Tamara put a hand to mine and smiled. “You don’t have to explain yourself. Just know
that I’m here for you, okay.”
I smiled as I gave her a hug. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Now, I was wondering what you are doing today? Of course, since Morgan
and Lamar are having a guy’s day, that leaves me all alone.”
“I know what you mean. You want to go out to lunch with me?”
“Cool. Where are you going?”
“Farley’s is a diner, I think. Shantel invited me.”
Tamara gave me a crazed look. “I’ll pass.”
“Oh, come on, I need you there with me.”
“Why? Besides, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to see me.”
“I had my issues with Shantel when I found out she slept with Morgan, but she’s real cool. I’m not sure if we are now though since it was made clear that Kyle likes me.”
“Which I’m assuming she has a thing for him.”
“Yeah. Did Lamar say anything about what happened?”
“He did, and they didn’t sleep together. They did some other things which in my opinion is the same thing.”
“Technically…”
Tamara rolled her eyes. “It is, but I have to keep reminding myself that it was before me, so I’ll leave it at that.”
“That’s the same thing I had to say about her and Morgan.”
“I do have to tell you something though.”
I looked at her while she folded her arms across her chest.
“I saw Paula. She visited Lamar while he was in the hospital.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to hear about her. She has been dead to me ever since what happened that night.
“Why did she visit Lamar?”
“She wanted to see how he was doing and to see if he had talked to you. Honestly, I don’t even know how she knew he was there since no one told her what happened.”
I looked at the window and sighed. “With Paula, nothing surprises me.”
“Well, I guess I should get ready then. I’ll be back.”
“Okay, Tam.”
She smiled and went to the door.
I went behind her and locked it. My mind was spinning about Paula. Something wasn’t right with that. I sighed and went to the closet. I guess I needed to get ready myself.
Morgan
Last night was definitely wild. Hayley and I are definitely a perfect match. Just thinking about her right now made me want to go back to the house and do it again with her, but I think we both needed a break from each other right now. That was one of the reasons why Hayley went off and got a job. It’s good that Lamar and Tamara were here so we could spend time with other people.
Now the two of us were sitting in a booth at Lucky’s Café getting ready to order when Lamar put down his menu. I looked up and saw him staring at me. I knew what he was going to say, so I beat him to it.
“About last night…”
“Stop. Remember, I said I was going to give you and Hales a chance, so I’m not going to bother you about that.”
“For real?”
Lamar laughed. “For real, but there is one thing I have to say.”
“What?”
“Just keep the moaning and screaming at a minimal. I don’t need to hear my sister in that way.”
I shook my head while Lamar rolled his eyes. “I had to calm Caroline down since she thought Hayley was in pain.”
I laughed. “I know it’s not funny, but I can imagine Aunt Caroline with a shocked expression.”
“That’s exactly the expression she had.”
“It’s good to talk with you again.”
“The feelings mutual, man.”
“So let’s talk about Shantel,” I said.
Lamar nodded. “I knew that would come up.”
“Of course. So when did you sleep with her because you two only saw each other twice.”
“We didn’t sleep together, Mo. She just...”
“Alright. Still, you should have told me.”
“I know, but hell, it was around the time when you slept with her, so I wasn’t going to go there and say she sucked me off. It was something that just happened.”
“I bet you regret it now, though.”
“Sort of, but that’s in my past. I’m with Tam now and plan to be for a long time.”
“Just like Hales and me.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“I do love her, Lamar; I really hope that you can see that one day.”
He nodded. “I think I’m starting to.”
I glanced up and saw Kyle walking in. I rolled my eyes, wondering if round two was going to happen. If he stepped to me wrong, then it would. He came straight over to our table and gave Lamar a nod. Lamar sighed while I leaned back in the seat.
“What do you want?”
“I came to apologize.”
I rolled my shirt sleeves up and continued to look at him. “No, you’re not.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m being a man and admitting my fault in what happened last night.”
“Why, so you can be the bigger man? You’re just trying to get me riled up again so I can hit you. Just looking at you now makes me want to punch you.”
“I’ll fuck you up before you even touch me.”
“Do you want a repeat of last night?” I asked.
“From what I remembered, you were the one on the ground while I was kicking your ass.”
“Do you want to try again?” I asked as I got up from my seat.
“That’s not going to happen,” Lamar said as he held me back.
“I’m pretty sure Hayley told you what happened.”
“Yeah, that you assaulted her. Just for that, I should kill you.”
“Assaulted her? What the hell?” Lamar asked.
“I didn’t assault her. She was all into our mini session.”
“Whatever. Just stay the hell away from her.”
“I got the message loud and clear that she doesn’t want me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be out of your lives anytime soon.”
“I know that you’re my brother, Kyle. Hayley told me.”
Lamar glanced at me wondering what the hell I was talking about.
“I figured she would eventually.”
“Listen, I know we’re not going to get along. In fact, I can’t even look at you without wanting to fight you, but from what Hayley told me, what you said about my dad kind of added up. What I’m not getting is why you didn’t said anything when you first saw me.”
“I figured why should I. To be honest, I really didn’t want to know you. You had a better life than me, mainly because you had a mother and a father. I grew up with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. You wouldn’t understand what it felt like to live that way.”
“To live what way? I was without a father too. When he passed, my life went to shit when my mom remarried. The man was an asshole and made both me and my mom’s lives a living hell. I was trying to survive just like you, so don’t come at me like I was living the good life because it was far from it.”
Kyle sighed. “I’m pretty sure your stepfather wasn’t that bad.”
“Yes, he was.”
Kyle sighed as he took a seat at the booth. Lamar and I both sat down while staring at Kyle.
“Listen, I may have some resentments about you and the life that you had because you spent more time with him. You shared more moments with him. All I got was two days in a seven year period and money he left me due to his guilt. I guess it was a good thing because it helped me open up The Palace.”
I stared at him. My dad did what? All of this and Uncle Rick never told me.
“I’m pretty sure you’re surprised about that. But yes, our dad left me a trust which I was able to get when I turned 21.”
“Did you hire Hayley for your own personal gain?”
Kyle sighed and looked toward the window. “I did, partly
to get information about you, but Hayley is real cool, so I wouldn’t betray her in any way.”
“I bet. Just know she’s off limits.”
“I know that now. She only has eyes for you man, so I won’t pursue her again.”
I gave him a doubtful look. I didn’t believe that shit for a second.
“You may not believe me, but I’m telling you the truth.”
“Why should I believe you? You never even told me that we’re related until now.”
“I get that.”
I sighed. “So why Uncle Rick never said anything?”
Kyle shrugged. “You have to ask him, but I think it had something to do with the fact that he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He knew if you did find out that you would ask a lot of questions since you never pegged your dad for a cheater.”
“Hell no, I didn’t. How did he meet your mom?”
“For all I know it was during a business trip. She was living in Detroit at the time. When she found out she was pregnant, he moved her to Dallas so he could sort of be close to her since he had just married your mom.”
I shook my head. I guess I now know where I got my man-whorish ways from. Damn.
“When I came along, I only saw him twice. Once when I was three and the next time a year before he passed. I only knew about the trust because of Uncle Rick. I think in a way he was protecting our dad from you so you wouldn’t look at him differently.”
“Well, too late for that,” I mumbled.
“There’s no point now since he’s six feet under. What’s done is done.”
“Yeah, which is having you as my big brother. Not something I wanted.”
“Well. it’s not like I wanted you as my brother either, but that wasn’t my choice.”
Lamar glanced at us and smiled. “I hate to admit this, but you two are too much alike. It’s fucking scary.”
We looked at Lamar and sighed.
“Now that everything is out in the open, maybe we need to squash whatever problems we have with each other and start over,” Kyle suggested.
“I don’t know if I want to do that.”
Kyle shook his head. “Why not?”
“Because how do I know if I can trust you. Just because we’re related doesn’t mean I’m automatically going to accept it.”
“You really are an asshole.”
“I’m just speaking my mind right now. You expect me to embrace you and say we’re brothers when I don’t know you from the next man off the damn corner.”
Kyle laughed. “That’s a good one.”
“I’m not being funny.”
“I know this is an adjustment, but we both have to live with it. I’m tired of fighting with you over nothing, so I’m willing to let everything go.”
I continued to look at Kyle as he shrugged.
“Whatever, I said what I had to say, so it’s up to you if you want to move forward. I’m out,” he said while getting up.
“Wait.”
He stopped to stare at me.
“I need to know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you know my stepfather, Craig McFarlane?”
Kyle gave me a confused look. “No. Why would you ask me that?”
“I figured Uncle Rick may have mentioned his name to you.”
Kyle shook his head. “Not really. He said he never cared for him, but that was it. Anyway, I have to head to the club. I guess I’ll talk to you whenever.”
I nodded as he went to the door.
“Do you believe him?” Lamar asked.
I stared at him and sighed. “At this point, I don’t know. “
I looked out the window and saw a suspicious black car parked near the entrance. I probably shouldn’t care too much about it, but the car has been parked in that same spot since we have been here. The person inside was staring directly at our table which made me feel a little paranoid.
“What’s up?” Lamar asked.
“I’m just looking outside. Have you noticed that car been sitting in the same spot since we been here?”
Lamar shrugged. “So.”
“It’s kind of weird. The person hasn’t gotten out of the car since we have been in here, and he’s been staring inside of here for a while now.”
“You’re being paranoid, Mo.”
“I’m being smart. Someone is following me, and I’m about to find out who the hell it is,” I said. I got up from the booth and went to the door. As soon as I walked out, the car was gone. I guess he caught on that I saw him.
Lamar came outside and looked around.
“He’s gone.”
“Did you at least get the license plate?”
“No.”
“I’m sure it was nothing. Let’s go back in because I’m starving.”
I sighed when I noticed the car going down the street. Something about that car looked too familiar. I couldn’t figure it out, but I had seen it before.
I took another look before going back inside. This constant paranoia was fucking with my head now, but until I find out who is after me, I have to stand guard on everything and everyone including my new found brother.
Hayley
“What time did she say to come?”
I looked at Tamara, who was checking her watch. The two of us had been outside of Farley’s for over 20 minutes waiting on Shantel to arrive. Now that I think about it, I hope she wouldn’t be too upset that I invited Tamara.
A few minutes later, her Nissan Maxima finally pulled in the front parking space. She got out and smiled.
“Sorry, I’m late. I was talking to my cousin on the phone and took a little longer than expected. I didn’t think you would be here, Tamara.”
“I invited her. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, in fact, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Great. Let’s go inside. It’s freezing,” I said.
After getting a table and giving our drink orders, we were ready to talk. Well, Shantel was.
“Before we go into an actual conversation, I would like to apologize to the both of you. I know it was kind of shocking that I was involved with both Morgan and Lamar, but it was at a time when everyone was a little wild and didn’t really care too much about things, you know. I just didn’t want you two thinking that I’m some hoe or something.”
Tamara and I looked at her with weird expressions. We both knew how the guys were before we got involved with them, so it wasn’t a shock. We were just pissed at them for just now telling us about it.
“Well, thanks, I guess,” Tamara said.
“As for Kyle, I knew there probably wasn’t a chance with me and him. I’ve been working at The Palace since it opened, and he never made a pass at me. It was just weird that as soon as you showed up he took a liking to you,” she said while staring at me.
“Yeah, it was,” I said. I wasn’t going to go into details about why he wanted me.
“Anyway, now that you’re not taking the job he’s looking for someone else to hire. So, are you sure you don’t want the position?”
“I’m positive, Shantel.”
“Oh well, I tried. So, there has been something that’s been on my mind since I met you.”
I gave her a curious glance as she smiled. “What is that?”
“Why did you and Morgan come to Dallas? I mean, I know he has family here, but from my understanding, you two were only going to be here for Thanksgiving and now you two are making Dallas your home.”
“I wouldn’t say that. We’re just doing an extended vacation.”
“Are you two planning on going back to Houston? I remember Morgan’s in college, so I’m sure he’s almost done, right?”
Tamara gave Shantel the side-eye while I tilted my head. Why do I have a feeling she’s up to something?
“Right now, Morgan and I are just keeping our options open. We just needed a new scenery, so we came here.”
“But Dallas? You could have gone anywhere. Unless you’re trying to escape some
thing. Believe me, I have been there, so I can definitely relate.”
“Okay, this conversation is over,” Tamara said. She got up and grabbed my arm.
“What’s wrong? I was just asking a question.”
“No, you’re being nosy by trying to find information. I don’t know what your game is, but it’s not working,” Tamara continued.
“I don’t know what your problem is. I apologized to you, but you’re still copping an attitude with me.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with that anymore. It’s just the fact that you’re trying to get information about Hayley and Morgan.”
Shantel smiled. “Are you jealous that I’m friends with Hayley too? I mean, I don’t see what’s wrong with sharing.”
“I don’t have a problem with you being friends, but you’re being a little too extra with everything you’re doing. You’re being sneaky.”
“Okay, let me know what I’m being sneaky about.”
“You two need to stop, now.”
“No, let Shantel answer the question since she’s so talkative.”
Shantel laughed. “Well, I guess you and me will never be friends.”
“Trust me, I don’t need any more new friends, especially none like you.”
“Bitch, did I rub you the wrong way or something? Hell, you probably jealous because your man was with me. Are you mad because you want me? I’ve been with females too.”
“I bet you have, slut.”
“I think this lunch is over,” I said as I got up from my seat. I don’t need to be in the middle of an altercation inside of a restaurant.
“Call me a slut again, bitch.”
“I’m not going to do this with you.”
“Of course you’re not because you’re a weak ass bitch.”
Tamara went over to her and decked Shantel in her face. She fell on a row of nearby chairs, almost falling on a waitress that was too slow to move out of the way.
“Now, you think I’m weak, you slut!”
Shantel tried to get up, but slipped on a napkin and fell down again.
Tamara laughed. “Stupid ass. Let’s go, Hales.”
I looked from her to Shantel, who was still trying to get up. I helped her up from the floor and sighed.
“Sorry about that.”
Something Just Ain't Right Part 2 Page 8