“We were talking about my teaching Kendra to makepasteles.”
Jasmine pushed out her lower lip. “So you’re really just friends?”
“Don’t look so disappointed,mija. There’s no pressure for us to sleep together. You have to know once we do we’ll both be different people.”
Jasmine nodded. “I know. The night, or I should say the morning Cameron and I made love for the first time I knew then I wanted to be with him. Of course we hadn’t planned on my getting pregnant, but that was something beyond our control.”
Nydia dropped an arm over Jasmine’s shoulders. “I’m glad your daddy’s condoms were defective, or I wouldn’t be looking forward to becoming Titi Nydia.”
“Bite your tongue,chica. Speaking of dads, I see Lamar talking to Evie and her husband. I’m going to get something to eat while you go and talk to your bae.”
Nydia scanned the crowd and saw him. He appeared to be listening intently to something Evangeline was saying. Then as if she’d willed it, he turned in her direction. The smile on his face spoke volumes as he approached her.
Lamar reached for her hands and kissed the back of them. “I’ve been waiting for you to get here.”
Going on tiptoe, she pressed a chaste kiss on his jaw. “How long have you been here?”
“Probably about thirty minutes. Kendra wanted to get here at the same time as her friends. You’d think they don’t get to see one another at school.” Attractive lines fanned out around Lamar’s eyes when he smiled. “Answer one question for me.”
“What’s that?” Nydia asked.
“When you were their age did you and your friends all talk at the same time?”
Nydia blinked slowly. “You know that’s sexist,” she said accusingly.
He held up both hands. “I’m just asking.”
Something caught her attention, and that’s when Nydia realized Lamar wasn’t wearing his wedding band. The first thoughts that flooded her mind were when and why. “You’re not wearing your ring.” She’d spoken her thought aloud.
Lamar stared at his left hand and nodded. “I should’ve taken if off a long time ago.”
“Why now?”
A mysterious smile flitted over his features. “Because a beautiful young woman with the initials NSS helped me to see life as it is instead of was.”
She stared at the cleft in Lamar’s chin. “I want you to know I never would’ve asked you to take it off. That had to be your decision.”
He nodded. “I know that. But I must confess I had some help making the decision. Cameron told me I had to stop living in the past or I’d lose what was right in front of me. I don’t want to lose you, Nydia, because you’re the best thing to come into my life . . .” His words trailed off when Kendra ran over and held onto his arm.
Nydia swallowed to relieve the tightness in her throat. She didn’t want to believe Lamar had decided to express his inner feelings within earshot of anyone who could overhear him. It was the one time she would have preferred he spoke to her in Spanish. She forced a smile she did not quite feel.
Kendra flashed a wide grin, exhibiting red, white, and blue brackets on her braces. “Hello, Miss Nydia.”
“Hello, Kendra. I like your hair.” A chemically straightened ponytail had replaced the braids.
Kendra pulled her hair over her shoulder. “Thank you. I’ve been wearing braids for most of the year, and I know Miss Ramona is tired of redoing them every week.” She tugged on Lamar’s arm. “Daddy, can I spend the week with Morgan and Taylor so we can practice for our Fall Frolic?”
The words were barely off her tongue when Evangeline joined them. The tall, slender brunette looked very chic in a pair of slim navy stretch slacks she had paired with a blue-and-white-striped off-the-shoulder silk blouse, while many of Tonya and Gage’s guests favored jeans and shorts. “It’s so nice seeing you again, Nydia.”
Nydia returned her friendly smile. “It’s also nice seeing you, Evangeline.”
“I love your dress.”
In deference to the warm weather, Nydia had decided to forego slacks, instead wearing a pumpkin-orange linen sleeveless dress with large patch pockets and a slightly flaring skirt ending at her knees. She wiggled her groomed toes in a pair of strappy wedges. She’d visited a salon within walking distance of the hotel for a mani-pedi.
“Thank you.”
Evangeline turned her attention to Lamar. “If you don’t mind, I’d like Kendra to spend the week at my house so she and the girls can rehearse for the production of the school’s Fall Frolic. My daughters just found out that I was the lead actress in the school’s drama club and that their mother can sing and dance, along with playing the piano. Of course I’ll make sure the girls do their homework and go to bed on time.”
