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I chuckled and handed her Ava. “Yeah, she was the perfect replacement all right—in my business and my bed.”
“Chapel, I get that you feel some type of way, but…”
“You get that I feel some type of way?” I interrupted to repeat before laughing. “Allegra, what is going on with you?”
“What do you mean? It’s been a year. I’ve moved on.”
“You’ve moved on?” I almost screamed, regretting it immediately when Ava jumped and frowned. “You know what? I think you should leave. I asked you to come over so we can reconnect, but your nonchalant attitude is really starting to piss me off.”
Sucking her teeth, Allegra stood. “What? You want me to be upset? You want me to ride at dawn? The time for that was a year ago when shit first hit the fan, Chap. Not a year after you left and completely shut down on us. It took a lot for me to adjust to life and business without you, and it’s not going to be easy for you to just… squeeze your way back in and act like nothing happened.”
Yeah.
My best friend was angry.
Why couldn’t she just say that so I could apologize and make amends?
“I don’t know how things were for you while I was gone. If you’d like to talk about that, I’m here. We don’t have to agree on my plans for my return, and we don’t have to agree on me deciding to leave. I just need you to know that I love you and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk about how you feel.”
She stared at me for a few seconds before closing the space between us and giving me a hug. When she started to sniffle, she quickly pulled away and walked away.
“Lay…” I called, trying to suppress the ache in my chest.
Allegra ignored me as she briskly left my home. I hated seeing her like this. Up until now, I’d been saying I didn’t care about how my leaving made others feel.
Now… I felt like shit.
4
As ready as I thought I was for this moment, I’d been sitting in my car outside of Wilson, Cane, Simpson, and Fisher for the past thirty minutes. WCSF was the first and only business of its kind, not just in the South but in the world. I’d created the only enterprise that specialized in interior design and staging, had a real estate broker leading a twenty-agent team, with in-house financing from a brilliant financial advisor operating with a Black-owned bank here in Rose Valley Hills, and a legal team headed by one of the youngest civil attorneys with a 93 percent success rate.
While I handled interior design and staging, Jeremiah was our broker and over the agents, Nova handled our finances and client loans, and Allegra was our legal advisor and real estate attorney. I’d always wanted to have my own interior decorating business. When my grandmother died, she left me and my little sister a substantial amount of money. I used mine to buy my two-level townhome and to start my own business. Because I loved my friends so much and wanted us all to succeed, I came up with the blueprint for WCSF so we all could come up at the same time.
They insisted on putting something into the business, so for one dollar, I allowed them to buy-in as partners. We run the place together, but I am the managing partner and Jeremiah is my second in command. There were certain bylaws we put in place over the years that Allegra was responsible for drafting, and one of those things was a year of time off for any medical, mental, and emotional issues. During that time, an interim partner would be in place, and at the one-year mark, we would have to come back and either return to work, sign over our partner position, or allow the other partners to buy us out.
There wasn’t anything I was prouder of than my business, until I became Nova’s fiancée. I’d allowed him to taint both by making me weak, but that was done now. Enough time had been wasted wallowing in my pain. Whether I was ready or not, it was time for me to reclaim my power.
Six-inch heels hit the concrete as I got out of my Audi. I wanted to make sure I looked good enough to eat, and the form-fitting red dress I had on with matching heels was doing just that. Nova’s mouth would always water when I wore red, and this dress had gotten me fucked in public places every time I had it on. I’d taken special care with my makeup, ensuring it accentuated my beauty and gave myself bombshell curls that blew in the wind as I walked.
I’d even gone as far as to five-layer my perfume, using his favorite sweet scent—strawberry. Engaged or not, there was no way this man wouldn’t regret fumbling me the way he did when he saw and smelled me. That thought had my shoulders jutting back and chin lifting a little higher as a slow smile spread my lips.
The moment I stepped into the seven-level building, the need to race through the hallways to release my excitement consumed me. My senses felt heightened as lightness filled my chest. With a wide grin, I added an extra bounce to my steps as I moved.
I made my way over to the receptionist’s area, grateful everything was exactly the same. I’d chosen a minimalist design for the common areas. The main area was decorated with silver, chrome, and gray to match the chairs, flooring, and elevators. On the second level were several meeting and conference rooms. The third level was for Allegra’s team, the fourth level was for Nova’s team, the fifth level was for Jeremiah’s team, and the sixth level was for my team. On the seventh level were partner offices.
Along with the receptionists’ area on the first level, I wanted to make sure I had certain rooms that all employees could utilize while they were here. We had a small gym, a nap room, a chill room with a pool table and a few TVs, and a small café that served breakfast and lunch.
Though I was proud of what I’d created and brought to fruition with my friends, I also received a hell of a lot of fulfillment from this place too. We weren’t just a business, we were a family, and we treated our employees well. I think that’s why Tiffany’s betrayal hurt so much, too. I’d taken her under my wing and genuinely wanted what was best for her. I just didn’t think that would include my soon-to-be husband.
Our four receptionists looked at me as if they were looking at a ghost. Rita was the first to cheer and jump to her feet. She wasted no time rushing over to me for a hug, and the other three weren’t too far behind. As they swooned over me and told me how happy they were to see me, I soaked in all the love. I was nervous about how they would feel about my return too, and I was glad the first people to see me welcomed me back with open arms.
My plan was to go to each floor and get all lead associates to pull everyone together so I could announce my return, but my highest priority now was the meeting being held on the second floor. I excused myself from the ladies and headed toward the elevators before the courage and confidence I’d mustered fizzled away.
Nibbling my bottom lip, I rocked from my heels to my toes.
What if Nova wasn’t fazed by my return?
What if he was so happy with Tiffany that he barely gave me a second glance?
