Rituals for Love (9781476761893) (26 page)

We strolled leisurely around the perimeter of the ballroom. “So, what did you think of your first week at the restaurant?”

“It was exactly what I needed. It was challenging and exciting and fulfilling,” she said, looking up at me.

“Do you have concerns that you need me to address?”

“Honestly, no. Everything went off without a hitch. The staff is great. They were so helpful and really made me feel at home.”

“I feel confident that things will be fine after I leave.”

“What time are you flying out tomorrow?”

“Seven in the morning.”

“You like those early flights, don't you?”

“Only because it allows me to get to my destination and still have the majority of the day ahead of me. I'm usually juggling a lot.”

“I hope you find time to relax and enjoy your success.”

“I absolutely do. Take tonight for example. We may be here because of a business relationship, but I'd hardly call this work. I plan to eat, drink and have a good time.”

“You may have to wait a bit on the drinking,” she warned. “The line is pretty long.”

“This can't be the only bar?” Three bartenders were working to make drinks for a line of people that was at least twenty deep. “For an event this size?”

“I think it is.”

I turned and scanned the room. The lights were dimmed and I figured I could have missed another station set up somewhere. “Apparently, this is it. I see there's wine on each table. They must have assumed most people would have wine.”

“They probably will if they don't want to spend the entire evening waiting on line for a drink.” She laughed. “I'm not too keen on waiting myself. Since we're already up…” She hesitated. “Would you, maybe, like to dance?”

“Anything is better than this line.” I held out my hand and led her to the dance floor. We carved out a space among the crowd. They were dancing to a mid-tempo, smooth jazz tune. Riley and I picked up the beat and joined in.

Her hips swayed gently from side to side. Her hair came loose from behind her ear and framed her face. She tossed her head to the side and raked her fingers through her hair, moving it away from her face. My eyes were naturally drawn to the curve of her neck and shoulder. I looked away. The dance floor was full of people of all ages, races and, I could assume, backgrounds. I watched an older couple as the man twirled the woman away and then back to him. They picked up their step right where they had left off. They seemed to have been dancing together for years. I thought they probably anticipated the other's move before they even did it.

The song transitioned to a jazz standard, a slow one. Riley moved closer and I absently put my hand on the small of her back, taking a step forward. She raised her hand for me to hold and I snapped out of my reverie. I glanced at her waiting hand and then at her. I smiled before taking her hand in mine. We rocked from side to side to the song, rotating with our two step. She gazed at me and I didn't look away. I observed the arch of her eyebrows, the smoky shadow on her lids, the slightly upturned tip of her nose, and lips that were full and natural with a little gloss.

“The band sounds nice,” she commented.

“I wonder if I could get them to do Friday Night Jazz at the restaurant.”

“They would be perfect.”

“Maybe I'll try to have a word with them before I leave.”

“If you can't, I could always get their contact information from Zaire.”

“That would be great.” I listened to them play. “They're good and they have the crowd moving.”

“Including you. You're a good dancer.”

I laughed. “I do all right.”

“I don't know the last time I've been out dancing.”

“You mean to tell me your man doesn't take you out to show you off?”

“He's more of a homebody. We have yet to go anywhere that has required me to dress up. He's never even seen me dressed up.”

“What a shame.”

She shook her head. “No, not really. If I want to get dressed and go somewhere, I can do that. I'm out tonight, wearing a fabulous dress, and having a very nice time with you.”

“Wouldn't you want to share a nice event like this with him?”

“Ideally, yes. However, he likes to stay home and I don't.”

“That doesn't cause problems?”

“Remember our situation is relatively new. It's still early enough for me to decide if I want to continue to explore it or something entirely different.”

If she did, or didn't, decide to stay in her relationship was really none of my business. I shouldn't have opened the door to the discussion. I was suddenly very aware of her breasts pressed against me as we danced. “It looks like the line at the bar is gone. Do you want to grab some drinks now?” I asked.

She nodded and our dancing came to a standstill. I straightened my jacket and we headed for the bar. Zaire was standing at the edge of the dance floor and greeted me with a hearty handshake. I reached inside my jacket pocket and handed him the check for $10,000. He gave me a brotherly hug. “Cain, thank you for supporting the charity. We greatly appreciate it and look forward to working with Eden2 in the future.”

“Your family is doing good things. If I can contribute in any way, I'm happy to do it.”

He looked from me to Riley. “Are you two enjoying yourselves?”

“Everything is wonderful, thank you,” Riley responded.

“Well, enjoy the food and drinks—we opened another bar in the back—and let me know if you need anything.”

“I wanted to ask you about the band.”

“They're great, aren't they? My brother-in-law is the bass player.”

“I'm interested in booking them for Eden2.”

He pulled out a couple of business cards and gave one to me and also Riley. “My brother-in-law loaded me up with these for tonight. His contact information is on there.” We shook hands again, and he went off to continue working the room.

Riley and I got our drinks from the bar and returned to the table. It was now full and we went through the introduction process again. We sat down as the salads were arriving. We chatted with the other people at the table, everyone sharing information about how they were affiliated with the charity. I talked about Eden2 being a new restaurant in the Atlanta market. One of the women commented that she had been to my establishment and enjoyed the food very much.

I opened one of the programs sitting on the table and saw the restaurant listed as one of the sponsors. “They must wait until the last minute to print these,” I said, pointing out the listing to Riley.

“I would imagine the charity seeks contributors up until the event. It's great that they wait long enough to try to include those patrons that come on board near the end.”

“The next time Zaire comes to the restaurant, please ask him about getting involved with meal donations. In a few weeks, you should be able to gauge on what level we can assist.”

She looked at me with an expression I couldn't decipher and resumed eating her salad. The music stopped playing and a hush fell over the ballroom. Zaire was walking toward the microphone
on the stage. He welcomed everyone to the event and a round of applause spread throughout the room. His speech started with the vision of his family over a century ago when his great-grandfather purchased his first acres of land in Georgia. He talked about the expansion and growth of his family and their businesses, and the responsibility that came along with it. The charity was started by his own father and he, along with his other siblings, were extremely active within the organization. He spoke about knowing many of the people in the room personally, and his hopes to meet and get to know others even better. I was particularly impressed when he discussed businesses supporting not only the communities they were a part of, but also one another. He recognized some of the charity's stalwart supporters by name, and even a few new supporters, including Eden2. Zaire encouraged everyone in attendance to support the businesses that were sponsoring and listed in the program. “These are the businesses that care enough to contribute to the community.
We
have to care enough to support them to ensure their success, so they'll be able to continue to help feed the hungry. In closing, thank you for being here and for your generous contributions. Enjoy your dinner and the rest of the evening.”

Thunderous applause ushered him off stage. The band kicked up again and the chatter resumed in the ballroom as the main courses began to arrive.

“I'm glad I came tonight,” Riley said.

“It's a nice event.”

“It's not just that. I think I was meant to be here to receive a word.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Receive a word? Are we in church?”

She nudged my arm, laughing. “No. You can a get a word anywhere, but maybe I should have said to receive a message.”

“That sounds better. So what was the message?”

“Being here tonight has sort of made me realize two things. The first thing is that I do miss getting dressed up and going out somewhere special with my man.”

“And what's the second thing?”

“Not to settle.”

“Those seem easy enough to change.”

“I think so, too.”

“Now let me ask you a question.” I paused and she waited intently for me to continue. “Would you settle for another drink?”

She shook her head. “That was bad.”

We laughed as we excused ourselves from the table. We spent the remainder of the evening shuttling between the bar and the table. We were sitting with an eclectic group and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.

•  •  •

R
ILEY AND
I
WAITED IN
front of the hotel for the valets to bring our cars around. It was a nice night in Atlanta. There was a starry sky with a full moon, fluffy clouds, a light breeze, and low humidity.

Riley saw me staring up at the sky. “I love this time of year,” she said. “The weather is starting to change and it's not as hot at night. The summers can be unbearable in the South, but when fall arrives, it's absolutely beautiful.”

“I bet it is.”

“Do you know when you'll be back?”

“Not yet, but I'm sure it'll be sooner rather than later. I have a new project underway that I need to keep an eye on.”

Riley's car arrived. “That's me.”

“Yes, it is. All four tires full of air.”

She chuckled. “Thank you, again, for the opportunity.”

“I know you're going to do great. If you need anything, you let me know.”

She nodded and opened her arms for a hug. She squeezed me tight, pressing her face against mine. “Get home safely,” she said, in my ear.

I started to disengage and her hand moved to the back of my head. She turned her face and softly pressed her lips against mine. She kissed me. One full, soft, lingering kiss on my lips. Then, again. She slowly backed away from me. “I had to do that. I'm sorry.”

I cleared my throat. “Your car is waiting. You better get going.”

She turned and walked the few steps to her car, waved and got in.

I stood there in a daze, staring at her tail lights as she drove off. I didn't even hear the valet calling me. Maybe if I hadn't had my head in the clouds, I would've been paying attention.

I
bolted off the plane train and sprinted through Atlanta airport to my gate. I dodged people left and right, trying not to collide with anyone. I was two gates away and I stopped running. I could see the waiting area was already empty. I walked up to my gate and the door had already been closed. I tossed my carry-on luggage on the floor and sat down to catch my breath. All of that hustling for nothing.

When I got home from the charity event, it was after two in the morning. I packed my bag, made sure I wasn't leaving anything I needed behind, and then showered. By the time I laid down, it was half past three. I was only going to rest my eyes for an hour and a half. The car service was scheduled to pick me up at five-thirty in the morning. I neglected to set my alarm. The driver calling my cell phone was what finally woke me up at six. I typically wasn't a heavy sleeper, but two hours of rest and multiple scotch and sodas were a lethal combination.

I went over to the gate agent to try to get on a later flight. She checked the system and the best she could do was to book me on the first flight out on Monday morning. Twenty minutes later, after a lot of back and forth banter, I accepted the fact that I'd be in Atlanta for an extra day. I grabbed my bag and started back the way I had just come. I figured I'd catch a taxi back to the house.
As I rode the plane train to the baggage claim area, it dawned on me that I needed to call Jade to let her know I wouldn't be back today. I wasn't looking forward to making that call. There was enough friction between us without adding this to the equation.

I exited the airport and had to laugh at myself. I ran through the airport like I was doing a Hertz commercial and still missed my flight. I knew there was a strong chance that I wouldn't make the plane. However, I had assumed I would be able to fly out later in the day. I jumped in a taxi and stared listlessly out of the window on my way back to the house. I used the little bit of energy I had running through the airport like a madman. I decided once I got back to the house, the only thing I planned to do for the rest of the day was relax.

I dropped my bag by the front door and headed straight upstairs to my bedroom. I pulled my jeans and shirt off and draped them over the chair in the corner of the room. I peeled off my socks and tossed them in the hamper. I stretched out on the bed and turned on the television. I yawned. I needed to call Jade. I checked to see if my cell phone was in arm's length and realized I left it in my pants pocket. I yawned again, telling myself to get up and cross the room to retrieve the phone.