Page 64 of Truce Of The Matter

“Last night and this morning were everything. Thank you for trusting me enough to talk to me.”

“I trust you one hundred percent with me but more importantly with Aryel. When I say last night and this morning hit different; she’s why. I trust my daughter with you and for me, that says everything.”

“And thank you for that because I know how much you love her.” Three taps on my door interrupts our conversation and I just shake my head. “Handle your business but I want to see you tonight.”

“I’ll pack a bag and come.”

“Nah. No bag. Seeing you in my clothes was sexy as hell.”

“That was a mess,” I admit while grinning. The amount of times I had to adjust the shorts and push up the sleeves was ridiculous.

“Wasn’t nothing about that messy. It was sexy as fuck.” The knocking returns and before I can respond to it or Rex, he adds, “See you tonight.”

The call ends and I call out, a little annoyed, “What is it?”

The door opens and Kameel, one of our newer servers, peeps her head in. As soon as she reads the apparent annoyance on my face, her bottom lip curls down then she utters, “Sorry but he kept asking to see you.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know his name. Sorry, I didn’t ask and I still haven’t learned everyone yet. I’m really sorry.”

Now a little more agitated, I stand, place my cell in my pocket, then walk to the door. “Is it a complaint? What did he order?” I drill sharply.

“I don’t think it’s a complaint because he didn’t order anything yet. Maybe I should've gotten Taj or Mack instead of bothering you,” she says slowly, extra apologetically, and I start to regret my sharp tone. The poor girl looks like she’s about to cry.

“It’s fine. Going forward, if Taj is here, she is your first stop.”

“I know. He was just so insistent and specifically asked for you.”

“Alright. Let’s go see what he wants.”

I walk out of my office and head to the front. Kameel is right on my heels and when we enter the dining area, she points the man out but I don’t need her assistance. Although we haven’t been this close in proximity in years, I recognize him immediately.Tremayne Jenkins.When his parents ordered him away from me, this place was number one on the list and he never returned.Never! So why the hell is he here now?

“You don’t need me to place an order,” I scoff, omitting all niceties, because again, why the hell is he here?

“We need to talk, Truce,” he says sternly and I roll my eyes.

“Would you like to speak with me?” I correct him and he has the nerve to sigh.

“Yes and in private.”

Relenting, I say, “You can meet me in my office. Go outside and around to the back door. I’ll meet you there.”

He frowns a little but when I turn to leave, he moves too. When I look back before going through the door to the kitchen area, I see him marching to the front door. I rush to the back and tell Taj to let him in. The look on her face is as perplexed as minebecausewhat the fuck!I truly haven’t seen him in over twenty years. He was such a devoted son that he didn’t even try to reach out after Daija was born. He even changed high schools when I came back to Crescent Falls. He hurt me and I thought I was over it but right now, it’s flooding back.

“Calm down,” I utter to myself as I pace in my office. My feet stop when my door opens and Taj walks him in.

“Need me to stay?” she asks me while she glares at him.

“No, I’m good. I’m sure this, whatever the hell it is, won’t take long.”

She gives him a displeased once over then leaves. When she does, he pushes the door, as if to confirm that it is, in fact, closed. Then, he stares at me. I do the same to him. He looks ten years older than his true age. The years haven’t been too kind to him and it shows on his hardened face.

“Why are you here?” I huff.

“To see why Daija is reaching out to me,” he snaps back with fury.

Daija reached out to him?

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