Betting On Love (11 page)
Authors: Cheris Hodges
James bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything. He couldn't wait until his brother found out the real reason behind the party. “Are you still coming by the office?” he asked.
“Damn, I forgot all about that,” Maurice said. “I wanted to take my wife to lunch, but it looks like she couldn't wait for me today.”
Kenya rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Neither of you told me how Vegas was.”
Maurice chuckled. “I know one of us had more fun than the other. Isn't that right, James?”
As if on cue, James's cell phone rang. He looked down at the caller ID and saw that it was Jade. “Hello,” he said as he stepped out of the office.
“Hi, James,” Jade said. “Sorry about earlier.”
“You were on my mind, and I decided to call,” he said.
“I'm glad you did. I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten all about me.”
“How could I ever do that?” he said. “What did Nat King Cole say? âYou're unforgettable.'”
“James,” she said, and he could imagine her blushing on the other end of the line.
“Did you have a good meeting?”
“Yes, and I'm going to be in Charlotte tomorrow. Do you think we can see each other?”
“Sure. Well, I have a meeting in the morning, but I can clear my schedule in the afternoon.”
“Good.”
“Just good? I was hoping for great or you telling me that you're jumping for joy,” James quipped.
“I love how humble you are,” she shot back.
“That's just my way. How long are you going to be in Charlotte?”
“Just for the day. I don't want to spoil your trip to Atlanta. You know what they say about too much of a good thing,” she said.
“That it's never enough.”
“You're so funny. It's really good to hear your voice,” she said in a serious tone. “Part of me wondered if Las Vegas was just a beautiful dream that I'd woken up from three days ago.”
“It was no dream, because if it were, I'd still be asleep. We had fun in Vegas, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the real you and showing you the real me,” he said.
“James,” Maurice called from the hallway outside of Kenya's office. “We need to talk.”
“Duty calls. I'll see you tomorrow,” James said into his phone.
“I'm looking forward to it,” Jade replied before hanging up.
James turned to his brother. “What's so damned important?”
“Try and talk her out of this party thing,” Maurice whispered.
“How about no?”
“Come on, James,” Maurice pleaded. “I don't feel like standing in front of a room of people celebrating my road to retirement.”
“Where is all this coming from? You haven't lost a step. You guys made it to the NFC championship game last season, and if it wasn't for the quarterback getting hurt, y'all probably would've won a second Super Bowl.”
Maurice leaned against the wall and looked at his brother. “We got a new coaching staff coming in, and from what I hear, Coach Lukeman runs the ball more than he passes it.”
“All right, but everyone knows that you're the star of this team,” James said. “There's no way the new coach is going to bench or trade you.”
Maurice shrugged his shoulders. “There's no way to know that. That's the nature of the NFL. Kenya really loves it in Charlotte. What happens if I get traded?”
“Did you see something on ESPN this morning that put you in this funk?” James asked.
“Yeah. I saw who Carolina named as the head coach.”
“You don't know what that man is going to do. Don't ruin this for Kenya. She really wants to give you this party.”
“Why? You know what? It doesn't matter. If she wants to give me this party, then I'm going to party. You bringing your Vegas babe to the shindig?”
“Maybe,” James said. “And thanks for interrupting my phone call with your melodrama.”
“Oh, you two have been talking since all that sex in Vegas?” Maurice grinned. “You know what they say. You can't turn aâ”
“Don't go there. Jade and I are getting to know each other, and I think I'm going to like her. Therefore, you're going to have to respect her.”
Maurice threw his hands up in surrender. “My bad, player. But let me speak from experience. Don't let a big butt and a smile get you into something you can't get out of.”
“This isn't Lauryn Michaels we're talking about,” James said. “Jade doesn't have a golden shovel in her hand.”
Kenya walked out into the hallway. “Is this a meeting of the all-boys club?”
“No,” Maurice said as he wrapped his arms around Kenya's waist. “My brother fell in love with vacation booty.”
“You married vacation booty,” James shot back. “No offense, Kenya.”
“Totally different circumstances,” Maurice said. “We have history.”
“Leave James alone,” Kenya said. “People find love in unexpected places. I have a meeting in Matthews. Will you guys lock up?”
Maurice kissed his wife on the cheek. “You know I will.”
“I'm going to get out of here, too,” James said. Then he pointed at Maurice. “You need to come by the office. There are some things you need to sign, and Amber wants you to sign a football for a sorority auction.”
“All right. I'll stop by after my workout,” Maurice said.
James watched as Kenya and Maurice walked to the elevator, hand in hand. His brother didn't know how lucky he was. James couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever settle down and have a family.
CHAPTER 12
The next morning Jade met her friends at Kandace's office. She was excited about going to Charlotte, but it had nothing to do with their meeting with the realty company. She couldn't wait to see James. Then again, what if he was totally different in his real life? Would they have the same passion that they'd had in Vegas?
What if Serena and Alicia are right? No, James and I are starting something special, and despite what my friends say, we're going to be fine,
she thought as she parked her car and got out.
she thought as she parked her car and got out.
“It's about time you got here,” Serena said. “Are we ready to go now?”
“I'm going to drive myself,” Jade said.
“Somebody must have made other plans,” Alicia said.
Kandace smiled and nodded at Jade. “You know what? You and Serena need to stop being haters and let Jade enjoy whatever she and this guy are doing. She deserves to be happy.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Serena said. “Can we just get going? Some of us don't want to spend all day in Charlotte.”
Jade rolled her eyes and shook her head as she got back into her car. To her surprise, Serena climbed into the passenger seat.
“Just so you know,” Jade said as she started the car, “I will leave you on the side of the road if you start talking crap about me and James.”
“Oh, shut up. I hope this will be your wake-up call,” Serena said. “I have nothing else to say about this thing you're doing with a man you know nothing about.”
“I knew a lot about Stephen, and where did that get me?”
“Touché.”
As they drove to Charlotte, Serena kept her word and didn't say anything about James. “I heard the price of the restaurant went up to a million dollars. Do you think Stephen can afford that?” Serena asked after they'd driven for about an hour.
“Not according to the books that I saw last. He could've gotten a loan, but Stephen doesn't have the best record of paying people, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I know,” Serena said. “For every one person who thinks Stephen is the cat's meow, there are four people he owes money to. I had no idea when you first started dating him that he was such a louse.”
“Well, I should've known that he was a piece of crap when Alicia told me that he'd hit on her. I really thought Stephen and I were building something,” Jade said as she gently chewed on her bottom lip.
“I know I'm not supposed to say anything, but don't you think you're making the same mistake again? You and this guy had a wonderful weekend in Las Vegas, but you live in Atlanta, and he lives in Charlotte. If he casually slept with you the way he did, then there's a chance he may have a stable of women in Charlotte as well.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “If that's the case, why does he want to see me? If he has all these women, don't you think he'd get all the sex he wanted from them?”
“You can't think this is more than sex,” Serena said in a matter-of-fact manner.
“Don't worry about what I think. This is my business and my love life. Maybe if you had one of your own, thenâ”
“Please don't go there,” Serena snapped. “Unlike you, I don't need a man for validation or safety. Maybe you should go see a therapist about your issues.”
Jade slammed on the brakes, despite the fact that they were driving up Interstate 85. The car behind them darted into the next lane, and the driver flipped Jade off after leaning on the horn.
“Have you lost your damned mind?” Serena demanded.
“You have nerve saying I have issues when you treat men like disposable diapers. So, I didn't have the best parents in the world, but that has nothing to do with ... Just shut up,” Jade said as she pressed down on the gas pedal.
“Look, I'm sorry,” Serena said. “I didn't mean to sound as if I was judging you.”
“I'm driving.” Jade reached for the volume button on the radio and turned it up.
Serena turned and looked out the window.
James walked into his office at about 7:30 a.m. Shortly after he arrived, Amber walked in with muffins and a box of coffee cups from Starbucks.
“Good morning,” she said. “I thought we'd feed the people who are going to make us millionaires.”
“We haven't made any deals yet,” James said. “What kind of muffins are those?”
“Blueberry and banana-nut,” she said. “The coffee is hazelnut.”
James smiled and nodded with approval. “What would I do without you?”
She shrugged and headed for the conference room to arrange the coffee and muffins. Glancing down at his watch, James saw that he had time to call the owners of the restaurant and try to negotiate a better price for the property before the investors from Atlanta arrived. He wanted to get this meeting over with as soon as possible because he couldn't wait to see Jade when she came to town.
“Amber,” James called out. “Can you get me a lunch reservation at Ruth's Chris?”
“Yes, sir. Are you taking these people to lunch?”
“No, this is personal,” he said, with a sly smile.
She walked into his office and eyed him, as if he'd been replaced by an alien. “Personal? As in you have a date? What's really going on?”
“Wait a minute,” James said as he rose to his feet. “Why are you having such a hard time believing that I have a date?”
Amber shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I've been here for two years, and I have yet to see you with a date.”
“Unlike my brother, my love life isn't often plastered across the newspapers,” James said. But the truth was, he didn't take women out. The few women he had dated in Charlotte hadn't moved him to set up lunch dates or anything that didn't involve a bedroom. But there was something different about Jade, something special. He just hoped that she had given up her quest to bring Stephen Carter down. Karma would take care of that slick bastard. However, James would introduce her to Kenya, who was a lawyer. Maybe she could help Jade recover her money.
Why didn't I think of this before?
he thought. James picked up his desk phone and dialed Kenya's office.
he thought. James picked up his desk phone and dialed Kenya's office.
“Kenya Goings,” a woman said in an ultraprofessional voice.
“Good morning, Mrs. Goings,” James said.
“James, what's going on?” Kenya asked.
“I have a friend that I think you can help,” James said. Then he began to tell her Jade's story.
“Wow! Women still do that stuff?” Kenya said when James was finished. “It doesn't matter how in love people think they are, there is a reason for contracts. I wouldn't even go into business with Maurice, and I'm about to have his baby.”
“Well, I don't know how Stephen conned her into doing that, but that man is the same fool that tried to make my mother's desserts his own.”
“I remember that. So, Stephen Carter is still at it,” she said. “Tell your friend to call me. And I'll even make sure the
AJC
covers it.”
AJC
covers it.”
“I'm sure she will be happy to hear that,” James said. “How are you doing?”
“I had to battle morning sickness this morning, but your brother was working out in the basement, so he doesn't have a clue.”
“Are you sure you want to wait until his birthday party to tell him you're pregnant?”
Kenya sighed. “Yes. It's only a few days away, and hopefully, it will get him out of this funk he's in.”
“Yeah, he was telling me about that. He's worried about this off-season and what the new coach is going to do.”
“I just hope he doesn't get traded, because I don't want to leave Charlotte right now. Well, I have to go. My first client is here and on time.”
“All right,” he said, then hung up the phone. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 9:45. He wondered if his meeting was going to start on time.
It did. At exactly 10:00 a.m., Amber walked into his office to let him know that the investors from Atlanta had arrived.
“And they really are all women,” she said in a whisper.
James stood, straightened his tie, and nodded toward Amber. “Well, let's go. I hope they brought a cashier's check. I talked to Roderick, and he said he's ready to get rid of this property.”
Amber smiled, secretly hoping that this deal would go down and she'd be able to purchase a loft in NoDa, Charlotte's arts district.
They walked down the narrow hall and into the conference room. When James looked around the room and saw the familiar faces, he shook his head. “Is this a joke?” he asked. Then his eyes locked with Jade's. Trepidation flickered in her brown eyes as she stood up.
“What are you doing here, James?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“This is my company. The bigger question is, what are you all doing here?” said James.
Kandace dropped her head in her hands. “This is so not happening. I had no idea that you were the owner of this realty company.”
“Seems like someone should've done a little more research,” Serena said cattily.
“Oh, shut up,” Kandace shot back.
James held his hand up. “Ladies,” he said, “we can still make this purchase happen. I spoke to Roderick Harrison, one of the owners of the property, and he and the others are ready to sell. The price is one and a half million.”
Kandace pulled out a financial statement. “That's a lot more than this building is worth.”
“But it's a lot more than Stephen can afford,” Alicia said.
Jade shook her head, trying to quiet her friend.
James turned to Amber. “Can you excuse us for one moment?”
Amber nodded, but her face was a ball of confusion. James knew he was going to have to explain everything to Amber later. Once she was out of the room, James slammed the door shut and cast a contemptuous glance at Jade and her friends.
“Just what in the hell is going on? Did you all have me waste my time trying to secure this property for you all in order for you to get it out of Stephen Carter's price range?” James slammed his hand against the table. “Do you realize how much time I wasted because you all want to play high school games?”
“Who said we don't have the money to buy this restaurant?” Serena asked, rising to her feet.
“Sit down,” Jade said. “James, I had noâ”
“What? You had no what?” James bellowed. “I told you that I didn't want anything to do with your little scheme, and what did you do? You put me right in the middle of this shit. Roderick lists a lot of his properties with us.”
“And what's your point?” Serena snapped.
“Get the hell out of my office!” James exclaimed.
“Wait,” Jade said. “We can purchase this restaurant.” She looked to Kandace. “We have the capital for it, right?”
“So you're going to buy this restaurant and do what with it?” James asked heatedly. “It's in the center of a revitalization project that needs a restaurant, even if it is Stephen Carter's.”
“You know what?” Alicia said. “We never said that we weren't going to keep a restaurant there. Your concern shouldn't be what we're going to do with the property, but if we can pay for it.”
“My concern is for this project and this city,” James said. “The revitalization of Cherry is important in more ways than one to this city.”
“Whatever,” Serena said. “I'm sure you're going to get a profit from this sale, so don't act like you're being Mr. Community Nonprofit.”
“Serena, I really don't give a damn what you think. All of you get the hell out of my office,” James stormed.
Kandace, Alicia, and Serena headed for the door. Jade lingered behind, hoping to appeal to James on a different level. She reached out and touched James's arm. He jerked away from her as if her hand were a flame.
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