“So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day. I don’t think I want to go back to the office. I know it’s the right thing to do since we got done early. But I already planned to take the rest of the day off.” Lashawnda asked when we reached the stop light.
I looked both ways before turning right into the garage entrance. I slowed my truck as an elderly couple crossed the lot. Based on the pointing and wandering eyes I assumed they were lost. I chuckled as the woman threw her hands in the air at whatever her husband was saying. She looked ready to kill him.
“Ma’am…do you need some assistance?” I asked pulling up next to them.
“Oh, honey, we’ll be fine. I’m sure we’ll find our car soon,” the elderly woman replied.
“Just a second.” I pulled into the closest parking space I could find. “Be right back,” I said to Lashawnda before hopping out of the truck.
“How are you doing today, Sir? My name is Sean.” I reached out and shook the older man’s hand.
“We’re good, young man. I’m Cletus and this is my wife Rebecca.” His voice was deep, still holding an air of authority that spoke volumes of what he must have been like in his formidable years.
“Hello ma’am?” I turned to his wife, trying not to laugh as she put a delicate hand to her chest.
“My lord! Aren’t you a big and handsome fella? What in the heavens have yo’ momma been feeding you?” Her soft airy voice was filled with wonder.
“Thank you, ma’am. Just good food. Mainly southern cooking, ma’am. How are you doing today?” I said with a slight bow.
“Oh my, I‘m good.” Rebecca smiled up at me with a huge grin on her painted lips. I could tell she used to be quite a looker in her day.
“I could help you all find your car. It would be no trouble at all. I’ve gotten lost in this parking lot on more than a few occasions.” I threw in that last part out of concern. I didn’t want them to feel embarrassed about forgetting where they parked.
I could tell their reluctance and then final acceptance of my help. The older man described the car to me. A few seconds later, I could hear Lashawnda right behind me approaching the elderly couple.
“Hello,” Lashawnda said cheerfully to the couple as she reached my side, hand automatically settling on my lower back.
“This is my girlfriend Lashawnda. This is Cletus and his wife Rebecca,” I said loudly, making the introductions. I looked at Lashawnda hoping she understood my meaning. While they were explaining where their car might be, and what it looked like, I got the impression that Rebecca’s hearing wasn’t at its best.
“Oh, she pretty. Nice, thick girl with hips that will birth many children.” The woman nodded her approval as she eyed Lashawnda’s body.
I wanted to high-five the woman and tell her, ‘yes, hips meant for bearing all ten of my children’.
Holding in my laugh was difficult as Lashawnda’s fingers dug into the skin on my back. There was no way I wasn’t about to bring up her childbearing hips for the next few days.
“So, they drive a green Chevy Camaro, drop top,” I told Lashawnda with a smirk. She tried her best not to snicker while I wiggled my eyebrows.
“Okay…let’s find us a green sports car. I’ll take the first two rows on the left and Sean you’ll take the right. You two beautiful people will stay right here,” Lashawnda instructed before taking off.
Watching her bounce off in the opposite direction brought a serene smile to my lips. Any woman that would do something like this was just the type of woman that deserved to wear my grandmothers’ ring. I went in the opposite direction, leaving the couple standing in the same spot.
A few minutes later Lashawnda sent me a text: Found it…second row right in the middle.
She was standing next to the car waiting until I arrived with the couple walking a few paces behind me. No matter how hard, I tried I couldn’t keep the wide smile from my lips. This small act of altruism lifted my spirits.
“Here you go…one green Chevy Camaro,” I proclaimed when I reached Lashawnda’s side.
“See Cletus; I told you it was on this side.” The older woman said, lightly scolding her husband. She then turned to Lashawnda and I, completely dismissing her husband’s glare of annoyance. “Oh…may God rein his blessings down on you two. Not many people would have stopped and helped us.”
I slid my hand around Lashawnda’s waist and pulled her closer to my side. “It’s not a problem. I’m glad we could help.”
“Thank y’all so much. I don’t know how much longer I could stand her yelling about which direction she thinks the car was in,” said Cletus, his bushy gray brows tight with annoyance.
“I knew what I was talking about, but you just didn’t want to listen to me,” retorted Rebecca.
“Well it’s been a real pleasure meeting you both. We’ve got to get going, and I’m sure you all have a full day ahead.” Lashawnda cut into the conversation, seeing that a fight was blooming.
We said our goodbyes to the elderly couple. When we made it back to the truck, I couldn’t help but to laugh at Cletus and Rebecca. I wanted that fifty years from now. When I put the truck in gear, I looked over to find Lashawnda watching me with a tender smile on her face.
“What?” I asked.
With her face pressed into the headrest, she bit her lip like she had a secret she didn’t want to reveal. “You’re freaking incredible. I think I just fell deeper in love with you a few minutes ago.”
My howls of laughter filled the inside of the cab. “Why do you say that?”
“Don’t even act like that; come on, Sean. How many people would stop and help complete strangers find their car.”
“More than you think.” I reached in the back seat and grabbed a bottle of water. “Besides, Sandra Colcord would cut off my balls if she knew I didn’t offer to help.”
I pulled the cap off the water and offered it to Lashawnda. She shook her head, ‘no’. After a few hearty gulps, I could still feel Lashawnda’s gaze settled on me. Now, she looked perplexed.
“Why are you looking like that now?”
“I don’t know. I just keep getting this feeling that something is about to happen.”
“Like what?” I asked.
I braced my hand on the back of her seat and looked out the rear window. As usual, Lashawnda leaned into me and took a sniff. Once again, doing one of the many weird things I wasn’t sure if they bordered along the lines of being creepy or endearing. Either way, I didn’t bother to say anything about that or the others.
She shrugged, leaning back in her seat when I reversed the truck completely.
“I don’t know. It’s not something I can explain or put my fingers on. I just got this gut instinct that something big is about to happen.”
“You’re not on one of those, ‘things are too perfect in our relationship’ kicks again, are you?” I questioned.
I glanced at the black box on my backseat. In that box was a symbol for the next stage of our relationship. She was right. Something big was about to happen. Unlike when I asked her out on our first date, I wasn’t filled with trepidation. This woman was it for me. We were going to be married. No questions about that. Now, when was a different story. I wouldn’t mind taking an extended lunch and going down to the courthouse to make it official. But I knew how traditional Lashawnda was, not to mention our mothers. Those women would have my head if I convinced Lashawnda to elope.
“Well, as long as we’ve got each other, then it really doesn’t matter what’s to come,” I said with a shrug.
I pulled up to a stoplight, hand resting casually on the steering wheel and my eyes focused on the road. The lovely couple we helped to find their car pulled up next to us on my side. I rolled down my window and waved at them. The woman blew me kisses as the older man shook his head and waved in return. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but I saw both their hands waving in the air in what had to be an animated conversation. I couldn’t wait until I was that age. Lashawnda a
nd I would probably be great-grandparents by then. I’d still be pinching her booty. My cock would probably stop working, but shit, I’d still be trying to slide up in there, limp dick and all.
“Sean,” Lashawnda called to me, pulling me out of my reverie.
“Hmm,” I replied turning to face her.
“Why are you grinning like you just won the lottery or figured out some epigenetics mystery that the rest of us don’t know about yet?” she asked.
So fucking perfect.
“I did win the lottery.” I leaned over and popped a kiss on her lips, careful not to go too deep because it would lead to us attempting car sex again. “A woman as beautiful as you, with a heart of gold, and a body built for pleasure, not to mention you talking dirty science to me. Little lady, I win the lotto every day I wake up with you in my arms.”
Lashawnda’s lids fluttered closed and then popped back up to look at me. It wasn’t hard to see why I was smitten with this woman. I loved this look on her face. The one that said how much it meant when I professed my love to her.
“Babe…” she simpered beneath my gaze.
“I love you, woman,” I simply stated.
I used my nose to push up at her face so that she could give me her lips. The tinted lip gloss she wore tasted like coconuts. I’d sucked more lip gloss from this woman’s lips than I could count. I’ve probably eaten my weight in body butter from constantly tasting her as often as I could.
HONK!
The sound of a car horn blaring behind us made me jump. I looked out the mirror and saw an older woman glaring at me, while she repeatedly pressed the horn. I slowly eased back in my seat and pressed the gas. She could honk and make a scene, but nothing could bring me down with my woman riding by my side.
CHAPTER 29
LASHAWNDA
After my blunder with Sean a few weeks ago, it was me who had joined the apology train and I was riding that thing full force. Sean, of course, enjoyed watching me eat crow. He kept referring to himself in third person as, ‘Lashawnda’s man’, ‘Lashawnda’s boo’, ‘Lashawnda’s future’, or some derivative of him belonging to me. It was cute at first. But he was driving everyone crazy with his antics, especially Brent.
Speaking of which, my phone buzzed, and I looked down to see a message from Sean.
Sean: Hey.
Me: Hey, what’s up?
Sean: Lashawnda’s husband-to-be wants to know what he’s having for dinner.
Me: Tell him nothing.
Sean: He said, don’t play with him like that.
Me: Tell him Lashawnda isn’t even engaged, so how can she have a husband-to-be?
Sean: He said, do you want to be engaged?
Me: Sean, cut it out.
Sean: What??
Sean: Now, Lashawnda’s vanilla frappuccino lover is asking the same question.
Me: OMG you are soooooo corny.
Sean: I’m yours, though.
Me: For now.
Me: Let me find out what this vanilla frappuccino guy is talking about, and I might be singing a different tune.
Sean: Don’t play with me little lady. You already know I’m missing a few screws when it comes to you.
Me: Ugh! I can’t with you today.
Sean: But you do with me almost every day.
Me: I do.
Sean: No, seriously the guys want to know if I can come out to eat with them, but if you’re cooking, I’m not ruining my appetite. You remember the last time? Babe, I swear it was the worst food I’d ever eaten. Absolutely disgusting!! If I’m going out, I’d much prefer you cook something.
I rolled my eyes at his antics. He was so dramatic sometimes. The last time he went out with the guys, he came home mad because the food was lousy. I offered to cook dinner, but he had his heart set on beer and wings with his boys. He learned his lesson that day about letting Brent’s appetite dictate where they ate.
Me: Okay, Sean; what do you want me to cook?
Sean: Whatever you want to cook. I’ll eat anything.
Sean: Lol…anything…but you know what I love to eat
Me: Nasty.
Sean: No, you taste delicious. Trust me.
Me: Bye Sean. I’ll grab some beef short ribs and do some Korean barbecue for you.
Sean: Brent wants to know if he can come over for dinner
Me: OMG, seriously?? So, you want to have a house full of people tonight?
Sean: What? It’s just us and Brent…and possibly Ian if he gets in town early enough.
Sean: And, I’m sure your sister and Stacy would like to come too.
Me: Sean Tyler you little sneak!! Y’all planned a house gathering and are just letting me know you want me to cook?
Sean: Lashawnda Michelle, I’m so damn in love with you.
Me: Whatever. Bye. Just have the kitchen cleaned up of whatever you and Brent decided to ‘cook’, so I can just jump right in when I get there.
Sean: Your vanilla frappuccino loves you.
I dropped the phone into my open bag and let out a long sigh. Instead of just a few errands, I now had over a dozen things I needed to do before the day was done. I worked like crazy all week, so I could take today off. My father’s birthday celebration was tomorrow, and I had too many things left to do. Cooking for Sean and the gang wasn’t on my to-do list. I let out a sigh and shook my head. This was another aspect of being in a relationship that I had to get used to.
My first stop was the catering company. That had turned out to be a complete disaster. They had gotten their dates mixed up between my dad’s birthday celebration and a retirement party that was supposed to be held the following week.
I tried my best to keep my anger at bay, as the owner attempted to placate me by offering to use the same menu, they planned for the retirement party; as if the dishes I picked out weren’t what I wanted. I called my mother to ask her if it was okay.
Unfortunately, both Stacy and Crystal were in the kitchen at the time and were privy to the conversation. Momma didn’t care about the mishap with the food as long as there would be enough food for the number of guests we invited. However, Stacy and Crystal refused to accept that the company couldn’t fill the request I had placed with them.
So, you could imagine my surprise when my best friend and little sister pulled into the parking lot of the catering company while I was still on the phone with my mother trying to finalize the arrangements. I foresaw some craziness happening, so I ran outside to meet them.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“We’re here to handle business,” Stacy replied.
It was like a scene from Kill Bill, tires screeching, raging estrogen, and deadly facial expressions. Lucky for the caterer they weren’t wielding swords. I sent up a prayer asking God to help them not get arrested for disorderly conduct or that the caterer wouldn’t refuse to supply the food for the party at all. I understood where the girls were coming from, but I would much rather have food than nothing at all. It was too short of a notice to get anyone else, and I refused to have family slave over the stove to feed almost one hundred and fifty people. We had enough top-notch cooks in our family to get the job done. But I wanted everyone that flew in to relax, not work.
Thirty minutes later, I looked on dumbfounded as Crystal and Stacy left the owner’s office with huge grins on their faces. Not only did they get him to prepare the agreed upon menu, but they also got him to give them a nice fifteen percent discount for all the trouble their little mistake had caused me and Momma.
“And, that’s how you get it done,” Stacy said while slapping high fives with Crystal.
I shook my head in amazement. “You guys are something else. Y’all roll up in here like two bad bitches ready to kick ass and take names later.”
Stacy and Crystal laughed and began posing like they were a member of Charlie’s Angels.
“Well thanks, ladies; I think I’ll just give you two a call if I run into any other issues.” I left the two crazy women out in the park
ing lot with their antics and went back inside to finalize things with the caterer.
I spent the rest of the evening fielding calls from out-of-town visitors. Since this was supposed to be a surprise, my mother didn’t have anyone contacting her or else Daddy would have been suspicious. The rest of the night was spent with Sean, the guys, and my girls. Great night with lots of laughs, but I was ready to crawl into bed early.
The big night was finally here. All the months of hard work was over. I was ready to show Daddy a good time for his fiftieth birthday.
My dress for the night was a calf-length, strapless black dress. I found it at one of the upscale boutiques when I went shopping on a whim one weekend. It did wonders to accentuate the positives and conceal the not so flattering aspects of my full-figured frame. I said as much to Sean, and he stared back at me with a blank expression as if I spoke in Latin. Yet, I loved the way his eyes blazed with fire upon seeing me make my way down the stairs.
My yellow gold and diamond jewelry shone bright against my dark complexion, adding just the right amount of gaudy elegance to the ensemble. My beautician had done a fabulous job of crafting a stylish up-do from my thick black tresses. My makeup was perfect, and my skin glistened with a gold-tinted, body butter. It wasn’t often I got to dress up, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.
Although, the night was to celebrate Daddy’s fiftieth; I had saved a little something special for Sean to unwrap when we came home from the festivities. Underneath my very modest, yet flattering, evening dress was an all-in-one fishnet and lace garter dress with matching thigh-high stockings.
Over the Hedge: Part 2- The Finale (Lucky in Love) Page 35
