Perfect Timing

by Brenda Jackson

Genres: African American; African American Women's Fiction; African American Romance

Synopsis

Maxine Chandler and Mya Rivers were once the best of friends, sisters by choice. But distance and a series of misunderstandings came between them. Now, a fifteen-year class reunion cruise to the Caribbean could renew their powerful bond—just when they need it most.



After heartbreak and tragedy, Maxi doesn't expect her shipboard romance with former high school rebel Christopher Chandler to be more than a sizzling distraction, but then he offers her a gift so profound she can't refuse it—even when it leaves her vulnerable to crushing loss. Mya, on the other hand, seems blessed with a perfect marriage, home, and beautiful twins. But Mya's work is taking over her life and another woman might be taking husband . . .



As each couple struggles with the limits of love, loyalty, and trust, Mya and Maxi reclaim a deep and abiding friendship . . . one that will inspire them with courage to face the future, whatever it may bring . . .



Contains mature themes.

Release date: January 1, 2014

Publisher: Dafina

Print pages: 320

Sample

Maxine “Maxi” Chandler hated the smell of a doctor’s office. It was the same scent one found in a hospital—a medicinal, antiseptic, and sterile odor.

Since she was Dr. Frazier’s last patient for that day, the waiting room was empty. She’d had consultations scheduled earlier with four of her students and had appreciated the late appointment time. The side door opened and Pauline Warren, a lady in her early sixties appeared. It seemed Mrs. Warren had been Doctor Frazier’s nurse for years.

Maxi took a deep breath. Pauline had called her yesterday to let her know that the results of her tests had come back. In a few minutes she would know if the medication the doctor had prescribed for her a few months ago had improved her medical condition, or if the worst-case scenario was what she was now up against.

“The doctor is ready to see you, Maxi,” Mrs. Warren said, smiling.

Maxi stood, returning Pauline’s smile. That same smile had had a calming effect on her frazzled nerves when she had undergone her first GYN exam before leaving home for college at eighteen, almost ten years ago. Also, that same smile had offered sympathy to her four years ago when Jason had gotten killed.

“And how is your mom?” Pauline asked as she led Maxi to one of the empty examination rooms.

“Mom is fine and wanted me to tell you hello.”

Pauline nodded, closing the door behind them. “I take it that she and Mr. Hudson still haven’t made any wedding plans?”

Maxi laughed. “No they haven’t.” Her mother, a widow for nearly ten years and Walter Hudson, a widower for probably just as long, had been seeing each other for years. “Do I need to undress?”

“No. The doctor just wants to talk with you and go over the results of your tests.”

Maxi nodded. She’d had a queasy feeling in her stomach ever since receiving Pauline’s call.

“Dr. Frazier will be with you in a minute,” were Pauline’s last words before turning and exiting the room.

Maxi sat down in one of the chairs. No matter what Dr. Frazier had to tell her, she had to believe that she could handle the news. How many times had her mother told her that the Lord never put more on you than you could bear and trouble didn’t last always? Taking a deep breath she glanced around the room. For the second time that week she thought about Jason and how his death, which had occurred a week before their wedding day, had nearly destroyed her. He had been on his way to pick her up for dinner when a drunk driver crossed the median and hit him head-on, killing him instantly at the age of twenty-six. He had moved to Savannah seven years before from Ohio to open an insurance agency.

Maxi’s thoughts came to an end when the door opened and Dr. Frazier entered. Although she studied his features for any tell-tale signs, there weren’t any. There was nothing about him that gave anything away. Not even a small hint. He appeared jovial as usual.

“How are you, Maxi?”

“I’m fine, Dr. Frazier, and you?”

He chuckled. “I have one year, three months and twenty-four days before retirement, so I’m doing pretty good. I talked to Sonja last night and she’s making plans to go on your class reunion cruise. What about you?”

Maxi inhaled deeply. Dr. Frazier’s daughter Sonja, now a gynecologist herself in Atlanta, had graduated from high school with her. To celebrate their ten-year class reunion, a seven-day cruise to the western Caribbean had been planned. “I’ve decided not to go. This summer will be much too busy for me.” As a college professor teaching African-American studies at Savannah State University, she had agreed to instruct several classes during the summer term.

“Everyone can use some R and R every now and then, Maxi. Always remember that. There’s nothing worse than working yourself to death. Vacations are things people should strive to have at least once a year. Besides, I’d think you’d want to go to the reunion. According to Sonja you were the most popular and most well-liked girl at Beaches High, and were friends with just about everyone.”

Maxi nodded. And that was one of the main reasons she didn’t want to go. Five years ago she had attended her five-year reunion with Jason, as an engaged couple. Although she had gotten over losing him, she didn’t want people who didn’t know about his death to open old wounds by asking her about him. “I’ll keep that in mind, but I know you didn’t summon me here to talk about my high school class reunion.”

“No, I didn’t.” Dr. Frazier took a seat across from her. “The results of your tests came back.” He opened the chart he held in his hand. “I’m sorry to inform you that the medication I placed you on isn’t working like I had hoped, and there’s no other alternative now but surgery.”

Maxi took in a deep breath. “Which means if I want a child I need to get pregnant before the surgery.” It was a statement and not a question. She bowed her head. It had always been her dream to have children. But then she’d always wanted a husband too. Now it seemed that both were lost to her forever. “Is there any chance the test results are incorrect?” she asked, knowing she was pulling at straws but pulled at them anyway.

“No, Maxi, I’m sorry, but then deep down I think you knew surgery would have to be the answer, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” She tried smiling. “But a girl can have hope, can’t she?”

“Yes, she can.” For the longest time he didn’t say anything else but continued to look at her with concern on his face. “I still think you should consider going on that cruise. Being around old friends will do you good.”

Not if I have to put up with them pulling pictures out of their purses and wallets, displaying their perfect families, she thought. After ten years most were heavily involved in careers and families. More than likely they would want to talk about both. Although she had the career she’d always wanted, she didn’t have the family she’d always dreamed about having.

She stood. “I’ll think about it,” she said, knowing deep down that she probably wouldn’t. She checked her watch. “I’d better go. I’m sure it’s been a long day for you. Thanks for everything, Dr. Frazier. You will be the one doing the surgery, won’t you?”

“Yes, if you decide to do it.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not if you want to be completely well.”

“Then I guess that’s that. But, I want to put off the surgery for as long as I can.”

“All right, but if you begin having problems I want you to rethink that decision. Your monthly cramps will only continue to get worse until the matter is taken care of.”

Maxi nodded. “I’ll be in touch, Dr. Frazier.” She walked out of his office thinking that somehow she would deal with what lay ahead. Somehow she would find the strength to do so.

Later that evening after enjoying a quiet dinner alone, Maxi went through her closets in search of her high school yearbook. Her conversation with Dr. Frazier had made her think about her former classmates. Many of them had moved away after graduation to attend college, never returning except for occasional visits. Out of a class of over two hundred students, only half of them still made Savannah their home. Although she had left to attend Howard University in Washington, she had returned to the historic coastal town that she loved.

She flipped a few pages of the yearbook, most of them now yellow with age, and checked the section where all the seniors’ pictures were. She studied the pictures. The class of 1992 had graduated students who were now doctors, lawyers, federal judges . . . there was even a movie star or two in the group, as well as a few living the life of crime. She knew for a fact that George Buford was in jail for armed robbery. At one time he had made the FBI’s most wanted list for robbing more than fifteen banks.

Maxi turned to her senior picture and smiled, grateful the hairstyle she had worn back then was no longer stylish. Her gaze then moved to the photo of the young man next to her—Christopher Chandler. She’d had a big-time crush on him during their entire senior year. Because they’d had the same last name it seemed they had always been in some of the same classes throughout their entire twelve years of school. He had come from an area of town that some considered ghettoville and was always known for getting into trouble. Rebellious, wild, and filled with anger and bitterness because of how society had treated him, Christopher had taken pleasure in being the town’s bad boy. Raised by a mother with a reputation of sleeping around, who had enrolled him in school two years later than she should have and only after the school officials had threatened her with legal actions, he had barely made the grades to graduate. She couldn’t help but recall the scandal that swept through Savannah during their senior year of school involving Christopher’s mother and the city’s mayor. To this day Maxi believed the reason their science teacher, Mr. Thompson, who’d for some reason had taken a liking to the rebellious Chandler, had teamed him up with her for their science project was because he had known Christopher’s hidden potential. And giving him something to do that required a lot of concentration would take his mind off what was being exposed in the newspaper about the high profile affair. The project had taken first place at the Science Fair. Christopher had surprised even her with his hard work and dedication to the project. And she had found out something about him during the six weeks they had worked closely together on the project. It had been something the other students and some of the teachers had not known, and probably never discovered. Underneath his undisciplined bad boy exterior, Christopher had a brilliant mind. It wouldn’t surprise her if the boy who’d been voted “least likely to succeed” had become a success. It would serve them all right, those who had snubbed him and had considered him nothing more than a thug. Although his name had come up at the last class reunion, no one had heard anything about him since the day he left town after graduation. His mother had committed suicide a week before graduation and he claimed when he left that he would never return to Savannah.

Maxi then turned the page and glanced at a picture of the guy who had been captain of the football team and the girl who had been captain of the cheerleading squad. Childhood sweethearts, their love had been the ultimate storybook romance. Both had left to attend college in Texas. After college they had married, and he had begun playing professional football. Mya and Garrett Rivers were still happily married and living in Dallas. She and Mya had been the best of friends all through school, each other’s confidantes. But due to a misunderstanding they rarely stayed in touch. The last time she had seen Mya had been two years ago when Mya’s grandmother had died and Mya had returned to Savannah for the services. Before then the last time she had heard from her had been when Mya had called offering condolences after hearing about Jason’s death.

Jason.

Maxi closed the book and a feeling of loneliness washed over her when she thought about him. They had met at the birthday party of one of her co-workers, Sandra Miller. He had been a neighbor Sandra had invited. Maxi had liked him from the very beginning. He’d been a dynamic conversationalist. And he’d been pretty pleasing on the eyes as well, with his handsome features. He had asked her out and from that night on they’d become almost inseparable. They had enjoyed each other’s company just that much. They’d been dating a little more than a year when he had asked her to marry him. Everyone thought they were the perfect match. And they had wanted the same things out of life—marriage and a big family.

Maxi sighed deeply. The sudden loss of Jason had been a brutal blow. So was the thought that after her surgery, she would never be able to give birth to a child. She shook aside the brief moment of depression, not wanting to bring back into focus her conversation with Dr. Frazier. The last thing she needed was to feel sorry for herself. Seeing those red check marks under some of her classmates’ names, indicating those who were now deceased, had reminded her that at least she was still alive. Five people in her class had died since their last reunion five years ago. So no matter how big you think your problems are, someone else’s problems could always be bigger, which makes yours relatively small.

Dr. Frazier had been right. Maybe she should consider going on her high school class reunion cruise. She had always enjoyed the friendships of former classmates and maybe at this time in her life when all seemed bleak, being surrounded by friends was what she needed. Besides, there was a good chance Mya would be going and maybe they would be able to spend some time together renewing their deep friendship that had somehow fallen by the wayside.

Before she had a chance to change her mind, Maxi picked up the phone to call the travel agency that was handling all the arrangements. Since the trip was only six weeks away, she hoped it wasn’t too late.

Christopher

Christopher Chandler stood in the doorway of his bedroom and gazed upon the naked woman who was lying in his bed. Soft light from a nearby lamp cast shadows over the bed, making the long, slender form that much sexier.

He had spent the biggest part of his day behind closed doors with his top management teams. Everything was finally in place with the Landmark Project. He smiled. He enjoyed working deals, making lucrative investments, and being a mastermind when it came to major construction projects. Those things had made him a fairly wealthy man. And because of his dirt-poor beginnings, he’d sworn never to do without again.

But it seemed that money, especially his, was like a magnet. It attracted a lot of people, some he could just as well do without. Like the woman sleeping naked in his bed. A part of him was angry and upset that she was there and wondered how she had gotten past security. Evidently she had convinced the guard at the gate that she had a right to be there. He shook his head. With a body like hers she could probably convince any man of anything.

He walked toward the bed, deciding that since she had entered his private domain uninvited he may as well make it worth his while before tossing her out on that sweet little behind of hers. Pamela Carlyle was determined to get under his skin and he was just as determined to make sure she didn’t.

No woman got under Christopher Chandler’s skin.

He went into his bathroom and moments later returned stark naked. He walked over to the bar in the room and poured a drink of brandy before walking over to the bed to stand over the sleeping woman. “Pamela,” he said huskily. “Wake up.”

He sipped his brandy and watched as the sound of his voice made her open her eyes. She smiled up at him, stretching against the pillows as her gaze took in as much of him that she could see from her position. “I know what you want, Christopher,” she purred softly, unfolding her naked body in one sensuous curve.

“And I know what you want as well, “ he said before tilting the glass he was holding and dripping a small portion of the dark liquid onto the upper part of her body, wetting her breasts. He grinned. “I guess I’m going to have to lick that off you.”

“Yes, I guess you will.”

And he did. But that was just the beginning. One thing Christopher Chandler knew was how to please a woman in bed and went about doing just that. He gave her just what he knew she had come for. She clawed his back, screamed his name over and over again, and bucked against his every thrust before finally reaching a climax that sent her over the edge.

And he followed her, glorying in the feel of being inside a woman who knew just how to work her body to make a man revel in the power of “groan-deep-in-your-throat” sex. This was not lovemaking. This was hot, lusty sex. The satisfying of hormones, the ravaging of passion. It was a good thing he was wearing a condom or else she would have been filled to capacity with his semen. Something he wanted no woman to take into her body since he did not intend to have children. Ever. He would never marry and he refused to have a child labeled a bastard like he’d been while growing up.

Feeling completely spent, he pulled out of her as the aftershocks of both their orgasms still trembled through them. He rose from the bed and went into the bathroom to dispose of his condom. When he returned wearing a robe, she had curled up in his bed and was drifting off to sleep. He walked over to the bed and nudged her awake. “It’s time for you to go.”

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him with a languid gaze. “Can I stay tonight?”

“No. I like sleeping alone.”

“I’ll make it worth your while, Christopher,” she promised in a soft, sexy voice, one that no doubt brought most men a quick hard-on.

“You’ve already made it worth my while. Now I want you to leave. After I return from taking my shower I want you gone and the next time I come home and find you here in my home uninvited, I’ll do more than give you a good screw. I’ll toss you out on your naked behind.”

Anger flared in Pamela’s eyes and she reared up at him. “Why you bas—”

“That’s exactly what I am and don’t ever forget it. It describes me perfectly since I have no idea who my father is.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I like choosing the woman I want warming my bed. Don’t ever put too much stock in anything when it concerns me, Pamela. Understand?”

She angrily tossed her long, shapely legs over the bed. “Oh, I understand, perfectly. But one day you’ll get yours, just you wait and see.”

Christopher smiled. “Besides being a good lay, I take it you’re also a fortune teller as well?” Not giving her a chance to respond he turned and headed for the bathroom then stopped and turned around. “Remember what I said, Pamela. Don’t ever show up here again uninvited.”

He then entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Twenty minutes later when Christopher walked out of the bathroom freshly showered he heard the doors to his kitchen cabinets opening and closing. Thinking that Pamela had not left like he’d told her to do, he tightened the sash of the robe around his waist before angrily leaving his bedroom and walking into the kitchen. “I thought I told you to—”

He stopped upon seeing the person in his kitchen was not Pamela but his best friend Gabriel Blackwell.

Gabe lifted a dark brow. “You thought you told me to do what?”

Christopher frowned. “Nothing. I thought you were someone else.”

“Someone like who?”

“Pamela. She evidently talked the guard into letting her inside here. When I got in she was asleep, lying naked on my bed.”

Gabe grinned. “Must have been some sight.”

Christopher couldn’t help but return his best friend’s grin. “It was.” He then studied Gabe. They had been together the better part of the day going over things at the office and in a long string of meetings. In addition to being his best friend, Gabe was also his business partner. “What brought you by? I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I’m sure you weren’t. I decided to pay you an unannounced visit to make sure you hadn’t brought any work home from the office. You work too damn hard, Chris. What you need is a vacation.”

“A vacation?”

“Yes, a vacation. I order you to take some time off.”

Christopher smiled shaking his head. “You order me?

“Yes.”

“That’s cute, Gabe. Real cute.” Christopher gazed at the man standing before him. Their friendship had spanned nearly ten years. After leaving Savannah he had made his way to Detroit where he’d had the good sense to apply for work at a construction company that Gabe’s father owned. The older man had taken him under his wing and later, he had talked him into furthering his education right alongside his son. Christopher decided on a degree in industrial design and Gabe in structural engineering. Then they both graduated with MBAs at the top of their class. Omar Blackwell, who had since retired, had signed ownership of the business over to Christopher and Gabe. Christopher, who never had anyone take an interest in him before, other than a former teacher Mr. Thompson, had felt nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the Blackwell family; a family he’d been adopted into.

“No, Chris, I’m serious about you taking a vacation. Mama’s orders. She’s worried about you. When you were at the folks’ house for dinner on Sunday, she picked up on how tired you looked. And you know Mama. She likes worrying about us.”

“Why didn’t you explain to her that the reason I looked tired was because I’ve been staying up late working on the Landmark deal?”

Gabe shook his head. “That would have only verified her claim that you’re overworked. Do yourself a favor, don’t argue with Mama. Take some time off and go somewhere or you’ll have her breathing down our necks and constantly checking up on us.”

Christopher nodded, knowing Gabe was right. Joella Blackwell was a force to reckon with and they knew when she spoke she meant business. “I’ll call her and promise to take a trip somewhere in a few weeks. There’s no way I can leave now with the Landmark Project nearly finalized.”

Gabe nodded, knowing just how much that particular deal meant to Christopher. “But you do promise to take time off soon? And I mean a real vacation and not one of those ‘let’s make a deal’ business trips.”

Christopher thought for a minute. He had received a newsletter that had been forwarded to him from Mr. Thompson advising him of his high school reunion, a seven-day cruise to the western Caribbean. He had a mind to go just for the hell of it since most of his former classmates probably thought he was in jail serving time, or even worse, dead. “Yes,” he finally replied. “It will be a real vacation.”

“Okay, then please let Mama know so she’ll stay off our backs.” Gabe laughed. “At least until she decides to stick her nose into something else. She’s still intent on marrying us off so don’t be surprised when she starts sending those single church women our way.”

Garrett and Mya

Mya Rivers looked across the room at her husband who was surrounded by an army of beautiful women. She had long ago learned not to get jealous when it came to Garrett. Some women it seemed liked athletes and cared less for their marital status. In fact they were challenged by it. That was one of the reasons she was paying close attention to the woman standing on Garrett’s right. The brazen hussy had patted him on the butt when she thought no one was watching.

Stopping a passing waiter, Mya took a glass of champagne from the serving tray and took a sip. To toast the beginning of the new football season, the owners of the Dallas Cowboys had thrown this e. . .