Maurice kissed his wife on the cheek. “You know I will.”
“I’m going to get out of here, too,” James said. Then he pointed at Maurice. “You need to come by the office. There are some things you need to sign, and Amber wants you to sign a football for a sorority auction.”
“All right. I’ll stop by after my workout,” Maurice said.
James watched as Kenya and Maurice walked to the elevator, hand in hand. His brother didn’t know how lucky he was. James couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever settle down and have a family.
CHAPTER 12
The next morning Jade met her friends at Kandace’s office. She was excited about going to Charlotte, but it had nothing to do with their meeting with the realty company. She couldn’t wait to see James. Then again, what if he was totally different in his real life? Would they have the same passion that they’d had in Vegas?
What if Serena and Alicia are right? No, James and I are starting something special, and despite what my friends say, we’re going to be fine, she thought as she parked her car and got out.
“It’s about time you got here,” Serena said. “Are we ready to go now?”
“I’m going to drive myself,” Jade said.
“Somebody must have made other plans,” Alicia said.
Kandace smiled and nodded at Jade. “You know what? You and Serena need to stop being haters and let Jade enjoy whatever she and this guy are doing. She deserves to be happy.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Serena said. “Can we just get going? Some of us don’t want to spend all day in Charlotte.”
Jade rolled her eyes and shook her head as she got back into her car. To her surprise, Serena climbed into the passenger seat.
“Just so you know,” Jade said as she started the car, “I will leave you on the side of the road if you start talking crap about me and James.”
“Oh, shut up. I hope this will be your wake-up call,” Serena said. “I have nothing else to say about this thing you’re doing with a man you know nothing about.”
“I knew a lot about Stephen, and where did that get me?”
“Touché.”
As they drove to Charlotte, Serena kept her word and didn’t say anything about James. “I heard the price of the restaurant went up to a million dollars. Do you think Stephen can afford that?” Serena asked after they’d driven for about an hour.
“Not according to the books that I saw last. He could’ve gotten a loan, but Stephen doesn’t have the best record of paying people, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I know,” Serena said. “For every one person who thinks Stephen is the cat’s meow, there are four people he owes money to. I had no idea when you first started dating him that he was such a louse.”
“Well, I should’ve known that he was a piece of crap when Alicia told me that he’d hit on her. I really thought Stephen and I were building something,” Jade said as she gently chewed on her bottom lip.
“I know I’m not supposed to say anything, but don’t you think you’re making the same mistake again? You and this guy had a wonderful weekend in Las Vegas, but you live in Atlanta, and he lives in Charlotte. If he casually slept with you the way he did, then there’s a chance he may have a stable of women in Charlotte as well.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “If that’s the case, why does he want to see me? If he has all these women, don’t you think he’d get all the sex he wanted from them?”
“You can’t think this is more than sex,” Serena said in a matter-of-fact manner.
“Don’t worry about what I think. This is my business and my love life. Maybe if you had one of your own, then—”
“Please don’t go there,” Serena snapped. “Unlike you, I don’t need a man for validation or safety. Maybe you should go see a therapist about your issues.”
Jade slammed on the brakes, despite the fact that they were driving up Interstate 85. The car behind them darted into the next lane, and the driver flipped Jade off after leaning on the horn.
“Have you lost your damned mind?” Serena demanded.
“You have nerve saying I have issues when you treat men like disposable diapers. So, I didn’t have the best parents in the world, but that has nothing to do with ... Just shut up,” Jade said as she pressed down on the gas pedal.
“Look, I’m sorry,” Serena said. “I didn’t mean to sound as if I was judging you.”
“I’m driving.” Jade reached for the volume button on the radio and turned it up.
Serena turned and looked out the window.
James walked into his office at about 7:30 a.m. Shortly after he arrived, Amber walked in with muffins and a box of coffee cups from Starbucks.
“Good morning,” she said. “I thought we’d feed the people who are going to make us millionaires.”
“We haven’t made any deals yet,” James said. “What kind of muffins are those?”
“Blueberry and banana-nut,” she said. “The coffee is hazelnut.”
James smiled and nodded with approval. “What would I do without you?”
She shrugged and headed for the conference room to arrange the coffee and muffins. Glancing down at his watch, James saw that he had time to call the owners of the restaurant and try to negotiate a better price for the property before the investors from Atlanta arrived. He wanted to get this meeting over with as soon as possible because he couldn’t wait to see Jade when she came to town.
“Amber,” James called out. “Can you get me a lunch reservation at Ruth’s Chris?”
“Yes, sir. Are you taking these people to lunch?”
“No, this is personal,” he said, with a sly smile.
She walked into his office and eyed him, as if he’d been replaced by an alien. “Personal? As in you have a date? What’s really going on?”
“Wait a minute,” James said as he rose to his feet. “Why are you having such a hard time believing that I have a date?”
Amber shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I’ve been here for two years, and I have yet to see you with a date.”
“Unlike my brother, my love life isn’t often plastered across the newspapers,” James said. But the truth was, he didn’t take women out. The few women he had dated in Charlotte hadn’t moved him to set up lunch dates or anything that didn’t involve a bedroom. But there was something different about Jade, something special. He just hoped that she had given up her quest to bring Stephen Carter down. Karma would take care of that slick bastard. However, James would introduce her to Kenya, who was a lawyer. Maybe she could help Jade recover her money.
Why didn’t I think of this before? he thought. James picked up his desk phone and dialed Kenya’s office.
“Kenya Goings,” a woman said in an ultraprofessional voice.
“Good morning, Mrs. Goings,” James said.
“James, what’s going on?” Kenya asked.
“I have a friend that I think you can help,” James said. Then he began to tell her Jade’s story.
“Wow! Women still do that stuff?” Kenya said when James was finished. “It doesn’t matter how in love people think they are, there is a reason for contracts. I wouldn’t even go into business with Maurice, and I’m about to have his baby.”
“Well, I don’t know how Stephen conned her into doing that, but that man is the same fool that tried to make my mother’s desserts his own.”
“I remember that. So, Stephen Carter is still at it,” she said. “Tell your friend to call me. And I’ll even make sure the AJC covers it.”
“I’m sure she will be happy to hear that,” James said. “How are you doing?”
“I had to battle morning sickness this morning, but your brother was working out in the basement, so he doesn’t have a clue.”
“Are you sure you want to wait until his birthday party to tell him you’re pregnant?”
Kenya sighed. “Yes. It’s only a few days away, and hopefully, it will get him out of this funk he’s in.”
“Yeah, he was telli
ng me about that. He’s worried about this off-season and what the new coach is going to do.”
“I just hope he doesn’t get traded, because I don’t want to leave Charlotte right now. Well, I have to go. My first client is here and on time.”
“All right,” he said, then hung up the phone. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 9:45. He wondered if his meeting was going to start on time.
It did. At exactly 10:00 a.m., Amber walked into his office to let him know that the investors from Atlanta had arrived.
“And they really are all women,” she said in a whisper.
James stood, straightened his tie, and nodded toward Amber. “Well, let’s go. I hope they brought a cashier’s check. I talked to Roderick, and he said he’s ready to get rid of this property.”
Amber smiled, secretly hoping that this deal would go down and she’d be able to purchase a loft in NoDa, Charlotte’s arts district.
They walked down the narrow hall and into the conference room. When James looked around the room and saw the familiar faces, he shook his head. “Is this a joke?” he asked. Then his eyes locked with Jade’s. Trepidation flickered in her brown eyes as she stood up.
“What are you doing here, James?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“This is my company. The bigger question is, what are you all doing here?” said James.
Kandace dropped her head in her hands. “This is so not happening. I had no idea that you were the owner of this realty company.”
“Seems like someone should’ve done a little more research,” Serena said cattily.
“Oh, shut up,” Kandace shot back.
James held his hand up. “Ladies,” he said, “we can still make this purchase happen. I spoke to Roderick Harrison, one of the owners of the property, and he and the others are ready to sell. The price is one and a half million.”
Kandace pulled out a financial statement. “That’s a lot more than this building is worth.”
“But it’s a lot more than Stephen can afford,” Alicia said.
Jade shook her head, trying to quiet her friend.
James turned to Amber. “Can you excuse us for one moment?”
Amber nodded, but her face was a ball of confusion. James knew he was going to have to explain everything to Amber later. Once she was out of the room, James slammed the door shut and cast a contemptuous glance at Jade and her friends.
“Just what in the hell is going on? Did you all have me waste my time trying to secure this property for you all in order for you to get it out of Stephen Carter’s price range?” James slammed his hand against the table. “Do you realize how much time I wasted because you all want to play high school games?”
“Who said we don’t have the money to buy this restaurant?” Serena asked, rising to her feet.
“Sit down,” Jade said. “James, I had no—”
“What? You had no what?” James bellowed. “I told you that I didn’t want anything to do with your little scheme, and what did you do? You put me right in the middle of this shit. Roderick lists a lot of his properties with us.”
“And what’s your point?” Serena snapped.
“Get the hell out of my office!” James exclaimed.
“Wait,” Jade said. “We can purchase this restaurant.” She looked to Kandace. “We have the capital for it, right?”
“So you’re going to buy this restaurant and do what with it?” James asked heatedly. “It’s in the center of a revitalization project that needs a restaurant, even if it is Stephen Carter’s.”
“You know what?” Alicia said. “We never said that we weren’t going to keep a restaurant there. Your concern shouldn’t be what we’re going to do with the property, but if we can pay for it.”
“My concern is for this project and this city,” James said. “The revitalization of Cherry is important in more ways than one to this city.”
“Whatever,” Serena said. “I’m sure you’re going to get a profit from this sale, so don’t act like you’re being Mr. Community Nonprofit.”
“Serena, I really don’t give a damn what you think. All of you get the hell out of my office,” James stormed.
Kandace, Alicia, and Serena headed for the door. Jade lingered behind, hoping to appeal to James on a different level. She reached out and touched James’s arm. He jerked away from her as if her hand were a flame.
“I thought I asked you to get out of my office,” he said.
“James, let me explain... .”
“Explain what, Jade? That you’re a child and you had to go ahead with this scheme against Stephen? I told you there were other ways to get your money back from Stephen. My sister-in-law is willing to help you get your money back. But this, this is too much.”
“Too much?” she asked.
“Just go. Obviously, you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
“What are you saying?” Jade asked, anger flickering in her eyes.
“I don’t think I can be any clearer,” James said, then stormed out of the conference room.
Jade started to follow him, but she stopped herself in the conference room, with a queasy feeling in her stomach. Slowly, she walked down the hall and met up with her friends.
“Were you able to get through to him?” Kandace asked.
Jade shook her head somberly. “He’s very upset,” she said. “He thinks we’re playing a game.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “We can find someone else to broker the deal.”
“And I know a chef that will come here and work in this restaurant,” Alicia said. “We can get it renovated and everything.”
“Then we should just go to the owners ourselves,” Kandace said.
Jade pressed the elevator button. “Let’s just get out of here.”
As the doors to the elevator opened and the women stepped on, Jade saw James slam into his office. The cold glare he gave her made her shiver as the elevator doors closed.
Amber rushed into James’s office, not bothering to knock on the door. “What happened?” she asked.
“The deal fell through.”
“What?” she said, not attempting to mask her disappointment. “But they seemed so ready to ...”
“Amber, it’s done. Sorry that I got your hopes up,” he said.
“Wow,” she said sadly. “Do you still need that lunch reservation?”
“Nah. Wait a minute. Why don’t I take you to lunch? I know it doesn’t make up for the commission that you lost, but it’s the least I can do.”
“Thanks,” she said, then walked out of the office.
James picked up the file he’d been reading, but his mind wasn’t on work. It was on Jade and her friends. Just what in the hell were they thinking? Granted, he didn’t want to see Stephen bring his pompous ass to Charlotte, but Roderick didn’t deserve to be screwed by these women and this game of cat and mouse they were playing. And why did Jade feel as if she had to do this? He’d thought that he’d changed her mind about getting her pound of flesh from Stephen. What did this mean about her feelings for the man? He’d seen this too many times. Too many women claimed to hate a man and then ended up in his arms when the smoke cleared. Even if she didn’t end up with Stephen, why would he want to be with a woman who was so vindictive?
Stephen did steal from her. I guess I’d be pissed off, too, but there are other ways to do things, he thought as he picked up the phone to call Roderick. As he was dialing the number, his cell phone rang.
“Yeah,” he said, without looking at the caller ID screen.
“James, it’s Kandace. Can we talk?”
“About what?”
“My friends and I want to purchase the restaurant, and Alicia knows a chef who can come in and make a go of the restaurant.”
“Knowing what I know about why you all want to buy this restaurant, I find it hard to believe that you’re being honest with me.”
“If we’re willing to invest more than a million dollars in this, why do you feel as if you have any r
ight to question me?” Kandace snapped.
“I’ll call Roderick and the bank. We can get this rolling,” he said. Part of him wanted to ask about Jade, but he didn’t.
“Jade’s going to meet you in your office at two p.m. with the check and everything,” Kandace said.
Before James could protest, Kandace hung up the phone. Part of him wanted to see Jade, but he still had too many questions about her character and where her heart was.
Jade grabbed Kandace’s shoulder as she heard the tail end of her conversation with James. “Why did you do that?” she demanded. “I don’t want to go to his office for anything.”
“Whatever. You didn’t drive to Charlotte to let a misunderstanding come between you and this man that you can’t stop talking about,” Kandace said.
Serena rolled her eyes. “I think he showed you who he really is. He didn’t even give you a chance to explain—”
“Serena, shut up,” Kandace said. “This is Jade’s business, and she likes this man.”
Alicia folded her arms across her chest. “Are we really buying this property? Because if we are, then there are some things I need to start getting in order.”
All eyes were focused on Jade, who didn’t say a word.
“This is our chance to put all our investment money to use,” Kandace said. “Remember when we were in college and we started this account? We said that we were going to start our own business one day. Thank God we got out of the dot-coms before they went bust. That money is just sitting there. Now we have a chance to teach Stephen a lesson and make a profit.”
“Fine,” Jade said. “I’ll take the check to James, but I really think this is the last time that I will see him.”
“Hallelujah,” Serena said. “And can we make a promise that none of us will ever mix business and pleasure again?”
“Yes,” the other three women said.
“Can we go get something to eat?” Alicia said. “We should check out what our competition is going to be.”
“I heard Ruth’s Chris is pretty good,” Serena said as they got into their cars.
“Then that’s where we’re going,” Jade said as she slid into the driver’s side of her car.
Betting On Love Page 10
