Love Me Now

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  Chapter 6

  Kenya was finally able to concentrate on her work. Ideas popped into her head so quickly, she could barely sketch them. Excited, her thoughts flowed like an open dam. She barely kept up. Dresses for little girls, in bright colors with bows and ribbon, pants and tops for little boys, in muted hues with trucks and patches—she envisioned them all. They were fanciful, delightful and perfect.

  She successfully traced and basted four designs in muslin. Then she cut, pinned and tailored a garment to a form and then began outlining basic patterns. She’d just finished painstakingly gathering, ironing and forming pleats along the waistband of a dress when her cell phone rang. Startled, she hurried to grab it. “Hello?”

  “Hey, girl, what’s up?” Asia said happily.

  “Hey. Nothing much. What’s up with you? How was that audition the other day?”

  “Which one, the commercial or the soap?” she asked.

  “Either, both,” Kenya said excitedly.

  “I knocked it out of the park. I got the commercial job. But I’m still waiting to hear back about the soap opera. I have a callback tomorrow.”

  “Are you serious, you got the commercial and a callback for a soap? Asia, that’s fantastic. I’m so proud of you,” Kenya squealed.

  “Yep, I got it. My agent called me this morning. It’s not really acting. It’s more modeling with dialogue, but it’s something, my foot in another door. Plus I still have the off-Broadway production gig going on.”

  “Asia, you’re seriously gonna be a star.”

  “And you’re gonna design my clothes and clothing line and Sidney’s gonna manage us both.”

  “In that case we’re pretty much doomed.”

  “Be nice,” Asia said, as usual taking on the the middle-child role of peacemaker. She was the balance between the two extremes. Where Kenya was levelheaded and focused, and Sidney was spontaneous and unpredictable, Asia was even-tempered and calm. “Now, speaking of Sidney, she called me earlier.”

  “Don’t tell me you two are at it again.”

  “No, no, nothing like that, we’re fine. She was right—he was a jerk. I guess I was too lazy to see it.”

  “You know what,” Kenya began, “I think we seriously underestimate our little sister. She has an astute ability to read people.”

  “She gets it from Mom. She can be really good at reading people when she puts her mind to it.”

  “You’re right. Anyway, what did Sidney want?”

  “She didn’t want anything, she was concerned about you. What’s going on down there? She said you were all upset about something this morning.”

  Kenya sighed. Sidney was far too intuitive her for own good. It was something Kenya, to her dismay, had never really mastered. “Nothing,” Kenya lied too quickly.

  “Wrong answer,” Asia said. “Try again. Acting and lying are seriously not your forte.”

  “Fine, but you have to promise you won’t tell Sidney. You know how she can be when she’s upset.”

  “Okay, but now I’m worried.”

  “Before they left for Africa, Dad told me and Mom that there’s a problem with the money.”

  “What kind of problem?”

  Kenya took a deep breath. “It’s all gone.”

  “What?” Asia said.

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I said. As far as I know, the house, the trip to Africa, the cars, your apartment, Sidney’s education and my place here are all safe. But everything else is gone.”

  “How is that possible? Where did it all go?” she asked.

  “That’s a good question,” Kenya said.

  “But he’s a millionaire, literally.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “That can’t be right. Wait, so what about Dad’s business?” she asked.

  “He said that it’s gone, too.”

  “Did he sell it?” Asia asked.

  “No, according to him, he was swindled.”

  “Swindled from him, like from a con man or something?”

  “See, that’s the part I don’t really get. He dropped this bomb on us two hours before they were leaving. I never got a chance to get all the details. I asked him about it when he called to say they arrived safely. He just said not to worry, and that he’d take care of everything when he got back.”

  “That’s a whole month from now. Anything can happen in that amount of time.”

  “Tell me about it,” Kenya readily agreed.

  “So wait, how can someone just take somebody else’s business like that? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Actually it does. It happens all the time—takeovers, mergers and boardroom coups. You hear about it all the time in the news.”

  “How is that possible? I thought that he was doing so well.”

  “I’m still confused about all that. But from what I gather, Dad made some bad investments and dried up all the cash. Apparently he put a lot of the money in real estate funds and they tanked. So he kept sinking more and more money into them and then all of a sudden there was nothing left. He lost everything.”

  “I can’t believe this. Didn’t he talk to somebody? Maybe he was given bad advice. Dad knows real estate. He doesn’t know investments.”

  “That means he should have researched the business himself. There’s no way he was given bad advice. How could he not know that his investments were tanking? No, something’s up. None of this makes any sense.”

  “Well, can’t he get the money back?”

  “Asia, when a person’s investments tank, there are no second chances, no do-overs. You can’t ask for your money back.”

  “I know that, but what if it was deliberate? And what about his so-called investment advisors? What were they doing all this time? Weren’t they supposed to protect him from this?”

  “That’s what I’m checking in to. Apparently his investment advisor owns the business now.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s definitely suspicious. I think Dad was right. He did get swindled.”

  “What about his partner, Calvin?”

  “I tried calling him yesterday. I even stopped by Dad’s office. It’s weird, everything is exactly the same. It’s like nothing changed. I asked about Calvin. He’s MIA. The people at the office said that he quit working there months ago.”

  “So the company is still open.”

  “Yes,” Kenya said.

  “But I thought you said that he lost the business.”

  “He lost it to someone else. They’re keeping it open.”

  “See, this makes no sense,” Asia said firmly.

  “I agree, none of this makes any sense.”

  “Do you think Dad just gambled it away?” Asia asked.

  “I hope not. I really hope not,” Kenya said. Asia sighed on the other side. There was silence as each considered the reality.

  “So wait, Dad told you all this right before they left. Where was I?”

  “You and Sidney were arguing, then both of you went into the house and she went to the store.”

  “That’s why everybody looked so shell-shocked when I came back down. I knew there was something going on. Okay, so what happens now?”

  “I looked around in Dad’s files and came up with a name. It’s the guy that owns the company now. I paid him a visit this morning.”

  “What happened, what did he say?”

  “We didn’t get to really talk about it. I’m gonna pay him another visit.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. Dad didn’t even want you to know. But I guess I just had to talk to somebody.”

  “I’m glad you told me.”

  “Sidney can’t know,” Kenya warned. “She’d be devastated. Then only heaven knows what she’d do.”

  “I understand,” Asia said. “So, when you try again and don’t get anywhere with this person, I guess we’re just gonna have to wait until Mom and Dad get back.”

  “We’ll see,” Kenya said, knowing that there
was no way she was just going to let it drop like that. She intended to get every last penny back before her parents came home.

  The sisters went on to discuss possible solutions, then ended the conversation talking about their parents in Africa. “Okay, do me a favor, keep me up on what’s going on,” Asia said.

  “Yeah, definitely,” Kenya promised. “Good luck with the commercial and the soap opera callback.”

  “Thanks. Call me later. See ya.”

  After hanging up Kenya went back to work. Surprisingly enough, she was more focused than ever. A few hours later she looked up. Shelly was walking back in loaded down with packages.

  “Hey, have you been sitting there working like that this whole time?”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Kenya responded. “What time is it?”

  Shelly looked at her watch. “It’s a little after five o’clock. Holy cow, Kenya, look what you did,” Shelly said, astonished.

  Kenya glanced around. Shelly was right, the workroom was a disaster. There were bits and pieces and scraps of fabric and swatches everywhere. Cut ribbons and threads littered the floor. Bolts of fabric lay half-unrolled, some on tables, chairs and even across a sewing machine. The only thing that wasn’t a mess were the six children’s designs on the forms against the wall.

  “You’re right. Oh, man, look at this place.”

  “Who cares what the place looks like, I’m talking about the garments,” she said as she walked over to the forms. “Look at these outfits. They’re fantastic.”

  Kenya walked over to stand beside Shelly. She tilted her head and squinted. She had to admit, the designs were good. Some of the outfits were in the beginning stages, while others were already complete.

  “Girl, what came over you? This morning you were saying that you were losing your focus and now this.”

  “I guess I got it back.”

  “I’ll say. Oh, my goodness. I know exactly what will go perfectly with this one. Hold on,” Shelly said, rummaging through one of the shopping bags she’d brought in with her. She pulled out a small baseball cap, grabbed a straight pin and a swatch of fabric. She cut, then pinned, a basketball on the cap, then placed it on top of a form. The outfit was complete.

  “Perfect, and what about—” Kenya began.

  “Ah, yeah, and we can do this,” Shelly finished.

  “Oh, cool, now how about this on the tracksuit. We can—”

  “Yeah, yeah, definitely, I like it. Maybe we can—”

  “Wait, over here on the dress—”

  A few minutes later they were both on a sewing machine. They added finishing touches and strokes of bold color. One cut a pattern, while the other designed and embroider-stitched an appliqué. They worked together, then separately, then back together again. Like a well-oiled machine, their technique was masterful. When they had finished, they stepped back to examine their work. “Girl, we are good,” Kenya said. Shelly nodded.

  They took a moment to review each of the outfits. Caps, socks, purses, belts, dresses, shirts, pants, sweatsuits—everything was perfect. This time they were complete outfits, head to toe.

  “I love them,” Shelly said.

  “Me, too,” Kenya added.

  “Each piece is exactly perfect.”

  “Talk about a signature style. Girl, I think we found it. These are fantastic.”

  “These are more than fantastic, they’re us.”

  Kenya and Shelly squealed happily while jumping and hugging each other. Maybe today wasn’t a total loss after all.

  “Okay, that’s it. I’m through for the night. My eyes are beginning to blur,” Shelly said, stretching.

  “Why don’t you go on home. I’ll clean this mess up.”

  “I think I’m gonna take you up on that. After the long drive to Baltimore, getting stuck in traffic, searching for remnants in a seventy-five-year-old shop, I’m exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “All right, good night.”

  Kenya walked over to the designs. She readjusted several items then grabbed her sketch pad and made a few notes for the clothes manufacturers. She removed a garment, turned it inside out then sat down at the sewing machine. She’d just tucked it beneath the metal foot when she heard something. She looked up to see Shelly walk back into the workroom. “I thought you were leaving,” she said, readjusting the needle and stitching.

  “Oh, I left, but then on my way out, we had a customer.”

  “A customer,” Kenya said, looking up from the sewing machine. “That’s impossible. We’re not open yet.”

  “You’ve been holding out on me. Now I know why you were so late and so frazzled this morning.”

  “What?”

  “There is a gorgeous man out front, with two adorable kids.”

  “What?” Kenya repeated. Her heart thundered. She knew exactly who it was. She got up and peeked out the door. She turned back. There was no one out there. She turned again and saw him standing up by the front counter. He had on a dark chocolate open-neck shirt with perfectly cut jeans and he looked good enough to eat. “Oh, no, I’m not ready for this. Get rid of him.”

  “No way,” Shelly said. “What happened to all your big talk? You wanted to get to him, so here’s your opportunity.”

  “Shelly, come on, get rid of him. I’m not ready. Just tell him that I’m out for the rest of the week.”

  “Look, go out there and take care of that man.”

  “Shelly—”

  “Don’t ‘Shelly’ me, girl, you are seriously overdue when it comes to getting your groove on.”

  “This isn’t up for debate, and for your information I am just fine when it comes to getting my groove on.” Shelly gave her the look. “Okay, fine, maybe not. But this is not the time to have this discussion. Get rid of him.”

  “Just go out there,” Shelly said.

  “No. I can’t. I’m not ready, I need to think this through,” she whispered.

  “See, that’s what your problem is, you think too much,” Shelly said. Kenya peeked out again. This time Shelly pushed her farther out and closed the door. “Shelly, you are so dead,” Kenya threatened.

  Trey turned. “Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you were standing me up.”

  “Standing you up? What are you talking about? What are you doing here?” she asked as she walked farther out into the front of the shop. She smiled when she saw the twins standing beside him, each holding an animal cracker in their hands.

  “Mamma Lou is on her way over and I—”

  Kenya walked over to the counter and grabbed tissues from the box. She turned. “I thought you were going to take care of that?”

  “Well, obviously I didn’t. Besides, weren’t you the one who didn’t want me to lie to a sweet old lady?” “That was before,” she said, smiling at Jonathan and Johanna as she knelt down and wiped their faces and hands. She looked up at him.

  “Before what?” he asked, penetrating into her eyes.

  “Never mind,” she said, looking away quickly to focus on the twins again. Her stomach quivered. Looking into his eyes was detrimental to her senses.

  “Look, all you have to do is pretend for a few hours.”

  “No,” she said and stood up quickly. “I can’t.”

  “Why not? You had no problem with it this morning,” Trey asked, reaching down to pick up Johanna.

  “That was this morning. Things changed,” she said.

  “What changed?” he asked as Johanna reached out for her. Kenya smiled and shook her hand playfully.

  “This isn’t my problem, I have work to do, and I can’t do it with you here. So I’m sure you can find your way out?” She turned to leave.

  “That’s not very hospitable, Kenya,” Trey said as he sat Johanna back down on the floor next to Jonathan.

  “I don’t feel like being very hospitable, Trey,” she said sternly.

  “Ah, come on, you’d throw two adorable children out on the street?” Trey said as he lowered his bottom lip to pout.
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br />   Kenya smiled even though she didn’t want to. “I’ve seen your house, remember? You’re not exactly destitute. Bye.”

  “Hi, again,” Shelly said, walking over with a stuffed animal in her hand. “Shelly Turner. I’m Kenya’s partner.”

  “Sorry, Shelly, this is Trey Evans,” Kenya said.

  They shook hands. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Shelly. Gross exaggerations, don’t believe everything you hear,” he said, looking directly at Kenya.

  “Funny, that’s exactly what I always say. A pleasure meeting you, too, Trey.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”

  “Listen, do you mind if I show the children our kids’ corner? It’s just over there. It’s enclosed with dozens of toys. I’m interested to see which toys are more entertaining. Call it a focus group survey.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Shelly. Trey and the twins were just leaving and so were you, remember?”

  “Oh, I can hang around awhile longer, no problem.”

  “Of course, Shelly. I think Johanna and Jonathan would be happy to participate in your focus group.” Trey handed Shelly the small box of animal crackers.

  Shelly leaned down and took each little hand. “It’ll give you two a chance to talk privately,” she whispered as they walked away.

  “Thanks, Shelly,” Kenya hissed through gritted teeth. Kenya turned to leave, as well.

  “You’re just gonna walk away and leave me like this. Isn’t there something I can do to persuade you?”

  Kenya turned and smiled. She decided to put everything on the table. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? You obviously know who I am by now. So let’s not insult each other’s intelligence. You also know what I want from you.”

  Trey smiled—her directness was refreshing. He liked it. “I do.”

  “Good, we have that straight. So what are we going to do about it?” she asked.

  Trey smiled. “We’re both businesspeople. I suggest we come to an amicable understanding.”

  “Agreed. Give my father back his company, give him back his money and—”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he interrupted.

  “—I won’t go to the SEC. End of understanding.”