Page 15 of Night and Day
“I need you to come get your shit within the next forty-eight hours or I’m putting everything by the dumpster,” he said. Legally, he didn’t have the right to do that, but he knew she would not ignore his threat.
She dropped her gaze and clutched her purse closer to her side.
“You need to come get your things, too,” Tamika said to Calvin.
“I was planning to. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Call first.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ll do that.”
“And I want my money.”
“I can’t help you with that,” Calvin said dismissively.
“He’s a lawyer,” Melissa said in a low voice.
Surprise and a hint of fear filled Calvin’s eyes.
Anton smiled. “That’s right. If I were you, I’d find a way to pay her back for the money you took from her savings account.”
“But I don’t have all that money anymore!” Calvin exclaimed.
“I’m sure she’ll accept a payment plan. You’ll accept weekly or monthly installments, won’t you, Tamika?” He looked down at her.
She stood taller. Smiling, she replied, “I sure will. Whatever you think is best, counselor.”
“I’ll draft a contract and terms and have them delivered to you next week,” Anton told Calvin.
“You can send all correspondence to my business address,” Tamika added.
Calvin’s gaze shifted between them. “What’s going on? Are the two of you together now?”
“Worry about yourself. Just come get your shit,” Tamika said.
Calvin’s lips tightened, and he clearly wanted to make a scathing remark, but one glance at Anton and the mental shift he made was obvious.
The elevator dinged open again, and Calvin took Melissa’s hand. “We’ll be in touch.”
He dragged her along with him, and they almost ran over the couple exiting the cabin.
After watching the doors close, Anton turned away and made direct eye contact with the doorman, who still stood nearby. Anton had completely forgotten about him.
“Did you lose something?” he asked.
The older man started, cleared his throat, and scampered away.
“I need to pay the bill. Then we’ll go somewhere else to eat,” Anton said to Tamika.
She shook her head. “I don’t think I can eat anything right now, and I don’t want to go anywhere else. Would you take me home?”
The bluster from a few minutes ago was gone. She looked deflated. Drained of all her sparkle.
“Sure, I can do that.”
They went back to the restaurant, and he paid the tab and asked the waitress to box up the food.
“This is yours. You can eat it later if you want,” he said, as they walked toward the door.
