Page 26 of The Deed to a Gangsta's Heart

“Thank you. For real. I know I give you hell at times, but I appreciate that.”

“It’s all love. If you need anything while you’re out there, just let me know.”

“I will. Thank you, Armor.”

“You’re welcome.”

After disconnecting the call, I felt lighter, and my head wasn’t throbbing. That wasn’t how I expected our conversation to go, but I was glad I called. I stopped by the market toget Luci a bouquet of roses before taking the short ten minute drive to her job. It was easier than I liked for it to be to bypass security and reception to get to her office. All they did was ask my name before giving me her office number, and anyone could come in here and lie about their name. I didn’t like that at all.

Luci’s eyes bulged as they settled on me through the glass door. She smiled and stood before sitting back down. With a low laugh, I ran my fingers down the corners of my mouth. It made me feel good to know she was happy to see me. She walked over to the door and opened it, holding her phone to her ear.

“I can wait if you need to finish your call.”

“Oh.” She looked at the phone, then put it in the pocket of her trousers. “She hung up. I was just so surprised to see you I hadn’t bothered to put it down. Hi.”

I used my free arm to pull her close for a hug. After placing a kiss on her neck, I released her and handed her the roses.

“I wanted to apologize for not reaching out sooner.”

Her smile was small as she pushed her locs onto her back. “Yeah, I was just telling my best friend that I hadn’t heard from you.”

I wouldn’t go into why, but after spending fifteen minutes or less on the phone for a decade, I learned to keep my phone calls brief. To me, that wasn’t the way to get to know someone. I preferred face to face conversations.

“Truth is, I don’t talk on the phone much. Brief exchanges of pertinent information in less than fifteen minutes are all I got in me.”

“You don’t text either?”

“Not a lot. I can send you a good morning or check in text, but I prefer face to face interaction.”

“Hmm…” She leaned against the doorframe and smelled the roses. “Does that mean if this goes beyond hotel rooms, I can expect to see you consistently since you don’t like talking on the phone?”

“You can. We can start this evening if you’re available. I’d love to take you out.”

Her smile returned as I closed the space between us and took her hand into mine. “This evening? That’s short notice, Mr. Mitchell.”

“I don’t wait to go after what and who I want.” Her head hung briefly as she blushed and tugged her lip between her teeth. “You have to eat right? How about a late dinner?”

As she scratched her eyebrow, Luci nodded her agreement. “I would love to have dinner with you.”

“Good. I’ll text you later to confirm the time and get your address.”

“Sounds good.”

“Aight, I’ma get out of here. Unless I can steal you away for lunch.”

“Uh…” She pulled her phone out and checked the time. “Actually, if you can wait about thirty minutes, I can leave for lunch. I just have to wrap a few things up.”

“Yeah, I can wait.”

“Okay. I’ll be down in a few.”

I made my way down to the lobby to wait for her. While I did, I checked my notifications to see if Amy or Pam had emailed me since I left abruptly. I saw a text from Mama that made me grit my teeth and sigh.

Queen: I’m sorry. I thought about it and you were right. Call me so we can talk.

I didn’t want anything she said to ruin my mood before lunch, so I acknowledged her text and told her I’d call herlater this evening. I just hoped she was serious and we could have a real conversation that would lead to a change in our relationship and the way she talked to me. If not, I didn’t mind cutting her off temporarily and standing on it this time.

17

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