Feel the Heat

by Cheris Hodges

  “What?”

  “Did you read between the lines of Mimi’s post to understand what she’s really saying? That woman is confused, but she has deep feelings for you.”

  Brent squeezed his eyes tightly. “Or she wants to get hits on her blog.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t say that to her.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “I don’t know. I just knocked on her door and no answer.”

  “Do you blame her? I can only imagine what you said to her and how you said it.”

  “So, you’re skilled in reading Mimi’s mind because you’re sleeping with her friend?”

  “Oh, wow. That’s a low blow, but I understand. That’s your lack of compassion or maybe passion speaking.”

  “Don’t worry about what I’m getting or not getting. What do you think Mimi was saying?”

  “To say you’re supposed to be smart, you’re acting really stupid right now. The woman is into you and she isn’t sure that she can live up to what you present to the world that you want. Mimi isn’t the woman of your dreams, but she’s probably everything you’ve ever needed.”

  Brent squeezed his eyes shut. Damn, he hated it when Jamal was right. “Now if I could only find her.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing that MJ and I just finished talking about you clowns. Mimi is driving around aimlessly because she doesn’t want to see you. My advice, which I know you’ve been dying to hear: get on the phone and call her.”

  “Then I’m hanging up on you.”

  Chapter 18

  Mimi smiled as she listened to the representative from the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Your ode to New Orleans on your blog was just beautiful. I know you normally write about relationships, but there’s no place like New Orleans to fall in love.”

  “And I’m betting that voodoo isn’t a part of it at all,” Mimi said.

  “Not at all. I wish people had a deeper understanding of the voodoo religion and not the twisted Hollywood version,” she said, her tone peppered with annoyance.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you,” Mimi said. Though that seemed to be her thing today.

  “I’m not offended, and I want to extend an invitation to you to write about the romance in the Big Easy.”

  “With terms and conditions, or am I able to write what I want to write?” Mimi asked. Brent flashed in her mind. His words vibrated in her ears so loudly that she had to ask the visitors bureau lady to repeat what she’d just said.

  “We want you to be you. Let your readers experience New Orleans through your eyes and hopefully come visit. Of course, we’re willing to pay for your room and board while you’re here.”

  Mimi nearly dropped her phone. This was just what she wanted, wasn’t it? She wanted to get away from Atlanta and she wanted to go to New Orleans. What was stopping her?

  Brent.

  “Let me check my calendar and clear some things up. I could come out there in a couple of days if that works,” she said.

  “That sounds great. I can’t wait to meet you, Mimi,” she said. “Make sure you give me a call about three days before you get here so that we can send you your lodging arrangements.”

  “I will give you a call tomorrow,” Mimi said, no longer hiding her excitement.

  “Great. Thank you so much for this, Mimi.”

  After hanging up the phone, she headed back to Atlanta, satisfied that she wasn’t running anymore. Mimi was going to build her future in New Orleans and put Brent behind her.

  When she crossed into the Atlanta city limits about thirty minutes later, she didn’t go home directly. She headed to her favorite restaurant on Lenox Road. Once she parked her car, she called MJ.

  “Mimi,” her friend said. “Where are you?”

  “I’m at Houston’s. It’s time to celebrate. Can you meet me here?”

  “On Lenox Road?”

  “You know it.”

  “Give me about twenty minutes. I take it that you and Brent made up?”

  Mimi sighed. “This has nothing to do with him. Just come on so we can eat and I can tell you the good news.”

  “All right,” MJ said. “But I hope you had a conversation with him.”

  Mimi pressed End on the phone. She didn’t want to think about Brent Daniels when she had New Orleans on her mind. Besides, she knew Brent wasn’t looking for a woman like her. She was fine with that. At least, that was what she was trying to convince herself. In a few days, she’d be in New Orleans and Brent would be a memory.

  * * *

  Brent was ready to give up his vigil at Mimi’s front door. Maybe she was on assignment or maybe she had a date. That thought made him shiver with jealously and anger. Who was the man she’d gone out with and did he get a chance to sample those lips? Would he have to watch that punk bring her home, walk her to the door and kiss her? What if she invited him in? Would he be able to stop himself from knocking on the door and reminding her that he’d branded her as his the nights they made love?

  Brent knew he was being ridiculous. He knew that he had no right or claim to Mimi, but his imagination was driving him crazy. And he had no right to feel like this either, because he’d been ice cold to her when they’d spoken earlier. When he read the post again, he felt like the biggest asshole in America. She liked him and she was afraid—why wouldn’t she be? Mimi was everything he said he didn’t want. But he needed her. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Brent dialed Jamal again.

  “Dude,” Jamal said. “You’re going to owe me for the rest of your life.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know where Mimi is. She and MJ are having dinner at Houston’s.”

  Brent released a sigh of relief hearing that Mimi was with her girlfriend and not some other guy.

  “Which Houston’s?”

  “I’m not supposed to tell you,” Jamal said with a laugh. “But if I were you, I’d go get me a Biltmore sandwich from the Lenox Road one.”

  Brent started running for the stairs. “You’re right, I owe you.”

  “Don’t tell MJ I told you. It’s too early for me to be in the doghouse.”

  Brent hung up on his friend as he made it to the bottom of the stairs. All Brent could think was that he hoped Mimi would hear him out and accept his apology.

  * * *

  “You’re the luckiest woman in the world,” MJ said as she and Mimi toasted her New Orleans assignment.

  “I told you I wanted to move to NOLA and here it is! And the timing is just amazing,” she said.

  “Yes, your running plan is now in full effect,” MJ said with sarcasm dripping from her lips. “At least it’s tax-deductible now.”

  “Don’t be a jerk. I wanted to travel and write, and it just so happens that someone in New Orleans recognizes my brilliance.”

  “Ooh,” MJ said. “Your ego knows no bounds, huh?”

  “Whatever. I wrote a love song to New Orleans and the right person heard it. I call that a win-win.”

  “If you say so. I still think you’re running from your real feelings,” MJ said as she sipped her champagne.

  “I’m not running, I’m taking a business opportunity. I’m scouting out my future home and...”

  “Running. Like stockings on a rosebush, like a tramp in church and the first lady catches her eye.”

  “Stop with the bad puns,” Mimi said. “You’re giving me a headache.”

  “I hope your head is ready for what’s coming our way,” MJ said, setting her glass aside.

  Mimi turned around and locked eyes with Brent. Her smile faded like cheap paint. “What in the hell,” Mimi whispered as she faced her friend. MJ shrugged.

  “Evening, ladies,” Brent
said once he approached the table.

  MJ smiled at him, while Mimi sat stone-faced with her hand on the stem of her champagne glass.

  “Brent, have a seat,” MJ said.

  “Really,” Mimi mumbled.

  “Mimi, can we talk?” Brent asked.

  “I’ve heard enough from you. What else could you possibly have to say?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Excuse me,” MJ said as she rose to her feet. “I have to make a call.”

  Mimi rolled her eyes as MJ walked away.

  “Listen,” Brent began, “I was wrong. My life has been about trying to escape my father’s shadow. He did some horrible things that it took me years to overcome. We have the same name. People expected me to be just like him...”

  Mimi threw up her hand. “And what does this have to do with me?”

  She’s not going to make this easy, Brent thought as he saw the fire blazing in her eyes. “Everything and nothing,” he said. “I was thinking that your blog was going to make people believe I was like him, getting involved with vulnerable women in order to win cases. I didn’t want us to be tainted by that.”

  Mimi sipped her champagne and glared at him. Setting her glass on the table, she focused her cold stare on him. “There is no us. I’m sorry that I wrote about you on my blog and it took you to a bad place. I’m sorry that I’m not the docile woman you want to marry. I can’t change who I am to be with you. I fought too hard to build my reputation and my brand.”

  “I understand and I’m in the same situation,” he said.

  “Brent,” Mimi said as she turned away from him.

  “Give us a chance,” he said quietly.

  She shook her head, then looked into his eyes. “I can’t be what you want me to be. I’m leaving in a few days for New Orleans.”

  “What? How long are you going to be down there?”

  “I’m probably going to be relocating there,” Mimi said. “It’s something I’ve been considering for a while and there’s no reason for me not to explore my options.”

  “Sounds like you’re running.”

  “Running from what?” she snapped.

  “How you feel about us. The fact that we could have something real and not just fodder for your blog.”

  “I’m glad you think my life decisions revolve around you. We had sex. It was good sex, but that’s all it was.”

  “You know it’s more than that. Don’t make it seem as if we...”

  “I know that I’m not going to let you hurt me, Brent. I’m going to do something that you don’t like again and you may decide that it’s the last straw and I’m not going to sit around and wait for that to happen. It’s better this way.”

  “Better for who?”

  Mimi stood up and shook her head. “For me. Goodbye, Brent,” she said, then tore out of the restaurant.

  When MJ saw her friend dash out the door, she rushed over to Brent. “What in the hell just happened?”

  “Mimi said she’s moving to New Orleans.”

  “And you’re going to just sit here and let it happen?”

  Brent shot her a cold glare. “What am I supposed to do, grab her and force her to stay until she can admit she loves me?”

  “Do you love her?” MJ asked. Brent paused. He did love Mimi. He loved her because she was nothing that he expected, nothing that he been expecting when he moved in across from her.

  “I do. I love her.”

  “When are you going to tell her that?” MJ sighed. “I’ve known Mimi for a long time and as much as she tries to act like she doesn’t believe in relationships and happily-ever-after, she does. Her problem is she doesn’t believe it’s going to happen for her. From the moment I saw you two together, I knew you were the guy who could show her that it did exist. But if you don’t get off your ass and prove me right, you’re going to lose her.”

  “I’ve tried to force a woman into a role she didn’t want and I’m not doing it again,” Brent said as he stood up. “Mimi made her decision and we’re just going to have to live with it.”

  “You two are really a pair of idiots. Brent, Mimi has feelings for you and that scares the hell out of her. Let her know she’s not in love alone,” MJ said. “And before you go, you need to pay the bill. Dinner was on Mimi and you let her run out of here.”

  Brent shook his head and pulled some bills from his wallet and dropped them on the table. Heading for his car, he hoped what MJ said was true and he could change Mimi’s mind about leaving.

  * * *

  Mimi clicked the buy button on the airline website. She was going to New Orleans in seven hours She’d work things out with the visitor’s bureau later. Mimi had to get out of Atlanta.

  Now she had to pack. Since she’d paid a mint for her last-minute ticket, she knew she had to keep her luggage to a minimum if she wanted to avoid baggage fees. She could use that money to get supplies once she settled in. She’d found a charming boardinghouse in Algiers. Mimi felt as if staying there would give her an authentic look into the city. Her first week in New Orleans, she planned to explore without the assistance of the visitors bureau. She’d talk to the locals, eat the best food and put Brent Daniels so far out of her mind that she’d have trouble realizing that he existed.

  That was going to be hard, she surmised as she packed her exercise gear and underwear in a bag. Dropping down on the edge of her bed, Mimi dropped her head and stroked her forehead. She had to get out of here before Brent came back. Hearing him say he wanted a chance for them gave her pause and if she wasn’t running before, she was now.

  Mimi stood up and crossed over to her closet. Grabbing eight of her favorite outfits, she stuffed them in her bag, realizing that if she wanted to make a clean getaway, she would have to leave sooner rather than later.

  * * *

  Brent pulled into the parking lot and rushed inside to see if he could reach Mimi and tell her that he wanted her to stay and needed her in his life. Brent knew that Mimi was the second beat of his heart and watching her walk away was a pain he couldn’t and wouldn’t endure. He needed to find Mimi and see if they could work things out. He didn’t want to lose her and he was going to do his damnedest to make sure she didn’t walk out of his life. Driving home, he pulled out his cell phone and called Mimi.

  Voice mail.

  “I’m not playing this game with her,” he thought aloud as he disconnected the call without leaving a message. Brent knew he was going to bang on her door until she answered and if push came to shove, he’d get Manny to unlock her place. Getting out of the car, Brent rushed inside, taking the stairs up to their floor two at a time. Hitting the floor, he headed for Mimi’s door. He was about to knock when he saw an envelope with his name written on it. Snatching it from the door, Brent tore it open.

  I know this is old-school and cliché. But I’m leaving for New Orleans tonight. It’s not because of the blog post and how you felt about it, it’s because I have to do what’s best for me and my career. I’ll never forget our time together or you. In a different time, we’d be together. We’d be everything to each other. But you and I are just two ships passing on a really big ocean. I wish you the best and a neighbor who won’t need you to hang a TV in the middle of the night. Thank you for helping me with Fast Love and I promise, I won’t write about you on my blog again. But if I do, LOL, it won’t be under the code name Mr. Law & Order. I hope you can find some peace with your father’s past and realize that everyone knows you’re nothing like him. You’re a good man and I know that I could’ve loved you. It’s just that we’d end up hating each other because neither one of us is going to change.

  Always,

  Mariah.

  Chapter 19

  Mimi leaned her seat back and said a silent prayer of thanks for a half-empty plane. She didn’t have to worry
if someone behind her was being inconvenienced while she slept. And there were no screaming babies. She pulled out her tablet and started a draft about her journey to New Orleans.

  My best friend called me a runner. In a way, she’s right. I get up most mornings and run for a few miles. Right now, I’m heading over four hundred miles away from Atlanta and MJ would probably say I’m running. But this isn’t running. This is me seeking adventure.

  Don’t get me wrong, Atlanta has been good to me. I became a grown-up in the A. The bright-eyed teenager who enrolled at Spelman College wanted to find her happy ending in the city everyone said was the Black Mecca. By now, I thought that I’d have two kids, a doting husband and a house out in Marietta. By 27, I knew this wasn’t going to happen. Let’s face the facts, women outnumber men in Atlanta and too many of these guys love to play the field.

  I’m an only child and I don’t like to share. Too many men expect us to share and buy into the whole “man shortage” crap. Yeah, not so much. Ladies, it’s totally fine to be selfish. That’s one of the reasons why I’m leaving for New Orleans. Because I’m being selfish. I’m not waiting for someone to choose me (shout-out to Andre 3000) because I’ve already chosen myself. Now, this isn’t a man-hating manifesto. I’m still going to date, but I’m going to always remember the one.

  I think we all get one that will set the standard for the type of person we’ll date in the future. My one would’ve been perfect had we wanted the same things. And that means I’m not ready to change who I am for the sake of a relationship. He didn’t ask me to, but I know if we were to let the breeze of love envelop us, one of us would have to change. And sadly, it’s always the woman who does the changing. Hell, he might have been worth the risk, but if you’ve followed my blog from the beginning, you know I’ve been there and done that.

  What came of it? He stole my credit card and bought his future wife her engagement ring. So I’m a little—okay, a lot—jaded when it comes to giving my heart away. So. I. Run.

  But New Orleans is going to be an adventure. Not a rebound date—which are good things! Now, I’m not going to the Big Easy to look for a rebound romance, not as soon as the plane touches down anyway. I’m going to examine dating in another city. Is the grass greener in the Bayou? Over the next few months, I guess we will find out. Maybe my new book will be about sex in a new city.