Chapter 9
It was Monday afternoon, and I was on my lunch break outside since the spring flowers were blooming and the sun shone brightly, accompanied by a gentle breeze.
The weather was perfect, and my day was actually going well.
Patrick was in meetings all morning, and the unit was running smoothly.
I took that as the universe was putting me into a space for what I had to do today.
The reminder I’d set went off just as I had sat down to start my lunch.
I smiled, but my nerves kicked in. I thought maybe Danita could’ve read the interaction wrong, and now here I was going off everything that she said.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Jabari would answer the phone, or if he would’ve laughed in my face for playing hard to get.
Still, I reminded myself that either way, I wouldn’t know unless I called.
The phone rang a few times, then went to voicemail.
My spirit fell, and I felt like a complete idiot.
I should’ve called him back when I had the chance.
Trying to play hard to get had me kicking myself in the ass.
I went to my text thread to text Danita to let her know she was wrong when Jabari’s name flashed across the screen.
I waited a couple of seconds before answering.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Amina. Sorry I missed your call. I was wiping my hands after working on the stove. What’s up?”
“Oh... um...”
My nerves were getting the best of me. I could barely form a sentence. I spent the rest of the weekend and this morning practicing what I was going to say to him.
“Is everything good?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. Everything is good.”
“Oh, well, okay. How’s your day going?”
The calmness in his voice was helping the nerves I felt wash away.
“It’s going well. I’m actually outside for lunch right now.”
“Oh damn. Wish I had known. I would’ve joined you.”
I blushed hard. If Jabari were in front of me, he would’ve laughed at how giggly I was acting.
“How’s your day going?” I asked, still trying to play it cool.
“It’s actually pretty slow. I’m just doing extra shit to be ahead of the game. That’s all.”
I felt now was the right moment to throw it out there and accept his dinner invitation. I took a deep breath and sighed.
“So, the reason for my call is that I wanted to see if the invite to dinner was still on the table?”
I paused. My heart raced a mile a minute while I waited on his response.
Jabari chuckled. “It never went off the table, and it wasn’t ever going off the table. I was waiting patiently for you to call. A woman like you seems like she likes to put pressure on a brother. But that’s okay. I just don’t like things handed to me. I like to work for everything.”
His sensual voice sent a chill down my spine. Jabari oozed confidence, which turned me on so much.
“Just let me know when you’re available, and I’ll meet you there.”
“How about tonight?”
“Huh?”
“How about tonight? My mama is watching JaBria tonight because they’re having some special program for the kids at church tonight.”
Jabari had surprised me. I wasn’t expecting such a rush on dinner. I hadn’t even had an outfit in mind yet.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“Nah, I already had a game plan. I was just waiting for my phone to ring.”
I tried my best not to squeal. Jabari had laid it on thick, and I couldn’t help but feel like a kid in a candy store. Even though I’d been out of the game for a while, I could tell he was flirting.
“You got a game plan. What are the details?”
“Dress comfortably and meet me at the address I’m about to text you. Be there at seven o’clock tonight.”
“Okay, anything else?”
“Nah, just know I’m glad you called.”
I grinned like a silly child. “I’m glad to have called.”
I slapped my forehead. My game spitting was horrible. On a scale of zero through ten, I was at zero. I internally cursed myself. It’d been years since I flirted with a man.
He chuckled. “I’ll see you tonight, Amina.”
“See you tonight.”
The call ended, and I squealed for what felt like the hundredth time since I got on the phone with Jabari.
People walking inside the hospital stared at me with expressions of concern on their faces.
However, my excitement for the night trumped my embarrassment.
I had a date with a fine man tonight, and nothing could rain on my parade.
It was seven p.m., and I had arrived at the address Jabari had sent me.
I tugged on the silk strapless black dress that continued rising with every step I made.
My nerves intensified as I approached a building that appeared to be under construction.
I instantly knew Jabari had set me up. There was no one around, and the building didn’t look to be occupied yet.
I couldn’t believe he had stood me up. He had me singing and humming through the halls for the rest of my shift.
I didn’t even let Patrick upset me when he tried to add two more of his patients to my workload.
I picked up my phone to call when I heard my name being called.
“Amina! Hey! Over here!”
I looked in the direction and saw Jabari standing at the front of the under-construction building.
He wore a white chef’s coat, showcasing the white wife beater underneath.
He accompanied the look with a pair of black pants and a pair of name-brand sneakers.
I never thought I would find a man in chef attire sexy, but Jabari changed that.
I walked over toward him, plastering on a smile to stop the nerves shooting through me as I got closer.
“Hi, Jabari. How are you?”
“I’m good. Did you find the place okay?”
I nodded. “I was skeptical at first while walking up. I thought you stood me up.”
“I would never do you like that.”
I tried my hardest to ignore the constant chills shooting throughout my body. I diverted my attention to the building in front of us.
“What is this place?”
“This is my new restaurant.”
I sucked my teeth. “Jabari, if you had to work, you could’ve just said that instead of?—”
He laughed, exposing his beautiful, pearl-white teeth. “Amina, relax. Just let me show you something.”
My eyes bounced from him to the restaurant, then back. I had made up my mind that since I was already here, I might as well make the best of it.
“Lead the way, Jabari.”
He clapped his hands together. “Bet. Follow me this way, beautiful.”
I regretted going commando tonight. I knew I was going to leave sticky and wet if I didn’t get my thoughts under control.
Jabari led us through the door, and to my surprise, the inside was well done.
There were still walls unpainted and fabric draped over some of the furniture.
I made sure I was careful when I walked because of the stilettos I was wearing.
I must’ve been walking like a baby just learning to walk because Jabari stopped walking and looked at me.
“You good?”
I nodded. “Just being cautious. If I had known I would’ve been walking through a construction zone, I would’ve worn something different.”
He reached for my hand and grabbed it. “I’ll guide you the rest of the way.”
Volts shot through my body from his touch.
He must’ve felt the same thing because he paused and looked down at our hands, then back into my eyes.
He let his gaze linger longer before he smiled softly and turned around, pulling me along the way.
We arrived at a set of silver double doors.
Jabari pushed through them, and my breath was taken away.
It was a state-of-the-art kitchen for a restaurant.
It looked like something I would see on the cooking channel with stainless steel, multiple stoves, four massive-sized fridges, and three big fryers.
The counters were even stainless steel. Jabari continued to lead us further inside until we made it to a small table big enough for two in the middle of the kitchen.
There was a glass vase with a single red rose and candlelight.
The romantic girl in me squirmed on the inside.
“Here, have a seat,” Jabari offered. He pulled the chair out for me, and I happily sat down. “I’ll be right back.”
Jabari walked behind me, giving me the opportunity to finally let out the smile I’d been holding.
The entire setup was so romantic. It was cool to be in his restaurant, which he’d been working on opening, and he was the chef for tonight.
I tried my hardest not to dance in my seat as the smell of food invaded my nose.
My stomach growled as he approached me, holding a plate. He placed the plate in front of me.
“Ms. Amina, here we have a fried green tomato accompanied with a tangy remoulade. Also on the side, we have pimento cheese in tart shells with pickled okra.”
My mouth watered. I wasn’t a picky eater, and food was the way to my heart. I was excited to dive in. Then I looked up at him, curious about where his plate was.
“Where’s yours?” I asked.
He shook his head. “This isn’t about me. This is about you. Plus, I know what all of this tastes like. I just want to see what you think.”
I smiled, then reached for my fork. I tried the fried green tomato first, and a loud moan escaped from my mouth.
He laughed. “That’s what I was going for.”
“I’m sorry, but this is so good.” I reached for the pimento cheese in the tart shells and moaned even louder. “Damn, Jabari, this is even better.”
He cleared his voice. “I can tell.”
I glanced at him, and his eyes were low and locked on me. My body heated under his stare. He looked like he wanted to replace me with the fried green tomato, so I quickly shot my attention back to the plate, stuffing the tomato in my mouth.
“That good, huh?”
I nodded. “I’m excited about what’s next.”
“Me too.”
I smiled big as I watched him walk to the back. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I’ve never experienced something so romantic. Jabari was pulling out all the stops. Even though it was something so simple, it felt like the grandest thing.
Jabari returned carrying three more dishes. I clapped my hands together with excitement. The delicious-smelling food had heightened all my other senses as well.
“Alright, Amina. I made you a blackened sea bass with grits, a short rib with collard greens, and a truffle macaroni and cheese for the entrée portion.”
Without even a second thought, I scarfed down the food, not even bothering to look at Jabari. I hadn’t realized how fast I shoved everything down until I realized I was licking the fork.
“Good?” Jabari asked with a cheeky grin.
If I were a lighter complexion, he would’ve seen my cheeks heat from embarrassment.
“Sorry. It was so good.”
“Don’t be sorry, beautiful. That’s the type of reaction I want to see. I’ll be right back.”
He reached over and grabbed my empty plates. His shoulder brushed against me.
“My bad.”
“All good,” I lied.
I felt tingly inside, and even though it was only for two seconds, it felt great.
We were now on dessert. This time, I made him sit down and share it with me. Jabari had crafted a sweet potato pie topped with candied pecan praline.
“I never would’ve thought you out of all people could throw down like this. It’s rare to find a man who cooks as well as you.”
He placed his hand against his chest, pretending to be offended, causing me to laugh.
“You sure Gloria doesn’t cook like this too?”
I remembered her mentioning that Jabari’s grandmother taught him how to cook, but I was curious to know if she could as well.
Jabari sucked his teeth. “My mama wishes she could cook. My mama worked a lot.” He shrugged, but I noticed the hurt behind his comment.
“I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandmother. She taught me everything I know. I could bake a cake before I was five years old. I found joy in the kitchen, but as I got older, I began putting my twist on her southern soulfulness.”
“That’s impressive,” I commented, admiring his background.
“Thank you. All of my inspiration comes from Grandma Mae. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know what I would be doing.”
He scooped a piece of the pie and placed it at the entrance of my mouth.
I slowly opened it, receiving the sweet dessert, closing my eyes and moaning like I had been doing the entire time since I began eating.
The act alone was kind and romantic. I felt myself in Delulu Land since being around Jabari.
I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to take things a step further with him.
I wasn’t looking for a title, but his company I had enjoyed, and I wasn’t even ready to end the night with him.