I sent Jackson the message and went back to reviewing the new applicants. An hour later my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Jackson: I reviewed the video. It’s those two girls we saw at the bar a while back.
Me: How far back?
Jackson: A few months ago, when we all met Lashawnda and her sister for the first time.
Me: What women? I don’t remember meeting anyone.
Jackson: The one that worked with you and her friend. I recognized the dark discoloration on the skin on her collarbone from that night. That’s why I said one of them looked familiar.
I shook my head in disgust at Jenny and in amazement of Jackson. Having a real-life genius as a best friend still had its moments of making me awestruck after all this time. Jackson never missed anything. His photographic memory and high IQ were a dangerous combination. It never made sense to me why he decided to get a job working as an IT specialist. When there were high-tech companies, research facilities, and a few federal agencies, looking to recruit him when he graduated high school. When we were growing up, I always imagined him working for the FEDs or something like that.
Me: Thanks, bro. I’m glad you figured this out.
Jackson: I tracked the GPS location embedded in the pictures. Came back with her home address. Still can’t believe people don’t know to turn that feature off on their devices.
Me: Well, I appreciate it.
Jackson: What are you going to do about it?
Me: Besides delete this email and avoid her by any means…I have no idea.
Jackson: Good luck. Let me know if you need anything.
Me: Will do.
Jackson: Also, compensation in the form of those famous biscuits are in order.
Me: No doubt.
I quickly deleted the email. Jenny was on a crazy trip. I couldn’t remember the last time I spoke to her. Other than Lashawnda bringing her up on Saturday, she hadn’t once crossed my mind.
Shit!
Was she the one parked outside our house? Has she been following us?
Now, I was faced with a tough decision. Do I tell Lashawnda about the emails she sent? My first instinct was to let her know, because we’d always talked about never having secrets in our relationship. But, after my past, me getting her to move in with me, and everything that happened this weekend, I wasn’t willing to take the risk. She meant too much to me. I’d just have to keep an eye on Jenny, while doing my best to avoid her at all cost.
CHAPTER 23
LASHAWNDA
I was thankful I hadn’t taken Sean up on his offer to stay home. I had so much paperwork to catch up on from Dr. Barnes’s recent trip. I also had a virtual meeting with the admissions administrator at the university. With Sean persistent, and often overbearing, encouragement, I registered for the semester and dove headfirst into graduate school.
Never thought I would have made this decision so quickly. For so long my anxiety about choosing the right career path held me back. My relationship and learning to take chances are what pushed me to live outside of my comfort zone. Having Sean in my life was more than just great sex and amazing companionship. Every day he was helping me become a better version of myself.
I got an email alert from one of the graduate students in the program. I wanted to get an idea about the professors and program expectations. I had learned early in college that academic advisors weren’t always the best sources of information when it came to developing a good set of classes for the semester. While they were always helpful in letting me know when classes were offered, their lack of details on the difficulty of the coursework was a huge hindrance. So far it would take me a little over two years, if I kept on schedule, to finish the program.
I would also use some of the data elements we were collecting from the MIND Project to complete my thesis. So, the thought of losing any of the rights to the work we had done so far was troublesome.
My phone vibrated. Looking down, I saw it was Sean sending me a reminder text to eat lunch. I smiled longingly at the screen. He was doing his job of keeping me on track. Since the fight on Saturday, he’d kept me in a drunken sexed induced haze. Whenever I thought my body couldn’t go any further, he pushed me deeper into the abyss of lust and desire.
At one point I had to beg for a reprieve.
Of course, he didn’t give me one—just pushed deeper inside of me with my knees up to my ears. I was knocked out two seconds after that orgasm, only to wake up with him feasting on my center. If that is how he planned on apologizing when we got into fights, I had a lot of exciting coma-inducing sex to look forward to in the years to come.
I pushed away from my desk and locked my computer. I brought some leftovers from the cookout that needed reheating. Between Sean, Ian, and Brent I didn’t have to worry about any of the food going to waste. Slipping my feet back into my heels, I grabbed the container of food from my mini fridge and headed toward the break room. Halfway there I caught sight of Brad heading to the stairs.
“Happy Monday,” I called out.
Brad turned, a huge smile spread across his face. For a moment I saw a side of him I hadn’t noticed before. I took a few short steps toward him to assess him thoroughly. There was no denying he was good looking, with a great body. The contours of his muscled body were evident underneath his suit and tie. I recalled a half sleeve of tattoos I saw on Saturday. His appearance now was in complete contrast to the rocker I had drinks with.
Brad had been correct—there were a lot of things I didn’t know about him.
“Happy Monday,” Brad said. “You going to eat?”
I raised the container in the air. “Yeah. I was just going to reheat this and take it back to my desk.”
“Come and have lunch with me. I’m sure you haven’t gotten up from your desk since you came in.”
We passed the stairs and stepped up to the elevator. Brad held the door for me when the doors opened. I stepped in before him and watched as he pressed the button to take us to the lounge on the third floor. It occurred to me I was having lunch with a male coworker on the day my boyfriend was away from the office. The way the gossip worked in this place, I hoped nothing crazy got back to Sean. He was already not a huge fan of Brad. If he hadn’t stepped into that fight, I’m sure he’d still be on Sean’s shit list.
“Umm…so this is a bit awkward…” I started, nervously biting my bottom lip.
“What being in an elevator with me or lunch?” Brad turned at looked at me, leaning his back against the side of the elevator.
“No, no…not that.” I couldn’t meet his piercing stare. I blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, so I’m not very good at this stuff and please don’t take offense to anything I might say. Or, don’t get upset if I am totally out of line for thinking it...” I paused. “Okay, so I love Sean. I mean truly love him. And, there is no reason on earth I would leave him. But he brought it to my attention that you might be interested in me…you know more than just friendship.”
“Why are you so nervous?” Brad chuckled.
He pushed away from the wall and stepped closer to me.
“Don’t worry. I’m not interested in getting between you and Sean. Anyone who has spent any time with y’all, knows you are in love. When I first started, I remember thinking what a great woman. What would it be like to have a girl like that by my side? But I snoozed on ever asking you out. I had a lot going on in my personal life at the time, and I wasn’t going to pull another person into that mess. I guess it took too long for things to workout, because Sean came along and scooped you up. I think you’re a great woman, Lashawnda and all I want from you is to be friends…nothing more.”
I felt like I had swallowed a lump of concrete. Brad’s confession wasn’t what I expected. Heck, I thought he would laugh at my question, not admit that he had been interested. As hot as he was, he wasn’t my Sean.
“Phew…okay that is good because I didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us. You have an incredible personali
ty and I would hate for us to not be able to hang out.” I said with a sigh of relief.
This had been the first time that I had ever told a guy that he shouldn’t be interested in me. A small part of me was laughing hysterically at the irony of the situation. Before Sean I worried about finding someone; but now I was telling an attractive eligible man that I wasn’t interested. Life had a way of evolving so quickly that one could miss all the little things.
“See that’s one of the reasons I’m sad that you’re taken,” Brad added.
“What’s that?” I asked, not sure what he was referring to.
“You’re infectious smile. Look at the situation. I lost out on a chance to date you. You’ve just drawn a line in the sand letting me know not to try anything with you. Yet, I’m standing here smiling.”
“Well we’re adults.” The elevator door opened, and we stepped out into the lobby. “Besides you saw how my boyfriend can get. You don’t want those problems in your life.”
“Ha!” Brad threw his head back, garnering some attention from the two women walking by. “I wholeheartedly agree with you on that.”
“Speaking of which, I’m assuming your situation is all straightened out. You okay to start dating again?”
Brad pulled the hair at the back of his neck. “Yeah, but please don’t try to set me up. If there’s one thing I hate is the whole blind date thing.”
I put my arms up in surrender. “Okay, I respect you enough not to push the subject. But, if you’re ever interested, I know someone that works in Sean’s lab that thinks you’re cute.”
“Lashawnda…” he started in warning.
“Okay, okay. I promise that’s all I’m saying.” Brad followed behind me into the lounge. “I’ll even refrain from pointing out that she’s gorgeous with a sweet personality.”
“You know after seeing you and Sean together outside of work, I get the feeling there’s something special between you two. So, I’m going to go out on a limb and put my trust in you.” Brad began cautiously.
“Oh gosh, are you serious?” I bounced up and down, jumping ahead of his acquiescence.
“But…” Brad held up a finger to stop me. “But, I’m only willing to get a face-to-face introduction, and I’ll take it from there.”
“That’s all you’ll need.” I promised.
Suzie would be so excited. I hoped they had enough in common. They were both great people.
“Well, this situation with you has made me realize that taking chances is important in life,” Brad explained.
“You know I was just thinking that earlier.” I waved at a few of Sean’s lab personnel. The guy in front of me finished using the microwave, and I popped my dish in. “If it wasn’t for taking a chance with Sean, I would still be stuck at home watching old USA Network reruns every night.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. Who doesn’t love a good Psych marathon?” Brad laughed.
“True,” I agreed.
As I finished reheating the food, Brad looked around the lounge for a table. I caught Tracy’s eyes, and she waved us over.
“Hey, guys. How’s everyone doing?” I asked taking a seat next to Stacy. The two other people at the table said their, ‘hellos’ to Brad and me. I noticed there was an empty seat at the table with a bowl of salad and a fork on top of it. I was about to ask who else was sitting with them when Tracy commented on my blouse, inquiring where I purchased it. We started talking about the boutique and the other great buys we’d picked up from there.
Amid us talking, I looked up the see Jenny slipping into the empty seat where the salad bowl was.
“Sorry about running out like that, emergency phone call,” Jenny said while popping the lid from her bowl. “Hi, Brad.”
“How’s it going?” Brad answered.
“So, did you guys get the notice about the new parking procedures for the next fiscal year? It seems like they will force us underlings to park even farther away from the building. The company hasn’t come to an agreement for the old parking space we are currently using,” Jenny said before taking a healthy bite of her baby spinach salad.
The fact that she didn’t acknowledge my presence did not go unnoticed by anyone sitting at the table. To say that lunch was an uncomfortable affair was an understatement. I ignored her because the truth was, she wasn’t a factor for me. I didn’t like the cold shoulder, but I had much bigger things to worry about. Obviously, something was bothering Jenny, but it wasn’t up to me to go digging for answers.
Tracy, however, felt different. She approached me later that afternoon asking what had flown up Jenny’s behind, and why she deliberately ignored me. I could only respond with the truth…I had no idea. For months I hadn’t seen Jenny besides in passing. Now, I was forced to sit through an uncomfortable lunch. I even ran into her twice more that day. Obviously, the universe was up to something.
I rounded the corner to my cubicle and nearly tripped.
“Dang it.” My heel caught the edge of the carpet. I gripped the cubicle wall to stop myself from falling. Stepping through the opening, I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart was doing little flutters and leaps as I stared at the large bouquet of flowers sitting on my little table.
“Oh my gosh,” I exclaimed, eyes hungrily eating up the beautiful display before me. I plucked the card from the holder and opened it.
It’s been a while since I’ve done this…
I was hoping you’d do me the honor of going on a date with me tonight.
Yours,
Sean.
I pressed the heavy paper to my chest and grinned broadly. This man was just too perfect. I did a little wiggle of the hips and pranced over to my chair with an extra pep in my step. I was beyond elated. Sean’s little surprise was exactly what I needed to bring me out of my somber mood. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed his number. He picked up after the third ring.
“Hello.” His voice was so deep and erotic that I crossed my legs at the memory of what he did to my body yesterday.
“I’m the luckiest woman in the world.” I beamed
Sean scoffed, “I see you got my flowers.”
“I did.” I smiled into the phone and leaned back in my chair to admire the bouquet. “What brought this on?”
“Nothing. That is what happens when you leave me home alone. I spent most of the day thinking about how much my life has changed. All great changes that have made me a better man. And it’s all because of you.”
“Aww…babe.” I got chocked up from his admission.
“Hey what can I say? I’ve got it bad for you.” Sean’s voice was filled with amusement. “So, what do you say? You won’t mind going out on a date with me, would you?”
I was so giddy and giggled like a schoolgirl. When I finally spoke, my voice sounded strange even to my ears. “I’d love to go out on a date with you, anytime, anyplace.”
“Good. Well, I’ve got to finish this putting these clothes in the dryer. Guess I’ll see you tonight at seven thirty, our house.”
“Okay. See you then.” I hung up the phone feeling like I was on cloud nine. Nothing could bring me down at this point. The little incident with Jenny was a non-issue.
By the time I got home and put my things down I was ready to have a memorable night with my man.
“Sean?” I called out as I stepped through the front door.
His truck was outside, but I didn’t see any signs of him in the house. I noticed he’d done some housework. The scent of the cleaning products still lingered in the air. This week I didn’t get to do my usual Saturday chores with the family here for the cookout. I stepped into the kitchen to see a note taped to the fridge. He’d left instructions for me to go upstairs and get dressed. My curiosity was piqued. What did he have planned, and why the sudden need to take me out on a date?
I tapped the note card against my lips as I stood in the middle of the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if he had planned on taking me out to eat. From our conversation, I assumed he meant we were having a
romantic dinner at home. But, by the looks of our pristinely clean kitchen, there were no traces of food cooking.
A smile played on the corner of my mouth as I thought about Sean laboring over a hot stove all day. His skills in the kitchen had improved a lot since we’d been together, but he still hated cooking by himself; he was afraid of messing things up.
I remembered the first time he baked a whole chicken. After I walked him through the process of prepping the bird, and seasoning it the night before, he still insisted I be there when he put it in the oven.
A snorting laugh escaped my lips as I recalled Sean sitting in front of the oven the entire time the chicken was cooking. He was so nervous it would burn if he turned his head for a minute. I’d passed him a few times, while doing laundry, and could only shake my head. But dinner was extra special that night, because he had made it. He had even tried telling me his baked chicken was better than mine.
Whatever plans Sean had for us tonight, I was eager to see them. I put the note back on the fridge and ran up the stairs like a five-year-old ready to open presents on Christmas morning.
I slowed to a walk when I entered our bedroom. On the California king-sized bed Sean had laid out a white summer dress with slim spaghetti straps. I’d purchased the dress a few weeks ago during a shopping trip with my mother and Crystal.
Momma had loved the dress but thought the bodice was too revealing for my abundant assets. Crystal encouraged me to get it because she knew Sean loved those assets very much. I’m glad I listened to her and not Momma. Clearly, Sean like the dress enough to pick it out for me to wear tonight.
I also saw my blouse he had thrown away was sitting on the bed with a note attached. I plucked the paper from the shirt and read Sean’s apology. Underneath the shirt was another note telling me to meet him outside in the backyard as soon as I got dressed. The last slip of paper confirmed where we were having dinner.
Over the Hedge: Part 2- The Finale (Lucky in Love) Page 28