Page 6 of Believing in You

Smooth jazz flowed from the stage where a trio played a familiar song, and Nyla glanced around. Most of the after-workcrowd appeared to be enjoying the music, while other customers talked amongst themselves in small groups.

The place wasn’t huge, but it was large enough to hold events, which was something Nyla had started doing more often. Like tonight. Tonight, Wednesday, was their first open mic night, and so far, it was a success. Thanks to advertising around the neighborhood and on social media, the response had been amazing. So much so, they’d had to limit the number of performers. She now had a waiting list for the following two Wednesdays.

Thursdays were lady’s night, and Friday and Saturdays were the days they hired entertainment—local groups—to perform. Despite that expense, over the last three months, she had increased the jazz club’s profits by twenty percent.

This is good, she thought, but immediately, her mind shifted to her own finances. She didn’t know how or when, but she was determined to get the rest of the money needed. She had to.

“Are you going to stand there staring out into space all night, or are you going to actually do some work?”

Nyla smiled at her best friend Jamie’s words and turned to face him. “It looks like you have things under control,” she said just loud enough to be heard over the music.

“Of course I do,” Jamie said, a bit of arrogance in his tone as he filled two drink orders at the same time. He made it look so easy. Once done, he set them on the tray, and the server carried them away. He turned back to Nyla. “What’s on your mind tonight?”

Considering it was mid-January and freezing outside, Jamie sported a T-shirt that stretched across his wide chest and hugged his muscular pecks. He had played football in college over ten years ago, and he still managed to stay in tip-top shape.

Nyla knew for a fact that the man’s good looks and charming ways were the reason they attracted so many womeninto the club. He was ruggedly handsome, with shoulder-length dreadlocks that added to his masculine appeal.

They first met ten years ago when her mother was going through her match-making phase and thought it a good idea to set them up on a blind date. The date didn’t go well, but a great friendship came out of it, and they’d been besties ever since.

“Sooo, what’s on your mind?” Jamie asked again, then leaned slightly across the bar, bringing them closer. “Let me guess. You’re still trying to figure out how you can buy the club. I know it’s been weighing heavily on you. Maybe you can just—”

“You don’t think I can do it, do you?” she snapped, unable to stop the words from flying out of her mouth. No one thought she could do it, and if she was honest, there were moments she feared they might be right. “I expect doubt from my family, but you? You know how much this means to me.”

“Nyla.”

“No, I have been saving, sacrificing, and putting all my energy into making this a place to call my own. I don’t care what anyone says, even if I only have a high school diploma, I’m smart enough to run a business, dammit!” she spat as emotion swirled inside of her. “I’ve been doing it for years, and I’ve been doing a damn good job. The numbers speak for themselves.”

Breathing hard, she glared at him as he stared at her with his left eyebrow lifted questioningly. When he didn’t respond, she huffed out a breath.

Crap. She’d overreacted. What was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly letting doubts plague her mind? Jamie nor her family could say anything as it related to buying the club without her snapping on them.

“Are you done?” he asked, and she felt like a fool.

Jamie was her biggest supporter, and he never talked about her lack of education. Actually, neither had her family. It wasjust that she felt inferior to all of them, including Jamie. Everyone had a college degree except for her.

Nyla had had plenty of opportunities to continue her education, but college had been too confining. She was a creative, a free spirit, artsy type woman who typically did her own thing her own way.

Still, every now and then, she wished she would’ve done more than just take a couple of college courses. And the main reason she’d taken a small business management class, as well as accounting for beginners, was because Gordon, the owner of Moody Days, insisted she do that before giving her the manager position.

Nyla had been working at the jazz club in some capacity since graduating from high school. She had wanted to be a professional pianist when she grew up. Though she was good after years of lessons, there were so many people better than her. So instead of continuing her education, she hung around the club and musicians.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said, feeling silly for being so sensitive, and she knew it stemmed from the conversation with Cree earlier that day. Cree might’ve been supportive of her choices, but she still thought Nyla was wasting her talents hanging out in the club. At least that’s how she made her feel sometimes.

“What I was going to say is maybe you can ask Gordon to give you more time to get the funds together.”

She could, but he’d been adamant that this spring he’d be retiring. Her parents had offered to loan her the rest of the money, but Nyla didn’t want their financial help. Nor did she want her siblings to chip in. If they did, they’d expect to have a say in how she ran the business, and that’s not what she wanted.

“Remember that guy I wanted you to meet?” Jamie asked, abruptly changing the subject. “The one you said ‘no’ to before I could even list his qualities?”

Nyla shook her head. “Jamie, you’re getting as bad as my mother. I’m not going on a blind date. I don’t care if he is a good friend of yours or how awesome he is. I’m not interested. Besides, I have enough going on. I don’t need to add a man to the mix.”

“Well, you’re going to meet him anyway. I think if you get to know him, you’ll understand why I think you two are perfect for each other.” He glanced behind her. “And he’s right on time.”

Nyla looked over her shoulder, and it was as if all the air was sucked out of the room. “You gotta be kidding me.”

Harrison Grant strolled in.

Heat flooded Nyla’s body, and she swallowed hard as her heart rate amped up. Wiping her suddenly damp palms down the front of her pants, she tried to look away. No sense of getting caught staring, but she couldn’t help it. He looked larger than life as he entered.

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