Evenings With Bryson

by Tina Martin

  Kalina reached across the table and clutched Edith’s hand. She didn’t know how touchy this subject was for her until now – until she watched her normally impassive, strong-minded aunt, who rarely displayed any emotions, almost break down right before her eyes.

  Edith swallowed hard, her eyes glazed over and continued, “I don’t have anyone there to throw their arms around me and tell me everything will be alright. And I’ll admit that I do manage to keep myself busy most days, but it would be nice to have someone there. Are you telling me you don’t want that?”

  Kalina sighed. No, she didn’t want that, but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about settling down with someone special and having children. The only problem was, she couldn’t trust a man and she’d never let a man claim ownership of her heart. “I have thought about it, Edith, but I have trust issues which prohibits me from acting on that thought, and I know I could never trust a man to fulfill that role in my life.”

  The waitress brought their food over and, after making sure they had everything they needed, she told them she’d be right back to refill their coffee then walked away.

  Edith took a napkin, dabbed the corner of her eyes and let go of a slight chuckle. “You were always a stubborn girl.”

  Kalina grinned. “I remember mom saying that about me when I was like…ten years old.”

  “She was telling the truth, honey. I’ll be the first to let you know that right now.”

  “Well, there are some issues I can bend on, but I do not want to be connected to a man, especially not at this point in my life. I’m doing good on my own. If the blog continues increasing in popularity, I’ll be close to two-hundred thousand dollars this year. I don’t need a man to share that success with. I’m perfectly fine with popping champagne with you and Lizette, thank you very much.”

  Edith chuckled while simultaneously shaking her head. “Stubborn or not, you grew up to be an amazing woman. Madeline would’ve been so proud.”

  “Thanks Edith.” Kalina cut a slice of her omelet, stabbed it with a fork then took it to her mouth. She glanced around the restaurant. The place was crowded to the point where every table was occupied. And the sunlight peering through the windows was a beautiful reminder that summer was just around the corner.

  She remembered how the last few summers had been stressful for her. Still building her company, she’d devoted a lot of time into making the blog work. It had her thinking that maybe if she had someone special in her life, she wouldn’t have to worry about the day-to-day struggles. She would have a helper. She wouldn’t be lonely. She would have someone to walk with on the beach and share intimate, romantic dinners. She would have a shoulder to lean on when times were tough. Then she snapped back into reality…

  Her mother thought she had someone to lean on, but that proved to be a sham. Kalina couldn’t let that happen in her own life. It was better to be single with no expectations, than to be in a relationship filled with expectations that went unfulfilled and possibly ended when the man decided he’d had enough.

  CHAPTER 7

  Bryson watched as Kalina stepped into the café wearing a pair of ripped jeans, a low, V-neck purple T-shirt and a pair of black flats. She was five-feet, eight inches if he had to guess, and her milk chocolate skin tone was a shade lighter than his own. Her long, black hair was tussled about – looked like someone had been playing in it, or better yet, like she’d driven across town with all the windows down on her car. Still he liked it – the way it framed her face and fell all around her shoulders. The look suited her well. Then there was her dainty nose and those plump lips he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of – lips that had probably never been kissed.

  “Didn’t think you were going to show for a minute there,” Bryson said to her. He had already made himself comfortable at the table she’d dubbed as hers.

  And he has the nerve to sit at my table. She narrowed her eyes at him. The sight of him sitting there made her nose twitch. Even his sly comment didn’t sit well with her, so she responded, “Women usually don’t have problems keeping their commitments, unlike your kind.”

  “Tell me something…are you normally this rude, or did you save all of your frustrations to take them out on me?”

  “No, I’m not rude, and don’t flatter yourself…you’re not important enough for me to take out my frustrations on you.”

  Bryson smirked. He’d crossed paths with her kind before – the fist in the air, independent woman who had to exude an air about herself in order to assert her self-importance. Kalina, however, had set the bar even higher. One thing was for certain – she never crossed paths with a man like him. Otherwise her attitude would’ve been checked a long time ago.

  Before she said anything further to him, she walked to the counter to speak to Edith.

  “Hi there, Kalina,” Edith responded, all smiles. She quickly gave Kalina the thumbs up because Bryson was there. “How do you want your coffee?”

  With a double shot of liquor. “Surprise me.” Kalina returned her attention to the table, looking at Bryson.

  What in the world have I gotten myself into?

  She continued to the table and placed her laptop bag next to the chair as she sat down. Unzipping her bag, she removed her laptop, placed it on the table and folded the screen up, looking up at Bryson at the same time.

  “I know you’re eager to get this over with,” Bryson said, “So I’ll tell you the part of my response that I was questioning. Do you think it was right for me to tell your reader to forego the baby talk and help her husband build his dreams?”

  Kalina quickly pulled up his email again and scanned through it. “Um…that’s one approach. You have to remember…just because you suggest something to someone doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to take your advice.”

  “I’m well aware of that.”

  “And honestly, I think your entire email was a good, solid answer to the woman’s question.”

  “Even the part about men not liking ultimatums?”

  “Yes. Especially that part. Men don’t like ultimatums. Women neither.”

  “Alright. I guess my job here is done,” he said, reaching across the table for a handshake. “Oh, that’s right…you don’t shake hands.”

  “No, I don’t, and while you’re still sitting here, I need to…” Kalina braced herself. Stupid bet. “Um, since you’re pretty much at the café in the evenings, I was wondering if you would be available to help me answer more emails like this for the next month until I’m caught up.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly. You want me to help you answer these?”

  No. “Yes. Only if you have the time and if you want to. I won’t be able to pay you anything though.”

  “Hmm,” he said, sitting back in his chair, not believing what he was hearing. She was asking him for help when normally, she acted like she couldn’t stand the sight of him. If Edith hadn’t called him and given him the heads up about the bet she made with Kalina, he would be completely in the dark. And since he knew Kalina couldn’t pay him, especially being that she already had one full-time employee, her mother’s expenses and her own bills, he would use it to his advantage. So sitting up in his chair again, he asked, “You’ve already taken compensation off the table, so what’s in this for me?”

  Kalina shrugged. “The satisfaction of knowing you’re helping someone with their issues…I don’t know.”

  “Or helping you,” he said.

  “If you want to look at it that way…”

  “Yes. I do want to look at it that way.”

  No. No. No! This can’t be happening. “Okay so, to be clear, you’re agreeing to do this.”

  He nodded and said, “I am, but I want to lay down some ground rules.”

  One eyebrow raised, Kalina asked, “And what might those be?”

  “We will sit together, side-by-side so you can see my computer screen and—”

  “That won’t be necessary,” she in
terjected. “In fact, we don’t even need to sit together, period. I will forward the emails to you and all you have to do is send your responses back to me.”

  Bryson shook his head. Clearing his throat, he repeated, “We will sit together, side-by-side so you can see my computer screen and we will work together.”

  Jerk. “You’re being difficult.”

  He chuckled. “That’s what you call it when someone doesn’t play by your rules, huh?”

  “No. That’s what I call it when someone is trying to be controlling.”

  “Controlling?” he repeated, amused.

  “Yes. Controlling.”

  “Call it what you will, but this is how it’s going to go, or you can count me out. Oh, and another thing,” he said, standing. “I shake hands with people I do business with.” He extended his hand to her and said, “Now, are we doing business?”

  “Yes. I guess we are,” Kalina said caving into his wishes by reaching for his hand, accepting his grasp, feeling his strong hand firmly squeeze her small, dainty one. Had she ever shaken a man’s hand before?

  “Good. Now, I can’t stay this evening. I have a prior engagement, but we’ll start tomorrow evening if that’s good with you.”

  “Yeah. That’s fine. Can I have my hand back now?”

  “Sure,” he said releasing his grip on her hand. “See you tomorrow, Kalina.”

  “Alright then. See you tomorrow, Kalina.”

  With that, he walked away, waving at Edith before he exited.

  Kalina hung her head. What had she gotten herself into?

  * * *

  Edith smiled at the exchange she witnessed between Kalina and Bryson. Unknown to Kalina, it wasn’t a coincidence she made the bet. It was a bet she knew she would win. Bryson was an intelligent man. Edith remembered when she first met him. It was three years ago when a hurricane has brushed the North Carolina coast, leaving downed trees in her front yard. Short staffed at the time, Bryson had personally made the trip to her house to clean up the trees.

  Later that week, he’d stopped by her café on a whim, surprised to see Edith again. And since that day, he’d been coming back to the café, every now and then, as a place to relax after work. His visits became more frequent around two years ago, when he divorced his wife. He’d spoken briefly to Edith about it and said nothing more of it. It was a topic he preferred to avoid, which is probably the reason why he began limiting his trips to her café. He didn’t want her to bring up the subject.

  It wasn’t until recently, about a month ago, that Bryson had begun frequenting the café again, enquiring about the woman who showed up there every evening with her laptop, discussing relationship issues with Edith. And a delightful smile came to Edith’s face when he had inquired about Kalina. She told him that Kalina was her single niece who wasn’t interested in dating if that’s what he had in mind. Still, he came in every weekday for the last four weeks to watch Kalina work. He didn’t tell Edith he was somewhat aware of who Kalina was, especially since finding an email she had written to Felicia. It was that email that made him want to meet Kalina…made him want to know her.

  Edith, aware of Bryson’s situation, knew he had no plans to ever marry again. He wouldn’t tolerate another woman doing to him what his ex-wife had done. So why was he so intrigued with Kalina? At any rate, Edith saw a way to use his curiosity to her advantage. What better way was there for Bryson to get to know Kalina than to work with her every day? To help her? Surely she would appreciate the help and he would, no doubt, enjoy her company. A woman who doesn’t believe in love meets the man who’d given up on love – what was the worst that could happen?

  “Here you go, sweetie,” Edith said, placing a cup of house blend with cream and sugar on the table.

  “Thanks, Edith,” Kalina said, downcast.

  “You’re welcome.” Edith sat across from her. “You look upset.”

  “I’m not sure I can do this, Edith. Can you call off the bet?”

  “Why would I do that? You need the help, sweetie. Let the man help you.”

  Kalina took a deep breath. “I don’t have time in my life for anything or anyone extra. He’s already puffing his chest out and being demanding and—”

  “It’ll be fine. Just wait until you get those emails under control. You’ll be thanking him in no time. Where did he go anyway?”

  “He claimed he had somewhere to go…said he’d be back tomorrow.” Kalina shook her head. “Maybe if I work through the night, I’ll finish all these emails then I won’t need his help.”

  “No, you are not working through the night. You need rest like everybody else. You are not superwoman, Kalina Cooper.”

  When the bell chimed, Edith glanced up and saw a few customers come inside the café. “Let me help them.”

  Kalina took another sip of coffee and began reading and answering emails. She would worry about Bryson later. Right now, she had work to do.

  CHAPTER 8

  “This steak is phenomenal, Barringer,” Bryson said to his brother as he cut another chunk of it. The family dinner, this month, was at Barringer’s house. And, as a part of the tradition, all the food had to be home-cooked – no store-bought items, even down to the dessert. Barringer and his wife, Calista had prepared the entire meal.

  “It really is, Barry,” Candice said. “It’s juicy and tender.”

  “I’m glad you like it, but I can’t take credit for it. Calista cooked it,” Barringer finally said, glancing up at Calista. She hadn’t bothered looking up at him, still fuming from an argument that erupted between them before everyone had arrived. Thank goodness his parents were out of the country. Surely they would have noticed Calista’s cold attitude right away.

  There were four boys and one girl in the Blackstone family. At thirty-eight, Bryson was the oldest. Then came Barringer at thirty-six, married to Calista. Garrison, thirty-four was married to Vivienne. Everson, thirty-two was married to June. And the only girl, Candice, twenty-eight, was single. If her brothers had their way, she would stay single. They were overly protective of their sister, especially Bryson.

  “Well, it’s delicious, Calista,” Candice reiterated.

  “Thank you, guys,” Calista finally responded, forcing a smile to her face. She didn’t want to do this family dinner tonight. She wanted to retreat to her bedroom, cry herself to sleep as she’d done most of the week, but Barringer had begged her to be here. He didn’t want the family to know they were having issues. His mother nearly had a stroke when Bryson divorced Felicia. If Elowyn Blackstone thought another divorce was on the horizon, she would probably have a heart attack.

  Barringer cleared his throat to the take the attention away from Calista’s fake smile. He said, “So, first things first…we need to figure out who’s hosting next month.”

  “We can’t,” Everson spoke up. “June and I are going on vacation for a couple of weeks and I have a lot of business travel coming up.”

  “What about you, Candice?” Garrison asked. “It’s been a while since we were all at your apartment.”

  Already shaking her head, Candice said, “Can’t do it. I may be able to in the fall. It’s Bryson’s turn to host anyway.”

  The dining room went quiet. Forks and spoons had ceased clanking against ceramic plates. Side conversations stopped and, for a moment, it seemed as if time stood still. All eyes were on Bryson. He hadn’t hosted a family dinner at his home since the divorce. Candice knew that. Everybody knew that. It was the reason no one ever asked him to host dinner because they already knew the answer. They also knew the divorce was a touchy subject for him.

  Remaining calm, something he had perfected over the years, Bryson looked up at his sister and said, “I’m not hosting. I don’t have a wife at home to help me cook, remember?”

  “Well, I don’t have a husband,” Candice tossed back.

  “That’s because you’re not mature enough for one,” Bryson told her. He wasn’t trying to be mean-spirited. He truly believed his sister wasn’t
ready for a real relationship which could eventually lead to marriage, especially based on the men she chose to date – men who proved to be unworthy of her time.

  “Well let’s just hope I do a better job of choosing a husband than you did at choosing your trifling wife,” Candice shot back. It irked her when her brother tried to act more like a father than a brother. She didn’t need that from him.

  “Come on, guys,” Garrison said. The family dubbed him the mediator of the bunch because he always tried to find a solution to problems where his family was concerned. “Let’s not get into this right now. Jeez. Me and Vivienne hosted last month and, if need be, we’ll do it again next month. Okay. Problem solved.”

  Bryson took a sip of wine. “You know what...I’ll do it. Family dinner at my house next month. There.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Bryce,” Garrison told him.

  “No, I got it, and whoever feels so compelled to come over and help me cook, be my guest. And if no one shows up, I’ll do it all on my own.”

  Silence.

  No one had a word to say after Bryson had offered to host the dinners for next month. They knew how hard the divorce had been on him – at least the brothers did. Candice was still in college at the time.

  “Well, we would host,” Garrison said, “But certain smells makes Vivienne queasy now since we’re expecting.”

  Vivienne smiled wide and kissed Garrison on the cheek.

  The room suddenly erupted in congratulations and cheers.

  “I’m only two months along,” Vivienne said. “I know you’re technically not supposed to tell anyone until you’re out of the woods as they say, but I couldn’t hide it anymore.”

  Bryson stood up and walked over to his brother, giving him a pat on the back. “Congrats man.”

  Barringer and Everson followed suit while Garrison leaned back in his chair.