chapter Four
Lunch
Talina
My head is pounding. I should’ve just called in today. I almost did, but I didn’t think it was a good idea after just getting a big promotion. I would hate for Nelson to feel he made a mistake.
I groan when a knock sounds on my office door. I look up to see Marsha standing there with sunglasses on. She gives me a little smirk. Evil wench.
“Enough packing this office up. Let’s go get some lunch,” she says.
“Can I get a bed with that?” I mutter, and drop my head to my desk.
“Girl, you are usually the recovery champ. Don’t tell me last night got the best of you,” she laughs.
“Must you be so loud,” I huff.
Marsha laughs some more. “I’m damn near whispering,” she giggles.
“Ugh, I hate my life,” I groan.
“Girl, you just got a bomb ass promotion. A little hangover isn’t enough to be talking that mess,” Marsha grumbles, pushing the door closed behind her, walking into my office, and sitting in front of my desk.
“Malcolm and I broke up last night,” I mutter.
“Thank you, Jesus,” she exclaims. “Oh, wait, that was wrong. I mean, hey girl, it’s going to be okay. I’m so sad to see him go.”
I lift my head slightly and give her the stink eye. That smile on her face has me wanting to slap her. I still haven’t decided how I fully feel about what happened last night.
“You know you can get your ass out of my office,” I snap, placing my head back down on the desk.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I do know that you loved him, but can I be honest?” Marsha says sincerely.
“You’re going to be you. Spit it out,” I groan and sit up.
“You and Malcolm are amazing as friends. You truly are. I just think you two were looking for something different from go. You were a trophy on his arm and he was the epitome of what they tell us the perfect man should look like,” she shrugs. “However, when you took a deeper look. You two were homies. Not a couple.”
“You sound like my sister. What ever happened to friends first? I thought that if you built a friendship first, you’re supposed to have a good foundation,” I huff.
“Yeah, but some friendships are meant to stay in the friend zone,” Marsha shrugs.
“Mm, let’s get out of here. I’ll tell you what went down last night. I need to know if I’ve just become heartless.
“Honestly, I’m sort of over it. I mean, I’m hurt, but the things he said. I think I’m just going to throw in the towel,” I blow out a breath and retrieve my purse.
“Throwing in the towel,” Marsha kisses her teeth. “Gal, I’m starving. I burned off a lot of energy last night,” she winks and stands. “You need to try you a youngin’.”
“If you don’t get your nasty butt out of my office,” I laugh, walking to the door. “Honestly, I don’t think relationships are for me. I think I’m done with men.”
“Whatever,” Marsha sucks her teeth again.
“I’m serious,” I look back to say.
I run right into a hard body and almost stumble back. Strong arms wrap my waist, preventing me from hitting the floor. I turn to look up, as the arms tighten to draw me nearer and steady me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Nelson,” I just can’t catch a break this week. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of this man more times than I can count.
He doesn’t reply right away, or release me for that matter. Although, there’s a strange look in his eyes, when I look up into them. I move to step out of his hold, not liking how bereaved I feel when his arms fall away.
“It was my fault,” he clears his throat and says. “I was on my way to your office. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Did you need something? We were just about to step out for lunch,” I say.
“Can I join you?” his cheeks pink. “I meant, can I buy you lunch for almost trampling you?”
I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say. I had planned to dish with my girl. I wasn’t planning on sitting through a business lunch.
“I promise, I won’t talk shop. There’s this great Thai place not far from here. Is Thai still one of your favorites?” he says, in wake of my absence of words.
“Yes,” I say knitting my brows.
“Your first year here. I kept you late a few times. You were craving Thai one evening,” Nelson starts by way of explanation.
“Oh, yeah, and you had someone find a Thai place that was open that late. I remember that. I can’t believe you remembered,” I say in astonishment. It reminds me of the fact that he remembered my birthday yesterday.
“Mr. Fisher, we would love to have lunch with you,” Marsha interrupts.
“Nelson, Marsha, you know I’m never that formal,” Nelson replies.
I turn to glare at her. What? I mouth. She waves me off and keeps talking. I swear, I want to kill her.
“I think Ta could use some Thai food to cheer her up,” Marsha chirps.
“Oh really, what has you down? I hope it’s not the promotion. If you want to discuss your salary, it’s negotiable. You’re a valued asset here. I’d be more than willing to increase the offer,” Nelson says, looking down at me.
My mouth flaps open. Why have I become a mute around this man? I can’t seem to string a sentence together in front of him in the last few days.
“No, no, it’s not the job. She and her boyfriend broke up,” Marsha purrs.
“Marsha,” I find my voice and hiss.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. In that case, we’re all taking the rest of the day off,” Nelson says with a beaming smile.
“Huh,” I look up at him.
“Whenever Detra has a bad break up, we take the day off,” Nelson leans in to whisper.
His cologne floats up my nostrils, making me want to inhale so deeply, I barely reframe from doing so. He smells so good. I can’t believe I never noticed before.
“We go out to eat and we shop,” he winks at me. “I can’t tell you how much retail therapy I’ve done over the years. I’m a pro.”
I narrow my eyes up at him. “Is this some type of test?”
Nelson throws his head back and laughs. “No, it’s not. Come on, there’s always tomorrow. You work too hard anyway,” Nelson says with a crooked smile.
I find it an endearing smile. It brightens his face. His hand falls to the small of my back, as he leads me forward. I turn to look at Marsha, but she’s not walking with us. Instead, she is fumbling in her purse.
“Wait, Marsha, are you coming?” I call behind me.
“Um, uh, I can’t find my wallet. Maybe next time,” she replies and darts in the direction of her office, before I can get another word out.
“Heifer,” I mutter under my breath.
“I could call Detra to come along if you like,” Nelson says beside me.
When I look up to find his eyes, I see disappointment in them. My curiosity is peeked. Nelson has always been on the up and up with me. I’ve never been uncomfortable around him.
I shrug my shoulders. “A day off to go shopping, or staying at my desk?” I smile up at him. “Come on, Boss. You’ve figured out one of my guilty pleasures.”
“Great,” I watch the light come back into his eyes.
~B~
Nelson
I’d been on my way to set up a meeting with Talina, when I overheard her say she was done with men. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. Hearing her words stopped me in my tracks and sent my thoughts flying.
I didn’t have time to move away from her office, before she ran right into my chest. I can’t get how good she felt in my arms out of my head. She fits me to a T, just like I’ve always thought she would.
When Marsha confirmed that Talina broke things off with her boyfriend, I had to find out more. My foot was in my mouth, before I could stop myself and I don’t regret it one bit. I haven’t had this much fun with a woman, outside of Detra in years. Not even with Detra.
“Oh, my God, you’re hilarious,” Talina giggles, as we walk out of another shop, loaded down with bags.
“Come on, you can’t tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing,” I pull a face.
Talina bites her lip and nods her head, holding back a laugh. “She was seriously loud,” she bursts into laughter. Talina is referring to another customer in the shop that had been talking on her phone. “I can’t believe you said that to her.”
“What? I was being honest. No one wanted to hear about her Botox or the hot yoga instructor,” I shrug.
“I don’t know what was funnier. That you interrupted her to tell her as much, or that you said it with a straight face,” Talina says through her laughter.
“I think I was rather polite about it,” I mock frown. I hand the bags over to my driver so we can move on to the next shop.
Talina wraps her arms around my bicep. “This has been just what I needed. Thank you so much, Nelson,” she says, looking up at me with that gorgeous smile on her lips.
“I’m happy I could be of service. It’s not every day I get to spend so much time in such good company,” I smile back down at her.
“Ha, you spend your time with models and actresses,” she gives me a cheeky smile.
“Yes, but good company is very hard to come by,” I shrug. I narrow my eyes. “So, does that mean you keep tabs on my personal life?”
Talina tries to bite back her smile. “You’re my boss. It’s not keeping tabs,” she rolls her eyes and nudges my ribs.
“Um,” I say and nudge her back. “What else do you know about me then?”
“You were born and raised in Jersey. You’re an only child, you’re now rumored to be worth a few million,” she winks at me, her comment being modest to say the least. “You give to a lot of charities, but the literacy program is the one nearest to your heart. Why is that?”
I lock eyes with her and search them. I contemplate whether to answer, deciding I want to be honest and share with this beautiful woman on my arm. I take a deep breath and look forward, as we stroll up the street.
“When I was a boy I had this terrible stutter and I couldn’t read for shit. I made it all the way to the third grade, without anyone catching on. That was when I met Detra,” I smile at the memory.
“I used to see her in the neighborhood, but we were in the same class that year. She was the one that picked up on the fact that I couldn’t read. I was so good at hiding it. Cheating off of other kids, acting out when asked to read aloud,” I frown, as I think of all the trouble I used to get in.
“Detra has the greatest family in the world. They didn’t have much, but her parents believed in dreaming big and supporting each other to make those dreams happen. Detra dragged me home with her every day,” I begin to smile again.
“Her mother and sisters started to help with my reading. I went from being a shit student to the head of my class. All I needed was the support. I wasn’t getting it at home.
“There are so many children that are like I was. No one at home to care. No one to help with their homework, or to get them to read. I was lucky to have the Melendez family. There are children out there that don’t have that luxury,” I look back at Talina’s face to see her reaction.
The warmth I find in her eyes does something to my chest. I’ve never told anyone that story before. I’m surprised that I’ve opened up to tell Talina. It has always been a sore point for me.
“Wow, and look at you now,” she says, as if she is in awe.
“What about you? What was your family life like?” I ask to get the subject off of me.
I watch as the light dims from her eyes. The smile falls from her lips. I can see the sadness that fills her. I brace myself, hoping she didn’t have a rough childhood like I had.
“My parents were great,” she says, after a few beats. “I couldn’t have asked for a better mom and dad. My sister and I were so lucky to have them.
“My mom was a stay at home mom. We came home to fresh baked cookies and new books all the time. My mother was big on my older sister teaching me what she learned that day in school,” she gives a small laugh.
“My dad would come home from work in the evenings and he’d ask all about our day. Daddy was a civil engineer. He never spoke to us like children. We were just two young adults in his home.
“I still remember the conversation I had with my dad that last night. It was my first year in my own place. I hadn’t wanted to go away to school and I hadn’t wanted to move out so soon, but Daddy talked me into all of it.
“Living in dorms for my entire college experience. Moving into my first apartment, after grad school. He said, ‘It’s for the experience, Ta.’ If I’d had stayed home like I wanted…I might have been able to save them. Or I could be dead too,” she falls silent.
I’m speechless. I can feel her pain through her words. While I’m grateful she wasn’t there, I hurt for her loss.
I wouldn’t know what it was like to have that kind of love from my parents, only to have it snatched away. I feel an ache in my chest for her. I don’t know what to say. I want to pull her into my arms, I just don’t want to overstep my bounds and ruin the time we’ve spent together.
“We talked about life that night. About living to my fullest potential and being happy. Daddy told me, he wanted me to remember to enjoy life,” she swipes at a tear. “He shared a quote with me that he read somewhere or something. I can’t remember who it was by. I just remember most of the words so clearly.
“It was something like …‘live life fully or live life small. Living fully takes courage and is a choice.’ Yeah, it was something like that.”
“Valorie Burton,” I say.
“Huh?” She blinks up at me.
“You’re pretty close and it’s from a book, by Valorie Burton,” I reply.
“Oh, yeah, now I remember. He said that mom was reading something and she shared it with him,” she smiles. “Told you mom had a thing for books.
“Wow, I totally forgot to listen to that advice. Later that night, there was a fire. Mom and Dad never made it out,” she whispers.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” I reply, this time drawing her into a hug.
Talina’s arms wrap my waist. We stand in the middle of the busy street for a few moments. Me, giving her my strength and her taking what she needs. It feels so right, I hate to be the one to break the moment, so I don’t.
Talina is the first to pull away. “I’m sorry,” she sniffles.
“Don’t be,” I give her a crooked smile. “How about some ice cream?”
Talina gives a small chuckle. “You’ve fed me and allowed me to torture you with shopping. You have gone above and beyond. I think I should head home. I’m sure Malcolm will need to pack his things,” she shrugs. “I know we’re parting as friends. At least, I think we are, but I sort of want to make sure he doesn’t pull any petty shit.”
I frown. “Do you want me to stop by?” I offer.
“Nelson, don’t you have a pretty girl to go home to?” she says, with a soft smile.
“No. I’d prefer to wait for a beautiful woman I can go home to one day,” I reply.
“She’ll be very lucky,” Talina says, lifting up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Thank you for everything, Nelson. This really was a great day and just what I needed.”
“At least, let me take you and your things home. There’s no way you can get all of that home on the subway,” I offer.
She thinks it over for a moment. “Okay, thanks,” she answers, turning for the car.
The ride to Talina’s home is quiet. She’s so lost in her thoughts, I don’t think she notices me watching her. She’s so beautiful. I wish I knew what her ex was thinking when he let her go.
As if having a sudden thought, Talina turns to me just as we turn the corner into her block. “I think I can leave with you for London on Friday. I won’t be attending the anniversary party,” she says excitedly.
“Oh, great. I’ll stop by your office tomorrow and we can go over a few things. I’ll get you up to speed on the trip,” I nod.
“Thank you again, Nelson. You really didn’t have to do this,” she beams at me.
“It was my pleasure. See you tomorrow,” I say, with a smile on my lips.
“You got it, Boss,” she chirps.
I step out of the car to help her with her bags. Only, as I step from the car, her ex comes out of the building. He moves to Talina’s side, as she starts to retrieve her bags from my driver. From the glare he’s giving me, I can see I’m not welcomed. Instead of starting a pissing match, I allow him to help Talina with her things.
She turns with an adorable smile on her face, trying to wave goodbye with all of her bags in her hands. Her ex places a possessive hand on her back. Leading her inside, carrying the bulk of her bags.
I frown back at him, as he glares me down. Just as I thought, he knows he’s giving up a great woman. I can’t help but wonder what really happened between them and if it’s truly over.
She’s going with you to London now. He lost his chance. It’s time you make her yours.