Page 11 of The Noisemaker

He twisted his lips and eyed the greens suspiciously. “Where?”

I laughed. “It’s in there, now move!” I put everything on a low simmer and then pulled the cornbread out the oven. “This is our little appetizer to get us started.”

“Okay cool because after that work we put in earlier, I need something hearty.” He looked around dramatically. “And I don’t see no meat.”

“We can grab something when we go up the street if you’re still hungry. But this’ll hold you over.” I bit my bottom lip as I took two plates from the cabinet. When I handed him his, I caught him checking me out. “And you’re right. You did put in that work this morning,” I agreed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors left a note on the door again.”

I stopped cutting into the butter and honey coated cornbread and groaned. “Don’t remind me. Every time I leave for work on Monday mornings, that lady always leaves at the same time. And every time, she grits on me.”

“Like I told you before, we’re grown, and she’s grown.” He scooped a spoonful of food onto his plate. “She’s just mad because nobody is greasing her yams.”

I stared at his profile as he put a scoop of Hoppin John on my plate. “She filed a noise complaint.”

“Well, you arequitenoisy,” he admitted as he gave me a scoop of greens.

“Des!”

He chuckled. “It’s true! But I love that about you. You know I love making you scream.”

“Yes, but you making me scream is going to get us evicted.”

“They’re not going to evict us on New Year’s Eve.”

Rolling my eyes, I gave us each a piece of cornbread. “Baby, that’s not what the letter said.”

“Well, we’re moving in March anyway.”

“Yes, but we live here now.”

“And if they try to evict us because that lady is mad she’s not getting fucked, their sex life will be dry all next year.”

I laughed, following him to the table. “Whose sex life?”

“Everybody. Our neighbor. The people in the leasing office. The corporate office. Everybody!”

“You’re so extra,” I told him between giggles.

“For you and about you, I’m always going to be extra.” He winked. “What do you want to drink?”

The butterflies he caused rippled across my belly as I smiled. “Um a water is fine. Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

He sat down next to me and stared at the list I’d created.

I waited until he looked up at me and quirked an eyebrow. “It’s noon and we have no more than eight hours. Are you ready?”

He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go.”

“Okay, so I rearranged some things so it would make more sense with the flow of our day since we have plans tonight,” I explained.

“Big plans,” he added.

“Big plans for which I still can’t believe we have.”

“Well believe it. Once we finish this”—he pointed to his food— “it’ll be my turn to showyoua good time.”

---