Page 88 of The Cask

I looked at my bar and eyeballed what needed to be brought up from the cellar. “You’ll let me know? You’ll keep me posted?” I wondered, curiosity eating away at me already.

“Of course.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “If you have time to come with me, I can take you to get your car afterward that way you can drive yourself home when you finish restocking and setting up.”

A smile played on my lips as we headed out the door. “Okay.”

We exchanged flirty looks as we waited for the signal to indicate we could cross the street. We had only made it a few steps into the crosswalk when Omari moved my braids out of the way and put his arm around my shoulders. Pulling me into him, he tucked me into his side and I just couldn’t stop smiling.

When he unlocked the front door of Luxe, he breathed a sigh of relief. The place looked completely clean, organized, and well put together.

I guess the winner didn’t trash the place when they didn’t get the prize money,I thought as I looked around.

“Everything looks in order,” he said finally, kissing the top of my head. He scrubbed his face with his hand. “I need to get my phone and call—”

“Of course you’re with her!” Kim screamed as she appeared from the back. She was walking so fast that her coat fanned out behind her like a cape. “Of course!”

“Kim, I apologize for last night. If you’ll let me explain,” Omari started, taking a step toward her.

“You left me here with no key to the safe and a winner who expected her money as advertised. All eyes were on me, on Luxe, and you were nowhere to be found. You didn’t have your phone. You didn’t even bother to leave a note. I had to pay the woman from the cash register which throws off our books. You’ve missed meetings, disregarded plans, and completely lost yourself. And for what?” She glared at me. “And after I saved your ass again this week, you stroll in with this bitch and—”

“Don’t disrespect her again,” he interrupted roughly. “Your issue is with me. You talk to me.”

“I am talking to you.” She marched to the end of the bar and slammed her fist on the surface. “And I’m telling you that you are not the same man that convinced me to help you launch Luxe. You met her and completely flipped the script, and I can’t work with that.” She shook her head. “I can’t work with you if this is how you operate now. So, it’s either her or me!”

“Kim we’ve been friends for a long time and if you’ll let me explain—”

“It’s her or me!” Kim screeched; her face reddened with anger and her voice shook with emotion. Her fists were clenched as she inched toward us. “Choose now!”

“I’m sorry you feel this way.” His jaw was clenched as he shook his head. “I’ll put in a good word for you at your next stop.”

She reeled, clearly taken aback. “What?”

“We’ve outgrown this working partnership and it’s time to go our separate ways. I’ll work out a month’s severance for you.”

“You’re just going to throw me out on the street?” She looked between us incredulously. “For some bitch you just met?”

“You’re not going to call me too many more bitches before I stop being civil,” I replied before Omari had a chance to.

“You two are never going to last and when this blows up in your face, you won’t have anything left. I won’t be here to help you pick up the pieces. She’s going to ruin what you’ve built,” she warned him before slamming her key on the bar. “She’s going to ruin you.”

“Take care of yourself, Kim.” He walked to the front door and opened it. “And with all due respect, get the fuck out.”

Just before she left, she looked at him. “You think this place is going to survive without me here to help you?” She scoffed. “Between your mom and your sister, the D.C. restaurant and this one, you think you have time for a relationship? You think you can do all of this by yourself?”

“He’s not by himself,” I spoke up, putting my hands on my hips. “He has me, andwewill be fine.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Fuck you!”

I lifted my hand in a wave. “Fuck you, too,” I replied cheerfully.

That seemed to piss her off more as she muttered something to him on her way out.

He closed and locked the door behind her. We were both quiet for a minute before he let out a loud, angry roar. “Fuck!”

I walked over to him and put my hand on his back. “I’m here,” I reassured him.

“It’s a lot of shit on my plate and even when Jonah gets here, he’ll have to learn all of the shit for…” His sentence trailed off and he just let out a sigh. “Fuck!”

“Omari.”

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