From One Night to Forever (12 page)

Reggie’s speech was good, and heartfelt, and full of the type of love and protection any good older brother would give. But every word ramped up Aaron’s frustration. A small part of him knew he could be that guy. But not here, not now. He didn’t want to be the husband in a small town, eventually serving on the PTO and selling wrapping paper to coworkers at Christmas as part of his kid’s school fund-raiser.

“Aaron, you’re my boy and all, but—”

“I get it,” Aaron broke in, the frustration edging his voice. “And, by the way, if I did go after your sister, if I was the guy she let her guard down for, I wouldn’t hurt her. She’s cool, smart, and hardworking. If I had her, I’d treasure her.”

Reggie’s brows drew together, and his lips formed a thin line. Aaron lifted his chin, still frustrated, but a little less so having spouted the words. Before Reggie could answer with more brotherly indignation, Aaron turned and jogged up the stairs.

Kacey slammed the cordless phone on the bar in Momma’s Kitchen. Just what she didn’t need, a server calling out on Saturday night. She chewed on her lower lip to keep from swearing and stared at the schedule for the day. She didn’t doubt her cousin Deborah’s sick excuse. One phone call to her aunt would prove whether or not Deborah was lying. But rearranging the schedule to accommodate the night’s crowd would only stop Kacey from getting out of there before they opened for lunch.

“Why are you frowning like someone just ripped out your weave?” Monique’s voice came from Kacey’s left.

“I don’t wear a weave,” Kacey said, staring at the schedule.
I could take one of the new servers out of training and give her Deborah’s section.

“Then why are you frowning as if someone ripped out
my
weave?”

“I’d laugh if someone ripped out your weave.” A newbie set loose in the biggest section. That would spell Saturday night disaster. Kacey eyes scanned the list of employees off for the weekend.

A sharp tug at the back of Kacey’s head pulled her backward. “Hey, crazy.” She spun and slapped Monique’s arm. “Why are you pulling my hair?”

“If you’re going to frown, I might as well give you a reason.” Monique’s grin said she enjoyed the hair pulling regardless of the reason. She leaned against the side of the bar next to Kacey. Her long weave was flawless, and her curves were on excellent display with the top few buttons of her white
Momma’s Kitchen
shirt open and her fitted black pants.

“Deborah called out sick. That’s why I’m frowning.” She turned back to the schedule.

“Damn, that’s really going to screw up the rotation.”

At least Monique understood Kacey’s frustration. “I might have to come in and work.”

“Weekend nights are off for you, remember? This is your last semester, I can’t have you flunking out because you work weekends.” Monique slid the schedule away from Kacey and looked over the spreadsheet.

Kacey frowned and slid the schedule back. “It’s only one night.”

“Moderation is not your strong suit. One night will turn into every night.” Monique slid the paper back.

Her sister made a very valid statement. Kacey already felt guilty for taking weekends off when school was in. Her momma owned the place, but Kacey had been running the business for the past three years. Keeping the shifts fully staffed, handling the books, and being on top of the orders were all her responsibility. She felt like she was dropping the ball taking off nights when school was in session.

Kacey rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Ugh, between the short staff and the hateful professor I’m going to lose my mind.”

“We’re interviewing for waitresses today, so get over the short staff thing,” Monique said. “Hateful Professor is stupid. Your thesis idea is great.”

Kacey dropped her hands and placed a hand on her hip. “You’re only saying that because it’s to help this place grow.”

Monique hugged Kacey from the side. “That doesn’t make it less great.” She dropped her arm and stared at the schedule. Before long her arched brows drew together in a frown.

Kacey leaned over and once again glanced over the names of the waitresses off tonight. “I guess I can call Jamelah and see if she can work. I think she can use the extra hours.”

“Or we can just split the section between two others and give a few tables to the girl we hired last week.”

Kacey frowned at the diagram of the restaurant with the location of the tables and the sections they were broken into. “That would work.” She grinned at Monique. “Why am I the one getting the master’s degree? You can run this place.”

Monique laughed and tossed the schedule on the counter. “You overthink things when you’re stressed and feeling guilty.”

“I do not.”

“Yeah. You do.” Monique’s eyes lit up. “You know what you should do?”

“I don’t know if I want to hear you suggestion.”

“You need to get laid.”

Kacey rolled her eyes. “Why is that your solution to every problem?”

“Because sex is a proven cure for stress.”

“Here’s the problem: There’s no one for me to have sex with.”

“You’ve got two very good options,” Monique said.

Kacey raised a brow, curious to know her so-called options, but just then Monique’s phone rang. Her sister pulled the phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. “I’ve got to take this.”

“Then take it.” Kacey leaned against the counter and smiled at Monique.

Monique’s eyes narrowed before she turned and answered her phone. “Hello?”

Kacey frowned at her sister’s tone. She’d used her
I’m trying to impress the caller
tone. The one their momma used when she’d talk to bill collectors, teachers, and sometimes a new guy she’d met. Monique again disappeared behind the doors into the kitchen. Kacey straightened and started to follow, but she stopped herself. Instead of worrying about who her sister was talking to, she reworked the floor setup to cover for her cousin.

Several minutes later, Monique came back out from the kitchen. “Okay, so you’ve got one doable option and another good option.”

Kacey looked around the empty dining room, then back to Monique. “Are you talking to me?”

“Umm, who else would I be talking to? I’m finishing our conversation from earlier.”

Kacey pointed to the phone in Monique’s hand. “You’re not going to enlighten me?”

Monique ignored the question. “Your doable option is to call up Howard and get old but reliable sex.”

Kacey was too through with Monique’s words to even care that her sister had ignored the question. “Not happening.” One fantastic night with Aaron and now Kacey doubted she’d ever be able to accept mediocre sex again.

Monique grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Or…” She dragged out the word. “You can waltz up the stairs to the apartment above your place and give Aaron a try.”

As if she hadn’t thought of that several times already. The only thing stopping her was the fact that he’d only be here for a few weeks. And that he’d bragged to her brother about getting laid his first night in town. And that he was a ladies’ man who probably had a woman in every town he visited. Her life was good, and she had more important things to do than becoming another notch on a bedpost. Like figuring out how to make the professor from hades not hate her thesis project.

“Also not happening,” Kacey said. “Look, I’ve got a vibrator, I’ll be okay.”

Monique grunted. “You’re always so busy working and studying you probably won’t even take the time to use that.”

“Not all of us have secret callers to take care of our needs,” Kacey said, again pointing to Monique’s phone.

Monique slid the device, now in a purple case that matched her new nails, into her back pocket. “Are you really planning to keep your hands off of Aaron? You two had definite chemistry the other night.”

Kacey decided to let the subject go. Monique would tell her who her secret caller was eventually. “Yes, I’m going to stay away from Aaron.” Interest lit up Monique’s eyes, and Kacey pointed at her sister. “We both are. Reggie is really excited about this partnership, and you know he’ll stop the entire process if Aaron so much as touches one of us.”

Monique shrugged and leaned her back against the bar. “Fine, we’ll both stay away. Though I wasn’t really that interested anyway. Do you think your professor will eventually get over her heartburn about your thesis project?”

Monique changed the subject so fast Kacey frowned. Normally her sister loved to find ways to get under Reggie’s skin. For her to so readily agree that she would stay away from Aaron meant she had other things occupying her mind. Which only increased Kacey’s concern about the secret calls. She really hoped Monique wasn’t going down the road to becoming a side chick. Her sister deserved so much more than that.

But she didn’t want to get into another fight. “Don’t get me started on my professor,” Kacey said. “I did finally find some new references after she tossed out two-thirds of the ones I previously had.”

Monique patted Kacey on the shoulder. “You’ll do great.”

“I’m not so sure this time.”

“You always worry and freak out, but in the end you pull through with an awesome GPA. I know you can do it this time.” Monique hugged Kacey. “We’re all counting on you.”

“Gee, thanks for not pressuring me,” Kacey deadpanned.

Monique lifted a shoulder. “That’s what I’m here for. If you don’t mind, I’m going to use the office computer for a second before you go in.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Okay, thanks. It’ll just be a minute, so occupy yourself.” She waved her hand around the bar.

“Does that mean I can’t come in while you’re on the computer?”

Monique strolled to the door. She waved her hand but didn’t look back. “You can find something to keep you busy for ten minutes.”

Kacey did, but keeping busy didn’t keep her mind from wondering what her sister was up to. And her curiosity was only piqued more when Monique finally did let her into the office and Kacey realized the history on the computer had been deleted.

• • •

After Kacey and Monique interviewed three potential waitresses to help out during the busy weekend shifts, Kacey dashed out of the restaurant to make her way to the school’s library. She’d wanted to stay and help out. The Saturday lunch crowd had been thicker than usual, and she always hated leaving the place when things were busy. Monique had hastily pushed Kacey out of the door with a sly “Don’t you have more references to look up?”

Kacey hopped on her white Northwoods women’s bicycle and started her trek across town to the school. Monique might recommend sex for stress relief, but riding her bicycle around town allowed Kacey to work out her frustrations with every turn of the pedal. By the time she reached downtown, her heart was pumping and much of her frustration had lessened.

She eased around a corner onto Main Street. She spotted Aaron strolling down the side of the street in her direction and tilted her head to the side. Common sense said to wave and keep going, but he’d grinned at her and raised his hand in a friendly wave, the afternoon sun bringing out a reddish tint to the edges of his curly Afro. Well, ignoring him would be rude. Kacey looked both ways before crossing to his side of the street.

“Where are you going?” she asked. Her voice was breathless, not just from the bike ride but from the effect of his dark gaze on her.

“To the library. You?”

“The same.” His eyes lit up and she shook her head. “The school’s library. I’m still looking for references for my project.”

He turned and walked down the sidewalk in the direction she was heading, not fast enough to say he wanted the conversation to end, so Kacey slowly pedaled beside him in the bike lane.

“How’s the hunt for references going?”

“Frustrating as hell. Let’s talk about something else.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.”

“What are you going to do at the library?”

“Check out a book.”

Kacey twisted her lip and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “But you don’t have a card.”

He stopped and faced her. “Do you?”

She stopped as well. “Yeah.”

“Then let me use yours.”

“So you can go out of town with books due and I get hit with the fine? Uhh, no.”

Aaron chuckled. “I wouldn’t do that. Let me use your number to check out e-books instead.”

“Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I do it all the time. Since I’m not in one place long enough to get a library card, my friends usually let me use their numbers.”

Female friends?
she wondered. “Why don’t you just buy books?”

“Most of the time I do, but sometimes if I’m unsure about a book, I’ll check it out at the library first.”

“Ah, so selective.” She started cycling again and he picked up his steps to follow her.

“So, can I use your number?”

“I don’t think so. My library card number is only for serious commitments. One-night stands need not apply.”

He chuckled. “Oh, really?”

“Really.”

“How do I become a serious commitment?”

She snorted. “You? Never gonna happen. But in general, buy a house here, love my family, be ready to settle down and have a few kids.”

He cringed. “You’re one of those.”

She stopped the bike again. “One of what?”

Aaron faced her. “All or nothing.”

“I guess I am. Anything wrong with that?”

“Not at all,” he said, shaking his head. He slid his hands into the back pocket of his navy blue shorts and gave her a
no big deal
kind of shrug. “All-or-nothing women are the best type, for an all-or-nothing guy. I’m just not there yet.”

She grinned at him. “I pretty much know you’re not.”

He got a weird look, as if her words may have struck a nerve, before he turned his head to glance down the street. “What are you doing when you finish at the library?”

“If I find what I need, start working on my literature review.”

Aaron met her eyes, his carefree, friendly look back. “Nope, wrong answer. After hours in the library, and I know it’ll be hours because you drive yourself ragged, you’ll need a break.”

“I take breaks on Sunday afternoons.”