Large and in Charge

by La Jill Hunt

  “They offered. I was gonna talk to you about it later. It’s a good idea, considering we don’t have anywhere else right now,” Devyn told her.

  “Am I missing something here?” Asha asked.

  “Like what?” Devyn raised an eyebrow, confused by her question.

  “Like what’s up with this dude? Why is he so generous? What is he tryin’a gain?” Asha’s line of questioning continued before Devyn could even respond. “Helping us out today is one thing, but now he seems to be doing the most. Why?”

  “Maybe he’s like plenty of other guys who have a thing for Devyn. He did seem to keep his eye on her today,” Chase teased. “And that brother even made sure he had a bottle of Voss right there whenever she needed it. I was impressed.”

  “Okay, you’re trying to be funny.” Devyn shook her head and tried not to blush at the thought of Nigel watching her and being so attentive.

  “Clearly, that’s a joke. He can watch all he wants, but he definitely won’t be touching. Can you even imagine Devyn with him?” Asha smirked. “He ain’t even on her level, which is exactly my point. Today, we put Pivot not just on the map, but we will be on the radar of a lot of key players. Just watch and see what happens. We can’t afford to be attached to anyone or anything that puts our potential in jeopardy.”

  “Asha, that’s not fair,” Chase told her.

  “No, it’s not.” The elation Devyn felt moments earlier about the launch diminished. The last thing she felt like doing was using what little energy she had left defending a man who had done nothing but help. The entire conversation was pointless and unnecessary. As far as Devyn was concerned, it was over. “No one is being used, Asha. Nigel and I are friends, that’s it. And as for Pivot or me being associated with him or Culture, relax. It’s business, not personal. There’s nothing for you to even trip about.”

  “Good,” Asha smiled. “Now, let’s finish cleaning up so we can get outta here and go celebrate.”

  By the time they finished, it was almost nine. The girls were long gone. Nadia had agreed to join them for dinner and drinks. Devyn noticed Nigel walking past the hallway toward the lab.

  “Nigel, wait,” she called out, but he didn’t stop, so she followed him inside. “Hey.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You know what I just thought about?” She smiled at him.

  “What?” he said with a blank stare.

  “We didn’t get a picture together.” Devyn held up her cell as she walked up to him. “Now, you know we have to fix that, right?”

  “I didn’t realize it was broken.”

  Devyn was taken aback by his nonchalance. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he was upset or angry at her. But there was nothing she did that could’ve caused him to have an attitude, so that couldn’t be the case. Maybe he’s tired. It’s been a long day for all of us.

  “Uh, yeah, it’s broken, so let’s fix it. You’re acting like you don’t wanna take a pic with me,” she said, putting her arm around him as she tried to angle the phone so that both of them fit into the screen. It was difficult because he was much taller than she was. When he didn’t try to assist, she said, “A little help here, please.”

  He took the phone and held it perfectly. She leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled, but his face was stoic. He took several shots but didn’t smile in any of them. “Here.”

  “Okay, Mr. Serious, well, we’re gonna go and have a couple of drinks and get some dinner. You wanna come?” Devyn asked, feeling awkward from the unusual tension instead of the positive energy they usually shared. “After all, today’s success wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.”

  “Nah, I’m good,” Nigel shrugged.

  “Is everything okay? You good?” she asked softly.

  “Nothing at all. I’m fine.” He pulled out a pan from the shelf he stood in front of. “I got work to do.”

  “Are you sure? If you need me to stay and talk, I will. I don’t have to go,” Devyn offered.

  “Nope, I don’t need you. I’m good,” he said.

  “Nigel, something’s wrong. I can feel it. Talk to me, please. Is this about that little stunt Ingrid pulled earlier? Asha told me what happened and—”

  “Ready when you are, Dev.” Chase stuck her head in the door. “Nigel, you’re coming right?”

  “Nah, I’ve got some stuff to catch up on that I should’ve got done today. Thanks for the invite, though.” The half smile he gave Chase was better than the emotionless response he’d given Devyn, solidifying that whatever was bothering him had to do with her.

  “Well, thanks again for everything, and we’ll get those headshots done later this week,” Chase said. “Dev, we’ll wait for you in the car.”

  “I’ll be there in a few.” Devyn nodded. When Chase was gone, she turned her attention back to Nigel. Her hand touched his shoulder. “Nigel, tell me—”

  “Devyn, there’s nothing to say. Can you please just leave?” His icy glare was startling.

  “Fine.” Devyn removed her hand and stepped back. “Thank you again for all of your help today. I appreciate it.”

  Nigel exhaled and said, “No thanks needed. No need to trip; it’s business, not personal. Goodbye, Devyn.”

  It became clear why he was so cold and distant toward her. He heard me. He heard what I said to Asha and Chase. The thought of how callous and shallow she probably sounded caused her to cringe. I only said that to satisfy Asha so she would shut up.

  “Nigel, I think you misunderstood—”

  His cell phone ringing interrupted her. Nigel turned his back and answered. “Hey, there, beautiful. I was just about to whip us up something good.”

  Devyn’s heart sank. She slowly turned and walked out, fighting tears as she exited the building into the back parking lot. He heard what I said. In a matter of minutes, her perfectly good day ended in heartbreak, and all she wanted to do was go home and cry. That was going to have to wait, though. Her friends had put in too much work, and they deserved to celebrate, even if she didn’t want to.

  “Pull it together, Dev,” she told herself as she wiped her tears before reaching her car.

  “Are you okay?” Chase asked when she got in.

  “I’m great,” Devyn lied. “I need a drink. As a matter of fact, I need several.”

  Chapter 24

  Asha

  Ding. Dong. Ding.

  The chiming of the church bells got louder and louder. Asha glanced down at her watch and saw that the wedding was now over two hours late. She turned around in her pew, stared down the aisle, and wondered what was going on. Seeing that she was the only guest in the church, she began to panic. The bells continued to ring until her head started pounding, and she couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Stop it,” she groaned, opening her eyes to awake from the torture of her dream. The ringing continued, however. She sat up, recognizing it as the sound of her doorbell. Without even checking the security camera, she got up and dragged herself to the door. There was only one person who would show up unannounced and uninvited on a Sunday. For a second, she thought about not answering the door, but her desire to get the constant ringing to stop was motivating enough to put a little more pep in her step.

  “Good morning, Sully,” she grumbled as she let him in.

  “Morning? It’s after three, Asha,” he said.

  “Oh.” Asha took notice of his suit as he walked past her, indicating that he’d gone to church. They went into her living room and she half-sat, half-leaned on the edge of the sofa while he sat on the chair. Her head throbbed, and there was a horrible taste in her mouth. She closed her eyes and tried to recall what she ate for dinner. There was a vague memory of some kind of chicken, crab dip, and lots of drinks. Her hangover was well earned, thanks to not only Devyn and Chase, but also Nadia, YaYa, and Camille, who also joined the fun.

  “You look like hell,” Sully frowned. “Did you sleep in your clothes?”

  Asha looked down at the sa
me “Pivot” T-shirt and black, wide-leg pants she wore the day before, now noticeably wrinkled, that served as her pajamas. Another sign that she’d had a hell of a night.

  “I guess I did,” she told him. “I need some water and coffee.”

  “You also need a shower. I’ll get the drinks for you.” Sully stood and took off his jacket, laying it across the back of the chair before going into her kitchen.

  Asha closed her eyes, listening to the sound of her Keurig brewing and her refrigerator opening. Sully was soon back with a bottle of water, a cup of coffee, and a disgruntled look as he handed them both to her.

  “Thank you.” She drank nearly the entire bottle of water first, then sipped the coffee. She would’ve liked to have a little more sugar, but she was grateful for what she had. The room was quiet, and neither one said anything for a while. Asha was sure that although Sully was nice, he was probably pissed about what happened at Culture with Ingrid. There were also the back-to-back calls and texts from him that she ignored. I’m in the middle of an event. I do not have time to argue about Ingrid and her ex right now, she thought as she blocked his number. She would’ve turned her phone off completely but couldn’t in case VIP guests or anyone needed to reach her regarding the event. Blocking Sully and the drama with his daughter seemed to be the best option.

  “Asha, Ingrid called and told me about what happened at Culture yesterday.” He finally spoke. “I gotta say, I was upset and disappointed.”

  Asha took another sip of the slightly bitter coffee, then said, “Did she tell you she and her little friends showed up at my event half-dressed and trying to cause a scene?”

  “That wasn’t quite the story I got from her,” he sighed.

  “I’m sure it wasn’t,” Asha murmured. “Look, Sully, before you start, I didn’t even know Nigel was Bear, or that he was connected to Culture. We needed a venue at the last minute, and that’s what we found.”

  “When you did find out who he was, did you care? Did the fact that you held an event for women at a business owned by a violent man even disturb you? A man who you know I don’t care for.” Sully leaned forward and waited for her answer.

  “Honestly, Sully, I didn’t have a chance to think about any of that because while Ingrid was screaming and cussing, I was trying to hold someone else back from beating her up. That’s all I was concerned with at the moment,” Asha replied.

  “Wow, another owner of the venue demonstrating violence. Do you see a pattern here? Can you understand why Ingrid and I are upset?” Sully asked. “It’s like you took their side. You defended them, not her.”

  Ingrid’s feelings were of no concern to Asha, but she didn’t want Sully to think she didn’t care about his. “I didn’t side with anyone. The only thing I was trying to do was get Ingrid to leave and diffuse the situation, Sully. What did you expect me to do? My event was about to start, and they were all out front being loud, ghetto, and causing drama. That’s the last thing Devyn needs to be associated with her new business.”

  “Devyn? I don’t give a damn about her, Asha. I’m worried about my daughter, and if you gave a damn about me, you would understand that,” he yelled.

  “You need to calm down,” Asha warned. “I get that you’re upset, and even more so because you weren’t there to actually see what happened. Why did Ingrid pick yesterday, of all days, to show up with her protest? Did you ever think about that, Sully? From what I was told, her ass ain’t never showed up before. But all of a sudden, when she finds out I’m holding an event there, she arrives.”

  Sully didn’t respond. Instead, he stared at the floor. Asha finished the rest of her coffee, then went into the kitchen and made another cup, this one with plenty of sugar and cream. She popped two Aleve at the same time, then returned to the living room where Sully was still sitting and staring at the same spot.

  “Sully,” Asha said.

  “Yeah?” He looked at her.

  “I didn’t do anything intentionally to hurt you or your daughter, and neither did Devyn. I don’t have anything to do with what happened with her and Bear. You have to know that I don’t condone any type of violence or disrespect against women. Not comparing the two but for God’s sake, look at what my best friend went through with her ex. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Our choice to do business with Culture wasn’t personal. It was just business, that’s all.” Asha relented and said to him the same thing Devyn told her. “No need to trip.”

  “I hear you.” He nodded. “I was gonna see if you would offer Ingrid an apology, but I guess it’s not necessary.”

  Apology? It’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever speak to her ass again. She should be apologizing to me.

  “No, it’s not.” Asha inhaled deeply.

  “Well, we have another service this afternoon at church. I gotta get back. I guess I’ll let you get some rest.” He stood and picked up his jacket.

  “Thanks for checking on me, Sully. I appreciate you.” Asha reached for him. He hugged and kissed her softly.

  “Call me if you need anything,” he told her.

  “I will. Oh, and Sully.” Asha stopped him before he walked away. “Just so that you know, Pivot classes will be held at Culture temporarily until we find another location. Again, business, not personal. I’m hoping you will let Ingrid know so there won’t be any other confusion.”

  “That’s up to Ingrid.” Sully shrugged. “But we can always hope, right?”

  As he walked out the door, a thought crossed Asha’s mind that took her by surprise. I’m tired of dealing with this. If that’s the last conversation I have with him, I wouldn’t be sad. Something’s been off with Sully and me for a while. It may be time to end it sooner than later.

  * * *

  Asha spent the remainder of Sunday and most of Monday recuperating from the eventful weekend. She didn’t leave her house until it was time to meet at Culture for the class that evening. Devyn and Chase were already there when she arrived. Based on the feedback they’d gotten via email and social media, Pivot definitely made its mark. Asha walked in, set a smile on her face, and put away all thoughts of Sully and Ingrid. Her focus was on how proud she was of the hard work they all had done.

  “You ladies don’t understand the impression you made on Saturday,” Devyn told Journi and Dionne at the start of class. “People could not believe you’ve only been coached for a few weeks. You were poised, engaging, and, most of all, professional. I am so proud of you.”

  “We’ve been practicing, Miss Devyn. We wanted people to see how good we are because of you and Miss Asha,” Dionne spoke out.

  “You were phenomenal, Dionne.” Asha beamed. “I peeped that interview you gave to the blogger from Black Women Today. I can’t wait to read it.”

  “Really? I was so nervous.” Dionne grinned.

  “You didn’t show it, D.” Journi hugged her.

  “That’s because of Miss Asha’s media training. See how it all comes together? You look good and sound good,” Chase added her two cents, surprising Asha with her compliment.

  “Now, before we continue, I want to apologize to you, Journi,” Devyn said.

  “Me?” Journi gave her a confused look.

  “I know about your being ejected from the pageant, and it’s unfair.”

  “Oh, that.” Journi’s eyes widened, and she looked down.

  “The pageant organizers have no right to hold you accountable for my actions. I’ve scheduled a meeting with Mrs. Thompkins. I’m going to ask if she would allow you to reenter if I’m no longer your coach.” Devyn swallowed hard.

  “Dev,” Asha whispered, seeing the hurt in her eyes.

  “No, Miss Devyn, you can’t do that,” Journi exclaimed.

  “There have been some rumors on the internet . . . uh, about a video—” Devyn started.

  “False rumors,” Asha pointed out.

  “Wait. What? Miss Devyn, Miss Asha, I think y’all got it twisted.” Dionne shook her head. “Journi, you need to tell them what happened.�
��

  Asha frowned. “What’s she talking about?”

  “I cussed Mrs. Thompkins out,” Journi sighed.

  “You what?” Asha and Devyn said simultaneously, looking at each other, then back at Journi.

  “Lord,” Chase giggled, and Asha nudged her.

  “I cussed her out.” Journi repeated the statement as if it were no big deal. “She called me last week telling me she’d talked to a friend of hers who agreed to coach me. I’d be provided a more ‘professional environment’ to improve my skills. All of a sudden, she saw potential in me.” Journi rolled her eyes as she continued. “I told her I wasn’t interested. Then she went on to threaten me, running her mouth about building bridges and not turning down help from people in high places who don’t usually consider young ladies of my ‘demographic.’ I immediately informed her that I didn’t need her kind of help, and she could take her whack, lily-white, racist pageant and kiss my black—”

  “Journi!” Again, Asha and Devyn yelled at the same time.

  Chase was laughing so hard that her entire body was shaking, and tears were streaming down her face. Devyn hung her head and closed her eyes.

  Asha suppressed her own urge to laugh as she stared at Journi, determined to stay as professional as possible. “Well, Devyn, if it’s all right with you, I think we should focus on conversation etiquette today.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Devyn managed to say just before she erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

  “I think we all need to take five,” Dionne snickered.

  “I agree. As a matter of fact, take ten.” Asha pointed toward the door. Dionne snatched Journi by the arm, and they rushed out.

  “What the . . .?” Asha finally released the laughter she’d been holding in. “Can you believe that?”

  “That girl is going to go far in life,” Chase said. “I love it. She makes no apologies for who she is or what she does. Reminds me of you, Asha. I gotta say, they did a great job on Saturday, but this proves that what the two of you are doing is so much deeper than teaching them how to win some beauty contest.”

  Asha looked over at Devyn, who’d become quiet. “She’s right, Dev. You taught them to know their worth. It’s not about what anyone else says or thinks. They’re valuable, and they won’t be diminished or discounted.”