When I got to church, they were just at the part of the program where they were doing the welcome. Normally, this was my favorite part, but today I didn't feel like being hospitable. Nevertheless, I put on my best Christian smile and proceeded to greet the other people who were waiting to get into the sanctuary. I tried to look for Jewel and Capri but figured they were already inside. I wondered how Capri's date with Anthony went.
I looked around and saw lots of attractive couples in their Sunday best. I pacified myself by thinking everything that looks good isn't always good.
During the prayer, I couldn't help but say my own silent prayer for God to deliver me a church partner, someone who would place his arm around the back of my chair during the sermon, or someone I could hold hands with while walking outside the church. Someone so fine, all the single women would be staring and drooling.
Alright Lexi, get a hold of yourself, I thought after the prayer was over.
Just as I lifted my head, I felt a slight touch on my shoulder. I turned around, and a handsome man with slightly curly hair smiled and said, “I think I know you. Weren't you at Ladies and Gents last Wednesday?”
“Yes,” I said, remembering the brief glances we exchanged that day. “Are you a member here?” I asked.
“Yes, I joined about two weeks ago,” he said, walking alongside me as we entered the church sanctuary from the lobby.
I prayed he was going to sit next to me. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to appear too interested. I gave myself a silent kick in the butt for not wearing a nicer outfit. I turned into my row and he followed me. We sat down together. I looked up.
Thank You for answered prayer.
At the minister's instruction to greet your neighbor, he shook my hand and seemed genuinely interested.
“Kyle.”
“Lexi.”
For the rest of the morning, he made little, thoughtful comments about the sermon. When the service was over, I walked at an inconspicuous pace, hoping he would follow me out, and he did.
“That was an excellent sermon, wasn't it?” he asked, calling my attention from the perusal of his outfit. I had to catch myself, because I love a man in a nice pinstriped suit. His teeth sparkled, and his wire-framed glasses were the cutest thing.
“Oh, yes, it was a good service.”
Just then, I noticed Jewel in the far corner. Please don't come over here. I just want to get my groove on in peace.
Then I heard a slight buzzing sound. His pager was vibrating.
“Wow, this is rare. I need to get to a phone. I really enjoyed bumping into you like this. This church is so big, you never know who's a member. I have to apologize for being brief, but let me give you my card. We can talk a little more if you'd like,” he said, searching through his wallet. “I hope you don't think this is inappropriate.”
“Oh, no, it's quite alright,” I said as I took his card and discreetly slid it in my purse.
“Remember …”
“Remember what?”
“You asked for me.” He winked his eye, turned, and walked away.
My heart stopped. Did he say what I think he just said? Just as I was about to bask in the moment, I heard a familiar, irritating voice.
“Girl, who was that?”
“Jewel, you don't miss anything do you?”
“Well, girl don't hold out. Where have you been hiding him?”
“I just met him. His name is Kyle, Kyle …” I pulled out the card and looked at it. “Kyle Morris. He's a certified public accountant,” I said. “Let's go eat. My bagel has worn off.”
ngel waved to us as we walked to our favorite table.
“Hey girl, what's up?” I said as Jewel and I sat down.
“You're here on time for once,” Jewel said.
“Very funny. I really didn't get enough sleep last night. I thought I'd be tired, but for some reason I got up early,” Angel said as she lifted her coffee cup to her mouth.
“And why didn't you get enough sleep?” Jewel said.
“Wouldn't you like to know.”
“Probably with that Julio person,” Jewel said.
“Octavio.”
“Julio, Octavio, Antonio … what's the difference?” Jewel said, diverting her attention to the breakfast table.
“Here comes Capri.”
“Oh, no, miss. I hope you don't think you're just going to stroll in here and not give an explanation as to why you were not in church. Could it be the morning-after effect?”
“Jewel, if you must know, I overslept,” Capri said as she sat in her seat. I couldn't wait to talk to her about Tony when we had a moment to ourselves.
“Yeah, OK. I'll let you slide for right now,” Jewel said. “Hey. Ohmigod!! That's Kevin!”
“Kevin?” we chimed in unison. She was glaring at a short man who'd walked in with a woman and a little girl.
“Kevin Eastland,” Jewel said. “I met him when he delivered my …”
“Your what?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.
“Never mind. He works for the parcel service.”
“Jewel, be for real. You won't even look at a man if he's not an athlete or some other professional,” I said.
“I told you, I just met him. I'm not even interested.”
“Is that why you're killing yourself trying to find out who he's here with?” Capri asked.
“Shut up,” Jewel said, clenching her teeth as she watched him walk toward the buffet room. “He's here with a woman and a little girl. The nerve of him, if he's married. I am going to have to call him out. He's not even all that fine.”
“They don't have to be fine to be a player,” Angel said.
“He looks fine to me,” I said and shook hands with Capri.
“I cannot believe him,” Jewel said.
“Jewel, you just said you weren't interested. It's time to eat. Let's go to the buffet,” Capri said.
“Wait a minute, Miss Thing. You're not off the hook. I heard you had a date with Mr. Stanton. We want details,” Angel said.
“Lexi, you're on my list,” Capri said, glaring at me.
I shrugged innocently. Jewel, who normally would've jumped on this news mercilessly, was so undone by Kevin that she didn't react.
“Well, I have to admit, we had a nice time. No, let me just be honest.” She paused. “He is the bomb y'all.”
“Did you have sex with him?” Angel asked.
“No, Freakmaster, we didn't have sex,” Capri said.
“I beg your pardon. I'm a reformed woman. Anyway, let me ask you this, Ms. Innocent, what time did you go home?” Angel asked.
“None of your business.”
“I know you spent the night because I tried to call you this morning,” Angel said.
“I had my ringer off, Smarty Pants.”
“Lying on a Sunday, Capri. Tsk, tsk,” Angel said.
“I'm going to get a plate,” I said.
Everyone got up except Jewel, who sat there with her lip poked out.
“Jewel, stop acting like a baby. You shouldn't play so hard to get,” Capri said.
“You're talking?” Angel said. Capri rolled her eyes.
“Like I was saying, Jewel, don't start tripping until you find out what the deal is. She could be his sister, so don't let the brother know you're pressed. Get up and get your food,” Capri said.
A little while after we'd returned from the buffet, Kevin walked over to our table.
“The nerve of him. I can't believe he's walking over here.”
“Hello, Jewel. How are you?” he asked.
She looked over at him. He had the prettiest little girl with him. Her hair was neatly pinned up in a pony-tail with tendril curls hanging down. She had on a cream taffeta dress with matching ribbons and bows.
Jewel stood up and put on a forced smile. She grabbed his arm. “Hey, Kevin,” Jewel said.
“Good morning, everyone,” he said, waving to our table. “This is my daughter, Aja.”
“Hi Aja, I'm
Jewel.”
The little girl grabbed her father's leg, hid her face in it, and smiled. She looked about five.
“Your daughter, huh?” Jewel placed her hand on her hip, neglecting to introduce us.
“Yes. How are you ladies doing? I'm Kevin East-land. I'll overlook your friend's rudeness today.” He was purposely ignoring Jewel's obvious inquisitive expression and reached for Capri's hand as he spoke. We all introduced ourselves.
Then Jewel whispered something in his ear. He just gave her a look, smirked, and then began to pat her on her back. Jewel's brow creased.
“Well, I guess Aja and I should get to our table. It was nice to see you, Jewel. Nice to meet everyone.”
“Yes, yes, Kevin, it was nice seeing you, too. And it was nice meeting you, Ms. Aja,” Jewel said as she looked down at the little girl. Aja came from behind her father and had a big smile on her face.
“So what did you say to him, Jewel?” I said, making sure they had walked away.
Jewel sighed. “I asked him who was the woman. You saw how he reacted. That's his problem. He's just so condescending!”
“I thought you said you could never date a man with a child,” I said.
“I didn't say that exactly. I said I prefer not to date men with children. I want the experience of giving a man his first child. When another mother is involved, there are always headaches.”
She placed the napkin in her lap and sliced a piece of cantaloupe.
I took a sip of cinnamon coffee. “Well, it just depends on the situation,” I said. “It could be benefical if you really don't want to have children yourself. You can have a ready-made family without the stretch marks. Besides, if you love a man, what's important to him should be important to you.”
“Thanks, Ms. Idealistic.”
“Personally, I can't be bothered with all that,” Angel said.
“What a surprise,” Jewel said.
“I don't know. I have to take it on a case-by-case basis,” Capri said as she scooped the whipped cream from her apple pancakes.
“So, Lexi, what was up with Mr. Suave at church?” Jewel asked as she sliced a piece of French pastry.
“I told you, I've never met him before. I think I saw him briefly at Ladies and Gents salon with Jermane.”
“Speaking of Jermane, where is she?” Angel asked.
“Oh, I forgot. She called and told me she wasn't going to be able to make it,” Jewel said.
“She's been acting strange lately. Has she said anything unusual been happening with her?” Capri asked, looking at me.
I sliced my warm blueberry muffin. “No, nothing lately,” I said, keeping my confidentiality vow.
“She sounds kind of depressed, if you ask me,” Jewel said.
“Jermane doesn't have real problems. Her biggest dilemma is when one of her cars breaks down or when she runs out of golf balls,” Angel said.
“Everybody has problems,” I said. “You can't take people's problems for granted. We don't know what's going on in her life.”
“I agree. We shouldn't take anybody's problems lightly, except Jewel. You know she's the drama queen,” Capri said, then chuckled.
“See, why don't you all ever take me seriously?” Jewel asked, folding her arms.
“I'm just joking Jewel,” Capri said.
Jewel continued to sulk as she glanced over at Kevin. She got up and headed in the direction of the ladies' room.
“Don't think you're getting off the hook, Lexi. You should be ashamed of yourself, picking up men in church,” Capri said.
“I did not pick him up. He just started talking to me. The next thing you know, he was sitting next to me.”
“What does he do?”
“He's an accountant.”
“Oh, no,” Angel said.
“What?” I asked.
“He's going to bore you to death.” She took a sip of coffee, then refilled her cup.
“Well, let me go out on a date with the man first. One good sign is that at least he's not afraid to come to church.”
“Yeah, well that doesn't always guarantee he'll act right,” Angel said in a cynical tone. She leaned back slightly and patted her stomach. “I'm full. God I ate too much.”
“How's Octavio?” I asked.
“He's alright. We've been hanging out a lot.”
“I'm back,” Jewel announced.
“Did you get a good look at the woman who stole your man?” Capri said, chuckling.
“She did not steal my man. Kevin is not my man. He's just someone I met. Besides, she wasn't even cute. I could see her hairweave tracks from a mile away and she had a cheap suit on. Dare I say … polyester!”
“Alright, Jewel. Well, I hate to call it a day, but I have some work to do,” Capri said as she slid from the table.
“Yeah, it's about that time,” Angel said.
We paid and got up. As we walked out, I noticed Jewel taking one last look back at Kevin. Then she turned to speak to me.
“I'm sure he'll give me a call, and that's when I'll find out who that woman is.”
“Maybe you should give him a call, Jewel. I think he's a cutie.”
Jewel pursed her lips.
“Maybe you're right, Lexi. Maybe I should.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
apri found herself daydreaming about her night with Tony. She usually hated Mondays, but the memories were making her feel good. Her work didn't feel like a chore. Her phone rang and she picked it up.
“Hey, babe,” a deep voice said.
“Yes, this is Ms. Sterling.”
“I just wanted to tell you good morning and let you know I was thinking about you.”
“Alright, well you've done that. Now I have to get some work done.”
“You are mad cold.”
“Alright, Mr. Stanton. How are you this fine morning?”
“I'm pretty fine myself. I just hadda let you know I really enjoyed your company this weekend.”
“I enjoyed myself, too.” Her voice grew more relaxed.
“I wanted to see if we could do lunch this week?”
“I'll have to see. What day?”
“I have to meet Pearson up there on Wednesday.”
“Well, it probably wouldn't be good if we met anywhere close to here.”
“Why not?”
“Anthony, since you're a client, me seeing you is not the most ethical move.”
“You're not my attorney. Pearson is.”
“Yeah, but since I'm a part of the firm, theoretically, you're my client, too.”
“Well, how are we going to get around this?”
“I really don't know. I've been trying not to think about it, but I can't ignore the issue.”
“Well, if things work out the way I'd like, you may not need to work there at all,” he said.
“Oh, so you got this all planned out. Don't I get a say so in this?” she said indignantly.
“Umm, not really.”
“A little cocky, aren't we?”
“Just spoiled. My mother never worked and …”
“First of all, what makes you think, if we ended up being serious, and I mean that with a big IF, I'd just want to sit at home. I was raised to take care of myself. And furthermore, I like my job. I just met you and don't know how long you're going to be around.”
“Whoa, time out! I'm just kidding. Seriously, I just think you'd be the type to own your own firm.”
“Well, you and me both, Mr. Stanton. For now, I gotta do what I gotta do.”
“Anyway, Ms. Sterling, I plan to be around for a while. You can't stop fate.”
“Fate, huh, you think so?”
“Yes. Anyway, what're your plans for the weekend?”
“Not much, but I have to go to this company function on Friday night.”
“My agent said I'm supposed to meet him at Fredrico's on Friday.”
“Probably the same function. This should be interesting.”
“Yeah, well, we'll talk about t
his later. Anyway, babe, I really want you to have a good day, alright? I'm gonna call you at home tonight.”
“Alright, I'll talk to you later.” Just as she hung up, as if on cue, there was a knock on her office door.
A short young Black man in a gray suit peeked in. “Hey, Ms. Sterling, how's it going?”
Recognizing the voice, she looked up quickly. “Hey, Pearson, how are you?” she said, trying to look busy.
“I heard congratulations are in order.”
“It's nothing.”
“Well, I guess you're on the partner track,” he said.
“I don't know about all that.”
“I'll let you get back to work. By the way, I believe we have a mutual friend,” he said.
“Who?”
“Mr. Stanton.”
“Oh, yeah, I just met him recently. How did you know we were friends?”
“I saw you two talking one Sunday at Etienne's. Besides, he's mentioned your name a couple of times. I'm glad you two had a chance to hook up.”
I am going to kill him.
“Well, Pearson, we have not hooked up. He just introduced himself to me and we're just friends.”
“Yeah, friends. Well, I have to go. I'm on my way to depositions.”
Snake. “Take it easy,” she said, trying to remain cool. She planned to chew Tony out when he called tonight. Capri had warned him to be extra discreet about their “friendship” for the moment. She didn't need any complications.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ewel sat at her desk and commended herself for being only fifteen minutes late. She was happy because Melvina's office was empty and the lights were off.
“Ms. Whitaker, may I see you?” said a heavy voice from behind her.
Jewel turned around. It was Melvina.
Darn, darn, darn …
“Ms. Whitaker, shut the door behind you and have a seat.”
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