The Littlest Boss

by Janet Lee Nye

  DeShawn shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me. Mickie’s an awesome woman.”

  “Man,” Malik said with a laugh. “You leave the Crew, I leave and look what happens. Everyone starts falling in love and getting married.”

  “That’s what happens. It’s called life.”

  “The circle of life,” Eric said. Malik and DeShawn simultaneously began singing the song from The Lion King. “Aw, shut it, you two. You sound like cats fighting in a bag.”

  Lying back in the grass with his hands behind his head, DeShawn smiled up at the sky. “Dang, I’ve missed you guys.”

  “Sadie’s always hiring.”

  “Naw. She said I was too skinny. I’ll be at the next first Friday dinner though.”

  A while later, Eric gave him a not-so-gentle nudge. “Get up, man, it’s close to starting time.”

  Getting to his feet, he saw the crowd had grown even more and people were pressing in to get close to the water. “Wow. Did I fall asleep?”

  “Yes. And you snore, dude. Probably why you can’t keep a girl.”

  “Kiss my ass, man.”

  The good-natured ribbing was forgotten as the dogs began their show. It was impressive. The dogs reached amazing heights and lengths before splashing down in the muddy water of the Ashley River. The air was filled with excited barks and the oohs and ahhs and cheers of the crowd.

  Over the noise, DeShawn heard a very loud voice that caught his attention.

  “I can’t see, Mommy!”

  He glanced up at the rear of the crowd. The park was a slope from the parking lot to the edge of the river and he could Tiana struggling to lift her daughter high enough to see over the crowd. He hesitated a moment. She obviously didn’t want to interact with him while she had her kid with her. But come on. He lifted his hands above his head.

  “Tiana!” he yelled, projecting his voice over the crowd and waving until she saw him. He gestured for her to come forward.

  Even from a distance, he could see the struggle on her face. She wanted to say no to him, just to say no. But she wanted her kid to see the dogs. He hit Malik in the ribs with an elbow. “Be right back, dude, hold this ground.”

  He waded through the crowd to Tiana. “Come on, we’ve got a prime spot right up front.”

  Tiana’s daughter looked at him from where she was riding on her mother’s hip. Barely. “Hi. I’m Lily.”

  “Nice to meet you, Lily. I’m DeShawn.”

  “Are you friends with my momma?”

  He looked at Tiana, who was trying to scowl, but the effort of keeping a six-year-old balanced on her hip in the jostling crowd required too much effort. “DeShawn and I are acquaintances, Lily. That means we know each other but aren’t friends.”

  “Can we still go watch the dogs with him?”

  “It’s a great spot,” DeShawn said with a smile.

  Tiana huffed out a breath. “Fine. For Lily.”

  “Absolutely. Completely for Lily’s sake,” he replied. He held his hands out and Tiana let him take Lily. Swinging her easily up to his shoulders, he laughed at Lily’s excited squeal. “Hold on tight,” he said. “And Momma, follow close. We’re going in.”

  “Do not drop her,” she snapped.

  Tiana grabbed a handful of his jacket and the feeling of her fingers brushing against the muscles of his back, even through the layers of fabric, sent a rush of heat down his spine. Ignoring that, he focused on weaving his way through the tightly packed crowd back to his friends on the bank.

  Malik and Eric looked up as he returned and swung Lily down to her feet. “Tiana, this is Eric and Malik. We all used to work together at the Cleaning Crew.” Tiana put her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Hello. This is Lily.”

  “Malik, Tiana is going to be joining us on the project with Henry.”

  “Awesome. Welcome to the team.”

  DeShawn pulled off his jacket and spread it on the ground. “Y’all sit down. Enjoy the show.”

  “Thank you,” Tiana said, giving him a real smile. “This is very nice of you.”

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  “No, he isn’t,” Malik broke in. “He’s a bum. Now, me? I’m a nice guy.”

  “You’re in med school. By law, they’ve removed your soul and replaced it with ego,” Eric said. “Now, me. I’m a nice guy.”

  “You’re also twelve years old. Both y’all stop your yapping,” DeShawn said. Tiana’s curls bounced as she shook her head in amusement and a flush of satisfied happiness went through him. It had felt nice, doing a good deed. Helping her out.

  Everyone returned to watching the dogs but DeShawn couldn’t keep his gaze from straying to Tiana as she sat on the grass, her arm around her daughter, holding her close, pointing at the dogs and sharing in the cheering. The warm feeling faded a bit. She was a good mother. Which brought back the low-level simmering anger at his mother. He still hadn’t called the sponsor woman to tell her to back off.

  He clapped at a spectacular leap from a black Lab but there was no joy in it. He was going to have to take care of that problem eventually.

  As the show ended, Tiana stood and brushed off his jacket before returning it to him. “Thank you, DeShawn. That was very kind of you to share your spot with Lily.”

  “Not a problem,” he said, feeling suddenly awkward. He turned his attention to Lily. “Did you like the dogs?”

  “Yes. It was amazing. Momma, maybe instead of a fish doctor, I’ll be a dog doctor. Or an owl doctor.”

  “You can be all of them,” Tiana said. “Veterinarians are doctors who treat all animals.”

  DeShawn grinned at the look of gleeful realization that washed over the little girl’s face. She looked so much like Tiana, it was a little strange to see such a huge smile. “Y’all need a walk back to your car?”

  “No. We’ll be fine,” Tiana said. “My friend had to leave early so we’re just going to get an Uber home.”

  “You sure? We can give you a ride, no problem,” Malik offered.

  “Thank you, but we’re going to get some dinner first.” She turned to DeShawn. “I’ll see you on Tuesday for the meeting. Nice to meet you guys. Thanks for letting us share your spot.”

  And, just like that, she was gone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  TOAST! RESTAURANT IN downtown Charleston had been a great success. Rather difficult in a town of local foodies and tourists from all over the world seeking modern Southern cuisine. Recent expansions were proof of the success. One thing DeShawn knew about the West Ashley area was they were starving for good restaurants. The new mayor’s promise to revitalize West Ashley should help with that, he hoped.

  The parking lot wasn’t crowded. But six in the evening on a weekday night wasn’t prime restaurant time.

  DeShawn pulled into a parking space. He didn’t see Lena’s car. Glancing at his watch, he saw he was early. The weather had turned cold with a dampness that was more than mist but less than a drizzle, making it seem colder and darker. He hurried across the parking lot and pulled open the door. Warmth and all sorts of wonderful food smells hit him as he entered. Looking around the small space, he spotted Tiana at a table near the back. She lifted a hand.

  “Hey. Looks like we’re both early,” he said, slipping into the seat across from her. She was in her nursing uniform and looked tired. A glass of wine was half finished on the table in front of her. “You worked a whole shift today?”

  “No, they were busy so I went in for a couple of hours to help out. That big accident on 526.”

  “I heard about that. What was it? Five or six cars?”

  “Yeah. Three people dead. Two of the seven who came to the ER probably won’t make it.”

  The waitress approached and asked if they were ready to order. He grabbed the menu. “We’ve got two more
coming,” Tiana said.

  “Anything to drink?” the waitress asked.

  “Just water for me,” he said.

  “Another wine, ma’am?”

  Tiana shook her head. They sat for a moment in silence after the waitress left. Tiana swirled her wine, but didn’t drink, keeping her eyes on the glass. It was more than worrisome to see her like this, all animation gone. Not even a hint of her usual snarky annoyance at him.

  He reached over to still the spinning glass. “Are you okay?”

  She brought her hands up and rubbed her face. “Yeah. It was my first mass casualty event.”

  “That sounds terrible. I can’t imagine how you do it on a normal day, but something like that?”

  Her shoulders rolled in a slow shrug and she met his eyes. “Honestly. I don’t know. Most the time I can sort of lock it away. Sometimes it really bothers me.”

  “Today it bothered you?”

  Her dark eyes met his. “One of the patients was a little girl. She had the same shoes that Lily wears all the time. Little Hello Kitty sneakers. I came around a corner and all I saw was this one little shoe and for a moment, I didn’t think I’d be able to function. I had never felt terror like that before.” She turned her head away and wiped beneath her eye with a knuckle. Took in a shaky breath.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching out to take her hands. “But you did.”

  “Yeah. I did. She’s going to be okay. Mostly scrapes and bruising.”

  “You okay?”

  She nodded and took a swig of wine. “Yeah. I will be. I’m actually glad we had this scheduled. Gives me time to clear my head before I go home. I need to get right or I’ll break down and cry on Lily.”

  DeShawn squeezed her hands. “But I’m betting she’s going to get a couple extra hugs and kisses tonight.”

  Tiana looked down to where his fingers covered hers and he almost pulled away. But she didn’t so he didn’t.

  After a long moment, she casually broke the contact to reach for her silverware rolled in a napkin. “Here comes Malik.”

  He turned to look over his shoulder. Malik and Lena were making their way to the table. He stood as Lena approached, earning him an eyebrow raise from Tiana. He grinned at her just to get—yep, there it was. Her irritated eye roll. Then he held Lena’s chair for her. Might have been poor, but Momma G always said manners were free.

  After introductions were made, Tiana sat back in the chair. DeShawn transformed before her eyes from smart aleck to seriously organized man. The change was very impressive.

  “We’ve got another planning meeting with Henry on Saturday,” DeShawn said as he pulled a notebook from his briefcase. His eyes met hers. “I hope you can make it, but it’s okay if you can’t.” He turned to the others. “Tiana is a nurse in the ER and works odd hours.”

  “That’s where I’ve seen you before!” Malik said, pointing at her.

  “Are you in your residency?”

  “No. Still in med school. But I notice beautiful women.”

  Her expression didn’t change as she slowly blinked. Her eyes came open as her head tilted a bit. Malik withered under her stare.

  “Just saying...” he stuttered.

  “Sheesh, Malik,” DeShawn said. “You got zero game.”

  “Knock it off, both of you,” Lena barked. “This is a professional meeting. And I have to be back downtown in less than an hour.” She turned to smile at Tiana. “I’m going to steal that look.”

  Tiana raised her wineglass in a toast. “Feel free.”

  “All right,” DeShawn said. “Lena. You were looking into getting Wi-Fi for the school?”

  “Yes. We can get it installed no problem. It’s going to take a while to get computers in the numbers we need. Teachers will be able to bring personal laptops in to run lessons. My Saint Toribio group is working on funding.”

  “Good. Malik?”

  “My med school class has agreed that for our community outreach program this year, we will restock the school’s library. We’ve been contacting libraries and literacy programs for book donations. And we’ll be holding fund-raisers throughout the year to buy books.”

  “Perfect. I’ve got three more people to agree to come talk to the kids. I’ve touched on this before, but I think the next step is to start arranging for the kids to visit workplaces. Either in groups or as individuals.”

  Tiana nodded along. “I can ask about the learning lab at the hospital. Both the med and nursing students use it. They can simulate anything from a heart attack to the birth of a baby.”

  DeShawn nodded and gave her a smile that sent a jolt of heat through her gut. “Perfect. Thanks, Tiana.”

  “Another thing to consider, something I ran up against when setting up the college assistance programs at Saint Toribio, is that some of these kids have no interest in college,” Lena said. “We are adding in vocational training jobs. Electricians. Plumbers. HVAC technicians. Jobs with livable incomes that don’t come with college debt.”

  “Never thought of that,” DeShawn said. “That’s a great tip. We have to reach as many kids as we can.”

  Lena nodded. “We found that kids with borderline grades were feeling left out and slightly insulted by the college-only focus.”

  DeShawn looked around the table. “Anyone know anyone who can help us with this aspect?”

  No one did. “It’s okay,” Lena said. “I can get you the information we gathered for the Toribio Mission. Also all the forms and handouts we used.”

  “Thank you. That’ll certainly jump-start the process,” Tiana said.

  “The head of the diversity office at Charleston College said she’d be happy to give a talk also,” Lena said. “I know I had a lot of fears about going to college. She can dispel any of those concerns for them.”

  “Me too.”

  Tiana looked at DeShawn. They’d both spoken the same words with the same intonation. He smiled at her. A real smile. She fought against the feeling of inclusion and understanding in that smile but lost.

  She felt a growing respect. There really was a lot more to him than met the eye. Her body reminded her of the searing heat that had almost overwhelmed her when his fingers had touched hers. This was moving beyond chemistry. Putting the wineglass down, she pressed her lips together. You need to stop thinking these thoughts. But her brain didn’t listen. They wrapped up the meeting and Tiana realized Malik and Lena were leaving without ordering dinner. They were going to leave her alone with DeShawn. And all her shiny new feelings about him.

  * * *

  AFTER LENA AND Malik left, Tiana reached for DeShawn’s notebook, spinning it around with her fingers. Despite how mentally and emotionally exhausted she was from the horror of the afternoon, she felt something in his presence. More than the physical thrill of his touch, more than how his easy smile lifted her own spirits, she had a new understanding of him. The kind of man he was. There’s a saying for that. Something about the soul. She’d felt it at his answer about being ready for college. How they instantly understood each other. Kindred! Kindred souls. That’s it.

  The waitress approached to ask if they were ready to order. “I’ll have the shrimp and grits,” Tiana said without looking at the menu.

  “Same,” DeShawn replied. He spoke without breaking the thoughtful gaze he had aimed at her. “What were your fears about college?” he asked as the waitress moved away.

  “Mostly that I wasn’t smart enough. I remember exactly when I knew I wasn’t ready. My first go-round at the SATs. I was on track to be class valedictorian. Four-point GPA. And I sat there, staring at the math part of the test in absolute horror.”

  “Yes,” DeShawn said, nodding. “I couldn’t afford tutors or the special classes, so I just read everything my school library had about taking the tests. Hours on the school computer l
ooking up stuff. And I still sat there, feeling like I was a complete failure.”

  “So, how do we help those kids? Just telling them our stories isn’t enough. I know how I felt. I felt alone and ashamed. I’d been the smart one, the one who was going to make it out of that small town. I sat in that classroom feeling like it had all been for nothing. I wasn’t going anywhere.”

  DeShawn was nodding. He pulled the notebook back to him and clicked the pen. “Support systems once in school,” he said as he wrote.

  “Funding or supplies for multiple practice SAT testing,” Tiana added.

  “Yes,” he said as he wrote it down.

  “That’s good. Also, an idea for down the road a bit, but when I was in nursing school, one of the things we did was create a private Facebook group. We used it for asking for help or advice. For venting. To coordinate projects. It was a great way to connect.”

  “That would be good. If enough of us committed, we could follow the kids all the way through high school.”

  “And they could help each other, encourage each other so they don’t feel alone.”

  They each sat back and smiled at each other.

  “Damn,” DeShawn said. “We’re good.”

  The waitress returned with two steaming plates of shrimp and grits. Tiana picked up her fork. “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m always good.”

  As they finished eating, they talked about the presentations they’d do. They eventually decided to give their talk first and together, cut the personal story down to a few minutes and then spend the rest of the time talking to the kids about the plan and then getting their feedback.

  After a minor skirmish over the check—he wanted to pay for both and she insisted on paying for her own—she pulled on her coat. He held the door open for her. And put his hand on the small of her back as they walked to their cars. She tried to be annoyed with it, but couldn’t ignore how nice it felt. Not to be a nurse or a daughter or a mother, but to just be herself. And herself was really liking the feel of a strong, warm, male body near hers. She may have leaned into that warmth a bit.

  At the cars, he turned and his hand moved from her back to cup her shoulder. “You going to be okay, Nurse Ratched? Is your head better?”