All I Want for Christmas Page 7

  “I’m sure your father would approve. He was a party, ‘let the good times roll’ kinda guy. Am I right?” asked Carlos, grinning as he walked backwards in front of Nedra.

  She grinned back at him. “You’re right. Daddy loved to ‘shake his groove thang’, as he used to say. He loved all those old-school R&B Christmas tunes, and he and mama were both pretty good dancers.”

  “Then we have to continue the family tradition.” Carlos did a few dance steps and then spun in a complete circle as the band played a version of Frosty the Snowman.

  “I doubt the guy who wrote that song would recognize it,” Nedra said with a laugh. “Now let’s warm up with some hot chocolate.”

  “Okay, but don’t think you’re not going to shake it before this night is over,” he tossed back and pointed a finger at her.

  Nedra looped her arm through his. “Maybe.”

  They continued walking towards the food stand, and got into a light-hearted debate over whether Nedra would loosen up and dance with him, along with the crowd. She was once again wrapped in the pleasure of being with Carlos, and the cheerful mood of everyone at the lighting ceremony. They finally got two cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on top.

  Carlos took the lead, and guided Nedra on a stroll around the lighted square and down Third Street. Restaurants were decorated and shops were crowded with people buying gifts. Children giggled and raced from one window display to the next, with adults in tow. Nedra sighed at the swell of warmth inside of her, which didn’t come from the creamy, warm liquid she was drinking.

  “This is the way the holidays should feel,” Carlos said, as though he could read her thoughts.

  “I know.” Nedra watched young children enjoying the sights and sounds. “My parents did everything they could to make Christmas magical for us as kids. That’s what I miss most about not being part of a family; the holidays.”

  “My memories aren’t all warm and fuzzy,” Carlos said, but his laughter sounded forced. “Let’s find a table away from the crowd.”

  “Oh, okay,” replied Nedra, worried that he might think she was dropping hints about where their relationship should go.

  As they walked, Carlos talked about everything but the holiday season. They had to go around the corner near the Shaw Arts Center, past a fountain sparkling with multicolored lights and down another half block. Carlos managed to snag a small table outside, just as a couple got up to go.

  “So how is work?” Nedra asked.

  “Exhausting, but I’m not complaining. At least we’ve got customers. A lot of folks are driving into town to spend time with family, which means their cars get dirty,” replied Carlos. He appeared to relax with the change of subject and grinned at her. “CJ’s Detailing to the rescue.”

  “That’s great. Where is your shop?” Nedra watched his expression tighten slightly.

  “Um, it’s on the corner of Acadian and North Street, Easy Town. A lot of folks said I was crazy to open my shop in ‘Da Hood’, but there are good people who live there,” Carlos said with a trace of defensiveness in his voice.

  Nedra nodded. “I don’t believe in calling neighborhoods ‘ghettos’ or even bad. It’s the criminals who spoil some areas of town. Easy Town and The Bottom were great places back in the day. Previous generations of blue-collar, decent folks raised families there. You’re part of the solution. You provide jobs and hope.”

  “Jobs maybe, but I don’t know about hope.” Carlos held up his big, insulated cup and drank more hot chocolate. He cleared his throat.

  “No, you do,” said Nedra. “Many businesses have fled the inner-city areas. A lot of folks have to drive several miles to a grocery store. I think Councilwoman Terrebonne is right. Easy Town needs something more than liquor stores, bars and payday loan shops.”

  “Wow, you really laid out the issues. Sounds like you could be running for office in the future.” Carlos grinned when Nedra let out a yelp.

  She gave a melodramatic shudder. “Don’t even joke about me becoming a politician. I don’t have the patience or the ability to, um, creatively spin facts. No way.”

  “Seems a shame, since you’re so passionate about the issues,” replied Carlos, gazing at Nedra with mischief in his eyes.

  She shook her head. “I’ve seen politics from the inside. No thanks. Rod is a diplomat. Me? I’d blurt out some unpleasant truth and be in trouble all the time. I’m happy hanging with regular, honest folks like you.” She brushed a hand along his cheek.

  “I can’t claim sainthood by any stretch,” Carlos said quickly.

  “Nobody can. I appreciate how... real you are with me. No games or slick talk. Believe me, that’s a nice change.” Nedra sighed. “Listen, if I made you uncomfortable earlier talking about family, I apologize. I wasn’t trying to steer the conversation toward you and I getting serious.”

  “Nedra, I didn’t think…”

  “You’re so sweet, Carlos. I’m enjoying what we have right now. Don’t worry. I won’t give you the ‘we need to talk’ speech.” She leaned against him and breathed in the spicy scent he wore.

  “Remember I started the discussion,” Carlos replied. “Besides, Christmas is about love, joy and giving. Don’t hold back on telling me how to feel; about anything.” He put an arm around her shoulders.

  “You see? Honesty. That means a lot to me.” Nedra kissed his cheek and then rubbed the slight lipstick smudge from his skin.

  Carlos gazed ahead into the distance. “Yeah.”

  “Hey, back to love and joy,” Nedra said, nudging him to shake off the serious mood he had lapsed into. “When will your little girl come to visit?”

  “December twenty-second,” he answered. His thoughtful expression relaxed into a smile. “Carly is excited, too. She’s called me at least six times to firm up our plans. We go to the movies, see the downtown lights here, and then we pick a city to drive to and we have dinner out at least once.”

  Nedra smiled. “Sounds like daddy is just as excited.”

  “She usually stays through New Year’s Day. Even though her mother will drive down to visit her family, Carly will be with me.” Carlos sighed. “She’s growing up so fast.”

  . “At five? You have a few more years of breathing space before she hits the teen years. At her age she still idolizes her old man.” Nedra giggled at his pained expression

  “Ouch.” Carlos nudged Nedra. “Please don’t use the ‘old man’ phrase. I’m sure I’ll be getting that one from her soon enough. Besides she’s already asking for her own cell phone and tablet computer. She’s talking like a tween right now.”

  “Girls mature faster than boys.” Nedra sipped the last of her hot chocolate, which was now barely warm.

  “Dang, you’re full of good news for ‘the old man’, aren’t you?” Carlos pulled a hand over his face in mock despair.

  “Okay, relax,” she said with a laugh. “You’ve got time to prepare. You’ll have to keep up with trends so you’ll know what to watch out for.”

  “You sound like an expert. I bet you’d make a terrific mother, by the way.” He winked at her.

  Nedra blinked hard at his words and choked up, but tried to keep her tone light. She didn’t want to sound like one of those ‘my biological clock is ticking’ females. Men ran away screaming from those single ladies.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly and cleared her throat. “Okay, what do we do next?”

  “Let’s see.” Carlos pulled out his smartphone and touched the screen. “Here is the schedule of events. We can go through the Joyeux Noel Tunnel of Lights on the grounds of the Old State Capital. Or we can go to the old Governor’s Mansion and see how it would have been decorated back in the 1930s. They’ll have carolers in period dress in another half hour once the band stops blasting jams. Or...”

  Nedra peered at his phone. “Wow. It’s hard to choose.”

  “Let’s see the lights and then walk over to see the mansion. Okay?” Carlos suggested, leaning against her.


  “I like that plan, because you know I never get tired of Christmas lights,” she replied with a delighted grin.

  “Exactly why I suggested we do both. I like seeing the happiness on your face when you’re looking at them.” Carlos gave her a quick kiss and grabbed her by the hand. “So let the fun continue.”

  Nedra felt a rush of bliss as he pulled her close against his body while they strolled the half block to the Tunnel of Lights display. Her heart soared as she replayed his words in her head. Carlos considered her preferences and wanted to please her. He didn’t mind holding her hand in public or being close to her. According to her self-help relationship books, he showed all of the signs that his feelings were genuine. He didn’t act as if being with her was optional.

  For the rest of the evening they talked, laughed and even joined in the singing of holiday songs. Later they went to Nedra’s apartment after picking up a late-night snack. Wrapped in a blanket on her sofa, they watched a movie until their closeness became too much of a temptation.

  Making love to Carlos satisfied Nedra physically and emotionally. She felt sure he’d kissed and licked every inch of her body before entering her. His long, deliberate strokes pushed her over the edge until nothing else existed except intense pleasure. Afterwards, she didn’t get that sinking feeling of mild regret as her lover hustled into his clothes to leave. Carlos stayed right by Nedra’s side, talking for hours until they both drifted off to sleep.

  “So this is what it feels like,” Nedra said as sleep tugged at her eyelids. She snuggled closer to Carlos.

  “Hmm?” he asked without opening his eyes.

  “A perfect fit,” Nedra whispered and yawned.

  After a few seconds of silence, Carlos sighed and kissed her forehead. “Yeah.”

  ****

  On Monday morning, Carlos was in the office of his shop located in the better part of town. Though Mid-City had its share of crime, unlike Easy Town, there were no daily shootings or robberies. He went through the spreadsheets, looking at his cash flow and expenses, and frowned at the results. The shop in Easy Town had taken a sales hit and business had gone down by thirty percent. Carlos grunted and stared at the figures. His business partner and friend, Brian Gaines, walked into the office and dropped into a chair.

  “The look on your face doesn’t signal good news, bru,” said Brian. He took out his smartphone and glanced at it.

  “The Easy Town shop is off; way off, man.” Carlos clicked the wireless mouse to sync with his tablet. He’d be up late looking at the figures again at home.

  “Having your business surrounded by six police cars will do that, bru,” Brian replied with a grunt. He put his phone back in the case clipped to his belt.

  “Not to mention video of an employee and two customers taking the perp walk in handcuffs downtown,” Carlos added.

  “Yeah, and shown on all three local TV stations. At least the reporters weren’t in the ‘hood the day the cops showed up at our store and our names weren’t mentioned.”

  “Damn. This happened at the worst time.” Carlos went back to studying the spreadsheet.

  Brian shrugged. “Dude, there ain’t a good time for being at the center of a criminal investigation, but at least your mama kept us both out of jail. Whew, that was close.”

  “I’m sorry I got you into this, man. I wouldn’t blame you if you walked away. I’ve been seven different kinds of dumb – again.” Carlos shook his head.

  “I told you not to keep sweatin’ it,” Brian replied. “What our customers choose to do is not your responsibility.”

  “As my expensive lawyer argued so well,” Carlos added with a twinge of guilt.

  He had a very clear idea that his best customers were not law-abiding citizens with good jobs. They rolled up with lots of cash, talking rough and looking even rougher. Of course, his attorney had made the point that he hadn’t stereotyped young black men, but Carlos knew the deal; so did his employees. Brian had even hired a couple from the neighborhood to act as unofficial bouncers. Six of the guys who came to the shop had a tendency to get into tense stand-offs. Carlos and Brian guessed they had beefs on the street. Several of the guys brought their equally tough-talking girlfriends inside. The women were just as likely to brawl; place and time didn’t matter. They’d even curse in front of children and old people.

  “We let things get out of hand, Brian. No, I let things get out of hand.” Carlos tapped a fist on his the surface of his desk.

  “What were you supposed to do, refuse to take their money? It was good money, too,” Brian added with regret in his voice. “We expanded to selling rims, fancy hood ornaments and interior fix-ups. It was sweet.”

  Carlos shook his head. “Yeah, and all that fixing up included hiding money, drugs and drug-cooking equipment.”

  “Let’s look on the bright side. We didn’t go to jail. We can always work on bouncing back, and your mother managed to keep a lid on more News at Eleven stories. It’s good to have connected parents and friends in high places.” Brian pointed a forefinger at Carlos and stood up. “Listen, our strategy has worked. Getting a security service for the last six months and doing flyers were great ideas. People are starting to feel comfortable coming back. Remember when sales were down fifty percent?”

  Carlos heaved a sigh. “You’re right. Things could have gone much worse.”

  “Sales are slowly coming out of the hole, but it’s going to take time.”

  “Yeah,” replied Carlos, trying to see the bright side that Brian presented.

  Brian’s phone played the latest hit R&B song. He took the phone out of his hip case and glanced at the screen. “Here’s another text from Keosha. Damn it, now what? Humph, more money. Big shock.”

  “You know, I could advance you on the next distribution of profits before the quarterly accounting period,” Carlos offered, without asking if his colleague had caught up on his child-support payments.

  “Nah, I got it handled. She just wants to yank my chain ‘cause she knows I’ve got a new girlfriend. She has more ways of coming up with what the kid needs than she has hair in her weave.” Brian snorted and scowled.

  “New girlfriend, huh?” Carlos asked. “You’ve got two baby mamas and two kids already.” He held up a palm when Brian shot a heated glance at him. “I’m not judging, just sayin’.”

  “I know, bru. Brittany is starting to drop hints about us living together and leaving bridal catalogues lying around. I’m thinking I need to move on.” Brian lifted an eyebrow at Carlos. “Better stay alert for when your new lady starts in on you.”

  “Nedra doesn’t play games and no dropping of hints. We’re on the same page.”

  Brian grunted. “You better listen to your friend. All women play games, especially when it comes to hooking a man who owns his own business.”

  “Not Nedra. I’m not going to run from her. We feel... right.” Carlos shrugged at his effort to find the right words without sounding corny.

  “Oh no, bru, don’t tell me the ultimate player is whipped. Wake up, dude, you’ve been hypnotized or something.” Brian barked a loud laugh.

  “Runnin’ from woman to woman is old, man. They’re all starting to blend together, just different color weaves and low-cut tops. I want somebody I can talk things over with; somebody I don’t mind introducing to my kid.” Carlos stood up. “We’re closing in on forty. Five years to go.”

  “Quit talkin’ crazy. Look, you’re being sucked in by the holidays and all those mushy Christmas commercials. You know, families sitting around the tree eating sugar cookies and opening presents. Don’t fall for it.” Brian waved a hand at him. “After New Year’s Day you’ll snap out of it.”

  “I don’t think so, man. I don’t think so.” Carlos smiled at the memory of being in Nedra’s arms and feeling at home. “I didn’t even have sense enough to know I was lonely,” he added softly.

  Brian had gone back to checking e-mails on his phone. “What?”

  “Nothing, nothing; I’m just looki
ng forward to the holidays. For one thing, I get Carly for Christmas this year.” Carlos had managed to shake off the bad mood caused by looking at the spreadsheets.

  “So you’re playing the family man? Whatever floats your boat, bru.” Brian shook his head. He put his phone away again and looked up. “So, Miss Nedra Wallace is cool about the whole unpleasantness with the cops? She doesn’t mind about the community service and everything? That’s one special lady.”

  Carlos rubbed his chin hard. His smile vanished and he cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah.”

  Brian cocked his head to one side. “She does know, right?”

  “We’re just getting to know each other and…” Carlos shrugged.

  “Bru, this is me you’re talking to. You haven’t brought it up because you don’t know how she’ll take it.” Brian’s eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “Wait a minute. Her boss is running for office against the mayor.”

  “So?” asked Carlos, avoiding his gaze.

  Brian laughed. “So!”

  “Look, if things go to the next level…”

  “You’re talking about introducing her to your kid and the three of you being all cozy this Christmas. The next level is y’all making up the wedding invitation list. That is not a conversation you want to have at your engagement party.” Brian slapped his thigh and fell against the chair laughing.

  Carlos stared at him with a stony expression on his face. “Don’t give up your day job to become a comedian. I know what I’m doing.”

  Brian finally stopped laughing and sat up straight. “You right, bru, the last thing you need is for that story to be put on blast. Your mama has an election next year and her pal, the mayor, could take a major political hit. Constable Davidson would love to use that against both of them.”

  “Nedra wouldn’t tell her boss anything we discuss,” Carlos stated.

  “Yeah, but better safe than sorry,” replied Brian, standing. “I agree with you.”

  “I didn’t say…”

  “I better get out of here; don’t want to be late for my meeting with Cool Tools Inc. We can really enhance our business by partnering with them. I’ll let you know how it goes.” Brian walked around the desk and slapped Carlos on the back. “Keep your head up, partner. We’re going to be better than ever.”