ChapterSeven
Six Months Later
Joseph
So much has happened in the past six months it’s almost comical. Atlas woke up, proposed, and got married. Skai and Shepp graduated. And Peter is seeing someone. If one more mother fucking person pops up with a significant other, I am going to move the hell out of Mississippi. I still think about her; how can I miss her? She has texted me a few times over the months; she sent flowers and a get-well basket to Atlas and a wedding gift. She must have heard about all this from Peter. It was nice of her to do that but when she asks if we can see each other, I always decline. I get dressed in my jeans,’s boots, and light weight sweater and head out to meet a stranger. I am curious as to what she wants to talk to me about, but I am willing to meet with her. I walk in my coffee shop and pick her out right away. I acknowledge my manager and head towards the table she is sitting at.
“T’Aundrea?” I say
“Damn, your picture does not do you justice. No wonder she can’t get past you,” she says as stands and checks me out from head to toe. I offer her my hand to shake, help her with her chair and have a seat. A few seconds later, my manager comes over with my usual drink order.
“Thanks, Mark.” He nods and walks off.
“What can I do for you, T’Aundrea?”
“Just T. I am here on behalf of J, I mean Joyce. Wait!” she says as I begin to get up. “She doesn’t even know I am down here talking to you. I am not here to make excuses for her or offer any type of explanation for her actions, that’s for her to do. I am asking for you to give her the opportunity to do so. I know she has asked you several times to meet and you always decline. I’m asking if she asks again to say yes, that’s all. Thirty minutes of your time and if you still don’t want to see or deal with her after that I won’t interfere. Please.”
I sit there looking at her. She is a very attractive woman; the piercings and tattoos only enhance her beauty. I wonder if she is married, and I glance at her hand and see a wedding ring. She would have made a good match for one of my brothers.
“Lucky man,” I say as I gesture to her wedding ring.
“She’s a lucky woman,” she says, and I nod my head.
“Who is Joyce to you?”
“My partner, I’m her master mixologist. I prefer to be called a mad scientist, but J said I couldn’t.” I smile at her cause I think mad scientist fits her. She has a sexy black woman version of Doc from Back to the Future thing going for her. I would love to show her my chemistry lab.
“I tell you what, IF she contacts me again, I will meet with her. You are a good friend T, a great partner for Joyce.”
“Thank you. I better get back before she starts to question why I have been gone for so long. Nice meeting you, J2.”
“J2?”
“Yeah, Joyce is J so you have to be J2. I hope you guys can get this worked out. I would love to talk with you more. You seem like you're fun to be with. See ya!” she says and walks out. I sit there for a few more minutes drinking my coffee and head out.
Joyce
I hate being in Mississippi, since I no longer am here with him. But T loves it here; she is trying to convince Angela to move here. I love North Carolina but this city is beautiful and the more time I spend here the more it’s feeling like home. I won’t tell her, but if T moved here I would too. I just don’t know how I would handle being in the same city as Joseph and not be with him. T breezes in the suite, coffee cups in hand and offers me one.
“I’m telling you I am going to convince Angela to move here. I can run a satellite office here and come to N.C. once a month.”
“You’re serious?!” I ask incredulously.
“I sure am. Angie said all I have to do is find a house that’s reasonable that we both can be ok with and has room for a baby and she would move. You know she’ll do just about anything to make me happy,” she says, grinning.
“Poor Angela, always giving for you.”
“Please, poor Angela, my foot. She’s been wanting to move out of N.C. She’s stayed because of me. So, this is right up her alley.”
I raise my eyebrows at this new information. Maybe I’ve been holding all of us back.
“Well, we’re out of here tomorrow. Maybe you and Angie can fly back down and look at houses.”
“Or maybe you can call Joseph and talk to him, get all this straightened out and he can show me some of the houses they are building or have available.”
“Stalker much?” I say as if I don’t go online every day to get a glimpse of him.
“Maybe, but less than your ass. Call him.”