Jamal leaned forward and looked into her face. “I need for you to finish your camp, then go back to your life and leave the past in the past.”
Their beverages arrived and the old waitress gave them both a look after sitting them on the table. “I hope that you two are planning to pay for these.”
Jamal smiled and shook his head, before pulling out his wallet from his back pocket. “Of course, ma’am.” He took out a couple of bills and handed them to her. “Please keep the change.”
Taking the money, she smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re home again, Jamal.”
She cut a look at Cassandra, while he answered, “It’s good to be home, Miss Jackie.”
With another smile for Jamal, she walked away and Cassandra reached for her drink. “I swear I hate this town,” she said taking a sip.
“We did some foul shit, Cass, and we have to admit it.”
“No, you didn’t have to come back here.”
Jamal drank from his cup. “Neither did you.”
“I came to kill two birds with one stone. Get some PR, and get back what we had,” she explained. “When I found out that you were here, I decided to come rescue you.”
He frowned. “Did I send you a distress signal?”
“You didn’t have to,”
Sipping her wine again, she looked over at him.
“You had big plans baby,” Cassandra reminded him. “We both did.”
“My plans are lining up,”
She gave him a look. “How? The market on carnations suddenly skyrocketed?”
Jamal smirked. “Nah, but I’ve got other plans. Plans that will set me up to take care of my Beauty.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes and took a long sip from her glass.
“What are your plans when you leave here?” Jamal asked pointedly.
She chuckled. “I have some tour dates booked. I’ll try to get back in the studio and record another hit.” Cassandra smiled at him. “You like my song?”
He shrugged. “It’s catchy. I’ve heard the young kids singing it.”
Cassandra laughed heartily. “Oh my god! Did you just say young kids?” She wiped her eyes. “Damn, Jamal, you’re only twenty-four. You sound like Willie.”
Jamal glanced out of the window again, at the familiar streets. “I grew up a long time ago, Cass. I’m not a kid in any way.”
“Don’t you want to be that carefree boy again?” she asked wistfully.
He turned back to her. “Nah, I don’t. I want to be a grown ass man with a wife and a family. I want to be able to go home and have peace in my life with the woman I love.”
Cassandra stared at him. “You’ve changed.”
Jamal smiled and looked her over. “So have you.”
“I thought you’d be all over me,” she told him.
He shook his head. “You know it was never like that. Back then, you were my partner in crime.”
“I remember when I kissed you,” she said, smiling. “You looked at me like you wanted to slap me.”
Jamal laughed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Do you still blaze?” she asked, picking up her glass.
Jamal sipped his cocoa. “Nah, I haven’t in years.”
“We used to fire it up!” Cassandra told him. “I still keep me a little stash. I could hook you up.”
“I’m chill…”
She smiled. “Miss Goody doesn’t like that?”
“What did I tell you?” He lifted a brow.
Cassandra watched him. “One question…”
“What?”
“If you were so in love with the Sable girl, why were you with me all the time?” she asked.
Jamal looked up and saw the man coming into the restaurant. “Because I knew that I couldn’t have her back then.”
“But you don’t have her now, Jamal.” Cassandra stared at him. “Isn’t that what you said.”
Jamal stood to his feet as the man approached the table dressed in his uniform.
“Jamal…”
He smiled. “Hey, Daddy.”
The two men hugged, then Sheriff Winston stepped back and looked down at Cassandra.
“Daddy, you remember Cassandra…” Jamal said quietly.
“How could I forget?” He stared at her. “I looked for her, for a long time.”
Cassandra smiled. “Hello Sheriff Winston. It’s nice to see you again.”
“I wish I could say the same,”
“I’m not here to cause any trouble,” she promised with another bright smile.
Sheriff Winston turned to his son. “I came to check on you.”
“I’m good,” Jamal told him, taking his seat again. “I’m sure your phone lit up when people saw us together.”
“I did have a few concerned residents,” the sheriff confirmed.
Jamal laughed. “We’re just talking…and I already paid the bill, with a generous tip.”
The sheriff looked from one to the other. “Well, make sure that I’m not needed here, tonight.”
“You’re not,” Jamal assured him.
He patted his son on the shoulder, then said goodbye before exiting the restaurant.
Cassandra shook her head. “Damn, they called your Daddy on us. They really need to move on.”
“Just because you picked up and started a new life, doesn’t mean that the people here didn’t feel the effects of what we did,” he explained.
She frowned. “Hey, life hasn’t been a bowl of cherries for me either. I’ve had to do things that I didn’t want to do, to get where I am now. That’s just life…”
“What did you have to do?” Jamal asked.
She looked away. “Let’s just say, you’re the only one who’s ever turned it down.”
Jamal grimaced. “Damn, Cass…for real?”
“Fame has a price,” she told him. “I tried to give it to you for free, everybody else had to pay a fee.”
Cassandra looked at the diamond ring on her right hand along with a matching bracelet.
“That’s the life you want?”
“It’s the life that got me what I want.”
He nodded and sipped from his cooling cup. “Hey, if you like…I love it. I’m not trying to judge anybody, because I’ve had enough people judging me.
She finished her wine. “So you’re just going to stay here and be under their little microscope?”
“Actually, they’re watching you,” he told her. “They know who I am now.”
Cassandra laughed. “Same old Grayling.”
“It doesn’t change,”
“And you like that?”
Jamal pushed his cup away. “I like having a home, because for a while I didn’t.”
“I’ve got two houses,” Cassandra told him. “One on the beach, down in Miami. Nonstop action, day and night. Sun and ocean, not this cold ass fall in Michigan. I love it.”
“I love the fall, and the winter.” Jamal smiled. “I can’t wait for the snow.”
Cassandra hugged herself and shivered. “Oooh, I don’t miss that. I hope it doesn’t start while I’m here.”
Jamal pinned her with a stare. “I need you to leave at the end of the your camp, Cass.”
“I’d planned to stay an additional two weeks.”
He stared at her. “Why?”
“To see if we could work something out,” she confessed.
“Look, I don’t have beef with you about anything, and I wish only the best for you. This is Lorna’s home and I won’t bring any unnecessary drama into her spot. So I’m asking you nicely, before this turns into some shit, let’s part on friendly terms,” Jamal told her quietly.
“She can’t handle the competition?”
He gave her a look.
“Okay, Jamal…damn, you’re so serious now.”
“I need to focus on my business and I don’t need you here making it harder.”
Cassandra frowned at him. “How am I making it harder to deliver some flowers?”
“I also run my own gardens,” he explained.
“How the hell did you start doing that?”
Jamal sat back. “For anger management, we were taught gardening to relax us at the detention center. I liked it, so I decided to major in Horticulture in college.”
She smiled. “You graduated?”
He nodded. “With a B.S.”
“I’m proud of you, baby.”
Jamal frowned.
“I can’t help it,” Cassandra admitted. “You’re so easy to fall for…I’m doing it all over again.”
Jamal looked at his watch. “It’s getting late and I have orders to prep for in the morning.”
“Can you give me a ride back to the Inn?” she asked. “I’m not taking that raggedy ass cab again.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’ll give you a ride.”
They both stood and Jamal helped her put on her fur, before leading her out to his truck. He seated her inside and walked around to the driver’s seat.
“You’re going to bounce after the camp?” he asked, looking over at her inside the cab.
“You have to do something for me,”
He shook his head. “This isn’t a game, Cass.” Jamal watched as she dug into her designer bag. She retrieved an envelope and held it out to him.
“You have to take this,”
Jamal frowned. “What is it?”
“It’s a check.”
“For what?” he asked frowning.
Cassandra touched his face. “For being a friend to me when no one else would be.”
“I’m not taking your money,”
She stroked his jaw. “Please Jamal, it’s the least I could do.” Cassandra placed the envelope in his hand.
“Unless, you want me to stay and bother your Beauty,” she threatened.
He shook his head and gave the envelope back to her. “Nah, I don’t want that, and I don’t want your money.”
“You can’t have both,” Cassandra said, then sat back in her seat.
Jamal looked at her then started the truck, and drove to the Sable Inn.
******
Willie looked up from the desk as Lloyd Sable entered the lobby.
“How’s it going Willie?” Lloyd asked.
“A few calls, but everything is good.”
Lloyd nodded and came behind the desk, checking the computer for any updates.
“You know Jamal’s out with that girl,” Willie told him, and Lloyd turned his attention to him.
“Is the town gossiping again?” Lloyd questioned, folding his arms.
Willie turned to him. “Yep, they’re at the restaurant. Jamal did pay for their order and left a nice tip. They left together about ten minutes ago.” He looked at his watch.
“Am I paying you to spy on Jamal?” Lloyd asked, lifting a brow.
“You know that girl wasn’t nothing but trouble,” Willie defended.
Lloyd looked at him. “I know that Jamal is a grown man and no one can make him do anything that he doesn’t want to do.”
Willie frowned. “I don’t want him to hurt our Lorna.”
Lloyd smiled. “He knows the consequences of that.”
The door opened and Jamal entered with Cassandra as both men turned their attention to them. They watched Jamal walk her to the stairs.
Cassandra smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
Jamal nodded. “We good?”
“Yeah, we good.” She touched his chest. “But if things don’t work out here…”
“I’m going to make sure that they do.”
She chuckled softly and glanced over to where Lorna’s father stood next to Willie. Cassandra lifted on her toes in the stilettos then placed her lips against his jaw.
“Make sure she appreciates what she has,” Cassandra whispered towards his ear.
Jamal looked down at her. “Bye, Cass. Take care of yourself.”
“If you ever need anything, baby…”
Removing her hand from his face, he held it gently. “Don’t let people take advantage of you. That’s not who you are.”
Cass stared at him, the nodded slowly. “You always gave it to me straight.”
“Always will,”
“That’s what makes you so irresistible.”
He shook his head. “Girl, goodnight.”
Laughing, she looked back over at the two men standing behind the desk. “Goodnight good people of Grayling.” She walked up the stairs as the three men watched, hoping that they wouldn’t see much more of her.
Jamal headed over to the desk and leaned on the counter. “So Willie, what’s the report on me tonight?”
Willie smiled. “You had another five minutes to show up here after she got in your truck with you.”
“Small towns,” Jamal said, shaking his head. “Goodnight.”
They both wished him the same and he walked out into the dark night. Gathering his jacket against the chill, he went in the direction of Lorna’s house. Standing on her porch, he rang the doorbell and waited.
Lorna heard the bell and climbed from her bed. Without grabbing a robe, she quickly went to the door and looked through the peephole. Smiling, she opened the door to the handsome man now leaning against the doorjamb.
“Jamal…” Lorna said quietly. “I was waiting for your call.”
“I brought Cass back to the Inn, so I came to see you in person.”
Lorna stepped back and let him inside. “I’m glad you did.”
Jamal closed the door behind him and locked it before turning to her. His eyes traveled over her in the short nightgown that showed her sexy, chocolate arms and legs.
“You were in the bed?”
She nodded, watching him. “Did you talk to her?” Lorna asked softly.
Leaning back against the door, he answered, “Yes, she’s leaving at the end of the Boot Camp.”
“How did you get her to do that?”
Jamal reached for her hand and pulled her closer. “I convinced her that there was no reason to stay.”
Lorna wrapped her arms around his neck, as her body contacted his. “You’re cold.”
“You could warm me up,” he said encircling her waist.
She smiled and lifted her face to his. Jamal lowered his head and connected with the heat of her mouth and squeezed her body. Lorna cupped his cold jaw as his lips explored hers.
“Did you come, just for me to warm you up?” Lorna asked against his lips.
“No, I came to tell you about tonight from my own mouth, because I’m sure you’ve already heard one version,” he kissed her softly.
“Actually, a couple of versions. My phone’s been ringing since you got to the restaurant,” she told him. “Everything from you were holding her hand, sharing wine, to you drove her somewhere to pick up where you two left off…”
Jamal paused. “I hate that my past involves you.”
“I’m focused on the future,” she whispered.
He smiled and lifted her into his arms. Jamal carried her over to the sofa and sat her down, before switching on a nearby lamp. Lorna watched as he removed his jacket and sat next to her.
“So, first of all, Mr. Wellington drove her to the restaurant in his old cab because there was some kind of mix up with her ride,” Jamal began.
Lorna looked confused. “Willie could’ve arranged a car for her.”
Jamal shrugged. “I don’t know what happened with that.”
Lorna shrugged too. “Okay, so what else…”
“My father showed up,” Jamal informed. “Apparently, some residents were worried, seeing me and Cass together again.”
“You two really did terrorize some of them,” Lorna pointed out.
He nodded. “I remember,”
Lorna reached for his hand. “Did she tell you how she became a singer?”
Jamal sighed. “She said that she did some things,” he paused and shook his head. “Things that I don’t think any woman should have to do…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Lorna said dismayed.
“She’s gotten everything she wanted out of it,”
Lorna looked at him. “Not everything…”
Jamal leaned over and kissed her. “Nah, not everything.” He touched her cheek. “Thank you for trusting me tonight.”
“I promised myself that I’m not going to hold the past against you. You’ll show me what you want.” Lorna said quietly.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do since I came back,”
“I know,”
Jamal stared into her pretty face. The face that he loved more than anything in the world. Sitting back, he continued, “We met, she did have a glass of wine. I had hot chocolate. We talked about the stolen car incident…I told her I was cool, but she needed to get her ass out of dodge at the end of her event, so that we could keep it friendly.”
Lorna laughed. “Just like that?”
He nodded. “Basically…”
“Why did she leave you that night?”
Jamal rolled his eyes. “This girl said, she thought I was going to run, too. First of all, why the hell would I run, when I didn’t even know it was a stolen car, and second, like I told her, a black man should never run from the police.”
She agreed. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Since it was my father and his deputy, I probably wouldn’t have gotten shot, but I wasn’t taking any chances,” Jamal confirmed.
“Why did she steal the car in the first place?”
“My father had punished me by not letting me drive, so Cass got a ride for us. She knew that if she’d told me it was stolen, I wouldn’t have rode with her. I did have some damn limits,” Jamal explained.
“Where did she go?”
“When I drove her back to the Inn tonight, she told me she skipped back to Chicago after the incident. She eventually hooked up with some music producers and everything went from there. Cass went through a lot to get that first hit song.”
Lorna frowned. “You went to jail.”
“Uh, juvenile detention.” He corrected.
“You were locked up,”
He nodded. “That’s true, I couldn’t leave.”
She folded her arms, in anger. “I hated you being there.”
Jamal reached out and held her close. “I was so damn happy when I got your first letter.”
Lorna laid her head on his shoulder. “I should’ve written you back long before…”
“I hurt you and you were mad,” Jamal told her. “I understood that.”
He kissed her temple. “Can you throw on a coat? I want to take you somewhere.”
She pulled back and looked at him. “Is this like the car thing?”
Jamal laughed. “No Beauty, I really want to take you somewhere. It’s chilly out so put on a warm coat and some boots.”
Lorna watched him for a minute trying to figure him out. “Where are we-?”
His mouth cut her off, then he asked, “You trust me, right? I’m not going to make you punch me.”
Smiling, she tasted him on her lips. “I don’t think I would do that now.”
Jamal stared at her in the cotton night wear. “It’s a little too cold out for your gown. Although, I really like how it looks on you…”
She stood to her feet and looked down at him. “I’ll be ready in a second.”
Jamal watched her go, enjoying the view. Lorna Sable had grown into a sexy, little woman without an ounce of vanity. He’d been attracted to her as a still developing girl, but when he’d returned, Jamal saw how his favorite flower had blossomed.
Staying away from Lorna for the additional years, had been the hardest thing, he’d endured in his life…and he had endured some hardships, from losing his mother to a heart attack, to his own legal troubles.
He put his hands over his face and blew out a breath. Now, it was all going to be worth it in a few months. He was going to have everything he desired, including Lorna Sable. Confucius once said that, the expectations of life depend upon diligence…
Jamal had been diligent and planned to remain that way until he reached all the expectations of his life. Standing, he shrugged back into his jacket and waited for her to appear. In her flannel shirt, skinny jeans and camel colored hiking boots, she looked like the country girl he loved.
“I’m ready,” she announced.
“You look so cute,”
Lorna walked over to him. “I heard that Cassandra was dressed to the nines, tonight…fur coat, stilettos, and all.”
He slid an arm around her waist. “And she was cold as hell.”
Laughing, Lorna placed a hand on his jacket. “Well, at least you were warm.”
“Let’s go,” Jamal said, kissing her quickly. “We both have to be up early in the morning.”
At the door, Jamal helped with her coat and they walked, hand in hand, out to his truck. He helped her inside and quickly went around to the driver’s seat. Starting the car, the heat started blowing out on high and she turned to him.
Turning down the dial, he looked at her. “I told you Cass was cold as hell.”
Lorna sniffed. “I smell perfume.”
“Let’s just crack the windows and air it out,” Jamal said, pressing the buttons on his door.
Putting on her seat belt, Lorna glanced at him with a frown. “Yes, let’s do that.”
He put the car in gear, then reached for her hand. “Don’t get mad.”
She looked out the window as the air flowed inside. “I’m trying…”
Jamal drove away from the Inn and Lorna sat in her own thoughts. Although, she’d decided to trust Jamal, she had not extended that courtesy to Cassandra. She didn’t trust her as far as she could throw her.
“Did she tell you that she came to the Inn?” Lorna asked, watching the scenery. “Back then…”
“Who, Cass?”
“Yes,”
He frowned. “When?”
“Before I knew who she was and started hearing about the two of you.” Lorna shook her head. “I saw her outside, then took her inside and showed her around. She must think I’m a complete idiot.” She turned to Jamal. “But I’m not…”
Jamal shook his head. “I didn’t know that she’d done that.”
Lorna smirked. “She was casing me.” She stared at Jamal as he drove. “You never once mentioned her to me. Why?”
“My time with you was special and when we were together, I was only focused on you, Lorna.” He sighed. “And I knew if I did, you wouldn’t see me anymore.”
Lorna looked away. “Are you sure she’s leaving? It’s like a dark cloud over our heads.”
He turned to her. “Yeah, she’s out.”
As he continued to drive, Lorna spotted an envelope in his middle console. She looked at Jamal, then at the envelope sticking out with his name on it, written in a feminine handwriting. Not one to be overly nosey, but also not one to just sit back and be in the dark, Lorna asked him about it.
“What’s this envelope in your car?”
Jamal glanced down and sighed. “I told her to take that back.”
“You told who to take what back?” Lorna asked slowly, not really wanting to hear the answer.
He stopped the truck and put it in park at her tone. When he turned to her, Lorna’s dark eyes were flashing.
“Cass tried to give me a check,” he began and Lorna snatched the envelope and opened it.
She looked inside before her angry eyes met his. “Ten thousand dollars!”
Jamal frowned. “Is that how much it is?”
“So she went from your partner in crime, to your new business partner?” Lorna accused.