by A'zayler
“Tell her to chill. She’s the one started it with her rude ass.”
Goody looked at his cousin again before looking around at all the people watching them. “Let me go. Handle her. I’ll be back.”
Jerrico watched her walk away without looking back. He hurried to face Jaslynn, and she looked pissed off. He immediately circled her neck with his arm.
“I’m sorry about that.”
“You’re dating her?” Disgust laced her words.
“Trying to.”
Jaslynn sucked her teeth. “She’s rude.”
“Not really. I think you just rubbed her the wrong with the whole rapper chick comment.”
“I don’t know her name.” Jaslynn waved him off like she didn’t care to know it either. “But, she still didn’t have to do all that.”
“She’s just tough. I’ll talk to her.” Jerrico hugged his cousin again. “Happy Birthday.”
Jaslynn was smiling again as she began dancing to the music. “Thank youuu.” She leaned over when some man grabbed her and whispered in her ear. “Cousin, I’ll be right back.”
Jerrico nodded and took off to find Goody. He was having a hard enough time making her like him without all of his family issues. He looked everywhere for her, but since the pool was extremely packed, he ended up having a harder time than expected. When he finally located her, she was outside the pool gate talking on her phone.
“Nah, just stay there. I’m about to pull up on y’all,” she said before ending her call and looking at him.
Jerrico frowned. “Where you going?”
“Away from here.”
“Come on, don’t do that. I want to spend some time with you.”
“Nah, I’m about to go. Your brother said he’ll drop me off at my cousin’s spot with her and my sister.”
Jerrico looked dejected as he stared at Goody, waiting for her to change her mind. When nothing about her demeanor changed, he didn’t even bother fighting it.
“Which one of my brothers?”
“Marcellus. I don’t know the other one like that.”
Jerrico looked back at the party before running his hand over his face. Jaslynn was more of a sister to him than a cousin, so the last thing he wanted to do was jet on her party, but he was in serious need of time with Goody. He could already tell she was doing her best to not like him, and the only way to prevent that was to keep her close until she couldn’t fight it. He couldn’t do that if she wasn’t with him.
“Don’t feel stressed, it’s no big deal. Hang with your family and hit me up when you leave.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay?”
Goody nodded.
“Not even for me? Please, for me.”
“Nah, I almost slapped the birthday girl. There’s no reason for me to be here.” Goody looked back as Marcellus walked up.
He looked between his brother and Goody before smirking. “Why did I know something like this was going to happen?”
“What?” Jerrico was confused.
“Goody and Jaslynn. I knew they wouldn’t like each other. Goody is mean as fuck, and Jaslynn is territorial. I knew Jaslynn was going to piss Goody off, but I just didn’t know it would be this fast.” He chuckled lowly and looked at Goody. “Ready?”
She nodded and turned to hug Jerrico. He held her tightly, only squeezing harder when she tried to pull away.
“Don’t go.”
Goody sighed. “I have to.”
“Let me come with you.”
She unsuccessfully tried to pull away again. “You need to stay.”
“So do you.” He kissed her shoulder and released his grip on her. “I’m getting tired of you always leaving me.”
Goody smiled, and he pecked her lips.
“Come see me when you leave.”
“You want me to take you?”
“Jaslynn gon’ really go off if she thinks you left. I’ll handle it. Just go ’head, it won’t take me long,” Marcellus told him.
Reluctantly, Jerrico let Goody go and watched her walk away. She looked back at him, and he blew her a kiss. After blowing him one back, she and Marcellus continued to the parking lot. Once they were out of sight, Jerrico rejoined the party. Not much of a partier, there wasn’t much he indulged in. He wasn’t really in the mood to swim either, so that too was a bust.
The only thing that looked halfway appetizing was the women dancing near the deejay booth. It was a group of them bent over shaking in their swimsuits, and as bad as Jerrico wished Goody had stayed, he was happy she hadn’t right then. He could enjoy the view in peace. Too bad, she had other plans. His ringing phone disrupted his gazing.
He answered, and Goody’s face popped up on his screen. He frowned because her background looked like she was still at the party.
“Paradise, where you at?”
Goody looked to the side and smiled at someone. “Sure, I’ll take one,” she said before leaning close to a man who felt the need to put his arm around her neck.
From their positioning, Jerrico assumed they’d taken a picture. The guy continued trying to make small talk, but Goody didn’t participate for too long. She was back on the screen and looking at Jerrico.
“Hey, handsome, I changed my mind. I’d rather be with you. Where you at?”
Jerrico’s mood lifted instantly. “Near the deejay booth. You want me to come get you?”
“No, stay there, it’ll be easier for me to find you.” She looked around while holding the phone on her face.
Jerrico took that opportunity to admire how effortlessly beautiful she was. Everything about her appealed to him. Her flawless skin, free-spirited personality, even the fiery attitude she had, it all drew him. The last woman he’d felt like that for was Summer, and that was the part that made him a bit fearful. Goody had made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t looking for a serious commitment, but that still hadn’t deterred him, even when it should have.
When she finally emerged from the crowd and stopped near him, her eyes went straight to the dancing girls. Her face frowned as she rolled her eyes from them to him.
“Why you sitting over here by them?” Her attitude was loud and clear.
“This was the only empty chair.”
Goody sucked her teeth as her nostrils flared. “I just bet it was.”
To hurry and simmer her down before she went too far off, Jerrico grabbed her and pulled her down on his lap. His lips found the side of her face and neck, kissing until she smiled and pulled away.
“Don’t be trying to kiss on me because you got caught.”
“You can’t get caught when you’re not doing anything wrong.”
“You expect me to believe you weren’t sitting here looking at these women?”
Jerrico looked at them and shrugged. “I mean, I looked, but it wasn’t like I was mesmerized or anything. I’d rather be looking at you, but you left me.”
“I came back.” She pouted with her arms folded across her stomach.
Jerrico pulled her further onto the lounge chair so that she was between his legs and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“How long is it going to be before you stop running from me?”
“I’ve already stopped.”
“You sure?”
She nodded while fumbling with her phone.
“Take our picture,” Jerrico suggested.
Goody went to her camera and held her phone up so she could snap a few selfies of them. She took a bunch of them before deciding on which one she liked the most.
“It feels good being here with you like this.” She leaned her head back and looked up so she could see him. “It would probably feel even better if all these big booty girls weren’t over here in your face.”
“Why you worried about them? I’m not.”
“You’re just saying that. I know you were looking at them before I got over here. You’re a man, why wouldn’t you? That’s what y’all like.”
“Not me. I like respectable women.” Je
rrico glanced at the girl who had just dropped into a split on the concrete. Though that obviously took skill, he was serious about not wanting anything like her. “Look at you. You’re way sexier than them, and you’re not even doing anything to get attention.” He held her hand up and looked at her nails. “You just sitting here, being all sexy and shit.”
Goody giggled when he kissed her fingers. When he let it go, she rested both hands on his knee caps.
“Why you always trying me, anyway?”
She shrugged. “I’m just used to it. My ex used to look at other women in my face all the time. I don’t think he was doing it purposely. I just always caught him.”
“Why, when he had you?”
“I guess I got old to him.”
“Nah, he just wasn’t resourceful. If you got old in one way, he should have found a new way to love you. You never stop trying. That’s a recipe for disaster.”
She sighed. “Tell me about it.”
Jerrico didn’t like the change in her mood. “Do you think you’re over him?”
She paused. “Yeah, I’m over him. The betrayal is just still so painful depending on what I’m thinking about.”
“Is that what hurts the most? The betrayal?”
She nodded while playing with the hair on his leg.
“Anytime you’ve been down with the same person, giving all and being all, and they just neglect it for something stupid, it’s hurtful. It’s like, I never thought he would do me like that, you know? After all, we’d been through together, I thought if nothing else, he loved me, and…”
“And when you love a person, you don’t do them wrong?”
“Exactly.”
Jerrico hugged her up closer to him so that her ear was closer to his mouth. “That’s not true, baby. You can love a person and still do them wrong. I’ve done it. I was in love before, and she was ready for things that I wasn’t, so I purposely pulled away from her. I knew it was hurting her, but I did it anyway because all I could think about was myself.”
“Did you cheat on her?”
“Nah, but cheating isn’t the only way to hurt a person in a relationship. It’s one of the bigger reasons, but not the only one.”
“I don’t see how there is anything that could hurt worse than being cheated on.”
“Believe me, it is.” Jerrico sighed and looked off as thoughts of him, and Summer’s relationship arose. “It’s torture being in the same house and the same bed as a person but not in the same relationship.”
Goody sat up and turned so that she was facing him. “That doesn’t scare you away? Like, make you not want to be in another relationship?”
Jerrico grabbed her waist because she was too close for him not to be touching her. “Sometimes, but it’s nothing that I want to run from.”
“So, you want to be in love again?”
He nodded. “You don’t?”
Goody shook her head adamantly. “What we’re doing is cool, but I don’t know how I feel about it leading to more.”
Jerrico wanted to go deeper into that topic, but Jaslynn was walking up. She rolled her eyes at Goody, but since her head was turned, she didn’t see it. Jerrico was thankful for that.
“Come on, cousin, we’re about to sing happy birthday and cut the cake.”
Goody didn’t even bother to look at her. She just stood so that Jerrico could get up. Once he was on his feet, he touched her back and pushed her in front of him. Even with the party being live and in effect, his mind was loaded down with Goody’s admissions. He was in no way, shape, or form trying to run from her, but he wasn’t trying to wait around for her to run away from him either.
He’d nursed a broken heart before and was too busy and too old, in his opinion, to do it again. However, the vibe he got from Goody felt too good to pass up. He had immeasurable confidence in himself and his ability to win her over. All he hoped was that she put her fight to rest and actually allowed him to do it.
“Why you over there?” she held her hand out to him, and he took it.
He hadn’t been more than two steps away from her, but she obviously wanted him closer. That was the stuff that confused and captivated him at the same time. She would say that she didn’t want him or want a relationship, but then she’d do something to show otherwise.
“Sorry. I just didn’t want to crowd you.” He stepped up behind her and draping one arm over her shoulder.
Her hand grabbed his and held it. “I like when you crowd me.”
Jerrico tried not to be moved by her affection, but it was so hard not to. The way she looked at and touched him made him feel and think things that had absolutely nothing to do with him leaving her. Her beautiful gaze right then was assurance of that. Jerrico winked but looked away because he could already feel it. The twinkle in her eye was sure to be the light that would pull him out of the darkness after she played over his heart before breaking it.
Chapter Seven
You Have to Let That Hurt Go
“The dinner party for thirty just arrived, sir,” Bailey informed Jerrico with her hands filled with menus.
“Right on time, perfect. Seat them and get their orders as quickly as possible so I can get started.”
“Yes, sir.” Bailey bopped off.
It was Sunday evening and Mother’s Day. One of the busiest days of his year, and Jerrico was elated. The building was packed, and nothing made him happier. All the people in his dining room had either been served or had their order taken and were just waiting for their food. Being tough on his staff produced efficiency in times of panic, and because of that, the kitchen had run smoothly all day.
No meals had been sent back, and no complaints had been made. Though it was seldom that happened anyway, Jerrico still counted it as a good day when the house was packed with satisfied people. His staff included. With no time to spare, Jerrico walked around the kitchen and began surveying orders to prepare. Even with him having two other well-trained chefs on his staff, he still preferred to do the bulk of the work.
Heather got on him about not delegating tasks, but he couldn’t help it. He’d been cooking since middle school as a way to lighten the load on his hardworking mother, but he grew to love it. As soon as his mother noticed his love for the kitchen, she restocked it with new cookware and made sure the refrigerator stayed loaded with food.
Jerrico and his brothers were all growing and ate like an army of men, so he cooked regularly. After college, he’d gone straight to culinary school and perfected his craft. It had been a show from one restaurant to the next, and Jerrico thoroughly enjoyed his job.
“Mr. Blake, there’s a party of women that just entered. We don’t have any available tables for them, and the wait is nearly three hours,” Bailey interrupted him dicing tomatoes.
“Upstairs and outside filled?”
“Yes, sir. The only table open is the one you keep reserved for your family.” Her tone hinted that she wanted to seat the ladies, but Jerrico knew that couldn’t be it.
Bailey had been working for him for three years, so she already knew that was out of the question. He kept that table for him and his family only. They were all always so busy, and if they happened to score a few minutes to share a meal, he wanted to be prepared.
Jerrico looked at Bailey, waiting for her to reveal her thoughts. “Don’t look at me like that, Mr. Blake. I only implied it because one of the women stated they were friends of the family and that you’d ensure they were helped.”
Baffled, Jerrico paused his cutting and tried to think of who would do something like that. None of the women he entertained socially had ever tried that. Goody didn’t fool with him that hard, or at least she made it a habit to pretend not to, and he didn’t have female friends of the family. Not ones he could think of off the top of his head.
“Did they give you their names?”
“No sir, all they said was what I told you.”
Heather walked up and grabbed the knife from his hand. She nudged him with her shou
lder. “Go ahead, Jerrico, I’ll take over until you get back.”
“Thanks, it won’t be long. Probably just somebody who wants special treatment for the holiday.” He washed his hands, removed his chef jacket, and followed Bailey from the back.
He hated to walk on the floor with his vest on. People would stop him, complimenting his food and making small talk that would often have him away from the kitchen too long, so he’d made it a habit not to do that. The buzz of conversation took over as soon as he entered the first floor of his dining area. People of all cultures and denominations were eating, laughing, and enjoying their dinner.
Bailey fell in stride with Jerrico as they walked to the front of the building. His eyes searched for any familiar faces, but due to the crowds standing and waiting for their turn, he couldn’t really see much.
“Here they are, sir,” Bailey told him as she stopped near the podium.
His hand went to the small of her back just as a family stopped to add their name to the already lengthy list.
“Ma’am, can you all come here for a second?” Bailey leaned over the podium and waved the women to her.
Jerrico was happy that he’d shed the food splattered vest.
The casual black dress pants and shirt wasn’t the best he could do, but it was decent enough. Being presentable beneath his cooking clothes was also another habit he’d formed over the years. After having to indulge in casual conversation with his customers covered in food enough times, he’d fixed that problem rapidly.
“Hey, Chef Cutie.” Forever smiled.
“She’s nice and does her job well, but she was about to get on my nerves. Kept telling us we would have to wait.” Eternity nodded her head toward Bailey, who only smiled in return. “She must didn’t know who we were.”
Jerrico was smiling extra hard as he eyed the women. “Who exactly are y’all?” he hugged Forever, then Eternity.
His eyes went to Goody last. Neatly stacked in a pair of yellow pants that flared at the bottom but fit closely around her stomach, with a top that showed her stomach to match, she exuded sexy and chic all at once. Her hair was still black and straight with a small amount pulled up in a ponytail in the front. It didn’t look like she had makeup on, but lip gloss was there.
