AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pace back and forth, trying to keep cool. “Then I have to get that bank loan process started. If I call tomorrow—”
“Calltoday. Do you know how long this stuff takes? More than sixty days, I’m willing to bet.”
“Jams—”
“Then there’s the small matter of, oh, I don’t know, perfecting the donuts in this kitchen? Then a soft opening, an official launch, the first few weeks. Do you know how many restaurants fail in their first few months? We haven’t even opened yet and I’m pretty sure—”
“Jamila,” I say more forcefully this time. I put a hand on her shoulder, staring into her face as she breathes fast, her eyes wide with fear.
I know what’s happening. She’s freaking out as the scale of this whole venture weighs down onto her back. I understand what she feels, because I’m feeling it too, except for me there’s no going back. There’s no failure, no matter what—I’ve put my everything into this venture. All my money, all my time, all my energy, all my self-esteem. If this place fails, I’ll have nothing. Which means it can’t fail. I won’t let it.
“I know this isn’t your fault,” she says softly, glancing down at the floor. “I shouldn’t take it out on you like this. I’m just starting to wonder if this was a huge mistake.”
“We’re going to make it work,” I say, squeezing her shoulder tighter, then pulling her in for a hug. “I promise, no matter what, we’ll make it work.” I hold her tightly, trying to make her feel my resolve. I can do this—I’m going to do this—even though I have Nana’struthsabout me still rattling around my skull. Like for example:every dime you ever make’s gonna disappear into nothing, just you wait and see. Or another one:boys are gonna eat you alive, little girl, just you wait and see. Dozens moretruths, all of them ugly, all of them aimed directly at my heart.
I don’t let them own me anymore. That’s what the donut shop’s all about. Building something good, building it for myself. Having purpose, proving I can be successful, even if I’m staggering along the edge of an active volcano inches away from toppling over. I’ll still make it happen.
“Excuse me? Am I interrupting a moment right now?”
The voice jolts into my spine like a rusty knife. I flinch, releasing Jams, and turn around.
He’s standing in the middle of our store. Right around where the front counter’s going to be when everything’s done. He seems out of place in the construction dust, wearing his expensive suit with that obscenely handsome smile.
Nolan Crowley tilts his head staring at me with all his attention like a battle axe smashing into my skull.
Chapter5
Keely
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask him, unable to stop the word-vomit from escaping my lips.
He barely reacts, only tilts his head to the side as if listening to the rhythm of hammers and drills. “I’m checking in on my favorite tenants.”
That wordtenantsis the most horrible sound I’ve ever heard in my life.
“I’m sorry, what did you—” I hold up a hand, looking past him. “Hey, guys, excuse me? Yeah, hey, sorry, can you all take a break for a second?” The construction team looks over awkwardly, but their foreman shrugs, an older guy with thinning black hair.
“We’ll take fifteen,” he offers, leading his guys out the front. All the while, Nolan simply stands there, completely out of place, with that word hanging between us.
Tenants.
“Uh, hello,” Jams says, stepping forward. “I’m Jamila. You’re Nolan Crowley.”
“Nice to meet you,” he says, shaking her hand. “You’re the partner, right?”
“That’s me.” She glances back, making eye contact for just a beat. “So, uh, when you say tenants, does that mean we’re renting from you?”
“My holding company bought this building two months ago.” He’s not looking at Jams. He’s talking to me, like I’m the only person in the room. “And I think we need to have a conversation.”
My mouth opens. That night comes flooding back: his hands on my body, his mouth exploring my skin. Coming, over and over. Fucking him, listening to his dirty, filthy mouth, feeling so damn good for once in my life.
Then the next morning. The bright sky spilling into the room. He asked for my number while I tried to dress in silence. I turned him down, which only made him laugh. “We’ll see each other again, my something,” he said, lying under the sheets, naked to his waist. I ran out of there fast as I could, escaped up to a main road, then called a cab. The walk of shame had been about as awful as I thought it would be, and even Ash got a few digs in later that week, but I haven’t seen or heard from Nolan since.
I figured we were done. One night of pleasure. One night of really, really good sex. Then nothing else.
Until right now.
“What could you possibly want to talk about?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest and leveling a hard stare right back at him.
