Page 29 of One Good Reason

“Someone you’re fucking.”

“Whoa. Such a potty mouth for a beautiful young lady,” I teased. “But to answer your question, no, I’m not fucking her. We’re doing business together and she’s in need of investors.”

“A business venture and you didn’t ask me for help.”

“Do I ever?” I probed.

“I guess not. Well darling, can’t blame an old lady for trying.”

“I should be back midday on Monday. We can sit down then.”

“That’s okay. I’ll reach out to Sincere since that’s who I’m supposed to be doing business with going forward.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?” she snickered. “Like I’m losing my friend.”

“One thing about it Adele, you’ll never lose me as a friend.”

“Tuh,” she scoffed. “I lost you as a lover.” I knew she was pouting, and for what reason? She was the reason we ended, not me.

“At your insistence,” I rasped.

“Don’t take that tone with me, Harvey. You know I had reasons for ending things.”

“That’s neither here nor there. I was in the middle of doing something so if we’re done…”

“Understood Harvey. I’ll reach out Sunday to see if we’re still on for Monday.”

“You do that darling.”

“Goodbye Harvey.” Without giving me the opportunity to respond Adele ended the call.

And that right there my friend is the reason I couldn’t possibly see myself moving into something as serious as a marriage. Adele only wanted to be bothered with me when she felt like her place was being threatened. With Dahlia, she didn’t have a care in the world because she knew our relationship was stagnant and wouldn’t progress. Typical shit. Dangling the possibility of forever in my face only to snatch it back. When she started that pouting and shit, I paid her dust.

Once my things were packed, I pushed my suitcase over to the corner of my room and called down for Baker to bring the truck around.

“Pancakes, sausage, eggs scrambled well, and that God awful coffee drink you brought yesterday,” I noted as I placed the food container down on the table.

“How’d you know what I liked to eat?”

Taking the seat next to her, I turned on my computer and got ready so I could pull up the link for the seminar. “One call to your mouthy assistant and I can find out just about anything.”

“Remind me to reprimand him for spreading any of my business in the future,” she laughed.

Like yesterday, Talitha was dressed down. The weather in Atlanta was bipolar, cool in the mornings and hot as hell bynoon. Instead of her hair being trapped under a ball cap, she had it tossed up in a curly ponytail. She wore a black long sleeved ribbed cotton one piece with a red and blank flannel tied around her waist. On her feet were a pair of black and white Nike sneakers. I wanted to compliment her look again but the last time I did it, she asked if she should be offended.

I didn’t know how to take that so of course I said no. Well, I said I was a man, a warm-blooded man who appreciated a good-looking woman. I swear outside of business I didn’t want, nor did I expect anything from her. Like I told Poppa, I had learned my fucking lesson. That didn’t mean I couldn’t and wouldn’t look. The girl was easy on the eyes.

“You ready for today?”

“The question is… are you ready? I wasn’t the one who kept falling asleep.”

“I told you I’ve been on the move. Besides that, I haven’t slept for more than a few hours a night.”

“Are you an insomniac?”

“I wouldn’t suppose. I slipped and allowed myself to get comfortable only for that comfortability to be snatched from under me.”

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