15. Harlem
HARLEM
NETFLIX & CHILL
Ihad spent the majority of the day at one of my rental properties, overseeing the renovations.
Most of the homes that I purchased, I flipped and sold them, but I maintained four for rental income.
The property was being renovated because the previous tenant had dogs, although their lease strictly prohibited pets of any kind.
When I learned about the pets, I confronted him, letting him know that he was in violation of his lease.
I gave him an ultimatum: He had a week to relocate the dogs, or he had to move.
Not only had he kept the dogs, but he didn’t move out either.
I went to the courts to initiate the eviction process.
During that time, he didn’t pay any rent, and the case dragged on for a couple of months before the sheriff’s office came to evict him.
The neighbors told me that he had left the night before the sheriff’s office arrived, but he had done major damage while he was there.
Besides allowing the dogs to use the restroom in the home and not clean it, they had torn the carpet in the bedrooms, their nails had scratched the surfaces of the laminate flooring, and he had stopped up the sinks and the bathtubs, turned the water on in all the bathrooms and the kitchen, and then left them running.
The water damage over the next fourteen hours was major, hence the renovations. I was just getting back to the shop, and I was tired. It had been a long day. The only thing that I wanted to do was go home and spend time with Baby.
Despite the stress of my day, just the thought of her had me singing as I breezed through the shop doors as if all was right in the world.
I was whistling and singing Al Green’s “Love and Happiness.”
“Where have you been?” Mia asked, scrunching her nose.
“Chasing after his woman,” Josiah stated.
“Chasing some woman, but I’m not sure if it’s his, since she’s been over there all day,” Raque remarked, bobbing her head toward Baby’s shop.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve been checking on properties,” I replied.
“Then what’s with the happy, upbeat appearance?” Monte asked.
“That’s the mark of a man in love,” Stephanie retorted.
“That is the mark of the love of a good woman,” Josiah countered.
“Are you about to run over there?” Mia asked.
“As soon as that line eases up. She’s busy now, and I don’t want to distract her,” I answered.
I sat down in my chair and kicked it with everyone for about an hour since I didn’t have any appointments.
Every now and then, I would glance over there to check the line.
On the one hand, I was happy for her because she deserved all the business and success she could muster.
On the other hand, I wanted my baby with me in my arms.
I stepped back to my office to pay some bills, and I had just returned to the front when I heard the bell tinkling over the door. Baby’s beautiful face appeared in the doorway with a brilliant smile and a sparkle in her cognac-colored eyes.
Everyone was greeting her, and she was replying to them. I noticed that she had a large tray of cupcakes in her hands and a large bag looped around her wrist.
I rushed to her side, and she beamed at me.
“Hey, babe,” she greeted when I dropped a kiss on her lips.
“Hey, yourself. What are these for?” I asked, taking the tray of tiered cupcakes from her hand.
“I just wanted to bring something over for the staff and customers.”
Everyone piped up, talking at once and thanking her. A few of them stopped what they were doing, left their client in the chair, and rushed to grab a cupcake.
I shook my head and snickered as she held up the bag from Two Slices.
“Did you eat yet?”
“Nah, I’ve been on the go all day.”
“Good. I ordered us a couple of pulled pork barbeque sandwiches. This is the first time that I was able to take a break all day. I looked at the clock on the wall and noticed it was a couple of minutes after two.”
“Come on back to my office. We can eat back there.”
She followed me back and waited while I set up a space for us to eat.
“How are you feeling, sweetness?” I asked her as we started eating.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I was just thinking about how far I’ve come since I was fired. At the time, I couldn’t see it, but now I realize that it was a blessing in disguise. God was setting me up for something so major that I had to get out of the way to receive what was for me.
“I have the sweetest customers too. More than a few tell me that they have been waiting for me to bring this to their neighborhood forever. Can you believe that?”
She smiled and bit into her sandwich, and I smiled, watching the happiness radiate from her.
“Hell yeah, I can believe it. I’ve been waiting for you forever too.”
She blushed and then asked, “How’s your day been, bae?”
“It’s been cool. I finally got over there to check on the rental property on Sugar Bell Drive.”
“How’s it going?”
“It’s going. They’re on hold for some supplies that are on back order, but because they were already ahead on the project, that puts us right on schedule. I don’t think that I’ll be paying for two mortgages out of my personal funds next month.”
“Have you thought about selling the properties? I mean, not having any real estate income and just selling them altogether. It seems like it’s a headache that you don’t need.”
“I honestly don’t, but it is what it is,” I replied absently.
“So, you’re keeping them?”
“For now. That experience isn’t the norm for me.”
“Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind, if you need something from me, or if you just want to talk. I’ve got your back, bae.”
“I know you do. What are you getting into after work?” I asked.
“Nothing much. Just going home to watch a movie.”
“Why don’t you come to my place and watch one instead?” I suggested.
“I can do that.”
“Pack a bag so that you can spend the night. You can either meet me there after work tonight, or I can come and pick you up. You know I don’t like you driving around all night long or late at night, but I respect your desire for independence. Just let me know what you want to do.”
“I’d rather drive over.”
“Well, I’ll follow you to your place after we leave our shops this evening, and you can follow me back to my place.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll do that, bae.”
We finished our meal, I walked her back to the bakery, and I kissed her goodbye until later.
We ordered pizza, and she had wine with hers while I drank beer with mine. She had some murder mystery on that I wasn’t paying much attention to. Halfway through the show, she noticed it and called me out on it.
“Bae, are you even paying attention?” she asked with a whine.
“Honestly?”
“I don’t want anything else from you.”
“Your answer is no.”
“Why not?”
“Babe, I’m not really into this stuff.”
“So, you just humor me?”
“I just want to be with you, babe. It doesn’t matter what’s on TV. As long as I’m under you, I’m happy.”
“I love mysteries, crime shows, and podcasts. They’re trending now. What don’t you like about them?” she asked as if it were impossible to feel any other way than what she felt.
“First, I don’t have time to look at crime shows.
The way I see it, there’s enough going on in the real world without me feeding into the hype and the fantasy.
Second, they’re depressing. I love to laugh and have a good time.
So, if it’s not sports, I’d rather be watching any type of good comedy any day. ”
“Even romcom?”
“Yeah,” I replied, bobbing my head slowly with a little smirk. “I can do a good romcom.”
“Name one that you’ve watched,” she challenged disbelievingly.
“Ticket to Paradise and Anyone but You. Old School? While You Were Sleeping, Maid in Manhattan, The Parent Trap, Wedding Season, and a few others.”
“I can’t believe you like romcoms. You don’t seem like the type.”
“Why do I have to be a type? Why do I have to fit into a box, sweetness?”
“I don’t know. It’s just different is all.”
“I’m always down with different,” I replied, gazing at her through half-closed lids.
“Then I have the perfect one for you to watch. I think you’ll like it.”
“What’s that?”
“The Manny.”
“What?” I balked, my eyes opening a little wider.
“Listen, it’s really good.”
“You’ve seen it already?”
“Just the previews and the first fifteen minutes, but I want to watch it with you.”
“All right, sweetness, put it on.”
I handed her the remote and let her do her thing while I refreshed our drinks. When I finished, I returned to the couch and handed her the wine she wanted, and I popped my beer top.
“Reach under the couch,” she declared.
“What?”
“Reach under the couch.”
I frowned, but I did as she instructed. There was a long rectangular white box wrapped in a bow. I carefully unwrapped the bow, removed the lid, and pulled back the white tissue paper.
“What’s this?” I asked as I grabbed the black material in the box.
“Not much, just a little something I wanted to get you.”
When I pulled the material completely out, I saw that it was a barber’s jacket with my name monogrammed on the front, and underneath my name was my shop’s name.
“Yo, this is dope, Baby.”
“Try it on,” she urged happily.
I did as she requested, and it was a perfect fit. “Come here, girl.” I pulled her into my arms, gripped her ass, and kissed her soft, plump lips. “Thank you, sweetness. You take good care of ya man. You know that?”
“I’m trying to,” she replied lightly.
“You’re doing a damn good job, ma. I appreciate all that you do for me. Them niggas gonna be jealous as hell.” I chuckled and shook my head.
She laughed and swatted my shoulder. “You’re a mess, Harlem.”
“Shiiid. They ain’t seen a mess until they see me wearing this jacket. Ain’t gon’ be able to tell me shit.”
She rolled her eyes and waited for me to remove the jacket and recline comfortably on the couch before she reclined between my legs.
I kissed her temple and the shell of her ear and then tweaked her nipple. “My baby gives me gifts, and she’s fine as hell. What am I gonna do with you?”
“Watch this movie.”