by Goss, Shelia
“Now correct me if I’m wrong,” Mo said, as he turned the chair around for her to see her reflection in the mirror as he applied more make-up.
“You know I will.”
“You give sound advice to people everyday and help countless number of women; so why aren’t you taking some of your own advice?”
“But…”she stuttered.
“The do what I say, not what I do mentality.” Mo shook his head.
“I’m going to go with my heart and if it works out fine. If it doesn’t, that’ll be fine too.”
“You come to Mo for the real deal…if you ask me, you know I’m giving it to you no holds barred.”
“Give it to me straight.”
“Your man. Correction, I mean your booty call is engaged, but now he’s talking about breaking that engagement to be with you. Am I right so far?”
“Correct.”
“Look at you,” Mo said. He held his hand on her chin and pointed her head towards the mirror. “Open your eyes and look.”
She did as she was told. He continued on saying, “The woman I’m seeing on the outside is a confident woman who knows she deserves to be loved. She wouldn’t take mess off nobody—male or female. When I dig deeper, I see a woman who doesn’t think she deserves the whole man, so she’s willing to accept a piece of a man.”
Hailey frowned. “Excuse me.”
“Yes, I said it. You settle now; you’ll continue to settle.”
Hailey crossed her arms, but couldn’t get comfortable. She sighed. “Mo. I think it’s time that I go.”
“Don’t get mad at me.”
“I’m not mad. Just pissed to find myself in this situation.”
Mo twirled his brush in his hands. “Do something about it. Don’t be a victim. Be a doer.”
She walked up to Mo and gave him two air kisses near the cheek. “Thank you.”
***
Garrett surfed the channels on the television until he landed on the sports channel. He tried his best to keep busy to keep his mind off Hailey and Trevon’s reunion. He should have been happy for his friend, but he wasn’t. He threw the empty can of beer on the floor and opened up another one. He normally didn’t drink unless it was in a social setting, but he needed something to relax his mind.
How did he, mister bachelor, get himself tangled up in this mess? Out of all of the women in the world, he had to fall for Hailey. He used to think she was a spoiled celebrity but after getting to know her, he knew she was like a delicate flower. She needed to be taken care of. It angered him that she settled for the way Trevon treated her. She deserved better, so much better. Until she recognized it herself; there wasn’t anything he could do about it. That realization stung. He drank until he passed out on the couch.
Buzz. Buzz. Garrett threw a pillow and hit the radio knocking it off the nightstand. Buzz. Buzz. The sound didn’t stop. It got louder and louder.
Rubbing his eyes, he twisted his body so he could attempt to reach the clock to turn it off since his previous attempts didn’t work.
“Ouch.” He rubbed the back of his hand. The clock read seven thirty. Where had the time gone? When he laid down all he could think about was Hailey and when he slept he had nightmares about beating the crap out of Trevon.
Garrett decided he needed a break from the norm. He left a message for Caroline and curled back into bed. He needed one more of a sleep and then his body and mind could function. Before his head could hit the pillow, his cell phone was chirping. If it would have been anybody else but Caroline, he wouldn’t have answered.
He listened as Caroline reminded him of a few meetings he had previously scheduled. All of which had slipped his mind.
“Tre called in too and he’s not answering his phone,” Caroline informed him.
He cursed under his breath. He would have a talk with him. He was letting his personal life interfere with their business. He shook his head. Who was he to talk? He was doing the same thing.
Caroline called out his name a few times.
“I’ll be there in about an hour. Please make my apologies. Order breakfast for everyone.”
He hung the phone up. His day was already starting off on the wrong foot. He couldn’t forgo the meeting because the company could always use the revenue. This liaison could lead to other jobs and he was in business to make money. With that revelation, he shrugged off the “I don’t wanna” to an attitude of “let me go make some money.”
He would deal with Trevon later. He knew Hailey was at the forefront of why he didn’t show up. What he did in his personal life was no longer his concern. He was only concerned about him doing his part in their partnership.
***
“Move,” Hailey yelled.
Trevon wrapped his arm around her waist even tighter. He had bad halitosis and she couldn’t wait to escape his foul breath. She pushed his arm off her and threw the cover back on him. He barely stirred. She was tempted to go open up the curtains so the dim light shining through would be at full blast, surely jolting her bed partner up. Instead of doing that, she gathered up some items and headed to the bathroom.
As the hot water cascaded down her body, she reminisced about the night before. Trevon showing up late put a damper to her plans. Although he apologized and had come bearing flowers, she could not shake the awkward feeling. Her body not wanting to cooperate with the romantic night she had planned alerted her that all wasn’t well. Instead of a night of passion to celebrate their reunion, Hailey opted for a night of cuddling. Tre didn’t like it, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He was still in fact in the doghouse as far as she was concerned. She didn’t hesitate to remind him of that every time he begged for her to let him show her through the power of his tongue and the tool between his legs on how much he missed her.
Guilt. Why was she feeling guilty? Garrett and her didn’t have anything going on. For a brief second, very brief, she thought they could build something. But nothing would have come from it. They were too closely tied to Trevon and although neither would admit it, it wouldn’t have worked. Fantasy. That’s what her life was becoming. A fantasy like the books she read and the movies she enjoyed.
Reality. Trevon was here. Lying down in her bed and waiting on her to forgive him. Could she forgive him? Was Mo right? Would she be settling? Why should she settle? She was “the Hailey Barnes.” The person that millions of women tuned in to each week for their weekly dose of sisterly advice.
She dried off and stood in the doorway of the bathroom with a clear view of Trevon snoring. Physically, he was every woman’s dream. In fact, up until learning about his upcoming nuptials, she was satisfied with their physical sessions. Not one to be outdone, she may have overreacted. Having him as more was probably another fantasy she should have let go of years ago. How could she trust him? Grant it, they weren’t in a committed relationship, but they were friends. He could have shared the fact that he was thinking about asking some other woman to have his last name. If he had, she wouldn’t have liked it, but she would have respected him. She would not be feeling empty; like she was settling. She wouldn’t be questioning why she was allowing him back into her life.
His cell phone ringing brought her out of her trance. He stirred but didn’t make any effort to answer it. She tip-toed to the side of the night stand on his side of the bed and picked up the phone. He didn’t turn over. She saw Shareeka’s name displayed on the caller ID. A beeping noise sounded to indicate he had a message. She looked at the phone and looked at Trevon in the bed. Satisfied that he wasn’t going to wake up; she took his phone and walked back into the bathroom. She closed the bathroom door as quietly as she could.
Her bathroom was an inner sanctuary. With a small purple chaise sitting in the corner, she walked and sat down. She flipped open his phone. When the words popped up, asking her if she wanted to check voice mail, she pressed yes. Relieved that it didn’t require a password, she listened to a few of his messages left by Caroline. She hit the pound button u
ntil she got to the one that was left a few minutes before.
“Sorry about last night. My sister can be a pain sometimes. Let’s meet up for lunch at our special place. Miss you. Love you.”
Hailey slammed the phone down on the porcelain floor not caring that the case cracked. She picked up the broken phone and stormed out of the bathroom. She threw the phone at Trevon hitting him waking him out of his slumber. He rubbed the top of his head. She jumped on top of him and started hitting him.
“Girl, what’s your problem,” he said, in between trying to block Hailey’s punches.
“You lying bastard. You told me you ended it with her.”
He grabbed both of her arms and was able to stop her from hitting him, although she got a good swap upside his head before he could. “Calm down. I can explain.”
Hailey’s nostrils flared and she had a hard time catching her breath. “Let me go.”
“Only if you promise me you won’t swing at me again.”
“Like you promised me that you ended things with your fiancé. That you and I were going to be together.”
Hailey gathered more strength and was able to move away from Trevon. She jerked her arms away. He jumped. She laughed. “Punk. I wasn’t going to hit you again. You’re not even worth my energy.”
Hailey moved away from Trevon and stood up on the side of the bed. A quick glance in the mirror revealed her hair going in various directions.
“I tried to tell her but she wouldn’t listen. I’m doing it today.”
“Whatever. And I got a beach in the North Pole that I want to sell you.” She picked up his slacks and shirt and threw it at him. “I suggest you get your clothes on and leave before I have another tantrum.”
Hailey turned to leave him alone, but thought second about it. “Let me see your phone.”
He frowned.
“I said let me see your phone,” she snapped.
He picked up his cracked phone and she snatched it from his hands. She flipped it open. It was still in working condition.
“What are you doing?” he asked, as he reached for the phone. She slapped his hand away.
Hailey dialed Shareeka’s number. “We’re calling your fiancé. I mean ex-fiance so you can tell her you’re ending things today.”
Trevon stood up to get the phone but fell because his pants weren’t all the way on.
“Look. This is something I don’t want to do on the phone. Give me a few hours and then.”
She threw the phone at him. “That’s what I thought. You had no intentions of breaking things off. Good thing you didn’t get a chance to taste these goodies again.” She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
~ 20 ~
Garrett spent the morning schmoozing with his clients. Their signed signature on the five year contract made it all worth it. He had called Trevon on his cell phone and at home to share the good news, but he was nowhere to be found. He left a few messages and spent the rest of the day going through his normal routine.
His eyes skimmed the files on his computer one last time. He had stayed longer than he anticipated. If he left now, he could avoid some of the rush hour traffic and cut off his time by thirty minutes. Well, he hoped anyway.
“Ouch,” he said, as he bumped into Trevon on the way out the door. “Man, you look like crap.”
Trevon responded, “I feel like it too.”
He allowed Trevon to push him back into his office. He closed the door. “I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”
Trevon walked over to the bar in his office and poured himself a drink. He held one up to offer him one.
“No. I’m cool,” Garrett responded.
He watched Trevon gulp down a few glasses of Hennessey. The normally well put together man that stood before him looked like he had been put through the ringer a few times. Since it looked like he needed a friend, he took off his jacket and sat down at the conference table and vowed to listen.
“My life is over man. I’ve made a mess of everything.”
Garrett swore Trevon was a drama magnet. He had more drama going on in his life than a Lifetime movie. He listened to him go on and on about Hailey and Shareeka and in no certain order. If he didn’t think it would push him over the edge, he would laugh and tell him that’s what he got for trying to be a player. His heart was thrilled to know that Hailey had kicked him out. Although he wouldn’t be pursuing her; at least he knew she was finally coming to her senses as far as Trevon was concerned. He made a mental note to call Brenda to find out how Ms. Drama Queen was faring after this new revelation.
“So what do you think I should do?” he heard Trevon asked, breaking him out of his own thoughts.
He stuttered, “Uhh. Well. Man, I don’t know. It’s your life. I can’t make your decisions for you. Besides, the last time I tried to give you advice, you nearly cut my head off.”
“That’s only because you were trying to push up on my woman.”
Garrett cleared his throat. “Ex woman it appears.”
“Don’t remind me. Shareeka overheard me and Hailey arguing over the phone and now she’s pissed. She’s threatened to call off the wedding.”
“Good. Count your losses and move on,” I said.
“I wish it was that easy. She doesn’t mean it. She’ll come around. And Hailey. Well, Hailey can take care of herself. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have left her alone years ago.”
He agreed, but didn’t voice his opinion. Instead, he said, “Now that you have it all figured out, you need to get your priorities straight. Caroline and I both have been trying to reach you all day.”
He held his head down. He nursed the drink in the glass before taking a sip. “I’m going to do better. It’s just been hard on a brother.”
Garrett hit him on the back. “Man, pull yourself together. Women and business don’t mix. Learn how to separate the two.”
They both stood up. Trevon gave him a brotherly hug. “I knew I could count on you. I’ll be here bright and early tomorrow. You can count on me.”
“Good. Because you had me worried there for a minute.”
The door opening startled them both. “I thought I heard you in here,” Caroline said.
Garrett grabbed his stuff. “We were just heading out.”
“Trevon can I talk to you before you go,” she asked, looking between the both of them.
“Just lock up when you leave,” he said, leaving the two to discuss whatever was on Caroline’s agenda.
He should have felt guilty about Trevon getting busted but he didn’t. Instead of going home, he was going to make a stop over to check on his favorite client. As the elevator door closed, a smile swept across his face.
***
She finally convinced Brenda to leave her alone. She had been in a foul mood all day and she would apologize to her and her staff later. What she wanted was to see Trevon’s head on a platter with a big red apple in his mouth like one of those pigs during a Hawaii luau. Her lips turned up into a smile as she imagined being the one forcing the apple down his throat.
Evil, Just plain evil was all she could surmise to sum it how Trevon was for taking advantage of her feelings for him. As Mo reminded her, she was in control of her destiny and the moment she listened to the message from Shareeka, she knew she would be the one to end their toxic relationship. She tried not to have a “me-me” attitude but this incident with Trevon reminded her that there was nothing wrong with being a diva.
Many people mistook the attitude of a diva as being rude and obnoxious. A true diva was anything but, she was confident and poised. She set an example for others and Hailey was a diva and it was about time she went back to acting like she was.
Her gate buzzer went off. She glanced at the monitor and hit the open button. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and brushed the slight wrinkles out of her slacks. It was time to put her diva mode into affect.
Garrett greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She welcome
d his embrace and returned his gesture with a smile. “Come on in,” she responded, while leading him into her living room.
“Excuse the mess, but I had a lot of reading to catch up on,” she said, referring to the newspapers and magazines laid across the coffee table and chairs.
“So how are you?” he asked, as he took a seat on the sofa near her.
She opened her mouth up to lie, but thought second of it. “It hurts, but I’ll get over it.”
“I would say I told you so, but now isn’t the time.”
“I agree. But when have you ever listened to me.” Hailey winked.
Hailey hoped he couldn’t hear her heartbeat. Why was she feeling giddy? She was supposed to be mending a broken heart; but instead her heart was reacting to the man sitting down beside her. Neither spoke. The staring match between the two was annoying, yet comforting at the same time. It seemed neither wanted to break the calmness that now settled between the two.
Garrett reached out for her hand. She allowed him to hold it. He kissed the tips of her fingers. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his lips. “You’re beautiful,” he said.
Those words broke the trance. She hated to believe he was another person taken back by the superficial. She moved her hand away. “So what are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you.”
She leaned back on the sofa and folded her arms. “Why do you care? It’s not like we’ve been the best of friends.”
“But we have been friends and whether you want to believe it or not, there’s something there between us.”
“Yes and he’s a thorn in my side right now, so let’s not go there.”
“Are you going to let Tre rob you of your happiness?”
“He’s done more damage than I care to admit, but I’m a big girl; I’ll get over it.” She rolled her eyes.
Garrett moved closer to her. His masculine scent threatened to make her succumb to whatever he was offering. “You don’t have to get over it alone. I’m here. Let me help you. Let me show you how you should be treated. Let me show what you’ve been missing.”
