Feel the Heat

by Cheris Hodges

  Mimi saved the draft because she wasn’t going to pay for the airplane’s Wi-Fi service. Then she powered down her tablet and closed her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep, she saw Brent’s face in her dreams. She opened her eyes and wondered if he’d found the note she’d left on her door. Part of her wanted to stay. When Brent sat across from her at Houston’s, her heart screamed for her to take that man at his word. To listen to him and to stop being afraid.

  But as usual, Mimi ignored that broken thing. How long would her relationship with Brent last when he would want to put a ring on her finger and expect her to be a typical wife? Would he expect her to change what she wrote, what she could and could not say on her blog? And what about his work? Would she be able to handle sharing her man with Atlanta? He was much like Superman—someone would always need him and she couldn’t deny that it would get under her skin at some point. Stop it, she thought. You’re sitting here creating a fantasy in your head and there is no way that Brent wanted to marry you. He basically told you that the first time we went out. I’m not his type and I’m not changing. Why did I have to be stupid enough to fall in love with him? Tears streamed down her cheeks. This was why Mimi Collins didn’t do love. Love hurts and she was feeling too much pain.

  * * *

  Brent reread the little note from Mimi and shook his head. Of all the irrational things to do. She didn’t even give him a chance to try to make things right. He tossed the letter on the coffee table and his cell phone rang. The unknown number spurred him to answer the phone.

  “This is Brent.”

  “Brent?”

  “Who is this?”

  “Daveon.”

  Sighing, he knew he had to find out what his little brother wanted. “Hey, little man, what’s up?’

  “Well, you said I could call you if I wanted to talk. Mommy keeps crying and I don’t know what to do.”

  “Why don’t I come over and check on you guys?” Brent said. “Have you eaten dinner?”

  “No. I really want some pizza.”

  “All right, I’m going to bring over a pizza and we’ll talk, okay?”

  “Okay,” the little boy said, sounding relieved.

  Brent pulled out of the parking lot and headed to his favorite pizza parlor. As he drove, he called Jamal to let him know what had happened with their little brother.

  Part of him wanted to head to the airport and see if he could find Mimi. If only she would hear him out this time and stay in Atlanta so that they could forge a future together. But he couldn’t forget the promise he’d made to his father and his brother. He said that he would be there for him, and that child sounded scared.

  After getting the pizza, he headed to his brother’s house. It’s funny how he thought of that place now, not the place where he and Jamal did laundry in college, but as his brother’s home.

  Reaching for the pizza box on the passenger seat, Brent looked up at the front door and saw Daveon standing there with sorrow etched across his face. He hopped out of his car and bounded up to the steps. “Little man, are you all right?” he asked as the boy stepped out on the porch.

  Daveon wrapped his arms around his brother. “Why did he have to die?” The boy’s tears seeped though Brent’s shirt. He could feel his heart breaking.

  Pulling back from him, Brent gripped his brother’s chin and looked into his eyes. Eyes that reminded him of his and Brent Sr.’s. “God needs angels,” he began. “Sometimes, those angels are people we love. When someone you loves dies and goes to heaven, that means that person is going to looking over you for the rest of your life.”

  “But why couldn’t he stay here and look over me?”

  “Well,” Brent said, searching for the words. “That’s why you have me.”

  The little boy looked at Brent with hope and questions in his eyes. “But what if you die?”

  Brent’s mouth dropped open. He wanted to tell him that wasn’t going to die, but you couldn’t say that to a heartbroken child when tomorrow was never promised. Instead he hugged his little brother tightly. “Come on, let me get the pizza and we can eat. Where’s your mom?”

  “Inside.”

  “Then let’s see if she wants to get a slice of this amazing pizza.” Brent gave his little brother a cheek squeeze then headed back to his car to get the pie. Once inside the house, Brent smiled when he saw pictures of Daveon and their father on the mantel above the fireplace. Brent Sr.’s smile made him forget the bad relationship they’d had at that age.

  “Daveon,” Donna called out. “Is someone in here?” She walked into the living room and locked eyes with Brent. “Brent.”

  From the looks of her red-rimmed eyes, he could tell that she’d been crying. “I brought pizza,” he said, holding up the box.

  “I hope Daveon wasn’t bothering you,” she said.

  “It’s never a bother,” he said, then set the pizza down on the coffee table. Daveon didn’t wait for the adults to stop talking before he opened the pizza box and grabbed a huge slice.

  “Brent, can we talk?” she asked as she noticed Daveon eating.

  “Sure,” he said as they walked into the kitchen. Sighing, she leaned against the counter and faced him.

  “I know that you hated your father,” she said. “I know you probably think that I’m a foolish woman for falling in love with him. But Daveon loved his father. He changed while he was locked away and...”

  “Daveon is my little brother and my relationship with my father won’t influence how I feel about either of you.”

  “Jamal was worried. He didn’t know how you were going to respond to us and if you were going to be open to having a relationship with us.”

  “I know,” he said. “I’m here for all of you. We’re family now.” Brent held his arms out to her and gave her a tight hug.

  “Thank you,” she said as she sobbed quietly.

  “Let’s see if Daveon left us any pizza,” he said as they released each other and headed back into the living room. For the rest of the evening, the new family ate pizza and watched a superhero movie.

  Brent tucked Daveon into bed and kissed his brother on the forehead. From the doorway, Donna beamed.

  “You are so good with him,” she said as Brent crossed over to him. “Your dad would be proud.”

  Brent smiled to keep from saying something negative about his father. “Donna, any time you guys need me, call me.”

  “Thank you, Brent.”

  Heading to his car, Brent pulled out his cell phone and called Jamal. Part of him felt like a jerk for calling his friend to fish out MJ’s phone number when he hadn’t even talked to him about what happened at his mother’s house.

  “Man, you’re going to live a long time,” Jamal said. “Mom and I were just talking about you. You did a really good thing tonight.”

  “I made a promise to our little brother and I’m going to keep it,” Brent said.

  “That’s good to know. He’s really scared and my mama is taking things really hard right now.”

  “I noticed. But between the two of us, we’ll help them through this.”

  “How did things go with Mimi?”

  Brent sighed. “She’s gone.”

  “Gone?”

  “Left me a note that she was going to New Orleans. I was hoping you could give me MJ’s number so that I could find out where she is.”

  “Hold on,” Jamal said. Brent could hear him whispering and then MJ came to the phone.

  “Brent, did you say Mimi went to New Orleans? I thought she wasn’t leaving for a couple of days. My God, she is really out of her mind.”

  “Where is she staying in New Orleans?”

  “I don’t know. We had only talked about the commission she’d gotten from the visitors bureau. I didn’t even get the full details about it. Le
t me call her.”

  “You know what,” Brent said. “Don’t worry about it. She made her decision and there’s no need to try to force her into doing something she doesn’t want to do. If she wants to start over with her life down there, then what right do I have to try to change her mind?”

  “Because you love her, silly,” MJ said with a sigh. “Y’all are two exasperating people.”

  “She left a note. I’m just going to take her at her written word,” Brent said. “If this is what’s in Mimi’s heart, I shouldn’t stop her from following it.”

  “Fine, enjoy being miserable.” She disconnected the call and Brent looked down at his phone. Then he brushed off any second thoughts. Mimi made her decision, and he wasn’t going to act like some lovesick puppy and follow her to Louisiana.

  One Month Later

  Brent snapped his briefcase shut after presenting his motions in his third case of the morning. He was two for three so far and the judge had just granted a continuance in this case. Glancing down at his watch, he decided that he should go and get some real food before his one o’clock meeting with Willis Arrington, former director of a nonprofit in the city. Willis was suing the nonprofit because he was fired after questioning disappearing donations.

  His phone buzzed, indicating that he had a text. Pulling his phone out, he read what Jamal had to say.

  Have you read Mimi’s blog lately?

  Brent ignored the message. He tried to pretend that he hadn’t been thinking about Mimi or the fact that he hadn’t heard from her since she left a month ago. And he wasn’t going to admit that he read her blog every day trying to figure out if there was a new man in her life.

  And he wasn’t going to tell Jamal that he was having dinner with Denisha tonight. When she’d called him last week, he wondered if he’d been too hasty in ending the relationship. She claimed that she’d changed.

  He’d changed as well. Maybe they needed this second chance. Or maybe he was just trying to replace memories of Mimi.

  * * *

  Mimi walked into the bookstore along Frenchmen Street feeling nervous and excited at the same time. She’d had several book signings in Atlanta and around the metro area. But that was home. Her book was about Atlanta. This was New Orleans. What if readers in New Orleans didn’t care for her books or her blog?

  “Are you going in or are you just going to stand in the doorway like a dunce?” MJ asked.

  “And here I thought you were supposed to be moral support.”

  “Girl, please, I’m here for the beignets.” MJ laughed and patted Mimi on the shoulder. “Don’t be nervous. This is what you wanted, remember?”

  What she wanted was Brent. Mimi could admit it now. After thirty days away from him and hearing more lame pickup lines than the law should allow, Mimi knew that she’d messed up big-time. Sure, there could’ve been a nice guy in the bunch that she’d met while traversing the city and getting acclimated to the nightlife. Of course, she had to go out and find things to write about. She’d been aching for adventure; now she just ached for Brent.

  “How’s Jamal?” Mimi asked as she walked forward.

  “I’m not going to fall down this briar patch, sis. You could care less how Jamal is doing.”

  “If I didn’t care I wouldn’t have asked.”

  “Well, Brent seems to be doing well. He’s working a lot and spending a lot of time with his little brother. He stopped asking about you a week ago. I can’t believe you left him a Dear John letter.”

  “I didn’t ask about Brent.”

  “But you were going to. Mimi, you know you’re crazy, right? That man loves you and you love him.”

  The owner of the bookstore, Kim Knight, spotted Mimi and waved at her. “Welcome!” she said as she crossed over to her and enveloped her in a hug. “I’m so excited to have you here. We’re expecting a huge turnout. Half of your books have already been sold.”

  “That sounds great! Kim, this is my best friend Michael Jane.”

  “Michael?”

  “It’s a long story. Everyone calls me MJ,” she said as she shook hands with the comely bookseller. “Your store is amazing. Thanks for hosting Mimi.”

  “I have been addicted to her blog for years!” Kim said, then turned to Mimi. “I have to ask, what happened to Mr. Law and Order?”

  MJ started coughing to cover her laughter as Mimi stood there with her mouth wide open.

  “Umm, I guess you’ll have to keep following to find out,” she stammered. Kim led Mimi and MJ to the area where the reading and signing would take place. Mimi was excited to see a plate of beignets and a carafe of coffee.

  “If you need anything, just let me know,” Kim said.

  “Everything looks amazing. Thank you so much,” Mimi said. But just like Kim, she was wondering what happened to Mr. Law and Order.

  * * *

  Brent was late for dinner and when he approached the table where Denisha sat, she looked as if she’d eaten a whole lemon.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She turned her head away from him.

  “The more things change, the more you stay the same,” she hissed.

  “Had a bad day?”

  “No, this is just reminding me of our relationship. Late for dinners, late for shows. Just late all the time.”

  “And I thought you’d given up nagging,” Brent said as he took a seat across from her.

  Denisha sighed. “I’m sorry, but when we spoke on the phone and you were talking about how much things have changed and how you changed, I thought we were going to have a second chance at the magic we could’ve had.”

  Brent smirked and leaned back in his chair. “The magic. Denisha, despite all the letters behind your name, all the organizations that you belong to, you’re still the same social-climbing wannabe that I left behind.”

  “Did you invite me here to insult me?”

  “No, I thought there was something that I’d missed out on with you, with us. This was a mistake. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I agreed to this.”

  “Oh, really? You’re rude. And I guess I was supposed to be so excited to have dinner with you that I was going to forget that I have needs and deserve more than what you offered me. I see you sold the house.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? It was in a great neighborhood. I hoped that we’d raise our kids there...”

  “And film that reality show, too?”

  Denisha fiddled with the napkin on the edge of the table. “You just can’t let that go?”

  “I’ve never been one to seek the spotlight. But I see that you’ve been making a lot of good things happen these days. Especially at the Atlanta University Center.”

  Denisha smiled. “You’ve noticed.”

  “Yes, I have.”

  “And so have some of Bravo’s TV producers,” she said, her eyes glittering with excitement. “I was hoping we could do a few episodes together.”

  Brent shook his head and laughed—not at her but himself. “That’s one thing that hasn’t changed, Denisha. I’m not parading around on TV to prove that I’m a mover and shaker in Atlanta. My work speaks for itself.”

  She shook her head. “Still on your high horse. Or are you still trying not to be confused with your father?”

  Brent rose to his feet. “Goodbye, Denisha.”

  “Brent, wait!”

  He strode out of the restaurant and didn’t look back. Meeting with Denisha proved one thing: he needed to be with Mimi. Brent hopped in the car and pulled out his cell phone. He logged on to the Delta Air Lines website and booked a flight to New Orleans. He was going to get the woman he loved back into his life.

  Chapter 20

  Mimi took a bow as the capacity crowd clapped for her after she read a passage f
rom her manuscript.

  “I can’t wait to read it,” one woman cried out.

  “Make sure you buy copies for your friends,” Mimi said with a grin. “Before we go, I’m going to open the floor up to questions.”

  The hands shot up. Mimi pointed to a woman wearing a purple Got Books shirt. “Yes?”

  “I loved your book, Mimi, and I read your blog all the time. But I have to know, did you and Mr. Law and Order work things out?”

  Mimi grabbed her cup of water and took a big sip. “Well, I’m here and I’m alone, so what do you think?” She laughed nervously.

  A few of the women in the crowd mumbled “aww,” then one called out, “You know you messed that up.”

  “Any more questions, not about Mr. Law and Order?” she asked, then glanced at MJ, who was hiding her grin behind a cup of coffee.

  When things started to wrap up at the store, Mimi knew she needed a few adult drinks. “Mimi,” MJ said. “Are you going to call Mr. Law and Order?”

  “Shut up. And for the record, if Brent wanted to talk to me, he would’ve called me. My number hasn’t changed. You were able to get in touch with me. I’ve taken the hint. He’s probably with his ideal woman right how.”

  MJ shook her head. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told him when he got your Dear John note—enjoy being miserable.”

  “How about we go and enjoy some hurricanes?” Mimi said, then rolled her eyes.

  “That sounds like a great plan. I hear they are delicious.”

  Mimi smiled. “I know the perfect place.” The two women headed down Frenchmen Street to hang out at one of Mimi’s favorite watering holes.

  * * *

  Brent dialed Mimi’s number and hoped that she would answer. “Hello?” she said, though it was hard to hear her with the background noise.

  “Mimi, it’s me.”

  “Brent?”