Page 1 of Believing in You

Chapter One

“Nyla Elizabeth Priestly, if you don’t come on, you’re getting left!”

Nyla cringed at the sound of her sister’s high pitch threat that traveled down the long hallway to her bedroom. Well, not exactly her bedroom, but Cree’s guest room that Nyla had been using for the last few weeks.

Okay, maybe it had been months, but still, hearing her full name yelled like that reminded her of when they were kids. Their mother was good about putting them on blast, especially if she wanted to embarrass them in front of their friends.

But they weren’t kids anymore, and Cree was not her mother, even if Nyla had to remind her of that on occasion. Cree, the second to the oldest of five kids, took her role of big sister seriously, and her bossiness had spilled over into their adult life. It didn’t matter that Nyla was thirty-three, and Cree, who was three years older, still managed to make her feel like a child.

This morning, though, Nyla wasn’t in the mood. She hadn’t slept well thanks to thinking about her life. She was working two jobs and trying to save every penny so she could purchase Moody Days Jazz Club.

She was currently the manager there, but a few years ago, her boss, Gordon, told her that when he retired, he’d sell the business to her. Nyla had always wanted to be her own boss, and she loved the club. This was going to be the perfect opportunity for her, and she had started right after that conversation.

The problem was, he recently told her the asking price, and though it was a fair price, he planned to retire this spring. It was January. She only had a few months to finish stacking her dollars.

Grabbing her oversized bag from the foot of the bed, Nyla glanced around the bedroom and its Mediterranean style theme, making sure she wasn’t leaving anything. Specifically, her extra clothes and shoes—as well as travel size toiletries—in case she spent the night at her parents’ place.

Cree’s guestroom wasn’t huge, but what it lacked in size it made up for in elegance. Expensive furnishings and linens were highlighted by exposed beams, hardwood floors with a huge area rug in earthy tones, terra cotta ceramic nicknacks, and an ensuite. Her sister had always had expensive taste and insisted on the finer things in life, and Nyla was currently benefiting from that fact.

Jogging down the hallway, she needed to hurry if she didn’t want to get left. She was bumming a ride with Cree who worked in the Loop. Downtown Chicago would get Nyla close to the temp job she had at an IT company.

“Finally,” Cree grumbled when Nyla made it to the living room/dining room combination. The large, open floor plan also gave a view of the high-end kitchen. “Starting next week, if you want a ride to work, you’ll need to be down here thirty minutes earlier. Otherwise, I’ll already be gone. And what the heck are you wearing?”

Nyla stared down at her clothes as if she didn’t remember what she was wearing. Her style was what she thought of asmodern-day grunge. She smoothed her hand down her floor-length multi-color sweater that she had paired with black baggy pants and a multi-color, button-up shirt. She had topped the outfit off with her usual rings on every finger, silver bangles on her wrists, and her black, chunky, knee-high boots.

“I look perfectly fine,” she said and grabbed her heavy coat from the closet. She’d been doing temp work at Telecom Solutions for a while now, and no one there complained about her style.

Her sister, an entertainment lawyer, always dressed to impress with her overpriced suits and equally expensive shoes, boots, and handbags. While Nyla was the opposite. Why spend every penny on clothes when you can find items just as nice at thrift shops and garage sales?

“Don’t worry about how I look, sis, just focus on your own self,” Nyla said. “I’m taking care of me.”

Cree’s eyebrows shot up, and she placed a hand on her narrow hip.

“Are you, though? You’re bumming rides with me. You’re living under my roof, sleeping in one of my beds, and eating my food. How are you taking care of yourself?”

“I don’t eat your food!” Nyla snapped, then thought about the cereal and milk that she had finished off in the middle of the night. “I don’t eat much of your food, and don’t worry, I’ll replace the cereal, milk, and those double-stuffed Oreos that we both demolished over the weekend. Now, are you happy? Can I go and grab my lunch from the refrigerator so we can go?”

Cree shook her head. “I love you, Lil Sis, but you’re too old to be acting like some broke college student. I get that you’re trying to save money, but you have to be smart. You need to rethink your priorities and grow up.”

The moment the words were out of her sister’s mouth, Nyla could see that she hadn’t meant to say them out loud. Creeopened her mouth to probably apologize, but Nyla turned away and headed to the kitchen for the lunch she’d made last night.

Her insecurity about not being smart enough reared its ugly head. Normally, she was comfortable in her own skin and loved herself. She also knew she was just as intelligent as the next person, but still, this was an area in her life that sometimes made her doubt herself.

Unlike her three sisters who’d graduated from college, and her brother who’d served in the Marines, Nyla only had a high school education. She had learned early on that college wasn’t for her. She was more artsy than her siblings, and formal education hadn’t been her thing. So, over the years, she had only taken enough college courses to help her get the jobs she wanted. Such as the management position at the jazz club. She’d also gotten a certification in administrative support, which had been serving her well.

But when her last boyfriend told her he needed someone more his equal, then proceeded to dump her, her insecurity flared. And this morning, Cree wasn’t helping. Yes, she had been nothing but supportive and patient over the past year, knowing why Nyla was saving her money. Yet sometimes she was insensitive.

Nyla’s sacrifices were paying off. She was so close to reaching her financial goals. Yes, her sister was right about the lack of transportation, food, and penny pinching, but she didn’t have to throw it in her face. Worse than that, though, it was the part about her needing to grow up that hit a nerve.

After grabbing her lunch bag, Nyla headed to the door and walked out of the apartment. She stomped to the elevator, fuming.How many times had people, specifically her family, said she needed to grow up? Or she was too trusting? Or she needed to go back to college and get her degree? Or she needed to stop living in la-la land?

Too many times to count, and she was sick of it. She was a grown ass woman doing the best she could to create a good life for herself. Maybe it was taking longer than planned, but she was getting there.

“Nyla, wait. I’m sorry. I was out of line,” Cree said as she hurried after her.

They lived in a luxury apartment complex in Hyde Park, both loving the culturally diverse neighborhood. Whenever Nyla did move, she was going to miss the life of luxury the apartment building offered.

They entered the elevator, and Nyla stabbed a finger at the ground floor button.

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