by Tina Martin
“It’s so nice outside today,” Lizette said.
“It is…the perfect summer day.”
“I can see myself right now, stretched out on a beach somewhere with a Corona.”
“A Corona, Lizette?” Kalina laughed. “You don’t even like beer.”
“With the week I had, maybe I should start liking beer.”
“Girl, tell me about it. Why does it seem that this week has been so tiring?”
“You too? I thought it was just me.”
“No, I feel it too,” Kalina told her. “I didn’t even want to come up here. I would much rather jump back into bed. Ugh.” Kalina rubbed her eyes.
“Hey, what are you doing for lunch today?”
“I’m working through lunch…probably just going to grab something from the kitchen. Why?”
“I wanted to invite you to come with me. I’m meeting some old college buddies for lunch.”
“Thanks for the invite, but I have to work through lunch, especially since I’m clocking out right at five today.”
“Okay.”
“And why don’t you have a nice long lunch and take the rest of the day off?” Kalina told her.
“Cool. Thanks!”
“You’re welcome.”
Kalina responded to another email, took a sip of coffee and pondered over the next email in her inbox:
A year ago, I broke it off with my ex because he was too needy and clingy. He wanted more than I could give. He recently messaged me on Facebook and told me that he was a changed man and he wanted another chance with me. I’m still single, but I’m sure I do not want to try to attempt this relationship again. How can I turn him down easy?
Kalina typed her reply:
There’s no need to beat around the bush in a situation like this. Just be honest and kindly let him know that you do not wish to give the relationship another try. If it will help, try to discuss the reasons why you two ended in the first place. Most likely, if you get back together, those reasons will be the same reasons you end up breaking up again.
She sent the email then stared outside again. Bryson had told her that he couldn’t meet her at the café this evening, but he didn’t say why. Now she knew it was because of the card game he had with his brothers. Would he be surprised to see her there?
CHAPTER 19
“Hey, girl,” June said, throwing her arms around Kalina. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You as well…looking good as always.”
“Oh, please, honey,” June said. “Look at you…got the hair looking gorgeous and that outfit is too cute.”
“Aw, thank you, June.” Kalina had decided to give extra consideration to her appearance this evening. She’d flat ironed her hair, applied a hint of makeup to her face and brown lipstick to her lips. She wore a dressy, low-cut white blouse with a faux pearl necklace and a pair of khaki shorts that fell at the midpoint of her thighs. A pair of nude sandals completed the outfit.
“Girl, we cannot let two months pass before we see each other again.”
“I know. Life just gets so hectic.”
“Tell me about it. I eat hectic for breakfast,” June joked.
The women laughed, then June said, “Well, come on in.”
Kalina looked over to the kitchen where she saw Bryson, Everson and four other men sitting around the table.
Everson looked up after throwing his cards down and saw Kalina walking towards the couch. He threw a hand up and said, “Hey, Kalina.”
“Hi,” Kalina responded.
Bryson’s head turned so fast, he almost snapped his neck. He watched Kalina sit on the couch and saw her lips curve to a cordial smile when their eyes connected. What was she doing here?
Everson glanced at Bryson, watching him ogle Kalina. He had yet to turn away. In fact, Everson remembered how Bryson had been staring at Kalina this exact same way when they saw her during lunch a few weeks back. Bryson had told Everson that he saw Kalina frequently at a café, but maybe he needed to be introduced to the woman since he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her.
Deciding to do his brother a favor, Everson said, “Hey, Kalina…come here for a second.”
“Kalina’s my company, Everson,” June said.
“It’ll just take a second, June,” Everson told her.
Kalina stood up and headed to the kitchen. “Once she was standing next to Everson, she asked, “What’s up?”
“My, my, my…what do we have here?” Rexford said evenly, staring at Kalina.
Bryson shot him a cold glare, before turning his attention back to Kalina.
Everson said, “Hey…wanted to introduce you to my people since this is the first time you’re here at the same time they are. These gentlemen are my brothers – Barringer, Garrison and Bryson. Rexford and Colton are my cousins.
“Nice to meet you,” Barringer and Garrison said together.
Rexford, the player of the family, said, “Nice to meet you, beautiful,” then flashed a smile before glancing down at her hand to see if there was a ring on her finger.
Kalina smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Kalina,” Colton said.
“You as well,” Kalina responded. “Nice to meet all of you.” She looked at the group collectively, seeing similar features in the brothers, even their cousins. This was one handsome group of men. Seemed good genes ran in the Blackstone family, but it was only one of them that caught her eye – Bryson. She wondered why he didn’t speak to her. He was staring, but he hadn’t said a word.
A playful smile touched Bryson’s lips when he saw the confusion on her face, then he said, “It’s not nice to meet you, Kalina. It’s very nice to meet you.” He reached for her right hand and when he grasped it, he brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips against the backside of it.
Kalina’s cheeks turned red. Seemed he was good at making her blush. And had her heart rate picked up? Pulse quickened?
Bryson released her hand and asked, “Why don’t you leave your number so we can get to know each other better?”
Playing along, Kalina responded, “No thanks. I’m taken.”
“Oooo,” his brothers and cousins all hummed together.
“Well, if you’re not taken by me, then, baby, you ain’t taken,” Bryson told her.
“My man,” Rexford said all rowdy and animated, reaching across the table to slap hands with Bryson.
The shock on Everson’s face was priceless. Who was this man and what happened to Bryson? The Bryson he knew would never approach a woman like that.
Bryson watched the befuddled look on his brother’s faces, but when he saw Everson’s mouth fall open he knew he had to put an end to the charades. “I’m just playing around guys. I know Kalina already.” Bryson laughed.
“Shrew,” Barringer said. “I thought you had lost your mind for a minute.”
Kalina laughed and patted Bryson on his broad shoulder, letting her hand rest there. “You shouldn’t do your brothers like that, Bryson. Poor Everson looked so uncomfortable.”
“I was. Man!” Everson said. “I was like…is he really trying to put his mack down right here in front of everybody?”
The group laughed together.
“So you know Bryson already?” Everson asked Kalina.
“Yes. He’s been kind enough to assist me on some projects I’m working on,” Kalina told him.
“And I need to speak with you about that later, hopefully before you leave,” Bryson said.
“Okay. I’ll let you guys get back to your game. Nice to have met you Barringer, Garrison, Rexford and Colton, is it?”
“You got it,” Colton said.
“What about me?” Bryson asked.
Kalina’s bottom lip twitched. “I’ll deal with you later, Bryson.”
Bryson chuckled, watching Kalina walk away. His eyes rolled down her glistening legs then back up to her hair that was done neatly, hanging down her back.
“She’s pretty. Nice woman, too,” Barringer said.<
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“She is, isn’t she?” Bryson agreed.
“Sure is,” Rexford said. “I need some chocolate in my life. Mmm, mmm, mmm. What’s her deal, Bryce? She seeing anybody?”
“You interested?” Garrison asked Rexford.
“No he’s not interested,” Bryson answered, unable to hide the frown growing in his forehead. “She’s not like the women you go after, Rex. She’s different.”
“Whoa…sounds like Kalina might be more than just a workmate,” Colton added. “I think you better stand down, Rex.”
“Kalina and I work together. That’s all,” Bryson said.
“So why are you being all possessive if you only work with her?” Rexford asked.
“Because she’s a decent woman who I care about,” Bryson said honestly. “Besides, Rex, don’t you have enough women fighting over you already?”
The men chuckled.
“If you like her, Bryson, you should probably let her know,” Garrison suggested. “I haven’t seen you date anyone since Felicia and—”
“There you go bringing her up again,” Bryson said. “Why are y’all so fascinated with Felicia?”
“It’s not a fascination with her,” Everson said. “It’s confusion surrounding your divorce. We did know Felicia for over six years. We were all at the wedding and now—”
“Everything doesn’t need to be laid out in the open, especially issues regarding my personal life, now are we playing cards or what, fellas?” Bryson asked.
Everson picked up the deck of cards, shuffled them and said, “Your deal,” placing the stack on the table in front of Bryson.
* * *
“So how’s your mom?” June asked Kalina after she placed a bowl of popcorn on the table. Then she poured them both a glass of wine.
“Honestly, she’s not doing so well. It’s like everything the doctor told us would happen is happening. She’s having difficulty speaking now. She can’t do simple tasks we take for granted.”
June nodded, remembering how her mother was during the final stages of Alzheimer’s. “I know how it is, Kalina. I lived it.”
“I need to ask you something and, forgive me if this sounds a little insensitive, but how did you prepare yourself for…you know…your mother’s death?”
“Well, I had to be real with myself. I knew it was going to happen and I didn’t want to hold out hope that science would miraculously come up with a miracle cure and save her life in the nick of time. I just saw things for what they were. She was going to die and there was nothing I could do about it. Still, when she died, it was still hard on me. I don’t think the pain will ever go away, but I find solace in knowing that she’s not hurting anymore and that, while she was living, I was there for her.”
Kalina took a sip of wine. “I try to see my mom at least once a week. I feel guilty that I don’t go more often than but I think if I did, I would lose my mind. I can barely keep it together now.”
“Well at least you’re there for her.”
“Yeah, unlike my father.”
June shook her head. “I still can’t believe he left her like that. My father wouldn’t leave my mother’s side. He stayed by her until the end.”
“Well, she was lucky to have a man like him.”
“Yes, she really was.” June took a sip of wine. “Speaking of having a man, what’s up with you and my brother-in-law?”
A smile grew on Kalina’s face. “Nothing. We work together.”
“Doing what?”
“He helps me out with the blog. We usually meet at my aunt’s café in the evenings and—”
“Wait…you’re serious.”
Kalina grinned. “Yes, I’m serious.”
“You mean to tell me that Bryson Blackstone—”
“Shh…don’t let him hear you. I don’t want him to think I’m talking about him.”
“Well, you are talking about him.” June laughed. “You like him, don’t you?”
“We have a good working relationship. In that aspect, yes, I like him.”
“And there’s nothing else? No sparks? No chemistry?”
“No, ma’am,” Kalina said after taking a sip of wine. No chemistry…who was she fooling? The two of them had more chemistry than a nuclear power plant. “He told me about his divorce and I told him about my wish to never fall in love. We have an understanding.”
“Oh, stop it, Kalina.”
“I’m serious. My father showed me how selfish and conniving men are.”
“Not all men. Do you think Bryson is conniving?”
“No, but that still doesn’t change my stance on the view of men in general.”
June shook her head.
Kalina grabbed a fist full of popcorn. She could hear the men getting rowdy and moving about in the kitchen. Moments later, Bryson sauntered into the family room where she and June were sitting. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a pullover black shirt that hugged his shoulders, abs and chest. What a man! He was built like a mountain – tall and ruggedly strong. Firm. He was as handsome as men came. He had a can of Coke hidden in his hand.
“You guys done already?” June asked him.
“No, just taking a break. I came in here to see if I can borrow Kalina for a second.”
June looked at Kalina and smiled. “Of course you can, that’s if Kalina doesn’t mind being borrowed.”
Kalina couldn’t wipe the grin off her face when she saw June wink at her. She stood up and followed Bryson outside into the darkness, stopping when they were standing next to his Mercedes. Bryson turned around, leaned up against the car then looked at her. Stared at her. He shamelessly rolled his eyes down the length of her legs, to her toes, then back up to her face. The lights from the street bounced off her brown skin, giving it an even softer look. He swallowed hard and tried to keep is breaths even. He didn’t want her to see what she was doing to him. He’d been tempted to reach out, stroke her hair, touch her face – force some kind of physical contact with her, but to stop himself, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“You didn’t tell me you would be here tonight,” Bryson said.
She hid a smirk and crossed her arms. “Was I supposed to?”
“No. No at all. It was a nice surprise though, because while I love my brothers and my family, all I could think about was you, sitting there in the café alone and I was so close…so close to getting up from the table, telling my brothers I had to go so I could be with you.”
Kalina nibbled on her bottom lip. It was nice to know he’d been thinking about her. She inhaled a breath and asked, “So why did you need to borrow me?”
“Because you have yet to respond to my dinner invitation and it’s been two weeks.”
“Has it really been two weeks?”
“Yes, it has, and I’ve been patiently waiting for an answer.”
“Well, I thought by avoiding the question, you would’ve gotten a hint, but I’ll just tell you outright…I think we should stick to being—”
“Being what, Kalina? What are we, exactly?”
“We’re business associates.”
His chuckled echoed in the night air. “Business associates?”
“Yes. We work together. We’re not coworkers and we’re not exactly what you would call friends.”
“Wow. We’re not friends either?” he asked. “Because when you introduced me to Mr. Russell, you introduced me as your friend.”
“Only because I didn’t know what to call you at the time.”
His smile remained. Of course they were friends. He knew it, as well as she did, and if she thought he would dismiss the idea of dinner, she was sorely mistaken. “We’ve been seeing each other every evening for the past two weeks and you don’t want to have dinner with me. So I suppose coffee seems more innocent to you?”
“No. Us working in front of our laptops with coffee is innocent. It’s business. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“Man…you’re a tough nut to crack.” But I will crack you…
Kalina grinned. “Why do you even want to have dinner with me?”
“Because you work so hard, I thought I’d step in and force you to see that you deserve a break every now and then. For goodness sakes, woman…give those poor fingers a break,” he said, and in a bold move, he reached for her hand.
“That’s what I was doing tonight…taking a break and hanging out with June.”
“And now it’s my turn,” Bryson said.
His turn…
“Yo, Bryce, are you done, or did you want to play a lil’ while longer?” Garrison shouted from the porch.
“I’m not done just yet…give me a minute,” Bryson replied. Returning his attention back to Kalina he said, “The joys of having siblings.”
She grinned. Still holding his hand, she responded, “We can go out to dinner next Friday. How does that sound?”
“That’s a whole week away.”
“Very good, Bryson,” she said, amused.
“Nah, I’m not waiting that long to take you to dinner. We’ll go tomorrow night.”
“I can’t go tomorrow night. I visit my mother on Saturdays and—”
“And I’m sure you would like to relax with a glass of wine and a juicy steak afterwards.”
That does sound tempting.
“Come on, Kalina. Don’t make me drop to my knees. It’s not time for me to propose just yet.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m joking,” he told her. “Have dinner with me, tomorrow night.”
“Okay,” she said finally, just to appease him.
“Good. I’ll swing by and pick you up at six.”
Kalina frowned. “Pick me up?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“I was thinking I’d meet you there, you know, in case I feel uncomfortable and need to make a run for it.”
Bryson laughed. “You’ll be fine. I won’t make you feel uncomfortable, Kalina.” He kissed the back of her hand for the second time tonight before releasing it. Backing away from her, he asked, “Can you text your address to me?”