Catt Chasing
Page 6
Jamal gave up. “Enjoy your lunch, Miss Cason.”
Catt watched his retreating figure exit out the door. His leaving would be a welcomed relief and a blessing in disguise, she told herself. It was almost convincing enough to get her to believe that she wouldn’t miss him.
Chapter 10
Oni rose from her desk and closed the door after summoning both Jamal and Catt to her office promptly at 10:00 in the morning. “Please have a seat.”
Three days before Oni and Jamal were set to depart, Catt and Jamal both received a cryptic e-mail from Oni requesting their presence.
The two coworkers sat down in the two Riviera wood chairs in front of Oni’s massive oak desk. Like everything else in the office, the chairs were sleek, elegant, and inspired envy, just like Oni.
“There’s been a change of plans,” announced Oni, drumming her fingers on the desk. “With everything that’s going on, there’s no way I can afford to take off for three weeks. I can’t go on the road with you, Jamal.”
His mouth fell open. “What?”
Oni flipped through her calendar. “Drea had her baby last night, four weeks early. This means that Chad is taking on some of her immediate responsibilities, and I’ve got to catch the slack for him. I just found out that I’ve got to take his meeting with some of our people out in California next week. Plus, we just had another chemist quit on top of everything else that’s going on. It’s impossible for me to get away right now.”
“But everything is already set!” he protested in an almost whiny tone. “We’ve secured venues, set everything up with the marketing team, and already sent out press releases. To cancel it at the last minute like this would be a huge mistake, Oni—a mistake that Telegenic can’t afford to make right now.”
Catt backed him up. “Jamal’s right, Oni. The company has been planning this for weeks. It’ll ruin our credibility if we back out now.”
Oni nodded and clasped her hands together. “I know. I totally agree with you, and I’m glad to know that you feel so strongly about it, Catt. It really helps to know that you’re on board with supporting this project.”
“Of course, I am. I want to see Telegenic thrive, just like everyone else.” She eyed Jamal curiously. Had he told Oni something that would make her question Catt’s loyalty to the company?
“So then it’s settled,” concluded Jamal, relieved. “We’re still going to go out and do this promotional tour as planned.”
“Yes and no.” Oni eased from behind her desk and stood in front of them. “Jamal, I never said I was canceling the tour; I just said I couldn’t go with you,” she clarified.
Jamal adjusted his position in the chair, visibly distressed. “Oni, I mean, I’ll do my best, but it’s a pretty big job for one person to take on . . .”
Oni propped up against her desk. “It is. That’s why I asked Catt to meet with us today.”
“What does all this have to do with me?” asked Catt as the pieces started to fall into place, much to her dismay. “No, you don’t mean—”
Realizing the implication, Jamal was just as distraught as Catt was. “Oni, I know you don’t want Catt and me to—”
“The two of you carrying out the tour together makes perfect sense!” reasoned Oni. “You already work together and have camaraderie with each other. You know the product better than anyone else in the office, and you can be working on other projects in between promoting the new line. It’s perfect.”
“Oni, you and I already had a set plan,” pointed out Jamal. “We’ve been putting this whole thing together since I started here. Catt barely knows what’s going on!”
“So you’ll brief her and bring her up to speed,” directed Oni.
“The tour kicks off Thursday. I can’t get ready to leave for three weeks in three days,” Catt bemoaned.
“Sure you can. In fact, I’m giving you the rest of the week off to start packing and getting things in order. I also want you to use this time to review the products and the marketing strategy. The company can not afford to have either of you screw this up.”
Jamal stood up, pleading with her to reconsider. “But, Oni, think about—”
Oni cleared her throat and stared him down, enunciating slowly. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear,” said Oni in an inflection that meant it was going to be her way or the highway. “I’m not going on the tour. I have too many obligations here to take that kind of time off. You, on the other hand, Jamal, will go on as scheduled. Catt will be joining you. I will check in with the two of you every day and fly in for a couple of stops when I can. All of the arrangements have already been made for you. Catt, all you have to do is give your plants to the neighbors to water and toss some clothes in a suitcase.”
They both stood silently, lips pressed together and refusing to say anything to defy Oni. As cool as she was, she was still their boss.
“Are there any questions or concerns?” she asked. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Catt inched up her hand. “I just need a copy of the itinerary to look over and to give to my dad. I don’t want him to be worried and wondering where I am.”
“No problem. You can get all of that from Michelle. Anything else?”
Jamal shook his head. Catt looked down at the patterns in the tile.
“Cheer up, you two!” She slapped Jamal on the arm. “You’re about to go on the adventure of a lifetime, not to the electric chair!”
Catt raised her eyes. “Is that an option?”
“No,” replied Oni. She pulled Catt off to the side, out of earshot from Jamal. “This is a great opportunity for you. You’re due for some fun in your life. This is a business trip, but no one said it had to be all business . . .”
Catt wrinkled her nose. “What are you trying to say?”
Oni cut her eyes to Jamal. “I’m trying to say that you’re going to be alone out on the open road with a very attractive, very eligible man for the next few weeks. I would make the most it. Heck, I had planned to if I didn’t have to cancel at the last minute.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to encourage me to hit the sheets with Jamal!” replied Catt in a stern whisper.
“I’m not telling you to do that. I’m telling you to live a little and enjoy yourself. Jamal is the kind of guy who’s great for that sort of thing.”
“Oni, did you pray before making this decision?” Oni groaned loudly. “I’m serious! How do we know it’s the Lord’s will for me to go out on the road for three weeks with a man I hardly even know?”
“It’s the company’s will! And it’s your will to stay gainfully employed, which could be in serious jeopardy if we don’t see a spike in sales real soon. Please don’t turn this into some religious event, Catt. Just say you’ll go.”
Catt relented. “Okay, okay! You win. It’s not like I have much choice in the matter anyway.”
“You don’t, but you could’ve been a real witch about having to go. I’m glad you chose not to be. And I really do want you and Jamal to have some fun while you’re out there on the road. This trip doesn’t have to be a grudge.”
Catt shook her head. “The last thing I need is to be mixing business and pleasure with a player like Jamal.”
“Suit yourself. Either way, you’re going on this trip. You might as well make it one to remember.”
Chapter 11
Three days later, Catt found herself staring out of the window of Jamal’s shiny black Suburban as he backed out of her driveway.
“Turn left,” directed the automated voice through the GPS system. It was the first of many directives sure to follow during the 200 miles of highways and back roads they had to cover that day. Catt wondered if the monotonous voice would be the only semblance of conversation they’d encounter for the duration of the trip. She had nothing to say to him, and he had even less to say to her. There was little else to do but sit back, delve into her new Michelle McKinney Hammond book, and pray that the time passed quickly.
Toria, on the other hand, was a little more practical. Her going away present to Catt was a free hairdo along with a box of condoms.
“Just in case . . .” Toria cautioned her.
Catt balked at the idea of sleeping with Jamal and left the condoms at the hair salon.
After nearly five minutes of driving in silence, Jamal was the first to speak. “You wanna stop and get something to eat?” he asked without looking at her.
“Just because I’m a big girl doesn’t mean I’m always hungry,” Catt replied, then held in her stomach, daring it to growl and contradict her.
He cringed. “I just asked. I don’t plan on stopping until we need gas or until we get to Philly, whichever comes first.”
She rolled her eyes. “What if I have to pee?”
“There are some paper cups in the back. Knock yourself out.”
Catt turned the page in her book and eyed the GPS. They had only gone seven miles, and she was already ready to strangle him.
“You wanna stop or what?” he asked again as they approached a chain of fast-food restaurants.
“I don’t care.”
He sighed heavily and pulled into the Waffle House parking lot. “We’re not going to be in here all day,” he warned her, thrusting the gear into park. “Just long enough for some coffee and an omelet.”
“Don’t I get a say in the matter?” asked Catt as she climbed out of the car.
“No.”
After they sat down and placed their orders, the conversation that passed between them was limited to terse statements and one-word answers. Catt knew that if the next three weeks were going to be bearable, it would be up to her to at least make an effort to be cordial to Jamal.
She took a deep breath and said, “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
He didn’t look up from his scattered hash browns. “I don’t like to talk while I’m eating.”
She smacked her teeth and stirred cream into her coffee. “I’m just trying to make conversation.”
“No one asked you to do that.”
“I just think that we should get to know each other better, don’t you?”
“We work together all day, every day. We already know everything we need to know.”
“Not really. For instance, what’s your favorite food? When’s your birthday? What college did you go to?”
“Catt, I’m not about to play twenty-one Questions with you. That’s some adolescent, high school mess. I’ve got better things to do.”
“Like what?” she asked defiantly, cutting her pecan waffle into bite-sized pieces. “What better things do you have to do for the next three weeks than deal with me?”
“Look, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now. I’ve got at least four hours of driving ahead of me; I’ve got to make sure everything is ready for this first stop; and I’ve got to deal with a self-righteous, Bible-thumping know-it-all for the next three weeks. I just want to enjoy these last few minutes of peace I have right now.”
Catt was thinking of a snappy comeback when her cell phone rang. She answered it, grateful for the interruption. “Hello?”
“Hey, Catt, it’s me, Eldon . . . Minister James.”
“Hey, Eldon, what’s up?”
“Your dad just reminded me that you’re leaving today. I wanted to let you know that I’m praying for you to have a safe journey, and I’m counting the minutes until you get back.”
“That’s sweet of you to say. Now, admit it—did my father put you up to calling me?”
“He didn’t have to. I told you . . . I like you, Catt. I’m really hoping that you’ll let me take you out to dinner when you get home.”
Catt smiled into the phone. She was happy to have something to look forward to while she endured the road trip from hell. “Sure, Eldon. I’d like that.”
“Then it’s a date!” he confirmed. “We can work out the details when you get back. Call me when you get to your destination. I think I’ll sleep better knowing that you got there safely.”
“Will do,” she assured him. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Jamal cut his eyes toward her and stopped chewing for a second. “Was that your boyfriend?”
“Why?”
He swallowed. “I’m just shocked that you’d even have a man.”
“And I’m shocked that they let dogs like you roam the streets without a leash, so we’re even.”
Jamal laughed to himself. “I’m even more curious about the kind of man who’d date you. He must have low self-esteem. You seem like the type who would do that to a brother.”
“Jamal, you would really be doing both of us a huge favor if you stopped pretending like you know me. You don’t!”
“I may not know you all that well, but I know your type.” He chewed his omelet. “I’m an expert on women.”
She shot him a blank stare. “Oh, I know this’ll be too funny! Please, enlighten me, Mr. Ford. Amaze me with your candor and wisdom regarding the fairer sex.”
He wiped his mouth. “I will.” Jamal turned to Catt and gave her the once-over. “You’re the classic overachiever. I bet you got all A’s in school, probably were the captain of the debate team, president of the Honor Society. You didn’t date much—too busy hitting the books and hiding snack cakes under your pillow. But you secretly longed to be the cheerleader or the popular girl in school who had all the guys drooling. Even now, you make the big dollars and get to push people around at work, but you’re still lonely. You’re still that insecure fifteen-year-old who wanted nothing more than for the cute basketball player to ask her to the prom or to even notice that she existed.”
“Wow . . .” said Catt in amazement.
“Hit it right on the head, didn’t I?” he asked smugly.
Catt nodded slowly. “It’s incredible . . . you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought!”
“What?”
“You’re right. I was the captain—of the cheerleading squad, not the debate team! And I didn’t spend my nights with my nose in some book. It just came naturally to me. I spent my nights with my sorors having fun and partying like everyone else. And I had a man, who, ironically, was a basketball player. We were together for three years, and I dumped him when I realized that I was too fabulous to settle for anything less than God’s best. So you can take your little theory about me and shove it!” She flung one of her napkins at him.
“I bet there’s at least a little truth to it,” boasted Jamal. “Like I said, I know women.”
“Really? Then why are you still single?”
“You mean other than the fact that I choose to be? For starters, most women don’t even make it past the thirty-Day Plan.”
She squinted her eyes. “The what?”
“The thirty-Day Plan. It’s a system I’ve developed when it comes to dating. It’s how I determine if I want to wife ’em or one-night ’em.”
“What, pray tell, does this system consist of?” she asked sarcastically.
“It’s a series of little tests to judge the important things. You know, how well a woman can hold a conversation and if she knows when to shut up. Does she have a stable job, is she too clingy or needy, have her head right and her brain right, if you know what I mean. Things like that.”
Catt rolled her eyes. “Those are the important things?”
“Well, I mean, she’s got to be gorgeous too,” he noted.
She waited for more. “A
nd that’s it?”
“That’s enough.”
“Says who?”
“Any warm-blooded, straight male.” Jamal mashed the remaining omelet into what was left of his hash browns. “Do you have a better guide for finding a wife?”
“Yes, the Bible.”
He groaned and threw down his fork. “There you go again . . .”
“So you don’t believe in the Bible?”
“If I say ‘no,’ are you going to sic Daddy on me?”
“If you don’t believe in God and the Bible, my father will be the least of your problems, you heathen!”
Jamal held up his hands. “Relax, all right? I believe in God and the Bible and all that, but I’m also practical.”
“What’s more practical than desiring a woman of noble character, handles her business, makes her own money, feeds both the poor and her own family, keeps her man happy, knows when and when not to talk, and loves the Lord?”
“Tell me where I can find that chick!”
“In the Bible, specifically in Proverbs,” replied Catt. “I’ve just describe the virtuous woman.”
“I thought we were talking about women who actually exist.”
“She does exist, but you’ll never find her with that stupid thirty-Day Plan of yours.”
Jamal pointed at Catt with his fork. “Don’t knock the plan, Catt. I’ve dodged a lot of bullets using that system.”
“You mean like Miss Missing Panties?”
He chuckled. “Yvette is a nice li’l package. She’s sexy, smart, a lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
“And where are she and her panties on the Plan?”
“Day eighteen, passed the halfway mark. I’m surprised you didn’t recognize her. She models for J. Crew sometimes.”
“A model—what a surprise,” she replied drily. “And this is what attracted you to her?”
“You haven’t seen her naked, Catt. Her body is the truth!”
Catt sprinkled salt on her grits. “It all sounds a little shallow to me.”