Chapter 12
Lizette was avoiding him since he spent the evening with the Winters a week ago.
Maybe he was being oversensitive, but something wasn’t right.
He’d been inside Lizette’s office in his downtime, helping her with the proposal.
Each time she excused herself and went somewhere else until he finished.
He hadn’t done anything to offend her, at least he hoped he hadn’t, but wanted to know what had gone wrong.
Lizette wasn’t the kind of woman who played games, unless …
He couldn’t ignore the fact that whenever they came in contact, whether through handing items to each other or brushing past in the hallways, he had the weird sensation of touching a live wire.
And from the way her eyes popped wide each time, she felt it too.
The door opened, and he laid the newspaper aside.
Lizette walked in, surprising him, and laid a cup of coffee on the desk. “I thought you could use a pick-me-up.”
The fragrant smell reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since early that morning.
“Thanks. Just what I need.”
Her focus went to the paper, and her lips quirked. “Still looking for something else to do?”
He could have lied and said no, but that wasn’t his way. Tipping his head sideways, he admitted, “The paper was here, so …”
“Hmmm.”
“What does that mean?”
Her eyes were shuttered when she said, “I take it to mean you’re unhappy here.”
“Did you hear me say that?”
“You don’t have to … the fact that you’re looking for another job means you’re not satisfied.”
He still didn’t have a clue what Lizette knew about his situation, and he wasn’t ready to bare his soul, nor would he ever be.
Another sip of coffee settled his thoughts.
As he replaced the cup, Shomari gave Lizette his full attention.
“Let’s just say I have a child to support, and while you’ve been as generous as you can be, I have to think about my daughter and my future. ”
Since the start of the week, Christy had spoken with him several times about Natanya's support. It didn’t matter that she had no explanation for the missing money he’d been sending home. She wanted what she wanted, and he’d die if she decided to ruin his reputation and take him to family court.
On the first weekend he returned, he’d been to the plot of land he bought the previous year, only to find nothing had been done except for the laying of the foundation. The interior was a wilderness with bushes springing up everywhere.
The gut punch brought home the reality that he’d been so busy working to set them up properly as a family, he hadn’t been paying attention to Christy’s evasiveness each time he asked about the progress of what he intended to be their family home.
Lizette’s movement on the opposite side of the desk brought him back into the room.
“I understand all of that.” Something that resembled hurt flashed in her eyes, but she averted her gaze and cleared her throat. “Forgive me for asking.”
“Look, there are things I can’t tell you, but I really appreciate what you’ve done.” He motioned toward her laptop with his chin. “That’s why helping you with this is important to me.”
She nodded once. “I understand.”
But her closed expression said she didn’t, and he didn’t want to explain any further, so he went back to business.
“Do you mind printing out what we’ve done so far?” He glanced at his watch, then added, “Chelle and I are having lunch together, and she promised to look at the proposal.”
“Of course.” Lizette reached for the laptop, which he slid across the desk. “I take it Chelle is your sister.”
“Yes.”
Seconds later, the printer whirred gently, producing several sheets of paper, which Lizette gathered, scanned, and placed in a file jacket under a paper clip. She gave it to him, holding it with her fingertips.
As if she’s afraid of touching me.
Shomari swallowed his smile and stood. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Thanks again.”
He responded to her half-smile with a nod. “No worries.”
The ping from his phone told him Chelle had arrived, so he went through the front office and walked outside, turning his face into the sun’s rays. The warmth of it brought comfort, centering him as he stepped into Chelle’s Kia Sonet and kissed her cheek. “Hey sis.”
Before he could sit back, she cupped his face and asked, “All is well?”
“Most things,” he said, avoiding her gaze.
She resembled their mother closely, but didn’t have her personality, which was a relief and a blessing. God forbid that a carbon copy of Mother existed in his world, because one version of her was more than enough.
Aside from giving him a side-eye, Chelle said nothing. When the silence turned uncomfortable, he switched on the radio and found a station playing soothing music from the eighties.
“Your taste hasn’t changed,” she remarked.
He chuckled. “Nope, but like you’ve always said, I have an old soul.’
In a couple of minutes, she pulled off the road and they entered a rustic building with a thatched roof. The restaurant was filled with hand-crafted wooden furniture and potted palms. Even the menu board with the day’s specials was made from polished wood.
“What are you having?” Chelle asked when they were seated and sipping coconut water.
“I’ll have the curried beef.”
With her head pulled back, Chelle asked, “Really? And you’re going back to work?”
Laughing, he said, “You’re telling me you brought me to an unsafe space?”
“I eat here all the time.”
“Then it should be fine to have the curry.” He picked up the lime wedge and squeezed it into the coconut water.
Chelle held out a hand to him. “While we’re waiting, I’ll look at the document.”
He passed it to her, then let his attention slide to the other customers.
Some ate in silence, and others shared jokes and laughter.
By the time she finished flipping pages, the waiter brought their lunches.
She’d opted for oxtail and beans, which came in a large portion she’d never be able to finish.
He picked up the knife and fork, and Chelle threw him a reproachful look. Then, eyes closed, she said grace. When she finished, she quipped, “You’ve forgotten some important things.”
He didn’t argue. Instead, he asked, “What d’you think of the proposal?”
While pulling meat off the oxtail bones with her fork, she said, “It’s good. I can tell you had a hand in it.”
“I learned from the best.” He offered a grateful smile while lifting a forkful of tender beef to his mouth.
She grinned and inclined her head to the side. “Why, thank you, big brother.”
“We do have a few more details to add to the proposal, but Lizette is waiting to hear from the Ministry of Education on a particular question she wants them to clarify.”
“Sounds good.” After dabbing her lips, Chelle sipped coconut water, then asked, “Am I wrong, or are you interested in this woman?”
The question made him pause, then he said, “I’m not trying to start a relationship.”
She pointed to the file jacket. “That’s a lot to do for someone because you like them.”
“Actually, considering that she hired me as a favor to her brothers, it’s a small thing to do in return.”
Chelle raised one eyebrow. “D’you have any idea how much I’d pull in if this were a project?”
“But it isn’t,” he shot back. “It’s a favor for a friend.”
A burst of laughter from another table interrupted her answer.
Chelle glanced at them, well-dressed as always in a cream suit and her hair pulled into a bun at her nape.
When her gaze settled on him, she folded her lips and laid down her cutlery.
“I don’t say this often enough, but I love you, and it would break my heart if … ”
He knew exactly what she couldn’t say. Their mother had been hard on him after the break-up with their father, so Chelle used every opportunity to tell him how she felt about him.
He almost pulled away when she laid a hand over his, but stopped himself.
She’d have been hurt, and he’d have been hurting her for no reason.
Retreating into himself wasn’t an option with someone who cared deeply about him.
“You’re going through a tough time, but you refuse to let me help.” She blinked, and her eyes filled. “If you change your mind, call me.”
He gripped her hand, running his thumb across her skin to let her know he appreciated her offer. “Of course.”
But he wouldn’t pick up the phone, and she understood. Chelle gave him a stern look that reminded him of Mother, then shook her head and continued eating.
His mind spun back to the time when their father lost his job as an insurance executive due to the company's downsizing. He went back to selling insurance, but with two children in high school, he wasn’t bringing in enough.
Mother eventually returned to work as an executive assistant and never forgave him for it.
Shomari had learned early that if a man couldn’t bear his responsibility, his relationship and family were liable to suffer.
That reason alone kept him working hard and building toward the future when Christy got pregnant.
He wasn’t sure they were one hundred percent suited for each other, yet he couldn’t walk away.
Not with a baby coming and his strong sense of obligation.
Christy was moody and demanding during those nine months, but Shomari was determined to take care of the family they created.
That drive saw him depositing cash into an account with her name on it, living in two places while trying to earn a good income, and preparing for the final step that would seal their future together—putting a ring on her finger.
Everything turned to ashes when he realized the money wasn’t disappearing from their joint account because she was using it to complete the house they’d move into.
Christy was lining her own nest and had no intention of being Mrs. Marsh.
The blow that hit him hardest was realizing that when he was ready to return home, he had only a few thousand dollars and an empty lot of land.
The shame that came with knowing he’d been duped devastated him, and he still questioned his worth as a man when he allowed himself to sit still long enough.
How could he not have seen her avoidance of his questions for the flimsy excuses they’d been?
And why hadn’t he kept a closer watch on the money?
Whenever he asked, she’d mention the high cost of blocks and cement, as well as payments to workers, which sounded reasonable.
Christy was prone to overspending, but he thought that with a child to care for, she’d become more responsible. Invested in their future.
“She must believe in you to let you do this for her business.”
Chelle’s comment missed him, so he ran her words back in his mind until he understood what she’d said.
“Maybe it’s not me so much,” he answered, “but the fact that I told her proposals are what you do for a living.”
That brought a wide grin to her face. “And you haven’t forgotten anything I taught you.”
“I’m a quick learner, as you know.” His smile faded as he thought of the visit with Lizette’s family. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure can.” Chelle sat back and read her watch before settling her attention on him.
“Do you hate our father as much as Mother?”
Frowning, she asked, “Why would you think that?”
“You never talk about him, almost as if you’re ashamed—”
“It’s nothing like that,” she said, playing with her fork. “I don’t because I figured it would be painful for you. Why are you asking anyway?”
He waited several moments before he answered. “It just seems as if we’re living parallel lives. He lost everything … and I have.”
She leaned toward him. “Shomari, listen to me. You’re a good man, who's had bad luck. Don’t let one experience turn you off life and women. Forget Christy, she’s the exception, not the rule, and you never know what’s in the future. Life is happening now, and none of it is perfect.”
“Right.” He scoffed as his stomach twisted. “But first I have to rebuild, because which woman in her right mind would want a man who’s broke and homeless?”
She sat back, and her eyes filled with tears.
“You know, I never realized before today how much Mother’s words and actions have hurt you.
” She blinked several times, then sighed.
“You’ll never accept my help, but please, don’t let pride stand in the way of having something you think you don’t deserve because of one mistake. ”