Second Chance 3: Ask Me Again 3: David's Story (2 page)

Chapter 4

David

The sound of the racquet ball hitting hard against the wall before bouncing twice at my feet jerked me from my thoughts. My mind wasn’t on the game at hand.

“Man,” Jarvis Stevens, my friend and co-worker said. “Your head isn’t in the game, at all. What’s going on with you, David?”

“I’m sorry. I know my head is in the clouds and my focus is off today,” I said avoiding his question for the time being.

It was the weekend and I decided to meet Jarvis at the gym to work off some of my restless energy. Nothing seemed to work at present. I remembered a time not too long ago that I would have been working out between a pair of luscious thighs instead of the gym.  I had changed in a big way and sometimes I even surprised myself with the change.

It’s just something about knowing that you fathered a child that urges a change in a man’s life. Drayden changed my perspective on life in general, whether I raised him or not. That little replica of me made me want to be a better man and not use women for the sole purpose of satisfying my sexual needs.

“Let’s grab a drink at the bar, so you can tell me about this woman that’s got your head all messed up,” Jarvis said with a chuckle.

“Man, who says it’s a woman that’s on my mind? I hope that I’m not that obvious,” I said.

“No, you are not that obvious,” he answered as we went to be seated at the bar. “I just haven’t seen you this preoccupied in a very long time. To be honest, I haven’t seen you this preoccupied since you were trying to win Allyssa back.”

I cringed inwardly at the mention of Alyssa’s name and at the selfish juvenile tactics that I went through to win her back. I was glad to say that I was not that man anymore, not that I was patting myself on the back. I was just glad my conscience kicked in when it did. I needed to face myself in the mirror each day, as well as sleep at night.

We placed our drink orders for two spinach flax banana smoothies, which was healthy as well as tasted pretty decent. I took a healthy sip from my drink before turning to Jarvis to answer his previous question.

“Jarvis, last Thursday an Angel walked into my office and I haven’t been able to get her off my mind since. Her name is Madelyn and she is as beautiful as her name. She is so ethereally beautiful that you would think she was sent straight from heaven. It’s something so pure and vulnerable about her that it brings out the protectiveness in me.”

“Man, you are so far gone that I wish I could meet this woman you are talking about. She has to be all that and a bag of chips for you to sum all of that up in one meeting.” Jarvis chuckled as he spoke.

“She is all of that and I am smitten with her beyond words. I know that word sounds old fashioned, but that’s exactly how I feel. I feel the need to know her, but she’s a client and I need to tread carefully.”

“If you feel this strongly about her, why don’t you handle the finalization of her loan personally? That would be sure to guarantee you seeing her again.”

“I had decided to do just that. I knew you were my friend for a reason,” I chuckled. “Great minds really do think alike.”

“You got that right,” he agreed, while finishing up our healthy drinks.

We went back to our game. This go round, I was so focused that my many Z ball shots left Jarvis bended at the waist trying to catch his breath when the game was over. I left him on the court to go refresh myself in the gym’s shower stalls. My A game was back, finally!

Chapter 5

Madelyn

I was just stepping out of the shower when my cell began to ring. I was dripping wet from head to toe. I quickly wrapped a fluffy cotton towel around me and went to answer my phone. I entered my bedroom and scooped my phone off my dresser where I had left it earlier and pressed the answer key.

“Hello,” I spoke into the mouthpiece breathlessly.

“Hello, is this Miss Madelyn Stowe speaking?”

“Yes, this is she.”

“Great! This is Jennifer, Mr. McRay’s secretary. He asked me to call you to see if you could do a business lunch with him around noon today?”

My heart fluttered at the thought of seeing David again. I had assumed that someone else would be handling the finalization of my loan. I was happy all the same, because deep down I really wanted to see him again. It was something about him that drew me instantly to him like a magnet.

“Yes, I will be available to meet him.”

“That’s great,” Jennifer replied. “He wants you to meet him at a restaurant called Ravens on Broadway. It’s located a few blocks from our bank. Do you need the address?” she asked.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I know exactly where that is.”

“I will tell Mr. McRay that you will meet him at Ravens at noon,” she reiterated.

“That’s correct.”

“Thank you Miss Stowe for your time,” she said before politely ending the call.

Ravens held fun memories for me. My mom and I frequented Ravens on many of our special occasions. I continued to reflect over happier times, as I busily grabbed a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt to dress in. I let my hair dry naturally and pulled it back into a ponytail to keep it out of my face whilst baking. I had a busy morning of baking cookies to fulfill yet another order.  I wasn’t complaining though. My baking was all I had. It kept my mind too busy to dwell on happier times and past hurts.

I dressed carefully for my noon meeting with David. I refreshed myself with a quick shower, spritzed my body down with my favorite fragrance and moisturized my body with cocoa butter lotion. I put on my underwear that I already had laid out on the bed. I wanted to look my best, so I went to my closet to peruse my wardrobe.

“I really need to update my wardrobe,” I mused to myself. It was looking pretty skimpy as of late. I decided on a classy casual mid-thigh peach skirt that showed off my legs. I added a fitted shirt that molded to my body and stepped into a pair of four-inch open toed pumps. The pumps would make me appear taller than my mere five feet two inch height.

I arrived at Raven’s with only minutes to spare. A server greeted me politely when I entered the dimly lit restaurant. “Hello, my name is Beosha. I will be taking care of you this afternoon.”

“Hi, Beosha. I am Madelyn Stowe. I am meeting a David McRay here for a business lunch.”

“Of course,” she said before checking her guest list. “Mr. McRay has already arrived and been seated. I will take you straight to him, if you would just follow me this way.”

The smells of the scrumptious food enticed my nostrils as she led me through the restaurant. My stomach grumbled loudly since I had missed breakfast earlier that morning. The clinking of glasses and cutlery could be heard as the patrons enjoyed their meals.

The server took me to a private alcove tucked away in the quietest part of the restaurant. David instantly stood to greet me in a friendly greeting. He waited until I was seated at the table before reseating himself. He was so gentlemanly and polite that I smiled inside. He had disposed of his suit jacket and tie and wore a sea blue shirt that complimented his eyes and his black slacks fitted his six foot one frame nicely. I felt his eyes were looking into the deepest recesses of my soul.

“Hello, David,” I returned his greeting nervously, as I added a shy smile.

“What drinks shall I start you both off with today?” asked our forgotten server. I was lost in David’s eyes. I looked over at David inquiringly.

“I will be glad to order for the both of us, if you trust me.”

I nodded my head in my agreement without moving my lips. This man had me under his spell without even trying.

David placed our drink and entrée orders without missing a beat. I was so hungry that I felt like I could have eaten a horse at that point.

“Madelyn, while we wait on our orders, I would just like to say that your loan went through without a hitch. Your high credit score had a role in helping you obtain this loan.” He reached for a briefcase on the floor beside him that I hadn’t noticed before. He pulled out a folder and handed a ball-pointed pen over to me. He opened the folder and indicated the three places I should sign.

I took the folder from him and briefly read the information before signing on all the dotted lines he indicated. I was elated that my dreams of owning a building for my small business were finally realized. I handed over the folder and pen and he replaced everything back into his briefcase.

“If you would come inside the bank tomorrow morning or whenever you are available, I will have copies of your loan agreement along with your check. I hope that’s agreeable to you,” he said studying me with male appreciation glowing from his eyes.

“Yes, that is agreeable to me. I want to thank you. My words can never tell you how much this means to me.”

“I am just glad that we at Liberty National Bank can help your dreams come true. And Madelyn, if you need anything at all, feel free to let me know. I will help you in any way that I can.”

“I really appreciate that, David.” Further conversation was cut short by the arrival of our meals as we each satiated our hunger pangs.

“Tell me Madelyn, do you have a boyfriend? I know someone as beautiful as you must.”

“Thank you, David, for thinking that I am beautiful.” I was feeling more and more comfortable around him and my shyness was vanishing little by little. “I don’t have a boyfriend in my life and haven’t for a while now. Do you have anyone special in your life at the moment?” I asked. I already noticed his hand was free of a wedding band the first day I entered his office.

“I am free as a bird,” he said with a smile. “I know this may seem unorthodox, but I am not one to beat around the bush, so to speak. I would like to get to know you better,” he said bluntly.

I fought with myself to hold his gaze. “I would like that very much.” In David’s presence, I was forgetting to be cautious and how bad Chad had hurt me in the past. I was ready to finally open the door and let someone else in. Monica would be proud to know that I wasn’t allowing Chadwick Martin to ruin it for all other men, any longer.

“I was hoping that you would say that,” he said with a satisfactory look in his eyes.

“What would you have done if I said no?” I asked teasingly. I couldn’t believe that I was opening up to him this quickly.

“There is one thing up front that you need to know about me. I don’t give up easily. I never have and I never will.”

I trembled from his intense green-eyed stare. If his glance had this effect on me, I was in big trouble. I finally looked down at my plate as a blush rose to my cheeks.

“I am going to have to work on that shyness of yours,” he said reaching across the table as he tilted my chin to look into my eyes. “Your eyes are beautiful and I could get lost in them.”

“I will work on that; I promise.”

His lips strayed down to my lips; his nostrils flared before he released my chin. We finished our meals in silence, but I was sure that everyone in the restaurant could hear my heart beating loudly, all because of David’s touch.

Chapter 6

Madelyn

“Monica, thank you so much for helping me get this building. I truly appreciate your help and expertise. I know you would never steer me wrong girlfriend!”

“You are so welcome, Maddie. I’m just so glad that you have everything in order with your licenses, permits and insurance. Those things are very important to do before you even think about opening your cookie shop.”

“Right,” I readily agreed. “I can’t believe how blessed I was to receive all of this baking equipment from the former owners of this cookie shop.”

“It took some fancy footwork, but the previous owners decided to let everything be included in the selling price. I think the deciding factor was that the couple who owned it were getting along in years and wanted to retire to Florida as soon as possible,” Monica said.

“I am just glad it happened,” I said looking around the freshly painted building.

“Have you decided on how many people you will hire?”

“I have two people that are ready to come on board. Their background information has checked out and everything. Dan Bailey is an older gentleman that needs to supplement his income and he is a former baker. Michele Jackson just graduated from a fine culinary school, where her expertise lies in baking. They will have to do for now, until my business gets up and running like it should.”

“You are off to a great start. Mama Annie would be so proud of you, Maddie. I am sure she is looking down on you from heaven as I speak.”

“I think so too, Monica. All I have ever wanted to do was make Mama proud. I wanted to make her life easier one day, where she didn’t have to work so hard. Those long, twelve-hour shifts at the hospital finally caught up with her. Now, I won’t ever get the chance to provide for her and show my appreciation of her sacrificing so much for me.” A hot tear splashed against my cheek.

“Stop it right now, Maddie! Your mom wouldn’t want you to think like this. She would want you to be happy and pursue your dream without any regrets. Your mom didn’t think it was a hardship to provide for you. You were the light of her existence. Come here,” she said, holding out her arms to give me a much needed hug.

I stepped into my best friend’s arms and found comfort in a sister, not by blood, but by our own making.

“Alright, enough of this pity party,” Monica said stepping back. “Now, tell me more about your banker friend. His name is David McRay, right?”

I gave a wistful sigh before I answered. “Girl, he is so dreamy and handsome. His eyes are so clear and green that I could get lost in them for days. He is very professional on one hand and then he is endearingly sexy on the other hand.”

“Look at you, getting all mushy and stuff. He must be something else and I am glad to see that you took my advice to not let Chad distort your outlook on other men. It took me a while to get through that hard head of yours, but I am glad that everything is working itself out.”

“I only had one business lunch date with him, Monica. We will just have to wait and see how this plays out by ear. I was hoping to see him on the day I went back to pick up my check and loan agreement, but his secretary said he was stuck in a meeting. She had everything waiting for me in a manila envelope. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see him. Now, it’s been over a week and I haven’t heard from him. Maybe he has lost interest.”

“Stop thinking so negative. I think he’s just real busy and caught up in work stuff. I think he will call you sooner than you think.”

“I hope so, Monica. I really hope so,” I repeated.

“He will, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” she teased. “In the meantime, concentrate on getting this place up and running for business, because this will be my sweet spot from now on.

I took my friend’s advice and tended to the matters at hand for in due time, if it was meant to be, everything else would eventually work itself out.