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He nodded and stood, reaching for my hand. I slipped my palm in his and stood to my feet. Hand in hand, we walked back to his truck in complete silence. He helped me inside and buckled my seat belt before closing the door. I sat nervously as he rounded the driver’s side and climbed in himself. When he cranked up, the smooth sounds of Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” filled the space between us as he pulled out of the parking space. I smiled softly.
“My mother loved this song,” I said aloud.
“Mine did too. I have a whole playlist of her and my father’s favorites. I usually listen to it while I’m cleaning. You know, that Saturday morning cleaning vibe.”
“I remember those days. My mother had me up early every Saturday. Avyn woke me up with gospel music on Sundays. It was a little weird not hearing it this morning. I already miss her.”
“Good thing all you have to do is take the elevator up when you want to see her.”
“I’m sure I’ll see her all the time outside of work.”
“You work at the hotel?”
“Yes. I do housekeeping. I also work part time at a grocery store. I wanted to save enough to afford my apartment, and I still have to pay for my therapy.”
“How’s that going?”
“Well, I had to sell my wedding ring to cover the cost. I knew I couldn’t afford not to go, so I paid a year in advance. What I didn’t spend, I’m saving up to buy a car. I don’t want to keep hounding Avyn to use hers if I need to go out.”
“If you need a ride, you can always call me. If I can’t make it, I’ll send a driver.”
“You’ve already extended your kindness enough, Callum. I can’t ask you to do that.”
He chuckled. “Good thing you aren’t asking.”
I shook my head. “I get the feeling that you are the type of friend that doesn’t take no for an answer.”
“I can accept a no. Sometimes, I may overstep. I’ll apologize if I hurt your feelings, but if it’s coming from a place of love, I will do it anyway.”
“You and Avyn would get along just fine.”
“I already like her.” He pulled up to my building and in front of the door. “This is your stop.”
“Thank you again... for everything.”
“There’s no thanks needed.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I hope you have a good rest of your day.”
“You too.”
I climbed out of his truck and headed up to the door. He waited until I was safely inside before pulling off. Aside from the run-in with Raymond, today had been a good day. Callum had been an unexpected addition, but I couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy my time with him. I didn’t have any male friends. I hadn’t had one since I was in high school. He wasn’t like any man I’d ever met, and I wasn’t sure if that scared or intrigued me. Only time will tell.
I’d been back in my apartment for about an hour.
I busied myself with making Sunday dinner. Growing up, I helped my mother cook in the kitchen, and there was always more than enough food. I never knew how to cook for just one person, so I was sure there would be leftovers I could take to work for the next day. I was knee-deep in cutting up potatoes for my potato salad when I heard the locks of my front door disengage. There was no need to ask who it was because Avyn was the only person with a key.
“Are you decent?” she asked, coming through with her eyes covered.
I giggled. “Like that would have stopped you.”
“You’re right. I was just being courteous.” She hung up her keys and bounced over to me, pulling me in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You look happy today. What’s buttered your biscuits?”
“I’ve just had a good day. It was almost perfect.”
“Almost?”
I gave her a quick rundown of my morning out, and she listened intently. She smiled as I told her about Callum, but I could see her fists clenching when I mentioned Raymond.
“See, I like Callum more and more. He should have drowned Raymond in that fountain. He’s too damn old to be body-shaming anybody. The nigga is pushing forty, and he’s acting childish right now. Didn’t Callum hem him up the last time?”
