“Ms. Elain, I’m sorry, but I have to get out of here,” Tammy said, gathering her things from off the couch. She didn’t want to seem completely rude. “How about you come over to the house on Saturday, and we’ll have lunch?”
Ms. Elain saw that Tammy was in a rush, and she didn’t want to hold her up. Agreeing to the Saturday lunch was all she could do before Tammy hugged her, then headed out the front door. Her business elsewhere was important and she couldn’t afford to be late.
* * *
Chris sat on the couch smiling ear to ear, watching Falisha storm around the apartment as she was cleaning. Baby Jordan was off in the corner of the living room playing with some of his favorite toys. It appeared that he too was amused by his mother, laughing every time she walked past him.
“Aye, Falisha, come here,” Chris said, right as she was passing by to go into the kitchen. She was going to ignore him, but Chris reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“Stop playing and come here,” he smiled, pulling her down onto his lap. “How long are you going to be mad? I think I apologized like ten times last night. Come on, babe, let me see you smile,” he chuckled, playfully poking her in the side.
Falisha didn’t want to smile, but she did anyway, just to get him to let her go. She was still in her feelings about the other day.
“There she go. Now, that’s my girl.”
Falisha attempted to get up, but it only became a wrestling match, ending with Chris getting on top of her and pinning her arms to the cushion.
“You know what the best part of you being mad at me is?” he asked, leaning in and pecking her lips. She could feel his dick getting hard through his sweats, and it was only the thin fabric of her house pants separating her flesh from his bulge. Falisha wasn’t getting aroused, though. She knew that all Chris was doing was trying to make up for what he said. It was game, the kind of game that she saw through. It had been a couple of days since Chris had been inside of her, and he wanted some, bad. Jordan had his own plans, as well, hopping up from his toys and wobbling over to the couch so he could play wrestling too.
“Cock blocker,” Chris smiled, picking Jordan up and sitting his butt on Falisha’s face.
This was exactly what Falisha was mad about now. Chris always had some ignorant shit to say out of his mouth.
A knock at the front door caught everybody’s attention. Chris jumped up to answer it while Falisha started to play with Jordan. Chris was taken off guard when he opened the door and saw Lamar standing there. Before Falisha could see who it was, he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He wasn’t sure how Lamar even knew where they lived.
“What’s good, brah? And how do you know where I live?” was the first thing that came out of his mouth.
Lamar looked at him like he couldn’t believe Chris just asked that question.
“Do you know where your kids rest their heads at night?” Lamar shot back. It only made sense to Chris. He couldn’t imagine not knowing where his kids were, at all times.
“So what can I do for you?”
“Look, homie, I just wanna see my son. Falisha playing a lot of games wit’ this court shit. I’m kinda fed up wit’ it to be honest with you.”
The look Lamar had in his eyes said a million things, all of which Chris sympathized with. Lamar’s eyes were starting to water up, and Chris knew it wasn’t because he was scared; it was because of the love and emotion he had for his son.
“Nigga, you ain’t strapped, is you?” Chris asked, looking down at Lamar’s waist.
Lamar entertained him by lifting his shirt. Chris opened the door and nodded for him to follow him inside. Falisha jumped up from the couch after seeing Lamar and right before she was about to give him a vicious tongue-lashing, baby Jordan reached out for his dad.
“Hey, li’l man,” Lamar smiled, walking over to Falisha who had Jordan in her arms. She didn’t want to let Jordan go for nothing, but the smile on Jordan’s face was priceless.
“Come here, let me halla at you,” Chris said, grabbing Falisha by the hand in an attempt to pull her in the other room so Lamar could have some alone time with his son.
“I’m not leaving my son alone with him.”
Chris’s voice was calm, and he showed no signs of worry when he whispered in Falisha’s ear and said, “Please.” She quietly protested for a minute, but eventually followed Chris into the other room. She didn’t see how harmful it would have been to deny Lamar the opportunity to see his son, but Chris was going to explain in detail why a woman shouldn’t keep a child away from his father, especially the type of father that really cares about his kid.
* * *
“And you better not be trying to boss me around neither,” Tanya said as she, Kim, and Michael sat in Kim’s new office.
“Ain’t nobody gon’ boss y’all around. You know I’ma be doin’ my own research and motions,” Kim shot back. Kim’s phone began to vibrate on the desk, and on the screen an area code that was unfamiliar to her popped up. She looked at it crazy before picking up the phone. “Hello,” she answered, looking over and shrugging her shoulders at Tanya. A man with a very deep voice like Barry White spoke back.
“Is this Kimberly?”
“Yes, this is she.”
Just then, Tim walked up to the office door and posted up.
“My name is Jonathan Adams. I’m with William and Price Law Firm. Sources tell me that you was at the top of ya class, scoring a perfect score on ya bar exam. That’s impressive.”
“Thank you, but I don’t understand the purpose of this call.”
“Well, let me cut straight to the chase. Me and my colleagues are very interested in meeting with you. We think that you’ll be a valuable asset to our law firm.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect, but I don’t think I’m going—”
“All I’m asking you for is a meet and greet. If you don’t like what you hear, then that will be it.”
Kim looked over at Tim who was standing at the door smiling. He knew this was going to happen and warned Kim of it. He even knew that William and Price was going to call her because when he scored high on his bar examination, they called him too. William and Price had a criminal division within the firm, but most of their bread and butter came from civil actions. It was rumored that the firm grossed over 200 million last year, more than any law firm in the United States. Tim gave Kim the nod, encouraging her to hear what they had to offer. He didn’t want her to regret missing out on an opportunity.
“One meeting,” Kim said.
“Fine. Pack ya overnight bag because a private jet will pick you up in the morning at Philadelphia International.”
* * *
Tammy walked into Martez’s Bistro, nervous as hell, thinking about how the conversation between her and Darious was going to go. She had only heard from him a few times since the incident at Ms. D’s house, and that was just recently. She couldn’t believe that he actually wanted to have lunch. Tammy looked around and was about to leave until she finally spotted him. Darious was sitting at a table in the far back of the well occupied restaurant. She took a deep breath and walked on over toward him.
“How are you?” Darious greeted, getting up from his seat and giving her a hug. The hug was unexpected. “It’s good to see you.”
Everything about Darious seemed different. He had a full, well-groomed beard, a low Caesar, and even his clothes looked different. “Never saw you in a suit before, except at our—”
Tammy caught herself, not really wanting to bring up anything about that horrible day. The fact was, the time Darious took for himself was well needed. He had time to think about everything that had happened in his life and reflected on ways to improve it instead of dwelling on the negative. That was the real reason why he was in good spirits right now.
“Yea, well, I think a lot has changed for me over the last couple of months. I guess that’s why I wanted to have lunch with you. I got a job offer from a pharmaceutical company last w
eek.”
Tammy smiled as she was happy for him. What came next was a shocker.
“The job offer is in China, and depending on how things look out there, I may be making it my permanent home.” Tammy tried to process what her ears were hearing. It got real quiet at the table while she rolled it over in her mind.
“China?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“Yea, I know it’s far, but to be honest wit’ you, there’s nothing left here for me. The best part of me is gone.”
Hearing that, Tammy’s eyes began to water, thinking about how she messed up in a major way. Hurting Darious the way that she did was probably the worst thing she’d ever done in her life.
“So I guess this is ya way of saying good-bye,” she said, unable to hold back the single tear that fell from her eye.
“Nah, I was hoping you would come with me,” he said, then started to laugh with a semiserious look on his face. Being away from Tammy for this long had made him reflect and only being honest with himself, he had to admit that he still loved her. For that alone, he knew he had to pose the question to her again, but this time in a more serious manner.
He shook his head before speaking again, “What if I don’t want this to be our final good-bye? If I asked you to come with me, what would you say?” Tammy’s eyes got wide. A part of her felt like maybe Darious was still joking, but the serious look on his face said otherwise.
“Darious, are you sure? Please let me know if this is a joke.”
Chapter 23
Before Kim could actually get the cold out of her eyes, an Uber driver was calling her phone, letting her know that he was downstairs waiting. Brian had just got out of the shower and was coming into the room. He had an evil look on his face. “Yo, I know you wanted me to come with you, but I can’t,” he explained as he was getting dressed. “My man Chicken got killed last night, and I gotta take care of something.” This morning was off to a bad start already, and Kim didn’t have the time or energy to go into the reasons why she felt Chicken’s death should make him wanna take some time off. Him stuffing a black. 45 into his back pocket was a reminder what she was up against. “Look, I know you gonna knock this interview out of the park,” he said, walking over and taking a seat on the bed next to her.
“It’s not an interview, and I really wanted you . . .” Kim paused seeing that she was about to start fussing.
“How about this . . . When you get back tomorrow, we’ll sit down and really put the wedding into third gear. Make a date, find a place, and do the invites,” Brian said, kissing her on the cheek. “How does that sound to you?”
It sounded like some bullshit to her, but she didn’t say anything, not right now anyway. The Uber driver was calling her phone again, and according to Jonathan, the jet was leaving within the next hour.
* * *
Chris walked into his mom’s house, and as soon as he heard the kids upstairs playing, he tried to turn around and walk back out the door.
“Chris!” Ms. Elain yelled out before he could make it out the front door. He gave a playful fist pump, disappointed that he couldn’t make it out the door fast enough.
“Wassup, Mom? I was just checking on you.”
“Checking on me, my ass. That girl dropped these kids off yesterday and hasn’t been back yet. She’s not answering the phone, and when I drove to the house, she didn’t answer the door neither,” Ms. Elain vented. She loved her grandkids to death, but the medication she was on due to the recent hip replacement had her not able to function right, let alone watch after two lively kids.
“Mom, I’m trying to take care of something right now. Can you just watch them for a couple of more hours while I try to find Tammy?” Chris pleaded.
“Boy, as God is my witness, you got two hours. The next place I’ll be making my way to is your place. Let that so-called girlfriend of yours really play house,” she said with an attitude.
Chris jumped right on his phone as he was leaving the house in search of Tammy.
* * *
Today was the first time that Kim had ever flown on a private jet, and the ride to California didn’t seem as long as she thought it would be. She had complimentary everything. Champaign, TV, and the Internet was more than enough to keep her busy. There was also a bed in the back, but the last thing Kim could think about was sleep.
When they landed at LAX, the jet peeled off the runway and pulled into a hanger. Three cars sat there waiting. A white 2016 Range Rover Super Charged, a white 2015 Lamborghini Huracan, and a white 2015 Rolls-Royce Wraith.
“Welcome to LA,” a young white female greeted when Kim got off the plane.
“My name is Karin, and this is Rebecca,” she said extending her hand for a shake. Jonathan was also there and reintroduced himself with a smile. Turns out he was only a recruiter for the firm but definitely served his purpose, assembling some of the country’s best lawyers and bringing them under one roof. Karin and Rebecca had also been recruited by him a little less than two years ago.
“Now, look, I’m not gonna lie,” Karin began. “William and Price have till the end of the day to convince you that getting back on that airplane tonight will be a mistake. So let’s get right to it,” she smiled, leading Kim over to the car she was driving which was the Range Rover. The drive from the airport to Pine Grove took a little less than an hour, but during the drive, Karin took time to explain what the law firm was about.
“Okay, good, he’s here,” Karin said, pulling into the driveway of a beautiful lakeside home. Still in awe from the private jet and the fancy luxury cars, this huge house had her even more mesmerized. She almost didn’t see the short, white, gray-haired man standing in front of the home.
“It’s an 8,000 square foot, five-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom home, nestled on about four acres of land,” the old man said when Kim got out of the car. Even he had to turn around and take a look at the estate. “It’s finally nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand for a shake.
Kim just knew that their firm had to be successful, seeing how he was living.
“I must say, you have a beautiful home,” Kim spoke, only to get a chuckle from Mr. Price. She hadn’t the slightest idea.
“No, sweetheart, this is not my house. This is your home, along with the car, as long as you choose to be a part of the greatest law firm in America,” Price said, taking Kim by surprise.
“I don’t understand.” Kim had a confused look on her face. Mr. Price smiled, took Kim by the hand, and led her into the house. Karin followed close behind. Mr. Price was about to show Kim what life would be like should she work for him.
* * *
Lamar was getting tired of going back and forth to court, especially since he hardly ever came out victorious. Just like the last time, Falisha walked into the courtroom with a sleeping Jordan hunched over her shoulder. She had no intentions of letting Lamar get partial custody of her son, and after no consideration at all, she had even declined visitation rights.
“Don’t come over here,” Falisha checked, seeing the look in Lamar’s eyes.
Anne tried to stop him, but her voice was unheard by him. He walked right up on Falisha, looked at his son, and then looked at her. He had a submissive look on his face, almost like he wanted to cry. Lamar had been up for nearly three days straight, trying to figure out what he could say or do to rectify this situation, and it seemed that all hope was lost. Falisha was hell-bent on making sure he had no place in Jordan’s life, and it didn’t look like the courts were going to help.
“Last chance to do the right thing,” he spoke softly so only she could hear. It was as if he was taking his final stance in the matter. Falisha dismissed him without a second thought. A kiss to Jordan’s head and a light tear falling from his left eye was all Lamar managed to get off before the judge walked into the courtroom.
“Your Honor, if I may speak,” Lamar said as the judge was sitting down. Anne looked over at him and even tried to mumble for him to stop talking, b
ut at this point, he was too far gone.
“Your Honor, I’m done with all of this. I been through hell trying to get some type of custody of my son, and every time I come in this courtroom, I leave empty-handed.” Seeing the look on the judge’s face, Anne tried to grab Lamar’s arm to get him to stop talking, but to no avail.
“Effective immediately, I’m turning over all parental rights of Jordan Thompson to his mother,” Lamar yelled.
Anne was stunned and tried to try to get Lamar to reconsider, but it was too late. Thoughts of Falisha and Chris playing house with his son, along with the irreconcilable relationship between him and Falisha, had brought Lamar to his breaking point. Even Falisha was shocked to hear him say that.
“Son, do you understand that you, being the father to this child—”
“I really don’t care anymore. His mother wants him so bad, she has him now. I’m better off making another child with someone else. Someone who deserves to have somebody like me.”
It sounded very harsh, but it was exactly how Lamar felt at that moment. The judge couldn’t even respond as Lamar gathered his things and headed out of the courtroom. For an instant, it was completely silent. Everybody, including Falisha, was trying to figure out what just happened. It hadn’t dawned on her until that very moment, when she felt a total sense of loneliness. She had broken Lamar, and the sad part about the whole thing was that Lamar, unlike many men, was a good father.
* * *
Brazilian cherrywood flooring, incredible grand foyer, sweeping staircases in the front and rear of the house, huge master bedroom on the main level with its very own secluded deck, a finished walkout basement for entertainment, sensational living room with a twenty-five-foot ceiling, a gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, and a magnificent swimming pool that looked out to the lake...
“So you mean to tell me that all I have to do is work for you for the next year, and this house will be mine?” Kim asked, still in disbelief from the offer.
Single Ladies 2 Page 19
