“For the last time Taylor, I told you I have to think about it.”
“Come on Mom, that’s what you said the last time and the time before that.”
Joss stopped walking and looked at her son, placing her hands on his shoulders.
“I know how important this is to you, but there are a lot of factors to consider. Things with John are complicated.”
The teenager rolled his eyes “I know, but dinner with Grandma can’t be dangerous. It’s not like I’ll be broadcasting it to the world. Besides since you and John are-“
“Since John and I are what?” Asked Carter fixing him with a pointed look.
“Friends. I thought you might want Grandma to meet him.”
Joss gave an exasperated sigh. Calling she and John friends was an understatement; their relationship evolved into something much deeper, which led to a few chats with Taylor about keeping John’s role in their life a secret. Taylor adored his grandmother and held her opinion in high regard, as did Joss, but it was too risky. Joss came to terms with that fact quickly, but she knew her son wouldn’t and she did not want to break his heart.
“If I promise to mention it to John will that appease you?”
Taylor shrugged his shoulders. “For now.” The pair arrived in front of the apartment and rang the doorbell.
“You’re early,” said the older woman, wrapping Joss in a hug.
“I heard you were making my favorite so I rushed over.” Replied Joss, laughing at the expression on Nora’s face.
“I wonder who told you.” Both women turned to the teenage boy making his way to the living room. Taylor turned around just in time to be greeted with identical looks from his mother and grandmother.
“What?” he asked, feigning innocence.
Both women shook their heads as they made their way to the kitchen. Joss removed her black suit jacket and pulled her long hair into a quick bun. Making her way to the sink she rolled up the sleeves of her button down and washed her hands. The older woman began lining up the ingredients for the cobbler.
With clean dry hands the detective stood on the opposite side of the island facing Nora.
“It’s been awhile since you’ve helped me. I hope you haven’t forgotten what to do.”
Joss could not remember the last time she baked anything. Maybe a cake or two since Taylor was born, but Nora was the master baker in the Carter clan. Joss occasionally assisted and was the reigning taste tester, a position her son had since claimed due to his ravenous appetite. She swore he had a black hole instead of a stomach.
“I may not remember much else when it comes to cooking but I could never forget my favorite.”
“Good because you’re on peach duty,” replied Nora handing her a knife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nora placed the dessert in the oven and joined Joss at the table. The two women fell into their usual conversation with Nora providing news from both the Carter and Andrews clans. It amazed Joss how Nora managed to keep in touch with both families after all these years. The timer buzzed, momentarily interrupting their conversation. Joss closed her eyes as the spicy smell of cooked peaches and pie crust filled the kitchen. The older woman carefully placed the cobbler on the counter allowing it to cool.
Taylor, who made a beeline for the dessert, soon joined the pair.
The sound of Joss’s ringer interrupted the conversation.
“Carter.” She answered tersely.
The smooth voice on the other end caused Joss to smile involuntarily. The older woman gave her a knowing look when Joss turned, mouthing: ‘sorry’ and stood off to the side of the kitchen. Nora busied herself cleaning the rest of the dishes as Joss finished her conversation. She heard the end of some flirty banter and shook her head as she wiped down the counters.
“Who was that?” She asked after Joss had hung up.
“Work.” Replied Joss. Nora noted that her demeanor seemed a little lighter and the younger woman’s mouth turned up in a slight smile.
“Must be good news with the way you’re smiling.”
“Hmmm?” Joss replied giving her a confused look.
“Never mind.” she said, chuckling to herself. By now Taylor had finished his second slice of cobbler and was finally full.
“Are you ready Mom?”
“Yeah T.” Replied Joss as she removed the apron, hanging it on the hook by the pantry.
“Goodnight you two.” Replied Nora giving Joss a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“See you Saturday,” said Taylor. It didn’t matter how old he was, it was still cool to give your grandma a hug and kiss, but when his mother tried, he objected.
“Of course sweetheart.” Replied the older woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taylor rolled over as his alarm sounded. The bright red numbers flashed seven am. He groaned, rolling out of bed. Any other Saturday he would have slept in, but today he was on a mission that was worth the sacrifice of a few hours of sleep. The teenager was meeting John for an early training session. Taylor planned to work his magic and have John back to the apartment by the time his grandmother showed up. He felt guilty going behind his mother’s back, but if Taylor waited on her to give the okay he would be thirty by the time John met his grandmother. The easier person to get on board was his grandmother, although he didn’t fill her in on the entire plan. All she knew was that Taylor was bringing a friend by this afternoon. The less everyone knew, the better. Everything was in motion barring no interruptions from John’s friend with the glasses, operation "Meet Grandma" would go off without a hitch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nora was in the kitchen prepping for the meal when she heard voices outside the door. The older woman wiped her hands on her apron and headed towards the door. Looking through the peephole she opened the door slightly. Poking her head through the small opening.
“Hello,” she said in a sweet voice.”What can I do for you?” The man before her seemed slightly shocked, but quickly recovered his facial expression. Before she could speak, her grandson came barreling towards the door, gym bag in hand.
“Hey Grandma,” said the teenager, opening the door further as Nora took a step backwards.
“John, meet Grandma. Grandma, this is John, mom’s work friend.” Said the teenager, before heading to his room to change. John caught the quick glance between the two. He could sense a set up. Suddenly, the boy’s insistence on ending their session early and casually mentioning that John should wear a suit instead of his normal post workout jeans and tee shirt all made sense.
The older woman surveyed his appearance. This was the friend her grandson was so anxious for her to meet. Nora was a bit shocked; she naturally assumed that Taylor’s friend would be his age. One look from her grandson and she put it all together. He certainly was handsome and well dressed. Any man that could handle her daughter-in-law's hectic life got her vote.
“Please come in,” she said shaking her head in Taylor’s direction.
“You’ll have to excuse Taylor’s introduction. I’m Eleanor Carter,” she said, extending her hand in John’s direction.
“John Reese.” He said, shaking her hand.
“Jocelyn should be home soon,” she said, looking down at her watch to check the time. “You’re welcome to join me in the kitchen.”
Sensing his trepidation she moved closer to him.” It’s okay, I promise I don't bite.” she gave a slight chuckle which brought forth a smile from John. The older woman then turned, heading towards the kitchen.
John had no choice but to follow her lead. He had been in Joss’s apartment several times by now, but he wasn’t sure how much Mrs. Carter knew about John and his relationship with Joss. He decided to stick with Taylor’s description of him as a work friend, it wasn’t exactly a lie. Joss was a part of the team despite not knowing about the machine or how they acquired the numbers of those they helped. John sat down on the stool in front of the island in Joss’s kitchen.
“ I apologize for the mess,” she said. “I’m cooking up something special for Jocelyn and Taylor.”
“It’s no problem Mrs. Carter,” He said taking a seat at the kitchen island which was neatly lined with a baking sheet, cutting board and a glass bowl filled with various vegetables.
“Please call me Nora,” she said, giving John a sweet smile. Nora’s voice was warm with the same timbre as Joss’s but with remnants of the south woven in. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
He shook his head no.
“Very well then.” She said, turning around to retrieve a bowl filled with some type of butter mixture. Nora carefully removed the gold bands from her left ring and pinky fingers placing them in the pocket of her apron.
“Now you wouldn't happen to be the same J. Reese that’s gunning for my high score in Taylor’s Madden game?” She asked, as she rubbed the chicken down with the mixture from the bowl. The flecks of dark green herbs contrasted with her vermillion nail polish as her fingers moved skillfully coating every inch of the bird.
“You’re E.C.?” He asked.
“Guilty.” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “ Turns out you can teach an old dogs new tricks.”
John smiled inwardly at her comment. From what he saw there was nothing old about the woman in front of him. She was a few inches taller than both Joss and Taylor but she only came to John’s chin. She was built in a way that brought back memories of Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandridge. The black three quarter sleeve shirt and matching black pants accentuated her full hips and bosom without being inappropriate, while the red apron drew attention to her small waist. Her hair was done in one continuous twist that wrapped around her head forming a crown of jet-black cotton with flecks of silver. A thin gold chain hung around her neck complementing the golden undertones of her deep brown skin.
“I can’t take all of the credit. Before Taylor got ahold of me I could barely turn that PS three, four...whatever the thing is, on.”
Holding the chicken upright she shoved pieces of lemon and garlic into the cavity before trussing the legs with the cream colored twine and placing it in the pan.
As if on cue Taylor made his way around the corner and headed straight for the fridge.
“It’s true,” replied the teenager as he rummaged through the food that lined the shelves. “I taught Grandma everything she knows. And now she’s the reigning champ at Sunny Dale.” Shutting the fridge he took the empty seat next to John.
“Impressive.” replied John
“Want some?” Asked the teenager, pointing to the plate full of grapes in his hand. He shook his head ‘no’ and continued listening to the story.
“You should have seen her, Grandma wiped the floor with all of those old guys.”
Ever the dutiful grandson Taylor, grabbed the roasting pan, placing it in the oven.
“Thank you,” replied Nora, washing her hands. “Football is king in the south, I was bound to pick up some moves.”
“Some? Try every classic football play ever known to man.” Chimed in Taylor.
“It was nice to see some of the regulars smiling for a change. Poor things, rarely get to see their families, the ones that even have any left, it’s important that different generations interact.”
Taylor and Nora told the story of the tournament they set up at the senior center, complete with impressions of one Mr. Sayers, who did not take kindly to being beaten by a woman. This was the most animated John had ever seen Taylor. Nora beamed with pride as she talked about her grandson’s hard work that earned him the volunteer of the year award at school. Taylor was the perfect mixture of the two strong women in his life. The Carter family genes were strong, the boy shared his grandmother’s swarthy complexion and sense of humor coupled with Joss’s stubbornness and her moral compass.
“Oh shoot,” exclaimed Nora “I forgot the sugar for the frosting, Taylor sweetheart, would you run down to the store and grab some sugar for me?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Taylor was out of the building he checked his cell. Grandma had handed him a twenty, way too much for sugar. Taylor smiled to himself as he walked towards the store. Maybe he would take a small detour to the park before heading back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Now would you look at that.” said the older woman pulling out a container labeled ‘confectioner’s sugar’ from the pantry.
“Guess I didn’t forget after all.”
John smiled as Nora gave him a quick wink before sitting down to face him.
“Have you worked at the precinct for long?” she asked, looking up momentarily from her task.
“Actually I’m more in the private sector, but my work has caused Joss and I to occasionally cross paths.”
Nora moved swiftly, mixing the ingredients for the frosting. Grabbing the food coloring she carefully added blue drops until she reached the desired hue.
“After Jocelyn decided to leave law behind, she mentioned going into private security, but I think becoming a detective was a better fit.”
John nodded his head in agreement. “The private sector can be lucrative, but the NYPD needs more cops like her. People that genuinely want to help and aren’t afraid to uphold the law.”
“She’s been that way since she was knee high, always doing the right thing. Even if she had to stand alone.”
He knew first hand about Joss and her often, one-woman quest to do the right thing.
“But I don’t worry too much,” she continued,”Jocelyn has always been able to make friends that will have her back when she needs.”
The look on Nora’s face spoke volumes and John responded with a slight nod. She may have been alone in the past but John would not allow that to happen now.
“My oldest; Cullen, toyed with that idea but ultimately he re enlisted. The call of the sea was too strong.” She said, puffing up her chest to imitate her son. “Civilian life was too boring for all my boys except TJ.”
Hers skilled hands moved back and forth spreading the pale blue frosting over the layers of chocolate cake. Eyeing her work, she gave a satisfied nod before placing the cake stand to its previous place on the counter.
“Now, since my assistant is off running an errand. I hate to ask you John but would you mind doing me a tiny favor?”
“Sure.”
“Now I’m sure they taught you how to use a knife in the Army.” She said, handing John a large knife and cutting board.
John remained silent only the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth revealed his thoughts. She was smart and observant, and he was impressed. John straightened his posture waiting for Nora to continue.
“I bet you’re wondering how I knew.” She said, watching him closely. “I was married to a Marine and raised a Sailor, two Airman and a Army man. I can spot a soldier with my eyes closed."
Before John knew it he was moving about the kitchen assisting Nora with the remaining elements for the meal. She directed John in a mild tone, phrasing each of her requests as questions, leading one to believe they had a choice, which in fact he did not. It reminded John of the tone he took with Fusco, although Nora’s was far more pleasing. Watching the older woman move about the kitchen regaling him with stories of her youth and how she became Mrs. Theodore James Carter and her four sons Cullen, fraternal twins David and Daniel and Taylor’s father; the now deceased TJ. John felt as though he was reliving a memory he knew did not exist, but one he had always hoped to possess.
The smell of roast chicken and various spices filled the kitchen as the pair washed and dried the last of the dishes.
“Allow Me,” he said, taking the dishes and placing them in the cabinet near the fridge.
“Thank you.”
Even though she did not birth Joss, her warm traits were passed to the detective and John was grateful. Over the course of his visit, the older woman managed to make him feel at ease. He even shared a few stories with Nora, an even rarer occurrence.
As he moved toward the cabinet something in his peripheral vision caught his eye. Two slightly faded photos side by side, stuck to the fridge with a generic magnet. John stared at the photo on the right memorized the figures that sat on the front steps of a brownstone. He immediately recognized Joss, she couldn’t have been older than fourteen and she was standing next to an older boy whose features resembled Nora’s. The boy’s arms were slung loosely around Joss’s shoulder and they were both wearing identical expressions of delight echoing a happiness John once knew. Just as quickly as the nostalgia crept in, it disappeared.
“Is this TJ?” he asked, still facing the picture.
“Yes and that skinny thing next to him is Joss. Like Mississippi and magnolias, those two, whenever you saw Joss, TJ was not far behind.”
“Her mother, Josephine, took that picture before she passed.”
The photo to the left showed a much younger Nora standing next to a woman who was identical to Joss. Each woman wore a sweater with ‘Spelman’ across the front in white blocked letters. Despite the intimate nature of their relationship, there were still aspects of Joss’s personal live that John was not privy too. Elements of their lives before one another were mentioned in passing. Rustling up old memories also meant revealing past hurts. They decided to take everything in stride.
The buzzing in his pocket brought John out of his musing. "Excuse me Nora, I’ve got to take this.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taylor said goodbye to his friends before racing to the store to fulfill his errand. When he arrived he found his grandmother sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.
“About time you made it back."
“Sorry, I ran into the guys and lost track of time.” Said the teenager, plopping down on the couch next to her and grabbing the remote.
“John leave?”
Nora nodded her head “Got a call from work. Told me to tell you same time next week.”
“Cool.”
“Now, young man which one of us is going to tell your mother?”
Taylor paused for a moment.” Tell her what?” He asked. He should have known this was coming but he was hoping to avoid this conversation.
“Taylor…"
“Ok, ok I’ll tell her.”
“Good answer.” Replied Nora, giving him a reassuring pat on the leg.
“Mom is going to kill me, but what did you think of John?”
“He’s a very nice man. Your mother is lucky to have such a good.... friend.” The pair faced each other exchanging a knowing look and a good laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nora sent him packing with a large bag full of food. He could still hear her voice insisting that he enjoy the fruits of his labor. He pulled out the various sizes of Tupperware arranging them in his fridge; taking extra care with the chocolate cake she gave him. The older woman cut a slice large enough for two people and casually mentioned that it was Joss’s favorite. John exited his apartment making his way onto the busy streets headed towards HQ and the latest number, when he felt a vibration in his pocket.
He opened the message from Taylor and read: you’re Grandma approved! :D
John replaced his phone in his pocket. He couldn’t stop the boyish grin that graced his face.
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