Chapter 18
Jamison
Iwas trying to impress her.
That's why I had invited Tallulah to my condo and offered to grill a meal on my balcony. When I saw her standing outside my condo, her appearance snatched my breath. Instead of her usual colorful ensemble, she was dressed simply, but the effect was still devastatingly impressive.
A blush-colored slip dress skimmed her body, with thin straps resting on the sweep of her shoulders. The fabric caught the light as I ushered her inside, clinging in the right spots to hint at her delicious curves.
She wore her locs sculpted into a high bun, allowing my eyes to feast on the beauty of her eyes, her nose, and the fullness of her lips in a neutral brown color.
Large, gold statement earrings brushed her jawline and matched the solitary gold ring on her right hand.
Beaded bracelets in different colors were stacked on her wrists, including a rose-colored piece that matched the rose-colored sandals on her feet.
I presented her with a glass of white wine, which she accepted.
"Thank you."
"I hope you like cilantro," I said.
"Love it. I love all kinds of herbs."
"Perfect. Dinner will be ready soon."
She followed me out to the balcony where I had the grill set up and two ribeyes sizzling on the hot grates. She sat in one of the lounge chairs while I tended to the food.
"The city sounds far away. It's nice up here," Tallulah commented.
"I agree. We currently have contractors working on the rooftop to turn it into a space we can all use. Owners without balconies are especially looking forward to having the outdoor space."
She groaned softly. "I bet the president of your association loves organizing that project."
"Guess who's the president of the association," I said.
Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me it's you," she said, a burst of laughter spilling from her throat.
I loved the sound of her laughter and temporarily forgot to respond. When I first saw her at Knife & Fork, I noticed her attractiveness, but getting to know her and seeing her relaxed and happy made her more than attractive. She was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
"You guessed right," I finally said.
"You couldn't help yourself, could you?" she asked with amusement.
"Planning is in my blood." I placed broccolini on the grill. "What did you tell Blossom you were doing tonight?"
"I didn't have to tell her anything. She's been MIA the past few days, spending all her time at your son's place. She sent a text letting me know she'll be back tonight, and I told her that depending on what time she came home, I might be out having dinner, but I'd see her later."
She paused, playing with a chunky aqua-blue bracelet.
"I take yoga on Monday nights at the wellness center.
I like the camaraderie, and it keeps me mindful of my form and so on.
But most of the time I do yoga and meditation at home.
I turned an extra bedroom into an exercise studio and meditation room.
Blossom uses it too, and sometimes we exercise together.
Not as much as we used to since we both have our own lives now. "
I heard the sadness in her voice. "You miss those times with her."
"I do. I selfishly believed when she returned from college we'd go back to life as usual."
"I can relate," I said, easing the steaks onto a plate and covering them with foil.
"Manuel and I used to go to the gym together.
Then when he went off to college, I lost my gym buddy.
Now that he's back, it's obvious he no longer wants to hang with his old man.
He has his own friends, younger guys he goes to the gym with now. We do very little together anymore."
"What else did you used to do together?" Tallulah asked, taking a sip of wine.
"Not as much as I'd like, to be honest. I allowed work to be more of a priority than it should've been."
"In what way?"
"You turned your spare bedroom into an exercise studio and meditation room. I turned mine into a home office so I could work from home."
"The one thing my ex-husband and I always agreed on was keeping work out of our house.
I was adamant about that, and he agreed.
The separation was also a priority when I opened Simply Well.
I didn't want to disturb the energy in my home—and don't you dare make a smart remark. " She pointed a finger at me.
"Like what?" I asked innocently.
"Like you doubt the concept of energy."
"I believe that you believe it," I said carefully, not wishing to offend her. Funny how my attitude had changed. I hadn't given a damn about offending her the first time we met.
She eyed me with a healthy dose of skepticism. "I deal with the fears and worries of my customers all day. When I'm at home, I want a clear separation so I can reset and recharge. Bringing work home means my body and mind never get the message that it's time to rest."
Though I probably wouldn't use the word energy, what she said made sense.
"So my office is at the store," Tallulah continued.
"Where I do paperwork and inventory and all the tasks required to run my business.
When my husband moved away, the nights I had to work late, Blossom would do her homework in the office with me or at the counter out front.
Only recently have I started doing any work at home, and I don't consider it work.
I make kombucha. It's really more of a hobby.
I made it for myself and then started making extra to sell in the store. "
"Then it took off," I surmised.
"Then it took off," she confirmed. "I could probably sell more than I do since I sell out every week, but I'm satisfied with this pace.
Since I make a small batch, I can do it out of my home kitchen.
If I sold more, I'd have to get a commercial kitchen, and I'm not interested in going that route. At least not at the moment."
"When you're ready to expand, let me know. I'll help you with the numbers."
"How much would your assistance cost?"
"Nothing. We're going to be family soon, so consider it a favor. Besides, I owe you since I've been having some of the best sleep of my life."
We were both quiet for a while as I added the prawns to the grill. They sizzled, joining the chorus of sound from the rest of the cooking food and the noise from the street below.
"Why did you choose to live here? It's nice, but you seem like the type who would have a big house and a three-car garage on the edge of town."
"You couldn't be more wrong. I've never wanted all that because it's not practical. I bought this place after my wife and I divorced, but I did have the big house with the three-car garage on the edge of town."
"She wanted those things, not you," Tallulah guessed.
I nodded. "Despite giving her what she wanted, Maria—my ex-wife—wasn't happy. She didn't like the budget I set for the household. She called me a tightwad." I frowned. Since when did being smart about money become a bad thing?
"Are you a tightwad?" Tallulah asked.
"I prefer the word frugal."
"There must be a reason for your behavior. You didn't wake up one morning and decide to create a budget for your household and expect your wife to stick to it."
"I've always been this way. I grew up pretty poor.
My parents had six kids when they probably should've had one or none.
We never had much, and then they took in two of my cousins because my aunt and uncle were unable to take care of them.
Long story involving substance abuse and all it entails.
Anyway, they were barely able to provide for six of us, and now there were two more mouths to feed and bodies to clothe. "
"Sounds rough." Tallulah's eyes filled with sympathy.
"You have no idea. I can't say I ever went hungry, but I did grow tired of rice and beans.
And you would not believe the many ways you can cook cabbage.
" We both had a laugh. "We never threw anything away, and my siblings and I shared clothes.
Clothes handed down from folks at church or clothes my parents had purchased at Goodwill or yard sales for pennies on the dollar.
They were patched and recycled between all of us.
As you can imagine, we were not the popular kids in school and were teased mercilessly. "
I shifted the vegetables and prawns onto a platter.
"When I became an adult, I promised myself I would do things differently.
I paid my way through school, working full-time while going to school full-time.
I made sure I picked a major that would make me money, determined not to want for anything again.
When I met Maria, deep down I knew we were incompatible, but she was so different.
So full of light, and our chemistry was off the charts.
I overlooked our differences and believed our relationship would work because we loved each other. "
"Famous last words," Tallulah muttered.
"Yeah. Our differences became magnified after we got married, and it became clear we should've had more in-depth conversations. She wanted a big family, like the one she was a part of. At least four kids, she said."
"And how many did you want?"
"Two, but only if we could afford them. After we had Manuel, she kept talking about having more kids, and I showed her in the budget where that wasn't possible."
Tallulah gasped. "Not the budget again. Tell me you didn't whip out a budget and tell your wife you couldn't have more children."
"Did you forget what I said about how I grew up? She was not happy."
"Do you regret not having more children?"
"I do sometimes. I would've liked to have had two kids. A girl would've been nice. But lucky me, I'll have one, with Blossom coming into our lives."
I could see she was pleased by my comment, which I sincerely meant.
I was looking forward to having her daughter as a member of our family.
Over the past few weeks, I had gotten to know her, and she truly was a special young woman.
I understood why my son was attracted to her.
Not only because of her outer appearance, but she also had an inner beauty.
She was kind and smart and loved Manuel.
Despite what I thought about her job prospects initially, she was hunting for a job on a regular basis, determined to find a career in her field. They would be fine on a personal level, as well as financially, which had been a major concern of mine. She would be a good partner for him.
What more could a parent ask for in their child's future spouse?