Chapter 4 #2
Aldridge pushed the passenger seat of my BMW all the way back and it was still a tight squeeze.
Touring the neighborhood was just as important as touring the house.
You could hate a home but love the surrounding area.
If you were on the fence about a property, the vibe of the neighborhood could tip the scale.
I found neighborhood tours especially helped clients who were new to Vegas.
How do you decide where to live if you don’t know anything about the area?
With Aldridge in tow, we headed to the heart of the neighborhood just minutes from the Bovine house.
I parked in a nearby lot next to the local coffee shop Brewed Awakenings.
Exiting the car, I pointed in the direction of travel.
“Before you commit to any house, you always have to try the local coffee shop. If you hate the coffee, you’ll end up hating the home. ”
“Are you dropping realtor secrets?”
“I think it’s common sense.”
“You may be right. I didn’t test out my local coffee shop in Kansas City. And the day after moving in I tried it and the coffee was bitter and the staff was rude. Needless to say, I never went back and would often have to drive to a different café several miles away.”
“And that’s an inconvenience. Most people are looking for walkable neighborhoods. If you have to hop in your car for a coffee and bagel, it sort of defeats the purpose.”
Aldridge held the door open for me. When we walked inside, we were immediately slapped in the face by that distinctive coffee bean smell. The vibe of the shop was eclectic with a mixture of booths and tables. There was even counter seating like you would find in a diner.
“So what’s good here?”
I’d only been to Brewed Awakenings once before, but I knew Aldridge enough to provide a drink recommendation he would most likely enjoy. “I think you should try the cortado.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Do you still love lattes and flat whites?”
“Yes.”
“Then trust me, a cortado is right up your alley.”
Aldridge offered a slow nod while still examining the menu. At the register he took my suggestion going with the cortado and I ordered a forest matcha. We found a corner booth and waited for our names to be called.
“So where are you staying right now?” I fidgeted with my napkins and extra sugar packets.
“I’m at the W hotel on the Strip.”
“Wow, that hotel is very interesting.” Whoever was responsible for the design of the hotel really leaned into the fact that it was a Vegas property.
There was nothing subtle or understated in the design choices.
I’m talking gold antler chandeliers, God awful wallpaper which featured a Victorian lady whose eyes followed you around the room.
“You’re not lying. When I checked in it was very clear I was no longer in Kansas City.”
“Aldridge,” the barista called out.
He jumped up to retrieve our drinks. When he returned, he placed mine in front of me.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” He reclaimed his seat. “I will say that being on the Strip these past few weeks has erased any thoughts about buying a place on Las Vegas Boulevard.”
“For most people it seems like fun but more often than not it loses its appeal really quickly.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“It’s like being in the middle of one big party every single night. It tends to get old.”
Aldridge took a sip of his coffee and smiled. “Where do you stay at?”
My breath hitched. Up until this point I was doing my best impression of someone who was unbothered.
Trying to act as if sitting across from Aldridge and casually chopping it up was completely normal.
We hadn’t spoken in over five years. Nothing about this was normal.
Him being in Las Vegas. Me having to pretend his scent of sandalwood, lavender, and basil wasn’t triggering my desire.
The fact I had to hold myself back because all I really wanted was one of Aldridge’s strong full hugs that told me I was safe and everything was going to be okay.
Having coffee with my former college sweetheart, now world-famous basketball player, was not something I thought I’d ever have to endure.
But when my mother said life had a funny way of humbling you, she wasn’t lying.
I thought I was fine. After all these years Aldridge rarely ever crossed my mind.
I’d had plenty of exes since him. But Aldridge was the type of man who left a mark.
He was the litmus test for all other men I dated.
Settling for the bare minimum wasn’t a viable option.
I knew what real love felt like and if a man couldn’t love me the same or better than Aldridge, I wasn’t interested.
Aldridge snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Danessa?”
“Oh I’m sorry.”
“Where’d you go?”
“What do you mean?”
“You did that thing you do when you’re here but not.”
“I’m here.” I offered a strained smile.
“I know I’m not the most interesting conversationalist, but try to stay with me.” He winked. “So what area do you live in?”
“Uhm … I live in a condo off the Strip. Man-made lake, all the amenities.”
“That makes sense because you loved being catered to.”
“Look, I make no apologies for demanding what I want. I know my worth.”
“I’m not disagreeing with you. You deserve nothing but the best. I know when we were together I tried to provide you with that.”
“You would always let me size up on my quarter pounder meal,” I teased.
“Shit I was poor, so a large meal was the equivalent to the Hope Diamond for me. I mean sometimes I’d even let you add on some chicken nuggets. Do you remember that?” He flashed his bright smile.
“And you demanded they provide extra sweet and sour sauce.”
“Only the best for my baby.” Aldridge cleared his throat. “I mean—”
“No I get it … past tense. No need to explain.” I took a long sip from my cup. “So how is your family doing?”
“Still in Philly. Not much has changed. Duane was released from jail. He’s working as a cook at some diner.”
Duane was Aldridge’s older brother and one of the reasons he went as hard as he did. Duane getting locked up kinda scared Aldridge straight. Before Duane was arrested Aldridge was on a very different path.
“I’m so happy to hear that he’s doing well.”
“Yeah, he’s keeping his nose clean and it seems like he’s really trying to turn the page on the past. I think it helps that my folks don’t live in the same area anymore.”
“When did they move?”
“I bought them a home the year I was drafted. It’s not a mansion or anything like that, but it has four bedrooms, three and a half baths. But most importantly the neighborhood is safe and in a good school district.”
“That’s amazing. You always talked about relocating your mother.”
“You should have seen my mother’s face when we pulled up to the house. That made it all worth it.”
Providing for his family had always been a priority for Aldridge.
His mother often worked two jobs, and his dad’s employment was spotty at best. But with five mouths to feed, money didn’t stretch quite as far.
And as one of the oldest, the responsibility of supplementing his parents’s income fell on Duane and Aldridge.
Duane took to the streets and Aldridge focused on basketball.
Both were essentially long shots. Most drug dealers end up going to jail or worse, and most basketball players never make it to the NBA.
“I can hear your mother’s reaction. ‘Aldridge, what have you done?’” I imitated his mom’s distinctive Philly accent.
“Pretty much just like that.”
“She must be so proud.”
He hopped his shoulders. “I’m trying.”
I could sense there was shit he was holding back, and I let him have it. It wasn’t my place to pry. “So how do you rate the coffee?”
He examined his cup. “Mmm, seven out of ten.”
“My spot back home is hard to beat.” Hearing him call Kansas City home was jarring because it reinforced there was a whole life I knew nothing about. That I knew him, past tense.
“I’m sure I can find a place that will make you eat those words.”
“Coffee isn’t my thing. I used to drink whatever, but then Ashley put me on to this one spot and I fell in love. Like I finally get why people are so serious about their cup of Joe.”
After he mentioned Ashley, I tuned everything out. The way he casually dropped her name in the conversation. Like she was family or a longtime friend. I didn’t give a fuck about Ashley, and if he said her name one more time I would … okay I wasn’t going to do shit, but I was fucking pissed.
“It just takes one good cup to turn you out.” Or one mediocre social media influencer.
“Yeah, I’m addicted.” Aldridge chuckled at some inside joke I wasn’t privy to.
“Okay, we’ll move on to the next house and a new location.”
“No more porn houses.”
“No, I’ve made a note. Client would like to avoid homes that could be featured in extracurricular videos.”