Hearts in the City Read online

  Seeing the look of exasperation on Jazlynn’s face, Olivia relented. “Okay, look, I can’t help it. Yes, you’re all grown up but that doesn’t mean I’m supposed to just stop looking out for your best interests. Looking out for you is all I know how to do.”

  Jazlynn toyed with the food on her plate, not saying anything for a few moments. “I thought you’d at least understand where I was coming from—especially after what happened between you and Theo. Yeah, I know it seems fast but Trey and I really love each other and his family loves me, too. Moving in together just seems like the right thing to do.”

  Olivia sighed heavily, hating herself for what she was about to say. “Not that you’re asking for it, but I’m giving you my blessing anyway. I just want you to be happy. I’m just worried that since you’re not going to school you won’t have anything to fall back on if you...”

  “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be going in to work today or something?” Jazlynn asked sarcastically.

  “All right, I’ll stop,” Olivia said, picking up a strip of bacon and taking a bite. “But I want to meet him formally, so the next time he comes to pick you up, or drop you off, make sure you bring him in to meet me.”

  Olivia got her wish. The next evening while dropping Jazlynn off, Trey took it upon himself to come inside and introduce himself. Olivia had only gotten a slight glance of him at Simone and Jamal’s that night. She realized he looked very much like Alistair. There was no mistaking the fact that they were brothers. Definitely cut from the same cloth right down to the solid build and caramel skin. The only real distinguishing difference between them was the eyes. Trey’s eyes were darker and not as deep-set as Alistair’s. But he was just as handsome.

  With Jazlynn cringing in the background, Olivia looked him in the eye spoke poignantly to him. “You make sure you’re good to my baby sister or I’ll have to come hunt you down.”

  After Trey left, and Jazlynn went up to her room, Olivia pondered the situation. Did she have ulterior motives for wanting to protect her baby sister from being with the man she loved, other than the possibility she could get hurt if things didn’t work out? It was as though the tide had turned and now Jazlynn was the one who had it all together. A man she loved and to whom she wasn’t afraid to give herself wholly. No holding back, no fears of giving up who she was, no fear of giving up her independence. Just throwing caution to the wind and enjoying what mattered to her. Olivia wasn’t sure if that was bad or good, but at least Jazlynn wasn’t afraid of change. She wasn’t afraid to put herself on the line to get what she wanted. And that was just it. At least Jazlynn knew what she wanted. She was able to take what life handed to her and go with the flow. No overanalyzing and no over-thinking. Olivia suddenly wished she could be as daring as her sister and it made her envious.

  She was busy going over her notes for a meeting with a client early Monday morning when an email notification popped up on her computer. When she saw that it was from Alistair, she opened it immediately. He had located a potential property for their first flip and wanted her to take a look at it. It was priced for a quick sale and he was hoping they could get together one evening to take a look at it. The idea of seeing him that very evening suited her just fine. Their official date on Friday seemed a long way off, so she jumped at the opportunity to see him sooner. She emailed him back immediately, telling him she would have to juggle a couple of appointments with clients around in order to see him that evening but it was doable.

  They met each other at 35 Vanier Drive promptly at seven o’clock. The house was a seventy-five year old American Craftsman in a very up and coming neighborhood. It would take a lot of work to renovate and make it saleable, but Alistair thought it had a lot of potential.

  “I think ripping out that back wall and expanding it to make the family room a little bigger would make sense,” he said as he led her through the room and into the kitchen that opened up into a dining area and the formal living room.

  “I love the open concept,” Olivia said, glancing around. “Isn’t that all the rage these days?”

  Alistair nodded. “It is. People like being able to connect with their guests when they’re preparing food in the kitchen.”

  Olivia followed behind him as he led her through the hallways and into the main washroom. She stood next to him as he pointed out different areas needing to be ripped out. She couldn’t help catching hints of his cologne and it intoxicated her. Looking up at him as he talked, she wondered what it would be like to have him kiss her, to feel his soft caramel lips meshing with hers. Suddenly, an image of him holding her against the wall and kissing her passionately as his hands roamed every inch of her body flashed through her mind. She shook herself back to reality as they entered the master bedroom, trying hard to concentrate on the ideas he said he had for the room. Get a hold of yourself, she thought, fighting the desire that ebbed at every fiber of her. She suddenly longed for him, this man whom for so long she’d merely thought of as an acquaintance. The desire she felt for him right then rocked her to her core and she had to catch her breath. She swallowed, trying so hard to regain her composure. If doing business with Alistair was going to affect her this strongly, then it was definitely going to be an interesting partnership.

  They finished walking through the rest of the house and ended up back in the kitchen where he suggested the outdated cabinetry and flooring be ripped out and that a stainless steel fridge and stove replace the existing 1980’s style ones. He stood directly in front of her now, looking down at her.

  “So...what do you think?” he asked, his hazel-brown eyes locking with hers, searching for her approval.

  I want you to kiss me, the voice inside her head said. For a moment the thought was so intense she was afraid she had actually spoken it aloud. She glanced around the kitchen. Real estate virgin that she was, even she could see that it would make a great home for a young family if she and Alistair purchased it and modernized it. “I see a lot of potential in it, too. But you’re the expert. I’m more or less a silent partner.”

  “I want you to have just as much say in it as I do,” Alistair said considerately, reaching out and touching her on the arm. “We’re equal partners, remember?” He smiled, his eyes never leaving her.

  Olivia laughed sheepishly, feeling electricity surging between them. “Yes, I remember. But I trust what you say. You know the market way better than I do. And if we do make this our first flip I want you to do whatever needs to be done to make it sell.” At that moment he edged in closer to her and as he did, her heart suddenly thumped loudly in her chest. She stood, unmoving, as he leaned slowly toward her, only inches away from her face now. She stood frozen to the spot.

  “What if I needed to do this,” he whispered, his lips meeting hers as he kissed her softly.

  She responded by kissing him back just as softly as he had kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her, pressing her close to his rigid body. Reaching up, she clasped her arms around his neck, melting into him as though there would be no more tomorrows, as though their lips would never meet again. But instinctively she knew there would be more. This passion between them had been a long time coming, but it was here now and the only thing to do was to savour the moment. A moan escaped her throat as he held her in his powerful, yet gentle grip. They seemed frozen in time as they stood in the middle of the run-down kitchen, their bodies fused together. But their lips soon parted. The kiss was over and done with all too soon. It was Olivia who pulled away first. She was falling for him way too fast and it frightened her.

  “Well that came out of nowhere...” she said, straightening her posture and pulling herself back together.

  “It did,” Alistair said. There was a look of amazement on his face. “Honestly, if I died right now I’d die a happy man.”

  Olivia looked up at him, amused. “Really?”

  He nodded. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to do that.”

  She cocked an eyebrow, capitalizing on the flirtatio
us energy in the room. “So...was it worth the wait?” Putting a more playful spin on things made her feel more in control.

  “What do you think?” he asked, grinning at her.

  “Hmm...” she mused, suddenly feeling close to him now that the tide had turned. Who knew where things would go from there? All she knew right then and there is that she felt invigorated inside.

  “So...what do you think? Should we should do this or not?” he asked as he put his arms around her waist, looking down and staring deeply into her eyes. Clearly he, too, was caught up in the moment.

  Feeling comfortable in his grip, Olivia traced the outline of his jacket lapel as she gazed up into his eyes. “Is that a trick question?”

  He threw his head back and let out a soft chuckle. “I was under the impression that it was pretty straight forward, actually.”

  “Oh you and your double-entendres drive me nuts, I swear,” she said with a grin. “But for the record I think we should.”

  “I think we should, too,” Alistair agreed with a suggestive smirk. “And I don’t think buying this house for our first flip is such a bad idea either.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The following week came and went at a frenzied pace. Alistair was so busy with house showings and contract signings that he’d barely had any time to himself. But between meetings with clients, he spent a great deal of time emailing and phoning Olivia with the details of the purchase of their first house. She’d entrusted the whole process of the purchase to him. Because of both their financial backgrounds and excellent credit, the bank had practically thrown the money at them. The house was officially theirs and they planned to get started right away. Alistair was pretty handy with the carpentry side of things but had lined up a contractor just in case things got too hectic. Between himself, Trey, and the contractor, he hoped to have the house flipped and on the market within no later than thirty-five days—forty at most.

  His heart fluttered in anticipation at the thought of his date with Olivia that evening. Instead of taking her to a restaurant, he’d invited her to his place for dinner. He wanted to impress her with how he lived and show her he was more than just a suit and tie. He wanted her to see that he actually knew his way around the kitchen.

  He’d replayed the kiss they’d shared over in his head a thousand times. For months he’d only imagined what kissing her would be like and would never have guessed he’d experience his first kiss with her in a dilapidated old house. It had been surreal, finally holding her in his arms, feeling the soft touch of her lips against his, his arms locked around her tiny waist. He’d had to remind himself to play it cool. Playing it cool with a woman was his MO. He’d always handled matters of the heart in a cool, calm and collected fashion—until now. No woman had ever made his heart jump like Olivia. The way she’d responded to his kiss had thrown him. In all the months he’d known her, she’d given him nothing in terms of how she felt toward him. She’d treated him like an acquaintance and nothing more. She’d always kept him guessing. The mystery of her had always intrigued him, the way she handled herself, the way she only gave him tiny bits and pieces of herself as she saw fit. Even though it drove him crazy since he wanted all of her now. To say nothing of the way she’d made him wait all these months before coming forward in any type of gesture. The anticipation of it made the chemistry between them all the more spectacular.

  Alistair had pulled out all the stops and planned to wine and dine her like she’d never been wined and dined before. Jazlynn had obliged him by telling him exactly what Olivia liked; John Coltrane, fine wine and Coq au Vin. He left the office early and went to the grocery store to pick up last minute items for dinner. Despite his adeptness in the kitchen, he’d never made Coq au Vin before so the pressure was on.

  Much to his surprise, Olivia was early and the doorbell rang at a quarter after seven. He’d only finished showering and shaving moments earlier and had just slipped into his clothes. Hurrying from the bedroom and into the foyer, he took a deep breath before answering the door. His heart leapt in his chest at the thought of seeing her. A broad smile already forming on his mouth, he was shocked to see Corrine standing on his entryway. The smile disappeared from his face just as quickly as it had appeared.

  “What are you doing here?” he demanded, his hazel-brown eyes darkening immediately.

  “Hi stranger,” she said. “I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.

  “Why would you be in my neighborhood?” he asked rudely, feeling guilty for his tone, but annoyed at her timing. They hadn’t spoken to each other in months, yet she decided, tonight of all nights, to make an impromptu appearance on his doorstep.

  “Well...” she said with a sigh. “I was driving on the Eight and saw the Devonshire exit and thought of you and before I knew it I had taken the exit and now here I am on your doorstep.” She giggled. “Hadn’t heard from you in months...just wondered what you might be up to.”

  “Uh-huh,” Alistair said, questioning her with his eyes.

  She stood shivering in the cold. A couple inches of snow had fallen earlier that day and the temperature had dropped. Logically, he should invite her in and under normal circumstances he would have. He was a gentleman and believed in treating women with respect. But her timing was off—way off, and it perturbed him.

  “Well aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked as though reading his mind. “It’s freezing out here. You can’t just leave a woman out here shivering.”

  Oh, but he could. “I’m surprised to see you here,” he said simply.

  “So you’re saying it’s a bad time, then? I probably should have called first?”

  “Not to be rude or anything Corrine, but yes, it is a bad time. And yes—you should have called first. I’m expecting company any minute now and I need to finish up inside.”

  “Oh...” she said, looking disappointed. She glanced around.

  Before she could say more, a black Saab pulled up into the driveway. Realizing it was Olivia, Alistair’s heart skipped a beat. “Look, you really have to get out of here,” he said firmly. “My company’s here.”

  Corrine spun around to take a look, turning back around to Alistair with a look of hurt in her eyes. “Guess I’ll leave you to your company then,” she said sarcastically.

  She turned and walked down the steps and down the driveway, nearly brushing shoulders with Olivia who had just gotten out of her car and was making her way towards the house. The moment Alistair saw the odd sideways glance Olivia gave her, he knew he had some explaining to do.

  Olivia was standing at the bottom of the steps, her eyes wide with bewilderment. “Well clearly this is a bad time...” she said in a huff.

  “Olivia, look...” Alistair started. “Please, it’s not what you think.” He felt terrible that she’d arrived when she did. The last thing he wanted was her thinking he was just playing games. He’d waited far too long to be with her to blow it this soon.

  “Look, what you do in your free time is your business,” she said, sounding insulted.

  “Come on...please,” he begged. “Look...I can explain.” He beckoned to her. “Please come on in out of the cold and let me explain.”

  She stood staring up at him, not saying anything, her eyes boring holes through his. His mother had always told him no one could put a black man in his place like a black woman and judging by the look in Olivia’s eyes at that moment truer words could not have been spoken. The look she gave him said it all. And putting himself in Olivia’s shoes, it was well deserved. She could only perceive the situation based on what she’d saw.

  “Please...?” he begged once again.

  Finally, the hard look on her face softened a little. She moved towards the steps and slowly walked up to where he was standing at the top. He stepped backward to make way for her, motioning with his hands for her to come inside. She paused and looked at him before finally walking in through the doorway. Neither of them said anything as he helped her out of h
er coat. He hung it in the closet then waited as she plunked herself on the bench and removed her boots.

  How dare Corrine screw things up for him. He’d wanted his evening with Olivia to be perfect from start to finish. Now, thanks to Corrine’s appearance on his doorstep he was sure Olivia didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.

  “That was Corrine, a girl I used date. We haven’t spoken to each other or seen each other in months and she just suddenly decides to show up at my door.”

  Olivia stared wordlessly at him for a moment as though deciding whether to believe him or not. “Bad timing?” she asked, finally.

  “The worst.” He grinned, shaking his head. He was relieved her anger had subsided. He needed her to trust him. “Come on let’s go into the living room and get a glass of wine and we can talk, okay?”

  Offering his hand to her, he helped her up from the bench. Keeping hold of her hand, he led her down the hallway and into the living room. He seated her on the couch then poured them a glass of wine, handed her a glass then took a seat on the sofa across from her. He took a sip of wine and set his glass on the coffee table then eased back on the sofa, rested his arm across the top, and crossed his right ankle over his left knee.

  “Well that certainly wasn’t what I had in mind for getting things off the ground with us,” he said with a smile. Then his expression turned serious. “I’m really sorry about the whole thing.”

  Olivia’s eyes met his then. “Well maybe we shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. No one gets hurt that way.”

  “I disagree. At least it would keep things interesting,” he said.

  “I suppose,” she said with a shrug before taking a sip of wine.

  “I want you to know I’m dead serious when I say I haven’t spoken to Corrine in months. I need you to believe me.”

  She put her hand up in protest. “Hey I’ll be the first to admit my reaction was a little extreme. The whole thing did catch me off guard, yes. But you really don’t owe me an explanation—at least not yet. This is only our first date after all.”