6. Faith
See you Monday morning, my love.
Ihad been looking at Reed’s stupid ass message for days. Infuriating, that was the only way to describe him. I was convinced that the boy didn’t have good sense.
“Ain’t no use in you looking at that phone all day long. You go up there and do your job and leave it at that. If you want to get you some dick on the side, that’s your right!”
“Granny.” I gasped at my grandma’s logic, but I didn’t know why I was surprised. She was the worst.
“Don’t act like you ain’t never fucked before. You want me to think you so innocent, gal. You think I don’t know where babies come from? I know how you got this one,” she said, kissing the top of Jada’s head before releasing her to let her come to the table.
“I’m just saying you don’t have to say it like that.”
“What? Dick? If y’all would get out of my business sometimes, I would get me some too,” my grandma added.
“Come on now, Nana. You go too far sometimes,” Hope complained.
“You ain’t lying. I’m trying to eat over here,” Grace added.
“Faith, don’t listen to those heifers. If you feel like you want to fuck, you fuck. I’m tired of you walking around with your head in a book or that damn computer instead of trying to find you somebody. I know that boy hurt you, but that don’t mean you had to give up altogether.”
“I didn’t give up, Nana.”
“Well, why you ain’t got no man around here?”
“What about Jas–”
I shot my sister Hope a look, cutting her off before she could finish her statement. The last thing I needed was for my grandma trying to play matchmaker between me and my neighbor Jasper. I liked things the way they were. I had enough baggage of my own without adding anyone else’s problems.
“You know I don’t like bringing any and everyone around Jada.”
“Who said anything about having someone around that baby, gal? I’m talking about letting someone screw that attitude out of you.”
“What attitude?” I asked, stretching my eyes.
“Girl, please. You know exactly what she’s talking about.” Hope chimed in unsolicited.
“I was not talking to your bighead ass.”
“Mommy, you said a bad word,” Jada sang, never looking up from where she was coloring.
“I’m sorry, baby. Auntie Hope made mommy mad, but that’s no excuse,” I told my daughter.
If it weren’t for Jada, I would not be going through with this damn assignment. I wanted to show my daughter how resilient she could be. I wanted to show her that even when someone thinks they are breaking you, they are just making you stronger.
Reed might have hurt me in the past, but I would get the last laugh. It was stupid of me to mention to Cassidy that I knew Reed and Nicholas in the past. I knew how thirsty she was about finding her next big story. Either way, my big mouth had written me a check that my ass couldn’t cash.
It was even dumber that a small part of me hoped like hell that Reed was innocent.
Some miniscule part of me wanted him to still be the man I fell in love with.
That was the part of me that still believed in fairy tales.
Like I said, it was microscopic. So instead of wishing on a shooting star for a miracle, I stood from the table and walked over to where my daughter was.
“I’m about to go to work,” I said, stooping to kiss the top of her head.
“OK, can you take me to get ice cream after school?”
“Be good for Nana, and I will see.”
“Nana, my mama said I can have ice cream.”
I shook my head, laughing at my daughter’s attempt to get her ice cream by any means necessary.
I left them to it, heading to the door while my grandma explained that they couldn’t have ice cream for breakfast. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my bag off my grandma’s coffee table and headed out.
There was no use in prolonging the inevitable.
By the time I pulled into the employee parking garage at Cashville Resort & Casino, I had already thought about turning around and going home at least five times.
The knot in my stomach tightened, making me wish I had skipped breakfast instead of letting Granny bully me into eating.
I already knew that I had a big job ahead of me.
Reed had already proven that he would be difficult to work with.
Doing this was a mistake. A huge one at that, but I was here now.
I stared out of the windshield for a long while before taking a deep breath and getting out of the car.
The cool morning air kissed the dampness on my face from the anxiety bubbling right under the surface of my skin. I had no idea why I was so nervous.
I had to take that back. I never expected that I would still be so affected by him after all this time.
In all the years that I wondered when the golden boy Reed Fuller would ever get his, I never imagined that I would be the one to serve him up.
Stuffing down all my anxiety, I strutted into Cashville ready to get down to business.
As I walked inside with my tablet clutched to my chest, I took everything in for the first time. The blue and gold decor was accompanied by glass counters and walls that made the entire place scream luxury. Everything was so well orchestrated. That made me trust it even less.
As I walked deeper into the building, a woman dressed in a fitted black pencil dress moved from her position near the security desk to approach me.
She was stunning, with long legs, honey-brown skin, and a flawless bob that flowed as she walked.
Her professional tight smile looked forced, but I knew all too well about putting on a work face.
“Faith Washington?” she asked, dropping her eyes to the tablet in her hand to study my face.
I nodded. “That’s me.”
“I’m Paula. Mr. Fuller’s assistant,” she said, extending her hand for a shake.
“Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you too.”
What did she mean by finally? I started to ask, but she didn’t give me room to respond before continuing.
“Mr. Fuller is waiting for you upstairs. Follow me,” Paula instructed as she took off for a bank of elevators.
As I fell in step with her, I went back into my memory to try to remember why I thought it was a good idea to be anywhere within a hundred miles of Reed Fuller.
“How long have you worked here?” I quizzed as we stepped into the elevator.
“I’ve been here almost since the place opened, almost four years.”
“That’s impressive. I’m sure Mr. Fuller is a handful.”
“I understand his needs. Mr. Fuller values loyalty.”
That was a weird response, but I let it slide. It wasn’t my place to speculate. I was here to get behind the scenes and sniff out the rats. I assumed her mention of loyalty meant that she wouldn’t be the one that I could pick apart for insider information.
The elevator doors slid open to a floor that seemed to be just offices. It was particularly quiet compared to the chaos going on downstairs. At the end of the hall, a floor-to-ceiling mirror overlooked a lake. I couldn’t wait to look at the view.
Actually, I would have to. Right now, I had to be professional.
There was a dirty crime syndicate to dismantle.
I trailed a step behind Paula as she moved to the end of the hall to a set of double doors.
She pushed the doors open, and there he was.
Jesus Devante Christ he was fine. I kept my face neutral, even as my breathing hitched.
“Mr. Fuller, we have Ms. Faith Washington here. You didn’t tell me how pretty your little journalist friend was.”
Little? My ears perked at her comment. There was nothing little about me. I almost told her ass that, but I wasn’t sure yet if she would be an asset to my investigation. Some people didn’t know any better. I would give anybody at least one pass.
Reed looked up at us from behind his desk, settling his attention on me after Paula announced that I was here. Those eyes that I used to love pinned me in place as I clutched the tablet against my chest like a safety net. He had no business looking that good after all this time.
I mean, seven years wasn’t a lifetime, but hell, I had gained twenty something pounds and gotten three disrespectful gray hairs right up front. Reed looked like he was in better shape. I was pretty sure he even looked younger. How the hell did I let Barbara talk me into this shit?
“Thank you, Paula. That’ll be all,” Reed stated, never taking his eyes off me.
“First, let me go over the itinerary for the day.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Reed said, taking his probing eyes off me and looking at his assistant.
“Mr. Fuller, we’ve already discussed this. Before we move forward, I need to make sure everything is in order.”
“I’m capable of handling a few simple tasks on my own.”
“Reed–” Her voice was sharp, but her face still held that phony smile.
“That’ll be all, Paula,” Reed repeated, turning back to me as he stood and rounded the desk. The sleeves of his gray shirt were rolled up like he was already elbow deep in work although he told me he usually got there around eight.
“You’re late,” Reed told me as he sat on the corner of his desk.
I ignored the way his perfectly tailored navy-blue slacks hugged his thighs just right. Instead, I defended my punctuality.
“I’m actually five minutes early.”
“Exactly. You used to be fifteen minutes early for everything. I remember you saying how you never knew what would come up, so you made sure to be extra early.”
I didn’t know why it irritated me that he remembered that.
“Well, I’m here now.”
“That’s the only thing that matters. I’m glad you came.”
Paula cleared her throat, reminding me that she was still lingering behind me, although I was pretty sure she had been dismissed.
“So how are we doing this?” I asked, glancing back at Paula since she clearly had something to say about it.
“You tell me. You’re the one doing the big, important investigation,” Reed stated.
“I need unrestricted access.”
“OK, what else?”
“I need financial records and a few employees of my choosing to interview.”
His shoulders quickly rose and fell. “Done.”