Page 19 of Grace

“Who knows you ownRizzo’s Custom Homes?”

“Not many, so I’dreallyappreciate your confidence. It’s all contractual. It’s been planned. I wanted it to be gradual. The deal was made before I got locked up, but we worked out the details while I was in. Rizzo will leave either at the end of the year or next spring. It’s up to him. I knew it wouldn’t be smart to just oust the nigga as soon as I came home. He’s got a rep in the tri-state area. I need his book as I grow my own. His employees were another issue. I’ve been hiring my own, but his team is still the majority.”

“Hence your second-chance organization,” she whispered in revelation.

“Part of it, yeah. The other is building a strong team. It takes time.”

“So when he leaves, you’re left with the staff who wants to stay? How does that work?”

“Essentially, yeah. There are some I want to stay. But there are some who’ll be fired…legally.”

“Yeah, because we all know Rizzo and his people are some of the most racist, sexist, and homophobic in the business.” She blinked, shaking that well-known fact off. “That can’t be how you were able to afford the house.” Her curious gaze rolled up my face.

“Before we get to that, I need to know where we are. Are we cool again?”

“Again?”

“Well,” I took a deep breath, thinking of how to rephrase that shit. “I want to know if we’re gonna be friends, Witherspoon. I get what was fucked up about Saturday. I brought you to my crib and was about to dump a bunch of complicated shit on you the next day. I was wrong for that, too. I jumped into a sexual relationship with you too fast. It wasn’t supposed to go down like that. I wanna build meaningful relationships. Every person in my close circle has a purpose. I should have never laid a finger on you. I’m sorry for that, too.” When she blinked hard back-to-back, I didn’t know what to think of it. “I guess what I’m tryna say is, I take full responsibility for what went down, and I don’t want you to worry about what happens from here.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means, I shouldn’t have gone there. You’re a true diamond, Witherspoon. Any man’s lucky to gain your attention, including me. But I shouldn’t have let it go that far. I’m on a mission. My mind’s got just one track, you know that. I’m on the market for a specific thing. I shouldn’t have pushed you in any other direction. I got ahead of myself and I’m sorry.”

Witherspoon’s mouth twisted and head bounced softly over her shoulders as she looked out the window. “Marriage.”

“Marriage.”

She scoffed. “I can’t even think that far. As you’ve perfectly articulated once, I’ve got preliminary dreams to catch first.”

I nodded. “Your dance career.”

“Yup.”

“I understand and would like to support you on that, if I can. And I guess that’s where we can intersect.”

“That sounds end of the road’ish.” She twisted her neck and squinted her eyes. “Isn’t it supposed to be me, setting the boundaries here? Like me telling you we’re going to retract? Is that whatyou’redoing tome?”

Sighing deep as hell, I answered her question. Ihadto cut the sex shit with her. It was a matter of my spiritual health and legal. I’d kill another man for just smelling what she’d share with me. Sex with Witherspoon was a dangerous road for me. It had quickly made me possessive.

“But I ‘on’t wanna putyouon ice,” I needed for her to know. “I wanna be cool.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t deny your appeal as a woman. You’re a diamond, Witherspoon. I mean that. Believe that. I’m not tryna dead our connection. I just want to purify it, the way I should’ve done before you pullin’ up to my moms.’”

“So, you want to be…”

“Friends. Yeah.” She studied me. Witherspoon was either confused or didn’t trust me. “You’re cool. If I’mma keep it a bean, you’re the first thing and person I’ve connected with since giving my life to Christ a few years back. I ‘on’t want to lose that. I just wanna be responsible with it: walk right.”

“Are you sure I’m suitable for that?”

“For sure.”

“You’re sure?”

That gave me pause. “I hope.”

She didn’t respond for a few seconds. “So, I just got Renee’d,” she whispered.

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