Page 13
“Thank you, Mr. Helgard.”
“Now that you’ve shown me yours, I guess I have to show you mine,” Dante added seductively. He knew exactly how inviting he sounded, and by the intrigue in Myla’s eyes, she knew it too.
Myla gulped. Dante could literally hear the saliva sliding down her throat.
“Show me what?”
“My business card,” Dante said proudly as he reached inside the pocket of his suit jacket and plucked out a house-shaped business card with his middle and pointer finger. Inwardly, he laughed.
Myla took the card and admired the high shine on his well-manicured nails. Her eyebrows knitted together as she read the business card:
Whatever your real estate needs are
I can make it happen
Dante Helgard
Dante Helgard Realty
NMLS ID # 913322
Commercial Realtor, Appraiser, and Home Inspector
She was slightly confused. She didn’t think a commercial realtor could act as an appraiser or home inspector on the same transaction, but according to the business card, Dante was self-employed, so maybe he could do whatever he wanted at his firm.
“Maybe it was fate that you ran into me. I was just telling my friend that I wanted to upgrade my office space. Are you accepting new clients, Mr. Helgard? That’s a very unique name, might I add.”
Dante ignored the question about accepting new clients.
“Pleasant is also unique. Other than the former financier, real estate magnate and abolitionist, Mary Pleasant, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before,” Dante added cleverly.
Myla’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Is there a problem?” Dante asked curiously.
“Here’s a fun fact. I am the great-great-great-granddaughter of Mary Ellen Pleasant. Somehow, she rarely gets mentioned during talks of black history or black excellence. I didn’t know many people knew of her.”
“Real estate is my passion. I’ve studied and read all about the greats. History is our best teacher after all.”
“You’re right. Sadly, as prominent as my lineage is, the last name will die with me. My father was the last male Pleasant. Since I’m a woman…well, you know how that goes.”
“When you get married and have kids, you can do the Tina Knowles thing and give your firstborn your last name as a first name. Presuming you’d want to be married and have kids, of course.”
Myla laughed at the way he tried to clean up what he just said. Most men assumed all women wanted to be barefoot and pregnant. She was not that woman. When she envisioned her future, children had never been a part of her plans.
She worked hard for the career she had. Nepotism did not play a role in getting her where she needed to be in life. As hard as she worked, she refused to give up her lifestyle for children. Instead of saying, I don’t want kids. She simply said, “I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. But let’s bring it back to you, Speedy Gonzalez. If the downstairs activities weren’t your cup of tea, why are you here? You ran me down and broke the heel off my shoe. It’s all wobbly now.”
She took off the right foot of her red bottoms to show that the heel had indeed been damaged.
“I have no issues replacing your Hot Chicks. Men replace what they’ve broken. I stand on accountability always. But to answer your question, after selling a commercial property, I was invited to celebrate at my buyer’s exclusive club. He said his annual New Year’s Eve party was for the city’s elite and special guests. The only thing I know about the owner is the fact that he’s my wealthiest client. I guess rich people like hedonistic shit. I ran after seeing my ex in one of the private rooms on the third floor.”
“Your ex?”
“Yeah, she’s wild like that. I’m not surprised that she knew about this place. That was further confirmation that it was time for me to leave. Anywhere Tara is, isn’t a place that I need to be. If you and I hadn’t started a conversation, I would’ve been home preparing to watch the New Year’s countdown on TV.”
Myla chuckled. “I guess great minds think alike. Watching the New Year’s countdown on TV is what I’ve done for the past four years. The same way you saw your ex in a compromising position, so did I. He ruined New Year’s Eve for me. After that, it just seemed like every New Year’s Eve a person I loved would take part in doing something to mess the day up. I was convinced the day was cursed, but I guess I was wrong. Tonight turned out to be ok. My best friend and I were also invited by the owner and—”
“Bitch, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing up here? It’s 11:45,” Miranda slurred as she stumbled to the restaurant area where Myla was. Miranda was so drunk that she was surprised that she made it to her final destination.
