End of Week Two
Grounds 4 Love had gotten so busy I had to hire two more people. I didn’t want to add too many people to the staff just yet because I was still paying payroll out of my pocket. The unexpected burst in customers had Pam and Martin running around like headless chickens. To give them some relief, I hired two people I’d had to get rid of months ago because of declining profit. Now, I didn’t have to be hands on, though I still helped out and came in daily. Running Grounds was my daily love letter to my best friend, and I was honored to run the place on her behalf.
Zoe came in three times this week, including today. We curated an events schedule that I was excited about. Our first event was going to be soulful Sundays, where we’d have live music. After that, we’d do open mic and poetry night. We’d alternate that with karaoke. She’d hired a social media manager and promoter along with a virtual assistant that was working on setting up book tours with authors and scheduling book clubmeetings. I loved her ideas and knew they’d lead to tremendous support and sales.
“Okay,” she said, forcing me to focus on her words and not just her pretty ass face. “We have to wait a few weeks for the liquor license, but a workaround is to hire a bartender to infuse the coffee and serve adult beverages at the event. The deejay is locked in, and he’s already sent several recommendations for our first few Soulful Sundays. Kee is going to start posting about auditions which will lead to more interest. This is going to be so cool, Haji.” When I didn’t respond right away, she looked at me with a smile. “What?”
“This is the first time you’ve said we and our. Up until now, you always said my or y’all. You never included yourself in anything pertaining to Grounds.”
She considered my words for a while before hiding her smile by taking a sip of her cold brew.
“I didn’t notice. I guess the more time I spend here, the more natural it feels to be here. Honestly, I can see why Zina loved it here. It’s peaceful and there’s an energy that’s inspiring.”
I thought over if I wanted to proposition her or not. We’d only talked about it once, but that was all it took. Getting in the river and swimming with her felt like a refresh. A rebirth. Seven years had passed since I’d gone to my favorite place in Jasper Lane or gone for a swim, and with one soft suggestion, Zoe broke through the guilt and grief. I wanted to do the same for her.
“You said you used to love baking,” I started, paying attention to her expression, her energy. “Why’d you stop?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. Back in the day, I remembered Zina telling me how much she loved and missed baking with her sister while Zoe was gone.
“Zina,” she confessed. “We used to bake together all the time.” Though her eyes watered, she smiled. “My love for baking started when I got my first Easy-Bake Oven. I wore my own outso quickly Zina gave me hers.” Zoe sniggled as she relaxed in her seat. “By then, she felt like she was too old for it anyway. Mama was the kind of woman who didn’t like people in her kitchen, but when we went to my grandma’s house, she used to let us cook and bake with her. That time with Grandma was always a fond memory. We used to talk and have so much fun. When Grandma died, Mama let Zina and I bake in her kitchen, so that became our thing.” She sighed as her head tilted. “When she decided not to be a lawyer, I thought Daddy was going to have a heart attack. We got scholarships, but they still had to pay quite a bit our first two years. Eventually, she got a full ride from her scholarships, but he was still pissed over all he’d invested.” When she looked over at me and licked her lips, I took her hand into mine. “Anyway, as passionate as she was about coffee and opening her coffee shop, I was as passionate about baking. I didn’t have the courage to open my own bakery, so I planned to use my marketing degree. She told me I could bake for her, and that was our plan. I graduated, and she convinced me to take that year off. When I came back, I was supposed to bake here. But then she died, and I . . . I haven’t baked ever since.”
I kissed her hand. “You challenged me to get in that water, and it rebirthed me. It lightened the load of my guilt and grief. I want to do the same for you.” When she tried to pull her hand out of mine, I held it tighter. “I want you to bake again, Zoe. I don’t think it will make you sad; I think it’ll make you feel closer to your sister. It doesn’t have to be today, but promise me you’ll try.”
Her head bobbed as she released a trembling breath. “I promise I’ll try, and I’ll let you taste it when I do.”
Wrapping my arm around her neck, I told her, “Deal,” before giving her a quick kiss.
My mama was looking at me like she was about to burst, and Pops was smiling so hard I could barely see his eyes. A breathless chuckle escaped me as I shook my head and avoided their eyes.
“I asked y’allnotto make this weird,” I reminded them, looking at the photos of us over the years on the wall.
“Well when I promised not to makethisweird, I didn’t know it would be you telling us you’re finally with someone again. Baby, you don’t know how long I’ve waited . . . how much I’ve prayed,” Mama said with trembling lips and watery eyes.
“Is she kind?” Pops asked. “Warm? Sweet? Loving? Patient? Because that’s the kind of woman you’ll need. You haven’t not been in a serious relationship just for the hell of it. You lost your wife. Does she know that?”
“Yeah, Pops. It’s uh . . . Zina’s sister. Zoe.”
It took a brief moment of recollection for them, but when Mama remembered who I was talking about, she clapped and jumped from her seat before sitting back down again.
“The little pretty girl who had that long hair? God. My heart broke for her at the funeral and repast. I could tell she was hurting,” Mama said.
“Yeah. Well, she cut her hair, but she’s still small. Curvier now.” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Anyway, it’s her. She’s well aware of my loss and it’s fine. We don’t plan on this lasting forever, but I do want y’all to see her again before she leaves.”
“Wait. What do you mean you don’t plan on this lasting forever?” Pops asked.
“She’s just here to help with Grounds. When the summer is over, she’ll be gone. Sooner than that actually. I think we have another month together.”
Pops’ head tilted and face covered with confusion as he ran his hands up and down his thighs. “You just said you love this woman, and she’s leaving you in a month?”
I shrugged with a nod. “Yeah.”
“You’re a little too okay with this,” Mama said with a nervous laugh. “I get you maybe not expecting things to last long because of how abruptly you lost Lianne, but you’re not even going to try and see where things can go? How long it could last?”
My head shook as I relaxed further in the recliner I always sat in when I came over.
“I can’t love her selfishly like that. Would I love for her to stay here so we can be together? Of course. But that’s not what she needs. She needs space and freedom. Time to return to herself. Figure out what she wants for her life. What she’s passionate about. How she wants to spend her days. I’m not going to blur that by trying to tie her down. So yes, I do love her, and I’ll still love her after she leaves.”
“Well now I’m sad again,” Mama said, and I laughed.
“Don’t be. I’m good. We’re good. I’d rather have her for a month than not have her at all. What we’re experiencing, it’ll carry me for a while. I don’t need her presence to love her and appreciate being loved by her.”
