by Edwina Fort
Anyway, I’d gotten a headache talking to these mutha f****s. They asked dumb questions about stupid sh*t. Angel came at the perfect time and handed me a cup of tea…
As soon as the aroma touched my nose, it felt as if all the muscles in my neck and back just relaxed. I could feel the pressure in my head easing. When I finally took a sip, its complex flavor exploded on my tongue and the only thing I could do was sigh as my headache magically disappeared.
And then I plugged the sh*t out of this joint.
“I don’t know what I would do without my shawty. She say she a Tea Maker…but to me, she a Tea Master.”
I meant every word.
Angel
“Here comes the devil, brace yourself,” Wayne muttered as he came to stand next to me behind the counter.
I’d just interviewed the other two candidates he’d set up for me and was very happy with the both of them; they would begin their training Monday. But I shouldn’t have been surprised that Wayne found the perfect people for me. I was beginning to see that everything the man did was perfect.
The bell on the shop’s door dinged and I took Wayne’s advice and braced myself. He said she was a mini Hitta. Hitta looked good on a man, so the same look on a woman could not be devastating. However, if she was good at her job, I will be happy, no matter how she looked.
Oh my…goodness! That daggone Wayne.
I braced myself to literally see the female version of Hitta. What I was not expecting was the petite young beauty, who could be no more than eighteen that walked through the door.
“Hey Unc…” she said as she went over to where he sat on the couch and leaned down kissing his cheek.
The only thing the two had in common was the fact that she was dressed in a pair of name-brand sweatpants and Jordans that looked adorable on her little feet, but that was where all the similarities ended.
She wore her hair in a chic asymmetric cut. The left side of it was shaved and lined up perfectly…the right side was in a bob that hung to her shoulder and it was fire engine red. It looked as if she was fresh from the beauty shop.
She had on a cute tank top that matched her sweatpants and molded to her perfect athletic body amazingly. As she and Hitta came my way, I was able to see that she wasn’t that much taller than me.
My gaze went to Wayne’s… “A mini version of Hitta…Really, Wayne? She’s beautiful.”
He chuckled. “Don’t let her looks fool you. She-is-the-devil.”
“Hey, Teacup, I want you to meet my niece, Carmen. Carmen, this my lady, An—”
“Angel…” she interrupted, reaching out her hand to shake mine. “Yes, Unc, I know who she is…you just obsessed about her for months. Everybody know who she is…” She smiled at me.
“Pleased to finally meet you. I am so glad you put my uncle out his misery and went out with him.”
I chuckled. I liked her…
“It’s nice to meet you too. And I am so grateful you came here to lend me a hand. I pray it’s not an inconvenience.”
She waved that away. “Not at all…I need a break from that smelly gym and being the back of the house manager here will look great on my portfolio.” Her gaze rose to Wayne’s and the smile left her face. With her hand on her hip, she covered the few steps separating them till she was standing right in his face.
Because she was so short…like yours truly, Wayne towered over her, but that didn’t stop the feisty mama from facing off with him.
“Damn…I prayed last night for two things.” She held up two fingers right under his nose, revealing the fact that her nails matched her hair.
“One,” she put down her middle finger so that only her index finger was up. “World peace. And two,” she put down her index finger and held up her middle finger…Hitta chuckled.
“That yo’ homosexual a** got hit by a bus.” Then she shrugged. “Neither of my prayers got answered…what am I doing wrong?”
Wayne didn’t get ruffled in the least. He chuckled and ran his hand down his immaculate vest, his gaze roaming over her beautiful face in a way that made me feel as if he was taking in every detail.
“Perhaps, and I could be wrong, God is not in the business of answering the prayers of Satan.”
Hitta chuckled again shaking his head. Carmen blew a huge pink bubble that matched her lipstick before she spoke.
"Aww…look. The homosexual has jokes. Tell me, Wayne, …when are you coming out the closet. If you gay, you gay…stop lying about it.”
“I know you’re young and haven’t traveled the world much, but here is a free lesson to start the ball rolling in your attempt at finding a little class. Every man that wears a suit is not gay.” He leaned in and for a moment, it looked like he was going to kiss her. She must have thought so too because her eyes widened a bit and she stopped chewing her gum.
“In fact,” his words were low as his eyes fell on her full pink lips. “If you weren’t twelve, I’d show you just how much of a man I am…all night long.”
And then he stepped away from her and after tilting his head at me, said, “If you will excuse me, I have to take this call.”
My surprised gazed fell on Carmen, she watched Wayne go through narrowed eyes before her gaze rose to her uncle’s.
“Ewww, Unc! Why don’t you fire him?”
“Because you love him…” She opened her mouth to deny it, but he lifted his hand cutting her off. “Spit the gum out. You’re on a job interview…remember?”
Her mouth snapped shut as she turned to me and smiled, remembering that she was in fact on a job interview.
“Heya, boss…”
That made me laugh, I realized at that moment that there wasn’t going to be a dull moment around these parts with Carmen helping to manage the place. And I would soon find out that not only was she stunningly beautiful, she was also as smart as a whip for one so young. I showed her to my office and opened my receipt drawers.
She pulled out her laptop and told me not to worry about anything, the first thing she was going to do is inventory, so that she could put everything in her computer and personalize us a spreadsheet that will make taking inventory breezy.
She assured me that I wasn’t making a mistake bringing her on board and that she was going to make me proud.
“No, I take that back…the first thing I’m going to do is update your filing system,” she said laughing down at my receipt drawers.
I asked her if she was sure because I was now feeling guilty; I'd let this get so out of hand and now this poor eighteen-year-old girl, who should be out enjoying herself, was stuck in my little office trying to organize my chaos.
“Angel, this is what I do. I love crunching numbers and bringing order to chaos.” She laughed at the horrified look that came on my face. “You should have seen what the gym looked like before I got there. I’ve been doing my uncle’s books since I was sixteen.”
“Well, okay…If you’re sure, I’ll leave you to it. I need to have a chat with your uncle before my after-work rush comes in. If you have any questions, please don’t be afraid to ask.”
So, after talking to Hitta about the animosity between Wayne and Carmen, I found out some juicy tidbits.
“They didn't always fight like that. My sista got locked up when Carmen was fourteen and she came to stay with me. At first, her and Wayne was cool. He helped me out with her a lot, but when she turned seventeen, something happened. They relationship got tense.” He chuckled.
“Carmen was turning into a woman and neither of them knew what to do about their feelings for each other. It’s their guilt for those feelings that causes them to fight each other…they’re literally fighting their feelings.”
“How much older than her is he?”
He wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me closer. “Not as much as I’m older than you.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
He chuckled… “Oh, I threatened to break both of Wayne’s arms if he touched her before she was legal. Of
course, he denied he even had feelings for her…but he got my message loud and clear.”
“But now that she’s legal…you don’t mind if they start a relationship?”
He chuckled. “Wayne a good guy. And he strong enough to deal with Carmen. She’d run over a weak man. I know he’d love her and be good to her…you know?”
I nodded as I prepared my workstation for my after-work rush.
“I’m gon’ get ready to head out. I need to take care of a few things at the gym. If you want, I can take Jessie with me. We’ll meet you back here when you close and grab some dinner.”
Oh, bless his heart! "Are you sure? Jessie is—"
He held up his hand cutting me off. “Have you met Carmen?” Chuckling, I nodded.
“I think I can handle Jessie.”
He was onto something. That was exactly who Carmen reminded me of…Jessie.
“Okay…don’t leave yet. I’m going to make you some tea to go.”
It’s the least I can do. This man had come in and in one day, made some things happen around here. The things that have frustrated me to no end, he’d handled. My wall was almost finished. The workers he’d hired had been professional and very knowledgeable. They’d worked quickly and quietly, not bothering my customers at all.
I had two new employees who will start their training on Monday and a manager that was hard at work right now. I felt so bad that he was paying them for me, but I think I found a way to pay him back. Tonight, over dinner, I was going to see what he thought about being an investor in the company. That way, the Tea Shop can pay him back all that he’d spent and more.
I went to the back and grabbed the stainless-steel thermos that I had. It was big enough to hold a full day’s supply of tea. I also grabbed the mate to my favorite teacup here at the shop. I don’t know why…It was even daintier than the one I had at the house. But thanks to Carmen and Wayne…and the fact that Hitta had taken care of most of my burdens here at the shop in one day, I was in a bit of a nutty mood and was anticipating the look on his face when I handed him the little flower painted teacup to take with him.
As I did that, I asked Jessie if she wanted to go to the gym with Hitta. Of course, she was all for it, so I gave her a stern talking about behaving herself and not getting on the man’s nerves.
“I’m gon’ be real good.” She lied before she ran off to tell Carmen that she was going to the gym.
If y’all needed further proof that Jessie and Carmen were alike…look at exhibit A. They’ve known each other for only a couple of hours and have taken to each other as if they were big and little sister.
While Carmen was working, Jessie had been in there talking her ear off and just like her uncle, she was not bothered at all by her. And I think I’ve got it figured out; Jessie was one of them…
And when I say one of them, I mean the tough people. They weren’t afraid of anything. Somebody gets in their way they’re going to run them over. They were so different from me. Somebody gets in my way I’m going to ask them to please step aside. And if they didn’t, to avoid any drama, I’ll just walk around them.
Sometimes I wish I’d been more like Jessie when I was younger. Maybe then, Stan wouldn’t have been able to hurt me due to the fear that I’d slit his throat in his sleep.
When I walked out of the back, my steps came to a halt.
Dear God!
I’d spoken up the devil…
Stan was squatting down in front of the counter talking to Jessie. His hand reached up to touch her braid and I just reacted. I hurried around the corner and snatched her away from him.
“Don’t touch her!”
When Hitta and Wayne heard the desperation in my voice they both stopped talking and hurried my way.
“Who the f*** is this?” Hitta growled coming to a stop right in back of Stan.
My foster father turned around to see who was standing so close to him and nearly jumped out of his socks.
“Christ!” he cried taking in the mountain of a man in front of him. He stumbled back clutching the counter for support.
“Angel, who are these people? And what are they doing here?” The fact that there was a quiver in his voice only testified to how big of a coward he was.
“I asked you a question,” Hitta told him, taking another step towards him, causing Stan to stumble back even farther. “Who the f*** are you?”
Gaining control of himself, Stan stood a bit straighter. “My name is Dr. Stanly Baker and I’m Angel’s father and Jessie’s grandfather.”
Both Hitta’s and Wayne’s stunned gaze came to me and my face heated. Now, I was regretting my actions. I wish I had not alerted their attention to Stan. The last thing I wanted them to know was how twisted my life had been.
“This yo’ dad?” Hitta asked.
“My foster father,” I muttered before pressing my lips together.
Calling Stan any kind of father to me was torturous, but I didn’t want this thing to get bigger than it already was.
“And you are!?” Stan demanded, looking at Hitta as if he was a piece of trash. I balled my fists up…that angered me so much, I felt like screaming.
Hitta was more of a man that Stan will ever be. Stan didn’t even deserve to be in the same room with such a man.
Hitta pulled me to stand in front of him before he wrapped his strong arms around my waist securing me against him. I nearly closed my eyes as the feeling of safety flooded my system. This was such a paradigm shift. I never thought I would ever feel this safe in the presence of someone that has caused me to feel such terror.
“I’m Angel’s man…Hitta.”
“Her what?!”
“You deaf, mutha f***a!” Hitta growled.
Stan began to sputter. He was so red in the face you would have thought someone had slapped him.
“Well…” He huffed as he walked a huge circle around Hitta. “I don’t have to stand here and take this.” His gaze fell on me.
“I just came by to tell you that Diana has taken a turn for the worst. I and her doctors don’t expect her to last through the month. If you know where West is…you should probably tell him.” He nodded toward Jessie.
“You may want to take her to see her grandmother before it’s too late.” When he was done speaking, he turned to go, but before he walked through the door, he turned back to look at me.
“Your new…friends are not welcomed in my house. So, don’t bother bringing them.”
Hitta’s arms tightened around me. “That’s too bad, bo. She don’t go nowhere without me.”
I didn’t like the look that came in Stan’s eyes then. Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over me. I’d seen that look before. Stan can be a vindictive, evil bastard when he wanted to. He may not be able to match Hitta when it came down to brute strength, but he was the type that would make trouble for him in other ways. He had a lot of powerful friends.
Heck! One of his best friends was a Cook County judge and I’ve seen Stan call in asking favors of him on more than one occasion.
Hitta turned me to face him as soon as he left. “What the f*** is up with that? Why are you afraid of yo’ foster father?”
I shook my head, sliding out of his arms. “I’m not afraid of him…It’s nothing.”
Hitta
Once again, she was lying to me, but I could tell by the resolve in her eyes that I wasn't going to get any more out of her right now. I was learning that this girl could be stubborn as hell when she wanted to be.
I didn’t have to say anything to Wayne. As soon as my gaze connected to his he nodded and walked to his computer. No doubt he will have a full bio on Stan’s ho’ a** for me by tomorrow. And just because I need to know all there is to know about the man that had just put that kind of fear in Angel’s eyes, I was going to be calling Rome. Wayne was good, but Rome could find the sh*t folks go out of their way to bury.
I also put in a call to Maddox, I needed him and Lannox to keep an eye on her for me. I didn’t trust her foster fath
er and until I found out why she was afraid of him, she was going to have a little company at all times.
“So, you’re not going to tell me what that was all about?” I asked her a little later as she handed me the thermos full of tea she’d made for me and another one of those girlie cups that she obviously got a kick out of seeing me use.
Angel
I smiled although my heart was racing out of control. I’d imagined all the ways Stan could ruin Hitta’s life and I had to do what I could to make sure that didn’t happen. Out of all the days he could have come in here, why the world did he have to pick today?
If I told Hitta what Stan had done to me, he would probably try and confront him. And Stan was such a coward, he and his judge friends would have Hitta thrown in jail or something. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I told you…nothing is going on. Me and Stan just don’t see eye-to-eye on some things. No big deal…”
I could tell in his gaze that he didn’t believe me, but I didn’t care. The less he knew about Stan the better.
He closed the gap between us, crowding my space in only the way that he could. The muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared down at me.
“You gon’ be stubborn and stick to this lie, huh?”
I folded my arms. “I’m not lying.”
He grinned and it was bone-chilling. I swallowed…
“Aight…you stubborn.” He used his big finger to gently poke me in the chest. “But you might as well learn, I’m mo’ stubborn.”
My eyes narrowed. Was that a threat?
“I’d like you to meet two very good friends of mine.”
Right then the door dinged. I turned around just as two well-dressed men walked through it, two well-dressed men that oozed danger.
They were twins…
Twins that were very familiar, I’d seen them from somewhere before, I just couldn’t remember where.
One of them was dressed in all black, black turtleneck, black slacks, and a black blazer…He also wore black leather gloves on his hands.
The other was dressed in brown…brown button-up linen shirt, brown slacks, brown blazer…and brown leather gloves on his hands.
