The Hot Spot Page 15

  Zaria felt herself relax. Something about the woman made her feel at home. “No . . . no, I don’t.”

  She nodded. “Then I have one for you, Zaria. Why are you here?”

  Zaria licked her lips and looked down at her hands before looking back up at her. “I have been in love twice in my whole life. The first time my husband left me for another woman and the second time I left the man I love because he was younger than me. Both breakups have really messed me up, and I can admit that. I need help getting through them.”

  “And do you believe that your husband’s treatment of your marriage plays a role in you ending the second relationship?”

  Zaria was surprised when tears welled up. “Now? Yes, I do.”

  “Tell me about the days after your husband decided to leave.”

  And Zaria did. With total honesty she replayed it all. Her anger. Her hurt. Her pain. Her confusion. Her shock.

  Her insecurities.

  “How do you feel about your ex-husband?” she asked.

  Zaria’s gut clenched. “I hate him. I am annoyed by him. Every chance I get I take pleasure in insulting him,” she said with total disclosure.

  Dr. Dennison nodded. “I can see your rage. I can feel it.”

  “So can I, Doc, so can I,” Zaria assured her.

  Dr. Dennison smiled a bit. “Were you happy in the marriage? Was it everything you wanted it to be socially, financially, psychologically, and sexually?”

  “I would have stayed married if he hadn’t cheated and left,” Zaria said.

  Dr. Dennison shook her head. “No, no, no, Zaria. Were you happy?” she asked again, motioning with her slender finger.

  Zaria leaned back against the plushness of the love seat and replayed her marriage in her head. “No. No, I wasn’t happy,” she admitted.

  “And are you happier now?”

  “Yes,” Zaria said instantly.

  “Sounds like he did you a favor moving on,” Dr. Dennison said. “Can you see past his untruths, his adultery, his crap—because that is what it is. Those are his issues. They affected you but all of that is his mess that he has to deal with. Can you see how him taking all of his mess and leaving you free to be out of an unhappy marriage actually did you a favor?”

  Zaria shook her head as she crossed her legs and rocked her foot like she wanted to free it from her ankle. “When it comes to him, all I see is the betrayal—and me leaving my size-ten shoe dead in his ass, Doc. I want to implant my foot there and leave it for him to walk around with for the rest of his days.”

  The doctor swallowed back a smile. “Okay, we have to slow walk this I see, because until you release some of that anger for him, you can’t move on from it and release yourself.”

  “You’re good, Doc,” Zaria admitted, dropping her head back on the couch.

  “And we’ve only just begun,” she assured her.

  As soon as Zaria left Beaufort after her fifty-minute session with Dr. Dennison, she steered her car toward Walterboro for her next appointment. She parked her car and strolled into the restaurant, eventually claiming the seat the hostess led her to in the back. Not more than five minutes later, Ned strolled in dressed in a suit with his overcoat slung over his arm.

  It was different from his usual uniform attire, and Zaria could even admit that her ex-husband was still a fine-looking man as he strolled toward her.

  “You’re mighty spiffy, Ned,” she said, her legs crossed as she leaned back comfortably in her chair.

  “We had church this morning,” he said before taking his seat.

  “On a Saturday?”

  “We’re Seventh-Day Adventist,” he said impatiently.

  Zaria chuckled. “Okay. When we were married, you were No Day Nothing because you never went to church.”

  “What is this all about, Zaria?”

  “When I first called you, my intention was to cuss you out, to let you know how much I hated you and wanted to see you hurt like you hurt me,” she began. “But I’m seeing things a little different now, and although I’m not a hundred percent sold on this, I am willing to accept things for what they are.”

  Ned watched her and said nothing.

  “For years I let what you did to me affect my life more than I like to admit,” she said. “I was just as unhappy as you were in our marriage, and although I hate the way you handled it, at least you were willing to claim your happiness . . . you know? If you hadn’t left me, I would have stayed married to you, stayed having this okay sex—”

  Ned’s face stiffened.

  Zaria held up her hands. “Hear me out. Neither one of us were happy. Okay? I didn’t have the balls to leave, and when you left me, it shattered everything I thought I knew about myself. And even though it hurt—and it did hurt, Ned—we weren’t supposed to be together anymore.”

  Ned continued to watch her closely like he didn’t trust her next move.

  “I wish you had handled things different, but I can say now that you leaving me was the best thing you could have done for me, so why should I hate you and be mad when you opened up the opportunity for me to enjoy the second half of my life more than I did the first half.”

  A waitress came up to their table, but Zaria waved her away as she rose to her feet. “I want you to know that I forgive you, Ned. I forgive you and I thank you for being a good dad to my girls—”

  “Our girls,” he stressed, correcting her.

  Zaria nodded as she tucked her neutral alligatorprint clutch under her arm. “You’re right. Our girls. They are the best things to ever happen to me—no, to us.”

  He nodded. “I agree.”

  “It’s time we get past the petty arguments because the marriage is over—and that was for the best,” she told him, squeezing his shoulder as she walked past him. “That’s all. Truce?”

  Ned reached up to wrap his hand around her wrist.

  Zaria looked down at his hand and then into his face.

  He turned his head quickly and pressed a kiss to the backside of her hand.

  Zaria rolled her eyes heavenward.

  “I ain’t gonna lie—you sure been looking damn good lately.”

  Zaria arched a brow as she saw the desire in his eyes as he watched her like a dog salivating over a meaty bone.

  “Since we called this truce and all, why don’t we celebrate it with a little fun . . . for old time’s sake?” he said, reaching up to palm her buttocks.

  Zaria’s mouth fell wide open before she composed herself and realized this was a moment a lot of first wives longed for. “Stand up,” she said huskily with a wink as she licked her lips.

  Ned jumped to his feet. “That’s what I’m talking ’bout,” he said eagerly, almost panting. “I’m gone tear that thing up.”

  “You used to like it nice and wet, too, huh?” she asked him.

  “Woman, what you talking about?”

  “Like water in a deep well, huh?” Zaria asked huskily.

  Ned shivered and nodded.

  Zaria took his chair and turned it around to face her. “Sit,” she told him, placing her hands on his chest to gently push him.

  “Right here in the restaurant?” he asked in amazement, looking around.

  “Just sit.”

  As soon as he did, Zaria removed her coat and stepped back to pose like she was on the cover of Essence. “My grandma told me that one thing about a man is he never misses all that water till his well run dry,” Zaria said.

  Ned looked hesitant.

  “So I want you to sit right there and watch all of this as I walk away, because you will never ever—never ever—ever touch, taste, sniff, or see this good juice between my thighs again. Ever. When it comes to you, boo-boo, the well is bone dry. O-kay?”

  With a little laugh that was slightly mocking, Zaria did a dramatic turn and sashayed away from him with an exaggerated movement of her hips. “Oh, and you tell the second Mrs. Ali that the first one says what’s up,” she flung over her shoulder.

  “Come on, Zar
ia, stop playing,” he called behind her.

  Zaria just laughed and kept it moving on out the door.

  She couldn’t wait until next week to tell Dr. Dennison all about it.

  Kaleb pulled the Mule to a stop near the front of his property. He stood up on the vehicle and shaded his eyes from the sun as he looked at the land where he planned to place his dairy store. The land had already been cleared and leveled. On Monday, the county was coming out to put in an oversized driveway to connect the land to the front highway, keeping what he hoped to be a good bit of traffic from having to go through his actual farm or the portion of his property where his house sat.

  He glanced down at his watch just as a large black Ford F-150 with JAMISON CONTRACTORS on the side came over the hill and down to park where he sat. Kaleb hopped down off the Mule as the Jamison twins climbed out of the truck and walked over to him.

  Seeing the identical twins made him think of Zaria’s daughters, which led to thoughts of Zaria. His heart tugged at a vision of her swamped by his clothing, her face free of all that makeup and her hair up in a ponytail as he showed her his farm. She never looked more beautiful to him.

  “What’s up, fellas?” Kaleb said, reaching out to shake Deshawn’s and Devon’s hands.

  The twins were just nearing their forties and had already established their construction company as one of the best in the southeast. They were known for their hard work, their dedication to finishing a job on budget and on time, and their honesty. They had done the renovations on Kaleb’s home years ago, and he couldn’t think of anyone else he would trust with this newest extension of his business.

  “Who did the excavation?” Devon asked. He was the more serious of the two brothers. “They did one helluva job.”

  Kaleb nodded. “I did mostly. My family chipped in a couple of years ago and bought some farming equipment and some excavation equipment.”

  “Shit, if farming slows up, you could go into land clearing, Kaleb,” Deshawn said.

  Kaleb shook his head. “I’m barely getting enough sleep now. I got enough on my plate.”

  “Better too much work than not enough,” Devon said.

  Kaleb eyed them. “How’s everything going with y’all?”

  “We’re still going pretty strong, considering. It’s just so many of our subcontractors are going out of business that we’re having a hard time finding people of the quality and caliber we want to work with.”

  “And that’s important,” Kaleb said, understanding completely.

  “That’s damn important,” Deshawn said.

  Kaleb spent the next hour going over his plans for the dairy store with the brothers. They walked the land and took notes based on Kaleb’s specifications. And if they offered a better alternative in terms of cost or timing, Kaleb was open to their suggestions. He trusted them.

  “The last thing I ask for, fellas, is some of Chloe’s cooking at my grand opening just like when my house was done. Deal?” Kaleb asked, looking at both men.

  Devon’s wife, Chloe, was an ex-supermodel who retired young from the business and moved back to her mother’s hometown in Holtsville to build a home and capture Devon’s heart. The woman cooked like she was eighty years old—that good old-fashioned soul food.

  Devon patted his stomach. “Good food and good loving can’t be beat.”

  As the men laughed and made their way back to the vehicles, Kaleb thought of Zaria again. He remained behind after the men took their leave.

  If I could be the woman you wanted—the woman you need—I would.

  Kaleb shook his head to free it of her image and her words. No need to look back. He was determined to stay focused on his business and the business of getting over her so that he could be open to bringing someone else into his life permanently. Pining away for her and thinking of the coulda, woulda, and shouldas was pointless.

  Kaleb got back onto his Mule and zoomed over the land and across his farm to his house. He parked the Mule and climbed into his pickup to head over to his parents’. He was starving and too tired to cook. It was nice to be able to run home to his parents’ for a home-cooked meal, but he was anxious for the days he could walk into his own home and smell the dinner his wife was cooking just for him.

  The sun faded and the night chill immediately filled the air. When he reached his parents’, he was reluctant to leave the heat of his truck. Knuckling up, he left the truck and dashed up the stairs and into the house. The fireplace was ablaze and the smell of food was in the air.

  He heard tiny feet against the hardwood floors, and soon his nephew KJ came barreling at him. “Uncle Kaleb. What’s up, man?”

  Kaleb laughed as he scooped him up and tossed KJ’s chubby frame high into the air and then caught him with ease, causing the toddler to burst into a fit of giggles. “Again, Uncle Kaleb. Again,” KJ pleaded, sounding breathless with excitement.

  “This is the last time,” he said, just like he said a dozen times before and each time the little toddler smiled him into yet another toss.

  “Okay,” KJ said, clapping his pudgy hands.

  Shaking his head, Kaleb tossed the toddler up again and caught him.

  “Uh-oh,” KJ said.

  “Oh shit,” Kaleb said, a millisecond before his nephew puked all over the side of his face and down the front of his shirt.

  KJ looked wide-eyed. “Aw, man,” he said as his uncle set him down on the ground. “Sowry, Uncle Kaleb.”

  Kaleb kept his right eye shut and looked down at KJ with his left. “No biggie. It happens,” he said, reaching down to rub his nephew’s head before he made his way to his parents’ guest bathroom to clean up.

  When Kaleb turned to leave, he nearly tripped over KJ, who was standing in the doorway watching him. Kaleb grabbed a clean washcloth and wet it to clean around his nephew’s mouth. “See, all clean. We straight?”

  KJ nodded, “We straight,” he mimicked.

  He grabbed his nephew’s chubby hand and they walked into the den. His father was sitting in his recliner watching the evening news. KJ went running up to climb into his grandpa’s everavailable lap.

  “Hey, Kaleb,” Kael said, tickling his grandson.

  “Where’s everybody?” Kaleb asked.

  “Your mama’s in the kitchen on that phone and cooking. The rest of the crew are all home,” he said. “Kahron came over with this little one here before he headed home, and my grandboy wanted to stay with Grandpa. Ain’t that right, man?”

  Kael held his large hand out and KJ slapped his little hand against the palm. “Stay with Grandpa,” he said.

  “I’m just gonna grab me a plate and head home,” Kaleb said. “Or I might go to Charlie’s and play a little poker.”

  “A’ight,” Kael said, his attention already turned back to the news.

  Kaleb headed out of the room.

  “Hey, your brother and Jade called. They’re going to the justice of the peace next month, and your mother and I are having a big reception here for them.”

  “It’s about time,” Kaleb said with a big grin.

  “He wasn’t sure about asking you to be his best man,” Kael said.

  Kaleb frowned deeply. “I’m straight, Pops,” he said. “I’ll call him.”

  “I figured the same. That’s why I told you.”

  Kaleb squeezed his dad’s shoulder and patted it before he reached for his cell phone from his pocket. He called their landline number first. It rang just twice.

  “Big Kaleb in the house,” Jade said.

  “You two finally jumping the broom, huh?” Kaleb asked with a genuine grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “It’s about time.”

  “Yeah, nothing big and without all the la-de-da,” she said.

  “It’s about the marriage and not the wedding, right?” he said.

  “Right.”

  “Where my baby bubba?” he asked, turning to look out the window of the den as he crossed one arm over his massive chest.

  “Right here . . . but I
wanted to talk to you first,” Jade said.

  “Listen, I’m a big boy. I can handle seeing my brother get married to the woman he loves without jumping off a roof,” he drawled.

  “That’s Kaeden’s opinion on how you feel,” Jade said. “I wanted to apologize in advance for anything my mama might do at the reception.”

  Kaleb made a face. “Your mama?” he asked.

  Jade sighed. “Yes, she heard that you’re available and has made it quite clear—no matter how much I begged her not to—that she is going to be just the cougar you need.”

  Kaleb felt his neck warm as he hung his head and laughed. “Now, no more older women for me,” he said good-naturedly.

  “Baby, I know my mama, and I’m just putting out a pre-apology and warning you to have your guard up.”

  “I will,” Kaleb assured her.

  “Okay, here’s Kaeden.”

  He listened as she handed off the phone.

  “So I’m the best man,” Kaleb said.

  “I want you to be,” Kaeden said. “You a’ight with that?”

  “I’m good. I just need a time and a place and what color suit to pull from my boudoir,” he said jokingly.

  “I just never saw you take this long to get over a girl before.”

  Kaleb shrugged. “I never really been in love before, and I just want to get Zaria out of my system and clear out all our baggage so I can start new and fresh with someone else. I’m just chilling out, but you know me—I could be running through girls right now, it’s just not the right move, you know. I’m focused on some other things.”

  “So we’re good?” Kaeden asked.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m happy as hell for my little brother,” he said honestly.

  “A’ight,” Kaeden said, sounding like their father.

  “Let me see what Mama got cooking in this kitchen.”

  Kaleb closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

  “Hey.”

  He turned to look over at his father. “Don’t be around here with blue balls waiting to fall out of love. There’s plenty of women looking for a booty call just like you, boy,” his father warned.