“Good. Almost done. The more we take down, the slower we have to go.”
“This is Henry Gardner and two of his honors math students, Darius and Abigail. I’m giving them a look into a day in the life of an engineer. Anything you can show them?”
“Sure. Perfect timing. We’re doing tests on a load-bearing wall right now, trying to decide the best way to start dismantling it. Come on, kids.”
DeShawn leaned against the side of the car as Alex led the kids into the construction site. He stopped at the entrance and got them each a hard hat. Abigail turned and grinned at Henry when the hat was set on her head.
“Oh, that made this whole trip worthwhile,” Henry said.
“Right? Hold up. Let me check on something,” DeShawn said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. Hit Dial. After a moment, Sharon picked up. “Hey, Sharon, it’s DeShawn. Are you still out at the Folly dock site...? Yeah? Cool. I’m showing a couple of STEM students around and one of them is a girl and... Yeah... Yeah... Perfect. See you in about an hour?”
An hour later, they were pulling up to a site along the Folly River. A restaurant was wanting to expand its dock and Sharon was doing the environmental impact study. As they got out of the car, she spotted them and walked over.
“Sharon,” DeShawn said. “This is Abigail and Darius. They are the students I’m showing around. Do you have time to tell them a little about what you’re doing out here and why?”
Both the kids stared up at Sharon. She put her hands on her hips and grinned down at them. “Yes. I’m a real black girl engineer. We exist.” She motioned at the dock. “Come on. I’m sure DeShawn has been boring you with measurements and such. I’ll show you some real fun stuff engineers get to do.”
Henry smacked DeShawn on the arm. “That’s perfect. Just what Abigail needed to see.”
“I was going to bring them here first, but Sharon is going to hang on to them for a while.”
“That’s fine. I’m going to wander down there and listen in. Learn something I can use in class.”
DeShawn waved him on. “Of course. I’ve got my laptop. I can get some work done.”
Almost an hour later, they came back to the car, babbling excitedly. “This was the best field trip I’ve ever been on,” Darius said.
He looked at the two of them. Their eyes were bright, they were laughing and, most of all, they’d glimpsed a world that they now knew was in their reach. “I’m glad,” he said. “Now, I’m starving. Who wants lunch?”
* * *
AFTER HE’D GOTTEN Henry and the kids back on the road home, he finished up his day with a sense of accomplishment he’d not felt in a while. Not since...working with Tiana on this project. He tossed some leftovers in the oven and went to change. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to call her and tell her all about today. About Abigail’s face when she saw a black woman engineer. She would be ecstatic. The good feelings from the day drained away.
Forgoing the plate this time, he sat on the couch and ate the food straight out of the plastic container. This just sucks. Finally got my life together and I lost the best part of it. Then it came back. The what-if. He’d sent her away. She hadn’t wanted to go. He’d seen that in her eyes. What if he called her? What if she tells you to get lost?
* * *
DESHAWN ROLLED OUT of bed Saturday morning and grabbed his phone. Nine. Nine on a Saturday morning isn’t too early, is it? Maybe. He shuffled to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and went to shower while it was brewing. After he’d dressed and had a cup, he pulled up his contact list.
He’d made a mistake. Now he had to see if he could fix it. If not, he could move on. But he couldn’t just give up on Tiana.
“Hey, Molly. It’s DeShawn. It’s not too early is it?”
“Of course not. I’m an old lady. I get up at the crack of dawn whether I want to or not. What do you need? A kitten?”
He laughed. “Actually. Yes. I need a couple of kittens. Three or four kittens.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“No. Yes. Maybe.”
“Come on over. Have you had breakfast?”
“I had coffee.”
She tsk-tsked him. “I’ll make you French toast. And we’ll talk about why you’ve gone insane.”
Twenty minutes later, she was letting him in. Her house smelled like cinnamon and butter and all sorts of good things. The kittens were splayed out on the couch, chairs, the rug, everywhere. A sea of tiny furry islands.
“Nice to see you,” Molly said as she headed back to the kitchen. “Don’t close the door on anyone and don’t let any of them out. These creatures are becoming troublesome.”
“Troublesome?” He followed her to the kitchen after carefully shutting the door.
“Have you ever had fourteen six-to-nine-week-old kittens in one place? It’s constant chaos.”
He sat at her kitchen table with a grin. “I think you like constant chaos, Molly. Why else would you put up with all of us Crew guys?”
She flapped a hand at him. “Y’all were easy compared to these little terrorists.” She crossed the room to put a plate of French toast in front of him. “Butter, syrup. It’s maple but I might have some blueberry syrup somewhere.”
“This is perfect. Thank you.”
After she brought her own plate to the table, she gave him her stern grandmother glare. “What do you need four kittens for?”
“Maybe three. There’s this woman I know...”
“The woman you were supposed to bring over to look at kittens and never showed up and never called and I had to find out from Sadie what happened?”
He felt his face go hot. He had forgotten to call Molly. “I’m sorry. Yes.”
“I understand. So, you’re going to take some kittens for her to see?”
“Yes.”
“Why not bring her here? She can see all of them.”
“Well, it might be more than just that.”
“Are you using my kittens as a lure to try to win her heart back?”
“Sadie talks way too much.”
Molly got up to pour some coffee. “How do you like it?”
“Black is fine. Has Sadie been sharing my business with the whole Crew?”
“No. Just me. Are you going to talk to her? Tiana? Is that her name?”
“Yes. She’ll probably take a kitten and kick me to the curb, but...”
Molly smiled and reached over to pat his hand. “It’ll work out, DeShawn. You’re a good man. If she’s a good woman, she’ll see that.”
“I’m going to need your fluffiest, most-likely-to-make-a-little-girl’s-heart-melt kittens.”
Molly sopped a piece of toast through the syrup on her plate and popped it in her mouth. She nodded as she chewed and swallowed. “How old?”
“Six.”
Nodding again, Molly ate more toast. He tried to eat more, but his stomach was in knots. His heart was racing. What exactly was he doing? Did he really think this was going to work? “Eat!”
“I’m trying. I’m nervous.”
“Okay,” Molly said, getting to her feet. “I’m going to assume you don’t have a carrier.”
“A what?”
Molly made the sign of the cross. “Dear Jesus, protect my innocent kittens.”
“I will keep them alive. I promise.”
Molly got a cat carrier from a back room and returned to the living room. “A six-year-old girl. We’ll need a very easygoing kitten who likes to be picked up and cuddled. Something fluffy and cute.”
“How do we tell?”
“Pick one up.”
“Who, me?”
“Yes. They know me.”
DeShawn looked around the room. “That orange one look
s fluffy.” He crossed to the chair and picked it up. The kitten stretched and turned into butter in his hand. He had to catch it with his other hand and cradled it against his chest.
“That’s a contender,” Molly said, taking the kitten from him and putting it in the carrier. “Oh, wait. I think this guy will be a good choice.”
She picked up a kitten from the couch. It was solid white except for its tail, which was a fluffy gray plume. It lifted its head and yawned. DeShawn noticed a gray patch over each eye. “He’s certainly unusually marked.”
Molly flipped the kitten over. “Yep. It’s a him.” She put him in the carrier. “One more.”
He picked up a little striped cat who arched back and bit his thumb. “That’s a no.”
“There’s your friend Smokey,” Molly said.
He turned to see her holding up the gray cat with the bright green eyes. He reached out and the kitten meowed. “Give him to me.” The kitten snuggled up against his throat and purred. “Is he like this with everyone or just me?”
“I’d imagine everyone. You aren’t exactly the cat-cuddling type.”
“Gee, thanks. Okay put him in.”
“You’ll bring them back to me today? They need to eat. I’ll give you some food. And a disposable litter box.”
Thirty minutes later, he was pulling out of the driveway with Molly still shouting advice at him. He was doubting his plan at this point. Taking care of kittens for the day seemed more work than taking care of a real human child.
Once he was back in his apartment and the kittens had been set free, he realized the flaw in his plan. He had no idea if Tiana was working or sleeping or what. He might be taking the kittens right on back to Molly, which he suspected she might be relieved about if it happened. He sat on the couch while the kittens hesitantly left the comfort of the carrier and began venturing out into the new environment. The little gray one found him, climbed up the couch and up on his shoulder.
“What do you think, little guy? Is this going to work out?”
He pulled up Tiana’s contact information again and stared at it. This definitely wasn’t the time for a text. He had to call. His heart rate amped up a bit. What if she just hangs up? Refuses to even listen to me? He gathered his courage. Hit the Call button.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
TIANA PICKED UP her phone. It was actually ringing. This could not be good news. The only phone calls she got were from Lily’s school or the hospital wanting her to work extra. She’d had a shift until three last night, so that wasn’t going to happen. The phone kept ringing.
She froze. DeShawn. She stared at the phone until it stopped ringing. Sitting up, she wiped a hand across her eyes. Was she seeing things? Pinched herself. Was she dreaming? The phone buzzed in her hand. New voice message. It slipped through her fingers and fell on the bedspread. Why was he calling her? What could he have to say? Hope, that nasty, evil, lying bitch, soared in her heart. Stop it.
She scooped up the phone and burrowed back down into the blankets. Last thing she needed was her mother to realize she was awake. She needed time to think. Did she even want to hear what he had to say?
“Is Mommy going with us?” Lily asked loudly at her bedroom door.
“No, honey, she worked late last night. She’s sleeping. She’ll be awake by the time we get home from the grocery store.”
Perfect. Grocery day. That could take a couple of hours. Once the front door had closed and she heard the lock turn, she waited for ten minutes in case they’d forgotten anything. But she was alone. Alone with a message from DeShawn. She sat back up and hit the voice mail button.
“Hey. It’s me. I’m sorry about the other day. I have some kittens if you’re still interested for Lily. I’d like to talk to you. Call me. Or text.”
Frowning, she plopped against the pillows and let the phone fall on the bed. Kittens? He has kittens? “What the hell does that even mean?” she asked the empty room.
He wants to talk. Suddenly, she was back to the pain and heartache of him telling her to go away. The fear of that scene. She knew he’d been surprised by his mother. But the way he got aggressive with her? Going into that dominant posturing? The dent his fist left in the car? What could he say about that? Do you want to hear it? She didn’t know what to do. Throwing the covers back, she climbed out of the bed. In the kitchen, she found a pot of coffee ready to go on the percolator, compliments of her mother. She pushed the on button and went to plop down on the couch.
“Do you want to hear him out?” she asked out loud. Hope said yes. Fear said no. Do you want to walk away from him without giving him a chance? The answer to that was no.
She brought up her phone log and hit return call before she could think about it too much. “Hey,” she said when he answered.
“Hey. Thank you.”
“For?”
“Calling back. I didn’t know what your schedule was today. Can we talk?”
“You have kittens?”
“Yes. Three. Handpicked to be good pets for a little girl.”
Okay, that melted her heart a little bit. “Is everything okay?”
His voice dropped. “A lot has happened, Tee. I need to talk to you. Please.”
“Give me an hour.”
An hour later, she was showered and dressed and sitting in her car outside his apartment, her insides a quivering mess of hope and practicality. She hadn’t realized how much she missed him until this moment. But who had she been missing? The man she’d come to know? Or was there another DeShawn in there? Angry? Violent? Gathering her courage, she pulled the key from the ignition and got out of the car.
He opened his front door before she knocked and pulled her inside. “Careful. Molly will kill me if anything happens to them.”
She looked around. There were three kittens snuggled sleepily together on his couch. Turning her gaze back to him, she reached out and took his hand. “Are you okay? That thing with your mother. That was terrible. I’ve been worried about you.”
He tried for a smile. “Always thinking about other people, Tee. Yes. I’m okay.”
She kept hold of his hand. She wanted to pull him into her arms but didn’t quite dare. He’d sent her away once before. She wasn’t sure she should be here at all.
He let her hand go and ran a hand over his hair. “Can we talk?”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
He moved the pile of kittens to the armchair and waved his arm at the couch. Crossing the room, she sat down and turned to face him as he sat. “Tell me.”
“You saw what happened. The background. My parents were...are drug addicts. Heroin. Meth. Doesn’t matter. I was very neglected as a baby. My grandmother took me in. Raised me.”
“I know all this. What changed?”
“My mother called me. Weeks ago. Said she was clean and sober. Wanted to meet with me. Do some amends things. And I stalled her. I didn’t know if I wanted to do it or not.”
“Those were all the ‘telemarketer’ you kept getting?”
“Yes. I should have told you about this. I was embarrassed. I wanted it to just go away.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want her to be in my life. I’ve broken away from all that dysfunction. I’ve created this new life. But I’m not a monster. If it would help her to stay clean, I was willing. But I didn’t want her to think it was an invitation back into my life. There was too much damage.”
Her heart hurt at these words. That a mother could so alienate a child. What must he have gone through? She reached out and took his hand.
“I was communicating through her sponsor. I told them not yet. That I needed time. That I would get back to them when I made a decision.”
“And,” she whispered, “your mother took it as a rejection. The addict showed up.”
She nodded. She could see this. He’d clawed his way out of a situation that had been worse than hers, she realized now. Walked away. Thought he was free and clear and then was blindsided. She knew enough about the behaviors of addicts and the cycle of codependency to understand why he’d reacted the way he did.
But.
“I understand all this,” she said quietly. “Except the violence. The way you went after her. The car.”
He lowered his head. “I know. I’m sorry. But she noticed Lily and I just...don’t know. It was extremely wrong, but I wanted to get her away from Lily as fast as possible.”
Tiana let go of his hand. She replayed the scene in her mind. He was right. His mother had just said “You got a woman and a kid” when DeShawn got aggressive.
“I know this sounds like self-serving crap that men say because I’ve heard it in my own family too many times, but I’m not a violent person. I’d never hurt you or Lily. And I’d understand if you told me you don’t believe me.”
“What’s changed? Between then and now, DeShawn? What’s changed? Why am I here?”
He looked to the pile of sleeping kittens. “I met with her again.”
“You what?”
She was stunned. After that horrible scene? He’d reached out to her? Met with her?
“Yes. I arranged it through her sponsor. I wanted to say what I needed to say and make it a clean break. She and I had our say. She’s not coming back. I hope she does well and lives out a happy, drug-free life, but she can’t be a part of mine.”
“Is that what you want?”
He turned his gaze to her and the sorrow she saw there nearly broke her heart. “It’s what I need. Whether she means it or not, she’s poison to me. She accused me of being selfish.” He paused there, looked down, shook his head side to side. When he brought his head back up, his hands were pressed together as if in prayer, thumbs under his chin, index fingers against his lips. “Yeah,” he said, nodding, dropping his hands down to his thighs. “Okay. Maybe. But, you know what? I’m trying. I’m trying to build something better. A good life. And I refuse to be taken down to an addict’s level.”
The Littlest Boss Page 22
