by Tina Martin
“Is she here today?”
“No. She’s been out of town all week. She’s due back on Monday.”
“Then I guess I’ll talk to her on Monday,” Preston said, standing.
“You’re going to bat for Tamera. She must be special.”
“She is,” Preston said before reaching for the door handle and leaving Damien’s office.
* * *
“How was The Taste of the Beach?” Natalie asked, sitting across from Preston in the conference room nearest to his office. Not only was she there. The rest of the street team was there too – all ten of them, waiting for Preston to begin the meeting. Only thing was, he’d zoned out.
In an effort to snap some life back into him, Natalie attempted to engage him in conversation since this was the first real meeting they’d had since he came back from the beach on Tuesday.
“Preston?” she said.
He looked up at her. “Sorry, were you talking to me?”
“Yes. I was asking about the festival. Did you enjoy it?”
“I did. I didn’t want it to end.” Shifting into work mode, he looked around the table and asked, “Is everyone here?”
“Yep.”
“Okay, then let’s get started.” He glanced down at his notes and said, “First of all, I know the street team is stretched pretty thin, but I need a volunteer for a children’s literary event. Whoever wants to do it, I’ll get all the information to you by the end of the day. It’s somewhere here in Uptown on Saturday.”
One of the guys volunteered and Preston kept it moving.
“Also, the Charlotte Knights home opener is coming up in a couple of weeks.”
“You’ve already assigned that one to me,” Wilson said.
“I did?”
“Yeah, right before you left for the Outer Banks.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Well, that’s all I have unless any of you have concerns that need to be addressed.” When no one said anything, he said, “All right, then enjoy the rest of your day.”
Preston took a deep breath and dropped his head after his team filed out of the conference room. How was he ever going to get any work done when he couldn’t get Tamera off of his mind?
He’d sent her roses yesterday. He didn’t expect to hear anything from her, but still thought it would be a nice gesture to express his feelings. He was sorry for everything that went down. Sorry for hurting her. But his efforts to make the situation right weren’t working.
Chapter 26
Tamera got up Friday morning around ten. She was supposed to be at work – probably why she had three missed calls from her manager. She’d been up late last night, drafting an official resignation letter:
To: Irene Jefferson
County Health Department Supervisor
Food Service Division
From: Tamera Alexander
Dear Mrs. Jefferson,
I am writing this letter to inform you that I am resigning my position as Restaurant Health Inspector, effective immediately.
The decision was a difficult one, especially since it’s not in my nature to resign from anything. However, I am looking forward to my future and whatever it brings….
___________
Her plan was to take it to work this morning, not oversleep, but even after she finished the letter around midnight, she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of Preston. She liked him, really liked him – probably why getting over the betrayal she felt was a tough feat.
But, one thing at a time. She had to address Irene first. Taking her cell phone from the nightstand, she dialed Irene’s desk number.
“Hey, where are you?” Irene answered.
“I’m home.”
“Were you off today and I forgot to put it on my calendar, or—?”
“No. I’m not coming back, Irene. I quit.”
“You what!”
“I’ll bring in the resignation letter at some point today. That’ll explain things. Until then, thanks for the opportunity.”
Irene went quiet, speechless, so Tamera hung up the phone. A smile touched her lips. Quitting wasn’t as bad as she thought it might be. She felt free, like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. If everything happened for a reason, maybe that review she wrote on Central Grub House was the beginning of her new life.
* * *
Later in the evening after she’d dropped off the resignation letter at the health department and returned home, picking up lunch on the way, she called Tyson. Sitting on the couch with the TV turned down low, she heard his voice come across her speakerphone:
“Hey, lil’ girl.”
“Hey, Tyson.”
“Listen, I’ve been meaning to apologize to you about last weekend.”
“No need.”
“No. There is a need. I was out of line. If you like the guy, the least I could do was give him a fair shake. I didn’t understand that until Gabrielle talked some sense into me.”
“Yeah,” she said. She was too ashamed to admit that Tyson was right about Preston.
“So, what’s up?”
“I quit my job today.”
“Which one?”
“At the health department.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I did it. I quit.”
“You’re finally deciding to pursue writing at the magazine full time, huh?”
“No. I actually want to pursue writing full time for myself. I’ve had enough of working for other people. I want to be free to do my own thing.”
“So are you telling me you quit the magazine, too?”
“Actually, I didn’t quit the magazine. I was fired.”
“Fired? Level with me, Tamera. What’s going on?”
“It’s a long story, Tyson. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Then try.”
She hated to do it, but she brought up the article again. She told Tyson how Preston’s initial goal when they met was to get her to take the article down or amend it. Said it wasn’t a coincidence he was covering the Outer Banks food festival even though he said it was. It had all been planned. Preston was using her to get the review taken down.
“Hmm,” Tyson said, thinking about how serious Preston was when he spoke to him about Tamera. He seemed genuine even though he didn’t want to admit it at the time. “Are you sure about all of this, Tamera?”
“Yes. You called it. I was just too dumb to see it.”
“You’re not dumb. Stop calling yourself that. And, by the way, how do you know if any of this is true. Did you talk to him?”
“Yes. I told him I never wanted to see him again. We have nothing to talk about.”
“Baby girl, you were coming to his defense when I was against him liking you. Now, you just toss him aside with no regard?”
“I’m not tossing him aside.” Tamera adjusted her position on the couch. “I realize you were right, Tyson. I’m gullible when it comes to men. I never know which ones have good intentions. So screw it. I’m happy being single. I don’t need the complications of a man to add any excitement to my life. History shows, I’ll only end up getting hurt.”
Tyson heard the break in her voice and frowned.
Tamera sniffled and said, “Um, anyway, I was thinking about coming back there this weekend. It’s not like I have a life or anything else to do.”
“Are you staying with us, this time?”
“Yeah. I need to be around family. People who love me.”
“Then come on over, sis. You know you’re always welcome at my house and you can stay for as long as you want.”
“Thanks, Tyson. I may have to take you up on that offer. Anyway, I’m driving this time. I’ll be leaving in a few hours, so I’ll get there sometime tonight. I still need to put all my stuff in the car.”
“Okay. Just take your time. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Chapter 27
Preston took out his cell phone and flipped throug
h the pictures he’d taken last weekend at the festival until he found the one he liked the most. Unbeknownst to Tamera, he’d taken several pictures of her while they were at the festival, but the one he adored was the photo he’d snapped of her while they were lying in bed together, in his room. She’d fallen asleep before him and he stared at her, admiring her body at rest. Her soft breathing. The way her chest rose and fell as delicately as a flower pedal dwindling to the ground. He wanted to capture the moment. He knew he would never forget it, but just in case, he had this picture. This memory.
When his secretary called his desk phone, he pressed the speakerphone button.
“Yes, Daphne?”
“Sir, I have Tyson Alexander on the line for you. He said it was urgent.”
Preston frowned. Urgent. He was sure Tyson was ready to tear his head off right about now, especially if Tamera told him what had happened. “Send it through,” he told Daphne and when she connected the call, he said, “Hi, Tyson.”
“Just as I was starting to give you the benefit of the doubt, you do the one thing I told you not to do. You hurt my sister. She wouldn’t give me all the details. She didn’t want to tell me anything at all. The only reason she brought it up was because I asked her about you. I actually apologized to her for the way I behaved when you two were here at my house for dinner. But now, I see I had just cause to react the way I did.”
Preston leaned back in his chair. “I never meant to hurt Tamera and I’ve tried to apologize to her several times. She won’t listen to me.”
“Why should she?”
“Tyson, I mean no disrespect but I don’t owe you any explanation. It’s your sister I want, and I intend to find a way to make that happen whether you like it or not.”
Tyson could appreciate his bold response. Preston wasn’t a man who easily backed down. He liked that. Reminded him a little of himself.
“All right. I get it. What you need to understand is my sister respects me and values my opinion. If you have any chance of getting back with her, I need to know what happened. I didn’t get the full story from her. I’m hoping I can get it from you.”
Preston sighed heavily. He didn’t want to involve Tyson in his personal business with Tamera, but if it would help to get her back, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. “Okay, here’s what happened. My sister approached me about a review Tamera wrote for her restaurant. I didn’t think it was a big deal. She did. So she wanted to come up with a plan to get the review taken down. Then, out of the blue, she sends me an email of an article she’d started writing, hoping I could add to it and publish it in Charlotte Recreational in hopes of discrediting Tamera and getting her fired from Charlotte Magazine. I had no intentions of adding anything to it. In fact, I didn’t even read it until a few days ago.”
“Tell me this…did you plan to come to the Outer Banks last weekend and did you book that hotel because you knew Tamera was staying there?”
“I had no idea she would be there. As a matter of fact, I had my secretary make all of my travel arrangements. The only reason I decided to cover the festival was because my employee who was scheduled to cover it had completely forgotten about it, and I didn’t want to make her go. She’s pregnant with her first child and had some other business to attend to. I didn’t have anything to do, so I took the assignment.”
Preston blew a breath, then continued, “I like Tamera. The few days I spent with her were the best time I’ve had in a while. I told you I liked your sister right out of the gate, Tyson. I know you love her. I understand how it is to be an older brother, which is why I try to help my own sister and keep her out of harm’s way, but even so, right is right and wrong is wrong. What my sister did was wrong, and I explained that to her.”
“Well, you blew it big time with Tamera.” Tyson chuckled.
“I know.”
“Lucky for you, I believe you. Unfortunately, trying to get a woman back after you’ve thoroughly pissed her off is not an easy task.”
“If I can get a few minutes to talk to her—”
“That’s the thing. Seems my sister has had some sort of life-changing experience…probably all that crap you and your sister did to her.”
“What do you mean?”
“She told me she got fired from the magazine.”
“Well, I’m working on trying to get her job back. I explained to her manager what happened and—”
“Don’t even bother. She’s also quit her job at the county health department.”
Preston frowned. “What?”
“She’s on her way to my house for the weekend. I have no idea how long she’s staying. Guess I’ll get a better understanding when she’s actually here.”
“Is she okay?”
“Don’t know. What I do know is, my sister likes you. That’s the only reason I decided to call you. When she told me about what happened between you two, she was a little broken up.”
Preston didn’t like the sound of that. Seeing tears in her eyes when he last saw her had touched him. “So she’s on her way to your house, and you don’t know when she’s coming back to Charlotte,” he said.
“That’s correct. She didn’t say. My question to you is, what are you going to do about it?”
Preston smiled. “Looks like I’ll be heading back to the Outer Banks.”
“Good. Then, I’ll make all the arrangements.”
Chapter 28
“I love watching you cook,” Tamera said sitting at the island, looking at Tyson cooking breakfast. The commotion from the kitchen disturbed her sleep on the living room sofa, so she decided to watch him while sipping on a hot cup of coffee.
Tyson grinned. “And all these years, I thought it was the end result you loved.”
“That, too,” she said, smiling. “You talk to Mom and Dad lately?”
“Yeah. They’re planning a trip down here soon. Dad said Mom has been dying to see the kids.”
“I bet.” Tamera sipped more coffee. “What are you making?”
“Just a basic breakfast. Scrambled eggs. Sausage. Cheese grits. T.J. loves cheese grits.”
She smiled. “He must get that from his auntie.”
Tyson glanced back at her, then placed a frying pan on the stove. “Are you sure about quitting the health department job?”
“Yeah,” she giggled. “It’s done.”
“But it seems like you did it on a whim without giving it much thought.”
“Whatever the case, I quit. I couldn’t go back now if I wanted to, and believe me when I say I do not want to.”
“So, what’s your plan?”
“My plan is to start my own website. That way, I can write what I want.”
“I’m not trying to rain on your parade, baby girl. In fact, I’m thrilled you want to go in business for yourself, but it takes years for a website, especially one like you’re planning, to become a profitable business venture.”
“I know. That’s the part I still haven’t figured out.”
“Have you saved up?”
“I have a little to survive off of for a while, but I’ll probably have to get a part-time job to support myself.”
“You know I can give you some money, Tamera.”
“I know, but I’m not looking for a handout.”
Tyson grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped his hands. He took the eggs he’d whipped up off of the stove. Looking at Tamera, he said, “You’ve always been stubborn. You know that?”
“I’m not stubborn. I just want to work for what I want. I don’t want anyone giving me anything.”
“I’m your brother.”
Her eyes brightened. “You are? I didn’t realize that,” she joked.
“Seriously, Tamera. I want to help. If you want to look at it as a loan, by all means, but don’t let your pride keep you from reaching your goals. You think I got in the position I’m in alone? Granted, it took a lot of hard work on my part, but I had help.”
“You stuck with it, too. Now my brother is a big ti
me chef. Amazing.”
Changing the subject, Tyson said, “Let’s talk about Preston Michaels for a moment.”
She instantly felt knots form in her stomach. “Let’s not.”
“Tamera—”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Tyson.”
“Why not? Because you really like him?”
“No,” she said.
He laughed. “The fact that you don’t want to talk about him tells me you like him.”
“He’s a liar.”
“You said it yourself that you didn’t give him time to explain.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “So what?”
Tyson exhaled sharply. “Remember back when Gabrielle was pregnant with T.J. and all the drama surrounding it?”
“Yeah.”
“I had falsely accused Gabrielle of sleeping with Dilvan because of a rumor. You tried to tell me I was making a mistake, but I was so angry and beyond consoling that I didn’t listen…almost lost my wife.”
She nodded.
“I don’t want that to happen to you. Yes, I’m overprotective because I saw what Mark did to you and every time I think about it, I feel guilty. I won’t let that happen again, but I also feel I would be doing you a great disservice if I didn’t step in and help you like you stepped in and helped me. Preston is a decent man. I know that. I knew that from the start. I just didn’t want to give him a chance because, again, I’m protective of my little sister.”
“And now, you’ve changed your mind about Preston?” she questioned.
“Yes, and you need to do the same thing. Give him a chance to explain his position.”
“Why? Why should I do that, Tyson?”
“Because you love him.”
“I—”
“Don’t try to deny it. I know you better than you think I do, Tamera.”
