by Reese Ryan
He answered the phone. “What’s up, Jamil? Did you two make it to the house all right?”
“We got here a couple of hours ago. I just wanted to call because…Meeka said her mom sent a text saying she was staying in my room at the suite tonight.”
Trey cleared his throat and glanced over at Lita. “That’s right. Ms. Woods is here with me now.”
“Can you just tell her I’m really sorry and that Meeka is okay? Her feelings are still hurt, but she loves her mom. She’ll probably be over it in a day or two. Then everything will be fine.”
Trey put the phone on speakerphone. “She’s right here, and you’re on speaker. You can tell her yourself.”
“Hey, Ms. Woods.” His son suddenly sounded nervous. Jamil repeated his message for Lita, and she thanked him. “Meeka finally drifted off to sleep, but I’d better head back in there in case she wakes up. We’re in the pool house, Dad. See you tomorrow. Night, Ms. Woods.”
“Good night, Jamil.” Lita wrapped her arms around herself. The pained expression had returned to her face. After he hung up, she glanced up at him, and he already knew what she was going to say. “Trey, look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… We shouldn’t…” She sighed heavily. “Thank you for everything, but I’d better get some sleep. Good night.”
Trey shoved his hands in his pockets and watched as Lita hurried toward her room.
Whatever chance he’d had of taking this incredible woman to his bed had evaporated with one badly timed phone call.
Trey put the bowl in the sink and threw away the empty boxes of candy. Then he headed to his bedroom, wishing he’d turned off his phone for the night. If he ever got another shot at Lita Woods, it was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.
Chapter 6
Lita slid onto a chair in her living room, surrounded by her three closest friends—Nicole, Jillaine, and Mercedes—all of whom were now divorcees. They’d tagged themselves the Living My Best Life Club. And they’d been doing just that for the past five years. Going on vacations together. Hitting the music scene and the occasional grown-folks club together. Or just sitting around at one of their homes watching their favorite television shows or chatting, like they were tonight.
It’d been five whole days since she’d learned she would be a grandmother and her daughter had stormed off with her husband-to-be, and Lita still hadn’t heard a word from Meeka. She’d sent text messages, voice messages, and an email without a single response. Everything just short of sending a carrier pigeon. She was worried sick about her daughter. But at least she knew everything was all right. Otherwise, Trey would’ve called her.
Turned out he was right about her needing him as an ally.
Before they’d parted ways at the hotel, they’d exchanged business cards and he’d promised to call if there was any problem. Then he’d invited her to join them out at the beach house as his guest. She’d thanked him politely but had turned the offer down. Just as she’d turned down his repeated request to revamp his website.
“Still no word from Meeka?” Nicole asked, pouring Lita a glass of the same Malbec that Trey had ordered at the tapas restaurant. She’d been drinking a lot of it the past week.
“Not a peep.” Lita picked up the glass and sipped from it. “I honestly didn’t think the girl had it in her.” She shook her head. “Now that brother of hers…that’s another story.”
The other women cackled.
“I remember,” Nicole said. She and Lita had been friends the longest. Their boys had been on the softball team together. “That’s because you two are so much alike.”
“But I am surprised Meeka hasn’t called you yet. She adores her mama.” Jillaine tasted some of her wine. “Hmm…this is good.”
“Meeka is fine,” Mercedes said, sipping her wine. “She’s just smelling herself now that she’s got a ring on her finger and a bun in the oven. She’s trying to show you you’re no longer the boss of her.” She chuckled. “I did the same thing to my mother when she tried to talk me out of marrying Ralph.”
“You shoulda listened to your mama,” Nicole said, then they all laughed.
“Maybe, but then I wouldn’t have my girls.” Mercedes smiled softly. Then she turned to Lita again. “Now, if you’re really concerned about Ms. Meeka, you know what you need to do.”
“What?” Lita asked, as if she didn’t already know what her friends were going to say.
“Call that fine-ass man you spent the night with. That’s what,” Nicole said, as if it was a no-brainer. “He gave you his card and told you to call him anytime.”
“And invited you to come stay out at his beach house—as his guest,” Jillaine added. “You should take him up on his offer. Get this thing worked out with Meeka.”
“And finish what y’all started.” Mercedes could barely contain her smirk. She dissolved into laughter when the two other women did too.
“Yes! Meeka’s father-in-law to-be checks off every single box on your wishlist, girl. I don’t know what you were thinking, walking away from this fine brother.” Mercedes pulled up the photo of Trey that Lita had sent each of them that night, along with his name and the hotel information.
Lita had no idea each of her friends would hold on to that photo. She hadn’t been thinking that far ahead at the time. She only knew she’d wanted to be sure as many people as possible knew exactly where she was and with whom.
“I walked away because there’s a good chance the man is going to be my daughter’s father-in-law. At the very least, he’s going to be my grandchild’s paternal grandfather.” Lita stood and paced the floor. “Can’t you all see how complicated this situation already is? If Trey and I started seeing each other…”
Lita couldn’t even finish the sentence. Not that she hadn’t thought about Trey and that kiss a lot in the five days since it had happened. Still, she couldn’t bear to say the words aloud.
“Like I said, it could get messy fast. Besides, I’m trying to make Meeka see that getting married right now isn’t her only option. Me getting into a relationship with her baby-daddy’s daddy is not the way to do that.”
Her friends fell out laughing.
“See what I mean? It’s absolutely ridiculous. The kind of hot mess you’d see on some reality show. No thank you, ma’am. I don’t need the complication.” Lita sank onto the couch again.
Once the laughter simmered down, they all quietly drank their wine. But, of course, her friends couldn’t let it go.
“What if Trey Hampton is the man you were meant to be with? What if he’s your soulmate, Lita? And this is the universe’s way of delivering him to you?” Jillaine asked.
“I’d say the universe has a perverse sense of humor,” Lita retorted, then sipped more of her wine.
“You know I rarely agree with Jilly when she goes all ‘moon child’ on us, but sis has a point.” Nicole held up her glass of wine. “Besides, a man who has taste this good in wine definitely deserves a shot.”
“Let the church say amen,” Mercedes said.
“Amen!” Nicole, Jillaine, and Mercedes echoed.
“Have you three been listening to anything I said?” Lita dragged her hands through her hair, then poured herself another glass of wine.
“We’ve all been listening to the things you aren’t saying. You like this dude. A lot. More than you’ve liked any guy in a long time.” Nicole’s expression had turned serious. “And we like him for you. More than we’ve liked any guy you’ve seen in the past five years.”
All four of them chuckled.
“He seems like a really great guy,” Lita admitted. “And yes, I do like him. But right now, the future of my daughter and grandchild—” it still felt weird to think she was going to be someone’s grandmother in just a few months, “—are my only concern.”
“That’s all the more reason you should take Mr. Hampton up on his offer,” Jillaine said. “Meeka is probably in over her head and feeling overwhelmed, but her pride won’t let her make the first move. I’ll bet if you
go out there, she’ll be so glad to see you.”
“You think so?” Lita’s heart ached imagining her daughter being miserable and feeling alone.
That’s how she’d felt when her parents had practically disowned her for getting pregnant while she was in college. She hadn’t had a close relationship with them to begin with, but still she loved them. And in that moment, she’d needed them more than ever.
What she’d gotten instead was lectures, condemnation, and their insistence that the two of them get married.
“You’re right. Whether she realizes it or not right now, Meeka needs me,” Lita said softly, her eyes teary.
“Oh, honey,” Nicole said. “Of course, she does. Call up that fine brother and tell him you accept his offer to be his houseguest for the summer.”
“I’m not going to freeload off this man. It’s bad enough that Meeka and I would both be crashing his bachelor pad for the entire summer,” Lita said. “Maybe we could work out something where I’d pay him to rent the room.”
“I was taught never to look a gift horse in the mouth.” Mercedes pressed a hand to her chest. “But you do you, boo.”
Jillaine elbowed Mercedes in the ribs.
“What? The man offered to let her stay for free,” Mercedes said.
“Will you two simmer down?” Nicole pointed a finger at Mercedes and Jillaine. “Look, we know you’re a strong, independent woman. So if compensating him for the room makes you feel better, do it. But don’t leave your baby out there alone, Lita. She needs you, even if she doesn’t know how to tell you so right now.”
“And who knows, maybe you and Trey can talk to the kids. Give them another option so Meeka doesn’t feel like she needs to drop out of school,” Jillaine said. “But that can only happen if you’re out there.”
“And fortunately, like you always tell us, your business is mobile. You can work from anywhere. I’m sure Mr. Broker can provide you with a desk or something where you can still work while you’re out there,” Mercedes said. “And we’ll watch the house while you’re gone. So you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Come on, Lita.” Nicole picked up Lita’s phone and handed it to her. “I know you. So I know you’ve already put that man’s number in your cell phone.” Her friends all laughed and nodded. “Call him.”
Lita twisted her mouth and heaved a sigh. Maybe her friends were right. And if they weren’t and Meeka still wouldn’t talk to her, well, it was just a four-hour drive back home. But her daughter’s future was at stake here. How could she not at least try?
Lita accepted the phone from Nicole. She stood and walked to the other side of the room. Lita scrolled through her phone and found the number for Eldridge “Trey” Hampton III. She’d even used the photo she’d taken of him as his contact profile pic.
It was a damn good photo, and Trey was an awfully good-looking man.
She sucked in a deep breath and hit the button to dial his number.
Trey answered the phone right away, but he didn’t say anything at first. “Lita, hey. It’s great to hear from you,” he said quietly.
“If this is a bad time—”
“No, it’s fine. I was just sitting at the table playing a game of Uno with the kids. I didn’t know if you wanted Meeka to know it was you. That’s why I excused myself to take the call.”
Lita thought about it for a moment. Maybe it would be better if she employed the element of surprise. “No, don’t tell her it’s me. Good call. I’m not sure how she’d react to me coming out there.”
“You decided to take me up on my offer? That’s great.” There was genuine excitement in Trey’s voice, and it made her smile. He cleared his throat. “I mean, I know Meeka will be really glad to see you.”
“Let’s hope so. And there’s one other thing…I can’t just come bum off you for the rest of the summer. So let’s negotiate a fair price for me to rent a room from you.”
“Lita, you don’t need to do that. The kids are staying out at the pool house, and it’s just me rattling around in this big old house. It’ll be nice to have some company. In fact, it’s been nice to have the two of them here. Your daughter is a card shark who’s beaten my ass in Uno, Spades, Bid Whist, and Gin Rummy. But other than that, it’s been a joy having her here.” There was a grin in Trey’s deep voice.
“That’s my baby girl.” Lita laughed. As sweet and kind as Meeka was, when it came to family game night, she was highly competitive. “She gets that from her mama.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Trey chuckled. “So come on out. Stay as long as you’d like.”
“You’re a bachelor with a fabulous beach house. I’m sure we’re all crashing the plans you had for this summer. So I’d just feel more comfortable if I compensated you in some way.”
Trey was silent for a moment, then she could hear him snap his fingers. “Okay, why don’t you apply it to whatever you’ll charge me to revamp my website,” he said.
Lita thought about his suggestion for a moment as she looked back at her friends, who encouraged her, though they couldn’t hear Trey’s side of the conversation. “Fine. Let’s call it even. Besides, that’ll give us something to do this summer.”
“Oh, I can think of lots of things for us to do.” Trey’s deep, sensual voice sent a shiver down Lita’s spine. “As soon as we hang up, I’ll text you my address. How soon can you be here?” he asked, then added, “For Meeka, I mean. She’s trying to put on a brave face, but it’s obvious she’s still upset about what happened between you two.”
“I need a day or two to pack and wrap a few things up here, and I have a couple of client meetings on Tuesday during the day. So how about if I come out there on Tuesday evening?”
“Sounds good,” Trey said. “How are you holding up? I know this can’t be easy for you?”
Lita shrugged as if he could see the gesture. “Not great. But a few friends came over to cheer me up. They brought a couple of bottles of that amazing wine you bought at the restaurant.”
“Hello, Mr. Trey!” Mercedes called from the other room.
Lita closed her eyes and walked farther away, as she could hear Mercedes and Nicole snickering and Jillaine scolding them both.
“You told your friends about me, huh?” Trey chuckled.
“Don’t get too cocky, brother,” Lita chided. “They’re the same three ladies I sent your photo and info to when I stayed in your hotel suite. That’s why they know who you are. Not because—”
“You told them about our kiss?”
Her face felt hot and her shoulders stiffened. “I…uh…”
“I’m gonna take that as a yes and just tell you I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss, either.” Trey’s deep voice sounded sexier than ever. It made her body tingle in places she didn’t want to think about when she had a house full of people who weren’t Trey Hampton.
“I’d better go,” she said quickly. “I can’t leave those three unattended for long.”
Trey’s deep belly laugh reminded her of the night they’d spent cozied up on the couch, cracking up as they watched Eddie Murphy play four different characters in Coming to America. She couldn’t help smiling, thinking of it.
But she wasn’t going out to that beach house in Pleasure Cove to cozy up to Trey Hampton. She was going there to spend time with her daughter. And to try to help her see that she and Jamil didn’t need to be in a rush to get married. That she could help Meeka stay focused on her academic career while she helped her navigate motherhood.
Stay focused, Lita. Stay focused.
“Thank you for the generous invitation, Trey,” she said. “I’ll see you Tuesday evening.”
Lita could hear the sexy smile in the man’s voice when he replied. “I look forward to seeing you then.”
Her heart danced in her chest. She told herself it was because she was going to see her daughter again. But in her heart of hearts, she knew the truth. It was also because she was going to see Trey again too.
Chapte
r 7
Trey walked up the beach with Neeko, his Doberman Pinscher, at his side as the sun set. It had been a brutally hot day in early July there in Pleasure Cove. So the cool, salty breeze blowing off of the Atlantic Ocean was refreshing and welcome.
The proximity to the beach was one of the primary draws of the house when he’d purchased it a decade ago. So he tried to walk this stretch of the beach each evening, enjoying the gorgeous colors of the sky during sunset. His commitment to his daily walks had been hit or miss at first. But it had become a lot easier to stay consistent after he’d rescued Neeko five years ago at a pet adoption event at the park.
Trey had never even considered owning a pet. But the dog had taken to him instantly. And with one son gone and another about to leave home at the time, the idea of having a little company in the house seemed nice.
Neeko had been his faithful companion ever since.
Trey stooped down and patted Neeko’s side, gliding his hand over the dog’s shiny coat. He reattached the leash to his collar as they headed toward the stairs over the dune that led up to the street level from the beach. As he approached his house, a silver, late model Lexus pulled into the drive.
Lita.
He was glad she’d come. And not just because he’d been counting the days until he’d get to see her again. Meeka was miserable without her, and his poor son was running out of ways to console her through her anguish and the rollercoaster of emotions her changing hormones were creating.
He remembered that part of being a young, pregnant couple well.
Jamil adored Meeka. And Trey had been moved by how patient and kind his son was with his fiancée. Whatever mistakes Jamil might’ve made, he was a good young man. And Trey had no doubt he’d make a good husband and father.
But what Meeka needed was her mother. So Trey was glad Lita was here, even if Meeka claimed she didn’t want to see her.
“Hey, there.” Trey walked up to her. He leaned down and gave Lita a hug because it felt natural. He’d hugged her goodbye when they’d parted ways at the hotel. “Did you have trouble finding the place?”
