Legacy of Love

Chapter 24





“One of the best getaways I’ve had,” Jackson said as he walked with Zoe to her door.

“Me, too. I’m glad you came with me. Really.” She dug inside of her purse for her key.

“Me, too,” he said before stealing a quick kiss.

She opened the door and Jackson brought her bags inside.

Zoe turned on the lights and looked around, realizing with a pang just how much she’d missed her house. “It’s good to be back,” she said on a breath.

“And as much as I’d love to rechristen your bedroom I need to get going. The meter is running on the cab.”

She walked up to him and scooped her arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He looked down into her eyes, hoping to find the answers that were just out of reach.

“For being you. For being wonderful. For putting up with me. I know I haven’t been easy these past couple of weeks. It’s just been—”

“Hey,” he said gently, cupping her chin. “I love you. Don’t you believe that by now? And I’m there for you.” He pulled her close and held her, feeling her heart pound against his chest.

The cab driver honked the horn.

“You’d better go before he makes off with your bags for payment.”

“I’ll call you in the morning. Get some rest.”

She nodded, walked with him to the door and slowly closed it behind him.



Sharlene set her glass down on the coffee table in Zoe’s living room. “What do you mean you don’t have a job?”

“I either take the job in New York or I’m unemployed.”

“Can they do that?”

“Apparently.” She curled her legs beneath her on the couch.

“I don’t get it. They gave you no indication that helping them out in New York was going to lead to this. So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’ve been battling with for the past couple of weeks.”

“Have you talked it over with Jackson?”

“No.”

“Why not, Zoe? Maybe he could help you figure it out.”

“He can’t help me and I already know what he’s going to say.”

“What is he going to say?”

She sighed. “He’s going to tell me to take it. He’s going to tell me that it’s the chance of a lifetime. I’d be the first African American woman in that position. He’d tell me all of that.”

“And…”

“It’s not what I want to hear.”

“Well, what do you expect him to say, Zoe? ‘Give up your career and stay here with me, baby, I’ll take care of you’?”

“Yes! I mean, no. I don’t know what I mean.”

“Zoe, give the man a chance. Be honest with him. Who knows, he may want to come to New York, teach at one of the colleges there. You won’t know if you don’t talk to him.”

“I wouldn’t do that to him. I wouldn’t put him in that kind of position.”

“So what are you going to do then? Pretend to go to work every day? How long do you think you can pull that off?”

She pressed her fist to her mouth. “I’m going to take the job in New York.”

Sharlene jerked back in surprise. “You are?”

“What choice do I have? It’s what I do. It’s what I know.”

“And you can’t hide behind your job forever.” She got up from the couch. “He deserves to know how you feel.”

Zoe looked up at her friend.

“Tell the man how you feel. Tell him what’s in that heart of yours. For once. Say what’s in your heart.” She walked barefoot toward the kitchen. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

She rested her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. There will come a time when you will have to make a choice. She heard her Nana’s words ring in her head.

But which choice should I make Nana? Which choice should I make?

“Ready?” Sharlene asked.

Zoe opened her eyes.

Sharlene had her purse in her hand and her sunglasses on. “Come on, girl, we have some birthday shopping to do. You’re going to be the big 3-0 in less than a week. You have to be sharp.”

Zoe pulled herself up.

“Shopping always soothes my soul,” she said, giving her a quick squeeze. “Put your shoes on and let’s go.”

“All right, all right. But I have plenty of clothes in my closet that I can wear.”

“Nothing suitable for your big day. And I think it’s going to be really special.”

“Is that right? And what do you know that I don’t know?” she asked, sticking her feet in her sandals.

“You’re the one who always feels something. You tell me,” she teased. “Come on, the stores are waiting.”



They roamed the stores for hours. Zoe couldn’t seem to find anything she liked and they had seen at least fifty dresses by Sharlene’s last count.

“Girl, there has to be something that you like. Since when did you get so particular?” Sharlene pushed some dresses aside on the rack hoping to find something that would spark some interest. “How about this one?” She held up a spaghetti-strapped midnight-blue fitted dress that felt like silk to the touch and shimmered when it moved. “This is perfect. Slightly sexy and elegant at the same time.”

Zoe looked at the dress then took it from Sharlene. She walked to a mirror and held it up in front of her. She turned right and then left to get the full effect. She spun toward Sharlene with a big smile on her face. “This is the one. It’s perfect. I love it.”

“Finally.” Sharlene sighed. “Damn, this is the last time I’m going shopping with you for a big occasion.”

“No, its not,” she said with a grin.

“You’re probably right.”

They laughed and headed for the cashier.



“My mother said she was going to tell me about my father,” Zoe blurted out while they walked back to Sharlene’s car.

Sharlene slowed. “Say what?”

Zoe nodded. “We had a rather nasty conversation before I left for New York.”

She went on to tell her how she’d blown up at her mother when she’d insinuated that it wasn’t proper for her to be “staying” with a man that wasn’t her husband. And what her response had been.

“Whoa. No wonder you’ve been so out of sorts. Between carrying that around, the situation with your job and keeping it all from Jackson… You’re carrying around too many secrets, girl. You need to set some of those burdens down.”

“I know. It’s making me nuts.” She pushed out a breath. “All my life I’ve wondered about my father. Was he dead or alive? Did I pass him in the street? Did he even know about me? You know what it says on my birth certificate for father?”

Sharlene shook her head no.

“It’s blank. Do you have any idea what that feels like to look at that empty space?”

“I can only imagine, sis.” She hooked her arm through Zoe’s. “But the time seems to have come for a lot of changes in your life.”

“It sure looks that way.”