When Love Comes Around (Love Conquers All) Read online

  Summer lifted a perfectly arched brow. “Shared them?”

  “Yep. Mommy is going to stay with me and the kids a couple of days─”

  Finishing her sister’s sentence, “And with me and Kevin a couple of days.” Rolling her eyes she huffed, “You know my co-workers had a nerve to get mad at me because I wanted the week of Christmas off.”

  Starr didn’t give a flying pig how mad they got. Over fourteen years had passed since her mother had come home and there was no way she was going to be at work when she did. Her supervisor tried to deny her the time off. However, Starr had to make the woman remember that she hadn’t taken a vacation all summer. Having two nurses take time off to get married, another out on maternity leave and everyone else taking much deserved vacations, Starr had been a trooper and foregone her summer vacation. And now that she needed time off, the supervisor had a nerve to deny the request. The reason for the denial was some lame excuse about hospital policy and not taking time off during the holiday. The one evening Kevin managed to make it home at a decent hour, she was in a foul mood, fussing up a storm. Snatching open cabinets, taking down dishes, slamming them on the table, she threatened to quit her job. That’s how serious she was about spending time with her mom. Before she could slam the glasses down, Kevin gently removed them from her hands. “If you feel this strongly about getting time off, do what you gotta do, baby.”

  “You think I should quit?”

  “Yes. Baby, you’re a nurse you can get a job anywhere. If they can’t appreciate that you did them a favor last summer by not taking a vacation while everybody else did their thing, then I say the hell wit ‘em. ” Filling the glasses up with iced tea, he winked at her. “You know I got you.”

  Everything he said to her made perfect sense. Other institutions were always sending her literature in the mail about available nursing positions in the tri-state area. Starr was a team player when it came to her job. She couldn’t count the times she’d volunteered for overtime, came in on her day off because the unit was short staffed or was willing to be pulled to another floor that had a call out. Although she loved her job she would give it all up to spend time with her mom and Patrick. Picking up a plate from the table, she stopped to give him a quick peck on the lips before going over to the stove to fix his plate.

  “Thanks honey, I just might do that.”

  The next morning, Starr waltzed in her supervisor’s office with her letter of resignation in hand. Suddenly, the hospital’s policy was no longer an issue. Starr watched over her supervisor’s shoulder as she entered her vacation time into the computerized work schedule.

  Sucking her teeth, Ava snipped out, “Doesn’t surprise me one bit.” She was all too glad to be out of the hospital away from all the politics. Certain policies only applied to certain people. Working as a school nurse gave her lots of autonomy, which she loved. When she had gone back to school to get her school-nursing certificate, she tried to convince Starr to do the same. At the time, Starr was involved in several committees at work and felt she didn’t have the time to dedicate towards getting her certification to become a school nurse. Not even the bribe of working nine months out of the year, having all major holidays and all summer off, had convinced her to leave her job.

  Starr opened her mouth to agree with her friend when a familiar face caught her attention. She couldn’t believe it! What was she doing here? Oh, this was going to be too easy. She had hoped for this opportunity for weeks. No way was she going to let it slip through her fingers.

  Taking the cloth napkin off her lap, Starr didn’t say a word as she got up from the table. If she told them what she was about to do, they would have stopped her. Well, she didn’t want to be stopped. She wouldn’t be stopped. On a mission, she locked in on her target and followed.

  Each of the women threw the other a curious look as they wondered what had gotten into Starr. One second she was about to say something, and then the next she looked as if she wanted to kill someone.

  Following Starr with their gazes, Summer was the first to recognize her target. Jumping up from her seated position, she frantically whispered as not to draw attention, “Oh no. Get her. Get her now. That’s Trina she’s going after.”

  Ava stood to her feet. Before either one of them could leave the table, Karen grab their wrists saying, “Wait a minute. I don’t think we should go running up in there just yet. Starr can handle herself. If she’s not back in a few minutes then we’ll go.” Pausing she looked at both woman, “Okay.”

  Karen knew Ava and Summer too well, especially Ava. There was no need for a group of sisters to be brawling in a nice restaurant. Having them sit and chill for a few minutes was for the best.

  Both women took their seats. “All right, but if she’s not out in five minutes, I’m going in.” Ava coolly stated looking at the watch on her wrist and started the countdown.

  “Five minutes.” Summer reiterated holding up her hand spreading her fingers apart.

  Each of them was livid when they learned of Trina and her trifling foolishness to get Kevin back. None of them gave Trina a second thought when it came to her coming between Kevin and Starr. Kevin loved his wife. Period.

  However, what had peeved them all the most was Trina’s harassment of Beverly Dawson. They couldn’t believe she would stoop so low as to harass an elderly woman just to get at a man. It was all just so tacky.

  As they sat and waited, idle chitchat occupied the space of five minutes.

  “Five minutes up. Let’s go.” Summer said as she stood heading to the ladies’ room with the others closely trailing behind.

  Starr slowed her pace once Trina entered the ladies’ room. She wanted to use the element of surprise to catch her off guard. Walking as quietly as possible, she surveyed the beautifully decorated room. Tiptoeing to keep her suede boot heels from clicking on the Italian tiled flooring, she stooped down to see which stall she had gone into. Standing she slowly tiptoed over to marbled sink countertop and leaned against it. Studying her manicure, she counted backwards starting at a hundred. She wanted to kick the stall door in and bum-rush the ho. As soon as she heard the toilet flushing, Starr hurried into a stall leaving the door slightly ajar, giving her a good visual.

  Trina hurried out of the stall as if she needed to be somewhere. Laying her purse on the countertop, she washed her hands with just as much urgency. Picking up a cloth hand towel from the wicker basket, she dried them. Reaching into her purse, she was startled by Hurricane Starr blowing out the stall in full force.

  Her eyes widened in horror as she dropped her new tube of Mac lipstick on the floor. She immediately recognized Starr’s reflection through the mirror. Swinging around she tried to back up, but had nowhere to go. Starr had closed in on her, and was now standing toe to toe with her. She was so close in her personal space, their noses nearly touched. Trina could feel the fire Starr was breathing from her flared nostrils.

  If she hadn’t been so angry, she would have laughed. So this was the infamous Trina up close and personal? She didn’t seem so big and bad now as she swallowed and her eyes darted to the door contemplating how she was going to make her escape.

  Now that she had her where she wanted her, she wanted to lash out at her for trying to come between her and Kevin. She wanted to tell her to keep her funky thongs to herself. And if she thought about dropping them on her doorstep again, she would wrap them around her neck and choke the life out of her. She was itching to threaten if she so much as walked on the same side of the street as her husband, she’d experience a wrath the likes of Hurricane Katrina.

  No, she didn’t have to go there. She was the one Kevin wanted and loved, not Trina. She was the one he wanted to keep his name and have his babies, not Trina. No way would she give this chick the satisfaction of thinking she was remotely a threat to her marriage.

  Yeah, Starr’s man didn’t want Trina and that was cool. However, before leaving out of this ladies’ room tonight, she would never again make the mistake of messing wi
th Beverly Dawson.

  Stepping back a bit Starr wanted to look Trina boldly in the eye. She wanted her to see how serious she was and meant every word she was about to say to her. But before she could get a word out, Trina straightened her spine and glared at Starr like she was about to jump bad. Oh really?

  Hearing heels clicking against the hardwood floors on the other side of the door, a cocky grin curved Trina’s lips. Her cousin Keisha was in a hurry to get back home to go out to the movies with a group of her friends who were home from college for the holidays. She was certain the clicking heels belonged to her cousin coming to rush her out of the ladies’ room. The show the girls wanted to see started in an hour.

  As soon as Keisha saw Starr all up in her face, she would be ready to pounce. Trina wasn’t a complete idiot. No way could she take Starr down on her own. But she and her cousin could take her with no problem.

  “Look, Starr…that’s your name right? I can get Kevin back anytime I want to.” Looking Starr up and down, her lip curled in disgust as she taunted, “I didn’t know he was into chunky now. Can you even move with all that weight? ” Tossing her head back, she laughed. “It doesn’t matter. Because when he gets ready for a slim goody again, I’ll be waiting.” Digging in even deeper she taunted, “I’m very flexible. Just ask him.”

  Trina knew Kevin would never be hers again. He had painfully made that plain the day she showed up at his office. However, that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun being spiteful. The hurt that briefly flashed in Starr’s dark eyes fueled Trina’s nastiness.

  Hands balled in fists at her side, Starr wanted to punch Trina dead in the face. Heat crept up her neck as she goaded her about her weight. She had become extremely self-conscious of her recent rapid weight gain. However, she wasn’t about to give this little tramp the satisfaction of knowing her words stung.

  Shaking off the insults, Starr was back on her square and ready to attack.

  “Yeah…well… whateva. I’m not going to even give you the satisfaction of responding to your babbling. You’re downright pathetic.”

  “Look who’s talkin’” Trina smirked sure Keisha would be coming through the door any second. What’s taking her so long?

  Stepping back into Trina’s personal space, Starr had had enough of this trick. Lifting her finger, she poked Trina so hard in the forehead her head snapped back. The deer-in-the-headlights look on Trina’s face was priceless.

  “That’s right I’m talking and you better listen. First of all, just to let you know, my husband isn’t going anywhere. He loves all of this, every ounce of this voluptuous size fourteen.” Okay, size sixteen but that ho don’t need to know that. Poking her forehead again with her finger, “Second, you better keep your narrow behind away from my mother-in-law.” Speaking through clenched teeth, she threatened, “I swear if you go anywhere near I will─”

  Hearing the door to the ladies’ room slowly creak open, Trina was relieved help had arrived. Swatting Starr’s poking finger away from her face, she was ready to pounce on her the second Keisha crossed the threshold. As soon as she was about to tell Starr that she wasn’t going to do a darn thing but get her behind kicked, in walked Karen, Ava and Summer. The first thing they saw was Trina hitting Starr’s hand away appearing as if she had hit Starr in the face.

  “Oh, hell no! She didn’t just hit my sister!” Karen started taking off her gold hoop earrings ready to do battle. “Nobody put their hands on my baby sister! Nobody!”

  Eying the three women closing in on her, Trina’s cockiness went up in a puff of smoke. “I…I didn’t hit her. I…I just smacked her hand from my face,” Trina stuttered, explaining her actions. Where the hell is Keisha? Trina was shaking in her shoes as she envisioned the beat down she was about to get.

  Easing up behind Karen taking the gold hoop earrings from her hand, Summer said, “Please tell me you didn’t hit my friend.”

  “Our friend,” Ava corrected, growling at Trina.

  Shaking her head, Starr smirked, “She got better sense than that. I was just about to tell her before y’all came in that if she goes near Momma Beverly again I will beat her into next week.”

  Ava flicked off invisible lint from the sleeve of the baby blue cashmere sweater she wore. “Mmmm-hmmm.” Lifting her gaze from her arm, she zeroed in on Trina who wasn’t so tough anymore. “And I’ll be right there with you.”

  “What’s going on?” The young woman inquired looking from her cousin to the four women around her. They looked like they were ready to do some serious damage, especially the two women who looked alike. Oh snap! Trina done messed with somebody’s man…again. Any other time she would have had her cousin’s back, but not this time. Keisha wasn’t a fool. These sisters look like they could throw down. She wasn’t about to get beat up when she had to look good tonight. Shoot, I might meet somebody tonight while out with my girls. None of the women acknowledged the younger woman’s presence as the one standing closest to Trina hissed, “Remember what I said.”

  Not bothering to wait for a response, the posse turned leaving a shaken Trina with her cousin.

  Once the coast was cleared, she snapped at her cousin, “What took you so damn long? They were about to jump me.”

  Rolling her eyes, Keisha thought, you should leave people men alone then. Besides, if they really wanted to do bodily harm to her they would have done so. From where Keisha was standing, they just wanted to send Trina a message. Waving her hand making light of the situation, “Girl, they weren’t gonna do ‘nuffin to you.”

  “Oh yes they were! That was Starr and her gang of witches coming up in here flying on their brooms!” Trina snapped again, stooping down to pick up her tube of lipstick.

  Keisha’s mouth formed into a circle. One of them was Starr and the other must have been her sister.

  “Come on let’s go!” Trina angrily gritted out, stomping out of the ladies’ room.

  On her heels, Keisha giggled mumbling, “Serves you right.”

  Spinning around Trina screeched, “What you say?”

  Stopping abruptly to keep from plowing into Trina, the younger woman lied. “Nothing. I didn’t say nothing.”

  “I didn’t think so. I said come on!” Trina had never been so mad and frightened at the same time. Blowing out a breath of disgust, Kevin wasn’t worth her getting beat down to the ground over. She was too pretty for all of that. Next to her scantily dressed body, it was her pretty face that drew men to her like a bee to honey.

  Chapter 33

  Needing to get away from the joyous crowd, Starr slipped off to her bedroom for a few moments of peace and quiet. She dearly loved her niece, nephew and godchildren, but all the squealing, ripping and running was bringing on a headache. If she got a good thirty-minute power nap, she’d be ready to go again.

  Kicking off her shoes, she stretched out on the comfy California king size bed closing her eyes. A smile touched her lips as she could still faintly hear her family and friends downstairs.

  I am beat. Preparation for her Christmas Eve dinner had begun the night before. Wanting to do everything herself, she refused help from her mom and sister. She had stayed up nearly all night, and was up again at dawn to finish her preparations.

  Letting out a deep breath, she was thrilled she made it through her first big production. Excitement fueled her all day as she floated around putting her special touch on everything. To her delight, all had turned out almost perfect; actually, better than expected. She beamed all day from the praises coming from everyone. She and Kevin had beautifully decorated their home for the festivities. The atmosphere created was cozy and welcoming to their guest.

  Sheer happiness flowed through Starr as their guest began to arrive earlier this afternoon. Though she loved everyone in attendance, the icing on the cake was Donna and Patrick’s arrival. Getting misty eyed, she still could not believe her mom was home for the holidays. She was so blessed to have such wonderful friends and an endearing mother-in-law who warmly embraced her moth
er and new stepfather.

  Starr sensed Donna and Patrick were a little nervous about being introduced to everyone. She could only assumed her mother was worried about what her friends and new mother-in-law thought about her staying away for so many years. And then having the nerve to show up with a man she was shacking up with.

  Starr wanted to hug Nick so hard until he was breathless when he came into the living room playing with the controls on his new remote control Hummer, a gift picked out by NJ and Autumn. Not paying attention, he maneuvered the toy vehicle into the leg of the coffee table. Lifting his attention from the controls, he gave Starr a boyish sheepish grin as if to say ut-oh. The boyish grin quickly faded to a brilliant smile of recognition. Nick’s entry into the room had been the icebreaker from heaven, dissipating the couple’s nervousness.

  “Well, I’ll be a son of gun! Patrick Wahl in the flesh!”

  When Kevin mentioned to Nick Starr’s mom was going to marry some guy named Patrick Wahl, he hadn’t given it much thought. What would be the chances it was the same Patrick he became acquainted with ten years earlier?

  “I don’t believe it! Nicholas Stiles!” Patrick boomed excitedly in his deep baritone, bringing the other adults into the room looking on as the two men greeted one another in a masculine embrace and friendly slaps on the back.

  Turning his attention to Donna, Nick took her small hand in his. Leaning down he kissed her on the cheek. “You must be Donna, Starr and Karen’s mother.”

  Proudly smiling, the tension easily rolling off of her as she acknowledged, “Yes, those are my girls.”

  “I see where they get their beauty from.”

  All the women in the women rolled their eyes when Nick flashed his devastatingly, handsome trademark smile and then winked at Donna.

  On Beverly’s lead, Joan, Nita, Summer and Ava gathered around Donna. “Don’t pay that big flirt any mind; he’s been that way since he was boy. But if he gets out of hand with you, I got a strap for ‘em.”