CHAPTER 29
Jackie silenced the alert on the group chat again.
Her girls had been blowing her up since she landed in Atlanta, wanting to know what happened.
Jackie, for all her forty-plus years of life, was not above being childish.
She probably should work out those issues on a therapist’s couch…
But for now, she’d stick with avoidance as a coping mechanism.
Instead of picking up her phone, she headed to pick up PeeWee at the medical spa.
He wiggled his little puppy behind so hard it turned him in circles when he saw her.
She squeezed him tight, her eyes brimming with tears, as the vet team filled her in on his progress.
PeeWee was healing well from surgery, and they were hopeful his tumor was benign.
Because the biopsy had been inconclusive, Jackie would have to wait for further test results before she could breathe easy.
But they were about to celebrate anyway.
She grabbed a sushi platter for the both of them on the way back home, then put her phone on Do Not Disturb—where it would stay for the entire weekend.
Snuggling with PeeWee and stuffing her face with sashimi while watching old episodes of Dateline was exactly what she needed.
Avoiding her friends for a couple of days while she pampered PeeWee was one thing, but as Jackie stepped off the elevator at her office, she knew she’d have to face reality. She would see Antonio eventually. And then what? The thought made her stomach tighten.
“Welcome back, Ms. Miles,” said Calvin as he typed on his computer. “How was your trip?”
Jackie lifted her shades and stared at him. He looked at her so eagerly, she wanted to slap the smirk off his pasty face. She typed into the app on her phone, pressed SPEAK, and slammed the phone on Calvin’s desk. He jumped in his seat.
“I want you to hear me and hear me good, Charlie. I’m sure you thought booking that trip for Antonio and me as a couple would be funny.
Well, it darn sure wasn’t. If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’ll fire you and make sure no one in this town hires you ever again.
Then it’s back to whatever Buckhead-adjacent, barely-gated community you’re pretending you are from.
Trust me, I got the juice, and you don’t want to mess with me ever again. Got that?”
Calvin’s green-blue eyes widened, and he swallowed. “Got that. Would you like me to get you a coffee? Tea for your throat? And perhaps a pastry from the shop downstairs?”
Jackie gave him a slight nod, then motioned her hand to shoo him towards the bakery. Calvin jumped up so fast he knocked over his chair and the artificial olive tree in the corner.
The little shit. If he wasn’t such a damned wiz with her calendar—and, she could admit, generally exceptional at his job—he’d be gone. The old Jackie wouldn’t have had any qualms with firing him. She must be turning over a new leaf.
Jackie moved to her desk and stared at her computer screen.
Last night, when she couldn’t sleep, she had gone ahead and finalized her pitch to Guzman.
She had emailed it in the middle of the night; surely Guzman’s team hadn’t had a chance to review her proposal yet.
Still, she refreshed her email inbox every couple of minutes, hoping a response would come through. Get it together, Jackie.
Needing a distraction, Jackie finally took her phone off of Do Not Disturb and checked her group chat.
JACKIE: Hey y’all.
TANIKA: Oh, hello. Done ignoring us?
brONWYN: We were worried sick! How dare you not let us know if you’re ok.
TANIKA: Or if you got that back blown out!
brONWYN: That too! Does Tanika owe me $100 or not?
JACKIE: Wait, did the bet double?
brONWYN: Yep. Because I said you got your back blown out at least twice…
Damn Bron and her intuition. Jackie rolled her eyes and chuckled. Twice was nowhere near the number.
JACKIE: Can we talk about all that in-person? Though, I can’t exactly talk…
TANIKA: Your voice still isn’t back?
JACKIE: It was and then it wasn’t.
brONWYN: Huh? What does that mean?
JACKIE: Too much to explain over text. We still on for lunch today?
TANIKA: Yep. At Ruby Chow’s?
This month was Mya’s turn to pick their lunch location, and the woman absolutely loved anything with a noodle she could slurp or a dumpling she could devour.
TANIKA: You know it. Mya is salivating for the tea. And I don’t mean the jasmine green at Ruby’s.
brONWYN: Although the tea there is full of antioxidants! They source it straight from Hong Kong.
JACKIE: You would know that. I’ll see you all at lunch.
TANIKA: Cool! Love you, boss chicks!
brONWYN: Love you too!
JACKIE: Love you both.
Jackie closed her group chat and went back to her email. Still nothing from Guzman. She was about to close her laptop when she heard the ding of a new message.
FROM: Antonio.Steele@
TO: J.Miles@
SUBJECT: Just wondering?
You good? How’s my man PeeWee?
Antonio Steele,
Lead Agent, AMW
Jackie stared at the brief email for a while, debating if she should even answer. She tapped her stylus on her hand as she thought about what to say. She decided to match Antonio’s energy.
FROM: J.Miles@
TO: Antonio.Steele@
RE: Just wondering?
Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?
PS: PeeWee is on the mend. Thanks for asking.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline A. Miles, Esq.
Senior Agent, Elite Management
The lack of warmth in her responses was typical Jackie. Yet, it made her ache inside. He didn’t deserve that, did he? She tried to shake the feeling off. She ran a hand over the nape of her neck, then tapped the diamond pendant at the base of her throat.
It’s fine, she told herself. We’re just keeping it above board.
So…why did it hurt so damn much?
WHEN JACKIE WALKED INTO RUBY CHOW, SHE DIDN’T SEE HER girls.
That was odd. They’d usually be seated at a table by now.
It wasn’t until the alert on her phone went off, reminding her to leave for lunch, that Jackie realized she was early.
Early was not Jackie’s style. Her brain must have been on autopilot after messaging Antonio, needing to get out of the office as fast as possible.
Fifteen minutes later, Tanika, Bronwyn, and Mya stepped into the restaurant together. General shock registered on their faces at the sight of Jackie sitting in the lobby.
“Hell must have frozen over if Jackie is early. Or are we late?” mused Mya as she looked at her watch. “No, we are definitely on time.”
“What’s up with that, Jackie?” asked Tanika. “You look out of it.”
Jackie shrugged, then motioned that they should get a table. She was ready for this lunch to start. Bronwyn seemed to be the only one to pick up on that.
“Yes, y’all.” Bronwyn linked an arm with Jackie. “Let’s sit, get some drinks, and relax before we start grilling her.”
Ruby Chow’s was pretty packed. The host seated them at a table in the far back. Jackie hadn’t even cracked open the menu before the questions started. So much for the promise of drinks.
“Wait, I thought you got your voice back?” asked Mya.
Jackie typed in the app and responded. “I did. And then I didn’t. It was so weird.”
“Did you get sick in Mexico? Maybe strep or something? Oh lord, maybe it’s something you ate. I think you need to go back and see the doctor,” Tanika remarked.
Jackie shook her head. “I’m not sick,” her app responded. “One minute I was talking, and then I wasn’t.” She looked over at Bronwyn, who had a questioning expression on her face. She gave her the universal “what?” look that all Black women knew how to convey since puberty.
Bronwyn tapped her chin, the gold rings adorning her fingers shining. “What were the circumstances surrounding the return and loss of your voice?”
Everyone turned to look at her. Jackie felt as if a rock had settled right in her gut.
At that moment, the server returned to take drink orders.
Thank God, because Jackie wasn’t sure she could tell this part without a little liquid courage.
Tanika ordered a round of lychee martinis and winked at Jackie.
That martini was her favorite. Jackie smiled, super grateful that her girl knew her so well.
“Can we talk about something else, for now?” Jackie asked, tapping her phone screen. “Tanika, when are we shopping for your dress?”
“It depends. Is PJ going to do the interview?”
Jackie shrugged, then typed. “Probably. Antonio said he’d ask him.”
Tanika squinted behind her glasses. “Why does Antonio have to ask? Why can’t you?”
Shit. Jackie had said too much. “PJ really values his opinion. Since Ant is an agent who was an athlete.”
“I see.” Tanika nodded but looked suspicious.
The server brought the martinis, and Jackie took a huge sip before anyone else had even picked theirs up.
“Damn, you thirsty as hell,” Mya teased. “Slow down, girl!”
Jackie waved Mya off as she put down her drink and picked up the menu.
“Not so fast,” Bronwyn put a gentle finger on the top of the menu, moving it away from Jackie’s face. “You need to answer my question.”
Jackie sighed and picked up her phone to type. Three sets of eyes stared at her, eagerly anticipating whatever she had to say.
“Fine. I didn’t get my voice back until…Antonio and I got a little freaky.”
“Hah! I knew it!” squealed Bronwyn. “I told you: You and Antonio have a soul bond. The sex with him must have opened up your throat chakra!”
“I’m sure more than that throat was open,” Tanika quipped, and Mya nearly spit out her drink before howling with laughter.
Jackie couldn’t even be mad. That was funny. And very true.
“Go on,” Bronwyn encouraged. “You were vocal during sex, and then not so much afterward. When did you become mute again? During or after the sex?”
“After,” Jackie’s app answered for her.
“And how was the sex?” asked Mya. “Because like I said, that big, ol’ man looks like he can put in work!”