Delicious Destiny

Grant smiled. “Thank you.”

The hostess sat them in the private Cellar room made of glass; one wall was filled with various wines from floor to ceiling, and a single table complete with tablecloth, candles and fine china and cutlery awaited them in the center of the room.

“Mr. Robinson, your private waiter Juan will be with you momentarily,” the hostess said.

“Thank you,” Grant replied, helping Shari into her seat before taking his own.

This was all very fancy, Shari thought to herself, for two friends catching up on old times. Was Grant trying to impress her? If so, he was doing a good job. She rarely got out of the house anymore. Being a single parent precluded her from going out to party like other single women her age. Andre’s needs preempted her own and had forced her to grow up pretty quickly.

“You’ve really outdone yourself,” Shari added, glancing around the room.

Grant smiled warmly at the compliment. “I was determined to carve out a place for myself other than what my parents had built. You know, be my own man.”

Shari nodded. She understood. It was hard sometimes at Lillian’s with so many chiefs who all wanted the spotlight and not enough Indians. It was why sometimes she was content to just fade into the background. It was easier than dealing with all the family drama.

“I remember you mentioning that your parents expected you to take over the family business.”

“Yeah, there was a lot of pressure from Pops to settle down.”

“You sure did that quick,” Shari said, and then realized she spoke out of turn and reached for her water glass to take a sip.

Grant laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re right. I got married entirely too quickly. Dina convinced me to have a quickie wedding in Las Vegas a few months after graduating with my MBA from Ledgeman.”

Shari wasn’t surprised Dina would be in a rush, especially considering she’d probably stolen several Lillian recipes around the same time, so she could open up her own bakery a couple of years later.

“I regretted that marriage almost from the start,” Grant continued, “which is why it only lasted less than a year.”

“A year?” Shari was shocked. Grant had been single this entire time? All this wasted time... But so what? Had she known sooner, would she have done anything differently? Would she really have been able to show up to his doorstep with Andre in tow?

“Yeah, it was a mistake,” Grant answered honestly. “Dina and I were cut from the same cloth. Driven and determined to succeed. We didn’t mesh well. Everything was always a competition with her, even in our marriage.”

Shari wasn’t surprised by that statement. She’d come to realize after leaving Ledgeman that she’d been in a competition herself with Dina and hadn’t really known it.

The waiter entered the room, introduced himself and suggested several wines. Grant chose one of his recommendations, which the waiter produced several minutes later. He poured a sip for Grant to taste and after he did, Grant nodded his approval. The waiter filled his glass and poured one for Shari.

After they’d ordered soup for starters and their entrées, Grant turned to Shari. “Enough about me and my failed marriage. I want to hear more about you and what you’ve been up to the last five years. But first let’s toast. To old friends.” He raised his wineglass and openly stared at Shari.

Shari found it hard not to be flattered by the attention Grant was bestowing on her. She’d forgotten how good it felt to be with a man. She’d denied herself for too long. “To old friends.” She clicked her glass against his. “So what do you want to know?”

“Well, for starters, how about you and Thomas Abernathy?” Grant supplied.

A lump formed in her throat. Shari was surprised Grant even remembered Thomas’s name because she’d only mentioned him a few times in passing. “What about him? We hung out in college.”

“Well...after you and I were together, after we made love...” Just the words caused a blush to spread across Shari’s cheeks. “Well, I thought we might date, but then Dina told me that Thomas was planning to propose to you. That he was an old-fashioned guy and wanted his bride to be a virgin on their wedding night. I felt horrible after our night together, like I’d ruined your plans for your life. But now after seeing Andre...” His voice trailed off.

No wonder Grant felt free to pursue Dina! Dina had ensured it by spreading lies about her and Thomas. Shari wondered what other lies Dina told him.

“Andre?” Shari swallowed hard. She knew what Grant was implying. He’d assumed like everyone else in the Drayson family that Thomas was Andre’s father.

The waiter returned with their soups and Shari sunk her spoon in the creamy mixture and brought it to her lips. The lobster bisque was bright and lush and full of flavor. She didn’t like the direction the conversation had turned. She wanted to tell Grant that Andre was his son, but somehow the words wouldn’t come. Once he found out, hellfire was sure to rain down on her. She could only imagine how angry he would be with her for keeping the truth from him. Was she being selfish by wanting one more night with him that was just about her and nothing more?

After several moments, she said, “Andre’s a great kid. He’s smart and funny. He loves to build things and is always asking questions. He’s always getting into things. He keeps me on my toes.”

“Sounds like a pretty amazing kid,” Grant offered.

She tried not to make it obvious that she’d purposely steered the conversation away from Andre’s parentage and more into generalities. The subject made her so nervous that she had to fight fidgeting in her seat. Instead, she forced a bright smile.

“He is,” she said as she continued eating her soup. “He’s the love of my life. Having him was the best decision I ever made.”

“How did your family take your pregnancy?”

“They were understandably upset,” Shari replied. “They expected me to go to graduate school for my MBA, but it wasn’t possible.”

“You didn’t go?” Grant asked. “Oh, Shari, you were so talented. You had a knack for business.”

“Thank you. I appreciate you saying so, but it would have been difficult with a big belly. I didn’t want to see the stares of the other students.”

“I noticed you haven’t mentioned Thomas. Did you go through your pregnancy alone?” Grant circled back to an unwelcome topic.

“Have you met my family?” Shari attempted a laugh even though she felt far from jovial. “I wasn’t alone. Eventually, they came around and embraced me and my son.”

“I’m so glad. And now you’re working at Lillian’s?”

“Yes, I’m a baker. You see, we all play a role at Lillian’s. My cousin Belinda is tied to Grandma Lillian’s apron strings. Belinda keeps the kitchen organized by ordering me, her fiancé, Malik, and my cousin Carter around, even though we’re all excellent bakers. Malik, Carter and my cousin Drake are doing a blog called ‘Brothers Who Bake,’ and now there’s talk about a cookbook.”

“You sound very impressed with your cousins, but downplay yourself. Why is that?”

It was very intuitive of Grant to feel her ambivalence about her place in the Drayson family.

“With your business degree, you should be running Lillian’s.”

“I know, I know,” Shari said, lowering her head. “And I did by suggesting we sell our bake mixes, which Grandma Lillian implemented. It’s just difficult hearing your voice amongst my loud, rambunctious family.”

“Then talk louder,” Grant offered, and Shari finally chuckled, which helped lighten the mood.

The remainder of the evening was breezy and light with Grant and Shari easily discussing movies, music, cooking and traveling. Shari discovered Grant was well-traveled and had been to Europe, the Middle East and even Africa. She was envious. She’d always wanted to travel, but now that Andre was about to start kindergarten, she was going to be restricted to summer breaks only.

They finished the evening at Chicago’s oldest blues club off North Halsted, which was nearly full to capacity. The bar had two stages and two bands. The club was crowded with people lining the walls, drinking at the bar or chowing on their infamous barbecue ribs. Immediately upon entering, Shari noticed the Wall of Fame, which had pictures of the famous blues singers that had sung there. They chose to sit at one of the small, intimate round tables that circled the North Stage.

They listened to some of the best traditional blues Chicago had to offer. The band was great, from the explosive guitar to the sweet sounds of the legendary harmonica. Grant and Shari even got up at one point to share a dance.

She was surprised when Grant suggested it because there were no couples on the floor. Usually Shari hated to be the center of attention, but because Grant was asking, she acquiesced. And she was glad she did.

Being held in Grant’s arms was everything she’d dreamed it would be. He was strong, yet gentle as he swayed her to the soft bluesy music. He smelled so manly, earthy and woodsy. She breathed him in, resting her head against his solid chest. At one point, she thought she felt him stroke her shoulder-length hair, but then she realized she was fantasizing too much. Tonight was just about two friends catching up, because surely it couldn’t be anything more.

Hours later on the drive to the Drayson family estate at Glenville Heights, they were both introspective, each content with the quiet and the other’s presence. Shari had asked Grant to drop her at her parents’ home so she could give Andre a kiss good-night and be there when he woke up. Grant hadn’t seemed to mind.

When they arrived, the porch light was still on for Shari. She’d called ahead and told her parents she’d be staying over.