“Alright. I’ll stick around. But don’t play me.”
Taylar disappeared again once I took a seat at the bar. She returned a few minutes later with a plate of food and set the meal in front of me. “Eat. We have so much food in the back. I don’t want it to go to waste. Shoot.” She snapped. “I forgot the cornbread.”
“I got him.” I turned toward the voice and was met withthe knowing eyes of Alaiya Young. Taylor dashed off, leaving me with the woman who’d distracted me from the moment she’d walked in earlier. She handed me a small saucer with two pieces of buttery cornbread on top and took a seat on the empty barstool next to me. “I figured you’d want two.”
Chuckling, I said, “Thanks, Laiya.”
Alaiya jumped up. “Oh shit. I forgot the hot sauce.”
In her haste to leave, she dropped a piece of paper on the floor. Bending down, I picked it up. I didn’t intend on reading it, but the title caught my attention.
alaiya’s move-the-fuck-on plan
1.get money (no problems)
2.purge
3.edibles/drinks
4.a nigga (preferably with a long, hard dick)
5.vibes
“I’m back.” Alaiya handed me a bottle of hot sauce. “I need to get in shape for real.” She blew out a deep breath, muttered a curse, and sat back down. “I’m telling you, I—” She froze, her brow furrowed. “What?”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“You’re staring.”
Shit. I probably was staring at her. For some reason, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her tonight. From the moment she’d walked in earlier, I was officially transfixed by her presence. Almost as if I’d never laid eyes on her before. Which was surprising since I’d just spent the afternoon with her a couple of days ago. Had breakfast with her last week. After all, she was my real estate agent, and we were set to close on a new property in a matter of days. Not to mention, her daughter, Desiree, worked for me.
Unlike most of the women in the space, Alaiya wasn’t wearing gold glitter or red. Her modern black suit was simple, yet elegant. Her short hair was styled to perfection, her makeup natural. She was stunning. Lovely.As always.
Obviously, I was missing something very important because …that list. We’d never had a problem communicating, but I also didn’t want to be all up in her business either. My curiosity was killing me, though.
“Spence?” she called softly.
I shook my head out of my thoughts. Clearing my throat, I muttered, “I’m sorry. Distracted.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “What’s going on with you?”
Alaiya spun around in the barstool and stared out the picture window. “Nothing much.”
Time and experience had shaped her, but she was still the same person I met on the neighborhood playground when I was ten years old—minus the big braids in her hair and Wonder Woman costume on. I remembered because it wasn’t Halloween, and it was hot as hell at the park that day.Toohot for that plastic mask and outfit. I also couldn’t forget the despair written on her face, the tears in her eyes. That day, she was tired, hungry, and alone. Although I was only three years older than her, it didn’t sit right with me. Even now, her eyes told the story she probably didn’t want to share.
And tonight … List aside, something was off.
“You good?” I asked.
Tilting her head from side to side, she nibbled on her bottom lip as if she was weighing her words carefully. She flashed a soft smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Yet, she still answered, “I am.”
She’s lying.
“I have a question for you, though,” she said.
In that moment, I made the decision to follow her lead and accept what she said as her truth. I needed to focus on my food and not on her emotions … or her list. Because I couldn’t afford to get lost in her. Been there. Done that.Shewas none of my damn business anymore.
