Chapter 17
Janette
Who did Henry think he was? First I was a mistake, now I was a distraction. None of this made any sense. I didn’t think he even knew what he was doing. I swear Morgan is a disease that is infecting my life faster than the plague. None of this would have happened if she would have kept her tail in London. I needed to figure out how to completely get her off his mind because apparently last night wasn’t enough. I felt like I had to go back to the drawing board and I hated to start over.
After leaving Henry’s house in a rage, I headed home to shower and change. I didn’t waste any time getting to the boutique. I needed to get my mind off of all of it: my father’s death, Henry, Morgan and her poisonous existence. I figured work would be the best thing for me, especially since I hadn’t been in a few days. It was the only thing I had at this point that Morgan hadn’t infected.
Walking into my shop was like walking into the Twilight Zone. Everything was different. The clothes were rearranged, the sale racks were moved to different areas, there were shelves that I had never seen before, and new additions of accessories that I hadn’t approved. What the hell happened while I was gone? I felt my face getting hot and I needed a target to fire a missile at. Millie walked out of the back, bopping to the music that was playing overhead.
“Oh, hey, you’re back. So, what do you think?” She opened her arms like she was displaying an item on The Price Is Right. All I could see was red.
“Millie, what happened to my store?”
“You mean our store. And I thought it needed some new flavor so I changed it around a little.”
Millie walked past me to the counter and I followed right on her heels. I wasn’t in the mood for another big change in my life and I would have thought that Millie, as my best friend, would have picked up on that. The boutique was the one thing I could count on that I still had control over. I swore this week was getting worse by the minute.
“Why would you make changes to the store without talking to me first?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and tried to stare Millie down.
She casually glanced up at me from the receipts she was separating behind the counter. “Nettie, calm down. You were going through a lot and I didn’t want to bother you. Just take a look around and get acquainted with it. It’s better feng shui for the atmosphere.”
In what world did Millie use phrases like feng shui? Since when did she become hip to Asian practices? What was happening to my life? I went from having everything under control to it all slipping from my grasp in a matter of days. How was this even possible? I was getting angrier by the minute and I had no one to direct this energy toward. I would go off on Millie but that wouldn’t help. It was Morgan who I really wanted. Ever since she showed up, everything had gone to hell in a fiery hand basket. I had to get her out of Georgia and fast.
“So did you handle it?” Millie said, looking extremely excited to hear some new gossip.
“Handle what?”
“The Henry situation. You know everyone is talking about what happened yesterday between him and Morgan. They say she might cancel the wedding so they can get back together.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised by that notion because that was exactly what I expected from this town, but hearing it aloud was like daggers to my soul. How dare Henry put on this big Broadway production in front of everyone? It was pissing me off that Morgan was yet again the topic of discussion.
“They are not getting back together,” I snapped at Millie.
“Okay, chill. So what happened?”
I contemplated telling Millie everything about last night. How I went over to Henry’s house, confronted him about Morgan, and how we made passionate love afterward. But I was not about to tell her the fiasco that happened this morning. Before I knew it, the whole town would be talking about how he dumped me and I wasn’t having any of that. Henry and I were going to be together and I was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure that happened.
“Nothing happened. Henry and I are great.”
Millie looked disappointed about the lack on details. “You gotta give me more than that. The last time I talked to you, you sounded like you were on a mission to shut thangs down.” Millie got into her “spill the tea” pose and waited for me to give her a play-by-play.
“Just know that it’s handled.” I put on a fake smile and headed toward the door. “I’m gonna go grab something to eat. You want anything?”
“No,” Millie said with a major attitude.
I walked out the door and quickly trotted down the street. I had to get out of there before Millie really started prying for details. I loved my best friend, but I needed to work out some kinks before I could give her a full account on Henry’s and my relationship. I wasn’t opposed to lying, but I needed to have a plan in place to make the overall story true.
I walked into Ray’s deli a few minutes later and was immediately irritated at the line that was formed in front of the register. I hated lunch rush and I wasn’t a fan of waiting, but the rumbling in my stomach forced me to stand there. I really wanted those pancakes this morning but Henry’s abrupt self-realization kind of killed that dream. I shifted from side to side, trying to will the line to move faster. My patience was increasingly growing thin and I just decided to leave and grab a burger from Wendy’s down the street. I turned around to walk out the door and I literally bumped into the man behind me. He was a few inches taller than me, athletic build, light skin, and beautiful green eyes. I could definitely tell he wasn’t from around here.
“If the food here is that bad maybe I should consider going to wherever you were rushing off to,” he said as he held on to my arm. He spoke with such professionalism in his voice, like he had been raised around rich white people his whole life. I definitely knew he wasn’t from here.
“I’m sorry. I’m just not a huge fan of lines.” I tried my best to match the way he spoke.
“I understand. Busy women usually don’t have a lot of patience.” He flashed me a smile and I could feel my knees almost give out on me. “The line is actually moving now. If you want to stay, your lunch will be my treat.”
Without saying anything, I turned back around and moved forward in line. I hadn’t the slightest clue who this man was, but he was intriguing and I felt like it couldn’t hurt to find out. Or at least get a free lunch.
“I’m Don by the way,” he whispered in my ear.
The warm, minty air from his breath against my skin made my body quiver. “Janette,” I responded without turning around to face him.
“So, Janette, why is a beautiful, impatient woman like you getting her own lunch?”
“I own a boutique down the street, and I’m not getting my lunch, you are.” I tried to contain my smile but I had to admit that was a good line. Even with all the Henry drama, I still possessed my flirting skills.
“Touché.” He chuckled.
I finally reached the counter and ordered. I debated ordering the most expensive thing on the menu just to see how serious Mr. Don was about purchasing my food, but decided against it. I stepped aside to let him order and pay for the both of us. We walked over to a nearby table top as we waited for our orders.
“So, I assume you aren’t from this neck of the woods.” I couldn’t stop staring into his beautiful green eyes.
“What gave it away?”
“The fact that I don’t know you.” He seemed to be taken aback by my response. I guessed it was the seriousness in my voice. The blessing and the curse of growing up around here was that you knew everybody, so strangers stuck out like a sore thumb.
“Do you know everyone around here?” He chuckled again.
“Just about.” I kept a serious expression.
“Well, then you would be able to tell me the quickest way to HL Car Service.”
The mention of Henry’s business caught me off-guard. I didn’t know what I expected to come out of this man’s mouth but it certainly wasn’t that. The wheels
in my head began to turn and I was interested to see where I could take this.
“Looking to rent a limo out of town?” I wanted to be as subtle as possible.
“I actually have a business meeting with the owner.”
“What business do you have with Henry?” I guessed I only knew how to be subtle for so long. Beating around the bush wasn’t exactly my strong point.
“You do know everyone.”
I didn’t respond, just gave him a slight smile. I prompted him to continue but he hesitated for a minute to tell me anything else.
“If you must know, impatient Janette who owns a boutique down the street, we are going to start a luxury rental service in Atlanta together,” he finally said.
That one statement was like hitting the lottery. My mind started working at cyber speed and I was starting to calculate my next moves. Mr. Don had provided me with all the pawns I needed to start putting this Henry train back in motion after that screeching halt he put on us this morning.
“A luxury rental service? That sounds like the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
Don’s face was priceless. It was a mixture of being offended, shocked, and intrigued. I tried to take a mental picture so I could laugh out loud about it later.
“You know a lot about the car business?”
“I know that Atlanta is a small market. The people who are able to afford those cars either have their own to drive or have an established relationship with a rental service that already exist. It doesn’t seem like a smart investment.”
Don seemed to be paralyzed from what I just laid on him. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking about but I knew that what I said poked at him a little. He seemed like an intelligent businessman who thoroughly thought things through, but if a consumer could plant any sort of doubt in an investor’s head about losing money, they would definitely rethink their agenda. The number of my order was called and I grabbed my food. I glanced over at Don one more time as he still stood there contemplating what I just said.
“Thank you for lunch, and Henry’s office is ten miles west of here.”
Without waiting for a response I walked out the door and headed back to the shop. I had pep in my step and smiled with a sense of accomplishment. I felt like things were going to start going my way again. If Henry didn’t want to be distracted then I would make sure that he was free of all distraction. Now I needed to set my sights on Morgan. Once she was completely out of the picture and back on that plane to London sooner rather than later, things would return to the way they were supposed to be: all about me.
Chapter 18
Morgan
My head was pounding like there were twenty little people inside it, beating against my skull with mini hammers. I didn’t remember much from yesterday after I returned from the bar with Beau. Everything was a blur. I just remembered seeing flashes of my parents, food they tried to make me eat, and then me throwing up in the toilet several times. I didn’t think tequila and I needed to be friends anymore because she definitely wasn’t fond of me. I rolled over in my bed and cringed at the sun hitting my face. This was the worst feeling ever, and on the day I was supposed to pick up Ahvi from the airport. I was never letting Beau talk me into drinking like that again.
I glanced over at my nightstand and noticed a bottle of Advil and a glass of water resting. I slowly sat up in bed and nursed my hangover. I looked at the clock on my cell phone and was thankful it was only nine in the morning. That gave me a few hours to get myself together before I had to leave for the airport. The smell of my mother’s cooking in the air compelled me to get up and head toward the kitchen to try to put something on my stomach.
“Well, look who’s alive,” my father said as he took a sip of his coffee.
I kissed him on the forehead and took a seat at the table. “I feel like death.” I laid my head down on the table and the cool plastic placemat felt so good on my cheek.
“That’s what happens when you go out foolin’ with Beau.” My mother set a cup of black coffee in front of me. “Drink it, you’ll feel better.”
I took a sip without thinking and almost burnt my tongue. As much as I hated to admit it, my mama was right. I should have never gone out drinking with Beau.
Nothing I was supposed to do yesterday got accomplished. I hadn’t prepared for Ahvi, I didn’t write my vows, and I still didn’t find out what was in that box I found under my parents’ bed.
“You gon’ have to get it together, baby, because we got a lot to do.”
I watched as my mama hustled back and forth throughout the kitchen. It was making me dizzy all over again.
“When you get Ahvi, we gotta go over to the church and talk to Pastor Riley, we gotta swing by the floral shop to give a final say on your arrangements, and the family is having a gathering tonight so that everyone can meet your fiancé before the big day.”
I quickly sobered myself up at the mention of the agenda that my mom had prepared today. I was just hoping for a calm meeting with just my parents the first night; now Ahvi had to meet my pastor and my entire family straight off the plane. My stomach dropped and I could feel the remainder of whatever was left in my system slowly creeping up. I wasn’t sure I could handle all this. I wasn’t sure Ahvi could handle all this. I was becoming a nervous wreck.
“Mom, don’t you think that’s a little overwhelming for Ahvi in one day?” I tried to figure out a way we could get rid of some of those events, like the family gathering.
“Honey, this is what happens when you throw a wedding on such short notice.”
“I never wanted the wedding here to begin with.” It slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Both my parents looked at me like I had lost my mind. It wasn’t so much what I said but the disrespectful tone that came behind that alarmed them.
“Now, your mother has been workin’ hard to give you a beautiful wedding. You gon’ do exactly what she says and you gon’ like it.” My father was stern and I felt like I was fifteen again.
“Yes, sir,” was all I could respond with, for fear that I might get the life knocked out of me. I knew it didn’t matter how old I was, my father would still discipline me like I was a child.
I got up from the table and proceeded back to my room. I wanted to try to sober up as much as I could before I had to pick up Ahvi. Today was going to be a long day and I needed every ounce of strength to get through it.
Hours later I awoke from my unconsciousness right in the nick of time to take a shower and be on my way. I had butterflies the whole ride to Atlanta. I was relieved that my folks went to go view my uncle’s body at the funeral home instead of coming with me to the airport. I needed to see Ahvi first before my family could intervene right away.
I arrived a few minutes early and sat in front of the door where people came out of baggage claim. Usually this airport would be extremely busy but it was the middle of the week, early in the day, so I didn’t have the rent-a-cops telling me I had to move my car. I stepped out of the driver’s seat and walked around to lean on the hood of my car. I wanted to be sure that Ahvi saw me immediately. My legs were shaking the whole time and I tried to keep my heart rate steady. This was the moment of truth. There was no turning back once Ahvi came through those doors. I began twiddling my thumbs, trying to keep myself calm.
“Well, aren’t you a vision.” Ahvi’s voice sounded like heaven.
I couldn’t contain my excitement. I let out a loud screech and jumped into Ahvi’s arms. It felt so good to be back in the presence of my love again and I planted the most passionate kiss I could muster on Ahvi’s lips. “I missed you so much,” I said in between kisses.
“I’ve missed you too.” We continued our kiss for what felt like only a few seconds. I wanted to stand there and kiss on Ahvi all day, but I knew we had to finally face my family. We finally parted and I began to gather the bags from the ground.
“So have you told them yet?” Ahvi didn’t waste any time as I put the luggage in the trunk.
I hesitated before I answered the question. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it alone.” I was too ashamed to look Ahvi in the face because I knew it had a look of disappointment on it.
“How awkward is this going to be for me?” Ahvi had always been the stronger of the two of us, so I was only thinking about how I would handle introducing Ahvi to my parents.
“What was I supposed to do?” I began to whine like a baby. Ahvi always found this annoying but it was the only tactic I had left.
“You were supposed to be honest with them.”
I felt so bad having this conversation face to face. We had talked about this for a long time and I still hadn’t mustered up the courage to be truthful with my parents. Now I had brought my fiancé into a very uncomfortable situation, not only with my mom and dad, but with my entire family. A tear began to roll down my face and Ahvi hugged me close and tried to console me.
“It’s okay, love. I’m here now. We’ll get through it together.”
After a few moments of embracing, we separated from each other and proceeded to get in the car. I knew that this very long weekend was about to get even longer. The moment of truth was finally here and I had to go home and tell my family that the man I was in love with and was planning on spending the rest of my life with was a woman.
Chapter 19
Henry
I knew I said I was up for scoping out the competition but I was not in the mood for it today. Yesterday went from the worst to the best back to the worst day of my life. I thought everything was in order for my deal with Don until he came to my office unsure about the investment. He was going on and on about how he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do and he needed more time to look at everything. I couldn’t understand it. When I spoke with him over the phone he seemed excited about the venture and ready to work with me. I didn’t know what changed his mind from that phone call to the office meeting. Now Beau and I were sitting at the airport like some undercover detective agents, looking for a dude we had never seen before.
All in a Day Page 9
