by H.H. Fowler
Chapter Two
The next morning I sat at my desk, glancing at my phone every ten minutes. Taj said that he would call me at noon and I couldn’t focus on anything else. It amazed me that I’d spent an extra twenty minutes in the mirror trying to highlight the few little curves I had. Though I was not as fashionable or as glamorous as Jennifer, I knew how to make my clothes look presentable. The bronze Roz and Ali asymmetrical dress I’d selected, rose slightly above my knees. My legs were not all that bad, so I was not ashamed to show them off.
I chose not to wear a belt around my waist because it made me look thinner than I already was. My lengthy brown hair, which I normally kept in a messy chignon, complemented my smooth almond complexion. The front was cut short and spread evenly atop my professionally-arched brows. I made sure my makeup was done to perfection and that my feet moved comfortably in a pair of four-inch Casadei heels.
I kept telling myself that this was only a professional meeting between Taj and me and I needed not to pay any attention to that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. It wasn’t as if I was planning to do something wrong behind Jennifer’s back. Taj wanted to keep this meeting a secret and I should at least see what his reasons were before my thoughts ran wild with vain imaginations.
The office of Smith, Robinson and Bradshaw had been selling and renting properties on Paradise Island for the past twenty years. A firm whose brand was well-recognized in the real estate market. For five of those years, I have been kissing butts to make partner. I’d sold beachfront villas, private villas, private islands, waterfront properties and everything else in between and my accomplishments still seemed to come up short. I scanned my name that had been embossed on a gold plate. Sierra Lloyd – Licensed Professional. I wanted my name on the building, right alongside the three men who’d started the company.
“Sierra Lloyd,” I heard a male voice announce. “You haven’t changed a bit since the last time I saw you.”
The voice sounded familiar. I dragged my gaze from the embossed plate to a medium-built man standing in my office doorway. I was staring at a complete stranger. By the way his brows came together, my expression must have baffled him.
“Sierra, I can’t believe you don’t recognize me. I have only been gone for two years.”
I was usually good with faces, especially a man with attractive features. So it bothered me that I was drawing a blank. But when he laughed, a laugh that was very distinct and infectious, my brain suddenly pulled me back five years to when I’d initially met Bruce Bradshaw’s eighteen-year-old son. A three-hundred pound slob, who on purpose, annoyed the crap out of me.
I had recently been employed by the firm, and to my detriment, Mr. Bradshaw’s son had been assigned to show me the ropes, so to speak. At the time I wondered what an eighteen-year-old could teach me about the real estate market, especially since I’d already had three years of successfully selling properties under my belt. But I had underestimated his cockiness and the knowledge of the business he’d obviously inherited from his father. I couldn’t believe this attractive man, who looked to be about 175lbs of solid muscle was the son of Bruce Bradshaw.
I squinted my eyes. “Reuben?”
He opened his hands and grinned. “In the flesh...150lbs less, but it’s definitely me.”
My mind was doing all sorts of things at this point, trying to compare the before and after images. I couldn’t do it. The transformation was too much to digest in one shot. If two years of living abroad in Beijing could have such an impact on a person’s perspective, I was tempted to relocate – if even just for the experience.
“What the heck happened to you?” I asked, which felt like a really stupid question. “I mean…you’ve changed…dramatically.”
By the half smile Reuben gave me, I knew he could tell that I was totally blown away. “I am no longer pursuing my father’s dream for my life,” he said. “I’ve found my calling.”
Calling? That word was a part of the Christian vernacular, but with Reuben, that could mean anything. I held my peace and allowed my eyes to linger a little longer on his torso. I could see that he was well-cut beneath the polo shirt he wore. To say that I was amazed would be an understatement.
“I wasn’t expecting that kind of response from you.” He smirked. “I was hoping you would’ve been so excited to see me that you would jump out of your chair to hug me.” He beckoned in a playful manner. “Come on, don’t be shy. I know the transformation is killing you, but it’s really me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, there is at least one thing that hasn’t changed about you,” I told him. “And that is you’re still as cocky as ever.”
He laughed. “I choose to see it as confidence. It’s what got me to this point in my life, but more about me later. Maybe we could spend a little time together before I…”
My phone rang and I almost knocked it over trying to answer it. I knew it was Taj and I tried to downplay my expectation so that I didn’t get too giddy about meeting a man that could land me in the danger zone. It didn’t work. I pulled out a notepad and scribbled the name of the restaurant where we were going to meet. Suppressing again that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, I disconnected and explained to Reuben that I had an appointment.
Reuben suddenly piped up, “I’ll come along for the ride. It’ll be like old times...meeting with those eccentric spinsters who don’t know what to do with their money.”
I was startled by Reuben’s boldness to intrude on a meeting that I considered private. If I wanted his company, didn’t he think I would’ve asked? I stared at him, still not thoroughly convinced that this was the same Reuben who’d left to study Mandarin in Beijing two years ago. His body may have undergone a jaw-dropping transformation, but somehow, his irksome personality still remained remarkably unchanged.
I snapped at him before I could gain control of my words, “Don’t you have something more pressing to do with your time? I’m sorry, but this is a private meeting.”
To my surprise, he laughed at my outburst. “Sierra, I’m just so happy to see you. No worries. I will see you when you return. Please, don’t let me ruin your mood.”
I was sure there was a frown on my face. Before, when I would respond to Reuben in such a churlish manner, he would’ve given me the third degree about my attitude. I stared at him suspiciously. “Okay, out with it. Tell me what you’ve done with the real Reuben Bradshaw.”
He laughed again. “Like I told you...I’ve found my calling. Some things are not worth making a fuss over anymore.”
Okay, this guy was scaring me. Maybe I was wrong about the personality thing. However, I did not have time to stay to determine if Reuben’s being nice to me was simply a ruse to get under my skin. Time would tell. “Well, thank you for understanding,” I mumbled.
I grabbed my handbag from the edge of my swivel chair and as I passed him in the doorway, I wrestled briefly with the idea of giving him a friendly hug. Instead, I continued out into the hall. But because I was still feeling a bit convicted over the way I’d snapped at him, I paused in my stride and faced him. “I apologize for lashing out at you. Lots of crazy stuff on my mind these days.”
He pushed his hands in his pockets and smiled. “No worries. With you gone, it’ll give me some time to say hello to my miserable father. Hopefully, I will convince him to call a truce.”
I walked away, frowning over Reuben’s behavior. It was this new, unexplained aura and the way he had been able to give his body such an incredible makeover. However, by the time I stepped into the elevator, Reuben had faded out of my system, and was replaced with a high expectation of seeing Taj Brooks.
Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
James 1:12