Of course they are.
“He’s single, so…”I signed casually and a smug grin eased onto her face.
“Is he?”
I frowned and her hands were moving again.“Based on the way he’s been tracking your every move since we got here and how you keep not so subtly glancing in his direction, I’d say he’s not all that single. And again, none of my business, but I will gladly tell those thirsty H-O-E-S to fall back.”
I smirked at the way her look expressed exactly how she felt about whoever those thirsty hoes were.“We’re something. I don’t exactly know what.”
Her face lit up as she began to sign.“Key word, something. That’s enough for me to tell them to find something safe to do because Ryland isn’t it.”
If she wanted to be on a mission to shut down women throwing themselves at Ryland, who was I to stop her fun? I did a quick check in to make sure Rylee was good. All the otherparents basically threw their kids at Toya and Daren, leaving before there was a Gravity Zone party guest band around their child’s wrist.
Rylee was thrilled about the party, however, we didn’t know Areena’s parents and weren’t comfortable leaving. Toya assured us it was perfectly fine to stay and actually encouraged Ryland and me to do so. That might have been so she could get the tea, but either way, I was glad we decided to stay. Toya and her husband were cool people.
“Are you guys from here?”I was curious to know their story but thought I should ease into the subject instead of hitting her with,so you’re deaf and your husband is hearing. How does that work? I think I’m falling for a hearing man but my mother has convinced me that merging the two worlds is disastrous.
“Daren is. I’m a transplant. Originally from Tennessee.”
“Tennessee to Crescent Falls. How did that happen?”
She smiled brightly.“I worked for an ad agency trying to lock down a deal with Maddox Tech. The owner, A-Z-I-A-N, wasn’t trying to give us a chance because we were based in Tennessee, so they sent me out to see if I could convince him that we were more than qualified to handle marketing for Maddox Tech.”
“You got the contract?”
“I got the contract, but not for my company.”
My brows lifted and she grinned before signing,“They only sent me because they wanted to fire me. I was the best at the firm and they hated that I was so good at my job.”
“Wait, so they thought you would fail?”
“Oh girl, they just knew I would, but what they didn’t know was the power of a determined Black woman. As much as they wanted the account, they wanted a reason to fire me even more. Giving me the Maddox pitch was their way of setting me up to fail.”
“But you got the account.”
“I damn sure did. After I explained to A-Z-I-A-N why they’d sent me to poach him, he offered me the account, but only if I left my company and started my own. I said fuck it, why not. I knew I was capable but had been stalling to branch out on my own for years. Sometimes comfort, no matter how uncomfortable that comfort might be, is enough to keep you from taking risks, even if the outcome is so much better than what you have. Starting my own agency would have required me to invest every penny I owned to make it happen, which was scary as hell. A-Z-I-A-N connected me with the organization Black Women Bosses and they put me in touch with someone willing to help with startup costs.”
Her eyes drifted to Daren and I grinned widely.“Your husband.”
“Yes. We had one meeting and he told me I was his. That man, with his fine ass, was crazy about me and told me at our second meeting that I was going to be his wife. Mind you, I was pissed because he refused to use the interpreter I set up so we could communicate effectively during meetings.”
“He refused?”
“Hell yeah, girl. That man was adamant about not allowing anyone else to speak for him. He said our connection was enough for us to understand each other and we would work it out.”She laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Looks like you did.”
“We did. I got the account and the man. Been married for eight years. My husband and our daughter are my world.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
“And is. That’s my baby.”
“You like it here?”I signed.
“In Crescent Falls?”
I nodded and she signed,“A city of Black excellence. How can you not? You thinking about moving because the way he’s visually holding you hostage, I would bet every penny I own that R-Y-L-A-N-D would be the first one volunteering to help you pack.”
