Page 6 of Where Is the Love

“That’s the best thing, isn’t it?”

I was starting to get a little irritated. It was like he was taking me on the scenic route of whatever it was he was really wanting to say. I was a straight shooter, and besides, I’d seen this route before, and I wasn’t all that fond of it. He leaned over the table slightly. “I’ve always had a thing for you, but your father made it clear that you were off limits.”

My eyebrows lifted. “You had a conversation with Joseph?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a conversation. I was about to approach you at your induction into the National Honor Society. I’d sat in the back just to see you being honored. I was so proud of you. I’d planned to ask you to be mine that night. Your family had surrounded you, so you couldn’t see me. He did though. He stopped me and said that you didn’t have time for boys and for me to find me something else to do before I found myself covered in dirt. That’s why we didn’t talk much our senior year. It had nothing to do with my extra-curricular activities.”

I swallowed hard, wondering about where my life would have gone if Brix and I had ended up together. I was thirty-one years old, nearly thirty-two. I was pretty sure back then that I would be married with my own family by this age. Knowing that Joseph probably had something to do with why I didn’t only pissed me off. I would have given Brixton a shot at my heart. We were so cool back then… compatible in every way.

I glanced up at him and stood to get a to-go box. Normally, I would have cleaned my plate. That was why I didn’t waste time by putting it in a to-go box in the first place. As I grabbed the box, Uncle Jasper walked in the restaurant with Uncle Storm behind him with all the signs. I slowly shook my head as Uncle Storm said, “Just so y’all know, Jasper was joking by putting all these signs out, but this is real as hell. I’m gon’ be running for mayor of Big City Nome, Texas, and I’m gon’ need y’all support. Real shit.”

Everybody looked around at one another, probably wondering if he was serious or not. Finally, Mr. Spears stood from his seat and started clapping. Before long, everyone was on their feet.Lord have mercy.That was all the gas his ass needed. He smiled big and pushed Jasper away from him. If that fool didn’t stand there and try to give an entire speech, then my name wasn’t Jessica.

As I walked back to my table, my mama said, “Storm, get your ass out of here! This is not your election headquarters!”

He frowned at her, then it was like a lightbulb came on. “Oh, yes the hell it is! The diner, the barbershop, the tractor store, the washateria, Marcus’s shop, and my shop will all serve as my damn headquarters. Y’all better fall in line before these winds tear y’all shit up. I need y’all to give me that push I need.”

“Storm, you don’t need all that for a population of fo’ fitty, bruh. That’s stupid,” Uncle Jasper said. “Just put flyers in people’s boxes at the post office and call that shit good.”

Everybody laughed so hard. I tuned their crazy asses out and started boxing my food. Brix was laughing at their shenanigans until Uncle Storm followed my mama to the kitchen. I swore my uncle had too much time on his hands. Brix slid his hand over mine, causing me to look up at him, and said, “I need your number, baby. I know that shit popping, but I hope to have high priority status, at least while you’re in town.”

I unlocked my phone and gave it to him as it chimed. He smirked. “Nate wants to know if those dates are free for him. He really wants to see you and kiss your lips again. Hmph. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me.”

I couldn’t even respond to him as he called himself then saved his number in my phone. When he gave it back, I stood from my seat. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Brix.”

“Not if I call first. See you tomorrow.”

My lips parted as I stared at him. After finally tearing my gaze away from him, I grabbed my box of food and made my way to my car. I took a deep breath then got in, trying to figure out why Joseph couldn’t just stay dead. It was bad enough he haunted my dreams at times, but him being brought up in conversation with Brix was overwhelming. I hated that man, and I found that just because he was dead, it didn’t make me free of his hold on me.

CHAPTERTWO

BRIXTON

Jessica Monroe was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen, even back when we were in school. Time had been good to her, and now that her father was out of the picture, I wanted to pursue something with her. When she walked into the diner, I swore Marvin Gaye had come back from the dead and started singing “I Want You”. Had I not moved back to Nome, I probably would have given up on that. Once my dad got sick, I knew I would be coming back to take over things.

The Hendersons were more involved with business in the city than they were when I left, so I knew it would be harder to get things going. My people used to sell hay, and they bred animals to sell as well. Mr. Henderson had purchased cattle from my grandfather back when I was a kid. From what I understood from my mama, WJ Henderson had purchased cattle recently just to help them out. I could respect a man like that. I knew if I needed anything, I would be able to go to him for either advice or help.

I couldn’t let everything my grandparents worked to build fall by the wayside like it meant nothing. Their blood, sweat, and tears were in this land. My grandfather had sewed every dollar he had into making this property an operable farm. My mama said Mr. Henderson had more money because he got in cahoots with some affluent white folks. He was also more aggressive than my grandfather.

She told me that some white folks back in the day had just moved on his land and claimed it as their own. Mr. Henderson refused to settle for that. Rumor had it that he’d killed a couple of them. Because of his backing, it was swept under the rug. My grandfather didn’t have that ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude that Mr. Henderson had. You almosthadto have it back then to be successful.

When I left for college, things were okay. Business was steady enough to keep things afloat. However, before I graduated, my grandfather passed away, and a couple of years later, my grandmother died as well. My dad’s health wasn’t that great when he took over things. He was already battling diabetes and high blood pressure. According to his medical records, he was battling a couple of other illnesses I had no clue about.

He died last year from a heart attack at sixty-five years old. My mama was left in debt and a farm she had no clue how to run. My sister would be of no assistance to her as far as that went, unless she wanted to sell it. My sister was a realtor in New York. She made a decent living, so she paid some of dad’s debts, and I paid the rest. Had he said something, we could have helped him take care of things before they added fees for defaulting.

By the time he passed, I’d gotten a master’s degree in business and had opened my own gym in Austin. It had done well, and I was considering opening another in Houston right before he passed away. That idea had taken a back seat. Until I got the farm running like it should, that would be off the table. I also noticed that there wasn’t a gym in the area, and it could be something I could give serious thought to adding. For an adequate gym, people mostly had to go to Beaumont.

As I left the diner, I saw Jessica pulling away. Our days in school were some of the best times of my life. She was an amazing friend, despite her father’s antics. I didn’t want to tell her that he’d kept me away from her, but I wasn’t about to take the heat for what he’d done to keep us apart. I didn’t tell her everything, but I told her enough.

That man was something else. All the shit he did to assure she was a subordinate to him and other men, was narcissistic, chauvinistic, and any other ‘nistic’ you could think of. He’d gone as far as watching me on his off days, making sure I had no contact with her. She thought because I was dating that I distanced myself from her. I wanted to be dating her. According to him, my family didn’t have shit and wouldn’t be able to take care of Jessica.

Jessica Monroe was her own woman now and surely didn’t need a man to take care of her. However, I hoped she still wanted that though. She was the one I wanted and couldn’t have. Things her dad said had kept me from pursuing her once she got away from under his thumb. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for her. I’d seen her on several occasions when I came to town, but I made sure she didn’t see me.

I didn’t want any drama between her and her father because of her involvement with me. I pined over that woman for years, and now that I knew my worth and that I deserved her and everything she had to offer, she was occupied… too occupied. She said she and Nate were friends, but apparently, they were more if he’d kissed her. The way she was blushing and shit had said so as well. She said he was a basketball player, so I was pretty sure it was Nate Guillory if he played for Dallas.

I wasn’t intimidated by anyone, but I needed to see where Jessica’s head was at. She had options, but I needed to be sure I was one of them. I could tell she was thinking hard about what I said, and it had brought her down. I really wanted to just be there for her like the old days before her father got involved, but she didn’t seem to want to be bothered. I was trying not to be too forward with her, because in the past, she didn’t seem to like that. However, it seemed she lived for it now. I could tell she’d gotten irritated with me.

As I got in my truck and headed back to the house, my mama called. “Hello?”