Loving the Best Man (Friends & Lovers Book 2)

by Jaye Diane

  “I wasn’t trying to start trouble,” Grace said, putting her hands on her hips. “I forgot that you tagged Devin and Robyn and that everyone would see what I wrote. But if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Linc for writing what he wrote.”

  “What he wrote was harmless.”

  “He professed his love. Online. With hundreds of witnesses.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Emerald asked, accepting the mug of coffee from Carol. “He did not. He said something about two beautiful ladies and that’s it.”

  “He wrote x’s and o’s,” Grace reminded loudly. “That means love.”

  “Lots of people do that. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “He claimed you.”

  “He also claimed Olivia,” Emerald said, shrugging. “It didn’t mean anything.”

  “Sure,” Grace said, wagging her eyebrows.

  “You’re being such a brat,” Emerald turned to leave the kitchen, seeing Carol giggling as she loaded dishes into the dishwasher. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  “No, I’m not. You’re the brat, for fooling yourself into thinking-”

  “Why are you so focused on us anyway?” Emerald demanded. “Won’t you worry about your own love life? Why won’t you give Ryan a chance?”

  “Let’s not go there,” Grace warned as they entered the hallway.

  “Oh, really. But it’s okay for you to interrogate me and harass me about my relationship.”

  “Yes. No. Shit, I don’t know.” Grace stopped walking and leaned forward, putting her forehead on the wall.

  “You obviously like Ryan. You slept with him. And you keep focusing on me and Lincoln. I think there’s a serious issue here.”

  “You slept with Ryan?” Robyn whispered fiercely, causing both Emerald and Grace to jump about a foot in the air.

  Emerald yelped when the hot coffee splashed all over her hands and dripped onto the floor.

  “You two have been very busy while I’ve been gone, huh?” Robyn crossed her arms over her chest and squinted her eyes at them then ruined the scowl by laughing.

  Unbelievably, Grace blushed and her exotic, gold skin became splotchy and red.

  “Grace Jamison, I can’t believe it!” Robyn said.

  Emerald giggled, honestly enjoying Grace’s discomfort after Grace had put her on the spot.

  “Yes,” Emerald said in a bland tone, “While you were on your way to Jamaica, Grace and I both managed to bag some hot guys.”

  Robyn laughed and threw an arm around Grace who gave in and started laughing. Emerald laughed too, the ridiculousness of the whole situation hitting her.

  “What’s going on in here?” Peyton, Robyn’s older sister, asked, holding her daughter’s hand. Whitney was four and looked like a mini version of her mother and aunt.

  “Nothing,” Grace said through her giggles.

  Peyton stared at the other three women suspiciously. Whitney looked wide-eyed. Emerald wasn’t exactly sure why but their expressions set off another round of laughter and she laughed so hard that tears sprung to her eyes.

  “Mom, I have to pee!” Whitney complained, prompting Peyton to wordlessly continue down the hall.

  “Let’s get back to dinner,” Grace said, wiping her own eyes. “Someone else is bound to come out of the dining room and I don’t want to answer any more questions.”

  “Okay,” Robyn agreed. “But we need a girls day soon because I need details!”

  Everyone lingered over dessert and Emerald was the first one to say her goodbyes. Although she’d enjoyed herself and wouldn’t mind staying longer, she still felt weird about getting home too late. She didn’t think Marley would do anything else but there were no guarantees and there was a small niggle of doubt in her mind.

  It took her several minutes to say her goodbyes to everyone, from Devin’s and Robyn’s parents to their siblings and in-laws. Lincoln surprised her, and caused her heart to race, when he walked her out to the car. She ignored the knowing looks that everyone gave them and walked out of the door.

  She was parked in front of the four car garage, which was fully occupied. They quietly walked to her car and she unlocked it.

  “Are you coming over tonight?” He asked. “Or should I come to your place?”

  “Either one is fine with me.” She felt like they were being watched but when she looked at the windows of the house, all of the curtains were closed.

  “I wanted to ask you something,” He said, taking her hand and kissing it. “I know it’s short notice but I wanted to know if you’d like to come to my office Christmas party with me. It’s on Tuesday.”

  “Uh…” She pulled her hand away, suddenly feeling awkward. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Hmm.” His face was expressionless.

  “It’s nothing personal, Lincoln. I just don’t think-”

  “No need to explain,” He cut her off briskly. “I get it.”

  She tried to meet his eyes but he looked down at his watch.

  “I’m sorry,” She felt forced to say. Just a minute ago he’d looked so warm and friendly and now his face had lost all it’s animation.

  “Don’t worry about it,” He said, a half of a smile crossing his face. “I’ll be over your place in a little while.”

  She nodded and stood still when he leaned down. She licked her lips, anticipating his kiss, but he only kissed her cheek. Disappointed, she got in her car and looked at the house again. The curtains were definitely moving. They had witnesses.

  She waved and drove away, feeling like she’d made a serious mistake but not knowing how it could have gone any differently. They had an agreement. And there were rules to follow, even if they hadn’t spelt them out. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but she didn’t want them to fool themselves into thinking that their association was something it wasn’t.

  It took her awhile to find a parking spot. She ended up parked two blocks away and shivered against the biting cold as she walked down the street. Her feet were freezing as she entered her building and she wondered if she had time to have a hot shower before Lincoln arrived.

  She stumbled when she reached her apartment. Scrawled across the door in red spray paint was the word BITCH written in uppercase letters. She was at once upset and angry, her heart doing a mean gallop within her chest. With trembling hands she took out her phone and took a picture of the nasty message.

  Across the hall, she heard a door open. She turned to see Mrs. Jordan, who lived there with her small granddaughter, frowning. She had very dark, wrinkled skin and a headful of gray hair.

  “Are you alright?” The older woman asked, looking back into her apartment before gently closing the door and walking over.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” Emerald murmured, though her entire body felt tense enough to snap. “Did you hear anything earlier today? Or see somebody over here?”

  “No,” Mrs. Jordan replied solemnly. “Janet is sick; girl got that flu. I was taking care of her all day and she just kept carrying on… She’s finally sleep.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Emerald murmured, distracted. “I hope she feels better soon.”

  “Thank you, puddin’,” Mrs. Jordan said and touched Emerald’s arm. “This probably was those Jenkins boys. You know they been tagging up the whole building.”

  Emerald nodded in agreement although she knew very well what was going on. Instead of making Marley back off, her visit had had the opposite effect and now he was trying to up his game.

  “Emerald?”

  She turned around to see Lincoln standing at the top of the stairwell. He rushed over. Mrs. Jordan eyed him blatantly, staring him up and down. If Emerald wasn’t so pissed off, she might have laughed.

  “Who did this?” Lincoln demanded, staring at her door. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Emerald said, trying to remain calm. “This was like this when I got here.”

  “Is this your boyfriend?” Mrs. Jordan grinned at him.
>
  “We should call the police,” Lincoln said, pulling out his phone.

  “No!” Both Emerald and Mrs. Jordan muttered simultaneously.

  Lincoln looked at them both with a dark frown on his face.

  “It was probably just these stupid kids,” Emerald said, making a serious attempt to keep her voice light. The last thing she needed were cops in her building. She’d end up being the most hated woman in the place. Besides, the cops hadn’t been any help so far.

  “I think it’s those Jenkins boys,” Mrs. Jordan told Lincoln. “They been doing this mess all over the building.”

  “Well somebody needs to talk to them,” Lincoln said, grinding his teeth.

  “It’s harmless.” Emerald took out her keys to unlock the door.

  “Harmless?” Lincoln exclaimed. “This is not harmless, Em. This is harassment.”

  “Calm down.” She kept her voice low. He was usually so laid back. His fury was quite a sight.

  “I’m calling the police.”

  “Don’t do it, boy,” Mrs. Jordan warned before Emerald could reply. “We don’t want or need those pigs up in our business.”

  Emerald knew that Mrs. Jordan had an intense dislike for the police, who’d arrested her daughter. Janet’s mother was now serving a couple of years in jail for selling drugs. Emerald vaguely knew the woman, who had been selling drugs out of her apartment in order to pay bills. Emerald knew that selling drugs wasn’t the answer but in the face of Mrs. Jordan’s sadness, couldn’t help but wish that the woman was free.

  “Let’s go inside, Lincoln. You have a goodnight, Mrs. Jordan.”

  Mrs. Jordan stared at Lincoln for a moment before going back to her own apartment. Emerald got her door unlocked and went in with Lincoln following closely behind her.

  “I don’t like this, Emerald.” He made no move to take his coat off, standing stiffly by the door and looking very angry.

  “I don’t either,” She agreed. “But it happens. I’ll clean it off and forget about it.”

  “Why won’t you call the police?”

  “This is the hood,” Emerald said, wanting to snap. But it wasn’t his fault he didn’t understand or that she was so on edge. “If I bring the police into the building it better be for a damn good reason.”

  “You need to get out of this place.” He finally took his coat off.

  “I will, one day. I actually like it here.” Well, she had liked it until recently.

  “Aren’t you making good money working at 50G? Can’t you move now?”

  She knew it wouldn’t go well if she told him to mind his business. Without being lovers, they still were friends and she wouldn’t disrespect him.

  “Yeah,” She said, nodding as she removed her own coat. “I am making good money. But money was never the reason I stayed here. Well…when I first moved in this was all I could afford. But I was making okay money at the gym too. And I chose to stay here. I liked it. I still like it.”

  He shook his head and walked away from her. He sat on the couch and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

  “It’s not that big of a deal, Lincoln.” But now that he’d brought it up, it occurred to her that she should probably move. She could go somewhere where Marley couldn’t find her.

  “I don’t like it.”

  “I’m going to clean it off tomorrow.”

  “I don’t mean just that. I mean this entire situation.”

  “Maybe I will look for a new place,” She said, not wanting Lincoln to think that he’d forced her into deciding to move but seeing no way around it. “I’ve been so comfortable here that there didn’t seem to be a reason to move.”

  “I think that’s a good reason.” He sounded slightly calmer and jabbed a finger in the direction of her door.

  “Well, that’s never happened before. So now that it has…I’ll consider moving. If I can find a decent place at a decent price. I don’t care how good my salary is now. I’m not giving it away for anything less than what I deserve.”

  “Sounds good,” Lincoln murmured. “Sounds really good.”

  Despite the situation, she found herself smiling at him. He looked so sexy sitting back on her ugly couch and her fingers itched to touch him.

  Why does he have to be so damn good looking?

  “Do you want some wine or tea?” She asked. She dropped her purse on the coffee table.

  “No,” He said simply. “I want you. Now get over here.”

  She hurried over, kicking her shoes off as she went. She certainly didn’t have to be told twice.

  Chapter Five

  The week went by in a flurry of activity. Everyone was getting ready for Christmas and taking care of last minute shopping. Emerald, who had taken care of all her Christmas shopping back on Black Friday, wondered if she should get Lincoln a present. They’d never exchanged gifts before. It would probably be a bad idea.

  They weren’t going to see each other on Christmas Eve since he was going to be with his family and she wondered if they’d even see each other on Christmas. She was always invited to the Phillips house for Christmas but she usually spent it with her father.

  A couple of days after the graffiti incident, as she referred to it, she found another note slipped under her door. She put it in her dresser drawer without reading it and wondered if going to see Marley again would make the situation worse. Going the first time hadn’t helped at all so she decided against another visit.

  The day before Christmas Eve, a wet snow fell in the early evening and Emerald wished that she’d brought boots to work with her. Thankfully 50G had its own indoor parking garage so she wouldn’t have to step in the snow in her heels until she got home. At the end of the day, she gratefully went to her car.

  As she weaved through the New York traffic, which was much worse than usual thanks to the holiday shoppers and travelers and nasty weather, she thought about Lincoln. Again. His office party had been the night before and he’d gone on his own. He hadn’t mentioned the party to her again but she still felt awkward about it.

  She almost hadn’t expected him to come over but he had. She’d had to hide her joy when he appeared at her door. She tried to tell herself that she wasn’t that happy to see him; she’d just needed sex. But the truth was they were spending so much time together that she was downright getting used to him.

  She yawned, sitting at a never-ending red light. She saw why so many people in the office used the subway. Traffic could be annoying at worst and stressful at best. The slushy snow made for an even more complicated commute and Emerald was antsy by the time she parked on her corner.

  She pulled her hood up over her head and got out of the car. She ran down the block as quickly as she could, so cold that her teeth were chattering. Her feet were wet and frozen by the time she entered her building. She checked her mailbox and went up to her apartment. She cautiously walked to her door but everything looked fine. She hated that all the comfort she’d felt in her apartment building was gone.

  After taking off her coat, she dried off her feet and wrapped up in a blanket. She wanted nothing more than to have a very hot shower but she knew it wouldn’t be a good idea just yet with her feet being numbingly cold.

  She would be going to Lincoln’s place in a little while. It annoyed her that the snow continued to fall. It made no sense to take a shower and then go back out into that mess.

  Can I take a shower at your place? She sent the text message then wished she hadn’t. She could just imagine his reaction. He’d probably be offended. Oh well, it was too late. She’d already sent the message.

  Of course you can, came his quick reply. Then: What kind of question is that?

  Laughing dryly for a moment, she called a cab and finally got out from under the blankets and went to her dresser to choose some clothes to wear. She wondered if she should even bother with clothes since they’d probably just spend the night in bed anyway. She didn’t know how the sex had gotten even better but somehow it did and her thighs tremble
d just thinking about it.

  She finally chose plain blue jeans and a sweater, throwing them into a duffel bag with her socks, panties, bra, and a few other essentials. It felt intimate to be taking an overnight bag to his house. But it wasn’t exactly an overnight bag. He’d drop her off home in the middle of the night as was their usual routine.

  Feeling hungry, she ate a yogurt then put her heavy duty winter boots on. They were expensive designer boots but had been well worth the price. The waterproof leather and furry interior made them practical for winter weather and comfortable as well. She’d been so set on wearing her heels that morning when she should have put the boots on instead.

  She put her coat on and grabbed her purse, duffel bag and phone. She looked at the phone, seeing that she’d missed a text message. She didn’t recognize the number which meant it most likely was from Marley. Every so often he’d insult her from a new number. She opened the message then exited out of it without reading it. She would ignore it as usual but it was finally starting to wear on her that the insults and threats never stopped coming. When would he ever get bored and move on?

  She waited downstairs in the hall, near the front door, smiling at people coming and going as she did. She knew most of her neighbors from living in the building for so long. Some of them were friendly. Some weren’t. But she was always polite to them all.

  The cab took longer than usual to come and she sighed in relief when it finally arrived. Lincoln texted her to say that he was going to order pizza and she replied a simple okay before leaning back and closing her eyes.

  All of the late nights were taking a toll; her eyes got heavy very quickly and she shook her head in an effort to stay awake. She tried to distract herself by surfing the web on her phone but she didn’t find anything to interest her and spent most of the ride yawning.

  When the cab pulled up outside of Lincoln’s apartment building, she quickly paid the driver and jumped out. She greeted the doorman and hurried to the elevator. When she reached Lincoln’s door, she rang the bell and smiled at him when he opened it.