Rituals for Love (9781476761893) (6 page)

“Well, let me thank you in advance for my season tickets. You don't stand a chance of winning this bet.”

“So you accept?”

“Absolutely. Good thing you're a head honcho at Goldman—my tickets won't put a dent in your pocket.”

Who said there weren't successful brothers out there? Davis was a vice president at his investment bank and doing extremely well for himself. Not that he needed me to be, but I was proud of him. He put himself through college, still lived in Brooklyn and was active in his community. He was a dedicated fraternity man and had been trying to recruit me for years. This was a brother that had a mission and was about his business. He worked hard and enjoyed the fruits of his labor.

The Jets won the coin toss and were going to kick off. I let Davis enjoy the first few minutes of the game in silence before I started to deride his team. This was how we watched the games and I expected the same from him during the Giants game next week.

“You see that?” he said. “They're looking pretty good.”

“Don't get your hopes up. It's the first game of the
preseason
. They have plenty of time to choke.”

Davis shook his head and took another sip of his beer. “So what have you been up to, man? I haven't seen you in a minute.”

“When's the last time we met up?”

“I saw you when I brought some colleagues to dinner at Eden.”

“Oh yeah.”

“And I would've seen you after that if you hadn't canceled your annual barbecue. I still can't believe you broke tradition.”

I shrugged. “I needed a break this year.”

“The fellas and I were talking about that,” he hesitated. “We were trying to figure what would make you cancel an event you had been hosting for years. And the only thing we could think of was the fact that you're in a relationship now.”

“So you all think I canceled because of Jade?”

“Well, she is the biggest change in your life since last year…”

“That's true, but my lifestyle is pretty much the same.”

“I disagree.” Davis put his beer down and used his fingers to tick off his reasons for dissenting. “First, we barely see you these days. We used be able to call you up and have you meet the guys without any advance notice. We'd call and you'd be there. Now we have to make sure we get on your calendar. Second, you want to double date a lot of the time. I'm not in a committed relationship, and I don't necessarily want the ladies I'm seeing to get attached to my friends. We're just not that serious. And third, you've basically
put the kibosh on the weekend jaunts with the fellas. Trust me, I understand. I would do the same if I were in your shoes. But you made the comment that your lifestyle is the same and it really isn't.” He picked up his beer and resumed drinking.

I rubbed my head and digested what he said. “I hear what you're saying. Some things have changed since Jade and I became a couple. I do have to manage my time a lot differently. I enjoy spending time with my lady and of course that means I'm not as accessible to my boys. Although I'm not completely off the grid. We still can get together and chop it up. I hope you realize it's not just me, though. You guys have changed, too. On more than one occasion you assumed that I couldn't or wouldn't want to hang with you. I don't spend every waking minute with Jade. She has her own life and her own friends. We make sure we give each other space and maintain our individuality. And most of the time you all tell me to bring Jade when you invite me to something. I'm not the one pushing for double dates. I'm not trying to force you to make a love connection; I'm managing my own.”

We both laughed. Davis was my boy, so I wasn't offended by anything he said. We were having real talk like real men. I appreciated that our friendship allowed us to be honest and share our feelings.

“You can understand why we thought Jade was the reason you didn't have the barbecue?”

“Definitely, but that's the furthest from the truth. It really is a lot of work, and I had too many things going on with Eden2 in Atlanta to pull together a barbecue. In fact, Jade offered to coordinate it for me, she helped me last year, but I told her no. Don't worry, next year the barbecue will be back, bigger and better than ever. If there's one thing you know about me, it's that I love a celebration.”

“I don't want you to ever lose that, brother.”

We gave each other a knowing look. Davis remembered when. He was one of the few people that saw me at my lowest when my ex-girlfriend miscarried our baby. I was away on business travel and blamed myself for not being there. I was hurt, angry and had completely shut down. It took some time for me to able to celebrate life. I knew better than most that tomorrow was not promised and I did my best to enjoy the life I had.

“I won't. I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I have no complaints. I'm with a woman that makes me happy and my businesses are flourishing. Actually, Jade and I are starting a business together.”

Davis was about to take a sip and abruptly stopped. “Really?” He didn't try to conceal his surprise.

“She had a great business plan for a spa in Manhattan. I've invested in making it happen.”

“Manhattan? That's some investment.”

“I'm a businessman. That's what I do.”

“You know going into business with someone you're in a relationship with can be tricky.”

“I'm aware of that.”

“And you're prepared to mix business with pleasure?”

“I don't make any decisions lightly, Davis. We're going into business together because it's a great opportunity with a helluva lot of potential to make a helluva lot of money.”

“All right, man. Remember, it's a fine line to walk. I hope you have good balance.”

T
he main dining room at Rituals was bustling. Every table and almost every seat at the bar was filled. Bria and I were blessed that Rituals had been a success from the minute we opened our doors. In an industry where so many restaurants never get off the ground, we were actually doing better with each passing year. I could only hope that Genesis would be as successful. New York City was an entirely different animal.

I was going to start spending three days a week in Manhattan once our temporary office space was set up. I wanted to be on-site to oversee the build-out of the restaurant and spa. There was much to be done. This was my vision and it needed to be perfect. I planned to take Milan's earlier advice and make sure Bria was in the loop. I had been procrastinating all day. It was after seven and she was planning to leave at the top of the hour. I headed back to the office to catch her before she left for the day.

She was on the phone smiling and laughing when I entered the office. “I'll call you back, honey. Jade just came in.”

“You didn't have to get off.”

“That's okay. Ernest was talking a hole in my head. I'm meeting him at the club when I leave here. Do you want to come?”

Ernest owned Club Blaze, a popular nightclub up in Harlem.

“Not tonight. I have some work I need to do for Genesis—which is what I came in here to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?”

Bria looked at the clock on the wall. “Sure, what's up?”

“I wanted to let you know that I'm committed to Rituals.”

“I know that.”

“I mean even though I'm embarking on this new venture with Cain, I'm still committed.”

“Jade, I hate when you beat around the bush. What's really going on?”

I chuckled. “That's not what I'm doing.”

“Then get to the point,” she said, glancing at the clock again.

“Starting in a few weeks, I'm going to be spending three days a week in the city. I know that's going to affect your schedule somewhat, and I want to figure out how we can minimize the impact.”

Bria leaned back in the chair. “Minimize the impact?”

“I was thinking that I can still handle the purchasing on the days that I come in here. And technically, we can discuss our special menu items on a—”

“Girl, is that what you're concerned about?”

“Well, yeah. I don't want my responsibilities to fall on you.”

“We have a tightly run ship with an amazing staff. I'm not saying we don't need you around here, but we can manage. I told you that I wish you success. Whatever I can do around here to help you get your new place off the ground, you have my support. I meant that. Honestly, I don't know why you thought I didn't.”

Her tone, but that's just Bria. I smiled. “I didn't want you to think I was taking you and what we've created here for granted.”

“That's just crazy. We built this together. I know what Rituals means to you. I want you to win in all things, not just what we've created.”

My shoulders visibly relaxed. “Thank you, Bria. I don't tell you enough, but I appreciate you.”

“Same here.”

Bria and I had really worked on improving our communication in the past year. There was a time when we did more bickering than we should have. We were finally in a place where we not only respected one another as friends, we respected each other as businesswomen. It was a wonderful feeling to know I had her support. I'd have to thank Milan for giving me the push I needed to address my new venture with Bria. I underestimated her when I shouldn't have.

“I'll keep you posted on my schedule. It may be kind of fluid for a little while.”

“Do you have an idea of when you'll be opening?”

“Not yet. Cain and I still have a lot of planning to do. It'll be interesting to see how we work together.”

“As long as you both remember that you're fifty-fifty partners you should get along fine. Ensure that you're on the same page when you have decisions to make. And stay on top of the business finances. You know these things, but it doesn't hurt to hear them now and again.”

“You're right. I won't lose sight of any of those things. Let me ask you a question. Say you and Ernest were starting a business, would you have an issue if he were fronting the majority of the capital?”

“I might. I'm not sure I'd feel like an equal partner if his money was used as our startup capital. However, if the paperwork said I was an equal partner, then that may be enough for me. I suppose it would depend on how he felt about it and how comfortable I felt with it. Why? Is Cain providing all of the capital?”

“He bought the building which was a significant investment.”

“My advice is to discuss it with your partner. That's where you'll get your answers.”

“I will. Thanks, diva.”

“No problem. Now I have to get out of here before Ernest starts ringing my phone again.”

“Drive safely.”

Bria rushed out of the office to meet her man uptown. I sat for a few minutes more and pondered our conversation. It was time for Cain and me to get down to business.

I
let the staff know I was leaving for the evening. I walked across the parking lot to my car, listening to the cicadas chirp. It was funny how at times they were background noise that I barely noticed and other times the sound was a repetitious nuisance. Tonight the tune was almost pleasant. It made me aware of the night air, the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze, and that this season would eventually be coming to an end. I put the top down on my convertible, played something smoothed out, and drove to Old Westbury.

I took the newest key on my ring and unlocked the door to Cain's house. I heard the television playing in the den. I entered the room with a sing-song, “Hello.”

Cain and his friend, Davis, turned to look at me. “Hey, babe,” Cain said.

Davis's expression was one of confusion. He shot Cain a glance and then smiled at me. “Good to see you, Jade.”

I walked over to Cain, greeted him with a kiss, and gave Davis a hug. “I didn't know football was on tonight.”

Cain reached for my hand and pulled me down next to him on the couch. “Preseason.” He kissed the side of my face. “And guess what? Next year we're going to have season tickets courtesy of Davis.”

Davis rolled his eyes. “Don't believe that, Jade. Your man is going to be bankrolling my Jets seats.”

“It's obvious I have stumbled upon an old rivalry.”

“This one is as old as they come. You would think Davis would know by now the Giants are a better team than the Jets.”

“I'm not going to dignify that with a comment.”

I looked at the empty beer bottles on the table. One remained in the bucket. “Did you guys have anything to eat?”

“We were just about to order a pizza.”

“Pizza? I can whip up something quick for you guys.”

“Nothing for me, Jade. I'm going to head out.”

“Where you going, man? There's another half left in the game.”

“I know, but I have to get back to Brooklyn.” Davis stood up and polished off the rest of the beer in his bottle. “Cain, thanks for the beers. Jade, it was nice to see you.”

“You too, Davis.”

Cain got up and walked his friend to the front door. They stood in the foyer chatting for ten minutes, still ribbing one another over the game. The front door closed, and Cain returned to the den smiling broadly. “Davis is a good dude.” He started collecting the empty bottles from the table. “I wasn't expecting to see you tonight.”

“I hope I didn't run Davis off.”

Cain chuckled. “Couldn't wait to use your gift, huh?”

“I should've called first.”

“I've never asked you to call before coming over.”

“I feel like I barged in on you.”

“Don't be silly.”

“But you were clearly watching the game with your boy. I came in and interrupted and Davis took off.”