by L. J. Taylor
“I know,” he said.
She opened her eyes to find him sitting on the couch smiling at her. He patted the space on the couch next to him. “Have a seat.”
She walked over and sat down next to him. “I can’t believe you had all this set up.” She waved her arm toward the refreshments. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I wanted to give you a nice welcome back,” he said.
“Look, we’ve got to talk. I don’t know what you expected to happen when I got out, but we can’t just pick up where we left off. Things have changed. We’ve spent a lot of time away from each other. I’m not the girl you knew back then.”
He grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her toward him.
“Hey!” she said.
He kissed her. The kiss was pleasant enough, but no fireworks ignited. While the human contact felt good after having been deprived for so long, she just didn’t feel the same thrill she used to. For the third time that day, she pushed Zeke back. “No. We’re not doing this. Look Zeke, I don’t want this. I don’t want you. Whatever we had died years ago. Besides, I’m on probation. I can’t afford any trouble or I go back to jail for another three years. And that is not happening.”
“I just thought we could spend some time together. That’s all. After all this time, you must have some needs. I wanted to take care of them for you, baby,” he said.
“Really? That’s sweet, but no thank you,” she said. “Look, what’s done is done. You don’t have to worry about me keeping your secret for you. I already did that and served the time. Let’s just go our separate ways from here.”
He stared into her eyes as if trying to read her mind. A small frown appeared between his brows. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Ivy nodded. “Yes. I’m sure.”
He nodded. “Okay then. But I’m going to miss you, baby. We had some hellified times together.”
Ivy smiled. “Yes, we did, but all things must come to an end.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek then rose from the couch. “Take care.”
She left the room and headed down the hall to the elevators. She pushed the elevator call button and breathed out a sigh of relief. She couldn’t believe how well Zeke had taken it when she told him she wanted out. She’d expected him to protest, maybe threaten her. He had a reputation for never letting “his girls” go, but she had never been one of his strippers. It had been three years since they’d last laid eyes on each other. That was a long time to expect someone to wait. Maybe he’d moved on and was relieved she didn’t want to cling to him. Maybe he’d changed – mellowed out a little. Maybe he just wasn’t that into her anymore. She wanted to believe it could be that easy, but something in her doubted it.
***
Zeke sat there for a moment after Ivy left. What kind of game was she playing? He didn’t buy for a second that she’d changed this much while she was away. The Ivy he knew would have given him hell for not coming to visit her in jail. She would have tried to make him pay for keeping her mouth shut too, but she wasn’t pissed or still in love with him. She was just done. He’d never run into that before. Women didn’t just drop him. They usually had to be flicked or pried off -- sometimes literally.
No, something was up. He didn’t believe her. And there was too much at stake to let her walk around if he couldn’t trust her. She knew too much. He took out his cell phone and called Terrell. “Are you sure you didn’t notice anything unusual about Ivy in the past couple of weeks? I just saw her and the bitch is acting really strange. She walked away and didn’t even ask for a cut. Can you believe that?”
“Naw, that doesn’t sound like her at all. She’s been laying low since she got out. The first night, she and this other bitch named Karen hit a few clubs on South Beach and got a little faded. Since then, all she’s done is go see her probation officer, stay at her sister’s crib, and go to work,” Terrell said.
“Well, you keep an eye on her. I want to know who she sees and what she does.”
“You got it.”
Chapter III
Ivy entered Kathy’s house wearing her hotel maid’s uniform. As soon as she got to her room, she stripped it off. She was tired, her feet hurt and her spirits were low. She’d worked at the hotel for two months. During her off hours, she’d signed up with several employment agencies, responded to numerous newspaper ads and gone on at least twenty job interviews. The interviews went well until the prospective employers realized she was an ex-con who’d just gotten out of jail. They quickly lost interest after that. She’d never had so many doors slammed in her face in her life. She wondered whether Karen was having the same problem. She decided to call her.
“Hello.” Karen sounded weary.
“Hey girl, it’s Ivy.”
“Ivy! Girl, it’s so good to hear your voice. How are you doing?” Karen’s voice perked up considerably.
Ivy smiled. “It’s good to hear your voice too. I’m doing okay. It’s frustrating though. My probation officer got me a gig working as a maid at the Airport Marriott. It doesn’t pay anything though, and I’ll never be able to support myself and Omari on this salary. I’ve been looking for a better job, but these employers don’t want to hear anything after they find out where I’ve been the past three years.”
“I know what you mean, girl,” Karen said. “They have me working in Home Depot as a stockperson at $7.00 an hour. I’ve been looking for something better too, but I’m having the same problem you are. Sometimes I’m tempted to just leave that minor detail off my application, but then I think about my parole officer showing up and getting me fired. It’s just not worth it. And to think I used to be a bookkeeper. No-one will ever trust me with their money now.”
“Don’t say that,” Ivy said. “Someone will. We’re just going to have to keep our heads up and keep trying until we get that one person to trust us. At least that’s what my sister says. I hope she’s right because this is a lot harder than I expected it to be. I can see why a lot of ex-cons end up going back. If no-one’s willing to give us a second chance, how are we supposed to move on with our lives?”
“My brother had an idea,” Karen said, “but I don’t know . . .”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Is it legal?” Ivy asked.
Karen laughed. “Of course it’s legal, fool. Do you remember how you and I used to make platters for the guys at the halfway house?”
“Yeah,” Ivy said. “So?”
“So, Luke suggested that you and I look into taking some culinary classes at Miami-Dade College. He thinks we can learn enough start our own catering business.”
“What? A catering business? Where are we supposed to get the money for that?” Ivy asked.
“Luke said he’d be willing to invest,” Karen said. “But first, we’d have to study and maybe work for a catering company for a while to learn the business--like that.”
“Hmmm. . . I always did like cooking. Let me think about this,” Ivy said.
“Sounds good,” Karen said. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too, girl,” Ivy said. She hung up and, for the first time in a long while, began to dream.
***
A few weeks later, Ivy stood in the hall outside the Registrar’s office at Miami-Dade College staring at her class schedule. She groaned. How was she going to fit this in with her work schedule? Why did she let that crazy girl talk her into taking two classes? They were on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from six to nine. Who was going to watch Omari while she was in class and when was she going to find time to study?
A headache began to form at the base of her neck. She glared at the door to the registrar’s office. Karen was still in there waiting in line. She was going to get an earful when she came out.
“Ivy?”
The deep masculine voice caused her pulse to speed up. She turned her head toward the speaker and found herself lost in Luke’s eyes. “Hi.”
“Hey.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
&nb
sp; The brief contact made Ivy’s pulse jump. She looked up at him, momentarily flustered by her response to the simple, friendly kiss and willed herself to pull it together. “Fancy meeting you here. What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I work here,” he said. “I teach Architecture 101.”
Ivy raised her eyebrows. “Oh. I didn’t know that. So you’re a professor?”
“I’m an adjunct professor – not full-time. I just teach the one class and then I work out there in the real world the rest of the time,” he said.
“I see.” She wanted to ask him more questions, but didn’t want to interrogate him. Besides, what did it matter? She wasn’t planning to date the guy.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Oh, Karen and I just signed up for some classes. She’s still in there.” Ivy waved a hand at the door to the Registrar’s office.
“I see. We’ll I’m glad you two decided to take my advice and study the culinary arts. She said that you’re an amazing cook.”
Ivy smiled. “Oh, I’ve been known to put some dishes together. Nothing fancy.”
He smiled. “Well, maybe one day I’ll get to have a taste.” His voice deepened suggestively, sending little ripples of excitement down her stomach.
Down girl. He was just flirting. No harm in that. She looked up into his eyes. “Maybe you will, someday.”
She watched his eyes darken slightly.
“Oh, there you are. Girl, I thought you’d left,” Karen said.
Ivy broke off eye contact with Luke and turned to look at Karen. “I almost did. I can’t believe I let you talk me into signing up for not one but two evening classes. How am I supposed to do this with a full-time job and a kid?”
Karen smiled and waved a hand. “Oh, you’ll make it work. Maybe your sister can babysit Omari while you’re in class.” She turned to Luke and gave him a hug. “Hey big bro, we’re all signed up for the Culinary Arts Program.”
He nodded. “Yes, Ivy was just telling me. I’m glad you guys decided to go for it.”
He looked at Ivy. “When are your classes?”
Ivy checked the schedule. “They’re on Tuesdays and Thursdays from six to nine in the evenings.”
“I usually don’t teach on Tuesdays or Thursdays,” he said. “If you get into a bind and you can’t find babysitting, I can keep an eye on Omari for you while you go to class.”
Ivy bit her lip. “Oh no. I mean--that’s very sweet, and thank you so much for offering, but I couldn’t possibly impose upon you like that.”
“It’s not an imposition at all. You and lil’ sis have a shot at following your dreams. It would be great if you could do that together and encourage each other along the way. I’m happy to do anything I can to help.”
Ivy stared at him, impressed. She could tell he meant what he said. He didn’t sound at all like the badass Karen had made him out to be. She’d have to have a little chat with her buddy. “Okay, well thank you very much. I really appreciate the offer. I’ll talk to my sister and let you know if I need to take you up on it.”
“Okay, just let me know.”
***
The Gods must have been smiling down on her, because, a week later, Ivy sat across the desk from Jodi Maxwell, Esq., a partner at the law offices of Maxwell & Jacobs, to interview for a job as a legal secretary.
She had applied online. She almost didn’t submit the application because she’d never worked as a legal secretary before and wasn’t sure she’d be up to the task. Kathy, however, assured her she had the basic skills for the job and offered to help her learn the ropes. She’d been thrilled when the law firm asked her to come in for an interview.
Jodi Maxwell was an attractive redhead in her mid-forties dressed in an iron grey pantsuit that had to have cost a pretty penny. She reviewed Ivy’s resume and then looked up and pinned Ivy to her seat with a penetrating green-eyed stare. Ivy could see why she had a reputation for being a great trial attorney. That stare probably put the fear of God into the witnesses she cross-examined and had them babbling the truth whether they wanted to or not.
“With your criminal history, why should I trust you?” she asked.
The question shouldn’t have surprised Ivy, but it did. In all the interviews she’d had so far, no-one else had bothered to ask her the question. They’d just judged her and passed her over. This was the first time someone actually put the issue out there in the open. How could she make this woman understand that she really wanted to change her life?
Ivy took a deep breath and dove in. “You have no reason to on paper, but I’m a good person who made a mistake. I was young and stupid and got involved with the wrong man. I’ve had several years to reflect on that, but now, it’s not just about me. I have my son to think about. I want to make a better life for him. I can’t do that if I’m in jail or if I can’t make enough money to support us.” She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly in her seat. “Look. I’ve already made some changes since I’ve been released from prison. I’ve enrolled in school and I’m taking my classes seriously for the first time in my life. Whether you hire me or not, I intend to succeed. I can only hope you’re willing to give me a chance.”
Jodi Maxwell stared at her for a minute as if trying to read her mind, then she nodded. “Well, it says here that you can type sixty words a minute. Your high school grades are pretty good and your work experience in customer service will serve you well in filling in for the receptionist from time to time. I’ll see you first thing on Monday.”
Ivy wasn’t sure she’d heard her correctly. She frowned and tilted her head to the side. “I don’t understand. Does that mean you’re hiring me?”
Jodi Maxwell smiled at her. “Yes. You’re hired. I have to warn you though that we work crazy hours at this place – especially when we’re in trial. Since we’re a small firm, I expect for you to pitch in for whatever work we need. That means if we need for you to fill in for the receptionist, or to be a messenger or a word processor, you’ll do it. You’ll have a six month probationary period. If there are any problems with your performance or attendance during that time period, you’re out. Understood?”
Ivy smiled. “Understood. Thank you so much for giving me this chance.”
“You’re welcome. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a client coming in here in an hour and I have to get ready for our meeting. See you Monday.”
“See you Monday,” Ivy said. She got up and left the office feeling as if she were walking on air. She couldn’t stop smiling.
***
Three weeks later, Ivy and Karen had lunch at a restaurant near Ivy’s office.
“So,” Karen asked, “how’s the new job going?”
“So far, so good,” Ivy said. “Knock on wood.” She rapped her knuckles on the wooden table a couple of times.
Karen laughed. “I wish I was as adaptable as you are. You’ve never worked as a legal secretary before, right?”
“No, but it’s just like any other job. You learn as you go. Plus Kathy taught me how to file pleadings with the Court and other things her secretary used to do for her. That helped a lot. It’s interesting working in a law firm and seeing what she used to do. I can see why she got out though. My boss is getting ready to go to trial in this insurance case and it’s been pretty crazy. We’ve been working all hours of the day and night. It’s kind of exciting, but I’ll be glad when it’s over and things are a little calmer. I don’t know how I’m going to manage hours like these when I get Omari back.”
“When’s he coming back? I know you must miss him,” Karen said.
“Girl, I miss him so much. My mother’s bringing him to Kathy’s house this weekend. She’s going to stay with us for a few days so we can make the transition. In the meantime, I need to start looking for a place. As comfortable as it is living with Kathy and Charles, it’s time I moved out and started my own life.”
“Where are you looking?” Karen asked.
“Anywhere decent that’s withi
n my price range. Easier said than done, I know.” Ivy grimaced. “I haven’t had much luck so far.”
“You know, there are some vacant apartments in my brother’s building,” Karen said. “I was going to go there and look at some after work. Why don’t you come with me?”
“That sounds good to me. Do they have two bedroom apartments?” Ivy asked.
“Yes, I think they do. It’s in North Miami Beach which is kind of far away from your office, but the neighborhood’s decent. Plus, a lot of cops live in that building, so they don’t have break-ins,” Karen said.
“North Miami Beach isn’t that far and it’s worth the commute to find a decent building in a decent neighborhood in my price range. So, how’s your fine ass brother doing these days?”
“Luke? Oh he’s good. I don’t see him much. I’ve been working all kinds of hours at Home Depot. I applied to be a driver at Supershuttle and got the job. I start there next week. The pay there is a lot better and they get tips,” Karen said.
“I was really surprised to find out that Luke is a college professor and an architect. You always talked about him being such a badass, but you never mentioned that he’d turned his life around. Why is that?” Ivy asked.
Karen grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “You never asked.”
Ivy sent her friend a bland stare.
Karen’s grin faded. She hunched her shoulders. “You know how it is when you don’t want anybody to mess with you. I told the stories about my badass brother because they were true and they made people in that place believe he could reach out and touch them if they messed with me.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t see any need to mention the fact that he’d straightened up. The truth is he finished school a couple of years before I went in. I wasn’t surprised. He always was smart. I just didn’t believe he’d actually stick with it and get a nine to five afterwards, but he did. He was really determined to change his life after they killed Kesa and Shawn,” she said.