Legacy of Love

Chapter 11





Jackson stirred the pot of chili. He sprinkled more cayenne pepper and lowered the flame. Since he would be eating out, he’d prepared his favorite recipe for his sister and niece. He was really worried about Michelle. Travis’s betrayal was hitting her hard. One minute she seemed like she was holding it together and the next she was in a daze. Other times he would walk into a room and find her crying.

He couldn’t begin to imagine the kind of pain that she felt. Even though he and Carla had broken up a while back, he was devastated and sickened by what she’d done to his sister—his sister of all people. Michelle had befriended her. They’d hung out together, traveled in some of the same circles. It was unthinkable. Yet he couldn’t decide who was worst, Travis or Carla. How long had it been going on? Were they seeing each other when he was still seeing Carla? What kind of people had he and his sister fallen for?

He put a pot of water on to boil, added a dash of salt and some olive oil for the rice.

When he and Michelle were growing up, their parents used to fix chili and rice on Saturdays. It was always a treat. They were each assigned a task in preparing the meal: adding the ingredients, grating the cheese, steaming the beans, browning the meat or fixing the rice. He still carried on the tradition. And at least one Saturday a month he fixed chili just the way his family had when he was a kid. He hoped it would stir up some pleasant memories for Michelle, at least for a little while.

“Is that the famous Treme chili I smell?” Michelle yawned as she walked into the kitchen. She came up behind Jackson and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“The nose knows.” He poured in two cup of rice and covered the pot.

“Remember those Saturdays?”

“Absolutely. I figured it would be like the old times, a pleasant memory.” He turned around.

Michelle looked up into his eyes that were identical to her own. “I could use that right now.” She backed away and lowered her head.

Jackson lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “I don’t like tears in my chili,” he teased. “And I was thinking that maybe it’s time we carried on the tradition. Share the famous family recipe with Shay.”

Michelle wiped away a sniffle and a slow smile gently blossomed. “I think she’d like that.”

“Great. You remember all the ingredients, right?”

“Of course!” she said.

He wiped his hands on a dishtowel. “Good. I got the basics started and you can finish up with Shay while I get ready for a date.”

“A date! With…with Zoe?”

He grinned like he’d won the lottery. “Yep. I’m picking her up at six.”

Michelle leaped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I am sooo crazy happy for you.” She kissed him all over his face. “How did all this happen?”

“If you let go of my neck I swear I’ll tell you,” he said, chuckling.

She settled down and sat in a chair. She crossed her legs and waited. Jackson leaned against the fridge and told her about going to the museum and asking for her.

“So you just asked her out to dinner and she said yes? You could be a serial killer,” she said with a grin.

“Thanks, sis.”

“You know what I mean. You don’t know each other.”

“Last time I checked that’s how people got to know each other. Dinner, lunch, talking.” He winked.

“I guess it’s been a while,” she said softly and lowered her gaze.

Jackson came over to her. He took her hand. “Hey, sorry.”

“It’s all right.” She stroked his cheek. “I’m happy for you. I really am.”

“Thanks.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “So I’m going to leave Shay and the Treme family recipe in your very capable hands. I don’t want to be late.” He started out of the kitchen.

“She’s a lucky lady, Jack.”

Jackson glanced back over his shoulder. “I have a feeling that I’m the lucky one.”



Zoe was a bundle of nerves as six o’clock approached. She’d changed clothes an hour earlier and spent the rest of the time pacing back and forth in her office. She’d called Sharlene at least three different times just to be reminded that she was going to have a wonderful time.

She’d been so consumed with her impending date that she’d totally forgotten about seeing Mike and Linda together earlier in the afternoon until Linda knocked on her office door.

“Come in.”

Linda eased the door open and stuck her head in. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Zoe all dressed up.

“Wow. Is it okay if I come in?”

Zoe’s face heated. “Sure.”

Linda came in and closed the door behind her. “Great dress.”

“Thanks.” She quickly sat down and tried to look busy as she began flipping through papers on her desk. “What can I do for you?”

“You already did it.”

Zoe looked up. “What do you mean?”

“I talked to Mike today, like you said.”

Zoe folded her nervous fingers together. The scene she’d witnessed earlier played in her mind’s eye. “What happened?”

“He listened. I told him that I realized that I was making his life miserable, but it wasn’t my intention. I told him that sometimes I have an unorthodox way of letting someone know that I’m…interested in them.”

Zoe smiled. “And?”

“He said he thought I hated his guts. That’s why he never asked me out before.”

“What?” Her expression brightened with delight. “So did he ask you out?”

Linda bobbed her head. “We’re going to Gladys Knight’s place tonight. Can you believe it?”

Zoe laughed. “Yes, I think I do.” Amazing things just kept happening. “I’m glad for you, Linda. I really am.”

“Thanks. And, uh, I really appreciate the advice. I was making a mess of things.” She paused. “You look like you have a date yourself.”

Zoe cleared her throat. “I do. Well, not exactly. Yes, I do.”

“Well, whichever it is, have a good time.” She backed up toward the door.

“You, too.”

“Thanks. Good night.” She opened the door and walked out.

Must be the weather. She took a quick look at her watch. It was five minutes to six. Her heart started racing. She tapped her fingers on the desk. She didn’t want to keep him waiting, but she didn’t want to appear overeager and be downstairs waiting before he arrived. Maybe he was going to be late. But if he was going to be late, he would have called. Then again maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he was the kind of guy who didn’t care about making others wait for them. Maybe he… She jumped at the sound of her phone ringing. She looked at the flashing extension number. It was security.

She snatched up the phone. “Ms. Beaumont.”

“Yes, there’s a Mr. Treme here to see you. I told him we were closed.”

“I’ll be right there, Frank. Thank you.” She hung up the phone. “Oh, my goodness.” He was really here.

She pushed back from her seat and all of a sudden her mind went blank. Where was her purse? Her keys? Should she take the shawl that Sharlene insisted she buy? What if she was overdressed? He never said where they were going. “Get a grip,” she said out loud. She drew in a deep breath, opened the bottom drawer of her desk and took out her purse where she always kept it. She opened it and her keys were inside as they always were. She took the shawl that was draped across the back of the chair and put it over her arm. She took one last look around her office, turned off the light and walked out.



Jackson wasn’t sure what to expect, but the vision that was coming toward him was more than he could have ever imagined. She was stunning. The blue against her bronze skin was mouth watering. She’d styled her hair in an updo. The combination of the hairstyle and the deep neckline of her dress nearly did him in. He was staring so hard that it took him a moment to realize that she’d stopped walking and was standing right in front of him.

“Sorry if I kept you waiting,” she said.

Jackson swallowed the tightness in his throat that matched the one in his groin. “I’d wait all night if that’s what it would take to see you. You look incredible.”

She started to say something silly like “this old thing,” but good sense intervened. “Thank you.”

“Ready?”

She didn’t trust her voice when he was looking at her like that, as if he could see into her soul. She nodded her head instead.

“I’m parked right out front.”

“Good night, Frank,” she managed.

“You two have a nice time.”

Jackson looked back. “Thanks.”

“I hope you like soul food,” Jackson said as he opened the car door and helped her in.

She turned to look at him and their gazes collided. Heat stirred her body. “What self-respecting Southern girl doesn’t like soul food?” she said with laughter in her voice.

“A woman after my own heart.” He shut the door and hurried around to the driver’s side. He stuck the key in the ignition and Marvin Gaye’s classic, “Let’s Get it On,” filled the interior. They both burst out laughing and the tension evaporated like morning mist.

“I swear I didn’t plan that,” he said as he slowly pulled off.

“That’s what they all say,” she said.

He gave her a quick look. “I would think that would be something you wouldn’t know anything about.”

“Really. And why would you think that?”

“Because I think that you are the kind of woman who can sense a line a mile away. And the poor fool who tried to hand you one would never get the chance.”

“Is that right?” She relaxed against the soft leather interior and angled her body in his direction. “And what else have you surmised about me in the less than twenty-four hours that we’ve known each other?”

“That you think about things before you do them. You look at all the possibilities. You don’t like mistakes or having regrets.”

Her brows rose. “And you know all of this how?”

He came to a stop at a red light and turned fully toward her. He looked directly into her eyes. “I don’t know. I just do.”

Zoe felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs. As illogical as all this was, it made perfect sense.