Reece
It has been a week since the community event fiasco. While the event did well with sales, the store landed on social media for another reason, and that was the fight Troy and I had. That was not the attention I wanted for the store, especially if the whole idea of the event was to put the Richmond store in a better light.
Although I have been at work, Troy has not been for the past two days. When he was there, he was rude to employees, almost got into a fight with a customer, and even kicked a broom and dust pan at Jeremiah, who worked in production. After he almost cussed out Mark because of that incident, Mark put him on a week-suspension until he got himself together. While he was gone, Jamarcus has been running the store, it was in good hands, but I knew Troy was hurting. I wish I could talk to him, but since I was the problem, that was highly unlikely that he’ll want to talk to me.
I ‘d just arrived back at Vanessa and Mark’s, exhausted from the day, so I didn’t even make it my room. Instead, I sat down on the couch, put my feet up on the ottoman, and leaned my head on the back of the couch. I sighed, wishing I didn’t have to go back the next day. Since everyone knew that Troy and I were dating, some of the employees were treating me differently; some of them were even giving me the cold shoulder since they felt I was the reason for Troy’s recent behavior. Maybe that was true, but Troy is a grown man. He’s also a manager, so he should separate his personal feelings from his work duties.
I looked up to see Nuicka coming from the kitchen. Since the incident happened, she and Cedric decided to stay in town to keep me company. They didn’t have to, but once Nuicka makes up her mind on something, no one can convince her otherwise.
“When did you come in?” Nuicka asked as she sat down on the couch.
“Just a second ago. What were you doing in the kitchen?”
“I figured I’ll make something for dinner. It’s the least I could do since Vanessa and Mark let Ced and I stay here.”
“You know they don’t mind. They have plenty of room here.”
“I know, but they still didn’t have to. How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “I’m okay. Just trying to get through the day, that’s all.”
“Maybe you should try and talk to him.”
I looked at Nuicka and shrugged again. “I can’t. Besides, he doesn’t want to talk to me. The days he was there at work, he completely ignored me. I would try to talk to him about business, but instead, he would communicate things to either Jamarcus or Nena so they would tell me.”
“Wow, that’s mature.” Nuicka mumbled.
“I brought this on myself, though. I should have been straightforward with him when our relationship progressed. I shouldn’t have hid the truth about Dallas from him.”
Nuicka put an arm around me as I took a deep breath. “Where’s Cedric?”
“He’s out with Mark. He decided to show Cedric the restaurant.”
The garage door opened, and Vanessa walked inside the house, along with Nena, Crystal, Simone, and Pamela. I was completely shocked to see everyone as they all came in with bags of food.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We decided to have a girls’ night in. We know how bummed you’ve been, so we figured we would cheer you up.” Nena said as she set her bag of food on the ottoman.
“You know y’all didn’t have to do this.”
“We wanted to,” Pamela said as she patted my hand. She and I exchanged smiles
“Honestly, I thought y’all would be mad at me. I’m the reason why Troy is acting like a douchebag.”
“It’s not your fault, honey. Troy is just hurt. He hasn’t experienced being in love in a long time, so he doesn’t know how to act with his emotions.” Pamela said.
I looked at her, unconvinced by her statement. “Right now, I don’t know what to believe.”
“I knew this was going to happen. Once you got to know him and saw what he was working with, you were hooked.” Simone said.
I shook my head while Vanessa rolled her eyes. “That is not what this is about.” She said.
Vanessa looked at me and gave a sincere smile. “Even I have to admit, I was hesitant about the relationship at first; but once I saw how Troy was and how you were towards him, I noticed that you two were good for each other. You brought out a side of him that was genuine, just like he did for you.”
Nena smiled. “I have to agree with Vanessa; you did change Troy in a way. I didn’t think that was possible, but you did.”
I looked down at the ottoman. I really didn’t want to talk about Troy. What was going on between us was basically a fling; nothing more. I thought I was in love with him, but if he’s not going to return those feelings, then I shouldn’t give them to him. That’s why I never got attached to anyone because I didn’t want to end up looking stupid when shit ends.
“Can I say something?” Crystal asked.
From the short time that Crystal has been there, the two of us have talked about a lot of things, from friendships to relationships, and even beauty secrets. She has been really cool and I’m glad that she’s a part of the Suds family.
“When I first started working at Suds, I immediately knew something was going on with you and Troy. Even though you both were hiding it, it was how you two looked at each other, like you two were the only two people in the room. I think whatever you two are going through now, you will get past it because it seems as if you really do love each other.”
“Thanks, Crystal.”
“I’m going to put my two cents in since everyone else has,” Vanessa said and smiled. “But seriously, you know what I went through with Mark, and it was a struggle being around him when we were apart and still had to work together. But we got through it, and I know you will with Troy.”
“I don’t know,”
“He’s upset because you kept that from him; the wounds are still fresh, so once they heal, then he’ll be okay.”
“You encouraged me to keep it a secret.”
“When do you ever listen to me?”
I sneered while she laughed. “But even I hope you two work things out because Troy is a mess. When I saw him almost hit Jeremiah with that broom and dustpan, I knew he was gone.”
“He’s hooked on that…” Simone started.
“Really, Simone?” I asked.
“Men do stupid stuff when it’s good.”
“Women do too when men be putting it down.” Nuicka said.
“I’m not talking about my sex life with you all.” I said as I got up and headed to the kitchen. I put my hands on the counter and tried to pull myself togetherI just want to be left alone right now.
I looked up when Pamela walked in. She went to the other side of the counter and stood there quietly watching me.
“You should know by now how Simone is. That girl is a trip.”
I nodded. “I know,”
“I know everyone is giving you all sorts of advice, but I’m just going to talk to you. When you first signed up to work at Suds, you weren’t expecting to get involved with Troy, especially when you heard about his reputation; but once you got to know the real Troy, you fell for him.”
“That’s exactly what happened.”
“But that’s how Troy always been. The person you got to know is the real him and not the player that everyone sees. I’ve been around him since he was a teenager, so I’ve seen how he was when he was with Nahomi and Deena. Those two really messed him up and he probably didn’t want to be in love again, until you came along. You showed him that it was okay to be in love again.”
“He showed me that as well,”
“His parents always wanted for him to do better than what they provided for him, so it wasn’t a surprise that he wanted to own a store. He always felt that he’d failed them because of his time in prison; that’s why it was important for him to be a part of a company that his parents were proud of working for.”
“Wow, I just wish I would had known sooner.”
“Don’t blame yourself for this, Reece. It was Troy’s job to talk to both Mark and Vanessa about franchising; he just never did. He always felt they wouldn’t accept his proposal because of the stuff that was happening with him.”
“Yes, he has had a lot of screw-ups, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s a good manager.”
Pamela smiled. “He is. But what are you going to do now?”
“About?”
“Are you still going to Dallas? I heard that you turned down the position.”
I sighed. “I think I will. I don’t think I want to continue working with Troy. It’s too hard.”
“I understand. I know it’s hard for him as well. He misses you.”
“Does he?”
Pamela looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Remember, I’ve known Troy for a long time, so I know his mood swings. He loves you and he doesn’t know how to handle it. That’s why he went through all of those women before because he was filling a void in his life.”
“And I’ll probably turn him back to whoring around,”
“I think this time is different.”
“How so?”
Pamela reached over to touch my hand. “I just know. Don’t give up onTroy; just give him some time to figure things out.”
“I know, that’s why I think it would be best if I did go back to Dallas. The construction is almost done with Suds Dallas. Maybe I could run the register and do some events there until I figure things out as well.”
“Have you told Mark and Vanessa?”
I shook my head. “No, but I plan to tonight. The sooner the better.”
“Maybe you should think about this a little longer.”
I shook my head. “My mind is made up.”
“Reece, this was a misunderstanding. I know I said to give Troy some space, but don’t push him out of your life. That will happen if you move back.”
I sighed. “I think this is for the best. Troy is going to continue looking at me as a liar; I can’t handle that, so it’ll be best if I leave.”
Pamela put her hands up in defeat. “I understand, but at least give it a day or two before you make a decision.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Pamela.”
“You’re welcome,”
She left the kitchen, leaving me alone again. I don’t know what I’ll do, but going back to Dallas seemed like the logical choice.
I gathered my thoughts as I prepared myself to go back and hang out with the girls. Although it was a nice gesture, I just wasn’t in the mood to be social. All I wanted to do was talk to Troy, if he even wanted to listen to me.