her head and handed a plate to Giselle. “Go ahead and get yours.”
As soon as she started to fill her plate, she heard her mother’s voice in her head.
You still need to get that weight off. A man ain’t gonna stay around a woman who lets herself go.
Mark my words. All men are the same. Instead of the three wings she planned to have, she limited herself to two and added a couple small pieces each of the fish
and links. Giselle skipped the fries and had a little coleslaw.
“Are you on a diet or something, Giselle?” Kamryn asked as she filled her own plate. “There’s plenty, and as hard as you work,
you deserve to splurge every now and again.”
“I’m just not that hungry.” She glanced over at both women’s plates filled with the meats, fries, coleslaw, and garlic bread.
Both always seemed to eat and never gain weight, and once again, it brought back the painful memories of her sisters being
able to do the same, while her mother constantly monitored what she ate. The conversation turned to their jobs, but Giselle
didn’t have much to say.
“How’s the new position coming, Kam?” Taylor asked.
“Good but grueling. We’re hoping to have everything in place to open by summer, so there are some days that I don’t get home
until late. But Tariq has been so amazing, and on those days he has dinner waiting for me. I’m trying to do better about finding
balance because I tend to get caught up and lose track of time. It’s a challenge sometimes, but I hope once the doors open,
things will settle down.”
Giselle shook her head. “Do you think it’s a good idea to be away so much this early in your marriage?”
“My husband understands and is good with it, so we’re fine. I’m certain Shawn would be the same if you had to work overtime.
Am I right?”
“I make sure I don’t let my job interfere with my home time,” she answered, her tone a little snippy.
After watching her parents’ toxic relationship and hearing her father complain about her mother always being busy, Giselle decided she’d never be like her mother and give her husband a reason to want to leave.
She hoped Tariq knew what he’d gotten into with Kamryn.
She loved her brother-in-law and didn’t want to see him hurt.
“It’s great that Tariq is so supportive,” Taylor cut in. “He’s always been that way, and the great thing is he can actually
cook, so it’s a win-win.”
“It is,” Kamryn agreed.
The conversation turned to hobbies, and Taylor said, “I typically go running three or four times a week, but I’ve slacked
off over the past few months. One of the physical therapy assistants mentioned that she enjoyed those adult coloring books
with affirmations, and I thought about buying one to try it out.”
“Oooh, I like that idea,” Kamryn said. “I journal sometimes when I’m stressed, and it helps me relax. But what I’d really
like to do is get back to roller-skating. I’ve been seeing these videos of people on social media, and it brings back so many
memories of my teen years.”
“Oh my goodness. Same! My dad had to pry me away from the roller rink during the summer. We would be there for hours and made up these crazy routines.”
“Girl, I had that crisscross, dip, and leg-kick move down.”
Giselle had always thought she’d missed out on some teenage fun, but listening to them made her realize just how much.
After her father walked out, there hadn’t been money for skates and all the things other kids her age were doing.
Every now and again, her mother took them to a matinee—it was cheaper—where they shared a bucket of popcorn or ordered pizza, but those times were few and far between.
However, she didn’t want Kamryn and Taylor to know about her modest background, so she said, “I remember going skating in the summer, but I never learned to do all those fancy moves.”
A smile spread across Taylor’s face. “We should go skating.”
“As soon as I find five minutes, count me in,” Kamryn said. “We should make it a couples’ night.”
“Yes, girl.” Taylor snapped her fingers and did a little dance in her seat.
They looked at Giselle expectantly. “I’ll see. I haven’t skated in so long, I probably don’t remember how.” And the last thing
she wanted was for them to see her fall on her butt. She’d had enough embarrassing moments to last her a lifetime. She took
a peek at her watch. An hour is long enough. She dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and pushed her chair back. “I’m going to have to run. There are a few things
I have to take care of before it gets too late. I guess I’ll see you guys at Mama Yvonne’s in a couple of weeks for Austin’s
dinner.” Without waiting for a reply, she stood and hurried out of the restaurant.
In her car a minute later, Giselle leaned against the seat and closed her eyes. Maybe this whole bonding thing wasn’t for
her.