Hearts in the City Read online

He’d gone to a movie with Corrine just the night before, after she’d called him of course. And it was more glaringly obvious than ever that she just wasn’t right for him. There just wasn’t any chemistry there. Regardless of how good it felt, he was tired of having meaningless sex with her just for the sake of having sex. If he was going to be in a relationship with the potential of it leading somewhere there had to be chemistry. Like the kind Simone and Jamal had with each other. Theirs was the kind of relationship that led to lasting happiness and with the way things were going for them at the moment, they were well on their way. That’s what Alistair hoped for one day when he decided to get serious and settle down. But for the moment there was no rush.

  “Women don’t just magically fall out of the sky. So if you’re waiting for that you’ll be waiting until the cows come home.”

  Alistair smiled. “But they do in your daytime stories, don’t they?”

  Loretta shot him a look. “Boy don’t you make me smack you upside the head across this table...talking about my stories,” she said, laughing.

  “Sounds like a little bit of the pot calling the kettle black if you ask me. You of all people forcing me to get married when you yourself wouldn’t be caught dead getting married again?”

  “Well we’re not talking about me we’re talking about you,” Loretta said pointedly.

  “All right. Yes, I hear you Ma. Don’t worry. Wherever she is, I’m sure I’ll meet her soon.”

  “So how’ve you been keeping, man?” Luther Hyatt took a puff of his cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke up in the air.

  “Not too bad bro...just business as usual.” Alistair picked up his menu and looked it over. He’d managed to get away from his desk long enough to meet Luther for lunch at a crowded, downtown. It was a popular hangout for the lunch crowd and very noisy. For a moment he regretted having even suggested they meet here. Luther, a married father of two small children had been a good friend of his every since junior high school. Although he wasn't exactly known for his legitimate business dealings, one thing was sure: he had a lust for money. And since Alistair hadn’t found anyone else interested in starting an investment property business with him, Luther was his last resort.

  The waitress appeared with a pen and pad in hand to take their orders moments after they sat down. “I’ll have a BLT sandwich please,” Alistair said, folding his menu back up and tucking it behind the napkin holder.

  “Club sandwich here.” Luther gave her a lingering gaze as she picked their menus up off the table and turned and walked away.

  “How are Pam and the kids?” Alistair asked, hoping to divert Luther’s attention.

  “Wow...” Luther licked his lips and shook his head. “Hated to see her go but loved to watch her leave. I’m going to have to get a phone number for that...”

  Alistair shook his head. “You’re bad...very, very bad my friend. Does Pam approve of your wandering eye? You are still married aren’t you?”

  Luther took a long puff of his cigarette. He blew a smoke ring and tapped his cigarette in the ash tray, staring at it pensively for a moment. “Yeah—still,” he said finally, glancing across as Alistair with a smirk.

  Luther was the type of guy who had a sense of entitlement to just about everything and felt he should have whatever he wanted. Alistair now realized that same feeling had spilled over into Luther’s marriage.

  “A little something on the side to keep things fresh...you know.”

  “Just think of your kids is all I’m saying,” Alistair said with a look of disapproval. He didn’t want to get into a moral discussion with Luther right since he’d brought him there to talk business. But it didn’t change the fact that he knew first hand what it felt like to be a child of a broken marriage. “I’ve been thinking about getting more into the property development side of things,” he said, wanting to get down to talking business.

  Luther furrowed his brow in interest. “Go on...tell me more,” he said as he took a final puff of his cigarette and squished it down into the ashtray.

  Just then the waitress appeared with their lunches. She asked if there was anything else she could get them and then darted off as quickly as she’d come. Alistair was relieved. Maybe now Luther would give him his full attention.

  “I’ve been thinking of getting into buying properties and flipping them for a profit.”

  Luther popped a few French fries into his mouth and chewed for a few moments. “Is the market good for that sort of thing right now?”

  Alistair nodded, picking up a sandwich wedge. “We’re actually on the brink of another real estate boom. Right now is the time to start capitalizing on it.”

  “So where do I come in?”

  “I’d like to go into with a partner and I thought of you.”

  Luther thought about it for second. “Hmm...would have to run it by the wife first.”

  “Well yes, of course.” Alistair took a sip of iced tea.

  “I don’t know anything about this stuff though. You’d have to educate me.”

  Alistair was pleased. “So you’d be interested?”

  Luther put his hand up. “Well now I’m not promising anything yet. But it does sound interesting, especially if there’s money to be made.”

  “I’ve actually got my eye on a property right now. Nice area of town. Just needs a little bit of TLC. I think it could turn a really good profit.”

  “Whereabouts?”

  “Lexington Hills,” Alistair announced.

  Luther suddenly looked impressed. “Very affluent area,” he said, nodding slowly.

  Alistair nodded in agreement. “Which is all the more reason to do it. A high-end flip in an affluent neighborhood...come on tell me you you’re not seeing dollar signs.”

  Alistair knew he himself certainly saw dollar signs. Lexington Hills was a realtor’s dream. It was a well-to-do neighborhood full of half million-dollar homes inhabited by upper class families with money to burn. He was anxious to get started. And if he could get Luther to come onboard it could be the start of a very lucrative partnership. He and Luther spent several more minutes discussing the idea.

  “You certainly have me thinking,” Luther said.

  “Listen man, I have to head back to the office. I have a client coming in for two o’clock. I’ll take care of the bill,” Alistair said. “Give it some thought and tell me what you think.”

  “I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” Luther grinned as he got up from his chair. “I’ll let you know.”

  “Let me know as soon as possible. I’m thinking we can get our hands on this property before it’s gone.”

  Chapter Seven

  Olivia left the boardroom and returned to her office to take a moment to collect her thoughts and summarize the discussion from the meeting. The annual retreat committee had just wrapped up its third planning session. It was a relief to see things coming together. She had put together a committee of six, consisting of three associates, an administrator, and one of the managing partners. Judging by the ideas everyone was coming up with this year’s retreat was slated to be a huge success. There was still a lot left to do, but it felt good to have a head start on things.

  She glanced over her appointments for the rest of the afternoon. She had two new clients to meet with and hoped the appointments wouldn’t run over schedule as they so often did. She planned on leaving work early to prepare for Simone and Jamal’s housewarming party that evening. A little over month had passed since Simone and Jamal had moved in their new home.

  She planned to do as much possible before leaving the office so she could enjoy the party and not think about work. The last time she’d been in a non-work-related social setting was Simone’s wedding. It was the last time she’d let her hair down and the last time she’d danced. She smiled to herself remembering how Jamal’s best man, Alistair, had dragged her onto the dance floor and how she’d gotten lost in the sound of the music. She’d shimmied and shook along with him, their bodies moving in time to the music. It
had been a memorable night indeed.

  “It’s this one right here on the left,” Olivia said, directing Theo as he maneuvered the car slowly along Bronson Avenue.

  “Wow, look at this place.” Theo peered through the car window, giving the split-level house the once-over. “This is some crib.”

  “I told you it was nice,” Olivia said. Having only seen the house once before, she had forgotten just how nice it was. Simone and Jamal had already put their own personal touch on the outside by putting in a nice garden of flowers and a wall of shrubbery leading up the walkway.

  “I could see us settling down in something like this.”

  One of these days, she thought as she opened the passenger side door, being careful not to drop the dish of meatballs she’d brought along as her contribution to the party.

  “Jazlynn whatever you do, don’t drop that bowl of sauce, please,” she yelled towards her sister who was already out of the car and on her way up the front walkway.

  The house was ablaze with lights. The sounds of chatter and laughter and reggae music seeped through the open windows. They’d arrived early but the party atmosphere was already making its presence felt and Olivia was feeling in good spirits. It was one of those nights where she just wanted to be next to Theo and enjoy herself.

  “Here babe, let me take it,” he said, taking the dish of food from her. He bent in towards her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips as he did. Olivia felt a sudden tinge of guilt realizing how rare tender, stolen moments between them had been lately.

  “Drop it and I’ll kill you,” she said, razzing him. She was so glad they were together tonight. It was nice to be a couple; to be in a relationship and to be in love.

  “Come on in!” Jamal said excitedly, giving Theo a high-five as they went through the front door, prompting Olivia to take the dish back from Theo so he wouldn’t drop it.

  “Let me take from here,” she said just to be sure. She’d have been no good had Theo dropped her meatballs on the ground.

  A serious and spirited discussion about today’s hip-hop music scene had ensued between the men who were gathering downstairs in the media room. Most of the women were gathered in the kitchen. There was a quite a group of them Olivia noticed. Simone’s mother Christine, a number of Simone’s cousins, a few of her co-workers, and Edwina from what Olivia could see so far. Christine was busy showing everyone how she could still bust a move as she swiveled her hips in time to the beat of reggae music. She stopped the moment Olivia entered the room, caught in surprise.

  “Go on with your bad self,” Olivia said, eliciting laughter from the others.

  “I was just showing the kids how we used to do it in my day,” Christine said, out of breath as she staggered backwards towards one of the stools and took a seat.

  “Well you definitely still got it,” Olivia said as she went over to the island in the middle of the kitchen and set her dish down. “It smells heavenly in here!” she exclaimed to Simone who had just came over and hugged her.

  “So what’s this you were telling us about Feng Shui?” Edwina asked Simone. She was sitting cross-legged on one of the stools at the kitchen island with a drink in front of her.

  Simone plopped on a stool across from Edwina. “I didn’t even know what the hell Feng Shui was until I went to coworker’s house one evening and she told me she’d decorated that Feng Shui style. She talked about it how it represented peace, balance, and harmony and I thought it sounded like it made sense. So here I am doing it in my own house. Mind you, Jamal thinks it’s a bunch of foolishness but agreed to let me hire a Feng Shui decorator not long after we moved in to come and arrange our furniture.”

  While Simone gave her guests a lesson in Feng Shui, Olivia made her way over to the counter and poured a glass of wine. Hearing Simone talk Feng Shui so much this past number of months, Olivia felt like she was an expert in it. Simone was very particular and organized and ran her life a by a rigid set of principles. Everything was about the flow of energy, good karma—completely ironic considering Simone’s current dilemma. If ever Simone needed good karma, it was right now.

  Glancing around the Simone and Jamal’s kitchen, Olivia couldn’t help but draw the comparison between how perfectly put together their home was and how convoluted their new marriage seemed.

  It was scary to think Theo wanted them to have the same thing—or at least what he thought they had. Too bad he didn’t know the secrets that lay behind the façade. Then again, if he’d known, maybe he’d be less hasty about jumping in with both feet. Maybe he’d be leery of committing his heart and soul to her if he knew the kinds of indiscretions a woman could get herself into if temptation got the best of her. Olivia wasn’t one to judge, but it wasn’t fair to Jamal to live oblivious to the devastating secret his wife was keeping from him. All Olivia knew was that Simone had better soon be forthright with him, as it was becoming harder for Olivia to live with a lie.

  Simone interrupted her thoughts just then. “I think I should start serving the food now, what do you think?”

  “Good idea. The men are bound to be hungry by now so I’d say we should,” Olivia agreed.

  At that moment the patio door swung open and Christine, who’d wandered out not moments before, walked in with a bright smile on her face and slightly out of breath, more than likely from dancing in the backyard. “We’re all a little hungry out there so I thought I’d come see what was holding up the food!” she said with grin.

  The sounds of music blared from the speakers where Jamal had set up a stereo system at the far end of the backyard. The men were engaged in a raucous game of croquet while most of the women were scattered off in little groups chatting and sharing the latest gossip. Some of the neighbors had even joined the party. The party at the Parker residence had all but taken over the cul de sac. Having played the past few games and winning only one of them, Alistair decided he’d sit the next few games out. Besides, his stomach was telling him it was time to eat and he hadn’t had a bite since lunchtime hours earlier. He’d had a busy day of showings and had only had time to take a quick run to a fast-food drive-through for lunch. Frankly he hadn’t enjoyed it at all. They’d forgotten to put the tomato on his burger like he’d requested, the fries had been cold, and the soft drink flat and tasteless. He was ready for some good down-home cooking.

  The women appeared with trays of food and not a moment too soon. There were a vast array of eats including sweet and sour meatballs, rice, pasta salads, chicken wings, and stuffed tomatoes along with stuffed peppers. Jamal was busy grilling steaks at the BBQ and the aroma permeated the air. Alistair filled his plate with a generous sized steak and a sampling of almost everything else and took a seat at one of the tables that had been set up for the guests. Simone and Jamal had spared no expense for the party. He was glad to see them enjoying their new home and was glad he’d played an integral part in making it happen.

  Someone tapped his shoulder from behind just then. He turned and saw Simone.

  “Hey bud, what’s up?”

  “Hey how’s it going?” Alistair flashed a wide smile.

  “Just keeping on my toes, making sure everyone’s happy. I’ve been so busy running around doing stuff I haven’t really had time to talk to you since you got here.”

  “No worries at all. I was caught up in an intense game of croquet. I’ve worked up quite an appetite, as you can see.”

  “Good to see that. We’ve got enough food to feed an army.”

  Alistair glanced over at the table spread with food. “Well, it looks like you’ve got yourselves a hungry bunch. How are you guys liking the house so far?”

  “I’m absolutely in love with it. What do you think of we’ve done with it so far?”

  “I like it. It looks very cozy and lived in. I almost wished I’d bought it myself.”

  “Really?” Simon asked.

  “Actually, I love my little space out in the country. I’ve built up a lot of equity in it so it’ll be worth a lot one of these
days.”

  Simone plopped across from him on one of the chairs. “It’s just good to be all settled into something right away. I’d been keeping my expectations low thinking we wouldn’t find anything until maybe after Christmas, but you came through like I knew you would.”

  “Anything for friends, you know that,” he said, as the expression on his face turned to delight as he bit into a meatball. “Wow...these are delicious.”

  Simone glanced at his plate. “Olivia made those. You do remember my maid of honor don’t you?” She laughed.

  Oh, he remembered all right. He remembered the great conversation they’d shared during the reception and the dance they’d shared later on. He’d spotted her a little after arriving. He’d had every intention of talking to her but then Jamal had whisked him away along with the other men to show off his media room. Afterward they’d all gathered outside to play croquet. He hadn’t caught a glimpse of Olivia since.

  “There she is right over there.” Simone pointed toward the garage.

  Alistair’s eyes darted quickly between the bodies of guests gathered close to the garage area, not seeing her at first. He hoisted himself up off his chair and glanced past the garage opening where there were people milling about, some of them dancing around. Then he spotted her. She stood off to the side next to a man. It was the man he’d beat even-handedly at a game of croquet. He watched as the man slid his arm around her waist and twirled her around in time to the music then embraced her tightly. She laughed as she looked up at the man and kissed him on the lips. Then it dawned on him that the man must be her boyfriend.

  She’d talked about him at the wedding. So that was the lucky bastard? Alistair thought with a tinge of envy. As though realizing she was being watched, Olivia glanced suddenly in Alistair’s direction, her eyes meeting his from across the yard, widening in surprise upon recognizing him. She waved at him and mouthed ‘hello’. He waved back and mouthing ‘hello’ back at her. Damn. She was breathtaking. She was as strikingly beautiful as she’d been at the wedding. She was just as sexy dressed in street clothes, dressed in a pair of white jeans and a black sleeveless top, her pitch-black hair hung loose this time, falling slightly over her shoulders. He realized how hard he was staring at her so he quickly turned his attention back to his plate.