We Didn't See It Coming Part 20

Peeping down into the envelope at the photo, Noelle wished she had shared a moment of pa.s.sion with Baron and her father would have thought they were a compatible couple.

What was going through Father's mind the day he saw the picture?

One thing she realized-it took him to his grave. As much as Noelle cared for Baron, she could no longer defy her father-even in his death.

She shed a few tears. The driver looked through his rearview mirror and witnessed her wiping her eyes.

"Everything okay, Miss Houston?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

The driver stopped in front of Baron's home. Noelle got out and rang the bell. She saw a glow of dimmed lights in the house.

Inside, the bell startled Baron and Tessa. "Who could that be?" he wondered. He peeped out of a side window. He prayed it wasn't Aniyah.

Noelle stood on the porch. He knew he had put her off more than she could stand, but to show up at his house, she must be desperate for him.

"It's Noelle Houston."

Tessa picked up the bowl of popcorn. She whispered, "I'll be ready for you when you come to bed."

Baron couldn't wait to get rid of Noelle. He ran and opened the door.

"Elle, what's wrong?"

She wept. "We have trouble."

"Explain!"

Noelle handed him the envelope. He pulled out the photo of them. He calmly said, "Where did you get this?"

Surprised that he showed no signs of excitement, she said, "You act as if you've seen this before."

"I have," Baron acknowledged. "I tried to keep it away from you. I was hoping I could get it and destroy it before you got a hold of it. Where did you get it?"

Noelle made her way to his sofa to have a seat. She saw two gla.s.ses on the table. "You have company?" she asked.

"Never mind that. Tell me where you got this."

Noelle explained how her sister was at the estate. Baron was thankful that he had not fallen weak to Aniyah's advances because Kenley would have seen them.

"Now we can rest knowing that the picture is in our hands and not in Aniyah's. She's terrible. You must stay away from her."

"Did you know about Father's encounters with the help?"

"I was aware of it, but it wasn't my place to tell."

"Mother called Aniyah's mother a wh.o.r.e."

Baron wondered if Tessa was eavesdropping on the conversation. Truthfully, she was. She listened from the top of the stairs. She heard Noelle loud and clear.

"Believe me, Noelle, Tessa isn't a wh.o.r.e. I don't want to speak ill of your father. So let's leave it that way."

Noelle was upset. "What I hate more is how Father hurt Mother's heart. And as much as I hate to, I have to hurt your heart." She wept.

He let out a sigh of relief. "What are you saying, Noelle?"

"I can't defy Father. He died because he thought I defied him by being with you-someone he trusted around his family. As much as you have my heart, I can't be with you," she cried.

Baron held out his arms. "I respect that. I'll always be some part of your life because of the closeness I have with your family. Hey, I'll be your big brother." He smiled. "I do understand."

Noelle made her way into his arms. He patted her on the back. Tessa heard their voices become silent for a moment before he spoke.

"I'll get rid of this picture right now." Baron tore the photo up into tiny pieces. He let Noelle out of the front door so that he could go back upstairs to be with Tessa.

"I guess you heard everything," he said.

"Yes, they think of me as a wh.o.r.e, and that's fine. My heart still goes out to those girls," she said.

"In due time, they'll see the light about their father."

To Baron's surprise, Tessa didn't utter another word. He led her into the bedroom. Together they shared the warmth of each other's bodies underneath the covers.

Noelle got to the limo and broke down into tears. She knew from the two gla.s.ses that she saw on the table that Baron had company.

She looked up to the second floor of the house as the lights went out. Some woman was getting what she couldn't have.

The driver saw how distraught she was. He walked over to her. "Miss Houston, let me take you home."

He took her by the hand and helped her into the limo. She leaned against the window and looked out into the darkness of the night. The driver handed her a tissue.

"Thank you," she said.

The driver looked through his rearview mirror. "Miss Houston, the pain will get easier in due time. I think I know what you need."

Instead of driving her to the Houston Villa, he drove her to the Houston Estate. Noelle looked up to see that she was on the grounds of her once happy home. The driver drove her to the far end of the acreage of land. He got out of the limo and opened the door for her.

"Come on, I think you need to get in touch with the calmness of the lake."

He held his hand to her and helped her out of the limo. Noelle stepped out.

"Yes. My mother always loved coming to this end of the estate. This is where she came for peace."

Noelle walked closer to the lake. She looked out to see tiny flickering lights coming from the homes across the lake. Far away, a light glowed from atop a docked boat. She took a deep breath. "Oh, how tranquil the water looks. It makes you feel you can conquer all the worries of the world."

"Yes and when you stand still and be quiet, you can hear the water talking to you."

Noelle smiled. "Mother used to say the exact same thing."

"Your mother is the one who told me that." He smiled.

Shocked, she said, "How marvelous she shared her words with you."

They both stood in silence. Noelle closed her eyes as she listened to nature. She took plenty of deep breaths, and then she folded her arms because of the breeze coming off the water.

The driver took his suit jacket off. "Here, take my jacket and put it around you."

"Thanks, what is your name?"

"It's Sid."

"You have been working for my family a long time."

"Yes, I wouldn't trade this job in for anything. I enjoy watching elegant ladies."

"Thanks for your kind words. I'm feeling better already."

Noelle moved and the jacket fell from her shoulders onto the ground. She picked it up and brushed gra.s.s and dirt from it. "I apologize; I'll have your jacket cleaned."

"It's fine. No harm done."

He took the jacket from her and tossed it back around her shoulders. She turned to face him. His hazel eyes were like stars in the sky to her. That moment felt so romantic to her. Tears rolled down her cheeks from the thought of how much time she had missed from having companions.h.i.+p with a man.

"Don't start crying again, Miss Houston."

"Call me, Noelle."

"Noelle it is," he said as he tilted his hat.

She took his hand and rested it on her face. She kissed the palm of his hand. Sid, the driver, stood his ground. He had to be cautious at what moves he made. His job was on the line.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

"It's my way of saying thank you for being a gentleman. Just this simple thing you've done for me tonight makes me so grateful."

Noelle took it another step, making Sid feel uncomfortable. She reached up and hugged him. Sid kept his hands at his side.

"Don't be afraid to hold me," Noelle said. "I give you permission."

Sid held her in his arms. His jacket fell off her shoulders again and he warmed her up with his muscular chest.

Noelle rested her head on his shoulders. She began to sing an unfamiliar tune to him, moving gradually to her own beat. He saw that she wanted to dance so he rocked from side to side while she hummed.

She stopped and looked up at him. "Kiss me," she whispered.

Sid brushed his hands through her curls. "As much as I want to, I can't at this time. I didn't bring you out here to seduce you during your weakest moment. I don't want you to do anything tonight that you'll feel ashamed of in the morning."

"I will not have any regrets," she whispered. "Are you married?"

She realized that she had forgotten to ask him his marital status.

"I'm single."

"I'm free as a bird myself." She smiled.

"I would love to get to know you."

She patted him on the cheek. "A gentleman you are."

He took her by the hand. "Let's walk along the lake and talk."

They walked part of the lake before they removed their shoes and played in the water. They threw rocks into the water. Her night had turned into a date.

Sid told her how he worked long hours for the Houston Estate because he was single. He was not like the typical guy who hung out in clubs or bars. He wanted a woman of substance.

They made their way back to the limo. Sid drove her away from the estate and back to the Houston Villa. He opened the limo door and she stepped out.

"Thanks for a lovely time," she said graciously.

"I enjoyed your company as well. I don't have a lot of money, but I'd sure like to take you out for a bite to eat."

"It doesn't take money to have a nice date. Tonight was free. I had a marvelous time. You know, you were right. Tomorrow I probably would have felt terrible about making love with you just to soothe my pain."

"I'm not going to say I didn't want to make out with you. I sure did, but I want it to be when you're ready. I hope we get to that point someday," he said bravely.

Sid caressed her hand and said goodnight. Noelle went into the house. She watched out of the window as he drove off. She marveled over the fact that he had lots of communication with her mother. She felt her mother had given him tips on how to handle a woman. But Alana did not know that the tips would become helpful to use on her daughter.

Chapter 20.

Tessa took Baron up on his offer and used one of the Houstons' drivers to escort her to the estate. She waited until the servants left before she went to see Aniyah. She was ready to confront her niece. She rang the bell several times before Aniyah made her way down the stairs.

Aniyah opened the door to see her aunt. She wished she had peeped out the door-she would not have answered it.

Tessa saw that Aniyah had grown up. No longer did her niece wear the long floral skirts she and her mother had made for her.

Aniyah was dressed in a turquoise spandex dress. She was masked with makeup and big, hoop earrings hung from her ears.

Aniyah was amazed at how her aunt had matured with age. She saw that she still wore the simple floral skirts that she hated wearing as a teenager.

"Tessa!" she hollered.