The very next day…
“Oh,so you just strut in all put together at seven-thirty in the damn morning,” Chevy teased as I sauntered inside with my two-piece Chanel suit and matching heels.
I wore my hair straight with a middle part and took my time approaching the counter. Carrying coffee for three, I paused while she stood on the other side, rocking a headset and shuffling papers. Snickering, I grabbed one of the cups of coffee and handed it to her.
“Good morning and you’re welcome to you too,” I told her, flashing a smile. “Where is our… co-worker?” I asked, referring to Kitana and peeping the empty lobby.
A big sign that readHarbor Realty and Associateshung on the wall behind her, and I couldn’t help but admire it. My name looked good in the gold lettering that took up the space. Everything was so put together, giving it an elegant home kind of feel with warm, bright colors splattered across everything.
“Mmm.” She made a face and curled her lip up in distaste.
Waving her hand toward the back offices, she said, “That ho around here somewhere.” She grumbled, and I fell over laughing.
“So, I am officially licensed. You got anything for me today?” I peeked over at the papers she had as her long nails assisted her fingers in combing through them.
“Um, yeah. Actually. Some guy called in today, said he was looking for a house. You just ready to dive right in?”
“Eh, I could use the distraction.” I said, taking the file as she offered it to me.
We took a basic profile over the phone when setting up appointments, just so that we could view the client and see what kind of price range or anything special that they were looking for in a home. Skimming the contents, I could see that they had a budget of over half a million, which was nice to work with.
“What’s up with you?” Chevy cut into my thoughts and leaned over the counter onto her elbows.
“Nothing.”
“Mmm-hmm. Ledge told me you and Free went on a trip. How did that go?” she asked, propping her chin into her hand, waiting for the tea.
“It was great, until he basically told me that he would never love a woman the way that he did his baby’s mother, and that he could only give me what was available of him.” My brows dipped in anger as I relived that shit. “Oh, and this was after I poured my heart out to him. You could smell the desperation in the room.” Sarcasm kicked in and Chevy shook her head.
“Chile, did you smack him? I would have smacked him upside his damn head. Like nigga, how dare you bring me on this romantic ass trip and then tell me some weak ass shit like that?”
“Right now, I need to be working and keep busy. So, this is good. I will be back in my office. Let me know when the first client gets here.” I left the other coffee for Kitana and went to check into my own domain.
With my door slightly open, I took position behind my l-shaped desk. About thirty minutes ticked by and Chevy poked her head inside my office, wearing a sly grin.
“Girl, your appointment is here. And baby is fine.” She licked her lips and I giggled.
“Go ahead and show them in.”
I did a quick check of my reflection in the little mirror that sat on my desk. When I turned, my heart stalled, then quickened, and my palms immediately filled with sweat. Locklynn Davenport stood there, in the flesh, looking good as fuck. His waves were swimming heavily, and his smooth skin gleamed like the sun had kissed him.
“Lock.” I don’t even know how my words found a way to piece together, I was so stunned by his presence.
“I had to come and see if the rumors were true. They seem to be pretty accurate to me.” His eyes hardened as he fixed his gaze on me.
“And what rumors are those?” I retorted.
“That you were good and have been for some time now. From the looks of it, you are doing better than any of us thought you were.” He seethed with loathing; I could see it behind his eyes.
They were usually kind, but today, he held resentment.
“Is that why you set this up? Is that what this meeting is about today? You got something you need to say to me?” My own agitation was growing.
It was one thing to hear the accusations from my father, but to know that Lock believed that somehow left me a mess. He of all people should have known better.
“That’s part of it.” He nodded, taking a few strides into the room.
His eyes scanned the walls and furniture before he dropped down into one of the chairs across from my desk. His hand intertwined and he folded them across his stomach as he reclined.
