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СКАЧАТЬ to her about doing a fund-raiser to help renovate the community center. Kids with nothing to do had a tendency of finding dangerous activities to pick up from other wayward souls. Eboni didn’t know how, but she knew she had to break the cycle.

      A nurse walked into the room. “Ms. Sommerville, time to get your vitals.” She opened the blinds and allowed the February sun to stream through them. The morning rays reflected off the gleaming-white snow that covered the ground.

      Eboni wrapped her camel-colored dress coat around her body. The businesslike apparel didn’t give her a cozy feeling like the poncho her grandmother had made for her. Appearances meant everything for Eboni.

      Eboni remembered being a child and watching her grandmother knit the whole thing. She couldn’t wait until she got to a size to wear it. Of course, her grandmother made the garment large anticipating that Eboni would never lose that baby weight that plagued her for most of her youth.

      She’d changed. Times had changed. Eboni had to give up childhood fantasies, including finding that one true love. Seeing Elizabeth in a hospital bed made everything real.

      “Do you have to wake her now?” Eboni rubbed her eyes. “She just got to sleep.”

      The nurse glanced down at Elizabeth’s face and chuckled. “Is she going to an opera later? When did she put on all this makeup?”

      “She can hear everything you’re saying.” Elizabeth opened her eyes and glared at the nurse before cutting her gaze over to Eboni.

      “Darling, you didn’t have to sleep in that awful chair.” She shook her head.

      “I didn’t want to leave you alone.” Eboni stretched her arms over her head attempting to relieve some of the ache in her neck. “Besides, I would have slept on the floor if I had to.”

      Elizabeth smiled, showing off an impressive set of straight, white teeth. “You’re silly. The staff here would have taken care of me just fine.” She finally turned her smile to the nurse who had already placed a black cuff around her arm and pumped away to get her blood pressure.

      As the nurse allowed the blood pressure cuff to hiss out the air she’d pumped into it, she said, “A very loud and angry man called the desk for you last night.” She removed the stethoscope from her ears. “He claimed that this woman is not your daughter.” She glanced at Eboni.

      Eboni swallowed but continued returning the nurse’s stare, hoping to convince her of the lie Queen had told. Eboni hadn’t corrected her. In a lot of ways, she did feel like she belonged in Queen’s family.

      “That’s ridiculous,” Queen said when she no longer had a thermometer in her mouth. “This beautiful young woman is as much as my child as my sons are.”

      Eboni smiled. She stood from her chair and held her friend’s hand. The warmth of it as well as Elizabeth’s words hugged her heart.

      “Did you already pick your breakfast items today?” The nurse held up a menu.

      “Yes. The lovely woman from food services got my order about an hour ago.”

      The nurse nodded and exited the room, partially closing the door behind herself.

      Eboni felt her eyebrows draw together. “I don’t remember hearing anyone coming into the room.”

      “Because you were out cold.” Elizabeth placed her soft palm against Eboni’s cheek and then brought it down to cover Eboni’s hand. “You will need to go home at some point today to shower and get some real sleep.”

      Eboni shook her head. “Until the doctors tell me what’s going on, I’m not leaving.”

      “Oh, honey, I know what it is. Back in my day, we called it having the vapors. I just got a little overwhelmed with work and had a little fainting spell. That’s it.” Queen removed her hand from Eboni’s and turned her face away like she wanted to watch something on TV.

      Eboni knew better. “I know Virginia is the South, but we’re not that far south. I don’t believe in this vapors nonsense. Something’s going on with you, and I’m not leaving until I know what it is.”

      Elizabeth shook her head. “Stubborn. You’re just like Gunnar.”

      At the mention of his name, Eboni became quiet. Like when he’d walked away from her ten years ago to pursue his fighting dream, Eboni’s heart stilled again.

      She’d thought she and Gunnar would have a future together. Her being African American hadn’t stopped him from pursuing her, not that Eboni thought it would. If he didn’t have a problem with his adoptive mother being black, she knew he would date outside of his race.

      Eboni had been surprised the day he’d given her the critical ultimatum--go with him while he trained as an ultimate fighter, or break up with him and stay home. It had broken her heart to turn down his offer, but she couldn’t leave. Not just yet.

      “You talked to Gunnar?” Eboni backed up to her chair.

      “I called him last night before his thing.” Queen huffed. “I told him he should stop that stuff and come on home.”

      Eboni collapsed in the chair. “You told him to come home? Why?” Would the man who’d had no problems running from her ten years ago come home because his mother asked him to?

      “Darling, while I’m a touch incapacitated, I’m going to need someone to run the businesses.”

      At that bit of news, Eboni’s spine crumpled enough for her to melt her back into the chair. “I thought you would let me run Press ’N Curl.”

      “You are running Press ’N Curl. Gunnar will do what I do there.” Elizabeth waved her hand as though this aspect meant very little to her.

      “So he’ll have his nails and hair done?” She winked at Elizabeth. The little bit of levity helped her not think of Gunnar.

      Elizabeth gasped. “I do more than just have my hair and nails done.”

      “I know.”

      “Don’t forget eyebrow waxing.” Elizabeth winked.

      Eboni laughed. Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t be a success if she’d been an absentee owner. The woman defined hands-on. When a stylist didn’t show, she had no problem taking their clients.

      “What in the world am I going to do without you at the shop?”

      “You’ll be fine, and Gunnar will be fine in my spot.” Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll eventually have to bring my sons in to the businesses. I was just hoping it would happen later than sooner.” She sighed. “Besides, all three have signed power-of-attorney forms for the businesses in case something happens to me.”

      It made sense to have Elizabeth’s sons to acquire the three businesses when something happened to her. Eboni just hoped Gunnar would stay away from her while she worked.

      “Speaking of bad timing.” Eboni made sure to make eye contact with Elizabeth. “Before you, um, caught the vapors, I was going to propose that we do a fund-raiser for the Oceanfront Community Center. You know that in my free time I volunteer there.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ