Chapter 9
S O L A C E
Back at my mother’s house, I had changed into a ribbed long-sleeved shirt, sweatpants, and Uggs. Then, I opened my laptop for the call I had been putting off all evening. I wanted the promotion. That part wasn’t the problem. I just needed to know exactly what I was agreeing to before I said yes.
Rebecca smiled when she appeared on the screen. “I was starting to wonder if you were going to turn us down.”
“Sorry.” I laughed. “I have a few questions before I give you an answer.”
“Ask whatever you need.”
I pulled my legs underneath me on the couch. “I want to go over the hybrid schedule again because the emails back and forth this week have been a little unclear. How often would I actually be required to work from the L.A. office?”
“Okay, yes. For this position, we require a minimum of two days a week in the office. There may be certain weeks when we need you there more, but two days is the standard minimum.”
“And when I’m not traveling or required to be in the office, I can work remotely?”
“Yes.”
“So just to make sure I understand, I don’t have to live in L.A. full-time as long as I’m in the office when I’m supposed to be, and I’m available for the travel?”
“Correct,” Rebecca nodded. “There’s no residency requirement for the position. We do have several senior executives who don’t live in the city full-time. That’s also why executive housing is included in your compensation package.”
I frowned. “Executive housing?”
“The company apartment.”
“What company apartment?”
She laughed. “You missed that part of the offer?”
“Apparently!”
“The company maintains furnished apartments for senior leadership who travel frequently or don’t live in Los Angeles full-time.
Yours would be a two-bedroom in one of our luxury properties downtown.
The company covers the rent, utilities, parking, housekeeping twice a month, and the basic building fees.
You can use it whenever you need to be in L.A. ”
I stared at her. “So I could live somewhere else, fly into L.A. when I need to be in the office, stay at the company apartment, and work remotely the rest of the time when I’m not traveling?”
“Exactly.”
Well, shit. That changed everything. I had been looking at the promotion as if taking it automatically meant I had to keep living exactly the way I had been.
I had been worrying about my condo, how often I would need to be in the city, and whether there was any realistic way to have the job and spend more time in my hometown.
I leaned back against the couch. Of course, some weeks would be busier than others, and the travel would probably get on my nerves eventually, but I could do it. I could move back to Bellhaven. I didn’t have to give up the career I had worked my ass off for just because I wanted something here too.
I had spent years acting as if those two things couldn’t exist at the same time. Even after coming home and realizing how much my hometown and Smoke still meant to me, I had started doing the same shit again instead of figuring out whether I actually had to choose.
“I want the position,” I finally said, after contemplating for what seemed like forever.
Rebecca smiled. “Is this your official acceptance?”
I opened my mouth to say yes, but Smoke crossed my mind.
I didn’t need his permission to accept my promotion, and I damn sure wasn’t asking for it.
This was my career, and I had worked too hard to get here.
But moving back to Bellhaven and trying to build something real with him involved both of us.
I had already decided for both of us once without giving him much of a say in it, and I wasn’t doing that shit again.
“Can I give you my official answer by the end of the weekend?”
Her eyebrows lifted in confusion. “After all of that?”
I laughed. “I know, I know. There’s just something I need to handle first.”
“Sunday morning, Solace. We have to be ready to announce it by Monday.”
“You’ll have my answer.”
“Thank you. Have a good one.”
I ended the call and closed my laptop. I wanted the promotion, and after talking everything through, I knew taking it didn’t automatically mean Smoke and I couldn’t figure out what came next.
I still needed to talk to him before I made any decisions about Bellhaven, but this time I was actually going to include him in the conversation instead of deciding what was best for both of us.
My bedroom door flew open before I could get off the bed, and my mother walked in carrying a bottle of champagne and a bunch of gold and black balloons. “Congratulations, Senior Director!”
I stared at her. “Mama! Were you listening at the door?”
“Of course I was.” She handed me the balloons and put the champagne on my dresser. “I bought all this earlier because I knew you were gonna take that job.”
“I haven’t officially accepted it yet.”
Her smile disappeared. “I heard.”
“I just wanna talk to Smoke first.”
She stared at me for a second before that smile came right back. “Well, look at you learning.”
“Don’t start.” I laughed when she hugged me, but my eyes still filled with tears as I hugged her back.
I had worked my ass off for this promotion. I had taken on bigger projects, longer days, more responsibility, and anything else that could get me closer to where I wanted to be. Senior Director had been one of my goals for years, and now the position was mine if I accepted it.
“I’m so proud of you, baby,” my mother said as she squeezed me. “You worked your ass off for this.”
“I know.”
She pulled back and looked at me. “You could at least pretend to be humble.”
I laughed and wiped underneath my eyes. “Thank you, Mama.”
“You’re welcome.” She kissed my cheek and grabbed the champagne. “Now, I know you need to go talk to that man, but you’re not leaving me standing here with champagne before I toast my baby.”
“One glass.”
“That’s all I need.” She went downstairs for two glasses and came back already working the cork loose. When it popped, both of us jumped before she started laughing. “See? Even the champagne is excited.”
“Please don’t start acting drunk before you even drink it.”
“I raised you. I deserve this champagne more than you do.” My mother poured a little into both glasses and handed me one before lifting hers. “To my daughter, the new Senior Director.”
“Mama, I haven’t accepted yet.”
“Stop ruining my toast.” She tapped her glass against mine.
“To my daughter, who worked for everything she has and finally figured out she doesn’t have to give up one good thing just because another one came along.
” I stopped smiling long enough to look at her, and she reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m so proud of you, Solace.”
“I love you, Mama.”
“I love you too, baby.” We drank, and I finished mine before setting the glass down and grabbing my phone. “Now, go talk to your man.”
I shook my head, but I was smiling when I called Smoke. He answered on the second ring. “What’s up, Lace?”
“Are you home?”
“Yeah, just got in wit’ Key. You good?”
“Can I come over?”
Smoke sucked his teeth. “Fuck you askin’ me that for?”
“I was trying to be polite.”
“Girl, bring yo’ ass over here.”
“I’m leaving now.”
“Aight.”
I ended the call, grabbed my purse, and kissed my mother on the cheek on my way out. “Don’t drink that whole bottle.”
“I ain’t making no promises.”
I laughed as I headed downstairs and ordered an Uber. While I waited outside, I texted Cindy and told her I would call tomorrow with an update before she spent the rest of the night blowing my phone up with questions.
The Uber pulled into Smoke’s driveway behind his truck, and I thanked the driver before getting out. I pulled my coat tighter around me as I walked toward the house, but I didn’t even get a chance to knock before Smoke opened the door.
“Damn.” I laughed as I stepped onto the porch. “I didn’t even get to knock.” His eyes were low as hell, and the fresh weed smell hit me as soon as he opened the door. He was clearly high, but unfortunately for me, that shit only made him finer.
“Come here.” I stepped inside, and Smoke pulled me against him before kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, knowing we had plenty to talk about once we got upstairs and settled. When he pulled away, he kept his hand around my waist. “You handle yo’ work shit?”
“Yeah.”
“Everything good?”
“Yes.” I paused, and Smoke immediately frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing. Everything is good.” I ran my hands up his chest. “Do you wanna shower together first before we get in bed?”
“That’s cool, but why you just pause like that?”
I smiled. “Because there’s something I wanna talk to you about, but it’s nothing bad. I promise.”
Smoke kept looking at me, and I knew my weird behavior with my phone at Desire hadn’t helped. I wasn’t about to tell him about the promotion while we were still standing by the front door, though. “You sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure.” I leaned up and kissed him again.
“Aight.” Smoke rubbed his hand down my back, but when I looked at his face again, something seemed off. He looked away before meeting my eyes again. “I got some shit I need to talk to you ’bout too.”
My smile disappeared. “What kind of shit?”
“We can talk ’bout it after.”
“After what?”
Smoke looked down at me. “You said somethin’ ’bout a shower.”
“Now you have me curious.”
“You can be curious upstairs.”
“Sherrod…”
“Come on, Lace.” He took my hand and started toward the stairs. “Let’s shower first, then we can sit down and talk.”
I let him lead me upstairs, but now I was thinking about what he needed to tell me instead of what I had come there to tell him.
I had finally figured out what I wanted to do about the promotion, and I had been excited to tell him.
Whatever was bothering Smoke had me wondering if I was about to have a completely different conversation first.