Devils Food and Almond Milk

Two weeks had gone by since the infamous dinner and Matheson was still thinking about her. He couldn't understand how she had gotten in his head. 

After all, she was nothing like any woman he'd ever been attracted to…not that he was attracted to her. First of all, he didn't date black women. Not that he was prejudiced or anything. He just didn't think that the two of them had anything in common. Her stinky attitude didn't help matters either.

He was surprised at how soft and sweet her lips were and he could still remember the scent of whatever she was wearing. It reminded him of vanilla. He didn't even understand why he had kissed her in the first place. It was a spontaneous act and he had even surprised himself. He was just glad that she hadn't ratted him out to his parents. The last thing he wanted was to be on his Mom's bad side, plus he didn't need her crying sexual harassment!

Still, he had never met a woman quite like VaLysia. She was nothing like her sweet grandmother Mavis. He thought about how she acted at the dinner and in the music room.  Why did black people always cry fowl? He pushed the thought out of his mind and concentrated on the cakes he was placing in the display case.

He was checking in supplies that were being delivered when Gary came from the front of the store looking for him.

"Your father's up front, Matheson. He says he needs to see you right away."

Matheson wondered what was wrong and looked at the clock. His father normally went to the office about this time. He walked up front and saw his father dressed for the office so he knew he wasn't making one of his surprise visits.

"What's up, Dad?" he asked looking worried. "Is everything alright?"

Gregory fumbled with his cell phone and looked at his son. "No, it's not alright. No one is at the Cedar Crest Mall store! Ernest didn't show up for work and Alice is on vacation. The rest of the employees can't get in. I need you to go out there. I would go, but I have a meeting at 10! The store was supposed to open at eight. It's now almost nine!"

Matheson could see that his father was upset. A lot of money had been invested in the Cedar Crest Mall location and it was just beginning to make a profit!

"Don't worry, Dad!" he said reassuring his father. "I'll go over there, but it's going to take me thirty minutes with the morning commute!"

"Good. Thanks son" his father replied. " Call me when you get there and let me know the status of things. Hopefully we haven't lost a lot of business."

Matheson nodded and quickly went in the back to get his keys.

                                   ((***))

VaLysia hurried back to her office after her meeting with Mr. Jenkins. She felt that she knew her job, but she thought that Mr. Jenkins was always trying to find fault in her work. You would think that a brother would be on your side, but not that Uncle Tom! He seemed to nit pick everything she did!

She loved her job as she loved working with numbers and as the Accounts Receivable Supervisor she was responsible for ten people who posted all receivables and her job included making sure that each day's deposit was balanced against the paperwork where the money was applied.

Most of the people she worked with were nice; except for some reason she felt that Mr. Jenkins had it out for her. She had been on the job three years and had received excellent reviews so she couldn't figure out what the problem was. He had been her manager the entire time, but lately he seemed to critique her work more.

Now he questioned her figures and asked her to recheck several items she had listed on her report. She sighed. She would most likely have to work through lunch since he wanted it before the day's end.

She was surprised an hour later when Mr. Jenkins came into her office.

"Chamberlayne, I need to talk to you." Mr. Jenkins said walking over to her.

Uh-oh, what now? She thought.

"Mr. Jenkins, I will have those figures for you before days end" she replied.

Mr. Jenkins waved his hand at her. "I know you will, Chamberlayne. You're quite efficient."

VaLysia raised her eyebrow in surprise at his complement. It was rare coming from him.

"Look" he said sitting down across from her. "I'm going to be retiring next year and I am recommending you for the manager's position. You're a good supervisor and I think you can handle it even though you're a little young."

VaLysia cleared her throat. She was shocked, but she detected a 'but' in there somewhere. She tried not to get her hopes up.

"Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. I'm surprised. I had no idea-"

"Of course you wouldn't. I've been working you hard, pushing you over the last year to see if you could stand up under the pressure. You've passed with flying colors. I know that the Director will take serious consideration of my recommendation when they start interviewing for my replacement."

He looked at her a moment and then cleared his throat.

"Look, can I speak to you off the record?" He looked around and noticed that her door was still ajar.

"VaLysia nodded still trying to recover from the fact the he was recommending her for a promotion. He leaned forward towards her as she sat behind the desk.

"Look, even though you are an excellent worker…some folks feel that you are not that accessible." He stared at her and VaLysia frowned up wondering what he was talking about.

"Mr. Jenkins, I'm always accessible. I try to help anyone who asks me a question."

"I know that" he replied. He then got up and shut the door. He came back over and sat back down.

"It's just that some people feel that way. Perception is everything. You don't appear accessible. You rarely smile…and you seem aloof a lot of times."

VaLysia stared at him surprised. She tried to hold her temper as she thought about what Mr. Jenkins was saying. She wondered who had a problem with her. Why didn't they come to her if they did?

"Who are these people I am supposed to be intimidating to?" she asked coolly. What had that to do with her overall job performance anyway?

"That doesn't matter-"

"It does to me!" she snapped. "How can I reevaluate my behavior if I don't know what you're talking about?"

Mr. Jenkins pondered her words for a moment and then leaned forward.

"Well, Debbie for one and then there's Ted Reynolds. Both of them feel that you have a chip on your shoulder."

"I have never had words with either of them!" VaLysia said in protest. "I hardly even talk to them!"

"Just try to be more friendlier-"

Val laughed bitterly. Both of them were white and dumb as a brick. It wasn't her problem that they were intimidated by her. If they knew their job and did it properly, they wouldn't have a reason to be so scared. She had never even had words with either of them! How could she be intimidating!

"Is it because I'm black?" she hissed. "Am I supposed to be the singing and dancing darky to keep the white folks at ease, Mr. Jenkins?"

She knew she shouldn't have said that, but she couldn't help herself. Why should she suffer because of someone else's unfounded feelings? Both of them acted like scared rabbits when she was around them. They didn't pay her to be a social butterfly! She was just here to do her job, not try and make white folks comfortable!

"You are totally misunderstanding me!" Mr. Jenkins replied. "I'm just saying that you can be a bit intimidating to some people-"

"White people?"

"Yes, some white people. That's just the way it is." He replied.

She sat back in her chair. "I can't believe this crap!"

"Look, I'm just trying to help you." Jenkins said. "You do with the information what you want to. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

He stood up. "We don't have many black managers here. You are an excellent candidate. I want you to have the job, that's all."

"Did they actually tell you that I needed to make changes in order to get the job?" she asked.

"No…but hints were laid out there…and they mentioned your hair…"

"My hair? What's wrong with my hair?" she snapped defensively.

"Forget it!" Jenkins replied. "I can see that all I'm doing is upsetting you and that was not my intention. I don't need you running out here and filing a discrimination suit. You are not the only qualified candidate, you know. Ramos is also qualified and he's a minority also. He has a few more years with the company than you do. However, I feel that you are the best person for the job, and I stick by that."

Val looked at him. He was only trying to help. She took a deep breath. Maybe she would think about what he was telling her, but she was not about to change her hair to make white people more comfortable! She liked her hair just the way it was! All black people didn't straighten their hair! They needed to get over that! She looked at Mr. Jenkins who was watching her.

"What about my hair? It's clean. It's neat." She explained.

"It's ethnic" Jenkins said. "You will have to do some traveling. You'll be representing the company. I guess your hair makes them nervous."

"I'm not changing my hair to make them comfortable." She replied. "It's just a style. I don't feel that my hair should be straightened in order to fit in with these people's concept of beauty."

"Of course not. Just think about what I said." Mr. Jenkins replied. He looked at his watch. "It's lunch time. Go on out and get you a bite to eat. Think about what I've said. Get out of the building. It'll do you good. You can give me those figures in the morning if you can't finish them by days end."

Val sighed as he shut the door behind him.

What was with white folks anyway? Did they only feel comfortable around blacks who permed their hair and smiled all the time? What about just doing the work? Well she was going to do just what Mr. Jenkins said and take lunch…a nice long one!

She left the building and decided to go to Hannah's in the mall which was only ten minutes away. She would pick up something to go with the salad she brought from home.

She walked in and looked in the case. The place smelled heavenly. She thought about Matheson. The place was full of people milling around. She looked in the case and caught her breath. Two women were behind the counter taking orders and since several people were in front of her, she took her time looking at all the cakes and pies.

They had her favorite, devils food cake with chocolate icing. She needed chocolate after that meeting with Mr. Jenkins! She felt her mouth water in anticipation.

"Hello there" a male voice said startling her. She looked up and saw Matheson standing behind the counter.

"What are you doing here?" she asked surprised. Damn! Those eyes of his were even more startling in the bright light of daytime. She tried not to stare.

"I had to cover for the manager who unfortunately was in a car crash this morning." Matheson said looking at her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Val said "I hope he's alright."

"Just a little banged up. The car was totaled though" he replied.

His eyes ran over her. She had on a black and white print skirt that flared and a black patent leather belt was around her waist. The white blouse was neatly tucked in the skirt and she had on a black blazer. She bent forward looking into the case and it gave Matheson a glimpse of the tops of her small round breasts. He immediately felt a stirring in his loins and looked away.

"Everything looks so good" she was saying. "But devils food cake is my favorite!"

"I made it myself" Matheson replied grinning.

"Really?" she replied glancing hungrily at the cake. She licked her lips and Matheson tried not to stare.

"Sure did. This morning in fact. It's nice and fresh…and home made with love" he replied.

Now why did I say that? He wondered. She looked at him and smiled. Damn she was even cuter when she smiled. If only she would smile more. He thought she looked prettier than she did at his Moms. Maybe it was the outfit. It was very becoming. The skirt was right above her knees and she had nice legs.

"Well I'm sure that if it was made with love, you didn't have me in mind when you made it" she said laughing. "Give me a piece of it to go. This and a glass of milk will make my day!"

"I wish I could drink milk again" Matheson said cutting the cake. "I've become lactose intolerant. I used to love milk and cookies and the thought of milk and this cake sounds wonderful."

Val watched him as he cut a huge slice and her mouth began to water. Normally she didn't get a piece that big. Was he giving her a bigger piece than normal? She wondered why. She ran her eyes over him in his white chef's uniform and little chef's hat. He had a smudge of flour on his face which made him look sexy as hell. She watched him a few moments longer since his back was to her. She still remembered how he felt under her hand and she found herself blushing. She couldn't believe that she was attracted to this white boy. Well, he'd never know it. She wasn't about to get shot down or ridiculed.

"I can't drink milk either" she said. "Have you tried almond milk? That's what I drink. The vanilla kind is so good and it's great in cereal and I love it with sweets. It's great for people who can't drink regular milk."

Matheson put the cake in a bag. "No, I've never had it. I'll have to check it out."

"Well do you have a cup?" she asked. "I have some in my lunch bag, but I only have one small cup."

Matheson looked around. All of the customers had been taken care of and he decided to take a quick break. He turned back to her.

"You don't have to do that." he said wondering why she was being so nice.

"I know that!" she snapped. "Now get a cup and ring me up before my lunch is over."

Matheson looked at her as she sat her lunch bag on a nearby table and unzipped it. She took out a small carton. He handed her a sample cup and she poured some in it. He took it and gulped it down.

"This is good!" he said surprised.

"It's even better with cake" she replied. He really was handsome.

"I' most definitely will have to buy some of this" he replied. He handed her the bag with the slice of cake in it.

"You didn't ring me up" she replied holding out the money in her hand.

"Your money is no good here. I owe you after my bad behavior at dinner." He said looking sheepish.

"Yeah, I guess you do!" she said putting her money back in her pocket. She looked at her watch. "I might as well eat in here. I have to be back to work shortly."

Matheson watched as she walked over to a table and took out her salad and began eating. She caught him watching her, and smiled at him. She had a beautiful smile. He wondered why she wore her hair with those little ringlets. He had seen some black people with those…mostly the militant type. She was nothing like Mavis, as she obviously disliked white people.  Why did that bother him so much?

He busied himself with customers and looked up and saw that she was reading a book. He didn't know why, but he wanted to talk to her some more. He wiped his hands and told them that he was taking a quick break.

He came from behind the counter and walked over to her just when he saw her begin to eat the cake. He pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards facing her. He could smell a faint trace of the perfume she was wearing.

"So, what do you think?" he asked after her first bite.

"It's delicious!" she said closing her eyes and chewing. It was the most delicious devils food cake she had ever eaten! At least the white boy could cook!

Matheson found himself watching her mouth. He remembered how it felt under his and felt the familiar stirring of his arousal in his stomach. For some reason he wanted to kiss those lips again, but he looked away instead. What was wrong with him? She was not the type of girl he was normally attracted to.

"You're a good cook" she replied taking another swig of milk. She tried not to get lost in his ocean eyes as he stared at her. Her heart felt as if it would beat out of her chest.

She cut another piece with her fork. "Here, you try it."

She held the fork out for him to take a bite which he did and then poured some more milk in the extra glass he had given her earlier. She couldn't understand why she was so excited and nervous at the moment.

He let her feed him the cake and took a swig of the milk. It was good. Normally, he didn't eat behind people. He didn't know why she was any different, except he couldn't get his mind off of the kiss they had shared in the music room.

"Baker" he replied as he chewed. "I'm a baker, not a cook. And thank you for the milk. I'll have to go and buy some almond milk myself."

"Here. You can have the rest of this if you want." She replied handing him the carton. "I didn't drink directly out of it you know."

"Thanks" he said taking it from her. His hands brushed against hers and he immediately felt the electricity that generated between them. She glanced away, yet he knew that she had felt it too.

He knew he was staring but he couldn't help himself. He reached over and touched the side of her mouth. "Milk" he said smiling wiping her mouth with his fingers.

His light touch to her mouth sent shivers through VaLysia. His hand lingered just a moment and Val looked at him surprised. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear that he was looking at her...like that! But that wasn't possible. He wasn't attracted to her at all! Who was she kidding? This white boy was just feeling guilty about what he'd done the other night!

"I have to go" she said standing up. What was wrong with her? Why was she allowing him to get under her skin? He most likely was used to women throwing themselves at him. He probably had two or three of them at a time, most likely all small, thin and blond and dumb as a bag of hammers! There was no way possible that he was interested in her. She had heard that white men liked thin women, not a girl like her with wide hips. They wanted big breasts and she felt that she didn't fit that description.

"Thanks again for the cake." she said not meeting his gaze.

"You're welcome" he said walking her to the door. He looked around and saw that everything was calm in the store so he followed her out to her car. Maybe he had misjudged her. He had to admit that today had gone a lot better than their initial meeting.

"Look I want to apologize again for my bad behavior. I don't know what came over me." he murmured. He wondered if he should ask her out...get to know her better?

She looked at him, her heart was beating fast. Why was she so excited by this white boy? Why was he walking her to the car like he cared about her or something? What was going on here and why was she responding to him this way? He was just feeling guilty she thought trying to convince herself. That's why he was being so nice! He most likely still felt that she was an ugly duckling he should feel sorry for. Why was she letting his smile and those gorgeous eyes of his affect her? She needed to get a grip. He was white. He had his world and she had hers! He would most likely have a good laugh if he knew how she was feeling right now. Most likely he was just afraid that she would say something to her grandmother and end up getting on her bad side. Yes! That was it! It was all about covering his ass. He wasn't interested in her as a woman!

"I don't know what came over you either" she replied nastily trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. "I can't understand why you would even look at me since doing so would probably hurt your corneas. I need a bag over my head remember?"

Matheson was stunned. Things seemed to be going so well between them earlier! Where did that comment come from? He had already apologized to her several times for what happened at his mother's. Why couldn't she just let it go? Was she bipolar or something? He drew himself up. He was sick of her bad attitude and he wasn't going to apologize a third time for his mistake!

"Well I guess since you were smiling for once and not frowning and making nasty comments, I thought you looked a hell of a lot better. Take my advice; you actually look a whole lot better with a smile on your face than with a brown paper bag over your head! However, either one of them will be an improvement over the way you look and sound to me right now!"

Before she could recover from his comment, he turned and stormed back into the bakery.