Chapter 8
Eight
Mila
A s the lunch went on, I loosened up around Tremaine.
We laughed the entire time and barely finished our food.
People looked back at our table with fucked-up looks, but we didn't care.
We kept laughing. By the time we left the restaurant, I'd consumed four mimosas and felt it.
Tremaine and I laughed loudly in his car as he weaved in the streets.
He'd left his to-go box on the table and panicked when he realized he had.
"That's what you get for being so wrapped up in finishing your glass of whiskey. You almost left three good reheatable lamb chops on the table." I laughed, wiping at my eyes.
"Man, I would've been pissed off! I knew I would've been craving them after this liquor wore off."
"I know, which makes it funnier."
Tremaine was taking me home to prevent me from having to call an Uber.
I didn't protest it. It was a little after one, and I lit up thinking about the nap I could take before having to deal with a busy KJ.
He rode the bus over to Chasity's mother's house with his cousins after school.
It was the arrangement set in place when I started working multiple shifts at the diner.
Ten minutes later, we pulled into the apartment complex. Trey parked the car and shut the engine off. He looked at me and smiled.
"I forgot to ask. How are you liking the apartment? Is KJ liking it?"
I nodded. "KJ is obsessed with it. I just have to find him some more kid-friendly decorations for his room."
"And yourself?"
I smiled, thinking about the amazing sleep I had been getting in the comfortable king-size bed.
"I love it. It's beautiful. Thank you so much."
He playfully shrugged his shoulder and fanned his hand.
"It ain't no biggie. I love handing out apartments for free!"
We both laughed.
"Really, I'm very thankful for what you did for us."
"You're welcome."
He placed a hand on my knee.
Chills ran from my knee to my spine, back down my spine to my knee, then to my toes.
Tremaine's touch was gentle. Snapshots of what he could do to my body with his masculine hands flashed through my mind.
I wasn't sure if the champagne was doing this to my body, but I needed to get a grip, and fast.
"Let me get going. Thanks for lunch."
"You're welcome. I owe you from the other day," he replied.
I smiled and opened the door. Before I fully got out of the car, I remembered a question I needed to ask him.
"By the way, do I call maintenance or place a service ticket on the portal?" I asked. "My microwave plate is not spinning."
"You can do one or the other, but since I'm here, I can look at it," he offered.
"You sure? I don't want to keep you from going on about your day."
"It ain't nothing. Let me take a look."
Before I could respond, Tremaine got out of the car. We made our way to my apartment, and I let us in.
"I'll head to the kitchen," Tremaine declared.
"Yeah, do your thing. I'm going to get out of these heels."
I sat down on the sofa and removed my shoes, rubbing my feet one at a time.
While doing that, I scrolled through my phone for the first time since I left the office.
I had twenty messages from Kyle. All of them were him harassing me.
I'd yet to block him because I was using this as evidence.
I even asked Justin for the camera footage of the day he came into the diner.
I needed anything to help me. The only thing Kyle had on me was money.
Anything KJ needed or wanted, Kyle could make happen at the snap of his fingers — the best schools, fancy clothes, a beautiful home, and all the toys he wanted.
Kyle could also afford the best lawyers.
Unlike him, all I had was love, hope, and prayer that I could find a decent lawyer within my budget.
I continued screen shotting all the messages until Tremaine made his presence known.
"Is everything okay?"
I looked at him. His button-up shirt was off, and he wore a white wife-beater.
Tremaine's arms were swollen with muscle mass.
His arms were decorated with many tattoos, each looking to tell a story.
My heart raced, staring at his handsome physique.
It turned me on knowing that under his expensive suit were all these tattoos.
"Mila, are you good?" he repeated.
I snapped out of my trance. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Your face shows otherwise. You looked irritated while looking at your phone."
I sighed. I hadn't realized my face showed the disruptions Kyle had caused.
"Ex-husband/ baby daddy stuff," I commented.
It didn't feel weird discussing this with Tremaine. He knew my situation now.
"Block him," he advised.
I shook my head. "I can't."
"And why the hell not? If he's harassing you, block his ass!"
"I'm using this as evidence for the custody battle. I know I can't afford a decent lawyer, and on paper, he is better than I am as a parent. I need all I can to make sure I keep my child. Even if that means having to deal with his harassment."
Tremaine stared at me. His gaze made me nervous. I couldn't tell whether he was judging me or supporting me.
"Sorry if I'm imploding on you with all my life problems. You're my boss. This isn't your business."
"Nah, you're good. Sometimes, you just need a person to listen."
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. For the first time in a long time, a rush of something lit up inside me. I was used to Chasity and Trina listening to me vent, but not a man like Tremaine.
"Thank you for listening."
"I told you about thanking me. It's all good, but look, though, I think I got your microwave fixed. Let me show you something."
I followed him to the kitchen. We made it to the microwave that was above the stove. Due to my height, I had to stand on my tiptoes just to look inside.
"So..." Trey paused.
He looked down at me and grinned.
"Damn, I didn't realize how short you were. You can barely see in the microwave."
I sucked my teeth and folded my arms.
"I know. I don't get why the microwave is so high.
The first thing I planned to do is buy a steeping stool so that I could reach the microwave and the top shelf in the cabinets.
I even placed a note on the refrigerator as a reminder," I said, pointing to the fridge.
"I want a pink one with white polka dots to match the aesthetic of the apartment.
I saw one at the store the other day when I went to buy some house stuff. "
He laughed, triggering my laughter. Tremaine mentioning my height didn't offend me. I was used to people commenting on my height. I playfully slapped his shoulder.
"It isn't that funny."
"Nah, it's cute. The only person I know who needs a step stool is my mama. She swears by it."
"Your mama's short?"
He nodded. "Yep, she's about your height and super skinny."
"And you mean to tell me she pushed out a giant? I feel sorry for her."
Tremaine's mouth dropped, causing me to laugh. He tried to fight his laughter but couldn't and was soon laughing just as loudly as I was.
"Ha! You got jokes!"
"Nah, that's payback for calling me short."
"I wasn't trying to tease you. Shit, I prefer short women. They have the tendency to be mightier. Plus, I think they're sexy."
The room went quiet, and the only thing I could hear was the word sexy echoing in my head.
Here I was, short and mighty. I couldn't help but wonder if Trey thought I was sexy.
Yet I found it hard to believe that a man like him would even look at a woman like me.
He probably saw me as one of his little sisters.
I looked toward the microwave to divert the conversation.
"You got this fixed?"
"Oh yeah, so your plate came off track. You probably couldn't see, but I got it back on track. It should spin now. You got some food to test it?"
I grabbed my takeout box and placed the food inside to warm. We stood in silence as we watched the plate spin.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Houston. I made something so simple, so hard. Before, when it came to handy stuff, my ex-husband didn't let me bother with it. My job was to cook, clean, and take care of KJ."
"You'd be surprised at how many people, men and women, don't know how to fix stuff. My dad did a lot of the work around the house, and I learned from him. My sister didn't lift a finger, so I'm still summoned to fix all the stuff, no matter how big or small."
I smiled. "It sounds like you're a good son and brother."
He shrugged. "I guess."
Tremaine tried to hide his smile, but I could tell he cherished the title of being a good son and brother.
The microwave dinged. Tremaine reached for the food and set it on the counter. The kitchen was filled with the smell of pancakes and sausage. My stomach growled. I hadn't realized I was still hungry until that moment. Trey must've heard it because he chuckled.
"Eat. I'm going to head out. Thank you for joining me for lunch. Also, thank you for making it a full week."
"No, thank you. I know you're tired of me thanking you, but truly, I feel as if I have to every chance I get because you've done so much."
He smiled. "You're welcome."
"Let me walk you out."
He followed behind as I made my way out of the door. I opened the door for him, and he stepped over the threshold. He smiled as he turned to face me.
"You have a good weekend, Mr. Houston," I said, extending my hand.
Tremaine placed his hand in mine. He softly rubbed the top of my hand with his thumb, peering into my eyes.
Internally, my body quaked from his soft touch and stare. My stomach did flips. Goosebumps covered my arms, and the series of butterflies returned to my stomach.
"You too, Mila." He slowly dropped my hand and winked before he headed down the hall.
I quickly shut the door and laid my back against it. I needed to get a grip on what I felt. Trey was my boss, and he was helping me. Plus, he knew all my baggage. There was no way he would even be interested in a woman like me.