She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Such a dream wouldn’t have happened had she not talked to the man with the sexy voice—he had invaded the sexual part of her mind. The phone started ringing again. Nikki kicked her feet and pounded her fists on the mattress like a six-year-old when told to pick up his favorite toys.
It was evident the ringing wasn’t going to stop. Whoever was calling had an urgent need to speak to her. She rolled over on her stomach and snatched up the receiver on the nightstand. She still used a landline that by a real telephone company. It came in handy when she built computers from scratch.
“Hello,” she said in a dry tone. She didn’t bother to hide she was agitated since it was Gayle.
“What took you so long to answer, Nikki? I’ve been calling you since seven.” Gayle didn’t bother to hide the agitation in her voice either.
“Did it occur to you that I might be asleep? What do you want? It’s too early to talk.”
“Mom and I are going to breakfast and then to get our nails and hair done. We want you to come with us.”
She cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder, letting her arm hang off the side of the bed. “No thanks. But have fun.”
“Come on, Nikki. What do you have planned for today? And don’t say laundry or cleaning. We both know you don’t clean and only do laundry when you’re down to the granny panties and sweat pants.”
She smacked her lips. She hated Gayle sometimes. The woman knew her too well. “I’m not in the mood to be the third wheel, Gayle. Thanks for inviting me, but spend the day with your mom and have fun.”
“She’s sitting right here.”
“Oh no,” she groaned. “I had a long night and just want to sleep a few more hours.”
The excitement in Gayle’s voice spiked. “Did you have a date?”
“Has hell frozen over? You know I didn’t have a date or anything resembling one.”
“You could if you didn’t live behind a computer. Look, get off your lazy butt, put on some clothes, and meet us downtown in thirty minutes. There is this restaurant Mom swears serves the best breakfast in town.”
“I have food here.”
“When was the last time you checked the date on any of it? Get up, shower, comb that pretty hair of yours, and meet me downtown. Oh, and don’t wear those bright green sweats with the words ‘juicy’ printed on the ass, either.”
Nikki rolled over on her back, laughing. “My ass is juicy. Don’t hate because your ass is lumpy.”
“Bitch.”
It was the last word Nikki heard before Gayle hung up the phone. They teased that way all the time, and neither took anything personally. Gayle was on the thick side, but she had a man who loved her curves and accepted her natural beauty. Mike had no problem with the women going on a cruise alone; their love was rock solid and unbreakable. Nikki wished she had a man who accepted her unconditionally. Heck, she didn’t have a mother who accepted her unconditionally.
Nikki dragged her body out of bed. “I don’t have to go anywhere if I don’t wanna.” She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I have food to eat,” she said sarcastically. The cold and from the fridge smacked her in the face since there wasn’t any food occupying the shelves. She twisted her lips. “Maybe I don’t. Guess, I’ll take a shower and get dressed.”
The music blaring from the radio helped Nikki wake up as she drove along the highway. Saturday morning traffic was light compared to the weekday rush hour headaches. A twenty-minute commute downtown could be an hour or more with a simple fender-bender.
Exiting the highway at Ninth Street, she turned on Prospect to look for a place to park on the street. She’d walk the few blocks to Fourth Street to meet Gayle. Nikki found a spot to park and fed the meter enough quarters for the maximum time allotted. Putting on her sunglasses, she walked through a parking structure that served as a shortcut to Euclid Avenue.
The hot sun added to her misery of being out of the house early on a Saturday morning. Besides sulking in bed about her pitiful life, she had to work on the software she hoped to develop and market under her own brand. With her talent, the thought of working for Brand forever was not on her agenda. Gayle wasn’t as enthusiastic about the project anymore since the cruise was nearing and her focus was primarily on planning the itinerary.
She entered Neeò scanning for Gaye and Mimi before approaching the hostess. The restaurant wasn’t packed, but a nice crowd had gathered for breakfast. Nikki was impressed with the décor. Brown and beige muted tones warmed the open space, and bright light streamed through the large picture window. An enormous bar with plenty of seating and a raised platform stage was located at the back of the restaurant. She had passed this restaurant along with others on Fourth Street because they were out of her range for spending on restaurant food.
“Nikki, over here.”
Her attention went to the voice calling her from across the room. She walked past the hostess, pointing in Gayle’s direction. “My friends are over there.”
Gayle pushed a chair out with her foot. “It’s about time you got here; we’re starving.”
Nikki sat down, draping the strap of her purse over the chair. “Sorry. I don’t roll out of bed dressed and ready to go like you. Good morning, Mom, you look beautiful as always.” She addressed Mimi as ‘Mom’ because Mimi treated her like a daughter.
“Good morning, Nikki. I’m sorry Gayle dragged you out of bed too. The girl has no sense of time anymore,” Mimi said as she pushed a menu toward Nikki.
Some expected Mimi to be a middle-aged, heavyset woman with graying hair, glasses, and frumpy clothes, but that was not the case. She was neither gray-haired, heavy-set, nor frumpy. She was stylish, with short black hair, slim, and today, she wore a feminine sundress that fell within her age limit.
“I know! When is Mike coming back? We need a break from her,” Nikki teased.
“Hey! I’m sitting right here,” Gayle snorted. “This is the thanks I get for getting you people up and moving instead of wasting away in bed? You got a lot of nerve giving me grief.”
“Yes, sounds about right,” Nikki said as she opened the menu and scanned it over. It was filled with choices for breakfast; some parings she would never think to eat together. “Since I have to defend myself, I worked late at the office last night, then when I got home, I worked on our project. You remember? The one you decided is no longer important to you.”
“And, I was sound asleep when you called,” Mimi interjected.
Gayle rolled her eyes. “All right, put me in front of the firing squad, geez. For your information, Nikki, I have not forgotten about the project. I’m almost done configuring the app. It should be ready for beta testing when we get back from the cruise.”
“I won’t be done with the software by then, Gayle. The bugs are popping up, and it’s taking me forever to debug them one at a time. I could use your help.”
“Look, why don’t we put the whole thing on hold until we’re back and can devote our full attention to it. A couple of months is not going to make a difference, Nikki.”
Nikki sat back in the chair and crossed her arms. “Seriously, Gayle?”
Mimi butted in and said, “Girls, stop it right now. I did not leave my husband alone in bed this morning to come here and listen to you two talk about computers. Do that on your time, not mine.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Gayle said lowly.
The waitress came to the table, interrupting them. “Good morning and welcome to Neeò. Are you ready to order?”
Too many choices and not enough time to pick the menu apart, Nikki chose pancakes and hand-sliced bacon with a side of fruit and coffee. She should be dieting to make sure the swimming suit she purchased would still fit two months from now. She had never battled a weight problem, but with a planned event in the books, just smelling food could cause her to put on pounds.
She sighed. “I should have ordered something light. My bathing suit has to fit since it can’t be returned.�
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“Just get a sari or a large shirt to cover it,” Gayle suggested. “That’s what Mom and I got.”
“Neither of you need to attract a man. I have to look my best on the boat, which means sleek and slim.”
Mimi patted the back of Nikki’s hand, reassuring her. “Honey, you’re beautiful the way you are. Don’t change for a man or anyone.”
Nikki smiled. “Thank you, Mom.” She pushed her chair from the table. “I’m going to wash my hands before the food comes.”
Chapter Three
The hostess directed Nikki to the back of the restaurant where the restrooms were located. She walked by the open kitchen and couldn’t help but take a peek at the action going on inside. The staff was busy, as plates and utensils clanked and instructions were passed between the servers and the two chefs working at the industrial stove with fire blazing under the pots. If she cooked with heat that high, everything would burn, including her apartment.
One of the chefs stepped away from the stove. Nikki swallowed as she looked at the man at the stove maneuvering a frying pan with skill. He was about six-foot-two, and his black hair was pulled into a bun on top of his head; a bandana was tied around his forehead, and he was wearing a black chef’s coat with a black apron tied around his waist.
She was viewing him from the side and could tell he was handsome. She moved just a little behind the door to keep from being noticed while she ogled the unsuspecting chef busy at work. There was something sexy about a man cooking. Female chefs aren’t looked at the same way as male chefs, especially when they’re hot. He was a gorgeous guy. Probably the best-looking man she’d seen in… well, possibly ever. And she liked how he handled that spatula.
Just as she began to drool, he looked up in her direction. Her heart dropped to her feet, and she felt her cheeks warm. With her light skin, she had a tendency to redden when she blushed. She rushed into the bathroom, scolding herself. “Idiot!”
Nikki came out of the restroom, and the door to the kitchen was closed, and Chef Yummy was nowhere around. She returned to the table and asked, “Where is your mom?”
Gayle flipped her hand. “Aunt Pearl called with an emergency, as usual. I swear she knows when Mom and I are out and calls her on purpose with some dumb emergency that she can’t handle.”
“So, she just left without eating first?”
“Yup. We’re on our own for the spa,” said Gayle.
“Yeah, okay.” The waitress returned with the food. The pancakes were picture-perfect just like ones on the menu. “This looks too good to eat.”
Gayle cut into her waffles. “Oh my goodness, these melt in your mouth.”
Nikki agreed as she took a bite of the pancakes. They didn’t need syrup or butter to dress them up. “I saw the chefs in the kitchen cooking.”
Gayle asked between bites. “All black or foreign cooks?”
“There were two, and one was black. The other was white I think,” she said stammering.
“My hat is off to them; this food is off the hook,” Gayle said as she shoveled food into her mouth.
“The one I saw is gorgeous, Gayle. I can’t remember the last time I saw a man so fine.”
Gayle stirred her coffee and asked, “Oh? Which chef are you referring to?”
Nikki broke off an end of the bacon and chewed on it. “The white guy. The other one had walked away, so I didn’t get a look at him.”
“Ah, okay; feeling the swirl. Did you say anything to him?”
She snapped her brows together. “No! The man was working. Women can admire men and not say anything. Men do it all the time.”
“In what world are you living? Men do and say inappropriate things to women all the time. And mostly because they’re too stupid to realize what they are saying or doing. Nikki, why are you so damn shy?”
“I’m not comfortable approaching strange men, Gayle. What if he is married or has a girlfriend? I’d end up looking like a fool with egg on my face. No thank you,” she said, stabbing at the half-eaten pancake on the plate.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, my friend. If he is involved, so what—you aren’t asking him to marry you.”
Gayle wiped her mouth and waved to the waitress. It took a minute, but Nikki realized what she was doing. “Gayle, no,” she protested.
“Is everything okay,” the waitress asked in a kind voice.
Gayle smile and asked. “The food is perfect. I’m wondering if you could ask the chef to come out so we can thank him or her for a great meal.”
Nikki made mean eyes at Gayle who ignored her while she spoke to the waitress. She prayed the waitress would veto the request.
“I’ll see if he has a minute to come out,” the waitress said.
Her hopes faded, and Nikki wanted to run and hide. What if they both came to the table? Then she thought that would probably be best. A compliment given to both chefs is appropriate and not a reason for her to feel embarrassed in front of Chef Yummy.
Then it hit her. What if the other chef was equally as handsome? She’d drool over both of them and be too tongue-tied to speak. Laughter broke out at a nearby table, breaking Nikki’s thoughts. She looked up and saw the restaurant was full.
Her stomach relaxed. Biting the piece of bacon, she felt confident neither chef would make an appearance at the table because they’re busy preparing food for the hungry crowd.
Nikki turned her glare on Gayle, whose eyes danced with humor. “See how easy that was?”
“I hate you. I can’t tell you anything.” Gayle started to laugh, and it angered Nikki more. “There is nothing funny about this, Gayle! That’s the problem I have with you. You act as if everything I do is a joke.”
“Not everything—just your love life. God, it’s sad you’d rather be alone than ask a damn man his status. So you might not get the answer you want. Keep asking until you get the right answer or until the right man approaches you.”
Nikki shook her head. “That’s not how it works.”
“In today’s world, it does. I’m not saying to get down on your knee and propose; that’s a man’s responsibility to claim his wife. However, you can approach a man and start a conversation.”
“As long as we’ve been friends, you’ll never understand what it is like to be an introvert. A computer screen filled with equations and formulas fill my lonely days and nights. You’re a social butterfly. You have a man. You have sex regularly. You have a family, including a mother and father that live together. Gayle, you don’t know what it’s like to be me.”
“Woe is me, Nikki; the terrible childhood is a reason for hiding, but you gotta fight through it. The world doesn’t stop because your mother is not motherly and your father is married to a woman that doesn’t acknowledge his love child.”
Nikki snorted, “She is just another woman that resents me.”
“Who cares what that heffa thinks? Your father loves you. Once he learned you existed, he never denied you or let her stop him from taking care of his responsibility.” Gayle’s voice softened. “Girl, stop looking backward. You’re healthy, smart, have a great job. Best of all, you have me as a friend to check you when you want to check out.”
“I get it, Gayle. I am blessed in a lot of ways, and family doesn’t have to consist of blood relatives, just people who care. You and Mimi care about me.”
“We do, and we want you with a good man who’ll support everything you do.”
Oddly, Nikki began to chuckle, “It won’t be Chef Yummy.”
Gayle shrugged her shoulders, “Never say never, sister. Hey, I like that moniker too.”
Suddenly, Gayle’s eyes lifted, and her mouth parted slightly as she stopped talking mid-sentence. Nikki froze as a shadowy figure blocked the rays of sun dancing on the table. She uncrossed her legs and crossed them again as the chef, dressed in all black, leaned forward bracing his weight on the back of a chair.
“Good morning, ladies; I’m Logan Sloan, owner and head chef of Neeò. I understand you requested
to see me?”
Thud… went her heart. It couldn’t be. What were the odds? Nikki felt a ring of sweat form on her forehead. Explanation—she needed an explanation for how the man she had talked to on the phone last night was standing beside her now. She looked up at him.
God, he’s handsome, she said to herself. She didn’t want him to be handsome.
His gaze stayed on her face, which she found interesting—no sexy slide down her body, no suggestive looks or comments. Why would he do any of those things? He didn’t know her name. It was cool he kept it professional since she had no intention of revealing her name and hopefully Gayle wouldn’t either. What she wanted to do was kick her butt for turning down his invitation to dinner.
I’m such an idiot.
She looked at his strong hands bracing the chair not seeing a ring. Of course, he could be married or at least have a partner. Suddenly, it became important that she discover if he was single. She took a sip of water hoping it would dislodge the lump from her throat.
Gayle spoke first. “Hi, Chef. We wanted to thank you for such a tasty meal. I mean, it was breakfast food, but wow.”
He smiled, revealing perfect teeth. “Thank you. I strive to serve each customer a meal they’ll enjoy and hopefully come back again.”
“You have surpassed that, and my friend feels the same way. Don’t you feel the same way, my friend?” Gayle asked as she nudged Nikki under the table with her foot.
“Uh… yes. Everything is good… delicious. Really, just wonderful.” She was stammering and tried to shut her mouth. “The pancakes are so fluffy. How do you get them that way?”
He shrugged. “I treat them with love.”
The same waitress ran up to him. “Logan, there is a problem in the kitchen.”
“What’s wrong now?” he asked, exasperated.
“We need the computer working again. Orders are messing up left and right, and people are getting pissed,” she said, trying to whisper.
“I’ll take care of it in a minute,” he said to the waitress. “Ladies, I have to run but let me give you these complimentary passes to join me for Happy Hour on Monday night...”
Text 'Yes' if You Love Me Page 3