Chapter 6
A few days had passed since I checked out of the hotel.
Koda and I talked, but we weren’t able to see each other.
He informed me that he had meetings the day after our date, so I took advantage of the alone time.
I booked a massage at the on-site spa. I spent time on the beach, journaling and relaxing.
I also took the time to think about what I felt was developing between Koda and me.
I was surprised that he closed the restaurant down for our date, even though we only took up one table.
I would have been okay if there were other guests, but I wasn’t mad that it wasn’t.
I really enjoyed talking to Koda. I still thought about Miles but wasn’t as sad as I would have been if Koda never approached me.
He kept me smiling and laughing the whole time we were together, and I appreciated that.
I spent time in my thoughts and praying about if I was ready to move on, and I came to the conclusion that I was.
At least I thought so. I wasn’t sure if Koda was really that interested in me, or if he just felt bad for me because I was sad in the middle of his restaurant.
I felt like he flirted with me when we talked, but I wasn’t going to overthink it.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again. We spoke about the anniversary party he wanted my help with, but we hadn’t been able to go over the full details. That was the purpose of us meeting at the hotel.
I wasn’t sure how my time with Koda would go, so I made sure to get all my work done before we met up.
I had two meetings for the parties I had been helping plan.
Both people were easy to work with, and I was happy about that.
I had worked with some difficult people over the years, so I was always grateful to the people who knew what they wanted.
After my meetings, I spoke to my father on the phone for a little bit because it had been a few days since I’d talked to him.
When I got done with him, I spoke to Diamond, and she told me to go into the meeting with Koda with an open mind.
Once I hung up with her, I showered and changed my clothes.
I wasn’t in the mood to keep on the skirt set I had on, so I changed into some black jean capris with a black tee and some sneakers.
I was in the middle of feeding Chester when my phone rang. I couldn’t help smiling when I picked up my phone and saw Koda’s name scrolling across the screen.
“Hello.” I tried to hide the excitement in my voice.
“What’s good, Ava?” Koda’s smooth voice made goosebumps form on my arms when he called me Ava.
“Hey, Koda. How was your day?” I sat on my couch with my legs up on the arm of it.
“Better now that I’m talking to you. Did your meetings go good?”
Koda and I talked in the morning, and I told him that I had a couple of clients I had to meet with. He told me that he had a staff meeting with his people and another meeting with a vendor of some cleaning supplies he thought about trying.
Talking in the morning and going over our day had been a routine we’d developed in the last few days.
“Yes, everything went well. I was just relaxing a bit until it’s time to meet with you.”
“And it’s going to be the highlight of my day.”
Heat rushed up my neck, and my lips split into a smile. Koda had been saying things like that over the last few days, and every time, I couldn’t help but feel giddy inside.
“I’m looking forward to it too.”
“Good.” He chuckled. “I have to do a couple of things first so I can give you my undivided attention.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
We hung up, and since I had time to kill, I fixed myself a small snack and did some journaling. Afterward, I relaxed on the couch until it was time to go.
A couple of hours later, I walked into the hotel with my bag full of different color swatches and my tablet. Koda told me to meet him in the Bishop ballroom, so that was where I headed.
Koda had his back turned when I walked in, but the minute he heard me, he turned around. I took a second to admire him in a dark gray suit with sneakers on. A smile spread across his face as he pushed his glasses up.
He closed the distance between us, and I inhaled the scent of his cologne when he gave me a hug.
“I know I already spoke to you today, but hello.”
“Hi, Koda.” I lowered my head to hide the way my cheeks rose.
Koda slightly gripped my chin between two fingers and lifted my head.
“You good?” His eyes roamed my face, and my heart thudded against my ribcage.
“Yes.”
Koda stared at me for a second like he thought I would change my mind or something, but I really was good; just nervous as hell.
“Good. You look good.” He stepped back and let his gaze travel from my feet to my face.
“Thank you. You clean up well,” I joked.
He adjusted his jacket and smiled. “I do a little something.”
He did a little more than a little something. Koda looked damn good in his suit, and I loved that he made it casual with the sneakers.
“So, is this where you want the party to take place?” I asked as I looked around the room. As soon as I walked in, some ideas came to me.
“Straight to business I see. I like that.” Koda ran his hand through his beard as he licked his lips.
He gave me another onceover, and I adjusted the strap on my shoulder, even though it wasn’t anything wrong with it.
The way he looked at me made me squirm. “Yes, it can fit around almost fifteen hundred people, but I’m not sure if I’m going to have that many people.
We can go sit over there if you want.” He pointed to a table that was near one of the corners.
It was the only table in the room, and I was glad that it was empty for the time being because it gave me a chance to see the full scope of the room.
“Okay. What kind of tables do you typically use in here?” I asked as we walked over to the table.
When we reached it, Koda pulled the chair out for me, then sat in the one next to it.
“It really just depends on the event. People rent this space out sometimes, so we’ve had round tables, but we also had long tables.”
I pulled out my tablet and the swatches I had to show him. Since he told me what it was for, I pulled out colors that I thought he would like and that would go well with the theme of the hotel.
“I think we should do round tables with eight people to a table. At first, I thought we could do gold tablecloths, but I changed my mind. I think we should keep the theme of black tablecloths like in the restaurant, but we could have gold accents on the tables. This is the diamond anniversary, so we need some diamonds. Obviously, not real ones, but something that looks like diamonds. I also think we could put diamond-like plaques on each table. Maybe they could say Happy 75th Anniversary or something like that. Also, maybe we can do small ones as well for the guests to take home.” I was typing away on my tablet, adding everything I said to Koda.
When I realized Koda hadn’t said a word, I looked his way, and he just gazed at me with his head resting on his hand and a big ass smile on his face.
“Why you stop talking?” He chuckled.
“Because you didn’t say anything.”
He laughed again and said, “You ain’t give me a chance to.”
I giggled and lightly hit his arm. “I’m sorry. I just had so many ideas come to me over the last couple of days.”
“Nah, don’t apologize. I think you have some good ideas. Plus, I like seeing the way your face light up while you talked.”
Warmth crept up my neck and settled in my cheeks.
“I love what I do, and I love that you pretty much gave me a blank canvas. Do you have anything you want to input? I want to make sure it’s to your liking.”
“Nah, I like everything you said so far. I really want you to do your thing on this.”
“You’ve never even seen my work. Have you?”
I had a website and social media pages, but I never gave the information to Koda. It wasn’t like he couldn’t find it, but he hadn’t said anything about it either.
“I haven’t. I did follow you on social media, but I didn’t go through the pictures. I haven’t had a chance. I’m honestly just trusting your judgment with this.”
I hadn’t done any new projects lately, so I hadn’t posted anything new. Anything that was on my page was old or scheduled, so I didn’t even know he had followed me.
“Oh, wow. I’m honored that you trust me like that. I want you to tell me if you don’t like something, though, and be honest. And don’t hesitate to offer suggestions.”
“I won’t. How did you get into this anyway?”
I put my tablet down and really focused on Koda. The light hit his eyes perfectly and made them look lighter. They were so pretty to me.
“It started when I was in eighth grade. I helped plan the spring social. The principal loved it, and I helped with every one of them afterward. In high school, I was on the planning committee for all the socials, proms, and any other celebration we had. I didn’t have to go to school for it, but I’ve been to plenty of creative workshops over the years. I also have a few certifications.”
“That’s what’s up. When the girls were outside, you were planning parties. I like that. Does that mean you were a good girl?” He smirked.
“I wouldn’t say a good girl, but I wasn’t as bad as some of my other friends. I had a few dry humping sessions behind the bleachers.”
Koda reared his head back and shook it. With his hand over his heart, he said, “And here I was thinking you were innocent, and you out here being a wench.”
I hit him in the chest as I laughed loudly.
“First of all, I ain’t hear wench in a long time. Second of all, I wasn’t being a wench. I had the same boyfriend the entire year of eighth grade. I can’t say the same for high school, though.”
My eighth-grade boyfriend broke up with me when we went to high school because he wanted to date a cheerleader who was new to the school. After him, I had a couple of different boyfriends, but none of them lasted long.
“Oh, so you became a wench in high school. Got it.”
“No.” I laughed again.
I was mid laugh when Koda said, “You have a beautiful laugh.”
“Thank you,” I said as I pushed my hair behind my ear. “What about you?”
I already had my suspicions on the type of guy Koda was in high school. If I were being honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had multiple women now beating down his door. He was charming, fine, and paid. He probably didn’t even have to work to get women.
“I was definitely a wench.” He chuckled, and I did too. “I’m not going to lie; I pretty much been one my whole life. I’m honest about my shit, though. I would never lead a woman on.”
That statement made me a little apprehensive. I wondered if he could ever be in a relationship, or if he would be faithful if he did get in one.
“I didn’t make you look at me differently, did I?”
“No, not necessarily.”
“Let me say this. When the right woman comes along, I will be able to give her everything she deserves.”
The way he said it and the way he looked into my eyes made me feel like I was the woman he was trying to give it to. Koda looked at me like he wanted to heal the hole in my heart.
“I would hope so.” My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything in a while. “I’m not sure if you have dinner plans, but I would like to treat you to dinner as a thank you for this opportunity.”
There was no need for me to get into my head about what he could or couldn’t do in a relationship, because we were nowhere near there. We flirted and talked on the phone, but that was about it.
“I don’t have plans, but I’m not letting you pay for dinner.”
“Koda, I insist on paying. Now, are you willing to eat anywhere besides here?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind going somewhere else.” He stood from his seat, then reached his hand out toward me. “Lead the way, and I’ll follow.” There was a mischievous look in his eyes, but I brushed it off.
I put my stuff in my bag, then placed my hand in his.
“Follow me then.” I winked, and we headed toward the exit.