Page 195

“I’ll see you at seven-thirty.”

I sent him the address of where I wanted to go. It was my favorite place to eat steak. As the time ticked on, I was finding every reason to cancel. Taking a shower and getting dressed had become more of a task than I expected. I finally had to remind myself that I had been dressing myself for years without a man’s approval. This wasn’t a date, it was a business dinner. After finding something appropriate to wear, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. Security was waiting outside when I stepped through the door.

“I can drive myself,” I told him.

“Shameek–”

I held my hand up.

“I don’t give a damn what Shameek said.”

I really did that because I didn’t want Shameek to even know I was going out. If he did, then he was going to have a million questions that I didn’t feel like answering.

“Mrs. King, I think it would be safer if I drove you.”

I climbed behind the wheel and pulled away before somebody could find another rule to give me. When I arrived, Lloyd was already there. He stood as I approached the table, dressed down from the suits I was used to seeing him in. It was my first time seeing him outside of lawyer mode.

“You’re on time,” he said, pulling my chair out.

“Are you surprised?”

“I deal with wealthy people for a living. Most of them believe reservations wait on them.”

“I take people’s time serious.”

“I appreciate that.”

Once he sat down, I picked up the menu.

“I want to make something clear before we order,” I said. “I’m paying, and this is not a date.”

“Fair.” He shrugged.

For the first twenty minutes, the conversation stayed around business. It wasn’t intentional. Business was simply what connected us. I asked about the second commercial property I still wanted to sell, and Lloyd explained why he thought I should reconsider. He told me what made sense based on the market, the income the property generated, and what selling it now would cost me long term.

“So, you’re telling me to keep it.”

“I’m telling you not to sell something profitable simply because you don’t want the inconvenience attached to it.”

“The inconvenience is annoying.”

“Then you hire someone to deal with it. Rah treated ownership and management the same. He was hands on. You don’t have to be. You hire someone to handle your annoyances.”

“And how much does hiring someone to manage it cost?”

“Less than what you’ll lose selling an appreciating asset because a tenant pissed you off.”

Our waitress came to bring our appetizer and more wine.

“Can I ask you something that has nothing to do with the estate?”

“You can ask, but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Fair enough. What did you think you were going to do with your life before Rah?”

That question caught me completely off guard. I sat and thought about it. Nobody had ever asked me that. Not even my late husband.

“I’ve always been good with numbers. Like freakishly good. My daddy used to have me checking shit behind grown men when I was a teenager because I could catch a number being off without trying. I thought I’d eventually have something of my own. I just didn’t know what.”