Swirl

  Keon smiled and leaned against the counter. His smile was more of a lazy grin, like he had a trick up his sleeve, unlike the playful one Jayce had.

  “No, but hopefully he won’t be gone too long,” he said. “There’s really no telling how everything will work out when Vivianne is involved in it.”

  “Oh yeah,” I said nonchalantly.

  “Yeah,” he said with the smirk on his face growing even wider. “I think he needs to cut her loose and move on to someone new.”

  I agree … .

  “Well, people change. Vivianne could be on the road to being her old self again,” I said.

  Keon snorted and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You can’t sugarcoat shit,” he growled, folding his arms across his chest. His sleeve rolled up a bit to reveal a Marine tattoo.

  “Military man?” I asked, pointing at his arm.

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “That is a beehive you don’t want to poke right now. I got out a little while ago and life has been tough ever since. I’m happy I was able to link back up with Jayce. One thing I can say about my cousin is, he’s there when you need him.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said. “I was at my lowest point and he helped pull me back onto my feet.”

  He nodded and smiled again, but it was not as bright this time. “Well we’re here now and I’m sure everything will work out just fine. Jayce is a great guy and takes care of the people in his life. I just hope he gets rid of the leech that’s trying to suck him dry.”

  Do I agree or disagree? Um …

  “I just want him to be happy,” I said. That’s a safe answer … right?

  “Yeah … me too. I’m going to go ahead and restock the stuff that’s low,” he said, grabbing a towel off the counter.

  “Cool, if you need me I’ll be in the back doing a little work.”

  A few hours later, we’re ready for the evening rush and Keon and I had developed our own little system. Everything was much better this time around than it was this morning. Keon’s military precision started to peek through a little. He kept moving stuff until it was arranged just right on the tables. I was finally able to get him to leave nearly an hour after the usual time. I waited while he turned off the lights and locked the door. There wasn’t another car in the parking lot so I wasn’t sure how he got to work. Before I knew it, he was pulling me in for another big hug.

  Okay, apparently he’s serious about the whole hugging situation.

  “Today was a good day, and tomorrow will be better,” he said.

  “Yeah,” I mumbled into his chest. “That sounds like something you would read from a fortune cookie.”

  He let me go and stood back with a big grin. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said turning to leave.

  “Are you walking home?” I asked.

  “It’s not far,” he replied.

  “Come on, I’ll drop you off,” I said, walking to my car.

  After a few adjustments to the seat in order to accommodate his large size, we were ready to ride out.

  “Thanks, Bri,” he said once we got to Jayce’s house.

  “No problem. I’ll be here bright and early to pick you up tomorrow!” I yelled out of the window.

  He nodded and disappeared inside the house. I liked Keon, he reminded me of Jayce, but he was a bit more mysterious. Kirsten would probably hit it off with him, she liked mysterious men. I made it home and searched for something to eat. Jayce left without going over the rest of my health plan, so I tried to find a relatively healthy snack that wouldn’t upset my stomach.

  I ate, showered, and climbed into bed in the same spot Jayce was laying in before. The faint scent of his cologne still clung to the sheets, and I fell asleep with him on my mind.

  The next few days went by in a blur, but Keon and I managed to hold down the fort. I had to admit, I was starting to get nervous because neither one of us had heard from Jayce at all.

  “Have you tried to call him?” I asked.

  “Yep, but he didn’t answer,” he muttered. “I thought about calling Vivianne, but I absolutely can’t stand the sound of her voice.”

  I tried to keep the smile from spreading across my face, but I couldn’t help it. “Why don’t you like her?”

  He snorted a laughed and arched his eyebrow. “I’ve never liked her. I can see right through her bullshit. Jayce is just now starting to see her for who and what she is. No matter how pretty the house is on the outside, if the foundation is fucked up, then the house is too,” he grumbled. “I’m just glad he hasn’t gotten into a situation he can’t reverse, because he’ll really be stuck then.”

  I decided to step out on a limb and see where the conversation could lead. “What kind of woman do you think he needs?”

  Keon narrowed his eyes and smiled. “I think he needs a woman that understands his dreams instead of trying to tear them apart. Family is a very big part of our culture, we’re all very close, and it’s hard to be around Vivianne. No one in our family likes her, and that’s a problem. Of course I’m the only one that will say it out loud,” he explained. “Are you coming to the barbecue tomorrow?”

  “Um … yeah,” I stammered, thrown off by the change in topics. “You’re still having it?”

  “Hell, yeah,” he chuckled. “Make sure you bring some friends. We’re gonna have food and drinks while we party all night long!”

  I smiled at his excitement, but my mind was stuck on Jayce.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I woke up with a familiar leg thrown over me. “Kirsten,” I mumbled. “What the hell?”

  She groaned and rolled over. “I got in late last night and didn’t feel like driving all the way to my house.”

  “Well scoot over,” I muttered. She shuffled over a little and started snoring again. Kirsten always showed up at weird times and just made herself comfortable. It didn’t bother me though because I enjoyed her company. She’s the sister I never asked for, but I loved her just the same.

  A couple of hours later, I woke up again with our arms and legs intertwined. Most of the time, Kirsten’s cute and put together, but she looked so funny asleep. Her eyelids were half closed and her mouth was wide open. She was such a horrible sleeper with all of her tossing and turning. I tried to push her over a little, but she didn’t move an inch.

  “Kirsten,” I whined. “Moveeee.”

  “Huh?” she snorted.

  I pushed her over again and managed to wiggle free this time. By the time I brushed my teeth and showered, Kirsten was sitting on the edge of the bed yawning.

  “Are you cooking breakfast?” she asked.

  “We have oatmeal,” I replied. “Do you want that?”

  She frowned and stretched as she headed toward the bathroom. “I want waffles,” she muttered.

  I rolled my eyes and went downstairs. Waffles sounded great, but I knew Jayce wouldn’t approve. Kirsten would just have to eat some eggs and oatmeal like me. Today was my day off, but I was thinking about going to the coffee shop just to check on things. It hit me last night: I’m the only person working in the shop that’s not related to Jayce. Was that weird? I grabbed my phone to text Keon to see if he’d heard from him yet and to find out whether or not we needed to bring anything for the party tonight.

  I had two messages on my phone, one from Mom letting me know she was coming home tomorrow and one from Jayce. My heart raced and my palms were sweaty from anticipation. I’d been waiting to see his name flash across the screen for a long time and now I was nervous to open the message. I clicked the flashing envelope, held my breath, and waited.

  Jayce: See you tonight.

  See you tonight? That’s it? Damn, no explanation or anything?

  I was happy he was back, but I wanted the details. Actually, I wanted to be nosey and find out what happened with Vivianne.

  “I don’t smell waffles,” said Kirsten, coming up behind me.

  She’d showered and had put on one of my T-shirts. “I know you don’t smell wa
ffles, because we don’t have waffles. We have oatmeal and eggs,” I explained.

  “Yuck,” she muttered. “Oatmeal reminds me of eating a bowl of glue. It’s so sticky and it clumps together.”

  “When have you eaten glue?” I questioned.

  She leaned against the fridge and crossed her ankles. “I’m a curious person, Bri,” she said.

  I shook my head and reached for a small pot to boil the water in. “You’re an adult eating glue.”

  Kirsten laughed and walked into the living room. “I’m so glad I came home this weekend. I can’t wait for the party to get started tonight. Do you think there will be any single guys? Maybe I’ll snag a man,” she said.

  That reminded me, I never did text Keon, but now that Jayce was home I felt like I should text him instead. I decided to play it safe and text them both. Kirsten was on the floor propped up on her elbows flipping through a magazine when I came into the living room with my food.

  “Where’s mine?” she asked.

  “What? You said oatmeal tastes like glue,” I huffed.

  “Well that doesn’t mean I’m not hungry,” she said.

  I puckered my lips and narrowed my eyes, and I was pretty sure I looked just like Gram-Gram right then. “Go get some out of the kitchen,” I replied. “This is mine.”

  She frowned and stuck her tongue out at me as she walked back into the kitchen to get her own food. “What else is on the agenda for the day?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t have anything planned other than washing clothes and cleaning up around the house.”

  “Lame,” she mumbled.

  My phone buzzed and I picked it up to read my messages.

  Jayce: Nothing.

  Jayce’s message was short and straight to the point. I was starting wonder if he was okay, because he was usually a little more upbeat in his messages. I scrolled down to read the next message and smiled.

  Keon: Bring hot girls…really hot girls.

  Keon’s response seemed like something he would say. I pictured a goofy grin on his face while he typed it. Even though I hadn’t known him long, I felt like we were old friends.

  “There’s a guy I want to introduce you to at the party,” I said.

  Kirsten’s eyes widened and she cocked her head to the side, batting her lashes. “Really? Give me all the details. Is he hot? Does he have kids? What about his teeth, does he have nice teeth?” she asked all at once.

  “Calm down,” I said, nearly choking on a mouthful of the thick oatmeal. “His name is Keon, he’s one of Jayce’s cousins. He has short dark hair, and a very nice smile. I’m not sure if he has kids or not. I know he just got out of the military not too long ago.”

  “You know I love a man in a uniform,” she murmured.

  “Yeah, well he’s wearing a different uniform now, but I think you’ll like him,” I said.

  “Hmmm, now you know I definitely have to make sure I’m looking my best tonight,” she said.

  Damn, I shouldn’t have mentioned him until after we had left the house. Now she’s going to take all day and part of the night to get ready.

  “He’s a simple guy, I don’t think he cares about stuff like that,” I said.

  Kirsten frowned and folded her arms across her chest. “Guys always care about that stuff. No man is going to be proud telling people you’re his girlfriend if you are looking a hot mess,” she said.

  We finished our breakfast and in classic Kirsten style, she took all day to get ready. I looked like the ugly step-sister standing next to her. She served nothing less than straight Hollywood Red carpet from head to toe. Her long tresses were piled on top of her head in a messy bun. The skin-tight black dress she wore had a mesh covered opening in the front, giving an excellent view of her cleavage.

  “Why are you putting that dark powder on your face?” I asked.

  She carefully swept the brush down the sides of her nose and into the hollows of her cheeks. “I’m contouring. This helps make the face look slimmer if you do it right.”

  Slimmer? I wonder if it works on thighs too …

  “Hurry up,” I whined. “I need you to do my makeup too.”

  We were going to a house party but Kirsten acted like we were going to a movie premiere. My taste was a bit tamer than hers, so I decided to wear the outfit Jayce picked out for me the other day.

  “I’m almost done,” she muttered, widening her eyes for yet another coat of mascara. Minutes later she was finally done and ordered me to take several pictures of her, just so she could see how the makeup looked in photos.

  “Seriously, Kirsten, are we almost done now?” I asked. “At the rate we’re going my makeup will never get done and we’ll be late for the party too.”

  “Just four more, okay?”

  I rolled my eyes and tossed the phone onto the bed. “C’mon, Kirsten, I don’t want to be late.”

  A smile spread across her face. “You’ve never been this impatient about getting your makeup done. You usually complain the entire time. Is this because your boyfriend is back?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I grinned. “I just want to look nice.”

  She crossed her arms and puckered her lips, making kissy faces at me. “Bri’s gotta boyfriend,” she teased.

  “You’re such a big kid,” I joked. “But if you don’t hurry up, I’ll do my own makeup and tell everybody you did it.”

  She snatched her brushes off of the bathroom counter. “Let’s get started. I refuse to allow you to embarrass me like that.”

  As usual, she was able to work her magic and I looked amazing, nearly completely unrecognizable. She did some of the contouring stuff on my face this time, and she was right, it made me look noticeably smaller. We grabbed our purses and headed out the door. I reminded Kirsten several times on the way to the car about her dangerously high dress as it inched up even higher.

  Her entire ass is going to be broadcasted to the World before the night is over.

  “I think you like your dress being like that,” I said.

  She tilted her head to the side and fluttered her lashes. “I’m just having a little fun, Mom. One of these day’s I’m going to get you into an outfit like this.”

  “There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening,” I snorted.

  Chapter Twenty

  My hands trembled as soon as we rounded the corner to Jayce’s house. Seeing all of the cars parked outside gave me pause. I was so much better being one on one with people as opposed to large groups.

  “Girl, look at all the cars. It looks like we’re about to have a real good time,” said Kirsten excitedly.

  My stomach did a series of small flips as I parked and took several deep breaths to settle my nerves.

  “All right, let’s go,” I said with a sense of forced courage.

  Kirsten pushed the door open before I had the chance to fully stop the car. Together we knocked on the door and waited. The sound of loud music and muffled voices could be heard through the door. After a few more minutes of knocking, somebody finally answered.

  “Hello, you must be Bri,” said the young woman.

  “Yes,” I mumbled. “And this is my friend Kirsten.”

  “Awesome,” she said moving to the side. “I’m Mya, one of Jayce’s cousins. C’mon in. Everybody that comes through the door has to take a shot!”

  Kirsten bulldozed her way past me and sashayed to the small tray full of miniature drinks. She grabbed one and immediately downed the clear liquid.

  I took the shot and cringed as the alcohol burned my chest on its way down. Vodka alone typically wouldn’t be my first choice. I preferred sweet drinks, but I was willing to go along with the program.

  “Let me introduce you to everybody,” said Mya. She led us all through the house and introduced us to groups of smiling faces and open arms. I’d never been hugged so much in my life, but I liked the friendly atmosphere. We walked into the kitchen and I was relieved to finally see
Jayce. His back faced us so he hadn’t noticed us yet. He looked damn good in his white wife beater and skirt.

  Wait what? What the hell is up with the skirt?

  I scanned the kitchen and realized all of the men were wearing them. Before I had the chance to get Jayce’s attention, a pair of arms wrapped around me from the back and lifted me off the ground.

  “Bri! You made it,” shouted Keon.

  He gently put me back on the floor and physically turned me around for another hug. “Hey, Keon. Yeah, I made it. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. By the way, this is my friend Kirsten,” I said.

  Their eyes locked and they gave each other a longer than necessary once over. “I’m Keon,” he said with a nod. “Are you going somewhere when you leave here?”

  “No,” I replied slowly. “Why?”

  “Because you’re dressed like you’re going out,” he said with a grin. “I’ve never seen you wear so much makeup before.

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “I noticed we’re a little over dressed when Mya introduced us to everybody.” Everyone else in the room had T-shirts and shorts on. I felt out of place and Kirsten definitely stood out with her barely-there dress.

  “I think you look great,” Jayce whispered into my ear. I whirled around and tilted my head to meet his eyes.

  “Thanks, my personal stylist picked it out for me,” I said with a wink.

  Jayce gave me a tight hug and I used the moment as my opportunity to recapture his scent. The Tom Ford cologne coated his skin like a new layer, but I could smell his natural earthy scent too. It took a moment for me to gather my thoughts when he released me.

  “I like your … ” I said, gesturing to the skirt like thing wrapped around his waist.

  “It’s called a lava-lava. I only wear mine when I cook unless it’s a special occasion and I’m required to wear it,” he explained.

  “Yeah,” said Keon. “It’s a Poly thing.”

  “Poly?” questioned Kirsten.