Text 'Yes' if You Love Me

by Toye Lawson Brown

  “Yes, sir—working with computers is less likely to send me to jail.”

  “At least you know your strength. The woman with you yesterday, is she your sister?” She didn’t seem open to talking about her family.

  “Gayle is my best friend, and we work together. We’ve walked by Neeò during lunch, but passed because we thought it was another high-end place to eat.”

  “Yeah, the name would give people that impression. Lucky, for me, curiosity finally brought you in,” he said with a grin.

  She laughed at that, but said, “It wasn’t me, but Gayle’s mother was curious about the food here. I must admit it is delicious. Did you bake the scones?”

  He nodded. “Everything we serve is fresh and made in the kitchen; which reminds me; I have to check on my stocks simmering on the stove.”

  “It smells amazing, go,” she said, shooing him away with her hand, “Do what you have to do and let me get back to work.”

  His phone rang, and he dug it from his pocket. It was Axl. His younger brother had walked away from the family restaurant to pursue his passion for filmmaking.

  Axl’s first big break came when he directed and produced an independent film about two hikers who had little money and depended on the kindness of strangers to survive life in Europe. The documentary got him noticed with IFP, but it didn’t pay off monetarily. Rarely did low-budget films gross significant returns for the filmmaker, writer or investors.

  Living in Chicago, Axl hoped to land work with a big studio. As much as Logan loved his brother, he could not continue to invest in Axl’s dream. As a primary investor, it was draining him financially to back him and keep the restaurant running.

  He sighed. “My brother; I’ll be back.” He walked out of the office and went into the kitchen. “What’s up, Axl?”

  “Great news, bro… I got a gig with a studio in California. I’m on my way, Logan.”

  The excitement in Axl’s voice stunned Logan for a minute. “Excellent, man! What is the movie about?”

  “I don’t have all the details, but it sounds like a sappy romance for one of those women’s channels on cable. Hey, it ain’t a major motion picture but a foot in the door, Logan.”

  “I know, dude. Rock that movie and make yourself a ‘must have’ in the industry.”

  “I’m stoked. You are the first person I called, Logan. I owe this to you for being my biggest supporter.”

  Logan lowered his head feeling horrible about crossing off Axl. That was his younger brother—he took care of the people he loved—no matter the cost to himself.

  “Because I always believe you’d make it, I want a front row seat at the Emmy Awards when you win filmmaker of the year.”

  “You got it. I gotta pack a suitcase to catch a flight later. I’ll hit you up when I get settled in L.A.”

  “Safe travels, Axl.” Logan hung up the phone, happy for Axl. He might get an opportunity to direct celebrities like Will Smith or Jennifer Lawrence; hell, he couldn’t remember the names of any celebrities other than those two—he wasn’t a TV junkie and, to him, they all looked the same anyhow.

  Checking the oversized stock pots, he gave each a stir and lowered the heat before checking on the beef bones roasting in the oven. Satisfied with everything, he left the kitchen.

  When Logan walked into the hallway a light floral fragrance floated around him; it had to be Nikki. The other aromas in the air were simmering chicken and beef. He looked toward the back of the restaurant and saw no signs of her. Maybe she was in the bathroom. She wouldn't have left without telling him. He stopped and leaned against the wall, wondering if she had seen him in the kitchen working or if she had lingered and watched like she’d done before.

  She was alluring, but he couldn’t pursue her even if he wanted, with the hours he kept. Every relationship he had had failed before the six-month mark because of neglect. It was too risky to try another relationship. Ron was unable to put in more hours due to family obligations. He said doing extra hours wouldn’t be a problem, but Logan didn’t want to be the cause of Ron’s family falling apart.

  When Nikki failed to emerge from the restroom, Logan walked toward the office. Her perfume increased the closer he got. Stopping in the doorway, he caught her fidgeting with her hair, fingering the soft curls. The spiral tresses fell past her shoulders, resting on her creamy skin.

  Logan took a long look at her; Ron swore she was black because of her features, but he wasn’t so sure about her race. It was possible Nikki was bi-racial. Whatever the case, it was none of his business.

  Logan cleared his throat. “I’m back. Stocks are cooking beautifully. How are things going here?”

  She snapped her head around to face him. “Ugh, I ran into a snag cleaning crap off the computer; it will take me longer than I thought to clean it up.”

  He sat down in a chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “No problem. We can talk and get to know each other.”

  “Sure, we can talk.” Her eyes widened as she drew her legs up in the chair crossing her arms around them.

  Logan liked how she had taken off her shoes and made herself comfortable in his chair. With any luck, the perfume would penetrate the leather, and each time he sat in the chair it would be a reminder of her.

  Where did that come from, he wondered.

  Chapter Seven

  Get to know each other? The words bounced around in her head like a wayward ping-pong ball. Men didn’t want to get to know her. Nikki had learned to ignore the sexist remarks when she walked by a group of young men hanging around a store or the vulgar remarks form men working at construction sites. She would get a snarl once in a while from women who thought their man’s eyes glanced over her body for too long, but it had been a while since a man asked to get to know her.

  Nikki lowered her legs and crossed them when she remembered this was not her office nor was she at home. Logan wasn’t paying Brand for this house call; however, she had to represent herself as a professional. Plus, she could feel his eyes on her every move.

  Had Mrs. Miller been right? Was her outfit inappropriate and sending the wrong signal to Logan? Surely, not. She had done nothing to suggest she was there to do anything but fix his computer. Anyhow, where were her concerns streaming from? He only suggested they talk; to have an innocent conversation between two people alone in a restaurant.

  Innocent, my ass! He was hotter than sin, and those dark, sexy eyes penetrated straight through her. “Um, I’m really not that interesting,” she said. Nikki tapped the space bar and gasped. Touching the keyboard to ease her nervousness proved to be a fatal mistake.

  “That’s wasn’t a confident sound,” Logan said.

  Nikki couldn’t answer him as she did a series of clicks on the keyboard, trying to reset the major mistake she’d made. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from cursing. She was better than this. Errors that caused her to look like a novice didn’t happen. As she worked her magic, the computer unfroze, and the program began to run.

  She released a sigh and smiled, feeling proud. “Everything is running properly.”

  “I don’t know what you did to release that big smile, so I’m gonna be happy for you too,” he said with a chuckle.

  She watched his eyebrow rise and a twinkle spark in his right eye before shrugging. “I told you I'm an expert. It’s what I do.”

  Logan slowly nodded. “Yes you are.”

  He was so close. When did he get so close to her? Nikki inhaled, smelling chicken stock… yup, meat stocks had never smelled so wonderful.

  “Is everything okay with your brother?” She played with the pendant on her necklace.

  “He received a beak. He got work with a studio in California.”

  She felt a frown coming on when he moved away to take a seat. “Is he an actor?”

  “No, he’s an independent filmmaker. He’s going to produce a movie for cable television.”

  She nodded. “Follow your dream long enough, and it will pay off. He has to be
excited to have the doors finally open for him.”

  “To use his words: he’s stoked.” His phone vibrated, and when he took it from his pocket to read the text, he ran a hand through his hair.

  Nikki’s heartbeat increased. She wondered what look he had on his face when he had texted her. She had to get out of the confined space with him. A distraction was what she needed. Any other time, Gayle would call her fifty times a day—today, not one call. She and Mimi were probably shopping again.

  God, she needed a drink. Sex had never been on her mind so much as it was now. She watched him respond to the text message. His face had a naughty kind of grin. Nikki bet the woman was texting sexy messages or pictures to him, describing what was to come later.

  Plenty of women probably gave him gratification. No matter how busy he claimed to be, Logan Sloan was a man the opposite sex would not deny. He pushed his chair back against the wall and got up. “Excuse me for a second.” He was out of the room without even looking her way.

  Nikki sighed, believing whatever conversation was going on, he needed privacy to finish it. Her phone rang and jolted her from her thoughts. The familiar ringtone was Gayle calling.

  “Now you want to call. Where have you been?”

  “Hello to you too. Why are you in a grumpy mood, missy?”

  “You have me in a grumpy mood. I’m stuck with Chef Yummy while you’re out doing whatever you’re doing,” Nikki grumbled.

  “Again, what is the problem?”

  “He says he wants to get to know me, Gayle. But, he’s texting some chick right in the middle of our conversation.”

  “Damn, did he blow you off for her?”

  “He left me to chat with her, so I’d say he did. Look, I need you to come sit with me until I’m done here.”

  “I can’t. Aunt Tilly surprised us with a visit. Uncle Raymond is having a cookout at his house and I’m on my way there.”

  She rolled her eyes upward and continued to complain. “You got me into this mess by opening your big mouth. It’s not fair you get to go to a party and I’m stuck in an awkward situation.”

  “Don’t blame me. You offered to fix his computer. After you’re done, come over to the house. I heard Jabari would be there.”

  Nikki’s ears perked. She’d had a crush on Jabari since the day she’d met him, but he was never without a woman on his arm. “No thanks. I’m not interested in watching his girlfriend fawn over him.”

  “If you’d speak up and go after what you want, women like Petra wouldn’t walk away with the prize.”

  “So you want me to take him away from his girlfriend? Then I’d really be like my… no thank you,” she snarled.

  “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. I have to run; Mom is waiting for me in the car.”

  Nikki could visualize Gayle’s shrug. Her brush-offs were annoying, and this one, in particular, made her want to smack her; but since Gayle was her only friend, she took her sass.

  She tossed the phone back in her bag. Glancing at the computer, the checkups were almost complete. A deep laughter came from outside the room, and it made her stomach queasy. The skank on the phone was apparently entertaining him.

  Nikki sighed and opened the empty cases, putting away the CDs she no longer needed. Gayle was out having fun, and she was working. Life was not fair. Chef Yummy on the other side of the wall getting his ego stroked by some woman after flirting with her was like high school all over again.

  Once Nikki got to high school, she thought her social life would blossom. Other than her academic achievements, it was difficult. She didn’t have dreams of becoming prom queen or being voted most popular, but she never thought she would be friendless, either. School was her refuge from home; well, it was supposed to be, since she was a teenager and had freedom.

  Instead, it was another place where awkward interactions with others followed her. Boys gave her attention, and she dated a guy she actually liked for three months. She would invite potential friends over to study, but Judith would appear and ruin it. She was embarrassing in front of girls she hoped would be friends.

  The woman had no filter. Nikki recalled having the boy she’d been dating over one night to watch a movie. Judith was going to be out for the evening. Before the movie ended, Judith strolled into the living room, wearing a halter dress with a dangerous slit up the middle.

  Drunk, she flirted openly with the seventeen-year-old boy. Nikki cringed when Judith ran her hand up his thigh, questioning him about his sexual experiences, going as far as to ask if he planned to have sex with her daughter. If so, she had a few pointers for him. It made him so uncomfortable that he left the house, avoided Nikki at school, and eventually broke it off.

  High school was just another place in hell she had to endure for four years. Nikki hated it that some of the girls pitied her. There were others who assumed the apple didn’t fall far from the tree and therefore decided she didn’t fit in with them. Mentally, it messed with her.

  With no one to talk to about her situation, she held it in, where it fermented for years. Nikki didn’t have any contact with her maternal or paternal grandparents. Judith had written off her mother when she was a teenager. Nikki’s father was there for support and encouragement; however, his current wife was not open to having her live with them permanently.

  Judith wouldn’t allow it anyhow. As much as she bitched about not wanting her, Judith’s crutch was holding Nikki over his head for child support money, and flaunting his infidelity in front of his wife.

  She placed the CD's inside the tool bag and sat down to wait for the last program to run. Staring at the blank white wall, she thought the office needed a window, but then she realized the office served the right functionality to do his business.

  “Hey, I’m sorry that took so long,” Logan said, walking into the office. Nikki lifted her head and looked at him. He was all smiles, and his tanned face seemed a little blushed. “Crazy phone calls today.”

  Nikki drew her eyes away from his face. “Fifteen more minutes and I’m done. You’ll be able to meet up with friends and enjoy the rest of the day.”

  “Nah, I have a lot to do that will keep me here late. Where did we leave off before I got interrupted?”

  She didn’t want to continue where they let off and said, “We were talking about your brother.” Her voice dripped with attitude. Why attitude? She had no idea.

  He raised a brow and asked. “Everything okay?”

  Shake it off, girl. She made up a lame excuse and flipped her hand. “Waiting for these programs to run can be frustrating; ignore me.”

  Logan leaned against the door jamb still texting while he talked to her. “I should apologize to you. Today is Sunday and the last day to enjoy your weekend. Instead, you’re stuck working. I’ll make it up to you.”

  She tossed him a smile. “No payment necessary. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to do it.”

  “I can’t thank you enough.” His cell phone buzzed again; he responded and then looked at her. “Sorry… this damn phone is hot today.”

  Nikki didn’t respond and watched Logan rush out of the office again. The computer dinged, indicating it was done. “Great,” she murmured. She ran a quick test to make sure the programs opened correctly. They did. The repair was a success.

  Ready to leave, she removed the last CD, put on her shoes and wrapped the rest of the scones in a napkin, stuffing them in her purse.

  He’s probably not going to eat them, and they were too good to throw away.

  Her phone rang. Swiping her finger over the screen, she read the text message; staring at it in disbelief. In the distance, she heard quick footsteps, and then Logan slid into the office; his weight was off balance from moving so fast. They locked eyes. He was giving an apologetic look. She wasn’t going to forgive him for something he had not admitted to doing. Logan had to admit what he’d done.

  His lips had moved before the words escaped. “Nikki… I - I… was joking.”


  She blinked to keep her focus. One trait she inherited from Judith was her mouth. If she didn’t focus, Logan would feel the whip of her tongue and not in a good way. “What? Are you sorry you didn’t check before sending that text or because of what it said?”

  “I’m not racist. I’m not that type of person. Please believe me.”

  “Of course, you aren’t racist. No one admits that unless they are just evil,” she said, sarcastically.

  Logan lowered his head. “That text sounded awful, but let me explain.”

  Nikki did Gayle’s signature shoulder shrug. “Please, spare me. Every man has a type. But don’t compare me to the tramp you meant to send that damn text. You know nothing about me.”

  He rocked back and forth, hesitating at first, then said, “You didn’t see the entire conversation, Nikki. I would never talk bad about a friend.”

  She picked up her bags and moved toward the door; he blocked her exit. He might be bigger and stronger than her, but she could bring him to his knees if needed.

  Her brows snapped together. “We are not friends. I offered to fix your computer, and that’s what I did.” She shoved passed him, hearing his shoulder bang against the door. She hoped it hurt.

  Outside, the hot, humid air smacked her in the face. Nikki walked fast in case Logan was following her. She was through with the conversation and with him. Weaving her way through the people crowding the streets after the baseball game had ended, she made it to her car.

  Before getting inside, she took the napkin with the leftover scones out of her purse and crunched it in her hand. Dumping the crumbs on the ground, she watched a swarm of pigeons attack the sweet pastry. “Enjoy the snack prepared by a dirtbag,” she said before getting inside the car.

  Chapter Eight

  Weeks passed since the altercation with Nikki. Logan pushed himself on the treadmill. Sweat poured down his face, dripping onto his already sweat-drenched chest. The headphones thumped rock music loudly in his ears. The pain was deserved. He had to hurt the same way he'd hurt Nikki.

  His knees were buckling, forcing him to stop the machine. The cramp that ran up the calf of his leg demanded relief. Logan dropped to the floor rubbing the cramped muscle. “Damn it!” he winced. He sat on the floor holding his leg waiting for the cramp to ease.