Chapter 18 Spring Festivals and Shady Ho’s
Natalie
I strolled around the store to do a final walkthrough.
The Spring Festival was starting in thirty minutes, and all of us had been preparing for the last few days.
Dexter made sure that all the extra products and books were delivered and organized in the back room, allowing us to grab a new item and restock quickly if anything ran out in the front.
Adam and Monica had all of our social media posts uploaded and had the camera set up to go live during the event.
Ricky agreed to help with the in-store tasks while Adam and Monica took turns doing special giveaways and upselling during the live.
Those orders would be processed and shipped after the store closed.
I wanted to not only surpass my goal, but to rub the success of my store in Lawrence and Sandra's ugly faces.
Amber and I also hung up flyers around town to point new customers in our direction and to keep the buzz going.
Despite my heightened nerves and anxious belly, I was ready for this event.
“Hey everyone, let's meet up real quick,” I shouted, standing in the middle of the floor.
I took a deep breath as my employees gathered around me.
“First off, let me say that I am truly grateful to have each of you on my team.
You may not know it, but it is usually hard for me to delegate work.
I'm the type of person who tries to do everything by themselves.”
“Is that why it took so long for you to give up the social media content calendar?” Adam joked.
Everyone laughed, causing me to cover my face before joining them.
“Yes. Yes, it is, but I quickly learned that when it comes to working with y'all, it's okay to ease up on the reins.
With that said, today is going to be hectic, and tensions may get high because of the chaos.
Let's remember we are a team, and in order for us to have a successful night, we must remember to work together.”
“Hell yeah!” Amber chimed, clapping her hands.
“Alright, my brother, Ricky is coming in to help with restocking and the live stream. Amber, halfway through the day, check in with me if you need a restock on bags, thank you notes, receipt paper, change, etc.”
“Dexter handed out radios to everyone and told us to call him for restocking requests. I'll let you know if the till needs to be changed out.”
I looked over at Dexter, who was leaning against the checkout counter.
I noticed he had on a navy Polo shirt and a pair of black jeans with a matching pair of Polo shoes.
The same intense look he had for me a few nights ago was no longer there, but watered down.
The connection between us was still there; I could feel it, but something was different.
After spending time together the other night and getting a little too close, I shut things down immediately.
We both knew the consequences of going over that line, but why was it so hard to not want him?
“Thanks, Dexter. I'll need one of those, too.”
He raised a radio and shook it in the air. “I've already got you covered.”
My words faltered, and I found myself staring with a mixture of shock and relief.
Dexter went out of his way to secure radios for everyone when I didn't ask.
Hell, the thought didn't cross my mind. It may not have been a big deal to some, but it meant a lot to me.
I smiled and thanked him again, causing him to dip his chin.
I ended the meeting with a quick prayer, and everyone took off to their areas because the festival was minutes away from starting.
I tried to catch up to Dexter, but he had already left for the stockroom.
I started to go after him when three rapid knocks came at the front door. When I noticed it was Ricky, I quickly let him in.
“Barely on time, I see,” I said, embracing him in a hug.
“Still on time! The parking out there is crazy, and there are loads of people waiting for the event to start.”
My heart raced with panic. “A lot of people?”
Ricky nodded. “Yes, but don't worry. Things are going to be great for you, sis.”
“Thanks, bro.”
He squeezed the top of my shoulder with a broad smile. “Now, where do you want me? Do you want me and Dex to handle the floor? You know, get to know the customers.”
“No, sir. I don’t need your fast ass trying to flirt with all of my customers. Stay and help Amber behind the counter for now, then switch with Monica on the live after an hour. Dexter is in the stockroom, making sure everything is organized to grab and go.”
“You got it, boss lady,” Ricky said, giving me a quick salute.
“Oh, wait, take one of these,” I said, handing him my radio. “This is how we're going to communicate and get through today.”
“Where's yours?” Ricky asked, hooking the earpiece in and placing the radio into his back pocket.
“I'm going to check if Dexter has any extras.”
Ricky nodded. “Cool beans. Alright, Ms. Amber, ready to get this party started?”
Amber giggled as she nodded her head. “Absolutely, handsome. So, are you single?”
“Amber, sweetheart, you are beautiful, and I mean this with no disrespect, but I'm only interested in my melanin queens.”
Amber huffed out a sigh before she shrugged her shoulders. “It was worth a shot.”
I shook my head and began heading towards the back.
Throughout the weeks, I’ve learned that Amber was a big flirt and liked to have fun, but she wasn't interested in anyone, really.
She told me about a man she still had feelings for back home, and she was waiting for him to get his shit together.
Any other time, I wouldn't have allowed her to speak to my brother, especially since I knew what type of time she was on.
However, I knew she didn't stand a chance with Ricky.
He liked what he liked, and she did not fit the bill.
Looking around the stockroom, I found Dexter breaking down a pallet of boxes. I swallowed as I approached him and tried to forget about our last encounter. The way Dex's hands felt on my body brought me a few shameful orgasms in the middle of the night.
“Hey. I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have an extra radio? I gave mine to Ricky.”
Dexter nodded as he walked towards one of the worktables and pulled another radio from the drawer. “I bought a few backups just in case.”
“Look at you, thinking ahead of the game. I should make you my assistant manager.”
Dexter shook his head. “You don't want that. That means you'll have to see me a lot more.”
“There's nothing wrong with that,” I whispered, looking at the radio in my hands.
Dexter huffed out a humorless chuckle before staring down at me. “Natalie, please. This back-and-forth game of yours is giving me whiplash.”
I took a step back and placed my hands on my hips. “What game?”
“One minute I think we're finally going to give in to our desires, but then the next minute you're shutting me down. Trust me, I understand the hesitancy, but I also understand the desire. I need you to choose which route you're willing to take.”
I pressed my lips together as I gripped the radio tightly in my hands.
As much as I wanted to yell and disagree with this man, I knew he was one hundred percent correct.
There was no denying the feelings I had for Dexter.
The way he made me feel was nothing like how I had felt before.
Hell, throughout my time with Lawrence, he never had me feeling like this.
However, what I was feeling was wrong. I shouldn't be flirting with Dexter or leading him on to believe in a false hope that we could work.
Because we simply couldn't. Besides the fact that he's my brother's friend, and there was an age gap between us, I was still holding on to the secret of being engaged.
If Dexter and I decided to cross that line, I highly doubt he'd be willing to play along with me still being engaged to Lawrence.
“I-I have to get back to work,” I stammered, walking past Dexter. Reaching for the doorknob, I stopped and looked over my shoulder. “I'm sorry, Dexter.”
Though the store was chaotic, the event managed to maintain a steady rhythm. Adam and Monica had already gained one hundred new online orders, and I had lost track of how many new customers had come into the store.
“Thank you so much for your order today, ma'am, and I have you down for our rewards and collaboration program.” I said, ringing up a customer. “I placed my business card in your bag as well, ma'am.”
“Girl, we’re going to be working together soon, so stop all that ma'am mess. My name is Che'Naomi, or you can call me OG.”
“Damn, I like how you operate, OG,” Ricky laughed. “Tell my sis again to stop playing and get locked in because she didn't say if y'all start working together, but when!”
“I know that's right,” she said, dapping up my brother.
I mushed Ricky on his forehead. “Stay out of grown folks’ business. My bad, OG, but I'll be sure to hit you up Monday morning.”
She smiled as she gathered her new items and headed out the door with a wave.
I loved meeting new people, especially Black women who had the same vision as me of uplifting Black voices and businesses.
Checking my watch, I realized it was about one in the afternoon.
I had relieved Amber for her lunch, and she was due back any minute.
Ricky had helped with lunch breaks, and he was adamant about not taking one.
So the last person I needed to relieve for lunch was myself, and I was starving.
“I'm back, boss lady,” Amber sang, drying her hands on a napkin before throwing it away.
“Grab yourself some food, sis. Amber and I got the registers, Adam and Monica are handling the live, and Dexter is walking the floor and answering questions while he restocks. We got everything under control.”