The Christmas Promise

by Sean D. Young

  Nonsense.

  Chapter Ten

  Simeon had no idea what he would say to Jennifer or if she would even acknowledge his presence, but he was going to give it a shot. He took the afternoon off and practiced what he would say to her on the drive over to the beauty salon.

  Lavish Locks Barber and Beauty Salon stood out amongst all the other shops in River North. The purple awning on the brown brick building displayed the logo well, with images of a comb and scissors emblazoned in white. You could see it nearly a half block away. There was ample parking and Simeon pulled his late-model Audi into one of the empty slots and got out of the car.

  As he peeked inside, he saw the place was busy with people. He didn’t want to stare, but he wanted to spot Jennifer before he walked into the building. The four shampoo bowls situated along the left side were occupied with clients getting their hair washed. He saw a middle-aged businessman sitting in the barber chair while a woman used the clippers to shape his afro. The other five stations were occupied as well and finally he saw Jennifer. She was holding a bottle several inches from the back of her client’s head, pulling the lever on the bottle, spraying something on it.

  At first he was confident and assured about what he was going to say to her, practicing in the lighted mirror hidden in his sun visor before getting out of the car. Now, standing just outside the door, he wasn’t so sure. A wave of discomfort came over him for showing up at her place of employment. He had no idea how she was going to greet him, if at all.

  On the other hand if he didn’t do this he’d never know whether or not she had gotten married or involved with someone else while he was away. He adjusted his black apple cap, inhaled the crisp December air and exhaled deeply before walking inside. In a few minutes he’d have the answer to his question.

  Spritzing her customer’s hair with shine, Jennifer looked up just in time to see Simeon, towering over the reception desk. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat. She could feel her heartbeat pulsating in her neck when she spotted him. There was nowhere to hide, no way could she disappear, so she would have to acknowledge him.

  Panic and fear grabbed her. Maybe he figured out that Mariah was his child. What would he do when he found out she had a twin? Oh no, he’s not going away, she thought to herself as she watched him watch her.

  Trying to play it cool, she brushed the hair clippings from the back of her client’s neck and shoulders with a small brush before removing the cape. She handed her the large hand mirror so she could inspect her flirty new layered haircut from the front and back.

  “I really like it, Jenn,” Mrs. Fields said, admiring how the layers of curls complimented her face.

  Jennifer was relieved because Mrs. Fields could be difficult at times. She’d been styling the older woman’s hair for years and sometimes Mrs. Fields just didn’t know what she wanted. So this time Jennifer took precautions reminding the woman that once she cut off her shoulder-length salt and pepper hair, she couldn’t put it back. Mrs. Fields insisted that Jennifer cut it and everything worked out this time.

  Glancing up again, she saw Simeon walking toward her. Jennifer had to make a mental note to scold Mimi for allowing him to just walk back to her station instead of waiting in the reception area.

  Scanning the room, Jennifer wanted to see how many of her colleagues were paying attention to Simeon. His towering height and sun-kissed skin weren’t hard to miss. When she saw that Kimber, Sassy and Giselle had their eyes glued to him, she knew they were going to eat up every word if she spoke to him out in the open.

  Her gaze fell on Maxi, who was the oldest stylist there, to see if she was watching as well. But as usual, she was busy talking to her client. Maxi and Mrs. Lincoln, the previous owner, had been friends since back in the day. Jennifer was surprised that Maxi was still doing hair after all these years. So much had changed in the industry, but Maxi was a quick learner and had taught her a lot of techniques. Maxi still thought of herself as a beautician. She would tell you anything you wanted to know if she had the answer. Jennifer cared deeply for Maxi.

  Giselle knew everybody’s business, so they nicknamed her Walter Cronkite because she always had the latest news about somebody’s business. Jennifer hated gossip and didn’t want her business going around the gossip mill, so she had to handle the situation carefully.

  Most of the time the gossip was unfounded, but more of the he said, she said kind of stuff. In Jennifer’s case, she didn’t need to give the other three stylists anything concrete when it came to her personal life.

  She smiled down at Mrs. Fields, who had handed her several bills for her services.

  “Do you want me to put you down for the same time next week, Mrs. Fields?”

  Jennifer saw Simeon standing a couple of steps from her, but she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge him yet.

  “Yes,” Mrs. Fields said, standing, then stepping over the foot rail of the salon chair. She glanced over at Simeon and then Jennifer but didn’t say anything. Jennifer pushed the bills into the pocket of her purple monogrammed smock and then looked at Mrs. Fields. “Thanks so much, you have a great rest of your day.”

  Both women smiled at each other, but when Jennifer saw Mrs. Fields glance at Simeon again, raising her right eyebrow, she knew it was too late. Bertha Fields had already drawn her own conclusion about who he was and what he was there for. And Jennifer was sure that before she left the shop, Mrs. Fields and Giselle were going to have their heads together.

  Outside of Giselle, Bertha was one of the biggest gossips in town. For the life of her, Jennifer never understood why Bertha had to know or knew everybody’s business. That was just too much information to have to keep up with in Jennifer’s opinion.

  As soon as Mrs. Fields got to the door, she put her thumb to her ear and her pinky finger to her mouth, signaling to Giselle that she would call her. Giselle just looked at Jennifer and smiled while she smiled back, but Jennifer’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. She wanted Giselle to watch how she was cutting her customers’ heads instead of trying to find out what was going on with her.

  Jennifer turned to Simeon with that same expression plastered on her face. She had to talk to him in private and the only place she could do that would be the office. She didn’t know if she was ready to be in close quarters with him since the office was so small.

  Still a well-put-together brother, Jennifer noticed his starched white shirt peeking from under the collar of his black leather coat, Burberry scarf hanging around his neck, a crisp, pressed pair of black slacks and shiny shoes. Simeon exuded confidence and sexy, bringing the heat with him. She could tell that his body was leaner than the last time she’d seen him, but she could never forget his scent.

  Jennifer continued tidying up her station, pretending to pay Simeon no attention. Finally looking up from her task, her eyes rested on him. Suddenly her body radiated with heat and she didn’t have to ask herself why. Not wanting to betray her feelings, she spat, “So you found me, huh?”

  “It took me a minute, but yes and I’m glad I did,” he responded.

  There were a few choice words sitting on her tongue that she couldn’t release because she had no idea how they would come out.

  “Why don’t we go into the office so we can talk more privately,” she suggested, moving away from the workstation.

  “Okay, that would be fine,” he said, following her toward the back.

  Jennifer thought Giselle was going to break her neck trying to see where they were going. Her plan was to talk to Simeon quickly and get him out of there before somebody asked who he was.

  Standing behind the door, she held it open until Simeon entered the small room. The management office hadn’t been used as frequently since Mrs. Lincoln died and the salon went to her only nephew Danny.

  Jennifer never understood why the older woman gave the thriving business to someone who didn’t care about anything
that had to do with hair. She figured because Mrs. Lincoln never had any children of her own, her brother’s son Danny was the closest she ever got to a son.

  But for Danny, it was the money that enticed him, the stylists and barbers paying booth rent and on time. Otherwise, he would complain about the money he had to spend on repairs around the shop. And yet, if one of those operators didn’t pay their booth rent, he would raise hell.

  Jennifer was glad that Mrs. Lincoln trusted her by making her manager before she passed away. It gave all the employees some solace knowing that Jennifer was running the day-to-day operations. They knew she would stand up for them to Danny, making sure he treated them fairly. Now, she rarely saw him and she liked it that way.

  Jennifer had recently upgraded the office, adding a two-drawer filing cabinet with a lock, which she had the only key, a computer, an adding machine and a waste paper basket that was housed underneath a small desk. She didn’t offer him a seat because she hoped he wouldn’t be staying long.

  Closing the door behind Simeon, the small space filled with his presence. She walked around to the other side of the desk so she didn’t have to stand so close to him. She had been angry with him for so long, but now seeing him in person, her heart was turning against her.

  “First of all, thanks so much for helping Mariah the other day. I had only put her down for a minute and she just got away from me.”

  “Is that her name, Mariah?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s a beautiful little girl.”

  “Thanks again,” Jennifer said, not knowing exactly what she should say. She expected him to say more about their daughter.

  “You are so welcome. I must say that I was so surprised to see you the other day.” He removed his hat and wiped his brow. “It had been such a long time, I thought we’d never see each other again and then there you were. I had been thinking about you a lot, wanting to know how you were doing.”

  Don’t fall for it. Jennifer didn’t want to allow his words of concern to affect her.

  He assessed her from head to toe. “From the looks of things, you’ve been doing very well for yourself.”

  Standing with her arms folded underneath her breasts, Jennifer stared at him.

  Is this just a performance? Why is he speaking to me like we’re high school sweethearts reunited?

  Jennifer was surely pissed off at his I missed you act. He’d have to do better than that for her to believe him.

  She kept waiting to see if Mariah would be mentioned in his speech, but her name never came up again. She’d had enough of wasting her time with him. She had work to do, so she would have to end their conversation.

  “Yes, I’m doing quite well,” she replied, giving him a short answer.

  Jennifer flicked her wrist to check the time so she could prepare for her next client and stay on schedule. “Look, I’ve got another customer coming in, if she’s not already waiting, so I’ll have to cut this short,” she said, rounding the desk on her way to the door.

  Before Jennifer could reach it, Simeon caught her right hand and in one smooth motion pulled her into his arms, holding her lovingly. Her heart raced as she stood in the circle of his embrace. She tilted her head back to protest, but before she could say anything, his head descended, stopping her with a soulful kiss. His firm lips felt so good against hers, she could have sworn she took a step forward, trying to move closer to him.

  As she wrapped her arms around his waist for a moment, she realized what she was doing and quickly pushed him away.

  “This is not what I want. It’s not going to be this easy,” she said, her pulse still racing, her lips tingling.

  Having Simeon apologize for his absence, declaring that he wanted her and Mariah, would be ideal.

  Say something, Jennifer, she told herself, after he continued to stand silently in front of her. At first, she didn’t dare look into his eyes, but she was curious as to what she’d see, so she did. Hurt and sadness were the only words Jennifer could use to describe what she saw in them. She found the expression odd since she should have been the sad one after he’d ignored her and the children all that time. Her rejection had hurt his feelings and she found that to be very interesting.

  After releasing a loud sigh, Jennifer took a tiny step toward him. “Look, Simeon, I’m sorry for being rude to you.” After she’d released the words, she couldn’t believe she was apologizing to him. She had to give it to him, the man was good at getting sympathy.

  Simeon slipped his cap back on his head. “I don’t want to stop you from your work. I came by to see if you’d like to go out to dinner with me so that we could catch up a bit, and maybe I can call you sometime.”

  Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Jennifer felt Simeon was in great danger of being cursed out. The audacity of him wanting to catch up or call her sometime. Call her for what? Catch up on what?

  The important things that they needed to talk about she told him years ago, but he didn’t want to talk to her then. Oh well. This time she wouldn’t be rude, but she was going to get him the heck out of there.

  “Sure, you can call me sometime. I’ll be around here, so I don’t see anything wrong with that,” she said placing her hand on the gold doorknob. Jennifer wanted to hear his rebuttal when he realized that she wasn’t going to give him her personal telephone number. If he wanted to talk to her, he’d have to call the salon or else he wouldn’t be hearing her voice.

  As soon as she opened the door, Giselle and two others scattered from the area. It was too late, Jennifer knew they were trying to ear hustle on her conversation. She’d seen them on the monitor. The advanced, high-tech security system she had to beg Danny to install showed four different snapshots simultaneously of different parts of the salon every minute. She saw them continuing to walk to the back through the hallway, which was fine. They could pretend they were going to the supply and laundry rooms all they wanted, but Jennifer knew better.

  “I hope you guys are back here getting the towels out of the dryer and restocking the shelves in the supply room,” Jennifer said.

  Giselle ducked her head in shame because she’d gotten caught and the rest of them didn’t say anything.

  Simeon walked past Jennifer toward the front and she followed him to the reception area to see if her client had arrived. She realized something as she watched Simeon leave the salon. This wouldn’t be the last time she’d hear from him.

  I didn’t see a ring on her finger, but that doesn’t mean anything, Simeon said to himself once he got outside. He slid onto the driver’s seat and leaned back against the leather headrest. He considered the conversation he’d just had with Jennifer, and things didn’t go exactly as planned but he was able to talk to her, even though she seemed angry.

  Simeon hadn’t meant to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he ached wanting to hold her, be close and smell her scent. He couldn’t help himself and knew that he was taking a huge risk, but after feeling her body against his, it was well worth the gamble. She went to him easily and once he glanced down at her lips, they were waiting just for him.

  The one thing that had always been clear to him since the first time he’d met her was that he’d wanted Jennifer. It was a fact that he didn’t even try to fight because there had always been something about her, an innocence that attracted him to her. That’s why he had started pursuing her years ago before the accident stole his chances to see what they could be together. In the end, he lost out. She’d moved on and had a kid.

  Yet, still, he showed up today wanting to talk to her, be around her. Even after all that, he still didn’t know for sure if she was single, married, divorced or seeing someone, but he had to find out. After everything he’d been through, he promised himself he was going to live his life differently. That meant going after what he wanted and if Jennifer McClendon was available, that’s what he wanted—baby and all.
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  Jennifer dropped the twins off at her parents’ house for a couple of hours. She needed time to talk to her sister Renee about Simeon’s visit to the salon today since she had conflicting feelings. Even though she’d already had a conversation with Faith, she wanted to talk to Renee to get her perspective because they were much closer in age and a lot more alike. She hoped her slightly older sister could see her point of view.

  Jennifer tried to tell herself that the kiss she shared with Simeon hadn’t affected her, but that was a lie. His mere presence made her want to get closer to him even though she knew she shouldn’t. Once he pulled her into his arms, she lost all train of thought as he held her gently, making her feel like she did the first time they met.

  Damn, she hated herself for reveling in his caress, and once the kiss was over, she longed to feel his mouth on hers again. Jennifer shook her head because she was so confused. Hopefully she could talk out her feelings with Renee and figure out what her next step should be.

  Jennifer quickly parked her minivan in the first available space set aside for visitors and buzzed Renee’s apartment at the main entrance.

  Pulling the heavy glass door, she walked inside and caught the elevator up to Renee’s floor. She could see her sister standing in the hallway waiting for her.

  “What’s the matter, sissy?” Renee asked when Jennifer walked into her arms.

  “We need to talk,” she said, stepping back.

  She followed Renee back inside the apartment and removed her coat, placing it on the chair in the dining area.

  “Are you hungry? I picked up a pizza from Giordano’s.”

  Jennifer smiled because she wasn’t at all surprised for Renee loved pizza. “Sure, I’ll have some.”

  Renee went into the kitchen, pulled down two plates, then went to the cupboard and retrieved two wine glasses. “Do you want some wine?”