by nikki blaire
I’ll have to get to this tomorrow. I’m headed over.
Tremaine text her, while she sat in her office packing up for the evening. She sighed in relief. Having looked at that proposal all day, she was thankful for the reprieve. Tremaine text her again when he was downstairs, which made Ayda’s nerves flare up. She had wanted to go to the recital so badly, but now she was having second thoughts. What if Sasha didn’t want her there? What if it was awkward?
She tried to force her insecurities out of her mind as she climbed into Tremaine’s SUV. He kissed her once she got in and made small talk on the way to Sasha’s school, but her stomach was in knots. They arrived and parked, and then Tremaine came around to open her door.
“These things always have the best cookies.” Tremaine went straight to a refreshment table after they walked in. “I don’t know if they go to a special bakery or what.” He returned with a handful on a napkin.
“You want some?” He offered her, completely oblivious to Ayda’s discomfort.
“Um, no. I’m fine.” She waved the cookies away.
“We usually go eat after these things. I’m always starving by then. You want to come?” He motioned for her to follow him deeper into the hallway. “The recital hall is down this way.”
“Sure. Dinner would be great.” She responded to his question, while she looked around. The school was obviously upscale and probably cost Tremaine a ton to keep Sasha there. She also couldn’t help but notice some of the other mothers who were openly staring at her, while she and Tremaine found seats. The show hadn’t started yet, but Tremaine mentioned that Sasha was already backstage getting ready.
“I’m gonna go backstage and give her a gift, if you wanna come.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to infringe on your special time.”
“Ayda, just c’mon.” He shook his head then held out his hand for her to grab. “She’ll be happy to know you’re here.” He led her to the backstage area, where they found Sasha dressed in a pink and green tutu. Her hair was pulled into a high bun on the top of her head with blush and glitter on her face. She was grinning from ear to ear, as she practiced her ballet moves.
“Ladybug.” Tremaine called out to her. She spun around and her face lit up once she saw him.
“Daddy!” She raced to him then jumped in his arms. Ayda moved aside, not wanting to get in their way.
“You ready for the show?” He put her back down on the ground then held his fist out for her to tap with her own.
“Yep, yep.” Sasha finally turned her eyes towards Ayda. “Ms. Ayda! You came! I’m gonna dance for the peoples. It’s gonna be real good cuz I practiced.”
Ayda had to laugh at Sasha’s confidence. She kneeled down to meet Sasha eye to eye.
“I know you’ll be absolutely perfect. Thanks for letting me come to see your show.”
“Duh, you’re Daddy’s friend.” She smiled then grabbed Ayda’s hand and placed it in her father’s.
“I have to start my dance.” She left them to go back to her group.
“Now, you see what I’m talking about.” Tremaine squeezed Ayda’s hand then led her back to their seats. “She’s four going on 24, and I can’t take it.” He let her sit down first then took the seat next to her.
“She’s definitely going to be a show stopper. Her teenage years are going to be so different from mine. She’s outgoing as hell. I see homecoming queen already.”
Tremaine scowled at her.
“Naw, she’s gonna be a brainiac. I want her to be all the things that I wasn’t. Homecoming queen won’t get her into college.”
Ayda placed her hand on Tremaine’s shoulder, while she shook her head at him.
“Sorry to break it to you, Tremaine, but women can be homecoming queens and brainiacs at the same time.”
“I know that.” He playfully pushed away her hand. “You know what I meant.”
The two of them settled into their seats, while they waited for the show to start. Sasha’s dance troupe came out onto the stage and blew everyone away with the ballet performance. As soon as the show finished, Tremaine and Ayda made their way to the exit to wait for Sasha to come out. While they waited, one of Sasha’s teacher’s approached them.
“Tremaine. It’s so great to see you. Sasha was amazing as usual.”
The tall, fair skinned woman was extremely fit and pretty. Ayda assumed she was Sasha’s dance teacher and was initially dismissive until the woman reached out to touch Tremaine’s arm, while she laughed at something corny that he said.
“Ayda, baby. This is Sasha’s dance teacher.” He introduced her into the conversation by pulling her closer.
“Hi.” Ayda tersely held out her hand for the woman to shake. She limply took Ayda’s hand, clearly disapproving of Tremaine calling her baby.
“Good evening. It’s great to finally meet Sasha’s mother.” She was trying to take a jab at the woman whose sanity Ayda also questioned. Unfortunately, Ayda wasn’t the culprit behind Tremaine’s single fatherhood.
“Uh, she’s not Sasha’s mother. She’s my friend.” Tremaine cut in.
“Oh, well, still great to meet you. Tremaine’s such an engaged father. I’ll bring Sasha out to you.” She eyed him again before dismissing herself.
“Are you kidding me? Tremaine you’re such an engaged father.” Ayda mocked the woman once she left. “She acted like I wasn’t even standing here. All of these women are just staring like I stole the king of their pride.”
“C’mon, baby, it’s not even like that. Sasha’s teacher is just real nice. She’s always like that.” He pulled her into a hug and began to playfully nibble at her cheek.
“Is she? That’s good to know. Maybe I should start coming with you to drop Sasha off in the mornings.”
“You’re a little possessive.” He whispered in her ear. “And I like it.” He started to rub his hands down her arms, but stopped once Sasha came around the corner. She ran to them, now dressed in what she had worn to school that day. Tremaine picked her up and they all loaded up in his SUV to go have dinner.
“Pizza day!” Sasha shrieked once they pulled out of the school parking lot.
“Pizza day?” Ayda turned to Tremaine in confusion.
“I always take her for pizza after her dance recitals. We can eat something else if you’re not into it.”
“Boy, please. Are you kidding me? I know just the place.” She pulled out her phone and typed an address into her GPS system. “I hope Sasha likes deep dish.”
“Dip dish!” She shrieked behind Ayda then started to excitedly ramble about her recital.
Dinner was fun and a good change from Ayda’s generally quiet nights alone. Sasha was a bundle of energy and kept both her and Tremaine laughing, while they shared pizza. After dinner, Tremaine took Ayda home. He helped her out of the car then lingered in the lobby with her for a moment.
“Thanks for inviting me. I wanted to ask but,”
“You’re stubborn and prideful. I know.” Tremaine held her hand to his lips then brushed a small kiss across her hand. “You know you can talk to me, especially about us. If something’s changed, you can let me know.”
“Nothing’s changed, well, some things have changed…” She tried to collect her thoughts, but ultimately gave up. Now, wasn’t the time to dig into their relationship with Sasha waiting in the car.
“We can talk about it later. Thanks for a great night. I had fun.”
“You had fun eating pizza with a four-year-old?” He side eyed her. “I swear, you’re something special, Ayda Forde.”
“Henley.” She couldn’t help herself from making a reference to his comment this morning.
“About that?” He started to explain, but she placed a finger over his lips.
“Let’s save it for our talk.” She leaned in to kiss him then let him go.
“Goodnight, Ayda.” He walked out of the lobby.
“Goodnight, Tremaine.” She gave him a small smile and wave, as he climbed back in the driver
’s seat. A moment later, the backseat window rolled down. Sasha stuck her tiny head out of the open window and waved enthusiastically.
“Night night, Ms. Ayda!” She yelled before Tremaine scolded her to let up the window. The scene made Ayda giggle harder than she had in a long while. She really had enjoyed her time with them. So much so that it even shocked her. Just a month ago, she was wondering about the precious little girl and her father. Now, she was starting to wonder how she ever lived without them.
Chapter Fourteen
Ayda rolled over to her empty bed and frowned. She had grown used to Tremaine coming over in the mornings and having his hard body next to her. Instead, all that was there was her phone buzzing away. She checked it and found a flurry of texts from Renee, all stating that she needed to be in the office on time if she wanted to pitch her proposal to the executives. Apparently, her boss and the firm’s CEO were flying out of the country tomorrow. She wouldn't be able to wait for Tremaine's input and would have to wing some of it, but she would get it done.
“Great.” Ayda groaned. She text Tremaine letting him know that she couldn’t meet this morning then dragged herself out of bed. She glanced at her phone again to see Tremaine’s response. He had sent her several sad faced emojis along with pictures from Sasha’s recital and their dinner together. She smiled at the pictures then began to hum, while she got dressed for the day.
Soon, she was strutting into the office. She said hello to the front receptionist, then stopped by Renee’s desk to check in.
“You look determined this morning.” Renee grinned as she handed Ayda all of the documents that she needed.
“I want this to go great for us.”
“Us?”
“Yes.” Ayda cut her eyes at Renee. “Us, as in you and me. Thank you for pulling all of this together last minute. You know, if I get this promotion, I know I’ll still need an assistant. But, I think it may be time for you to look into getting your own name out there. It’s been two years.”
Renee rolled her eyes.
“Ayda, don’t try and butter me up. I know you meant you and Tremaine. You and your man.” She playfully shook her shoulders.
“I’m not doing this with you this morning. Let’s go.” She took everything that she needed and followed behind Renee to where Mr. Whitman was having a meeting. She and Renee caught him just as he walked out then asked if they could have a moment of his time in his office. He obliged, so they followed him to the executive floor.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of you two ladies pouncing on me so early in the morning?” He sat behind his grand desk, while Ayda laid out her documents in front of him. Renee pointed out the important passages for him to skim then Ayda started her pitch.
“Mr. Whitman, I wanted to talk with you before your trip. It’s come to my attention that Forde Financials wants to launch a community engagement PR campaign with an initial focus on affordable housing, a major issue in the city. This would be a great opportunity for the firm to corner this market. Social activism, corporate responsibility, and community engagement are being weaved into major corporation ads. I believe that Washington, D.C., as it becomes a new business hub, will follow that trend. So, let’s get on it and build the expertise and reputation of delivering great work by taking this on.”
Mr. Whitman lazily dragged his eyes over the materials that Renee had prepared then sat in silence. Ayda sucked her bottom lip between her teeth in anxiety, while all of the things she should have done spiraled in her head. Maybe she shouldn’t have presented a half-baked idea. Maybe she should have waited to hear from Tremaine, and maybe she should have let Mr. Whitman go on vacation and then discussed it when he came back.
“Ms. Forde, you amaze me every time. Detailed work and analysis.” He put the materials aside. “If you think it’s worth a shot, then take it. I can’t imagine that your father’s firm would do anything that hasn’t been well thought out.”
He leaned forward in his chair and motioned for Ayda to sit down.
“Would you excuse us for a moment, Ms. Covington?” He looked up at Renee who nodded then quickly scurried out of the room.
“Ayda.”
Her gut clenched. Something was coming if he was calling her by her first name.
“When I hired you, it was because you were passionate and creative. You rose up the ranks and I knew we had found someone who would thrust this firm into the next level of marketing and PR. You’ve got great instincts and you know what makes this community’s heart beat.”
“Why, thank you, Mr. Whitman. I just want to do the best that I can, while I can.”
“Exactly. You’ve always got the right attitude.” He reached into his desk and pulled out two sheets of paper that were held together by a paperclip. “That’s why I want you to be Prestige’s new Vice President of Community Engagement.” He passed the papers to her.
“This is your offer letter. Take the time to look it over while I’m gone. I was going to do it when I got back, but per usual, you beat me to the punch. We’re lucky to have you and we want to do what’s necessary to keep you.”
Her mouth had fallen open and she was just short of drooling. She got the promotion. She was a vice president at Prestige.
“But what about Renee?” Her mind started to work again. “Does she stay with the new hire or does she come with me?”
She had just promised Renee that she would look out for her if this happened, and she wanted to keep her word. Renee worked just as hard on these projects as she did.
“She can do whatever you’d like. Personally, I think she’s shown her ability to serve as a manager on your accounts, which will be helpful to whoever comes in as the director over her. But I’ll let you two work it out, as long as her salary stays within this price point.”
He scribbled down a number that was $20,000 more than what Renee was currently making.
“Capeesh?” He winked at Ayda before standing up. “I’ll have my assistant follow up with what's outlined in your proposal. I’ve got a flight to catch.”
“Of course, Mr. Whitman, and thank you.” She shook his hand then quickly exited. Once out of the door, Ayda practically ran back to her office. She found Renee sitting at her desk and practically yanked her into her office.
“What’s on fire, girl?” She rubbed her aching arm.
“You’re going to want to sit down for this.” She hurriedly motioned towards the chair in front of her desk.
“Okay.” Renee did as she was told and then crossed her legs. “I can’t tell if the pitch went really well or really bad.” She tried to assess the situation from Ayda’s eyes, but still came up short.
“It went very well, Renee. Extremely well. So well, in fact, that we’re packing up our shit and moving to the executive floor!”
“Shut the hell up! You got the promotion?”
“Boaw!” Ayda dropped the offer letter on the table. “And you’re coming with me, if you want to. Mr. Whitman also said that you could stay here as a manager with this as your new salary.”
She handed Renee the paper that Mr. Whitman had scribbled on. She looked at it then stared at Ayda with her eyes wide.
“You have got to be kidding me. You’re playin.”
“Would I play about something like this? We did it!” Ayda came from around her desk and pulled Renee into a tight hug, while they both screamed in excitement. All of Ayda’s hard work had paid off, and after telling Renee, the next person she wanted to call was Tremaine.
“We have to go out and celebrate. Call your friends. It’s going down tonight.” Renee shrieked and pulled out her phone to start planning a party, but Ayda stalled. She didn’t have any friends. There was just Renee, Tremaine, and Sasha seemed to like her enough, but she doubted that it was appropriate for a four-year-old to attend this kind of a celebration.
“Uh, you can call my brothers and see if they want to come out.” Was all that Ayda could offer. Thankfully, Renee understood and promised to take care of everything
.
“You just be ready to turn up. You hear me? Now, go ahead and call your man. I know that’s what you’ve been wanting to do.”
Ayda rolled her eyes, even though Renee was right.
My man.
Too bad Tremaine really wasn’t her man. They still hadn’t talked about their relationship, although she wanted to now more than ever. His idea had pushed her over the top. He made her better and that was something that she didn’t want to lose. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number, but was disappointed when it went to voicemail.
A text from him popped up soon after she hung up.
Call you back in a second baby.
She quickly replied, but was antsy while she waited for him to return her call.
****
Tremaine glared at his phone, while Trinity continued to whine in his ear. She was at the airport and had been counting on him to pick her up. He repeated the same response to her again.
“Trinity, you didn’t tell me you were flying in today. I told you that I could pick you up if it worked with my schedule. How can you be upset when you didn’t check with me first?”
“Because I told you I was coming in a month. You should’ve been paying attention.”
For a second, he thought she had a point, but quickly dismissed it. She was not his responsibility anymore.
“Trinity, I’m not doing this. You want me to get you an Uber to where you’re going or what? I’ve got things to do. I’m at work.”
“How busy can leasing apartments be, Tremaine?” She spat at him in annoyance. “I’m already in an Uber, so it doesn’t matter now.”
He wanted to correct her about his job, but he let that go as well. He didn’t have anything to prove to Trinity anymore. At one point in his life, his dreams of being a somebody were partially based on wanting to prove to her that she had made the wrong decision to leave him behind. Now, he didn’t care for her approval. He approved of himself, Sasha approved of him as a father, and Ayda approved of him as a man.
“Lemme call my girl back.”