by Lisa Jackson
“Welcome to the family!” she exclaimed, giving Kaycee a hug.
“Thanks, La Jetta, that means so much,” Kaycee said smiling.
Still holding Kaycee’s hands, La Jetta stepped back to examine her outfit. “Now you know, orange is my favorite color.”
“Do you think this is too much?” Kaycee asked, hoping that she wasn’t too overdressed in the thin wrap sweater, beige skirt and low-heeled mules. Although casual, she felt more dressed up in comparison to La Jetta’s uniform of cotton khaki pants and company-emblazoned polo top.
La Jetta shook her head, “Girl, you are fine. At Jireh we allow everyone to be who they are—you’ll see.”
Kaycee glanced at her watch. Kendrick had said to report at 10:00 a.m. and it was now 9:50 a.m. She’d made sure to be a little early. “So where do I go?”
“Oh, let me show you around and introduce you to the crew.”
La Jetta guided her to the dining room where a gangly dreadlock-wearing young man was wiping down tables.
“Hey Jaylen, let me introduce you to the newest member of our staff.”
Jaylen turned at the sound of his name and smiled.
“Kaycee, what’s your last name again?” La Jetta asked.
“Jordan,” Kaycee said, realizing that she and La Jetta hadn’t been formally introduced when they’d first met.
“Jaylen, this is Ms. Jordan. She’ll be providing the baked goods for us and doing some other things. Kaycee, Jaylen Harrison. Jaylen busses tables and waits on customers. He only works part-time because he’s in college at Georgia State. He’s got his eyes set on being an attorney, and we all have no doubt that he’ll make a great one.”
Kaycee extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jaylen, but please, call me Kaycee.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Miss Kaycee,” he replied, shaking her hand firmly.
Kaycee cringed at the title Miss being added to her name. It made her feel older than her approaching thirtieth birthday.
After La Jetta gave her a tour, she took her back to the kitchen. It was small, but very efficient, with state-of-the-art appliances and ample work space. Just enough to do what she needed.
She immediately noticed a bristly-faced old man standing by the grill barking out orders to a middle-aged Hispanic man and a young woman who looked to be in her twenties. They all looked up when they spotted Kaycee.
“Hey y’all!” La Jetta called out. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing but you, Jetta,” the old man replied with a wink.
“That’s what you say today and tomorrow you’ll be trying to get me fired.”
The young girl burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth.
“Hey, let me introduce you all to Mr. Rick’s new associate.”
They all gathered at the cutting station.
“This is Kaycee Jordan. She’s going to be doing the desserts for Jireh from now on, as well as assisting Mr. Rick in planning events.”
Kaycee gave La Jetta a sidelong glance at the mention of her event-planning skills. Kendrick must have really talked to her in detail.
La Jetta placed her hand on the shoulder of the older man who reminded Kaycee of a little George Jefferson with gray hair.
“Kaycee this is Otis, our house chef,” La Jetta announced proudly.
“Chef!” Otis blared out. “I ain’t nuttin’ but the cook!”
“Otis, what did we tell you about minimizing yourself?” La Jetta chastised. “Mr. Rick gave you the title of chef, so walk in it.”
He mumbled something under his breath and waved La Jetta off before offering his wrist to Kaycee. “I would shake your hand, but I’ve been handling some meat and I don’t want to get you messy, but welcome.”
“Thank you,” Kaycee replied with a smile. He might have a bark, but Otis’s thoughtfulness made her like him right away.
La Jetta turned to the other two. “This is Rafael, the sous chef, and Melody, the assistant.”
“It’s good meeting you both,” Kaycee said with a smile.
Rafael responded in kind. Melody only nodded while holding her hand over her mouth. Kaycee later learned from La Jetta that the girl covered her mouth because she’d been in a bad automobile accident a couple of years back and had lost most of her front teeth. As a result, she was shy about smiling around strangers.
The tour ended at Kendrick’s small office.
“Mr. Rick is out running errands,” La Jetta announced and picked up a manila folder left on the table. “He told me to give you this to read through and fill out the appropriate paperwork and he’ll see you when he gets back this afternoon.”
Kaycee nodded and set her things down. With a happy sigh, she sat down and opened the folder.
“Hey, is somebody hungry in here?”
Kaycee glanced up from her place at the desk to find La Jetta standing in the doorway with a tray in hand.
“Am I?” she said, rubbing her growling stomach.
La Jetta carried over the tray and set it on the desk. The French onion soup, smoked mozzarella and cheddar grilled cheese sandwich and Caesar salad looked very appetizing along with a glass of sweet tea on ice.
“It’s on the house,” La Jetta said, removing the items from the tray and placing them before her.
Kaycee’s eyes lit up with appreciation at the deliciously prepared meal. “Thank you so much.”
“Oh, don’t thank me, Mr. Rick asked me to bring it in to you. He felt badly about not being here on your first day and thought it was the least he could do.”
Kaycee glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was after two o’clock. “Wow, the time has flown by.”
“You should have been in the dining room at lunchtime. It was a madhouse!” La Jetta pulled a straw from her apron pocket and handed it to Kaycee before leaning over the contents of the folder she gave her earlier. “What has he got you reading?”
“Everything I wanted to know about coffee and cafés. It’s pretty interesting.”
“Don’t be surprised if he gives you a pop quiz.”
The surprised look on Kaycee’s face made La Jetta burst into a fit of giggles.
“Relax, girl, I’m just kidding. Mr. Rick can be no-nonsense, but he’s a very nice guy.”
Kaycee took a bite of the sandwich and rolled her eyes back into her head. “Oh, my goodness, this is so good!”
“I’ll let Otis know.”
“Is he married?” she asked, taking another bite. “Because I could use a man like him around my house.”
“A marriage proposal from a sandwich? Is that all you got to do these days?” a voice asked from behind.
Both women turned to find Kendrick standing in the open doorway. Kaycee’s eyes shone at the sight of him. He looked both sexy and powerful in a pin-striped shirt and neutral tie with dark blue tailored trousers. His clean-scented cologne filled the room like an aphrodisiac, making her tongue-tied. She was grateful for La Jetta’s presence, as well as for the food before her to act as a buffer until she regained her composure.
“Hey, Mr. Rick, I’m about to take off,” La Jetta announced, walking toward the door.
“Thanks for holding down the fort, Jetta,” he said, his eyes glued on Kaycee. “It looks great out there.”
“No problem, I’ll see y’all tomorrow,” she said, and headed for the door.
“Hey, Jetta, is Charlotte on her way in?”
La Jetta spun around on her heel. “Nope. Remember she has the night off to go to her son’s graduation from the police academy?”
Kendrick slapped his forehead with his opened palm.
“Oh, I completely forgot, who do we have working tonight?”
“Jaylen is here until five and John and Nichole will be in at six.”
“I guess I’ll have to go out there with Jaylen.”
“I can help, too, you know,” Kaycee piped up.
“Is that so?” Kendrick replied. “Everybody who goes on the floor must have finishe
d reading the training materials.”
Kaycee patted the folder beside her. “I’m done.”
Kendrick’s brow raised with skepticism. “You finished reading all of that?”
“Yep,” she proudly replied.
Kendrick reached for the folder. “Good, then let me quiz you.”
“Didn’t I tell you?” La Jetta said with a laugh. “Let me get out of here, I got to pick up my boys.”
“Okay, Jet, see ya tomorrow,” Kendrick called out.
When La Jetta finally departed, Kendrick dropped down in the empty chair opposite Kaycee and brought one leg up to rest his ankle atop his knee.
For a few seconds, he watched Kaycee eat her sandwich. She bit into the gooey center of one of the sandwich halves and pulled it away leaving a trail of cheese that fell down her chin.
She laughed. “Not only is this the best grilled cheese sandwich that I ever had, but it’s fun to eat, too.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Otis,” he replied in amusement.
“So what’s been keeping you out of the office all day?” she asked.
Kendrick noticed a piece of mozzarella sticking to her chin. He leaned over the desk and gently smoothed it away with the tip of his thumb, leaving a burning sensation in the pit of Kaycee’s stomach from his touch.
Totally unaware of the effect he had on her, Kendrick sank back in his seat with a sigh. “I had to visit vendors.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I’m glad you think that, maybe I can give you that responsibility to handle, as well.”
“Hey, I don’t mind. I actually had some ideas I wanted to share with you anyway,” she stated, pushing her plate to the side. She reached for her briefcase and placed it on the desktop. She removed two packets in clear protective sleeves and handed one to Kendrick.
“I was thinking of the different types of promotions that we could hold here to stand out against your competitors. I did some research and took it upon myself to jot down some ideas, tell me what you think.”
Kendrick read through the first page. When he turned to the second page, his eyes widened at the fifteen suggested events, followed by complete detailed descriptions of each.
When he didn’t comment, Kaycee began to explain her suggestions.
“I was thinking that if we established ourselves as a place where local authors can hold book signings and book clubs hold discussions, we can pull in the type of crowd that would really appreciate a coffee-house setting.”
Kendrick read silently without even glancing up, which made Kaycee try another angle.
“I was also thinking that you could host a poetry or spoken-word night or have live jazz once a month. That group that you had at the event last night was great—maybe they could be like the house band or something.”
She paused to give Kendrick a chance to jump in, but he made no move. Swallowing hard, she continued on.
“Now, the salsa lessons will be the most unique twist to the setup. We can offer free lessons once a month on a Saturday morning and then actual dancing later that same evening. I can see even decorating the place with a Latin vibe then—”
“Whoa, hold up,” Kendrick interrupted in a booming voice. “Book signings, spoken word, Salsa lessons—this is a respectable establishment, not the place for that kind of bourgeois stuff.”
Kaycee was surprised by his response. She’d expected him to be just as excited about her ideas as she was in coming up with them, but it was just the opposite. Concern lined her face. The butterflies she’d had moments earlier when he entered the room fluttered away and were now replaced by a ton of disappointing bricks.
“Bourgeois stuff? Kendrick, what exactly are you saying?”
“I—I’m just saying that it really doesn’t take all of this,” he stood up. “When I came up with Jireh’s concept, I had a vision in mind. It wasn’t to try and attract the rich and famous, it was to be a relaxing environment for ordinary people to come for good food and peace of mind. All of this is just too commercial for me.”
“What’s so commercial about it?” Kaycee asked.
“Book signings, spoken word. I don’t want Jireh to be perceived as that. It might sound good now, but in a few months, the crowds will dwindle when something new comes along and then what will we do?”
“What are you talking about, Kendrick?” Kaycee asked. “Jireh is doing well. You already have a strong customer base. We would be building on the solid foundation that you already established.”
“You said it right there, Ms. Jordan. The solid foundation that I already established. I don’t see where we need to fix anything.”
His emphasis on the word I let Kaycee know that she had crossed the line.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t implying that Jireh needed fixing. I was just offering some ideas. New things don’t have to be so painful, you know.” She picked up the packets and placed them into her briefcase. “Mr. Thompson, I don’t know what you expected from me, but if you really didn’t want my services then why did you hire me?”
“Good question!” he barked.
Both paused as his words penetrated the atmosphere and lingered in the air like a smelly fart.
Kaycee shook her head and closed her briefcase. “I guess that said it all. Have a good day, Mr. Thompson!” She marched past him and out the door.
Chapter 10
Kaycee calmly walked to her car.
As she reached inside her purse for her keys, she pulled out a bright-yellow slip of paper. Scrawled across it in Sidra’s handwriting was the name and number of her friend, Grant Craddock.
Since that day, Kaycee hadn’t thought twice about Grant.
She held up the phone number as if to recall any standout qualities that Sidra may have rattled off, when the Black Business Network came to mind.
A smile curved her mouth as she thought of all the potential business she could gain there for her business. The network’s membership consisted of well-off, successful black entrepreneurs in the Greater Atlanta area. With a new surge of purpose, she immediately located her keys and unlocked her car. Once inside its confines she dialed Grant’s number.
The line rang twice before his voice mail picked up.
“You’ve reached Grant. At the sound of the tone, please leave me a detailed message and I will return your call. Peace.”
Kaycee liked the sound of his voice right off. It was both clear and friendly. She liked the way he enunciated each word like a radio disc jockey with a laid-back flair. She wondered if the short, to-the-point greeting was indicative of his personality.
Beep!
“Uh, Grant, this is Sidra’s friend, Kaycee Jordan. I’m just calling to…touch base. Yes, to touch base with you. Sidra said you should expect my call. Anyway, give me a call back when you get a chance.”
She gave her number and snapped her cell phone shut then shook her head, hoping that she didn’t sound like a complete idiot. With a backward glance at Café Jireh, Kaycee sighed with disappointment at what could have been.
The warm evening was the perfect weather to enjoy a bowl of ice cream before the television. After taking a shower, Kaycee smoothed some shea butter on her skin and slipped into her pajama short set.
She slipped a pair of footies onto her feet before descending the stairs and heading into the kitchen. Turning on the light, she made a beeline for the freezer and the container of Moose Tracks ice cream that awaited her.
When she grabbed the container, she grimaced at its light weight. Fearing the worse, she pulled it out and looked inside to find nothing more than a spoonful left.
“Sid!” she groaned, recalling the image of her friend eating out of the container at her last visit. The girl had a stomach like a bottomless pit yet never seemed to gain a pound!
Had she been in the mood, she would have whipped up something quick from her collection of recipes, but she didn’t have the energy. Besides, the night was a lazy one for her, which was a rarity.
She quickly
scanned the remaining odds and ends in the refrigerator. There wasn’t enough of anything there to make a decent dessert. Empty-handed, she was trudging into the family room when the doorbell rang.
The clock overhead read 8:47 p.m. She never got visitors so late in the evening. The only person who would dare was Sidra, but even she wouldn’t come clear across town without calling first.
Peeking out the peephole, Kaycee was surprised to find Kendrick standing there with bags in his hands. Her heart raced as she wondered what he wanted. Especially after the harsh words spoken earlier that day in his office, Kaycee hadn’t expected to see him again—at least not on purpose.
Crossing her arms before her, she leaned against the door. She had a good mind to leave him standing there after the way he’d driven her from the café earlier that day. However, curiosity won out, and, without a thought as to what she was wearing, Kaycee unlocked and opened the door.
Only when she saw the look of awe on Kendrick’s face did she remember her scantily clad appearance, and she jumped behind the door.
“Kendrick!” she exclaimed, flushing. “What are you doing here?”
“I—I had some leftover food from the restaurant and thought you might be hungry,” he said, holding up the bags.
“As you can see, I didn’t expect any visitors,” she apologized. “Can you give me a second to cover up?”
“I didn’t mean to just barge over, I can leave,” he began and leaned over to set the bags on the porch.
“No!” she blurted, her sudden outburst causing him to freeze. “I mean, it’s okay. Just give me a second, okay?”
“Sure,” he replied.
Kaycee partially closed the door and took the steps two at a time before scurrying across the landing to her bedroom where she located her dark purple satin robe. It was the first cover-up that she could find. Although it was made of a different material, the purple toned well with her lavender pajamas.
Breathless, she reappeared at the door with a smile.
“Now, what is this here? A peace offering of sorts?”
Kendrick chuckled. “Yes, I guess you can say so.”