Page 27 of Mr. Big Stuff

Why?

Do what I say, Tracey.

Or what, you gonna fire me? Fine. I’ll figure it out. ???

O P E N the damn door.

Fatty came out of my bedroom and headed to the front door. I stood up and walked to where she stood staring at the door like she was seeing spirits. I done seen enough movies to know these felines had abilities.

“What you see, Fatty?”

Fatty looked up at me like, “You want me to answer in human or cat?”

The doorbell ringing made us both jump, but Fatty’s fat ass hightailed it out of the foyer and probably was under a bed as I placed a palm on my chest to calm down. Where was a dog when you needed one?

I tiptoed to the door so whoever was out there couldn’t hear me, and when I looked out the peep hole, what I saw made me stop. He stood there looking right back at me.

I opened the door and found his impatient glare on me. Even so, he looked so good in his plain black tee and dark gray sweats that I didn’t want no one else seeing him in.

“You wanna tell me why we always fighting?” His voice rumbled and the vibration set off pussy bells. She was waking up. Damn he got on my nerves. My coochie was too easy for him.

‘I thought you said that we fussed like your parents.”

“And they are divorced too.”

“Okay but we aren’t together.”

“We aren’t?” His head tilted to the side. I looked down at my toes.Damn I need a pedicure. Why would he come here when I looked like this?

“I asked you a question.”

“No, did you say we were?’

‘This isn’t just a Raymond show. This is a Tracey and Raymond show. Whatever we do we do it together. You are in this. Get that straight.”

I just watched him. He was serious.

“Another thing,” he said while brushing past me. I shut the door and turned to see him walk into my living room and make himself comfortable on my couch like he belonged there.You know he looks good in your house. You know you want him to stay forever.

”We run the business together.The Agencywill be in touch tomorrow or Tuesday to ask you if you wanted to accept a permanent position with my company. You have a choice of saying yes, you’ll be the Director of Finances and Event Planning for McCullough Business Solutions. Or you could choose to go a different direction.”

“What?”

“I didn’t stutter. Now come sit on my lap and tell me what my baby did all day. I need to know because I did miss you, Tracey. I always do when you’re away. Never think I don’t. Seeing you at work and seeing you at home has blessed my life…But make it fast because we have somewhere to be and don’t have time to take all day.”

Chapter18

Tracey

“Now how did you manage to get us a flight on a private jet to go see Rafael Saadiq playing at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion? And on short notice at that.”

Never would I have thought we’d be in Chicago on this Sunday night.

“Khalil Berry. The gift that keeps on giving. He called me on my way over to see you and asked me if I had gotten things squared away with you.”

“What does that mean?

“I had the same question. And what it means is he wanted to know if I was going to do right by you or would he need to call you and hire you back with a promotion.”