He chuckled.“Nope, but like you’ve always said, I have an old soul.’
In a couple of minutes, she pulled off the road and they entered a rustic building with a thatched roof.The restaurant was filled with hand-crafted wooden furniture and potted palms.Even the menu board with the day’s specials was made from polished wood.
“What are you having?”Chelle asked when they were seated and sipping coconut water.
“I’ll have the curried beef.”
With her head pulled back, Chelle asked, “Really?And you’re going back to work?”
Laughing, he said, “You’re telling me you brought me to an unsafe space?”
“I eat here all the time.”
“Then it should be fine to have the curry.”He picked up the lime wedge and squeezed it into the coconut water.
Chelle held out a hand to him.“While we’re waiting, I’ll look at the document.”
He passed it to her, then let his attention slide to the other customers.Some ate in silence, and others shared jokes and laughter.By the time she finished flipping pages, the waiter brought their lunches.She’d opted for oxtail and beans, which came in a large portion she’d never be able to finish.
He picked up the knife and fork, and Chelle threw him a reproachful look.Then, eyes closed, she said grace.When she finished, she quipped, “You’ve forgotten some important things.”
He didn’t argue.Instead, he asked, “What d’you think of the proposal?”
While pulling meat off the oxtail bones with her fork, she said, “It’s good.I can tell you had a hand in it.”
“I learned from the best.”He offered a grateful smile while lifting a forkful of tender beef to his mouth.
She grinned and inclined her head to the side.“Why, thank you, big brother.”
“We do have a few more details to add to the proposal, but Lizette is waiting to hear from the Ministry of Education on a particular question she wants them to clarify.”
“Sounds good.”After dabbing her lips, Chelle sipped coconut water, then asked, “Am I wrong, or are you interested in this woman?”
The question made him pause, then he said, “I’m not trying to start a relationship.”
She pointed to the file jacket.“That’s a lot to do for someone because you like them.”
“Actually, considering that she hired me as a favor to her brothers, it’s a small thing to do in return.”
Chelle raised one eyebrow.“D’you have any idea how much I’d pull in if this were a project?”
“But it isn’t,” he shot back.“It’s a favor for a friend.”
A burst of laughter from another table interrupted her answer.Chelle glanced at them, well-dressed as always in a cream suit and her hair pulled into a bun at her nape.When her gaze settled on him, she folded her lips and laid down her cutlery.“I don’t say this often enough, but I love you, and it would break my heart if …”
He knew exactly what she couldn’t say.Their mother had been hard on him after the break-up with their father, so Chelle used every opportunity to tell him how she felt about him.He almost pulled away when she laid a hand over his, but stopped himself.She’d have been hurt, and he’d have been hurting her for no reason.Retreating into himself wasn’t an option with someone who cared deeply about him.
“You’re going through a tough time, but you refuse to let me help.”She blinked, and her eyes filled.“If you change your mind, call me.”
He gripped her hand, running his thumb across her skin to let her know he appreciated her offer.“Of course.”
But he wouldn’t pick up the phone, and she understood.Chelle gave him a stern look that reminded him of Mother, then shook her head and continued eating.
His mind spun back to the time when their father lost his job as an insurance executive due to the company's downsizing.He went back to selling insurance, but with two children in high school, he wasn’t bringing in enough.Mother eventually returned to work as an executive assistant and never forgave him for it.
Shomari had learned early that if a man couldn’t bear his responsibility, his relationship and family were liable to suffer.That reason alone kept him working hard and building toward the future when Christy got pregnant.He wasn’t sure they were one hundred percent suited for each other, yet he couldn’t walk away.Not with a baby coming and his strong sense of obligation.
Christy was moody and demanding during those nine months, but Shomari was determined to take care of the family they created.That drive saw him depositing cash into an account with her name on it, living in two places while trying to earn a good income, and preparing for the final step that would seal their future together—putting a ring on her finger.
