Page 12 of Mr. On Your Knees
“On brand meaning luxe, high-end,” she said.
“Black Excellence,” he added. “We’re not a monolith but they like to think we are. Just like they want to believe we can never walk in the circles they do with pride and confidence. So, while there are going to be numerous grass roots type events kicking off that weekend, I wanted to do something on this level. Something that shows the greatness we were always meant for.”
When he glanced over it was to see that she’d stopped looking through the windshield and was now staring at him.
“You still go to the community center to play video games on Sunday afternoons?”
It was an odd question considering what they’d been talking about. It was also a personal question which he’d presumed she would want to steer clear of after their trip down memory lane at the restaurant. But he wasn’t going to question it. He wanted Desi back in his life, on this job and in his bed. If she needed time to acclimate herself to that idea, it was fine, but he’d take every good sign he could and run with it every time. He didn’t know any other direction to go in life but forward.
“Yeah, I do,” he replied and grinned. “And it’s called gaming. I know you remember that. You just always like to assumed that’s a juvenile pastime instead of the international sport that it is.”
She shook her head and offered him a small smile. “Nope. I just call a spade a spade.”
He laughed then, remembering she was exactly right about that. Desi did not hold back, she said what she meant and meant what she said and he loved that about her. Now, she would overthink something to death, but once she’d settled on her thoughts about a situation, it was on.
The light changed and he drove through it. “I’m actually looking at a place just a few blocks from here. It’s an old-abandoned warehouse so my realtor thinks I could probably get a good deal on it.”
“You’re buying a building? For what? And you better not say you’re opening a video game store.”
He laughed again. Conversations with Desi had always been enjoyable. She was intelligent, funny and inquisitive as hell. No matter how well he thought he’d explained something to her, or how self-explanatory he considered it might be, she always had follow-up questions. It made for lively discussions that he’d mostly looked forward to. Well, until the conversation that ended their relationship.
He grinned. “Better,” he replied. “I’m opening a center where kids will not only be able to come and play all the top games, but will also be able to get tutoring, homework assistance, some classes on practical life skills like handling their finances, getting the proper identifications to apply for jobs and some other fun stuff. Haven’t ironed out all the kinks just yet. Started working on the business plan last year but I figure once I get the building, everything else will kick into high gear.”
“Wow,” she said just as he turned into the small parking lot behind the gallery. “That sounds…I mean, it sounds like a really good place.”
“You think so?” he asked, not bothering to mention that outside of his accountant and realtor, she was the first person he’d actually spoken the details of his plans to.
Noah and Caspian knew he was thinking about doing something along the lines of a gaming center and not surprisingly had the same initial reaction as Desi just did. None of them understood the art of gaming which was just too bad for them. But his best friends had quickly offered any support and/or assistance they could lend if he decided to move forward.
“Of course, I do!” She turned sideways in the seat to stare at him as he parked the truck. “Do you know how many kids love playing those goofy games but don’t have three different computer screens, those colorful keyboards, special chairs, a wall full of games and I don’t know how many different gaming systems PS50s, and blah, blah, blah? They barely have a place to go to play basketball and you’re going to provide a place that’ll be like a state-of-the-art arcade.” She pushed her hair back behind her ear again, something he’d seen her do earlier. He wondered how it would feel to touch her hair again, to let his fingers graze over the line of her jaw.
“Plus, all the other things you’re going to offer. I’m just amazed,” she grinned. “It all sounds so good and so needed. What about counseling? Like educational counseling, college prep? And also, mental health counseling? So many of our youth are struggling with things like depression or other mental health conditions that might not have even been diagnosed. If there was a place where they could get some general help, you know without all the limitations of who has what type of health insurance, that would be phenomenal.”
Pressing the button to kill the ignition, he sat back in his seat and nodded. “It would be,” he said. “Huh, I hadn’t even thought about that component. We could maybe get a few social worker interns to come in a couple days a week. You know, give some college students a chance to get some hands-on experience in the field.”
“Oh yes! That’s a fantastic idea!” She clasped a hand to his bicep. “And mentors. Definitely a mentor program. It may be too late to save some of these parents out here, but we could focus on the children. Give them every opportunity to succeed as we can.”
She was touching him. “ ‘We’,” he said softly. “You said ‘we’.”
Silence fell around them and her smile faltered.
“So did you,” she replied.
“I did,” he said and then closed his hands over hers on his arm. “Wealways did brainstorm really well together.”
Her gaze fell to where their hands touched and for a moment he thought she was going to yank away as if his touch was physically hurting her. Instead, she just continued to stare before finally bringing her gaze back up to his.
“There’s no point denying there were lots of things we were good at together,” she said.
Her eyes were the color of wheat—she called it hazel but he’d always thought they were lighter than anyone he’d ever seen with hazel eyes. They had a golden tint, just barely speckled with a deep brown and the vaguest hint of green that really only popped when she was pissed. Now, because she’d actually been excited about this center, they were bright and glittering and sucking him right back into the hold they’d had on him once upon a time.
“But there’s also no point in thinking that we can only focus on the good memories.” Now, she did ease her hand away from him.
He instantly missed her touch. Missed that connection their bodies hadn’t seemed to forget.
“Why not?” he asked, hating the now somber tone of his voice. “Why can’t we let the good outweigh the bad?”
“Because the bad was really painful,” she said quietly. Turning her body so that her back was once again to the seat, she dropped her hands into her lap. “It was a pain that I never wanted to revisit. You knew that.”
