Naomi rushed in through the entrance of Bobby Van's, an upscale steakhouse and grill in Lower Manhattan, and did a quick scan of the moderate crowd until her eyes landed on her parents, who were waving her over to their table.
"Hey Mom and Dad, " Naomi greeted to each of them taking her seat at the round, large, well-set, table draped with an embroidered white tablecloth. "Sorry, I'm late. I was caught up in a meeting with the bride Marked Impressions took on last month. Her wedding is in two days. And now it seems as if she wants to change every detail of the ceremony and reception at the last minute." Naomi ran a restless and tired hand through her hair as she sat her bag on her lap. She was glad the central air of the restaurant was in full effect, not only because of the humid weather outside, but because she needed the moment to cool off.
"Trust me, sweetie," her mother, Naveena Marks, soothed with a consoling hand, "Your Dad and I have had our fair share of fickle clients who became unpleasant to work with, but we still found a way to keep our heads on straight."
"And so will you," her father, Micheal Marks, added.
"Naomi, you have a natural talent for creating the smallest of ideas into the biggest of realities," Naveena said proudly of her daughter.
Smiling sheepishly, Naomi grabbed her menu. "How was the drive over here? I know the commute from Staten Island had to have been rough," she asked with a quick glance over the alcoholic drinks. Was it okay for the manager to have a drink in the middle of her workday? Lord knows she needed a stiff one.
"It was, but we wouldn't have missed out on a chance to see our favorite daughter who offered to give us free food," Mr. Marks said with a dimpled smile.
Naomi laughed. "Mom still starving you, Daddy?"
"You know it!" her dad scoffed. "Ever since that quack of a doctor said that I need to watch my salt intake because of my high blood pressure, I feel like I'm withering away with all the bland food I've been eating."
"Well, can you blame me for looking out for you?" Mrs. Marks countered with a loving hand to her husband's cheek. "You turn fifty-seven at the end of this month, and as long as I'm still here, you'll live fifty-seven more."
Naomi was touched by the growing affection in her mother's tone. It seemed so odd that a big, muscular guy like her father needed protection. Growing up, her dad had always been the protector of the family. She remembered resenting his overprotective character as a young adolescent, especially when he and her mother hid the truth about Darryl's mother from her, but now that she had a child of her own she'd grown to appreciate her coddled rearing.
Her father's face softened and Naomi felt compelled to excuse herself from the table when her mother leaned over for a kiss. There was no secret at how much love there was between her parents. After being married for nearly thirty years, and business partners for even longer than that, they shared everything with one another.
"Welcome to Bobby Van's," greeted their waiter, Oakland, as it read on his name tag. Naomi felt relief at the interruption. "Are you three interested in hearing today's specials?" After a quick run down of the menu, Oakland took their orders with a smile and with ease, sauntering away to the kitchen leaving them alone again.
"How's our grandson doing?" Mr. Marks asked casually, reaching for his glass of water.
"Dare's fine. Before I left the office, I spoke to him on the phone and it seems like he and Ms. Shondra are having a party with all that music I heard in the background. When Ms. Shondra used to teach young children, she said one of best ways to get them active was turning on music and letting them shake their little tail feathers."
"And how's Darryl doing with all of this? Has he contacted you since last night?" Naomi detected the edge in his tone, his protective instincts sprouting. Even her mother wore a look of concern and worry.
"He has. He called earlier this morning to inform me that he'll be over for dinner tonight," Naomi replied, wishing to leave it at that, but with the pressing look she was receiving from both of them she knew she needed to add more detail. "He's still pretty angry with me, that much I can tell, but he seems eager to get to know Dare and I figure that's the only thing that matters."
"That sounds like a step in the right direction," Mrs. Marks commented with a reassuring nod, "And you say that Darryl won't file for custody anymore?"
Naomi nodded just as Oakland returned with their meals, and most importantly, her martini. She only replied after Oakland retreated. "Yes. Darryl's agreed to try to work things out among ourselves. And as long as I don't stand in the way of him building a relationship with Dare, then we can keep the matter of custody out of court."
"But you don't think things can stay civil between you two," Mrs. Marks said, biting into her steak that Mr. Marks was eyeing with covet.
Her mother's tone expressed her statement in the way of fact rather than the question it was supposed to be. Naomi gave a one-shouldered shrug, feeling her anger rising just remembering how heated the conversation between her and Darryl had gotten last night. She took a sip of her drink before answering.
"How can it, when Darryl thinks that he can march into my life and take the reins? Last night, you know he had the nerve to tell me that after all these years, I was the one who'd changed! I don't even recognize him anymore."
"Try to remember where he's coming from, Naomi," her mom reasoned, "He's a little overwhelmed and you did keep him out of the loop when you found out you were pregnant."
"Why are you taking his side?" Naomi snapped. Even her father had stopped slurping his mushroom soup to frown at how his wife was defending the man who had knocked her up and skipped town.
"I'm not taking sides. I'm only stating fact."
Deciding it was best to blow of the topic where Darryl was concerned, Naomi refocused her attention on her plate of grilled chicken breast and potato wedges that was succulent as it was full of flavor. "When you called earlier, you mentioned that you had something to tell me. What was it?"
Naomi saw as her parents exchanged looks and part of her felt guilty about being so crass, but she wasn't interested in hearing what anyone had to say about how Darryl had been wronged. Thinking about what Darryl had said just before he stormed out of the the door still made her feel wounded, which left her confused. Why did she care of what Darryl thought of her? Why couldn't she get her damn mind off of him?
"Your Mom and I wanted to tell you," her dad paused, interrupting her thoughts. She was so far gone that she hadn't seen the secret grins they kept exchanging with one another. "We're moving into the city!"
Naomi's brows rose in elated disbelief. "Seriously?"
Her mother bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Yes! We've already talked to a realtor who might be able to help us sell the house for more than it's market value. And we've been getting a couple of offers, but yes, we might be able to move at the end of the season."
"Move where?"
This time it was her father who spoke. "Your Mom and I found this spacious, one-story apartment, a block away from Central Park. It gives us a great view of the entire park. It was so spectacular that we signed the leases and paid our first six months' rent to the landlord."
"Living a block away from Central Park means you're only a couple of blocks away from my place," Naomi said with an excited grin.
"You don't mind, do you honey?" her mom asked skeptically. "We worried that you would think we'd invade your space."
"No, I don't mind at all!" Naomi all but squealed, genuinely ecstatic that her parents would be moving close by within a matter of months. "You guys have no idea how happy I am. All these years, I've felt guilty about moving to the city especially since you wouldn't get to see Dare as often as you'd like."
"That's mostly the reason why we decided to move," Dad explained, "Dare's growing up and we're not getting any younger. The drive from Staten Island will eventually get tiring and we'll barely ever see you kids."
Naomi smiled. Although she had been in the worst of moods since last night, hearing her parents' news definitely boosted her spirits. The remainder of their lunch went by with them chatting about new furniture and interior decorating plans--well, it was more like she and her mother chatted while her father grumbled about all the money that would be spent--but Naomi loved every minute of it.
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"Darryl! You're here! Mommy, look! Darryl came back!"
Darryl had barely gotten through the door when he heard Dare's delighted cries. Before he had a second to prepare himself, he was ambushed by his son's small but strong arms that came around his waist for a tight hug, almost making him losing his footing. For a second, Darryl envisioned Dare becoming one hell of a tackler for his future high school's football team, and the thought almost made him smile a mile wide.
Making sure he had his feet firmly planted to the ground, Darryl shut the door behind him and scooped up Dare in his arms before rustling his short curly hair. "Of course I came back, little man. You have all the coolest toys to play with here," Darryl joked as he started tickling Dare's sides.
Dare started to squeal in laughter and Darryl almost doubled over in laughter when he started to scream, "Mercy! Mercy!"
"You two think you can keep the noise down just a bit? It's hard to concentrate on making dinner with all your raucous," Naomi called out, interrupting on the fun.
Darryl raised his eyes from Dare's beaming face to see as Naomi emerged from the kitchen.
He immediately wished he hadn't.
Standing there in the sexiest pair of jeans he'd ever seen on a pair of legs, Naomi was a vision. Her blush-pink, off-the-shoulder top hugged her body like a second skin, bringing his attention to the flare of her hips, flat stomach, and ample breasts. Her hair was down, free to caress her exposed neck and shoulders and her feet were bare with a shiny red color on her toe nails. Not even the wary look she wore in her eye or the partially soiled apron that hung loosely around her waist could curtail the sensuality she cast off.
"Dare, shouldn't you get down so you can let your guest get comfortable?" Naomi asked with a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. He hadn't missed how she had emphasized "your guest", telling him that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. And that was perfectly fine with him, since he wanted no part of Naomi 2.0.
"Hello, Naomi," Darryl greeted warily, sending her a guarded look.
"Darryl," she greeted in return, with the same level of enthusiasm. As if revving for a fight, she squared her bare shoulders and narrowed her eyes even further, making him question if she could even see through their thin slits. And as tempting as it was to ruffle her feathers even more, he knew it wouldn't be appropriate to do so in front of Dare.
Dare, oblivious to the tension growing in the room, slid down his body with excitement and ease. Grabbing a handful of his white dress shirt, Dare dragged him toward the living room, where all the games and toys they'd played with last night had been scattered across the floor.
"C'mon Darryl!" Dare ordered, practically pushing him down onto the oriental rug in the middle of the room. "You sit here. I'll go get the Lego's so we can build a dungeon!"
Without another word, Dare took off after his box of Lego's. Taking the moment to shrug off his charcoal grey suit jacket and remove his tie, Darryl got comfortable as he stretched his legs out in front of him. He took another appreciative glance around the room, thinking how much he liked the decor.
The walls were full of picture frames of Dare, and it almost seemed that there were three photographs for every year of his life. There were a few pictures of Naomi, too. Some of them were of her with her parents, and some of them were of her with Dare but what held Darryl's attention the most was the picture taken in front of Marked Impressions. Judging from the red ribbon and the huge scissors she carried in her hands it was a photograph of it's grand opening. Her smile was full and brilliant, but what grabbed his interest was Naomi's moderately swollen stomach.
Seeing Naomi pregnant with Dare, with his child, tugged at his heart--a feeling he didn't like one bit. Shouldn't he have felt anger, instead of...?
That was just it. Darryl wasn't sure what he was feeling.
"I got the Lego's, Darryl!"
Darryl's head whipped around when Dare came stumbling through with the heavy box full of Lego pieces and smiled. Predicting a disaster of epic proportions if he didn't intervene, Darryl moved to take the box from Dare and set it down in the rug in front of them.
"We're going to build a dungeon, am I right?"
"Yup," Dare with a grin and a jerky nod as he flipped the box on its side, letting its contents spill onto the floor. "Like the picture on the cover."
Darryl glanced at the picture in question, widening his eyes at the structure and back at the a thousand pieces scattered over the floor. "Using the all the pieces?"
"Yup."
And without another word, Dare took the lead and started gathering the blocks that would serve as the base. Figuring they would be all night if he just watched, Darryl started to take some blocks and putting them together.
For a while they sat in silence as they connected the pieces, except for the moments when Dare vehemently corrected Darryl on his construction skills, which was often. After getting the hand of things, Darryl thought now was the best time to spur some conversation.
"So besides your love of Power Rangers and Lego's, what else should I know about you, little man?"
"Well, umm, I turned six," Dare said with pride as he held up six fingers.
"Really? When's your birthday?"
"March third."
"Wow, that's weird. My birthday is a week before yours!"
Dare dropped his jaw. "No way!"
"You better believe it!" Darryl laughed, as they finished the base. "Did you have a birthday party?"
"Heck yeah! Mommy bought a big birthday cake for my entire class. It had the all of Power Rangers on it and it was a chocolatey cake, too," Dare detailed practically salivating at the memory. Darryl laughed, immediately recognizing the crazy look Naomi got in her eyes at the mere mention of chocolate in his son.
Dare was practically finished describing his three best friends--Gavin, Quinton, and Erwin, when Naomi entered.
"Dare, it's time to wash up. Dinner's almost ready and--" Naomi cut off as she looked up from drying her hands with a damp towel and saw the mess that they made. Darryl almost felt guilty.
"You guys! I cleaned this room earlier and now you two have made another mess for me to clean up," Naomi scolded in disbelief with her arms folded across her chest.
"Sorry, Mommy," Dare apologized with a pout, "But me and Darryl are building a dungeon."
Naomi shot Darryl a look of annoyance.
"Don't worry," Darryl said dryly, standing to his full height, "We'll clean up the mess once we're done. Ain't that right, Dare?"
"Yup! We'll clean it, Mommy," Dare said with a cheesy grin as he held up his little finger, "Pinky swear. But me and Darryl have to finish the dungeon."
"Alright, alright," Naomi said with her hands held up in surrender, "Now go and wash up for dinner."
"Okay!" Dare took off running down the hall, leaving the two of them alone in the room.
Unable to resist, Darryl took another long look at how casual but titillating Naomi was dressed. Though he had ditched his suit jacket and tie in the car, he still felt overdressed compared to the jeans she wore. Dare, too, was dressed simply in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
"Darryl?"
Darryl's eyes snapped up to meet Naomi's distant ones. He want to kick himself in the ass for staring at her again. "Yes?"
"I asked whether you would like to help me set the table?"
Taken aback, Darryl tucked his hands into his pockets and raised his brow in skepticism. "You want my help?"
"It's a yes or no question, Darryl. In fact, I probably shouldn't have bothered," Naomi quipped as she began to spin on her heel but Darryl stopped her with a hand below her elbow.
"What's your problem?"
"I have the problem?" Naomi whipped back. Darryl pulled his hand back to his side as he glared down at her, clenching his jaw so hard he felt the muscle ready to burst.
"Clearly, if you're catching an attitude when I've barely said two words to you--"
"I do not have an attitude!" she countered. She opened her mouth to say more but the sound of Dare returning cut her off.
"I'm ready for dinner now," Dare announced flaring his arms about to show off his clean hands and face.
Sending him one last sardonic look, Darryl watched with thinning patience as Naomi flashed her dimples to Dare before scooping him up into her arms. "C'mon sweetie, maybe you can help Mommy set the table."
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Naomi took a sip of her homemade sweet iced tea, for the first time wishing she kept wine in the house. It wasn't as if dinner wasn't going well. The oven baked potatoes and salmon with string beans had came out deliciously--if the way the two boys sitting on either side of her were scarving down their food was any indication--and Dare had both her and Darryl laughing with his stories of how his day went.
However, the untrained eye would never see the thickening tension that flowed between Naomi and Darryl. He had barely given her one look since they'd sat down at the dinner table and had indirectly addressed her when he piggybacked Dare's compliments on their food. When either one of them spoke, they spoke specifically and directly to Dare, who seemed overjoyed to be receiving attention from both of them. And Naomi was just as happy that her son was a chatter box that didn't comprehend the need to breathe every once in a while in between sentences, leaving no awkward silences.
And even through all of that it wasn't the near argument they had a half hour ago that had Naomi's nerves bunched up in bundles nor was it Darryl's poor table manners that had her feeling like she would erupt like a volcano.
No. What she was feeling was far more dangerous and disturbing than hate or rage or the combination of the two.
It was lust.
Darryl may have been able to keep from looking in her direction, but every few minutes Naomi would find her gaze wandering to admire the fit of his dress shirt which he'd rolled up to his elbow and the muscled arms that strained against the starchy fabric. He had also undone a few of the top buttons, exposing an appetizing amount of throat. Just watching him take a long sip from his cup like he was doing now, his moist lips caressing the rim, was eliciting a deep throb in her womanly parts.
"What did you do today, Darryl?" Dare asked with a mouthful of potatoes and salmon. Naomi pulled her eyes away from Darryl's Adam's Apple to Dare. He had been telling them every minuscule detail about his day from the moment they'd said grace and now it was Darryl's turn.
Darryl laughed as he set his drink back down onto the table. "Nothing as exciting as what you did, little man. All I did was wake up, ate a bite of breakfast, then drove to work."
"Are you a doctor like Uncle Miles?"
Naomi looked back over to Darryl who's smile faltered just fractionally at the mention of Miles. "No, I'm not a doctor. I'm a lawyer," he answered with a small bite of food.
"Mommy, what's a lawyer? Do lawyers save lives like doctors and police mans?"
"It's policemen, sweetie. And in a way, yes, lawyers do save lives," Naomi said, casting a furtive glance to Darryl before looking back to Dare. "Lawyers are protectors."
"How?"
Naomi was surprised that the question hadn't come from Dare's lips but instead from Darryl's. Risking further damage to her good senses she turned to face him and saw his deep, dark orbs staring right back at her in earnest curiosity. Her breath caught in her throat and for a second she couldn't move her mouth to form an answer.
"Well, you know," Naomi stammered. She took in another breath before continuing, "Lawyers are defenders of the people who couldn't otherwise defend themselves. They make sure that the accused aren't named so in vain and even in the hardest of circumstances and situations, lawyers like you are always ready to take the bat."
For a moment, Darryl seemed speechless. He sat there, expressionless, at her words. Even Dare had stopped eating and was now staring at them with puzzlement, with no clue as to what was happening.
What was happening? Why was she paying Darryl a compliment when he hadn't held back from writing her off last night? Naomi frowned as she dropped her gaze back down to her half-eaten plate. It had to be the lust swimming in her veins that was clouding her mind, making her believe that she and Darryl could exist in a world together where they could live in perfect harmony. There were words to describe those thoughts. Delusional. Pretentious. Neurotic. Down right deranged.
"Darryl, is that true? You protect people?" Dare asked, breaking the spell of silence.
Naomi looked back to Darryl who was still staring at her, but this time he gave her a slight smile before answering. "Yes, I guess I do."