The next morning, after Clinton and Nina had said good-bye and he’d returned home to change his clothes, he was back at the bed-and-breakfast, but this time in Sheldon Richardson’s office.
“Good morning, Clinton,” the older man said, then motioned for Clinton to sit. “I was just about to have my morning jolt, would you like a cup?”
“Yes, sir, that would be great.”
Sheldon poured two cups of coffee, then walked over to his desk. “What can I do for you this morning?”
“It’s like déjà vu. I’m here looking for a job,” Clinton said with a smile as Sheldon offered him cream and sugar for his coffee.
“You don’t have to ask for something that’s already yours,” Sheldon said. “That business with Randall was beyond low. Alex was easily fooled because she hardly trusts anyone whose last name isn’t Richardson, and those checks made you look guilty. Then Clinton Senior came into my office and we talked man to man and father to father, and I knew that we’d come to our decision too hastily.”
“You have to know that I would never do anything to hurt this company—”
“That’s secondary since I know you and Nina are an item. It’s my daughter who I don’t want you to hurt. What my daughters don’t realize is that I know everything. Nina has met some pretty rotten apples. I sense that you’re different.”
“I love Nina very much. She’s like no other woman I’ve ever met,” Clinton said, his lips curving into a smile.
Sheldon leaned back in his chair. “She’s most like her mother, even though she didn’t know her. Nina’s very giving and caring. The way some men are these days, that’s her blessing and her curse.”
Clinton nodded, remembering how heartbroken Nina was when they’d initially met. “Nina is a breath of fresh air. She makes me want to be a better person.”
Sheldon took a sip of his coffee. “All right. Well, welcome back. And Alexandria has taken the liberty of moving your things to your new office.”
“New office?”
“One with windows and a little more space,” he said with a laugh. “I love my daughter, but she was wrong for stuffing you in that glorified closet.”
Clinton nodded. “Like you said, she didn’t like me when I first arrived here.”
“She didn’t trust you. But you’re practically family now.” Sheldon rose to his feet. “Come on, let me show you to your office.”
Clinton followed the older man down the hall, thinking about family. He needed to see his father and thank him for what he did for him. Maybe it was time for the two of them to finally become real father and son. Clinton Sr. stuck his neck out for him and that meant something.
“Here’s your new office,” Sheldon said.
Clinton glanced around the spacious office, which looked like Grand Central Station compared to his old one. He had a real oak desk, a burgundy leather chair, and a view of the Charleston Harbor. “This is nice,” he said.
“I thought you’d like it,” Alex said from the doorway.
“This is nice, but how did you know I was going take the job?”
“Nina assured me,” Alex said with a sly smile. “Besides, I was ready to beg you if I had to. I’d like to think that I can do everything here, but you have a brain for marketing.” She extended her hand to him. “I was really rude to you when you first got here and you didn’t deserve that.”
Clinton shook her hand, then enveloped her in a tight hug. “That means a lot coming from you, Alex,” he said.
* * *
Nina arrived in Charlotte expecting to have her house to herself, but she was surprised to see Yolanda still there.
“You’re not going home, are you?” she teasingly asked her sister.
Yolanda looked up from the files in her lap. “While you were out romancing Clinton, I was busy putting things in place to open my shop. I found a lovely space in what you all call Uptown Charlotte. I’m really excited about this.”
Nina couldn’t help but wonder why her sister wanted to come to Charlotte all of a sudden. But Nina knew not to press her too hard. When she was ready, she’d tell her all about it. Right now, all she could think about was Clinton. A slow smile spread across her face as she plopped down on the sofa.
“Lamar came by here,” Yolanda said with a snort.
“What?” Nina’s smile quickly turned to a frown. “He was supposed to be through with me.”
Yolanda closed her file. “I told him to take a flying leap. He said that he knows you want him and he will see you again.”
“Whatever,” Nina quipped. “Maybe if he paid this much attention to me when I thought we were dating things would have turned out different.”
Yolanda gave her sister a piercing look. “Are you sure you’re over him? This thing with you and Clinton happened real quick, so do you really think you’ve given yourself enough time to heal?”
“Yes, I’m over him. He tossed me aside like I was garbage. Had other women he was seeing when I thought I was the only one and I’m supposed to give a shit?”
“Good to hear because you have a good thing with Clinton and I don’t want to see you ruin that.”
Nina rolled her eyes. “See me ruin it?”
“Don’t get mad, because I say this with love, but you do make some bad decisions when it comes to the heart. You make up scenarios in your head, come up with crazy schemes, and end up alone.”
Nina rose to her feet and glared at her sister. “I know what I’m doing and I know I love Clinton.”
“And several months ago, you knew you loved Lamar,” Yolanda said matter-of-factly. “Nina, be sure you know what you’re doing and who you want. When you first met Clinton you just wanted to use him to make Lamar jealous.”
“And you said it was a bad idea,” Nina exclaimed. “Clinton showed me how I should be loved. I seriously don’t want anything to do with Lamar.”
“Just make sure you’ve truly closed yourself off to him. Because if he’s bold enough to just pop up, he’s not going to go away if you don’t make it clear that he’s not welcome.” Yolanda threw up two fingers and walked out of the room.
Nina watched Yolanda as she walked away and thought about what she’d said about Lamar. She did need to make it clear that he didn’t have a chance in hell to be in her life or her heart again. Reaching for her cell phone, she dialed Lamar’s number. As the phone rang, Nina wondered if she was making a mistake reaching out to him. But she needed to tell him to stay away from her and stop thinking he had a chance. Clinton had her heart and there was nothing he could do to change it.
“Yeah,” Lamar said when he answered the phone.
“What do you want?”
“Nina?”
“My sister said you came by my place and I need you to stop doing that. Besides, last I heard, you were through with me.”
“Such hostility. Does it have to be this way?” he asked. “I’d like to think we can be friends.”
“We can’t and you can’t keep thinking you have a chance. I love Clinton and that’s the man I’m going to be with. A man without a harem.”
“Had I told you I was seeing other women, would you have given me a chance?”
“You robbed me of that choice. I’m not going to argue with you, I’m not going to try and understand why you treated me the way you did. We’re over. If I see you at a press conference, I’ll be professional.”
“That’s how we’re doing this? I mean, you were seeing that guy and—”
“Done explaining myself to you. Stay the fuck out of my life.” Nina ended the call and she wasn’t feeling as if she’d lost something. She felt at peace.
Yolanda seemed to appear out of nowhere and eyed her sister suspiciously. “Who taught you how to talk like that?”
Nina tossed a pillow at her sister. “Look in the mirror.”
Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Well, let me take you to dinner, Mini Me.”
Nina nodded. “As long as you’re paying.”
* * *
“Knock, knock,” Alex said at his doorway. “Busy?”
“I was about to call it a day. What’s going on?”
Alex placed a notice on his desk. “It’s a quick turnaround, but there’s a marketing conference in Charlotte in a couple of days and I figured you’d like to go.”
“I’d love to go,” Clinton said, realizing he could work and play.
Alex smiled as if she knew why he was so excited to attend. “Oh, your holiday promotion is a hit. This is the first time we’re booked for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Clinton nodded. “That’s great. With some more promotions like this, the bed-and-breakfast is going to have its best year ever. Do you think we can get your father to play Santa?”
Alex sat on the arm of the leather chair across from Clinton’s desk. “I’m sure he will. He used to do it when Nina was a little girl. The kids are sure to get a kick out of it.”
“And you can be an elf,” Clinton joked.
“That’s not happening. Are you going to let Nina know you’re coming to town?”
Leaning back in his chair, he replied, “I think I’ll surprise her. Alex, let me ask you a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you think Nina’s ready to settle down and get married?”
Alex’s jaw dropped. “You’re considering proposing?”
“I love her more than I thought I could ever love anyone.” His eyes glistened with joy.
“Don’t take this the wrong way. But do you think this might be a bit of a rush? I want you and Nina to be certain.”
Clinton shrugged. “It feels right.”
“Then go for it,” Alex said as she rose to her feet. “Just make sure you do right by her or you’re going to have to deal with me.”
Clinton saluted Alex and grinned. She said go for it and that’s just what he was going to do. But before he could ask Nina to be his wife, he was going to have to talk to his father. The Jefferson men needed to make peace with each other.
After shutting down his computer and packing his briefcase, Clinton headed for his father’s North Charleston home. The last time they’d talked, Clinton had no idea that his father would be the one to make his dreams come true. The least he could do was try and make an effort to build on what was going on between them.
Besides, if he and Nina were going to start a family together, then he was going to have to repair the fractured one he belonged to.
Clinton arrived at his childhood home and fought all of the bad memories that were a part of the place. As he placed his car in park, he decided that it was time to make new ones. Slowly he walked to the front door and knocked softly. Seconds ticked by before Clinton Sr. opened the door.
“Son,” he said.
“Dad.”
“Well, don’t just stand out there. Come in.”
Clinton followed his father inside. The house was in mild disarray with newspapers strewn across the floor and coffee table. “What’s all this?”
“Been looking for a job,” he said before settling into his leather recliner.
“Why?” Clinton took a seat on the sofa next to the recliner.
“Money’s tight now that Birmingham isn’t helping me out anymore,” Clinton Sr. said. “Not that I want his tainted support.”
“What do you need, I’ll take care of it for you.”
Clinton Sr. looked at his son, his eyes glassy with tears. “Why would you do that? I’ve never been much of a father to you and I see that. Long time ago, I had dreams and then reality set in. I wasn’t going to be a football star and when I had a son, I was going to make sure he was going to be one. You have my name, but you got your smarts from your mama. I resented the fact that you wanted to keep your nose in a book.
“You didn’t let me pin my dreams on you. It made me so mad when I realized that things weren’t going to work out the way that I figured they always would. How can I expect you to help me now?”
“Because you’re my father and no matter what happened in the past, we have to move on,” Clinton said. “When you stood up to the Richardsons for me, I knew that things were changing. Birmingham tried to do a number on me and you could’ve ignored it.”
“May not seem like it, but I know what’s right and what’s wrong. Birmingham was trying to make you look like a liar and a cheat. That’s never been our style. Sheldon Richardson is a good man and I couldn’t have him thinking that you were trying to cheat him.”
Clinton rose to his feet and closed the space between him and his father. “I want to ask you something. How did you know you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Mom?”
The older man smiled as if a pleasant thought crossed his mind. “The first time I kissed your mother, I knew I’d never be happy with anyone else.”
Clinton couldn’t help but think about the affairs his father had over the years and the arguments that he’d heard his parents have.
“But,” Clinton Sr. said as if he’d read his son’s mind. “I ruined the love of my life when my dreams fell through. In the beginning, though, your mother and I had the greatest relationship. She made my soul sing like no other woman ever has. I regret how I treated her in the last years of our marriage. I wanted my dreams to come true and when they didn’t, I blamed her. But your mother never walked away. That’s why I know she’s an angel I never deserved. If you find a woman like that, you hold on to her, but don’t make the same mistakes that I did.”
Clinton nodded. “That’s just how she makes me feel.”
“The Richardson girl?”
He nodded. “I love her.”
“Then hold on to her and don’t let her go for nothing,” Clinton Sr. said.
Chapter 22
Nina and Yolanda ate sushi and drank a lot of sake to celebrate. After the third carafe of the potent drink, Nina looked at her sister. “What are we celebrating?”
“You being an adult and making a boss chick move.” Yolanda downed her sake. “Wait, that’s me. I guess we’re celebrating you not sabotaging yourself.”
Nina downed her own sake. “And telling Lamar where to go and how to get there.”
Yolanda pointed her finger at her sister. “That part.” The women giggled and Nina ordered another platter of California rolls and thanked God that she and Yolanda had decided to use a ride share service tonight.
“So,” Yolanda said as she sipped some water. “Do you see yourself with Clinton for now or forever?”
Nina furrowed her eyebrows. “What kind of question is that?”
“One that you need to answer. I believe Clinton is a good man and the right one for you, but I want to make sure you’re ready and not just—”
“Pause. This is not a conversation to have while we’re drunk. But I do love Clinton and I . . . Let me have some coffee before we go there.”
Yolanda sighed. “Don’t listen to me. Honestly, I’ve never seen you happier and I know when you and Clinton do this always and forever thing, I’m going to lose my road dog.” She patted Nina on her shoulder. “But it’ll be worth it.”
“Aww, you’re going to miss me and I haven’t even gotten married yet. Is that why you’re camping out in my house?”
Yolanda turned away from her sister and took the final swig of sake. “Yeah, let’s go with that.”
Nina raised her right eyebrow. “What’s going on, for real, Yo-Yo?”
Yolanda shook her head as she reached for the last California roll and stuffed it in her mouth. Nina propped her chin up on her fist. “Stuffing your face isn’t going to stop my questions. I do this for a living.”
Yolanda chewed slowly and pointed a chopstick at her sister. “But I’m older than you and if I don’t want to share, then I don’t have t
o. And we need more sake.”
“You’re cut off and if you don’t tell me, I guess you can talk to Daddy.” Nina pulled out her phone and waved it in Yolanda’s face. “Last chance.”
“I’m out of here and if you call Daddy, I’m going to give you the ass whooping you missed as a child!” She stormed out of the restaurant.
Now Nina was sure something serious was going on. After paying the bill, Nina headed out to look for her sister. She went to the fashion boutique across the street, hoping that Yolanda was inside scoping out the competition. She wasn’t. Nina called her and it went to voice mail.
Then she sent her a text: Stop acting like a baby. Where are you?
I’m on the train. See you soon. We’ll talk later. K?
Okay, I guess.
Nina decided to walk home and think about what was really going on with Yolanda. Halfway into her walk, she decided to call Clinton. When his voice mail picked up, she was disappointed because she needed to hear his voice.
When she arrived home, she kicked her shoes off and headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water. Heading for her bedroom, Nina grabbed the latest copy of Sports Illustrated from the coffee table. Then there was a knock at the front door. “Yolanda?” she called out. She was greeted by silence. Nina stalked to the front door, half expecting to see her sister standing there. But to her surprise, it was Clinton. Yanking the door open, Nina leapt into his arms and showered kisses on him.
Once he was able to catch his breath, Clinton said, “I should do this more often.”
“What are you doing here?”
“There’s a marketing conference that Alex signed me up for. She figured that I’d want to come and surprise you. Everything all right with Yolanda?”
Nina sighed and told him about the scene at the sushi bar. “She said she’s riding the train and we’ll talk later, but I don’t like this.” She led Clinton over to the sofa. He took her hands into his as they sat down.
“What’s going on?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. She hasn’t told me anything.” Nina looked into his eyes and felt his concern. She couldn’t love him more if she tried. “I’m glad you’re here.”
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