Chapter 7
“Mmm.” Nahla let out an elongated moan as she snuggled up to her pillow a bit more.
Although she had come to consciousness minutes ago, she was way too comfortable to open her eyes.
As she continued to lie there, she became increasingly confused as she registered the silence around her.
Although Jasona wasn’t as big or as busy as Atlanta, it was still a decent-sized city with a lot going on.
Nahla bought a home in the middle of everything because she enjoyed city life, but this morning she heard . . . nothing.
There wasn’t the sound of traffic, police sirens, or the distant chatter of her neighbors greeting her that morning.
It was dead silence. When she finally opened her eyes, she frowned as a wave of panic washed over her.
For a moment, she had forgotten where she was, but almost as soon as she quickly sat up, the memories of the day before hit her all at once.
From Cannon showing up at her house early that morning, to him pulling her closer to him just before bed. The way he looked at her as she boldly pressed him about his feelings for her had her squeezing her cheeks together as she fell back on the bed.
She’d be lying if she said she didn’t have a crush on her protector, and at some point last night, she decided to stop trying to hide it.
She was pleased to know that she wasn’t alone too.
Cannon’s grip on her and his eyes said what his words didn’t.
He was feeling her, just like she was feeling him.
She wondered what that meant for them moving forward.
She had a feeling he would act like their little moment never happened and try to get them back on track professionally.
If that were where he decided to take this, Nahla would let him.
Her priorities hadn’t changed just because she was attracted to the man who insisted on being her security.
She had work to do, and Cannon had the potential to take all her focus. She couldn’t afford that. Not when so many people were depending on her to expose Lyle PD and whoever else was wrapped up in this scandal.
She sat up again and was about to head to the bathroom when her phone rang.
Reaching over to the nightstand beside the bed, she unplugged her phone and checked the caller ID.
It was her older brother, Jackson II. She contemplated not answering, but decided to get it over with.
If she ignored him now, he was bound to bother her for the rest of the day.
“Hey, J,” she said.
“Wassup, Nahla.”
“Hey, Nahla!”
Nahla removed the phone from her ear long enough to glance at it and roll her eyes.
She hated when her siblings had her on three-way calls.
Although she didn’t think they meant to, they had a way of making her feel like the black sheep of the family.
It was probably because they both worked for the Jasona County School System and because she was the only one who ever moved away from home.
This wasn’t her first three-way call with them since she had moved home, so she already knew what was up. They had discussed something together—without her. It more than likely had something to do with their father, and this was a courtesy call to let Nahla know what decision they had made.
“Hey, y’all,” Nahla said dryly.
“Look, we’re calling because it was my turn to take dad to Lyle for his doctor’s appointment today, but J and I have professional development trainings.
Since we’ll be tied up with that all day, and your schedule is loose, we figured you could take today for me?
” her little sister, Nia, said in a bright tone.
Nahla chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. They always did this. Nahla would never try to downplay the importance of the education field. She knew they worked hard, and their commitment to the youth in their city was admirable.
Her problem was that they always treated her job like it wasn’t as important.
They didn’t even ask if she had other things to do today.
If they had professional development, they knew about it for at least the last month, but they decided to call Nahla the morning of the appointment and basically tell her how she would spend her day.
“Y’all couldn’t have informed me about this days ago? I have so much scheduled for work, and—”
“I know, little sis, but come on. This is our father we’re talkin’ ’bout. You can’t take off a couple of hours for him?” her brother said.
Nahla squinted her eyes as her frown tightened.
“Excuse me? We have a schedule for a reason, Jackson. I take off all the time—when it is my turn to handle things with our father. I haven’t asked either of you to cover for me with Dad since he got sick, and if I ever needed to ask, I definitely wouldn’t do it the same day I needed the damn favor.
That is so inconsiderate. Can’t you take off a couple of hours for your father and cover for Nia?
I know y’all don’t consider my work important, but I do and—”
“That isn’t true, sissy. What you do is very important, and we are so proud of you. We just thought you might be able to swing it easier than us since you have a more flexible schedule.”
Nahla took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Her sister sounded sincere, and she knew Nia didn’t intend to offend her. It didn’t change the fact that her brother just pissed her off, though.
“Let me make a few calls to move some things around. I’ll call you back, Nia,” Nahla said before hanging up.
Rubbing her temples, she checked the time.
Eight forty-two a.m.
She hopped up and headed to the restroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Once she had that covered, she hopped in the shower. As she washed herself, Nahla thought about the conversation she was about to have with Cannon.
One of his boundaries was that she couldn’t travel to Lyle anymore.
Yesterday had been a whirlwind, and she hadn’t thought to tell him about her father’s doctor’s appointments there.
She knew he wasn’t going to like that she had to go back to Lyle so soon, but it wasn’t something she could help at this point.
Once she was out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and reentered the bedroom.
She checked her phone and noticed a text from her sister.
Sissy:
I promise I wasn’t trying to be inconsiderate, sissy. If you can’t swing it, I will let my principal know that I need a few hours away from the job. If you can make it, the appointment is at 3:45 PM. Love you.
Nahla sighed and stared at it for a moment before drying off, moisturizing, and dressing herself. Nia and Jackson had waited until the day of to ask for her help, so they could wait a few minutes for a response. She decided not to text her sister back until she talked to Cannon.
Grabbing her laptop and charger, Nahla left her room and headed toward the front of the large house.
The smell of brewing coffee made her mouth water instantly, and she followed the scent to the kitchen. She was surprised to see an island filled with grocery bags when she entered.
Capri was leaning over the island with a coffee mug in her hands.
“Good morning. Something smells amazing,” Nahla said, placing her laptop on the island.
Capri laughed. “Morning. Cannon told me you’re a coffee person. Dark roast, right?”
Nahla lifted her brows in surprise. He had only been around her a short time. When did he have time to learn the type of coffee she enjoyed? Or that she even liked coffee?
“Yeah, that’s my favorite,” Nahla said, moving to the coffee bar.
There was a row of cream-colored mugs hanging along the end of a cabinet, and on the counter beneath it was a coffee pot, a stack of paper coffee cups and lids, different kinds of coffee, sugar, and honey.
Built into the space under the counter was a miniature refrigerator with a glass door.
It was filled with a variety of coffee creamers.
Nahla hadn’t noticed the area the day before but was in love with it.
“I’m a dark roast girly too. My days are too busy for the weak shit,” Capri said with a chuckle.
As Nahla fixed her coffee, she glanced at the island again.
“You’ve been awake long enough to go grocery shopping?”
“Yeah, girl. My brother doesn’t like getting things delivered here, so whenever he’s using the space, I like to stock it with groceries. I have a few appointments in the city, so I wanted to get this taken care of early.”
“You’re superwoman,” Nahla said, heading back to the island. She hopped on a barstool and enjoyed coffee and conversation with Capri for the next twenty minutes or so. Once they were done, Nahla insisted on putting away the groceries and washing their mugs.
“You’ve done enough this morning, and you already said you have a busy day ahead of you. I’ve got this. I promise.”
Capri smiled. “Thanks.”
“Is your brother still asleep?”
Shaking her head, Capri said, “That man never sleeps. I actually haven’t seen him since I’ve been up. He’s either outside fixing something that isn’t broken or in the basement gym, working out. I’ll call later to see what you guys are up to,” she said, swinging her bag over her shoulder.
After they said their goodbyes, Capri was out the door, and Nahla was organizing the groceries.
Once she had everything put away, she decided to make breakfast for Cannon.
Capri said it was his favorite meal of the day, and after he’d saved her twice already, Nahla figured it was the least she could do.
It took her about thirty minutes to finish up, but when she looked at the spread she’d created, Nahla realized she may have overdone it.
Deciding to eat while she waited for Cannon to grace her with his presence, she looked around, trying to remember where she had seen plates.
Just as she remembered, Cannon strolled through the kitchen entrance.