Chapter Eleven
Building Something Real
LaKeith and I did not magically return to normal.
We created something better.
He included me in every meeting concerning the building.
I learned about financing, historic tax credits, and neighborhood preservation grants.
He learned that I needed information before surprises, even when the surprise came with good intentions.
We argued.
We apologized.
We practiced saying what we meant before hurt translated it into something uglier.
Two weeks after the building purchase, I stood inside the unfinished upstairs space holding a set of plans.
“I want one office reserved for local writers,” I told him.
LaKeith made a note. “Done.”
“And a podcast room.”
“We’ll price the soundproofing.”
“And a rooftop garden.”
“The building has no roof access.”
“You repair things.”
He looked at me. “I see the problem.”
Jakari stood on a ladder wiring a new fixture.
Norelle watched from below.
“That light is crooked,” she told him.
Jakari looked at the perfectly straight fixture. “You inspected it with a level?”
“I have eyes.”
“Debatable.”
Norelle placed a hand on her hip. “Fix it.”
Jakari climbed down the ladder. “Ask nicely.”
“I would rather sit in darkness.”
“Then why are you still talking to me?”
Her expression flickered.
Jakari stepped closer.
Norelle looked toward me. “Are you going to let him harass an employee?”
“You are not my employee today,” I reminded her. “You volunteered to help choose paint colors.”
“I withdraw my volunteerism.”
Jakari handed her a sample card. “Pick a color first.”
She snatched it from him. “This gray looks like prison.”
“You have experience?”
“I watch documentaries.”
LaKeith leaned toward me. “How long before they admit they like each other?”
“Norelle will require several business days.”
“Kari already knows.”
“Men always figure out their feelings after irritating everybody else.”
“You ignored me for two months.”
“I knew how I felt.”
“You threw a bookmark at me.”
“You were standing near the display.”
LaKeith slid an arm around my waist.
I rested my head against his chest.
Across the room, Jakari reached past Norelle to hold a paint sample against the wall.
Norelle went quiet for the first time all day.
Jakari’s gaze dropped to her mouth.
She stepped away quickly.
“This color is ugly,” Norelle announced.
Jakari smiled. “You weren’t looking at the wall.”
“I was thinking.”
“About me?”
“About violence.”
LaKeith chuckled.
I looked up at him. “They are definitely next.”
“Next for what?”
“Trouble.”