Chapter 10 #2
Mrs. Brooks didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, and he gets back today. I only talked to him once the whole time he’s been gone.
” She shook her head and then turned my aunt to see her reflection in the mirror.
“He lost his phone while jet skiing! My husband’s birthday was a couple days ago, so he called to say happy birthday from his friend’s phone.
Fortunately, he was able to order a new phone, and it’ll be waiting for him when he gets home today.
” While Monica was assisting my aunt back into her wheelchair, Mrs. Brooks turned to me.
“It is so funny running into you like this!”
“When you mentioned Hot Comb, I didn’t realize you worked here. I just liked your hair, and when I checked the reviews online, I knew I needed to get my aunt in for her color.”
She smiled, tilting her head to the side. “I knew I liked you.”
“She’s a wonderful woman,” Aunt Addy complimented.
“I believe that,” Mrs. Brooks agreed with a smirk. “Lamar never brings women home, so she must be.”
Everyone was staring at me.
I had no idea what to say. Heat crept up my neck as the seconds passed.
“Gwen, your one o’clock is here,” someone called from behind me.
“We have to get to our next appointment anyway,” Aunt Addy stated, before reaching out to take Mrs. Brooks’s hand. “Gwen, it was so nice talking to you today.”
“It’s been my pleasure. And don’t forget about me with the jazz festival. I’d love for us to do that.”
“It’s a plan. Talk to you soon.”
We said our goodbyes, paid for services, and then climbed in the van. The moment Monica pulled out of the parking spot, the two of them started questioning me about Lamar.
“You made it seem like you met his mother in passing,” Aunt Addy cried, looking at me giddily. “But the way she reacted made it seem like you two spent some time together! Like her son was introducing her to someone special in his life.”
I stared out the window so I could avoid the way she was looking at me. “I spent five minutes with her. And she was just being kind. Lamar and I are friends.”
“So you’ve been on two dates with him, and he already introduced you to his mother?” Monica asked. “That doesn’t sound like ‘just friends’ to me.”
My aunt sucked her teeth. “She claims that first date wasn’t a date, but you should’ve seen the way her face was lit up talking about their outing.”
Monica slowed to a stop. “I always think that if you meet people who light you up, they are worth keeping around.”
“And you get along with his mother.” Aunt Addy made a humming noise. “Match made in heaven.”
I shook my head. “Are you two done? This is too much!”
They just laughed.
We went to the spa and spent the afternoon getting a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure. Between the hair appointment and the spa day, we were starving. We stopped at a fast-food restaurant to pick up an early dinner and then headed back to the house.
“Let’s eat in front of the TV so we can relax a little more,” Aunt Addy suggested.
We agreed without hesitation, and the three of us got set up in the living room. I knew it was more comfortable for her to be in her recliner. As hungry as I was, my food was going to be finished in no time, so I didn’t care where we ate.
“This is delicious,” my aunt gushed.
“Yes, indeed,” Monica replied.
I nodded as I popped a fry into my mouth.
When we were done, we were all exhausted.
“I’ll clean up,” I announced, grabbing the trash from everyone. “I’m going to take a shower, and then I’ll be back.”
“Thank you, Jazz.”
I showered, put on my pajamas, and then walked in on Aunt Addison and Monica cackling over a reality TV show.
“Oh! I just noticed my phone has been on silent all day,” Aunt Addy told us as Monica helped her into the wheelchair.
I went to the kitchen to throw everything in the trash, and I heard Rose’s voice coming from her voicemail.
Aunt Addy checked her messages on speakerphone, and I laughed to myself as her best friend accused her of being a harlot because of the book she suggested for their book club.
The next couple of voicemails were from other friends.
The fourth was from the rehab facility to schedule an outpatient home visit.
The fifth message was her doctor’s office, reminding her of her appointment tomorrow.
As I was walking through the living room, the next voicemail stopped me in my tracks.
“Hello, Ms. Payne. How’re you doing? I know this is a bit unusual, but my name is Lamar Anderson.
You met my mother, Gwendolyn Brooks, at her salon this morning, and I hope you don’t mind, but she gave me your number.
I lost my phone in Dubai, and I lost everything in it—including your niece’s number.
My number is the same, so if you could please ask her to call me, I would appreciate it. Thank you.”
My heart thumped in my chest, and I stared at her phone as if looking hard enough would make him appear. The message ended, and it switched to another message from Rose, but I didn’t hear a word. I couldn’t stop thinking about the message from Lamar.
And they couldn’t stop talking about it.
“I’m going to my room,” I announced, backing out of the living room.
“I know what you better be doing,” Aunt Addy teased. “Calling Lamar!”
“Oh absolutely!” Monica chimed in.
I shook my head and closed the bedroom door behind me.
Taking a deep breath, I called Lamar.
“Hello?” he answered on the second ring.
“Hi. It’s Jazz.”
“Jazz.” His smile was evident. “It’s good to hear your voice.”
There was a slight flutter in my belly, and my lips curled upward. “It’s good to hear yours, too.”
“How are you? Last I heard, you were getting your ass kicked in gin rummy.”
I let out a loud laugh. “First of all, I wasn’t getting my ass kicked. I lost with dignity. And my aunt has almost three decades of experience on me. Second of all, that’s very rude.”
“How is it rude to point out the facts? Didn’t you say she had just beaten you three times in a row? That’s what kicking ass looks like.”
“See, now you’re just using things I’ve told you against me, and I don’t like that.”
He let out a deep chuckle. “Well, I don’t want to do anything that you don’t like.”
I reclined back against my pillows and ignored the innuendo in his tone and how it made me feel. “Is that right?”
“The only reason you haven’t heard from me is because my phone is in the ocean.
I forgot I had it in my pocket, and I hit that wave…
” He made a noise in the back of his throat.
“I didn’t even realize I’d lost it until we were heading back to the hotel.
I went to text you the itinerary, and I realized I’d lost that shit. ”
“You were gonna text me the trip itinerary?”
“Yeah. You told me before I left that you wanted pictures from the Burj Khalifa, and when I saw the itinerary Erickson’s fiancée put together, I wanted you to know when to expect them.”
Warmth spread through my body, and I paused briefly before I commented, “I love that Erickson’s fiancée put together an itinerary. Did y’all do it all?”
“Yes. Every single thing on that list. It was cool though. Apparently, she’d been putting together a list of all the things he’d mentioned he wanted to do over the last couple years, and that’s what we did. He was surprised. He loved it.”
“That’s so sweet. That’s … I love that.”
“Yeah. He’s been through a lot, so this was a long time coming. We had a good time. And I was mad that I lost my phone. Not just for everything that was in it, but because I wanted to hit you up. I thought about you … a lot.”
“Really?” I grinned. “What about?”
“Everything. I thought about what you said about my business plan. I thought about how cool you are. I thought about how much fun it is to be with you. I thought about how you … Just know you were on my mind a lot.”
I bit my bottom lip just imagining how he’d wanted to complete that other sentence.
“I’m glad to hear it. You crossed my mind a time or two.
I was hoping you were enjoying yourself and wondering what you were doing while you were traipsing around the UAE.
” I smiled. “It’s funny, every time I’ve gone out with you, you’ve managed to make me forget I was in Chance. ”
“That’s a good thing?”
“That’s a real good thing.”
“Good. Speaking of Chance, I thought you were heading back to Maryland last week. What made you stay another week?”
“My aunt…” Clearing my throat lightly, I rolled onto my side. “And I’m going to be here for longer than anticipated.”
“You good?”
My stomach knotted. “In Chance, nothing is good,” I joked, sidestepping the question. “But I’ll be here for a minute.”
He snickered. “Well, what’s a minute?”
“August.”
“August?!”
“Yeah. My parents get back from Florida in August.”
“Oh. Okay. Hm.” He seemed to be contemplating something. “That’s going to make things a little more complicated.”
“How?”
“I start training camp on Monday, and then right after that it’s the preseason. I thought you were going to be in Maryland. Richland is about an hour from Baltimore. It would’ve been easier to carve out some time to see you. But with you in Chance … damn.”
“That’s six hours,” I pointed out. “On a good day with no traffic.”
“Exactly.” He exhaled loudly. “This isn’t how I thought this conversation was going to go.”
“What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking your aunt was going to call you and tell you to call me. You were going to be at home, reading or running through football schemes.”
I laughed as he kept going.
“And I was going to ask if you had plans this weekend because I wanted to see you—I want to see you.”
“And I want to be seen.” I hesitated. “By you, if I didn’t make it clear.”
He chuckled lightly. “This is what I’m talking about. This is why I like you. You’re funny and different and … not boring at all. I was hoping to spend some time with you.”
“To do what exactly?”
There was a pause. “Anything you want.”
I inhaled sharply, squeezing my thighs together.
The sexy tone of his voice as he said it was intoxicating. I closed my eyes and let it replay in my mind two more times before I spoke.
“Anything?” I replied.
“Come on, Jazmyn, you know that you can get anything you want from me.”
When he’d said it a couple of weeks ago, it had sounded friendly. When he’d said it just now, it had sounded like a sexual invitation.
“Lamar,” I sighed, shaking my head. “Don’t you try to seduce me.”
He chuckled lightly. “I should be saying that to you! You gave me a taste, and now you’re gone for the summer.”
His words sent shock waves through my entire body.
“I’m exactly where you left me,” I said softly.
He made a noise, and I couldn’t take it. I had to change the subject.
“I saw your mom today,” I blurted out.
I knew I’d killed the vibe from his silence followed by the way he stammered.
“Y-yeah, um, yeah, she told me,” he sputtered.
“She suggested Hot Comb, but she didn’t tell me she works there. My aunt wanted to get her hair dyed, I looked up the place and the reviews were amazing.”
“She co-owns it with her business partner.”
“Oh, that’s cool.”
We talked for most of the night about his trip, my time with Aunt Addy, and our reviews of each other’s book. The conversation was fun and flirtatious but never teetered on sexual again. We laughed a lot, and when we finally said good night, I had a smile on my face.
When I woke up, I was home alone with a text from my aunt.
Addison Payne: I took an earlier doctor’s appointment, and I didn’t want to wake you. Let me know if you need anything. Be back by ten o’clock.
I showered and dressed for a chill day of games, movies, and conversation. I was just finishing my breakfast when I heard the front door open.
“You said you wanted a movie day,” I yelled out as I finished washing my dishes. “I’ve picked out two movies. I hope you picked out yours.” I turned when they entered the kitchen. “Because it’s been…” My eyes bounced between the two of them. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Aunt Addy answered, before pointing to Monica. “We got popcorn and candy.”
I knew something was off, but I didn’t push it right then and there. I figured I would follow up after we got settled in for the movie.
When Aunt Addy went to the bathroom, I turned to Monica. “What’s going on?” I asked in a low tone.
“The tests came back, and she’s declining. All we can do is make her comfortable,” she answered quietly.
I glanced in the direction of the hallway. “Outside of the effects of the stroke, she seems fine.”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “I know.”
I was confused, mostly because I didn’t want to understand what she was saying.
Monica left an hour later.
When Aunt Addy and I were alone, she waited until a commercial break to turn to me. “I love you.”
I reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “I love you, too.”
“I think I can get my list done by the end of July.”
“Three weeks is pushing it.”
She held my gaze before she spoke. “I need to get my list done by the end of July. Let’s make it happen.”
The seriousness in her expression made my eyes water, and I nodded. “Let’s make it happen.”