Page 18 of Taste The Smoke
Her sharp gasp came through the line. “Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories.”
“You didn’t. I can talk about it now. Melanie was an adrenaline junkie and loved living life on the edge. From bungy jumping, parasailing, and mountain climbing, she did it all. She and a group of her girlfriends were climbing their last mountain before she got married and one of them lost her footing, slid into Mel and took them both down. Her friend died instantly, but Mel hung in there for a day before succumbing to her injuries.” He waited for the deep, searing pain that always followed the mention of Melanie’s name or reliving the circumstances of her death, but this time, it never came. Closing his eyes briefly, Alonzo felt only…peace.
“I am so very sorry for your loss, Alonzo.”
“It was a long time ago, and in case you have any worries about being a replacement for her, you’re not. One, it’s beensix years and the love I had for her, I buried with her. Two, you could never be a replacement for any woman. I fell for you because you’re beautiful inside and out.”
“You are so good for me,” she whispered. “I’ve never met a man like you.”
“I feel the same, and I hope that’s a good thing.”
“It’s a very good thing.” They fell silent for a few seconds, then she said, “I should probably let you go. It’s closing time.”
He glanced over at the wall clock. “Yeah, it is. What time do you want me to get there on Saturday?”
“Around eleven would be fine. That way we both can sleep in,” Kenya added with a laugh. “All these late night phone calls are killing a sister. I have no regrets, but having trouble keeping my eyes open when conducting a group session isn’t a good look.”
Alonzo let out a short bark of laughter. “I hear you. I caught myself drifting off in the middle of charting notes a time or two. I guess we’ll have to start our conversations earlier, so you can get a good night’s rest.” It wouldn’t help him, though. He’d lost count of the times he’d awaken aroused and hard after dreaming about them making love. His phone buzzed and he pulled it away from his ear and read a text from Sonya asking for his help. “I need to get going.”
“Okay. You two be safe going home.”
“We will. Sweet dreams, beautiful.”
“You, too.”
Alonzo disconnected and sat for a moment. He’d always made a practice of being upfront with any woman he dated, so there’d be no misunderstandings later. Yet, he hadn’t intended to share his feelings so soon. However, he knew that after all she’d been through, Kenya needed some reassurance that this was no game. Assurances he had no problem giving because he was all in and sensed that she might the one.
Pushing to his feet, he left to find his sister, and found her in her office. “What do you need me to do?”
“Can you help me move some boxes to the storage room?” Sonya stood and pointed out the particular boxes. “And then when you come back, while I’m making one last batch of oils, you can tell me all about your newbaby.” She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.
He shook his head and picked up the first two of the six boxes. It only took him a couple of minutes to clear them out of her office. “Need some help?” he asked, entering the room she used as a lab.
“Sure. Now quit trying to stall and tell me about the woman who’s got my big brother whipped. You can start with a name, where you met her and how long you’ve been dating. Oh, and since you’ve pretty much avoided me for the past month, I want to know what happened with Pamela and the date that never happened.” Sonya had already had water heating in a large pot placed on the portable burner.
“Damn, girl. Why are you trying to get in my business like that?” Alonzo reached for a gallon container of grapeseed oil. She’d chosen that particular carrier oil because it was light and easily absorbed into the skin. It also lowered the risk of allergic reaction common with nut oils.
She lifted an eyebrow and folded her arms. “You’ve been in mine since the day I was born, so I should have the same privileges.”
“How much oil?”
“Four cups.”
Alonzo poured the requested amount in a measuring bowl with pour spot, set it inside the double boiler, then propped a hip against the counter. It would take the oil about five minutes to warm. “First, Pamela was into playing games, so I walked.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?” Sonya rolled her eyes as she stirred the oil. “Was she ignoring your calls, trying to make you spend hundreds of dollars on nonsense, wanting you to engage in a threesome with a friend…what?”
Every now and again—like now—he wished he was an only child. While growing up, she’d been his shadow and asked him a million questions every day. He’d never minded because he loved her as much as he loved breathing. Since they’d become adults, she had started taking it upon herself to police his love life, especially after Melanie’s death. Admittedly, she’d been right about a couple of the women, but some things, he liked to keep private. Tonight, it didn’t look as if he’d be able to leave until he gave up the at least some of the details. Alonzo dragged a hand down his face. “She thought it would be a good idea to deliberately keep me waiting because, in her mind, I’m over forty and desperate.”
Sonya frowned. She added four grams of CBD isolate powder to the oil and gently stirred the mixture until it was clear, then set the bowl aside to cool. “That heffa is out of her mind. Iknewshe was no good, and I’m so glad you found out before things got serious. I would’ve probably been that person standing up at the wedding when the minister asked if anyone protests the marriage shoutingnooo.”
“Sometimes, I don’t know about you.” Alonzo didn’t doubt she’d do it. She had no issues when it came to speaking her mind. Using oven mitts, he carried the pot to the sink and dumped out the water.
“I’m just sayin’. And the new woman?”
“We met the same evening. I stopped by a bar on the way home. I noticed Kenya crying and went to see if she was okay before I left. She invited me to join her and we’ve been dating ever since.” They lined the counter with small bottles to fill. When the oil had cooled, Sonya added twenty-five drops oflemongrass essential oil to the mixture, stirred, then filled the smaller bottles. Alonzo went behind her and twisted on the tamper-proof caps.
“Aww, you always were a sucker for a woman’s tears. Was she okay? Just leave them there. I’ll put the labels on when I come in tomorrow,” she said of the bottles.
