“How long did you plan to do this?”
“Until payday on the fifteenth.”
“You got an apartment lined up?” he asked.
“I haven’t found one that I can afford, but my credit is trash, so I probably wouldn’t get approved anyway. Once I get paid, I’ll have enough money to at least stay in a cheaper hotel for a week or two. I interviewed for a part-time cook position at a few restaurants and am waiting to hear back.”
Kenzo listened intently but didn’t say anything for a few minutes after I finished speaking. He looked at me intensely, as if he was using all his brainpower to help me fix everything I’d dumped on him. I nervously ate my food, waiting for him to respond.
“I’ll put you up in a hotel for the weekend and have this figured out for you by Monday,” he finally said.
“Figured out? I don’t need?—”
“Don’t fix your mouth to tell that lie. You need help, and I want to help you. Don’t be so proud and stubborn that you block your blessings.”
I wasn’tsure how I could forget a face as beautiful as Malyah’s, but our first meeting was definitely a blur. Even with all that she’d been going through, her beautiful brown skin still carried a glow. Her eyes held an innocence I’d never seen before, and they spoke directly to my heart.
“Mr. Goode, this is too much. It’ll take me forever to pay you back,” she said as she looked around the hotel room.
“Please call me Kenzo or KG. I told you earlier that you don’t have to pay me back. Besides, it’s not as much as you think. My family gets a huge discount here.”
“I’ve never been in a hotel room this nice. Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Feel free to use all the amenities and order room service.”
“Mr. Goo—I mean, Kenzo, I can’t?—”
“You can and you will. Do you need anything before I go?” I asked.
“You’ve done enough. I’m sure I have everything I need.”
“Do you have a phone?”
She laughed. “I’m broke, but my phone bill is paid.”
She retrieved her phone from her purse, unlocked it, and handed it to me. Her lock screen was a picture of a little girl, who I assumed was her, dressed in a chef’s uniform. I went through the steps to add my number, then sent myself a text from her phone so I’d have hers.
When she mentioned going to culinary school at the restaurant, I made a mental note to ask her about it before we left, and it slipped my mind. I honestly couldn’t think of anything while sitting across from this beautiful woman except how to help her.
“What culinary school are you attending?” I asked.
“Washburne. It’s in?—”
“Kennedy-King College. I’m familiar with it. Have you always wanted to be a chef?”
“A pastry chef. I prefer making desserts more than anything else. It’s my happy place.”
My mind went back to the cheesecakes I tasted earlier this week.
“Are you responsible for the cheesecakes that were in the cafeteria earlier this week?”
“Umm, if I say yes, will you fire me?”
“Malyah, how many times do I have to tell you I’m not going to fire you?”
“You said it before for a different situation. I want to make sure it applies to this as well.”
I chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes. That shit was good as hell. If you’re making desserts like that already, why do you need to go to school?”
