When we weren’t shopping, working, or visiting our families, we were hanging out at his house, making love. I loved being at his home more than mine because it felt homely, welcoming, and like him.
His three-bedroom, four-bathroom home had an open concept kitchen and dining room. It wasn’t as boxy as my Craftsman-style cottage. You could see from the kitchen to the dining room and into the living room, making it comfortable when you were cooking and entertaining guests.
He had cleaned out his two-car garage to make room for my car so that I didn’t have to park in the driveway whenever I wasover. We spent more time in his master suite, which took up the entire third floor, than we did in his living room, man cave, or family room on the main floor. The second floor of his home had two guest bedrooms that were seldom used.
I was sitting in my office at the bakery, teaching Hollis about business management. “No, you have to think about more than just payroll and inventory, Hollis. There are taxes, insurance, vendor relationships, marketing and promotion, and so much more.”
“Man, you and H-Town make it look easy, Miss T.”
Allowing Hollis to volunteer had been a great idea. Things were working out wonderfully with and for him. I had seen a drastic change in his attitude and demeanor. He had shown an interest in becoming a business owner and was always full of questions.
“Thank you, Hollis, but I promise it’s not.” I laughed. “What exactly do you want to do with your future? I mean, if there were no barriers.”
He sighed, rubbed his hands together, and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. I could see the gleam in his eyes, and I knew that whatever he was about to say, he was passionate about.
“I want to open a sports shop on this strip, specializing in novelty sports items and sportswear.”
“That’s exciting, Hollis, and it would be a great idea because we don’t have anything like it in this community, and yet the stadium and arena are only five miles away. You would definitely have a consumer base.”
“Yeah, I’ve been researching that, but it’s just a dream,” he replied, waving his hand and sitting up as the gleam in his eyes disappeared.
That created an ache in my heart. So many of our young people thought their dreams were foolish or gave up on thembecause it was a long shot, and they didn’t have the support to make it happen.
“How about this? Let’s make a pact that after you finish school, and you continue working part-time with Harlem, I will help pay for you to go to technical school and get a degree in business management, if that’s what you want to do.”
“Miss T! For real? Are you serious?” His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Very.”
“Man, I would love that. Man, Miss T, you’ve made my day,” he declared, jumping up and running around my desk. I stood, and he hugged me. I patted his back, and when he stepped back, I saw the emotion in his eyes.
“All right. There’s work to do, and it’s almost time for you to go to the shop. Let me get back to finishing payroll.”
“A’ight, Miss T. I promise that I won’t let you down.”
This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; Harlem and I had discussed investing in Hollis’s future if he kept going down the right path. We knew what it felt like to have no one to believe in you and then have just a little support to get you going.
While we didn’t know what the specifics of that investment would look like, just talking with Hollis revealed exactly what we needed to do. I wanted to speak with Harlem about it, but I hadn’t seen him all day.
I stared at the computer screen and pouted, because I missed him desperately. Just the feel of his arms wrapped around me, his lips on my forehead, my jawline, my lips, my neck, my breasts.
“Whew!” I sat back in my chair and chuckled. That line of thinking wasn’t going to get payroll finished.
I pushed back from my chair. I had another day before the deadline to complete it, and my mind wasn’t on it right then.
There was nothing like a little retail therapy to cure what ailed me. Going to the mall would give me a diversion from missing my baby, and it would get my thoughts in order to complete the payroll tonight.
I grabbed my purse and keys and headed to the front.
“Hey, boss lady. Where are you heading to?” Naina asked, looking up from where she was rearranging the pastry counter.
“I’m heading to the mall to pick up some things. I’ll be taking an extended lunch break. If you guys need anything, just call me,” I declared as Thérèse came out with a large cake for a customer who stood waiting at the counter.
It was a beautiful birthday cake for her daughter’s sixteenth birthday. I loved that we had been getting all types of specialty requests, even wedding cake tastings.
“All right. I’ll see you later,” Naina declared.
“Bye, Tegan,” Thérèse called out.
