Page 19 of Cause When You Love Someone
Chaz squeezed my cheeks. “Is he the reason you don’t want me, Clarke?”
“You’rethe reason. You have forty-eight hours to come get your stuff before I have Sage take it to Goodwill.”
As the door screeched open, Chaz gave me space to breathe. I tried to conceal my discomfort and left my hands at my sides instead of massaging my achy jaws.
On shaky legs, I watched the men size each other up as Chaz stepped backward through the open door. I could hear him cussing and talking shit as he made his exit, yet I stayed put. I had witnessed enough of his dramatic departures to know I didn’t need to see another.
“Clarke.” Ishmael spoke my name softly. “Are you ready to go?”
“Give me a second,” I said so low that I almost didn’t hear myself.
“I’ll be outside the door.”
The fear of facing the people in the warehouse made me linger in the dressing room. Every time I blinked, I could feel a migraine creeping up on me, so I undid my ponytail, hoping to gain relief. I exchanged my halter top and biker shorts for a leather top and high-waisted jeans, and once I was satisfied with the facade I saw in the mirror, I sashayed back on set like nothing ever happened.
“Clarke, baby.” Poochie tilted his head to one side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I apologize for the drama.” I combed my loose waves behind my ear. “You know good pussy drives the boys crazy.”
“Trust me. I know all too well!”
Poochie and I giggled like delusional homegirls before he promised to send me proofs of our work and sent me on my way.
To my surprise, Ishmael climbed into the driver’s seat of my black truck once I was settled in the back.
“Hm. What are you doing? Where’s Rock?”
“He had an emergency. I’m taking you home.”
“Wow. Why am I the last to know?”
“Because we were giving you space to work, unlike other people you associate with. Not everyone is around to disturb your peace. Those are just the ones you seem to enjoy having around.”
“Things are bad now, but they weren’t always this way,” I lied.
Ishmael released a low chuckle. “I didn’t ask.”
“I know, but I . . . I can feel your judgment.”
“You’re projecting. You think the shit you put up withshouldbe judged.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Thank you for . . . checking him about the flowers.”
“It wasn’t for your benefit. It’s my job to make sure you make it home safely. If something happens to you while I’m around, it’ll fall back on me.”
“Damn. That was harsh.”
“It’s the truth. When I made a comment about spending money on your man, you told me to stay in my place.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be . . . mean.” My eyes clung to passing cars. “It doesn’t matter. We broke up.”
“I’m sure this isn’t the first time.”
My head snapped back before I stuck out my tongue and flicked him off.
“I can see you in the mirror,” he replied, causing my bones to stiffen.
“You’re giving that energy to the wrong person, Clarke. You can’t say I’m lying. I run a background check on everyone I work with. I don’t talk about what I don’t know.”
