“I thought you would never call,” he answered.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy and…and I meant to call you but…sometimes—”
“You don’t have to explain, I know. You live with that guy and it makes sense to me now.”
“Q, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“What do you mean? Us working together? Or is this about what happened last Thursday?”
“The obvious, Q. What happened last Thursday was a mistake. I’m sorry it happened. I never meant to lead you on into thinking that you and I could actually have something together.”
Quinton was quiet on the other end for a while, before he said, “A mistake? Is that what you really believe?”
“Quinton, don’t make this any harder for us than it already is. I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to hurt Michael.”
“I understand.”
“Okay, well…are you still moving to Atlanta?”
“Without a doubt. Are you still going to assist me with my business?”
“You know I will, Q. A friendship is the single most precious thing that two people can have. Let’s keep it that way.”
“To friendship,” he said, but he didn’t sound too happy.
“Let me know if you need help finding a temporary rental when you get down here. We have clients all the time that are willing to rent their vacant house for a specific period of time. As a matter of fact, some types of homes usually sell quicker when they look occupied with furniture. It’s like a win-win for sellers.”
“That’s nice of you, Julissa. I may consider that in the future if I don’t find anything. Right now, I’ll be staying at the same hotel. Ed offered me to share his condo for a while, but I kinda need my own space for the time being, ya know, since my schedule is so crazy.”
“Well take your time and call me to let me know that you made it to Atlanta safely. Until then, we’ll plan to meet at my office next Friday to go to your closing.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
**
“Hey, honey. How’s your day going?” Michael greeted her on the other end of the receiver.
It was around lunch time when her called. One of her co-workers peeked in the door and motioned for her to join them in the break room. They had all ordered Chinese take-out for lunch. Her mouth watered for General Tso’s chicken and Chinese donuts. She was hungry as hell. Didn’t have breakfast this morning or anything. Today had been busy for her.
Julissa balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder. “Hey, Michael. I’m at the office downtown. I had a few things I needed to get done here.”
“Oh. I just got through with my meeting at the office today. I was just heading home for lunch, but—”
“Michael, look, I know I promised to have dinner ready early, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I have to place a few signs when I get done here today.”
“Don’t worry about it, honey. In fact, that’s not what I called you for. Why don’t you meet me down at Jay’s Deli for lunch?”
“Michael, I just ordered lunch. Besides, if I stop for lunch now, I won’t get any work done and who knows what time I’ll be home for dinner then.”
“You work too much, Julissa. You and I both. Besides, I already let Martha know that I’m going to be treating you to lunch.”
“What? You called my boss?” What was Michael thinking?
“Yes, don’t be mad. She and I both agreed that you work too much. She told me you have three months of vacation accrued that you never take. What’s up with that?” Michael teased.
“You never take me on any vacations, so that’s what’s up with that,” Julissa said.
“Alright, you got me. All that will change. But first, please meet me at the deli and I promise we can start planning our next vacation together.”
“What about my work?” Julissa looked at the stack of papers piled on her desk. Even though it was Friday and the end of the work week, she still needed to get her tasks done.
“Martha said that her new assistant, Jenna, will cover for you. Come on, baby,” Michael pleaded.
“Well…”
“Good, I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” Michael hung up the phone before she could protest anymore.
Julissa immediately walked the short distance to Martha’s office. She had already opened up her container of Chinese food and was eating at her desk.
Martha looked up, and wiped some sauce off the corner of her mouth. She held up a hand. “Before you can say anything, he begged me and I couldn’t say no.”
“Martha! I have so much to do…”
“Look, you’ve got a good man, Julissa girl. I wish my husband of ten years would invite me to lunch every now and then. Go!” Martha moved her hand in a shooing motion as if she were shooing a dog.
“Those signs need to be out by dark—”
“Jenna lives in that neighborhood, so I asked her to put them up. Besides, you’ve done enough for one week. I heard you have a big closing coming up at the end of next week. Go celebrate early or something.”
“Martha, Martha,” Julissa sighed. Just as she was about to leave, Julissa stuck her head back into her door. “By the way, Michael and I are having a little dinner party in two weeks. You and Fred are invited.”
“Thanks, babe. We’ll be there.”
**
Jay’s Deli was where Julissa ate lunch at all the time when she first started with the company. This was the deli where she had her first unofficial date with Michael. After bumping into her around the corner, he had followed her all the way to the deli apologizing. He paid for her lunch and even asked for her number. Back then was when Julissa never turned down a man with good looks and book smarts to go with it.
She spotted Michael seated on the outside at a table along the back corner. Ironically, this was where they had sat that first day.
“Hi,” she said.
He jumped up and extended the bouquet of white roses to her, kissing her on the lips. “Hi.” He pulled the chair out for her and she sat down.
“I wanted to ask what the special occasion was. Our third anniversary together is in about a month. Are we starting out early this year?” Julissa wondered out loud.
“You can say that.”
Julissa smiled.
The waitress came and took their orders. When she was gone, Michael spoke. “So, you have just as much vacation accrued as I do? Why don’t we plan something for this summer? Just you and I.”
“That would be so nice! To get away from work and everyone.” Julissa was ecstatic.
“I was thinking maybe Hawaii.”
“Hawaii! I’ve never been there. My mom has visited a few times, since she’s only about one state over.”
“I’ve got a friend whose wife is a travel agent and might be able to hook us up,” Michael said. “I spoke to your mother this morning.”
“What? Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, I just wanted to ask her how you would feel about a trip to Hawaii. You and I never talked about vacationing in the past, so I had no idea where you would want to go.”
“No fair, Michael. You can call my parents to find out all my secrets, but I only get lucky if I ask and you tell.”
Michael’s mom and Julissa didn’t get along that well. When she came to visit Michael from time to time, they would exchange hellos, how are you doings, can I help you with dinner, what a nice dress…But, Julissa could tell that Michael’s five nine, blonde, skinny mother didn’t really appreciate that her son was with a black woman. It was as though she sometimes forgot that her son was practically black himself. Michael grew up never knowing his father because his mother got pregnant at a young age and his father was only allowed to visit on certain days and certain times. Apparently, her parents weren’t happy about her pregnancy.
“Hey, I don’t mind telling…”
“What did you talk about with my mother, huh?”
“About Hawaii, of course.” His Adam’s apple mov
ed up and down as he swallowed, letting Julissa know that he was nervous.
“Uh-huh…and?”
When Michael didn’t offer up any more information, she decided not to push the issue. “I have the dinner menu ready for the party you’re hosting. I’m thinking about having a selection of heavy hors devours, wine, and champagne. How does that sound?”
“Great. Make sure you don’t forget dessert. I think everyone will love to try a few of your homemade pies. The key lime, especially.”
“Whatever you want…”
The waitress brought their food and drinks. “Oh, it looks delicious,” she said, admiring her salad. She unrolled her napkin, preparing to spread over her lap, as she always did. The silver salad fork and knife slid on the table along with something else. Something very shiny.
There, amongst the fork and knife was the biggest diamond ring she had ever seen.
“Oh, my God!” Julissa shrieked as if she had seen a mouse, surely causing the people beside them to stare. “Michael, what is this?” Her heart pounded in her chest.
Michael picked up the ring. “Julissa…I love you. I told you a long time ago that you were the only woman for me and I promised myself that I would make you my wife.”
“Julissa, will you marry me?”
“Oh, God!” Julissa shrieked out loud again. “Yes!”
He slid the ring on her finger and seemed surprised when Julissa jumped up to kiss him.
“She said yes!” Michael hollered loud enough for everyone sitting in the restaurant to hear him.
Everyone clapped loudly.
“Congratulations!” The waitress who’d taken their orders said.
She was so caught up in the moment that she couldn’t think straight. This was what she’d been waiting for. It had been what she’d wanted from him after all this time.
Julissa always knew in her heart that Michael was a man of his word.
Chapter Seven
Her mother and Shanice were among the first people to learn of the engagement. Christina was still unreachable by cell phone and Julissa couldn’t wait to surprise her when she got back, which would be in another week. Right now, Christina was probably having the time of her life aboard a cruise ship with Richard.
Ever since Michael proposed things had been going fairly well for them. They were communicating and they hadn’t picked any fights with each other so far about little things. Even though, they had not set a date, Julissa had bought almost every wedding and bridal magazine on the shelf when she saw them. She was making Michael’s favorite dinner tonight, Mexican, and she would be sure to discuss with him about setting a date, so that she could tell Devon, who would be her wedding planner.
It was Friday and yet the most difficult thing she had to do was face Quinton at the closing table this afternoon. Last Friday, the day Michael proposed, he left a voicemail on her cell phone to let her know that he had made it to Atlanta. He had called her again on Monday and Tuesday about meeting up for dinner. The email that Julissa sent to him on Wednesday stopped all replies and phone calls.
Quinton,
I must still stick by my word that you and I can never be together. Not in the way that you have been suggesting. You promised when we first met that you would never come between Michael and I. I still rely on you to keep that promise. Please meet me at the lawyer’s office for your closing and we will find some time afterwards to go back to my office and maybe pull a list of properties if you are still interested in buying your new home.
Julissa
Now, as she walked up to the lawyer’s office and spotted Quinton’s familiar Range Rover, she felt nervous, but yet anxious. She hadn’t seen him in two whole weeks. With the way how news passed so quickly between their circle of friends, she was certain that word of her engagement to Michael had already gotten to him. Maybe it was why he hadn’t been as persistent as before.
Quinton was already in the waiting room of the office and he stood up and greeted her. “Hello, Julissa.” The smile he gave her reassured her that everything was alright.
“Hi, Quinton. It’s good to see you.”
They exchanged a hug. She realized that she missed his smell.
“You must be Julissa Lorenzo, Mr. Brennan’s realtor,” the receptionist came from behind the desk and extended her hand to Julissa. “I’m Cindy. Since you both are here, I’ll go ahead and take you back to the conference room and Mr. Insley will be going through your paperwork for closing.”
They followed Cindy to the empty conference room, who instructed them to take a seat on one side of the table. “Can I get you guys any coffee or water?”
“No, thanks,” they both said in unison.
“Oh, my! That is a lovely ring!” Cindy’s eyes widened as she focused on the huge rock on Julissa’s finger. Cindy reached out. “May I?” She took Julissa hand and admired the platinum, solitaire engagement ring. “Wow. This is gorgeous. Where is the wedding, may I ask?”
“We haven’t set a date or place, yet?”
“Newly engaged? Well, congratulations!” Cindy turned to walk out the door. “I’ll let Mr. Insley know that you two are ready to get started. He’s finishing up with another closing, so he should be in here in about fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you, Cindy,” Julissa said.
“Congratulations,” Quinton said, dryly, as soon as the receptionist closed the door.
Julissa turned to look at Quinton. “Quinton, even though this only became official last week, it was bound to happen. Michael and I have been together for three years.”
Quinton shrugged. “The timing certainly came at a strange time.”
“Strange for you maybe. Our three year anniversary is a few weeks away.”
“Like I said, congratulations on your engagement and your three year anniversary.”
Julissa looked at him for a while as he pretended to be going through all the papers in his briefcase. Damn! He was so goddamn fine, even when he looked frustrated.
She pursed her lips, sighed, and then looked away. So, it was going to be like this now between she and Quinton. He was giving her the cold shoulder. He knew what he was dealing with when he met her.
“I take it that you’re settled with your new job and a place to live?” Julissa asked, trying to pass the time.
“I accepted the job offer as a software engineer. I start in a week and a half.”
“A place to live?”
“I’m at the hotel. I would like to look for a home, but I don’t want to bother you or anything. I don’t know, you might be busy planning your wedding or something,” Quinton mumbled.
“Quinton!” Julissa spoke his name as if she were reprimanding a child. “Can we keep a business relationship? I already promised that I will help you with whatever you need from me when it came to real estate. Please, I want to help you.”
Quinton shook his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be acting this way. I don’t want you to think I’m a total jerk. I do have a few listings that I circled in the paper this morning.”
“Good, well I have some time after the closing. Maybe we can go have lunch somewhere and I’ll get those listings from you.”
“Thank you.”
Mr. Insley entered the conference room with his assistant and both arms filled with paper work. Julissa put her game face on because she knew it was time to get down to business.
They both had smiles on their faces when they walked out of the lawyer’s office. Julissa had just closed on her first commercial property, expanding her experience and enhancing her resume and Quinton had just bought his first income-producing property in Georgia to add to his real estate investments.
“Can I follow you to the restaurant across the street for lunch?”
“Sure,” Quinton stopped in from of her car. “Actually, that paper I told you about…I left it at the hotel. Can we stop by and get it first?”
“Uh-sure…why not?” She needed to make a quick business call anyway. This would buy her at l
east a half hour to take care of some other much needed business.
“There’s also a nice restaurant inside the hotel. The food they serve there is really good, too, if you can remember how it was at Christina’s wedding.”
“Oh, yes, that food was good. Why don’t we have lunch at the hotel instead of coming all the way back here?”
Quinton nodded.
**
Quinton pulled his room key out of his pants pocket. “Would you like to wait here in the lobby? Or come up with me?”
Julissa looked around in the hotel at all the people gathered in the lobby and waiting in line outside of the restaurant for lunch. “I think I’ll come up.”
She followed Quinton into the elevator, up to his room which was on the twelfth floor—the highest floor in the hotel. It was also where Christina and Richard was offered a penthouse suite to store their suitcases and change clothes just before heading off to the airport on honeymoon.
When Quinton opened the door and gestured for her to go in, she looked in awe at the extravagant furnishings of the penthouse suite that lay before her. The room resembled a large condo, complete with full kitchen and mini bar, living room, work area, and bedroom and bathroom area sectioned off by a wall. It was a corner suite, so the huge floor to ceiling windows let in plenty of light. She only needed to look down and she could see the hustle and bustle of cars on the busy downtown streets and sidewalks going about their business.
“This is nice. I see why you’re in no rush to move,” Julissa said.
“Exactly.” Quinton laughed. “Comes complete with room service, daily laundry, breakfast in bed…I’ll miss all that.” He walked over to the work area and picked up a rolled up newspaper from the desk. “Here it is. I circled about four properties this morning.”
Julissa was only half paying attention. She was in front of the big windows, admiring what was going on below them. It even amazed her to see men across the street on top of a building doing some type of construction or repair work. She didn’t notice that Quinton had moved right behind her until he spoke.
Risking It All Page 9
