I leave the garage open then step back into my kitchen. She’s back and dressed in a tight ass dress. When our eyes meet, she flashes a wry smile then steps toward the stove. She looks at the two pans then at me.
The roar of Kadean’s motorcycle shifts both of our attention to the door and I step back over there. I open it and watch Kadean take off his helmet.
Real shit, I have no energy to repeat myself, and even if I did, I’m tired of doing so. He doesn’t listen to me anyway. This shit right here proves it. When he stops and stares for me to say something about him driving, I don’t. I just step out, walk right past him, and slide into my Charger because her white car is blocking my truck.
He stares at me the entire time and is still looking when I back out. I refuse to let him ruin my morning. I’m still going to my new location and shooting my shot at Adora at the dentist. To tune out my guilt and worry, I tune into the morning show, Beauty and the Beats, and let DJ Beauty drown out my thoughts and reset my mood.
Thirty minutes later, I’m pulling into the lot,my high-visibility, one and nearly a quarter acre lot. This location is almost twice the size of my current one and the area is prime. We are about two miles from the mountain and have enough space for six service bays instead of the three we currently have. Construction of the service bays for hand washing will be easy and so will the addition of the automatic wash. The biggest issue and time constraint will be the building itself. It used to be a small burger drive-thru. There’s more kitchen than office space. The redesign will definitely take about three months.
I spend about two hours here, walking the property, taking pictures, and mapping out the actual setup and next steps in my mind. Then I send an email to Powers Construction. Theyhandled the buildout for my first location. Hopefully, we can schedule a walkthrough this week.
My stomach is growling like a bitch but I don’t want no smoothie or any soft shit. The next thing I eat is going to be solid, hearty, and good as hell. I drive to the dental office on an empty stomach and pray he says I can eat good food today.
I make it to the office fifteen minutes before my appointment and run to the restroom before checking in. To my surprise, they call me back in less than five minutes. To my disappointment, the one at the door in the pink scrubs calling my name isn’t Adora. It’s the one who’d taken my vitals on the day of my surgery. She’s cute and nice but she’s not the woman I’ve been thinking about.
“How’s it been, any pain?” she asks after checking my temp and pressure.
“I’m straight, actually. I didn’t even need a pain pill yesterday or today.”
“Oh good,” she says, then stands. “The doctor will be in in a few,” she says and I can’t lie, I’m disappointed as shit.
“The doctor? What about Adora?” I ask.
Her head tilts to the side a little then she smirks. “You’ll see Dr. Denim today,” is all she offers but I need more.
“So she’s not here today?” I ask and she grins.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss other employees.”
“Ay, come on. I’m not asking for personal info. I’m just asking if she’s working today,” I say but she just walks to the door.
Before opening it though, she decides to throw me a bone. “She’s at lunch,” she utters and I smile.
About ten minutes later, the doc comes in and checks my mouth out. He asks a few questions then says the magic words. I can return to my regular eating. He says some other shit, but I can’t lie, I’m barely hearing him. The only thing on my mind ispretty ass Adora. I’m praying she’s back from lunch by the time he’s done.
“You’re all set,” he says and we shake hands before he walks out.
I follow and he goes in another direction while I head to the exit. My eyes scan the halls and every open door I pass, but I don’t see her. I try to linger a little at the checkout desk but still there’s no sign of her. However, Big Man Upstairs is looking out because when I walk out, her fine ass is getting out of a gray Impala. Like a bee to honey, I step over to her without a second thought.
“Hey,” she says with a little laugh. “Did you make it to your appointment?”
She remembers me.
“Yeah. Just got done. Thought I was gonna see you in there though,” I admit, ’cause fuck it. I didn’t approach her to play games. I’m keeping it a buck, straight to what I want—her.
“We have a great team. I’m sure they gave you the best care.”
After taking a step closer, I look into her big, expressive eyes and say, “But I wanted to see you. He just said I can eat, so let me take you to dinner. I would have said lunch but I heard you just had lunch already.”
“Actually, I had to,” she begins, then stops and shakes her head. “You’re right. I’m coming back from lunch. I need to get back in there.”
“Right but dinner? I still want to feed you. Let me take you to dinner.”
“It doesn’t look good to go out with patients.”
“I’m not a patient anymore, and trust, for dinner with you, I’ll never come back to this joint,” I admit and she smiles wider.
“I don’t know.”
