Pretty Fly for a White Guy: The Complete Series Collection (35 page)

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I was so upset because Desmond needed an ass kicking. But I was growing weary of the drama and the public scenes. We’d been through enough and we were at the point where we didn’t have to do things like that anymore. He and I weren’t together, he was engaged, and it was time for us to stop this cycle of nonsense. I could only imagine what Amanda must have been thinking about everything. She didn’t need the added stress, she deserved better.

“Geesh, I thought that you would have been happy Nicole,” Patrice mumbled.

“Sorry for being so snappy, it’s just all too much to handle.”

“We understand,” Jasmine said.

#Chapter5

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so speechless in one night before,”

Nicole

About 5 minutes later both of my friends were in cabs, and I was about to get into the next one. Before I got inside of it Michael held the door open for me.

“Do you mind if I take the cab with you? My hotel is close to your place,” he said.

“I don’t mind at all, hop on in,” I said, “You’re not going to look after your brother?”

“No need for that, Amanda is going to take him home. I think he had a bit too much liquor which made him tense.”

“Crazy night huh?” I said after we told the driver where we were headed.

“You think?” He asked.

I laughed at his sarcasm, “So what did Kenneth say about it?”

“Well he did his own version of explaining who Desmond was, and I think his residual anger mixed with the alcohol caused him to explode. He just needs to go home and sleep it off.”

“I agree with you there. He’s no longer allowed to drink in public. He’s been flying off of the handle a lot and he couldn’t wait to really punch Desmond in the face.”

“But you know how Kenneth is,” Michael said, “He is always over protective about the people that he loves. He can’t let anything go, he’s been like that since he was a kid. I’ll never forget when he tried to fight one of my friends for elbowing me by mistake during a basketball game. He was so tiny, and no one took him seriously but he landed a punch straight to my friend’s balls,” Michael laughed.

“Ouch! That’s terrible,” I laughed.

“Yeah, it took a while for me to patch that friendship up.”

I wondered what exactly that meant. Kenneth cared for me but not enough to marry me, so he didn’t have a right to be upset with someone else over me.

“I can only imagine,” I said automatically.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“I’m doing my best but tonight was very confusing for me. Kenneth keeps sending mixed signals, and I’m growing tired of not knowing where we stand,” I replied honestly.

“Kenneth still loves you,” he said with certainty, “He loves you much more than he loves Amanda. He loves you in ways that he will probably never love her.”

“What makes you say something like that?” I asked.

“Tonight proved it. I know my brother. He wouldn’t do that for anyone else but you, me, and our parents. Have you ever seen him act like that about anyone but you?”

I gave it some serious thought, and I realized that Michael was correct. The only time Kenneth lost his cool was when it was over me. He didn’t even act out like that over money, and he loved money.
 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so speechless in one night before,” I said, “All of the back and forth is driving me insane.”

“I thought it was funny that the first thing that he suggested when I got back was that I come and see you, he never even mentioned Amanda. You’re the first thing on his mind in the morning, and you’re the first person in his head when important things in his life happen,” he said.

“I don’t know about that,” I said in disbelief.

“Has he ever mentioned anything to you about what actually happened in New York?”

“No, he doesn’t talk about it. I mean he brought back a huge souvenir, so I have a pretty good idea of what he was doing,” I joked.

“He was in really bad shape when he arrived. He told me a little bit about what happened with you two, but he really didn’t go into depth, he was too hurt to speak of it. He began hitting bars and partying really hard to get over it. I was worried about him for a little while because he was ignoring his clients, and I’ve never known him to do something like that.”

I soaked in everything that Michael was saying, I knew that he was going through a tough time in New York, but I had no idea just how bad things were for him. The trouble that Josh caused for us had a severe chain reaction.

“Yeah, he definitely didn’t tell me that,” I said.

“He met Amanda at a party and he really wasn’t interested in her initially until he heard that her father was looking for new accountants for his portfolio of companies. He wined and dined her after that and convinced her to put in a good word for him, she did, and he got the contract.”

I shook my head as he was speaking because I confirmed what I believed from the very beginning.

I said the only thing that came to my head, “Wow.”

“
Exactly, he didn’t want anything serious with her at all. It was only when her father told him to prove that he was serious about his daughter that Kenneth realized that he may lose the contract. In that moment the only thing that he could do was propose. In my opinion, he rushed into it all, and he wasn’t thinking straight. He made a rash decision that he’s paying for deeply.”  

I felt a twinge of excitement because I was now sure he didn’t really love Amanda. Not deeply anyway. He wanted me, and he was a victim of circumstance especially with the Cancer situation. It felt good in that moment to be right, but my friend’s commentary kept playing in my head. His reasoning didn’t matter because he was still going through with the marriage. He’d made a choice, and it didn’t matter why he was making it.

I leaned my head on the cool glass and did my best to process my thoughts, “Can we talk about something else? All of this is giving me a horrible headache.”

“
Okay, we can talk about how proud I am of you,” he said.

“Really?”

“Definitely, I remember when you were begging boutiques to try your services. Now you have to beat them off with a stick. Most of Atlanta is wearing clothes that you handpicked for them. If that isn’t special, I don’t know what is. I think you’re outgrowing this space,” he said.

“That seems like such a long time ago but I can remember how frustrating it was. I’ll never forget the first contract that I closed; I celebrated almost every night for a week. I put my all into that one and then things took off. I don’t know if I’ve outgrown Atlanta, there are still quite a few places that I want to get into. I’m putting together my plans for them now.”

“I love your drive, you’re always thinking of bigger and better. Mark my words; you are going to be ridiculously rich someday. I see creative editor for a major magazine in your future,” he professed.

My heart swelled with pride. That was a secret dream of mine that I never told anyone about, and also I wanted to be a buyer for a major luxury retail store like Bergdorf Goodman. For now I was just focusing on creating a strong hold in Atlanta. Eventually I would spread out, and I was already considering hiring on a buyer to work beneath me but I wasn’t quite ready for an employee just yet. Some day I hoped that I could fulfill that dream but it was never going to be easy. My mother always told me that when you are black you need to work twice as hard to get ahead and I definitely think she was right.

“Thank you, I needed to hear that. Sometimes it’s so easy to focus on the chaos surrounding you that you forget where you’ve come from. I’m doing pretty well, and I’m farther than I thought I would be at this point in my life,” I admitted.

“Yep, just don’ forget the little people like me,” he said.

“Oh please, you’re the man. If anything I’m hoping to make enough money to afford you. I could use some business consulting,” I said.

“Why didn’t you just ask? We can set something up for next week, at no charge.”

“Are you serious? I don’t ask my friend’s for free or discounted services because I understand the business.”

“I’m very serious, and you didn’t ask, I offered, so you’re still being true to yourself,” he said with a smirk.

I was giddy on the inside, and my night had taken a turn for the better. He was one of the best business consultants that I knew. He catapulted businesses into success, when he came in and streamlined their processes. I knew that there would be a lot of work ahead of me, but I was going to implement everything that he suggested. Some people devalue free advice, but I knew that his advice was worth it's weight in gold.

“You just made my night!” I exclaimed as we pulled up to my condo.

“I have to say one more thing before you get out of the car,” he said seriously.

“Oh? What’s up?”

“I don’t think that Amanda is the nice angelic person that she makes herself out to be. I’ve heard some stories about her in New York where she used to live. I won’t say much more outside of that,” he said.

I wanted to press him for more information, but it was clear that he didn’t want to share anymore. He’d already given me a lot more information than I had asked for. Besides, none of it was going to change my circumstances. I had to focus on the things that I could control in my life, and this wasn’t one of them.

“Well thank you for everything,” I said.

“I haven’t done anything yet. But thank you for coming out tonight, we’ll talk soon.”

I kissed him on the cheek and headed to my door. He made sure that the driver stayed until I was safely inside. He was a real gentleman, and I didn’t understand why in the hell he was still single. I wondered if he was interested in Patrice because they could make a great couple. Her budding relationship had fizzled out, and she was back on the market. I planned on playing the role of matchmaker in the not so distant future.

*

Four weeks later and it was only a few days before the wedding.  I was doing my best to try to forget that it was right around the corner. Michael had given me plenty to focus on, and so it wasn’t that difficult. He ripped my business plan apart, and we went back to the basics. I was also not just bringing on one buyer and stylist but 3. He also scolded me for hoarding money and not putting it back into my business. It was tough to hear, but I needed the kick in the butt.

So when Mike called, I assumed that it was to hear about the updates that I had implemented. I picked up the phone quickly.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I have a very serious question to ask you and I need you to put your ego aside for a moment and really tell me the truth,” he said.

“I’ll do my best.”

“I think my brother is making a huge mistake, and I don’t want him to marry the wrong woman.

I need to know, do you still love Kenneth?” He asked.