Chapter 11
“Ginae, this is my sister, Phoenix, and her husband, Kevin.” Phyre introduced us.
“It’s nice to meet you both. I’m sorry we’re late,” I said as I shook Kevin’s hand.
Phoenix ignored my hand when I offered it and pulled me into a hug instead, which I absolutely didn’t mind.
“Oh my God. You are absolutely beautiful and glowing.” Phoenix cooed when we separated.
“Thank you, and so are you. I heard congratulations are in order.”
“Yes.” Phoenix touched her stomach, which was still flat. “My first prenatal appointment is next week, so we’ll see you at the office. Did Phyre tell you he agreed to deliver his niece or nephew?”
“He did, and I’m sure you’re all very excited.”
“We are. Let’s sit down,” Phoenix said, and we took our seats.
We picked up our menus once we were seated, and the server came over immediately. After we placed our drink orders, we returned our attention to the menus. When everyone decided what they wanted, Phoenix spoke.
“I’m glad to see my suggestion worked,” she said proudly.
“Like a charm. Your brother had me crying like a newborn baby.”
“Aww. I’m sure that’s not what he meant to do.”
“Wait, what are we talking about here?” Kevin asked.
“Phee suggested that I write Ginae a letter because she refused to have a conversation with me. As you can see, the letter worked,” Phyre told him.
“Yeah. I forgot to tell you that part.”
“Apparently, our history isn’t a secret since he told his whole staff. I assume you two know all the gritty details,” I said.
“Girl, my brother was in a bad way when he found out you left town. He refused to talk about it until a few months later,” Phoenix said.
“Kavia had shared some details with Kevin, so they weren’t completely in the dark,” Phyre said.
“How do you like being back in Black Elm? It’s changed a lot over the years,” Kevin said.
“I’ve only been here a little over a week, and I haven’t done much exploring. From what I’ve seen, there are a lot of new businesses, but it still has a small-town feel. Being from Chicago, that was something I really liked about Black Elm.”
The server returned with our drinks and took our orders. When she left, a woman appeared at our table, and I could immediately feel that her energy was off.
“Fancy meeting you all here. What is this? A double date?” she questioned, waving her hand in the air dismissively.
“Hey, Bianca,” Phoenix greeted dryly.
“Damn. You don’t sound happy to see me.”
“Good observation.”
Bianca smacked her lips before asking Phoenix, “Are you ignoring my question?”
Phoenix rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to ignore your presence, but you can’t take a hint.”
“Isn’t someone waiting for you?” Phyre asked before I could respond.
“Yeah. I think I heard someone calling you on the other side of the restaurant,” Kevin said.
“Y’all are a tough group. Who are you?” she asked when her gaze landed on me.
It was apparent my man and his sister didn’t fuck with this woman, so I decided not to give her any energy. Instead of responding, I picked up my glass and sipped my wine.
“Are you deaf? Are you unable to speak?” she asked.
“Bianca, our table is ready,” a man a few tables away announced.
She looked annoyed that her interrogation had come to an end, and with a big huff, she sashayed away.
“Umm, what was that about?” I asked since I was the only one who didn’t know Bianca.
“We grew up with her, and she’s been a messy ho her whole got damn life,” Phoenix said.
“I sensed her negative energy as soon as she approached our table,” I stated.
“My mother always says Bianca’s mother creates drama with the other women every chance she gets. I guess it’s hereditary,” Kevin added.
We laughed as our server approached with our meals. Once everyone had their food, Kevin blessed it, and we began to eat.
“What do you two do for a living?” I asked Phoenix and Kevin after a few minutes.
“I’m Director of Sales at my family’s grocery store chain, KB Grocery,” Kevin responded.
“Your family owns KB’s? That’s dope.”
“Thank you. My great-great-grandfather opened up the first store, and my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father have added several others and continued his legacy. I’ve been learning how to run the business for as long as I can remember. My father is retiring soon, and it’ll be my turn.”
“Wow. I love to hear about Black excellence. Kudos to you and your family.”
“Appreciate that.”
“What about you, Phoenix?”
“Unlike my rebellious brother here, I followed in my father’s footsteps.”
Phyre had never talked about his family much, and nothing had changed since we’d reunited. I vaguely remembered him telling me his father ran a technology company, but I had no idea he was expected to do the same.
“Your father owns a tech company, right?” She nodded, and I looked at Phyre before saying, “I didn’t know you were expected to take over the family business. All I remember is you saying you’d wanted to become a doctor since you were seven years old.”
“I guess I never mentioned it because I never planned to go that route. That was my father’s dream, not mine,” he said.
“Understood. Is technology something you’ve always been interested in, Phoenix?”
She shrugged. “Eh. Yes and no. I kinda have a knack for it, and it comes easily, so I went with it and didn’t really think about doing much else. I enjoy it, so it’s cool.”
Coming from wealth came with a lot of pressure that most people didn’t think about. It looked good on the outside, but the inner workings of those families left a lot to be desired.
“Isn’t this cute? Who the hell are you?”
The four of us looked up, and again, I was clueless about the identity of the woman standing at our table, sending negative vibes my way.
“Kavia, what are you doing here?” Kevin asked.
“A reliable source informed me that my brother and his wife were on a double date with my ex-fiancée and an unknown woman. I came to see who this woman was.”
“I’m really trying not to make a scene in this restaurant. Girl, if you don’t take your messy ass across the way to your messy ass friend’s table, I might have to step out of character,” Phoenix ordered.
“Kavia, please leave,” Kevin said, sounding annoyed.
“Phyre, who’s your friend?” she pressed.
“I haven’t had anything nice to say to you in over a decade. Please get the fuck away from me before these people have to call the police,” Phyre said before eating another forkful of food.
“Just go, Kavia. I get sick of you always keeping up shit,” Kevin scolded.
Kavia hadn’t taken her eyes off me while Phyre and her brother spoke. One thing I wasn’t was a bitch, so my eyes were locked on her as well.
“You look familiar. Have we met?”
“You’ve never met, Kavia. Take your ass on,” Phyre pressed.
“It’s cool. I have ways of finding out what I need to know. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Kavia walked away with less huff than Bianca, but when she reached Bianca’s table, we heard them squeal with delight.
“Wow! I didn’t expect to be the talk of your elite circle. Word gets around fast, huh?”
“If those two are involved, everyone we’re connected to probably knows Phyre is having dinner with a mysterious woman. Besides the fact that he’s been a bachelor all these years and no woman has managed to get her claws into him, Kavia still thinks she has a chance,” Phoenix explained.
“Which is wild because she never had a chance,” Phyre muttered.
“I apologize for my sister’s behavior,” Kevin offered.
“Don’t apologize for her, baby.”
“Ginae didn’t deserve her bad attitude. I feel like I’m always defending Kavia or trying to put a fire out before it starts, if that makes sense.”
“Because you are, and you’re wasting your time,” Phoenix told her husband. “She thrives off being a thorn in everyone’s ass.”
“I keep my engagement with her to a minimum out of respect for you, but you’re only doing what any sibling would,” Phyre added
“She doesn’t make it easy, that’s for damn sure,” Kevin said.
“You got that right,” Phyre agreed.
Listening to their conversation about Kavia, on top of what Phyre had already shared about her, confirmed my thoughts.
Kavia was nothing but trouble. Thankfully, we got through dinner with no further interruptions.
The food and conversation were great, and I looked forward to connecting with Phoenix and her husband again.
We went outside and continued to chat until the valet brought our cars. Phoenix wanted to get together without the guys, so we exchanged numbers before parting ways. Phyre already had his arm around my waist, and he pulled me closer before kissing the side of my head.
“That was nice. I love your sister, and Kevin seems cool,” I commented before he helped me into his car. He didn’t respond until he was behind the wheel.
“Phoenix loves you, too, especially if she suggested y’all hang out. Kevin is cool now, but I didn’t always think so.”
“Age, maturity, and life experiences change people. Thankfully, for him, it was for the better.”
“I agree.”
From what Phyre had shared, Kevin was once the male version of his sister. He eventually matured and grew out of his obnoxious and womanizing ways, while his sister showed no growth.
“Kavia is interesting.” I turned to look at him, catching him frowning for a moment.
“She’s a bitch, and I don’t use that word often when I refer to anyone.”
“Have you always felt that way about her?”
“Not when we were younger. Back then, she didn’t act much differently from the other girls in our circle. By the time we got to high school, she’d morphed into a self-centered, conniving, obnoxious bitch.”
“Maybe something happened that caused her to change.”
He shrugged. “Possibly, but we weren’t close like that, so she didn’t share anything with me.”
“If she hadn’t changed, do you think you would’ve married her?”
“Nah. Kavia was never someone I saw myself building a future with. Even though she wasn’t always a bitch, I saw bitch potential.”
I laughed out loud. “You are so wrong for that.”
“It’s the truth. Her mother and grandmother taught her well. There’s no way I would intentionally subject myself to a lifetime of those women.”
“Wow. I’m glad you didn’t allow your parents to force you into doing something you didn’t want to do. I’m sure it was hard to go against them.”
“The hardest part was figuring out how I’d pay for school. Can we change the subject?”
“Of course. I’m sorry for asking too much.”
“Don’t apologize, baby. You can ask me anything, but I promise you, I’ve told you all I can tell you about that situation.”
“Understood. I love you.”
He glanced at me with a smile. “I love you more than you’ll ever love me.”
I didn’t argue with him because, at this particular moment, it might have been true. Although I’d attempted to push my love for Phyre down to the deepest parts of me, it was still very much present. Unlike him, the thought of us reuniting was not on my radar.
I didn’t think it was possible, so I suppressed any and all thoughts of it.
If everything he’d shared with me was true, while he prayed fervently for moments like this, I prayed for God to remove all thoughts of Phyre from my mind.
Regardless of my prayers, God knew my heart, and I was grateful He ignored me.
I’d always enjoyed my chosen career path, but the first week I worked in Phyre’s office was one of the worst weeks of my career. It had nothing to do with my actual job or the people I worked with. It was my attitude and the energy I used trying to ignore Phyre and my feelings for him.
Since the moment I let my guard down and opened my heart back up to him, life had been smooth sailing. Before I could blink, a month had passed, and I was headed to the airport to pick up Devyn.
“I’m glad your friend is coming to visit, but not having you in my bed for the next two nights is a problem for me,” Phyre said.
It was Friday, and everyone else in the office had left after our staff meeting. Phyre had some paperwork to complete, and I stuck around a little longer so I could head straight to the airport from there.
We were in his office, and he was seated behind his desk. I sat sideways on his lap, put my arms around his neck, and pressed my lips against his for a sweet kiss before responding.
“You’ve slept without me for much longer than two nights. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“Every one of those nights was miserable. Why don’t you let her stay at the condo and come home at bedtime?”
“Because bedtime will probably be late. We’ll probably be up talking all night, and tomorrow, we’ll probably go to a club. Besides, it’ll be rude to leave her alone after she’s traveled all this way.”
“Ahh, hell. Y’all going to the club?”
“Why not? I want to show my bestie a good time. I haven’t been out since I got here, and I barely go out when I’m home.”
“Nothing is out there but trouble.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those men.”
“One of what men?”
“One of those men who don’t like their women to go out and have fun without them.”
He appeared to think about his response for a moment.
“You’re the only woman I’ve been in a relationship with, and when we were in school, you didn’t do much clubbing. I haven’t cared enough about any other woman to really give a damn what she did.”
“Honestly, I’m a homebody, and so is Devyn. Clubbing ain’t really our thing, but we love a good day party. You know of any?”
“Reach out to Phoenix. I’m sure she knows.”
“I sure will, and in the meantime, don’t get your panties in a bunch if I decide to go clubbing every now and then. I’ll always come home to you, . . . just not this weekend.”
I kissed his forehead and hopped off his lap. Before I could get too far away, he caught my wrist.
“I know you can do better than that, especially if you don’t plan to see me until Sunday.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. She’s not leaving until Monday, and I have to take her to the airport, so I’ll be late.”
Still holding my wrist, he stood, pulling me to his chest.
“You’re just full of surprises today. I guess I’d better find something to keep me busy while you're off behaving like a single woman.”
“Don’t exaggerate, Phyre. I’ve only been here a month. What did you do before then?”
“I’ve already forgotten what living without you was like, but I know I don’t wanna do that shit again.”
My heart melted as he pressed his lips against mine. He held me tight as he slipped his tongue into my mouth, and our kiss became intense. When he lifted the back of my shirt and tried to slip his hands into my pants, I had to cut him off.
“Absolutely not, baby. You’re gonna make me late,” I said, taking a step back.
“I can be quick.”
“The lies you tell. I gotta go. Love you.”
I rushed from his office as he returned my sentiment. My breathing was labored by the time I reached the truck. I’d miss being with Phyre this weekend, but I was excited to see my best friend.