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The three I was headed to meet with weren’t that bad. Annabelle, Hattie, and Eileen were a fun bunch. Annabelle was bossy as all get out, but she had great ideas and a good listening ear. She raised a gay son and peppered me about ‘our lifestyle’ all the time. She also told me more about his life than I was certain he’d be comfortable knowing. He sounded like a sweet young man. Ms. Hattie just liked staying busy. She loved her husband and spent a lot of time with him at the assisted living facility, but she made it plain that she wasn’t at that stage yet and would not be surrendering quickly or quietly. Then there was Ms. Eileen. I still hadn’t figured her out completely, but I was willing to bet that in a different time, she might have had a wife of her own.
Driving to the Society offices at the Country Club for our meeting gave me some peace and solitude. I put the top down on my convertible and enjoyed the rush of air all around me. The car had been more than a little indulgent of a purchase. I loved my little silver BMW. Cass called it my selfish-vertible. It technically sat four people, but only if the two in the back seat were unusually short.
I loved driving around the island. Watching the azaleas and southern magnolias come up all around Beaufort was magnificent. They brought a burst of color to an otherwise dull landscape in February and March. Azaleas, along with southern magnolias, were two plants that epitomized the South, and it was no wonder they were all over social media and even on magazine covers this time of year.
Joining the Society wasn’t something I’d aspired to do, but I got a little twinge of pride each time I rolled up on the old plantation that once held my ancestral people captive and now held our rich history and heritage.
“Sterling, over here honey!” Ms. Hattie called over to me. The ladies made contact before I’d hardly given the valet my keys.
I really hoped they took the delay in receiving images better than I had because I did not like disappointing them. I had been looking down to situate everything, and didn’t notice the handsome young man trailing the trio at first. He was with them, though. Ms. Annabelle seemed to be fussing about the way he was carrying the box in his hands.
As I made my way over to them, he looked a little irritated and a lot resigned. I didn’t have a chance to say anything before they all started talking to me.
“Ladies, great to see you as always. Why don’t we wait until we get settled inside to get started? I know we have plenty to catch up on since I couldn’t meet over the last two weeks.”
“How was your trip, Sterling?” Ms. Hattie inquired.
“Very productive. I’m sure I secured at least two new clients. Thank you for asking,” I answered.
I spoke, but my focus was fractured. It appeared that the unknown man wasn’t just dropping things off, and he wasn’t moving on as we made our way into the conference room and started unloading. Yeah, the younger man was absolutely put out about being here, and uncomfortable. Cute, quite cute, but very out of place. This kid was the sixth toe in a pair of sandals. Yet, I was drawn to his sullen and moody persona.
“Now, ladies, I know you wouldn’t be trying to replace me with a younger version right under my nose. Who’s your new companion? Please tell me you haven’t roped in another unsuspecting co-conspirator.” I looked over to him again and caught the smirk and glance he tossed my way beneath beautifully full, jet-black lashes. It felt like we had just shared a secret and I wanted more.
“Trust me, I’m not interested in replacing anyone on this committee.” He’d mumbled it, but I was now certain this wasn’t his first choice of places to be this afternoon. He wasn’t going for surly or petulant though. At least I didn’t think so by the look he sent the ladies’ way to confirm his words hadn’t landed too harshly.
I walked closer than was necessary and extended my hand. “Hi, I’m Mitchell Layton Sterling, Jr. Everyone calls me Sterling. And you are?”
“I’m the son of a mother who cannot and will not take no for an answer,” was his response.
“Well, damn, that must be hard to fit on a luggage tag.” I never took my eyes off him and didn’t crack a smile.
“What?” His chuckle did nothing to mask his obvious confusion.
“People usually punchline that joke with, ‘on a business card’ but you look a little young for that.”
“I’m adult enough to have business cards. I don’t because I don’t have a job, but I am old enough.” He’d added that last bit more under his breath, but I still heard it.
“I stand corrected,” I said.
“Sterling, this cranky young man is my son Hayes. No, he doesn’t want to be here. However, I wouldn’t let him wallow another day in post-break-up pity.” Ms. Annabelle had just put all the poor boy’s business on front street. She was a lot more like Cass than I cared to think about.
“Really, Mother? You couldn’t leave that little detail out?”
“Not to worry, your heartbreak secret is safe with me.” I hoped that my smile was a small salve to his bruised esteem.
“Shall we sit and get started?” I asked as I moved to the table to pull out seats for the ladies. Hayes followed my lead and helped Ms. Eileen with her chair as I pushed in Ms. Hattie and started to seat his mother.
Hayes was truly a beautiful man, albeit a very young man. A point I didn’t think it would be a good idea to highlight again so quickly. He walked with confidence and grace. His glide was more in line with a dancer than a linebacker. His complexion was the color of wet sand with his short, barely started dreadlocks looking multi-hued depending on the angle you were seeing them from. The man could do a commercial for the American Dental Association, his teeth were so perfect. And to think I’d only seen a partial smile so far. I silently put getting a full and true smile from him at the top of my to-do list.
As suspected, the ladies were disappointed when I told them about the results from the photographer. Conceptually he’d gone in all the wrong directions and now he was going to be seriously late on his deliverables because he needed to start over from scratch. They had already been leery of him based solely on the fact that he was a complete unknown on the island. The fact that he happened to be a Yankee did not make him more endearing. The ladies had thrown around going with someone local in a commitment to honoring the culture. “What does some Yankee know about the Gullah/Geechee history?” Ms. Hattie asked more than once. Like the man wasn’t intelligent enough to read a history book or, at minimum, use Google. I had not pointed that out though. These women were serious about the culture.
We went back and forth over it. Annabelle wanted to make an immediate switch to someone new out of fear that all the artwork needed for the silent auction brochure, the gala’s program, and other items would never get done on time. During the great debate Hayes looked bored and over it. This wasn’t the lobby of a dentist’s office, but his body language said he felt the exact same way about being here. Miserable. As we approached round three of the circuitous conversation I had to step out to answer a call.
When I returned the air had made an obvious shift, and things were tense. Hayes was glaring and my entrance seemed to intensify it.
“Ladies, I promise everything will be done on time if I have to sit next to the designer myself. Please don’t worry about this detail. I have it under control. I promise.”
I went to reach for the gifts I had for them hoping that it would put everyone in a better mood and redirect the energy in the space.
