Chapter Thirteen - Kenya
Chapter Thirteen
Kenya
T hey both stumbled up the wooden stairs as Gideon held tightly onto Kenya’s waist, and she was grateful because she needed him to hold her up. Climbing the stairs seemed like a massive undertaking and seemed to take forever, but they finally made it to the top. He began singing a song out of nowhere, one that she’d never heard before—off-key. She giggled and shushed him when they walked past Phoebe’s room. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt her writing or awaken her if she’d been asleep. Gideon delivered Kenya to the door of her room. She stuck the gold key in the lock, opened the door, and turned to face him.
“Good night,” she said.
“You wouldn’t want me to come tuck you in . . . would you?” he whispered with a slur.
She grinned like a schoolgirl. “Not a chance.” Though her mouth was saying no, she was secretly wishing he would press the issue.
He leaned in, his nose almost touching hers. She could feel his breath on her face. She thought he might kiss her, and she wasn’t sure about how she would react if he did. Would she turn away or would she welcome it, kiss back? Was a kiss too soon? After all, she’d only known the man a few hours. He’d only waltzed into Lu’s Seaside Inn and into her life just after two o’clock in the afternoon. No matter how much she reasoned, she had to admit she wanted him to kiss her, even if it was just a peck on the lips.
“Good night, beautiful woman,” he whispered into her ear.
She simply smiled and watched as he stumbled his way to the Cherry Blossom suite just down the hall. He stood in front of the door, searched for his key in the pocket of his sweats and, once found, he held it in the air so she could see. It took him a few minutes to get the key to work inside the lock, but once he did, he gave her a wink before going inside. She giggled, shook her head, and retreated inside her room.
She’d chosen the Harlem room, the one that proudly displayed paintings of a few Harlem Renaissance musicians—Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. A portrait of Langston Hughes hung above the antique bed frame. The room had a jazzy feel with its bright colors. An old jukebox played music when you dropped coins into it. Kenya dropped a coin into it and selected Duke Ellington’s and John Coltrane’s “In a Sentimental Mood.” She turned the volume down low, so as not to disturb anyone, wrapped her arms around her own waist and danced around the room, and reminisced about her evening with the Gideon Harper. She hadn’t expected to enjoy herself so much. With him, she was able to just be herself, let her hair down, and she took note of how good that felt. With the men she chitchatted with on those dreadful dating sites, she had to put on a persona. But not with Gideon. She hadn’t even worn her best clothing that day, hadn’t made up her face, but he didn’t care.
She stayed on the veranda with him much longer than she’d intended and drank too much. Every time she had tried to tear herself away, they would start a new conversation and laugh about something else. He was certainly charming. She could’ve stayed out there for the entire night, but after they’d finished off the third bottle of wine and two shots of whiskey— each —she knew she needed to call it a night.
She shut the blind on the window that overlooked Lu’s flower garden and began to undress. Her phone rang. It was Lu. Kenya contemplated whether she should answer. The last thing she wanted was for Lu to know that she had been drinking— a lot— and, worse, drinking with a guest. After all, she had entrusted her to run the inn, not be drunk out of her mind. She decided to let the call roll into her voicemail. She would return Lu’s call in the morning.
After a few moments, Kenya listened to Lu’s voicemail, placed it on speakerphone as she started the shower.
“Hi honey. I tried calling you earlier, but you didn’t answer. Lorenzo told me that you were having dinner on the veranda with Gideon. I’m so glad you two got to meet. After all, he is Zach’s best man and you’re my maid of honor. I think it’s important for you to get to know each other, up close and personal. He’s a nice guy, huh?” Lu rambled on. “You won’t believe the kind of day I had. I met John Samuels and his daughter from hell. She was so rude and just a total . . . never mind. Enough about her. Anyway, I had a nice conversation with John about my mother, and let’s just say I need to have a long chat with Yana the next time I see her. . . .”
Kenya stepped into the shower as Lu continued to ramble on about John Samuels and her visit. Soon, she closed her eyes as the water cascaded over her. Her mind drifted to Gideon. She thought about his smile, his voice, the way his eyes danced when he talked about the things he loved. She replayed their conversation in her head, laughed about the things that they’d laughed about earlier. After she’d washed all her intimate parts and stepped out of the shower, she dried off and put on a pair of silk pajamas. She collapsed onto the queen-sized bed, slid beneath the silk sheets as her head sunk into the softness of the pillow. She began to drift off— slowly .
* * *
As the sunshine crept across her nose in the morning, she opened her eyes and woke up in a panic. Kenya sat straight up in bed and reached for her phone to check the time. It was already eight o’clock. She’d wanted to be up by six thirty by the time the birds began chirping and Max had started breakfast. As the smell of Applewood smoked bacon drifted through the air, she knew she’d already missed that deadline. Plus, she wanted to return Lu’s call before she’d called a second time. She’d overslept. After she pulled herself out of bed and rushed into the bathroom to wash her face, she dialed Lu’s number.
“Good morning.” Lu’s voice was raspy, like her sleep had been interrupte
“Good morning yourself. Sorry to wake you,” Kenya said, remembering that there was a three-hour time difference between the east and west coast.
“No worries. I’m still on east coast time anyway.”
“Are you feeling better?” Kenya asked.
“Somewhat,” Lu said. “You must have turned in early last night. How are things at the inn?”
“All is well. Both Phoebe and Gideon checked in yesterday.”
“I know. And I heard you had dinner with Gideon. How was that?”
“It was . . . okay. He’s nice.”
“He’s handsome, too, huh? Huh? ”
“He’s . . . attractive, yes.”
“Zach and I both had forgotten that he was coming. So, I’m glad you took care of him.”
“Of course.”
“I’m really happy that you had dinner with him, too, made him feel welcome since we’re not there.”
“I did.” Kenya changed the subject and plopped down on the bed. “So . . . you met the offspring yesterday.”
“The offspring.” Lu laughed at Kenya. “Two of them were nice. The oldest one, Milan—not so much. She was horrible. She’s completely a daddy’s girl and my presence really bothered her.”
“Typical daddy’s girl. Afraid that you might take her place.”
“She doesn’t have anything to worry about. I could never take her place. I don’t even know John that well. John Jr. was the only friendly one.”
“I’m sorry the introductions didn’t go as well as expected, honey.”
“I had no expectations, but I was certainly prepared. I guess I just wanted them to like me, accept me. I did get to speak with John alone, though. I got the chance to ask my questions. Some of them, anyway. I got some answers.”
“Well, you should get them all answered. That’s why you went there, right?”
“Yes. It’s why I’m here.”
“I know this is tough for you, to not be in control this time, Lu. This situation is making you feel very vulnerable and that’s not a comfortable place for you. And on top of it, you can’t be here at the inn to handle things. Your normal world has been disrupted,” Kenya said. “But I assure you, everything is fine here. You have no worries. Your focus should be on why you’re there, to connect with your father and find your answers.”
“I must admit you’re right, my friend. I’m out of my comfort zone. Though I’m not worried about the inn at all. I knew you would handle things. But I don’t know how much longer I can take being here.”
“You’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. You should stay and get your questions answered. You might not get another chance if John is as sick as you say he is.”
“They’ve given him a few months to live.”
“Wow.” The news saddened Kenya.
“You’re right about everything. And thank you.”
“Put your big girl panties on and get back over to that hospital. You have every right to be there.” Kenya wished she could be there with Lu, to hold her hand and walk her through this process. But she knew that her friend was strong and capable. Plus, Zach was there with her. She’d be fine.
“I have my big girl panties on.”
“Well, good. I have to go. I think Marissa just arrived. Plus, I want to check out Max’s award-winning French toast.”
“Ha, ha! Go eat the French toast and write a review about it while you’re at it,” Lu quipped. “Have a wonderful day, my friend, and we’ll talk soon.”
She was gone, and Kenya sat there on her comfortable bed for another moment. Reluctantly, she got up and quickly dressed.
* * *
Max was preparing breakfast as he did every morning. He smiled when Kenya stepped into the kitchen.
“Good morning.” He held a glass pitcher of orange juice in his hand. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“Um, sure,” Kenya said. “I don’t know that the other guests will be down, though.”
“I took Miss Taylor some coffee and toast up this morning.”
“Maybe we should wake the other guest, Mr. Harper. See if he wants breakfast.”
Max grabbed a crystal glass from the shelf, poured orange juice into it, and handed it to Kenya. “Mr. Harper has already eaten and now he’s gone for a run.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So, where will you be dining this morning?”
“Um. I guess I’ll eat in the dining room. It looks a bit chilly outside.”
“Great. Have a seat and I’ll make you a plate.”
“Thanks, Max.”
* * *
After enjoying Max’s French toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs in the dining room, Kenya stepped outside. She needed to head home for a bit, let Ralph out and feed him. She made her way up the stretch of the beach to her home and opened the front door. Ralph met her at the door, panting. It smelled stuffy inside since she hadn’t been there to open the windows as she did every morning to allow a breeze to flow through her space.
“Hey, Mama’s sweet boy, did you miss me?” She massaged Ralph’s head, something he thoroughly enjoyed, and let him out the front door.
While he was outside handling his business, she went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from her stainless-steel refrigerator. She pulled open the kitchen curtains and admired her view of the ocean. She opened a can of dog food with the electric can opener, replenished the food in one of Ralph’s pans, and poured water into the other one. When she went back to the front door to check on him, it seemed he’d found a new friend. Gideon leaned down and stroked his golden mane. Kenya watched them both for a moment.
“I see you’ve met my baby,” she said.
Gideon looked up and saw her standing there, “Who Ralph? Yeah, we’re old friends now.”
She couldn’t help thinking how quickly Gideon had gotten under her skin.
“Well, your old friend needs to come inside and eat his breakfast,” Kenya said. She called to Ralph, “Come on, boy.”
Ralph was obedient and rushed toward her. He stopped just long enough for her to rub his head and then he went inside. Kenya stepped outside, shutting the front door behind her.
“You were up early this morning.”
“I run every morning. At least two miles,” he explained. “Maybe you can join me sometime.”
“Maybe.”
“How about tomorrow morning at seven?”
“Ooh, that’s early.”
“It’s the best time for a run, really. You in?”
“You drive a hard bargain,” Kenya was a runner in her younger days. She’d become lazy over the years, though, claiming that she was going to get back to a regular exercise regimen, though she never had time.
“It’s exhilarating, really.”
Running was exhilarating. And she was good at it. “Okay, why not?”
Gideon started to lightly jog, to finish his run. “Dinner again. This time on the beach.”
It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. Who did he think he was, anyway, making plans for her all willy-nilly? However, a repeat of last night’s dinner sounded delightful to Kenya. She didn’t want to seem too eager, though.
“I don’t know, I . . .”
“We had too much fun last night. You can’t say no.”
“I can’t?”
“No, you can’t. You know that Lorenzo is probably cooking something fabulous again. Can’t let good food go to waste. Remember the children . . .”
“Oh right, the starving ones. Yeah, we can’t let that happen.” Kenya giggled. “Yes, I will join you for dinner on the beach.”
“Save the children,” he yelled before his light jog turned into a brisk run back toward Lu’s inn.
She watched as he disappeared into the morning sunshine. She was suddenly giddy with anticipation. Could hardly wait to see what the evening’s dinner would bring.