Octavia glanced up at her clock on the wall. It was twelve-fifteen, and she’d chosen her lunch break to do a quick shop at the store. There were only a few things she needed to pick up for the dinner she would cook for Jonathon, and more than a time or two, Octavia wondered why she was so excited yet ruffled about their future encounter.
Saving the last task on her computer, Octavia pushed back from the desk and stood to grab her purse before heading out the door.
An older gentleman with gray hair and pepper red freckles sat in a seat in the waiting room. Octavia glanced around to find the doors closed on Samiyah’s, Selena’s and Claudia’s offices. Octavia approached the man.
“Good afternoon, has someone helped you, sir?”
The gentleman smiled up at Octavia. “No. I’m a little early, so I decided to wait in here instead of my van outside.”
“Who are you here to see?”
The man shuffled through his shirt pocket. “An Octavia Davenport.” He smiled.
Taken back, Octavia frowned slightly. She had never met this man before, nor did she set an appointment during her lunch.
“I’m sorry,” Octavia held her hand out, “I’m Octavia, but I wasn’t aware we’d scheduled an appointment at this time. I’m headed out for lunch.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. I was one of Claudia’s clients, so things must’ve gotten misplaced during the transfer.” The gentleman smiled again, but Octavia couldn’t help but feel off her game.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” she said.
The man held out his hand, “Jackson,” he said. “Jackson Meadows.”
Octavia shook his hand. “Mr. Meadows, I apologize, but I’ll need to reschedule. I can get you in as early as the end of the week.”
Jackson stood to his feet. “That’ll be fine.”
“If you could, follow me back to my office and fill out a short form for me.”
“Oh yes, sure,” he said.
They strolled back to her office, and Octavia didn’t like the overwhelming feeling she had. The thought crossed her mind to take time off from work. Long enough to get some real rest and get her mind together. But that thought went out the window as she surmised there was no way she could put the heavy workload on everyone else. If she were fair, they’d all taken on more clients due to Claudia’s foundation and Octavia would have to just stick it out until Claudia or Samiyah decided to hire more people.
Octavia traipsed to a cabinet and pulled out a drawer, removing a tiny slip of paper with basic questions that would give her an idea of Jackson Meadow’s financial situation. She would have to take the information home and look over it to create a small plan that would appeal to his case.
“This is a quick form you’ve probably filled out before with Claudia, but this is just for my reference.”
“No problem,” Jackson said. He scribbled on the form and Octavia glanced at the clock on the wall again then back down to Jackson. Her mind traveled to Jonathon. Still, Octavia wanted to know who the woman was that had answered his phone, but she was hesitant to ask.
What if he told her something she didn’t want to hear, like his girlfriend or someone he’s dating? Octavia rolled her eyes. If Jonathon were dating someone, he would tell her, right? Feeling unsure, Octavia glanced back at the clock and tried to change her line of thoughts.
“Here you are,” Jackson said, handing Octavia the clipboard and ink pen.
“Thank you very much,” Octavia said. “I’ll see you Friday, 2 p.m.”
Jackson shook her hand and smiled before leaving her office. Octavia waited ten minutes, giving Mr. Meadows a lead before making her way out. When she cut the corner to pass the waiting area and found another gentleman waiting, Octavia almost lost her mind.
“Hello, are you waiting for someone?” Octavia asked.
The black hair, green eyed senior glanced at her. “Oh yes, you’re Octavia, right?”
Octavia nodded slowly. “I am.”
“We have an appointment in thirty minutes, but if you’re free now, we could go ahead and get this out of the way.” The man smiled. “Then maybe you could leave early, eh?”
Octavia stared at the man and silently stewed where she stood. Today was going to be longer than she imagined.
Octavia had plans to be home much earlier, but the interruptions at work caused her to run late getting to the grocery store. Octavia rushed through her door with bags hanging from her wrists. Jonathon would be there at any moment, and she hadn’t even started dinner. Octavia slammed the door as she rushed inside. Her lunch had been all but ruined, and she’d found herself working straight through it. Scrambling now, Octavia sprinted to the kitchen and reached for the cabinet, pulling out a skillet, a baking sheet, and a mixing bowl. Quickly, she grabbed butter from the refrigerator along with lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese. Her cell phone dinged just as she ran past her purse. Stopping briefly, Octavia dug for the smartphone and opened a text message from Jonathon.
The bustling smile that formed on her lips didn’t go noticed by her.
I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Don’t cook before I get there.
Quickly a frown ushered to her lips.
Okay, and why not? Don’t you want dinner ready when you arrive?
Octavia pulled her bottom lip in with her teeth and glanced to the items she’d removed from the refrigerator.
No. I want to watch you while you cook.
A ripple of warmth sailed through Octavia. Why did his suggestion seem intimate to her?
Are you sure? The game will be on, and I’ll spend about an hour cooking through it.
It was true. Monday night football would be underway in thirty minutes. The Kansas City Chiefs were playing the Chicago Bears, and although Octavia was more of a Dallas Cowboy fan, tonight she would be rooting for the Bears.
I’m sure, he replied, also sending a winking emoji.
“Have it your way,” Octavia said to herself as she grabbed a shopping bag and abandoned her kitchen for her bedroom.
Inside, she swiftly removed the Chicago Bears jersey dress with the number thirty-two plastered across the back from the bag then tersely removed her clothes. Running a quick shower, Octavia jumped in and danced around, lathering herself with the mango body wash for ten minutes before shutting off the water and wrapping herself in a terrycloth towel. Standing before the sink, Octavia added soft foundation to her face and applied some edge control to her hair. With a brush that held bristles stiff enough to pull her scalp off, Octavia combed her hair into a ponytail. She’d opted to let her curly afro hang out with the hair on her scalp thinly slicked back to precision.
It gave her a sexy proud black woman look that she loved, and the smile on her face was approving. Instead of lipstick, Octavia went with the simple addition of gloss then rubbed her full lips together for a flawless shine. A moment passed as she stared at herself in the mirror, wondering for the first time why she was going through the process of prepping so eloquently for Jonathon’s arrival.
It wasn’t a question Octavia needed to answer since she knew that for the last year their relationship had grown, she was in love with him. Octavia blew out a breath and hung her head.
“What the hell are you going to do about it?” she questioned herself. When the doorbell rang, her eyes widened. Jonathon wasn’t supposed to be there for at least another ten minutes, and Octavia hadn’t had the chance to apply the shea butter to her legs yet. That’s what you get for daydreaming, she thought.
Octavia applied a quick roll of deodorant, then slipped the jersey dress over her head and checked her edges one last time before scurrying to the door.