Page 17 of Somebody Else Will

“This is my livelihood, Ezekiel. This could lead to so much more business for me. My mama is gone, but I still have to live… without her. After the funeral, life will go on. I’m doing what she would want me to do.”

“When will the funeral be?”

“Monday.”

“Where?”

“Antioch Baptist Church at ten.”

“I’ll be there.”

“No. Don’t alter your schedule.”

“I met your mom. Although it was brief, she was genuine and fun. Secondly, I need to be there for you. I took your sadness as you being heartbroken over your ex. I’m sorry for assuming.”

Damn.I didn’t know how she was still functioning. Had my mom died, I would be no earthly good to anyone for at least a couple of weeks. I wouldn’t care if they understood that or not. All I wanted to do at this moment was hold her in my arms. She fidgeted under my gaze. I supposed I was making her uncomfortable.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I really am. I can see that I’m making you uncomfortable, so we’ll talk about something else for now.”

“Thank you. I just don’t want to break down crying in this restaurant.”

I nodded, understanding her completely. “So, will you set everything up tonight?”

She gave me a small smile. “Just the stands and boxes. I’ll do the flowers in the morning.”

“Cool. I can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like. My mama is going to truly be surprised, and I can’t wait to see how she reacts.”

She smiled slightly, then took another sip of her coffee. “So what’s in the works for you?” she asked after setting her cup down.

“Convincing you to spend a little more time with me after this.”

Her cheeks reddened some. “I know you want to get to know me, but if we like one another, how will we proceed? I don’t like long-distance relationships.”

“I will sacrifice a lot if it means being with you, Denishia. I have a feeling you would do the same for me. I’ll buy a house in Beaumont and be home as often as I can. Of course, when I’m filming, I’ll be gone. Maybe you would be able to come with me sometimes. I will make us work, no matter the cost. You’re worth it. You’re a good person, and you deserve the world. I’m going to do my best to show you it’s attainable.”

She brought her hands to her face and huffed, then slid them down it. “I can’t fathom you want to do all that and you hardly know me.”

“Denishia, I know enough. So, can I spend time with you after this? Maybe an hour or two?”

The waitress returned with our food and refilled my water, then left. Denishia stretched her hands across the table, palms up. I smiled and rested my hands in hers. She bowed her head and said, “Thank You, Lord, for this wonderful meal before us. Bless it to nourish our bodies as intended. Also, bless the man seated across from me. His heart and intentions seem pure. If they aren’t, please remove him from my life. Help me to not be afraid to live. Put my mind at ease about being hurt and misunderstood. In Your son’s name, amen.”

She tried to pull her hands away, but I gently gripped them and said, “Lord, bless the beautiful woman seated across from me. Help her to know that I only want what’s best for her, whatever that looks like. If You give me a chance with her heart, I promise not to fumble it. Once You repair it, I promise to treat it like a rare treasure. In Your son’s name, amen.”

I continued staring into her eyes as tears trickled out of them. I could stare at her this way all day. “I suppose I better let you eat before the food gets cold,” I mumbled as I released her hands.

She smiled, and that only made my heart lighter. It wasn’t one of those closed-lipped smiles she normally did. She actually showed her teeth this time, and that shit had me stuck. Her smile was gorgeous. “Damn. Your smile is mesmerizing.”

Her cheeks reddened. “Thank you. So where will we go after leaving here?”

“I don’t have the slightest clue, but as long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter.”

She smiled again, then began eating her food. She moaned slightly, and I bricked up something fierce. My mind had gone straight to the gutter without any hesitancy. My face had heated up as well. When she looked at me, she frowned slightly. “You okay? Your face is red.”

“I’m cool,” I said, refusing to tell her of my wayward thoughts.

If I did, she may have chosen to forego spending time with me. She was feeling vulnerable, and I didn’t want her to think I was taking advantage of that. When she gave me her all, it would be because of what I made her feel and how she felt about me, not about the fragile state her feelings were in. I would be a gentleman at all costs. We continued eating in silence, occasionally stealing glances at each other. I had to have her, so I hoped our prayers made their way to God’s ears.

This man had takenme to the Houston Botanical Garden. It was obvious that I loved flowers, so it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that I would enjoy this. However, I could count on one hand how many times I’d received flowers from former boyfriends. One of them had even had the audacity to say that he figured I wouldn’t want to look at flowers outside of work. Like, why would I start a business as a florist if I didn’t love flowers?

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