Page 30 of Happy Endings

“If you really believed that, you would have told your sisterabout me. She had no idea you even had a girlfriend in New Orleans, did she?”

He cringed as her jab hit. Her old self-defense mechanism was to hurt someone before they hurt her. She hadn’t told Keisha about them either, but he’d had more time to tell her the truth. He’d been home for months before she moved to DC.

“I need to set up for tonight.” She glanced over at the table up front. Keisha and Andre had created a stage of sorts for her demos.

Before Andre could respond, they heard the jingle of keys in the front door. Keisha walked in. Trixie had literally been saved by the bell.

“Trixie, you’re here early! I’m so excited about tonight,” Keisha said. “I always learn something new during your shows. Did you bring anything new to demo?”

“Of course! Let me freshen up before I unpack everything.” Trixie’s cheerful voice felt false, but she allowed Keisha to help carry her bags to the table. “Wait until you see the newest couples toy.”

She walked into the bathroom, ignoring the heat of Andre’s gaze on her back. Once again, she had failed. Failed at staying focused on her professional goals.

She had only a few years before she turned thirty. No more wasting time. She’d vowed that by the time she turned thirty, she would prove to her parents that she didn’t need to be a lawyer or a pharmacist to be successful. That she could take care of them when they retired, like the dutiful Vietnamese daughter she was.

Now was not the time to deviate from her plan. Nothing could stop her, not even Andre. No matter how good he made her feel when he touched her.

Chapter 12

It wasn’t hard to keep his distance from Trixie for the rest of the evening. He had drink orders to fill, and she had customers to greet. If they didn’t have to interact for the rest of their partnership, everything would be fine. Keep emotions out of business. Those types of things only complicated the path to success—according to Trixie anyway.

She was wrong about that. Growing up, he’d seen his mother’s acts of kindness over and over. She wouldn’t call it kindness. Just the right thing to do. Opening her restaurant up to others who needed a helping hand, like their head chef, Luis. He’d knocked on their door and asked if she could teach him how to cook. Instead of asking why a Guatemalan American wanted to learn how to cook soul food, she hired him. They worked side by side for years, becoming part of Luis’s family. He and Keisha attended Luis’s wedding and grew up with his kids.

Family wasn’t all about blood. All the neighbors watched out for each other—especially the kids. Andre couldn’t kick a trash can without someone telling his mom. She’d made him take out the entire block’s trash for a week for disrespecting the neighborhood. Andre had felt suffocated. A teenager was supposed to be able to make his own mistakes. Not here, though. Every move hemade was scrutinized by church ladies who sat on their stoop all day. Even Mrs. Harris was always watching him after he was old enough to take care of himself.

That’s why he left for New Orleans. He’d needed to live in a town where no one knew him. Better yet, where no one knew his mother, where he could be more than just Mama Hazel’s boy.

And his mom had stoically let him go. “If that’s what you need right now, go.”

Now he was back in DC with a new perspective. His neighbors came from different backgrounds, but they helped each other out. As cheesy as it sounded, this neighborhood was a family. One he didn’t appreciate until he navigated New Orleans without one.

He wasn’t sure if running Mama Hazel’s was his life’s passion, but his community depended on him. Keisha was excited that he’d made his etouffee for tonight, but he was nervous. Mama had never let him change anything on the menu. No one outside of family had tasted his twists on Mama’s recipes. He promised his sister if the dish went over well, they could put it on the menu. Knowing his Keisha, she probably wanted to revamp the entire menu. They agreed to start with just a couple of dishes as to not upset the regulars. And maybe a small craft cocktail menu while they were at it.

“Andre, you still here, bro?” Xavier waved a hand in front of Andre’s face.

“Sorry.” He picked up the towel and wiped down the bar. “Keisha let you out of the kitchen?”

“Yeah. She figured since it’s a coed pop-up, no one would feel uncomfortable with a male waiter.”

“She’s got a point.” The dining room was completely full. And loud. The energy from the mixed crowd was livelier than theprevious pop-ups. “Thanks for coming in on late notice. We’ll pay you for your time.”

“No way! I’ve always wanted to be a fly on the wall at one of these things.” He nodded at Trixie’s table up front. “Maybe I should write a poetry collection about sex toys. I’ll use my experience tonight as research.” Xavier waved at the crowded room.

“You sure I can’t pay you for tonight? It wouldn’t feel right.”

“Being here is more than enough payment for me. That and tips. I’m happy not to be banished to the kitchen with your bossy sister.”

Xavier normally helped on community-dinner nights but mostly in the kitchen. Having him serve paying customers in the dining room meant more of his trash talk every time he walked up to give drink orders. Andre didn’t mind. He looked forward to watching his best friend’s reaction to all the toys on the table.

“Be cool. Don’t embarrass me tonight,” Andre reminded his best friend. Xavier was a lady’s man. Once Trixie began passing her vibrators around, the toys wouldn’t be the only things buzzing. Everyone would be excited and ready for action. “No hookups with future customers.”

“I’m hurt.” Xavier held his chest as if Andre had shot him. “You think I can’t stay cool?”

Andre threw him a skeptical look.

“All right, I’ll be extra good tonight. I’d never hit on one of your customers. At least not while I’m on the job.” Xavier looked back at the dining room. “Can I flirt at least? I’m saving my tips for a new laptop. For my poetry.”

“Fine. What do you need?”

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