“Girl, Jason is not going to be able to keep his hands off of you tonight.” Nefertari teased as they both climbed back into the car and headed to one of their favorite spots for lunch.
“Shoot, he better be able to keep up with me. This new hair got me feeling some type of way, like I need an alter ego or something.” Chase joked as she tossed her new ‘do from side to side.
“Okay, Sasha Fierce. I’m not messing with you today.” Nefertari laughed. The two women cracked jokes all the way to the restaurant where the laughter continued. You could tell the outing was much needed for both women who had been so consumed with everything else that was going on that they had forgotten how to simply enjoy life.
“So how has the new studio been treating you, Chase?” Nefertari asked taking a breadstick out of the basket and popping it into her mouth.
“It’s amazing. I was hesitant to leave the old one, you know because that was my baby but Jason bought the new one for me because he said it was time I expanded and to be honest, I’m glad I did. I hired a couple more trainers and coaches and people have been flocking to it. You know everybody these days is either trying to fix their credit or get in shape.”
“That’s true. I see more and more people in the bank sitting down with advisors asking for financial literacy and what they can do at home to better budget. I’m not going to lie, I love it though.” For a moment Chase didn’t say anything, she just looked at Nefertari who had no idea Chase was staring at her.
“Tari, let me ask you something.”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“How have you been holding up? I know people probably ask you that a million times a day but I genuinely want to know.”
“Some days are a lot easier than others and I won’t lie, not a day goes by where I don’t think of his cologne or his smile or the way he’d leave the cap off the toothpaste… But you know what sis, I have some great memories of Trent that date back to when we were kids.”
“That’s true… If you ever feel like things are getting too heavy, you know you can call Jason and me.”
“I know. You two are truly family; I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Nefertari reached across the table and squeezed Chase’s hand reassuringly. Nefertari was happy that Chase had called her up today. She missed her friend and heart to hearts like these reminded her of why they had all been close for so long.
Halfway through their Girls Day Out, Tamia’s song “Still” came blaring through Chase’s cell alerting her that she had an incoming call from Jason.
“Hey, you.” She sang sweetly into the phone and Nefertari immediately burst into laughter hearing how sweet and innocent her friend was trying to be.
“Hey, where you at?” Jason asked sitting on the edge of the desk in Trent’s office.
“I kidnapped Tari for the day, we’re hanging out.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad one, having y’all out there ripping and running the streets of Chicago, man.” He laughed.
“I’m telling her what you said watch.” She chuckled back. “What do you want?”
“We got reservations tonight at 8. We’re going to dinner with Carter and his wife.”
“Carter? Carter Ziegler?”
“Yeah and I already know what you’re going to say, just be ready by 7, Chase.”
“I don’t know if I’m in the mood to eat dinner with Carter and one of his flavors of the week.” Chase replied honestly.
“Nah, according to him this one’s the real deal. He put a ring on it and everything. Just be ready on time please.”
“Yeah yeah yeah. Bye, Jason.” She said and disconnected the call before he could say anything else.
“What was all that about going to dinner with Carter?”
“Allegedly, Carter’s got himself a wife and we have reservations with them tonight at 8.”
“Oh, this should be interesting.” Nefertari said in a knowing tone.
“Girl, do you remember our code from back in the day if a date was going bad?” Chase asked as they drove.
“Code 10: Oh my gosh, girl my tire blew out and I’m stuck on the Highway without a spare.” She recited hysterically just as she used to.
“That’s my girl! I may need to bring back the code tonight if Carter’s little wife turns out to be a ditz.”
“You’re always so hard on these women.” Nefertari chuckled.
“That’s because if she has a brain, she’s not his type.” Chase replied and the two women continued to crack jokes.
Chapter 15
Jason pulled into the parking lot of Meson Sabika and turned to look at his wife.
“You look beautiful tonight, babe.” Jason said admiring his wife’s new look.
“Why thank you, Mr. Hennessey. If you play your cards right tonight I just might take you on a little trip to Candy Land.” Chase flirted.
“Oh you ain’t know? I got Lifetime passes.” Jason shot back. “But for real though, babe, you look amazing! I know Carter isn’t your favorite person in the world, but you came tonight. That’s big of you.”
“You sounded like this dinner really mattered to you and if it matters to you then it matters to me. I’ll always ride for you, you know that. But make no mistake, if Carter or his little ‘wife’ gets out of line tonight, I will revert back to the Latin fireball and light his soul afire.” Jason laughed knowing just how serious she was. Chase was born to a Puerto Rican and Cuban mother and an African-American father which gave her the best of both worlds. She was known to slice you up with words in English and Spanish, but her hands were no joke either.
“I promise, shit is going to go smooth.” Jason assured her with a kiss on her cheek.
“It damn sure better.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“How late are Carter and his wife supposed to be, Jason? It’s already fifteen after.”
“Just hang tight, Chase. He just said they’re almost here.”
“The man owns a hundred and one watches but he can never be on time.” Chase shook her head as she sipped her margarita drink. A few moments later, out the corner of her eye she spotted Carter walking over towards their table.
“Sorry we’re late.” He started as he dapped up Jason and kissed the back of Chase’s hand. “Between Ashley getting caught up at the hospital she’s visiting and Illinois traffic, we thought we’d never get here.” He said after exchanging pleasantries with the Hennessey’s.
“Where is Miss Ashley? She didn’t get cold feet did she?” Chase asked after noticing that Carter had walked over to the table alone.
“She’s in the bathroom… Oh, never mind, she’s on her way over here now.” Carter stood to his feet grinning from ear to ear as his wife approached their table. Chase looked up and was surprised to see a beautiful woman walking in their direction. In heels she was about five feet eight inches tall, weighed almost 135lbs and had a smooth milk chocolate skin complexion. Her hair was pulled back away from her face and secured in a ballerina’s bun in the back of her head. In a word, she was gorgeous.
“Jason, Chase, this is my wife. Ashley Ziegler.”
"The way Carter's talked about you all since he's been back I feel like I already know you." She said flashing the Hennessey's with a million-dollar smile as she hugged Chase and shook Jason's hand. Jason's eyes darted across the table to his wife just in time to catch her side eyeing Ashley. He mouthed the word 'chill' and after taking a breath, she did. The Zieglers took their seats at the table and began conversing.
"Ashley, I got to ask you, how did you get Carter to settle down? For as long as I've known this man, he's been a player." Jason asked.
"I made him chase me." She stated matter of factly to which everyone raised an eyebrow to.
"What?" Chase scoffed in disbelief. "Most women all but throw their panties at him." Chase stated knowing how much of a womanizer Carter had always been.
"Oh, I know; I’ve witnessed it a few times too. The night I met Carte
r on the Vegas strip, he was with some other woman, but he couldn't keep his eyes off me. They had gone to dinner and a show, and midway through the show, Carter went to get beverages and I was there with my girlfriends. He automatically approached me and I laughed him off. He told me he would get me one day and I told him if all that’s true, then player you're going to have to work for it."
"And I did. We ran into each other a couple of times after that, we ran in the same social circles out there so it was like we were meant to be together. Once I got her, I locked that ass down ASAP." Carter bragged squeezing his wife’s hand and gracing her lips with a peck. Everyone at the table laughed at Carter’s outburst and the evening continued without incident. The couples mingled amongst one another as they ate their entrées and got better acquainted.
"And what do you do again, Ashley?" Chase asked digging into her salad for more cucumbers and lettuce.
"I’m an Advanced Practice RN. I love what I do."
"Carter, I'm not sure what she wants with you but it looks like you've finally made a good decision in your life." Chase joked. Jason looked over at her and smiled approvingly. He knew that she had always disliked Carter ever since he walked out on him and Trent.
“I think you might be right, Chase.” He joked back. “Ashley has single-handedly made me a better man. She’s the truth.” He admitted. Halfway through dinner, Chase excused herself to go to the lavatory and Ashley followed suit as well. Once the women were out of earshot, the men began to really converse.
“So what do you think about her, man?” Carter asked Jason as if he were seeking his approval.
“I think she’s solid. She seems like she’s down for you which is always a plus. And she’s bad. Might’ve snagged you a real one, player!” Jason laughed and dapped his boy up.
“Ah, but how you been though Jay? Especially with that shit that went down with your shipment. You alright man?”
“Yeah I’m good. Just trying to move forward. One fluke doesn’t stop the grind; that shit just continues. You know that.” Jason said keeping vague on what had truly unraveled.
“You know I know how it goes. Same shit, different day. The players just switch up every couple of years.”
“True… So what brought you back out to Illinois, man? You seemed to be the man out there in Vegas.”
“Man, I said I was only coming back for Trent’s services but some kind of way my family has talked me into staying for a few weeks instead of a couple of days.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, Ash has to be back in Vegas by Friday but I’m going to be out here for a minute until Moms and everybody else is straight.”
“Family first, I definitely understand that.” Jason replied. Momentarily, Chase and Ashley rejoined their men at the table.
“Tonight was really fun, we have to do this again sometime. Maybe you guys can head to Vegas next time.” Ashley suggested as Carter handed the waiter his credit card to pay for the night’s dinner. Time had literally flown by; the restaurant was getting ready to close and all the patrons were preparing to make their exits.
“We just may take you guys up on that. Take care of her, Carter.” Chase said once they all got to their respective vehicles.
“Hey, Jason! I’ll get up with you later.”
“Cool.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carter pulled up to a red light and looked over at his wife. Slowly spreading her lips to display a smile she looked back at him.
“What are you staring at me like that for?”
“You really my ride or get run over shortie.”
“You know it.” She giggled as the light quickly changed to green signaling them to continue driving.
“So what did you think about Jason and his wife?” he asked seriously.
“They look good together. Jason’s cool, but Chase gave me ice queen vibes at the beginning of the evening. But she did warm up by the end of the night so it wasn’t a complete fail.”
“That’s just how Chase is. She normally grills everybody upon meeting them.” He chuckled.
“What about her friend, Trent’s wife Nefertari. What’s she like?” Ashley asked looking at Carter to read his expression.
“Oh Tari, that’s definitely good peoples. She had Trent’s back way back when. She had ours too back when we didn’t have shit. Girl always had a good head on her shoulders.”
“Oh… Hopefully I get to meet her soon.”
“Maybe…”
Chapter 16
By the time Sunday rolled around, Nefertari missed her son like crazy. She had told her parents Friday that they could drop him off around seven that evening but she couldn’t take it anymore, she wanted her baby back at home with her.
“Girl, the chick is gorgeous as hell. I don’t know what she wants with Carter’s simple ass.” Chase spoke on the other end of the phone while Nefertari pulled up to her family home in Rockford.
“Maybe he has changed, Chase. You know people tend to do that sometimes.” Nefertari giggled.
“Tari I’m serious. She’s almost too perfect for him. Like she may not be wrapped too tight or something. She says she’s a nurse but she might need to go get her head checked out.” Nefertari laughed so hard she almost choked herself.
“Chase, I am not messing with you. I’m about to walk into Mom and Dad’s house. I’ll call you later, crazy girl.”
“Alright girl. Love you, kiss my godbaby for me!” Chase sang before disconnecting their call. Nefertari shook her head as she tucked her cell phone in the back of her jeans pockets and prepared to lock her car doors. Taking two steps forward she noticed a car parked in her parent’s driveway with Illinois tags that she didn’t recognize.
“Maybe one of Daddy’s friends stopped by.” She thought to herself as she climbed the stairs and used her key to enter the home.
“Tari’s home!” she sang as she entered the foyer looking for Kiyan or her parents.
“It must be my birthday or something; both of my babies are home at the same time.” Adele’s grin grew as she walked from the kitchen to the foyer to greet her daughter.
“Ma, you’ve had Kiyan all weekend and I’m always over here. What are you talking about?” Before her mother could reply Will stepped out from the living room carrying Kiyan on his back.
“Will!” she squealed and hugged him tightly.
"Dang Apple Head, I guess you're happy to see me." He chuckled as he kissed the crown of her head and placed Kiyan on his feet.
"You've gotta stop coming to town unannounced boy." She said chastising him and popping him on the arm.
"Mom and Dad knew I was coming, don't be mad because you out the loop." He teased.
"I haven't heard you two go back and forth like this since before you went off to college, boy." Nick laughed walking in the door carrying a garment bag in tow. Nick walked over to his kids and showed them both love before turning to face his grandson.
"What's in the bag, Pop Pop?" Kiyan's young and curious mind asked. Nick knelt down to his grandson and pointed to the garment bag that was draped over his arm.
“Remember I took you to the tailor with me yesterday and Mr. Roy sized you up?” Kiyan shook his head yes and Nick continued. “This here, is your very own tailored suit. You see, boy, the Parker men are of a different caliber. We walk different, we talk different and our swag as you younger folks say today is on a whole ‘nother level. Every man should have a tailored suit in his closet and this here is your very first one.” Nick handed the garment bag to Kiyan who immediately hugged his grandfather tightly before planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Hey, T, I was about to take little man to the park for a little bit. You down?” Will asked grabbing his car keys off the hall table.
“Yeah sure. Mom and Dad, we’ll be back in a bit.” She shouted over her shoulder as she walked out the door behind Will and Kiyan.
The ride to the park was filled with an awkward silence until Will pulled up to Lockwood Park.
“Will, you know this park is my favorite.” Nefertari said as her eyes lit up. Will looked over at her and chuckled.
“Yeah I remember. Get your butt out the car, girl and let’s see what my nephew wants to do first. Kiyan immediately ran to the playground area and Nefertari and Will sat on a nearby bench where they could still talk and keep an eye on him.
“How you been holding up, sis?”
“I’m taking it all day by day; some days are just easier than others to be honest. As long as that little boy has a smile on his face though, I’ll be fine… I don’t want to talk about me right now, I want to hear about you. So what really brings you back home, young man?”
“I told you I was planning on coming back to set up shop and kind of settle down a little bit… I’ve got a few appointments this forthcoming week to look at some properties for work and I figured I’d check out some real estate too.” Nefertari looked over at her brother and grinned.
“Why are you looking at me like that, crazy?”
“I’m just really happy for you and proud of the man you’ve become is all.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me, T.” he chuckled beginning to blush a bit.
“I’m just saying.” She giggled.
“Okay, I got another question for you.” Will began on a more serious note.
“How’s things looking on your end for Sven?” Nefertari casually surveilled the area before speaking.
“Right now, we’re kind of at a standstill. We caught up to one of the guys that hit the warehouse, but the load is still MIA and to make matters even worst, Jason just got word that there’s a target on his back.”
“From who?”
“We don’t know yet that’s the thing.”
“Tari, did you at least get everybody that was involved in the initial hit?” Nefertari immediately dropped her head down to the ground to avoid eye contact. He knew that that meant she hadn’t done it. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Will washed his hand over his face in slight frustration.
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