Secrets Never Told by Rochelle Alers

Author:Rochelle Alers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2003-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

Katherine felt her pulse quicken as she mounted the steps to Bessie’s Place with Randolph. The sound of blues floated through the open windows. She had grown up hearing people talk about Bessie’s not being the place for a proper young lady to visit. There were rumors of an occasional shooting or knifing, but most times they remained rumors because Bessie’s was crowded to capacity every night of the week with the exception of Sunday. Bessie Taylor, who had inherited the eating establishment from her namesake grandmother, declared that she did no work on the Sabbath.

Katherine moved closer to Randolph as they entered the dimly lit, smoke-filled restaurant. A spotlight created a halo around a quintet playing “Midnight Special.” Couples were up on the floor swaying to the soulful sound of a tenor sax and tinkling piano. The tempo changed as the band segued into the upbeat “Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee.” She watched the hemlines of skirts and dresses flare out around the thighs of women as they were spun around and around by their partners. Bessie’s wasn’t fancy, but everyone seemed to be having fun.

A waitress passed them carrying a tray filled with bottles of cold beer. She nodded to Randolph and Katherine. “Find a seat and I’ll be with you directly.”

Randolph curved an arm around Katherine’s waist, steering her to a small table in a far corner. From where they sat they wouldn’t be able to see the band, but they played loud enough to be heard over the laughter of customers and waitresses shouting orders to those working in the kitchen.

Randolph had brought Katherine to Bessie’s because she said she was curious to see what made the restaurant so popular. He had agreed only because he had wanted to please her.

Katherine stared at the unadorned plank walls and uneven floorboards darkened by smoke and the pounding of thousands of feet. The tables, chairs and benches, hewed from Georgia pine trees, were smooth from constant use.

Randolph placed a hand over Katherine’s. She turned her head and met his gaze. “What do you think?”

“I thought it would be a little …” Her words trailed off.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Fancier?” She nodded. Tightening his grip, he gently squeezed her fingers. “If you want fancy, then you have to go to Savannah or Atlanta. Bessie’s hasn’t changed in half a century except for indoor plumbing and electricity.” He smiled. “Are you hungry?”

She returned his smile. “Starved.”

Leaning closer to his right, he kissed her cheek. “If you’re disappointed with the decor, then I guarantee you won’t be with the food.”

Her nose grazed his ear. “How often do you come here?”

Randolph shrugged a shoulder. “No more than a couple of times a year.”

Releasing her hand, he touched her hair and combed his fingers through the heavy waves floating around her shoulders. “I like your hair when you leave it loose.”

A blush darkened Katherine’s cheeks at his compliment. The heat in her face spread to her chest, settling in her breasts. Her gaze followed the direction of Randolph’s.

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