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ChapterSeven
Lavender
Lavender parkedin the empty lot and checked her GPS to make sure she was in the right place. The address Choyce had given her was for The Heather Gallery. She hadn’t bothered to look it up and now she was wishing she had. If she wasn’t mistaken, Heather was Choyce’s mother. Did that mean this was his gallery? Looking herself over in the visor, Lavender tried to calm her rattled nerves.
She hadn’t been completely honest with Choyce about her reasons for returning to Memphis, and he’d seen right through her… though she hadn’t expected anything different. When you were as open and honest with a person as they were with one another, you knew when they were telling half or untruths.
Satisfied with her appearance, Lavender stepped out of her Camry and looked around. Figuring the other cars were parked in the back, she headed to the front door of the gallery. Since it was unlocked, she pulled her phone out of her clutch and dialed Choyce’s number. He didn’t answer, but before she could disconnect, Choyce appeared at the door.
The entire time he unlocked it, his eyes were on her. Like it always did, her body heated under his stare. It didn’t matter how much time passed; Lavender would never forget his face. His caramel brown skin. That tall, wide build. A curly, tapered, short afro added to his grown man look along with a short scruffy beard.
When Choyce opened the door fully, Lavender took in all of him. The royal blue slacks and silk button-down shirt fit him to perfection. Because the first couple of buttons were undone, Lavender was able to see the hair on the top of his chest. She was determined to make sure this night ended with them in bed so she could run her fingers across it.
“You look beautiful, boo,” Choyce complimented, pulling her into an embrace… And what a warm, deep, lingering embrace it was.
That was the greeting she was hoping she’d get earlier but she understood his hesitance. His anger. When she made the choice to leave his sister’s home, Lavender wasn’t expecting all of this time to pass before she reached out to him again. No matter how long it took, Lavender was determined to reach out… she just prayed he would show her grace and still be single when she did.
“Thank you. I love this blue on you. You’re even more handsome than I remember.”
“And you have no idea how hard it’s been for me to not have my way with you.”
His hand lowered to her ass, squeezing gently.
“You’d get no complaints from me.”
Wearing a soft smirk, Choyce released her and locked the door. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”
“No, but I did think I had the address wrong when I didn’t see any cars.”
His smile formed fully. “That’s because I closed the gallery for the evening. I know you wanted to celebrate me, and I appreciate that, but I’ve come to live a very private life.” Holding her hand gently, Choyce led her deeper into the gallery. “I asked one of my favorite chefs to cook for us this evening. Is that okay?”
“Yes, but…” Her eyes scanned the art on the walls and sculptures positioned in the middle of the room. “This is your art gallery?”
“It is.”
“Wow. I’ve never seen a more beautiful collection of urban art. Do we have time for me to look around?”
“Absolutely. I’ll give you a tour.”
Each room possessed a different vibe, but they all highlighted the work of black artists.
“I didn’t know you were into art.”
“Oh yeah.” His smile was lazy as he placed his hands in his pockets. They stopped, admiring a beautiful painting that caused her to gasp. “I was drawing as soon as I could hold crayons.”
“Are any of these paintings yours?”
Choyce bobbed his head in the direction of the painting they were standing in front of. “This one is. I try to keep one piece in each room, but I never present during my showcases. I leave that for other artists who truly want or need the exposure. Painting has always been a passionate hobby of mine, so I get all that I need just from being able to walk into my gallery and see other artists work on the walls.”
“Wow, Choyce.” She stepped forward, head shaking in awe. “This is amazing.” The contrast of dark splashes of paint atop the gold, vibrant crown was striking.
“Thank you, Lav.”
Hand in hand, they walked to the back of the gallery, where there was a square table in the center of the room. With rose petals on the floor and candles in the center of the table, Lavender couldn’t help but feel special.
“It’s your birthday. I’m supposed to be doing all of this for you.”
Choyce pulled her chair back. “You’re my gift.” He lowered himself, brushing his lips against her neck gently. She shivered, arms covering with chills as her nipples hardened. “All I need.”
Clearing her throat, Lavender made herself comfortable in her seat. “Well, that’s really sweet, but I do have your gift in my car.”
His head shook as he chuckled. “Ain’t shit you can give me that I can’t get myself, Lavender. I swear all I want is you.”
“Why?” she asked quietly. “It’s been ten years, I ghosted you, we could be completely different people now that we’re adults. How can you sit there and say you want me?”
As their chef for the evening greeted them and placed a bottle of wine on the table, Choyce’s eyes never left hers. She nodded when he asked if she wanted wine, lowering her eyes to the glass as it was filled with cabernet sauvignon. Her mind immediately went back to the first alcoholic drink she’d ever had… with Choyce and Rema. Her smile was bitter as she remained in her thoughts until the sound of his voice pulled her out of them.
“I guess what motivates me to say I still want you is the same thing that motivated you to come here to me.”
“That’s fair,” she agreed, lifting the wine and taking a small sip.
