Leighton
Shaking my head as my sister blew hookah smoke through her nose, I sipped my drink. “This isn’t what I came to Diamond Cove for.”
“Leigh, you’ve been sewing and sketching so much, I’m surprised you don’t have carpal tunnel.
You held the auditions and secured the models.
You also have ten fire ass pieces ready to go, and the seamstresses are working six days a week to get the rest done.
You deserve brunch and some good drinks,” Allison shouted over the music.
I had only been back in Diamond Cove for seven days, but she was right.
I had been working my ass off and a few hours of good food and drinks wasn’t going to hurt anything.
My mom took Jaxon to church, so me, Allison, and Lexi hit a popular brunch spot.
The music was loud, the food was good, drinks were strong, and the vibe was unmatched.
My chicken and red velvet waffles tasted like they were cooked in heaven.
In Charlotte, I had Gwen and Ashley, but there was nothing like being home with my sisters.
“You ready for your photoshoot tomorrow?” Lexi asked as she twerked in her seat while puffing on the hookah tip.
“Yeap. I told the photographer I wanted to pose with a Doberman Pinscher, and he found one.”
Allison’s brow hiked. “Um excuse me. When were you going to tell me? You know I’m traumatized by dogs and deathly afraid of them.”
My sisters were going to be in my promo shoot along with the models I found.
Neither wanted to walk in the show because they were afraid to do so, and I didn’t blame them.
There were two hundred tickets available and so far, one hundred thirty had been sold.
It was going to be nerve racking at the end for me to stand in front of all those people and speak, but I knew it was necessary. Allison’s claims made my eyes roll.
“Girl, please. We were walking down the street, and you were kissing at the dog and telling him to come here. As soon as he started running toward you, you screamed, fell on the ground and started kicking. The dog came over to you, looked down at you acting like a fool, and walked away. You probably traumatized that dog more than he traumatized you.”
Lexi was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down her face. I sipped my drink while Allison mean mugged us both. After almost one full minute of Lexi laughing, Allison balled a napkin up and threw it at her.
“The dog is going to be on set with his owner. He’s trained. It’s not like he’ll be running around freely. And I’m taking my photos before everyone else arrives because I want to be able to watch the shoot and give my ideas to the photographer. I’m sure the dog won’t even be there when you arrive.”
“Better not be,” she grumbled making me chuckle.
The waitress came over with a strawberry Mimosa in hand, and I eyed her because none of us had ordered an extra. The three of us had split a picture of Mimosas, and I was tipsy. When she placed the drink in front of me, I parted my lips to protest, but she spoke before I could.
“This is from the gentleman in the booth to your right. He’s wearing a red shirt.”
Lexi’s nosey ass almost broke her neck trying to get a good look at my secret admirer. “Oh, he’s cute, but a little trifling,” her nose wrinkled. “He would have gotten points if he had sent the whole table drinks.”
I cut my eye at Mr. Red Shirt, and he wasn’t bad looking. I just wasn’t on the market. Or maybe I was on the market, but I wasn’t looking.
Allison scoffed while I was trying to decide whether or not I was going to drink the Mimosa. “So, if there were five of us at the table, it would have been your expectation for him to buy all five of us drinks.”
“Yes,” Lexi stated with raised brows. “Am I wrong?”
“Yes. You’re used to scammers and dope boys that ball out every day, but that’s not always real life. Men that work hard for their money don’t just throw it away because they have it.”
“That Mimosa is like $16 for a single. If it would have caused him financial hardship to buy three of them, he’s not what she needs anyway.”
“Okay, okay,” I held my hands up. “This is a cute little debate, but I have to agree with Allison. It would have been very admirable if he’d sent drinks for the entire table, but he doesn’t have to in order for me to consider him worthy.
I’m just not interested in dating. Jaxon is only three months.
I’m busy with a newborn, building a brand, and working to pay my bills. A man doesn’t fit into that equation.”
“If you put that bum on child support, you might not have to do so much. You could focus on your brand and let the side jobs go.”
I wasn’t in the mood to debate about Markell and child support.
That was the deciding factor in me picking up the champagne flute and downing the Mimosa.
Mr. Red Shirt found himself at our table.
The head rush I got from downing the drink so fast allowed me to offer him a genuine smile. “Thank you for the drink.”
“You’re welcome. My name is Eric. And you are?”
“Leighton. And these are my sisters, Allison and Lexi.”
My sisters waved, and Eric said hello to them. “I don’t want to disturb your brunch. I just had to come ask if you’re single.”
A lie was on the tip of my tongue, but I decided to be honest. “Yes, I’m single, and I live in Charlotte. I have a three-month-old son, and I work more than I sleep, so I don’t have time for much else.”
“I can respect a woman that’s about her business.
I actually work a lot myself. I’m a barber, but I do a lot of traveling.
I have some clients that are originally from Diamond Cove that made to the NBA.
They turned me on to some of their teammates and at least twice a month, I fly out to service certain customers. ”
I could practically hear Lexi’s thoughts screaming at me to give him my number. All she needed to hear was NBA, and she was sold.
“How about I give you my card? That way, you’ll be in control. No pressure.” He reached in his pocket, and I offered another smile.
“That sounds good.”
I knew I wasn’t going to call, and I appreciated him making it easy for me. After I eased the card from Eric’s fingers, he tipped his head at us before heading back to his table.
“He might be able to get tickets to games,” Lexi nudged me. “Girl, you better call him.”
“Games that I wouldn’t have time to go to. Anddddd, in case you forgot, I don’t live here.”
“So move back,” Allison stated with no hesitation.
“I’m proud of you for moving to a new place.
The intern opportunity was great, but you got your foot in the door.
There are just as many opportunities in Diamond Cove as Charlotte.
You have Jaxon now, and there are at least four people here that would babysit him anytime of the day or night. ”
Quiet as kept, I had been thinking about moving back to Diamond Cove.
I really did like Charlotte. In the time that I’d been living there, I didn’t have any complaints.
But I did have Jaxon, and raising him with no family near was hard.
It wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t ideal.
Especially since I couldn’t count on Markell to help.
My lease would be up in four months, so I didn’t have too long to make a decision.
“Even if I did move back home, I’m still busy. All these men do is play. Markell played in my face for an entire year. I had no clue the bastard was married. Men are really out here living double and triple lives, and I don’t have time for it.”
“You won’t find Prince Charming if you don’t kiss a few frogs first,” Lexi offered.
Pulling my card holder from my purse, I chortled. “Prince Charming can kiss my ass.”
“I heard that,” Allison teetered.
My phone vibrated in my purse. When I pulled it out and looked at the screen, my breath hitched. For a second or two, I forgot how to breathe. Remembering how nosey my sisters were snapped me from the trance I was in. Clearing my throat, I answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey. You busy? I didn’t mean to interrupt. Your grills are ready.”
“Okay cool. I’m just about to leave brunch.”
“Bet. I’ll be at the shop.”
I didn’t want my sisters to know that I was going to get my grills from Rage.
They hadn’t mentioned him, and I was glad.
The last time I was at the shop, his apology and confession had me in my feelings way more than I should have been.
I wanted to slap his ass then I wanted to kiss him.
It hurt when Rage didn’t even try to make our relationship work.
I could have seen if I was in Charlotte for months and years, and we eventually fell off, but he folded right away.
I was there for three weeks before we broke up.
He never even made it to visit me once. And I was so in love and secure, I didn’t even think he was cheating on me.
I knew it was the streets and him wanting to make money.
Rage had money saved. In my opinion, he could have moved to Charlotte and used his savings to hold him over until he got a job, but that wasn’t what he wanted to do.
I went from being excited about my internship to nursing a broken heart.
From the day I met Rage at the corner store, we had either talked or seen one another every day.
With me, he was a gentle giant. I fell hard and fast for Rage, but he felt the exact same way.
Having our relationship end so abruptly and unexpectedly, hurt.
I cried for a week. Even when I was dating Markell, I still thought of Rage often.
At one point, I had to wonder if he had worked voodoo on me because I couldn’t get him out of my system.
As soon as I went a week without thinking of him, I dreamed of him.
I was so pissed when I woke up the next morning.
Gwen said we might have had soul ties. Whatever it was, I wanted it to be over and done with.
Now here I was about to go see him. As I drove, I thought about all the good times Rage and I had and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t mind.
I thought about the two years in a row we went to the state fair, and he won me gigantic stuffed animals.
As I drove, a wide smile covered my face when I thought about our first Valentine’s Day together when he got us matching J’s and he bought me, three dozen roses, more balloons than I could count, a Pandora charm bracelet filled with charms, chocolate covered strawberries, and a Coach purse.
We got real nasty that night. Those memories led to more X rated ones and by the time I arrived at his shop, my body was warm, and my nipples were hard.
“Down girl,” I muttered to myself. It had been a little over a year since the last time I had sex. Funny thing was, it hadn’t bothered me until that exact moment. The way Rage used to kiss me….the way he used to talk directly into my ear as he stroked me. My God. I needed to get my grills and flee.
Being around Rage was the equivalent of a recovering addict being in the presence of their drug of choice.
Clearing my throat, I pulled the door open and stepped into the shop.
Soft R&B spilled from the speakers, and Rage sat on a stool scrolling through his phone.
When his gaze lifted, and our eyes locked, my cheeks flushed.
A sly grin stretched across his face. “You went to brunch or the club? Eyes barely open.”
“The Mimosa’s were hitting.”
Rage tossed a lustful glare my way. Slowly, he stood, and I had to look away because my yoni was contracting. He had sent me the sketch of the grills, and I was in love with them. The canine’s looked like fangs, and there were open face hearts on the teeth beside the fangs.
“Those are so dope,” I gushed as he lifted the top off the box that the grills were inside. Forgetting all about my arousal, I took the box from him and examined them up close. “Rage, you have to let me pay you,” my head lifted, and our gazes locked.
“Only if you let me take you out.”
“Rage,” I sighed.
“Okay well if I can’t take you out on a date run me my money,” he extended his hand palm up, but I knew he was joking.
“I have a son,” I blurted out. “He’s three months old.”
The expression on Rage’s face wasn’t one that I could read. “Oh damn. That’s what’s up. Congratulations.” His tone was soft. Unless I was tipsy and tripping, I saw it in his eyes. He was hurt, and that was what I didn’t want.
“Thank you.” I cleared my throat. “So um, how much is it?”
“You’re good, Leigh.” His cell phone rang, and I could practically see the relief oozing off him. “Gotta take this.” He answered the call and stepped a few feet away.
So, there was that. With a heavy heart I walked toward the exit and left Rage’s shop.