Page 6 of Night and Day
The name was a combination of the first three letters of her name and the first three letters of her older sister’s name. Camela had been smart and would have been a great doctor if life were fair and good people didn’t die too young.
“You can stay with me, if you like,” Layla offered.
“You live in a one-bedroom loft, Layla.” Tamika folded two coats in half and dropped them on the pile.
“But it’s huge, and I’m hardly ever there. I’m usually at Elijah’s. Come stay with me, at least until you figure out what you want to do and where to go.”
The offer was tempting, but Tamika was hesitant to inconvenience her friend. Suddenly bone-tired, she dropped her butt onto the bed. “I’m thinking about going back home.”
That was the last thing she wanted to do but didn’t see any other way. At least her father would be happy.
She’d moved from Augusta, Georgia with big dreams, landing an entry-level chemist position in a lab for a contract manufacturer that developed hair care and cosmetics products for large firms. But she quit after a year when she learned they unethically sourced ingredients and misled their clients about the efficacy of their products.
Venturing out on her own meant she could control the development of the cosmetics she created, from the sourcing to the packaging. She proudly labeled her products cruelty-free, and the ingredients list displayed her commitment to using all-natural and organic raw materials. But her cosmetics line hadn’t taken off the way she’d hoped, and her romantic life was completely dead now. Calvin had done more than hurt her. He’d crippled her financially. She didn’t have a moment to breathe to get her bearings.
“I know you don’t want to do that.”
“What choice do I have? I’m obviously too stupid to live on my own.”
“Stop. You got taken advantage of. That doesn’t make you stupid, and if I ever see Calvin again, I’ll knock him out myself.”
That made Tamika laugh, because Layla was so far from violent, but she was definitely a good and loyal friend.
“I texted him and asked how the camping trip is going. He responded two hours later, and you know what he said? Going great. Best trip yet.”
“I hate him.”
“Me, too.” Tamika strolled out of the bedroom and into the dining room.
Boxes of her products were stacked against one wall under a long work table, and Calvin’s desk with a computer and peripherals were against the other wall. The day before he left on his “guys’ trip,” he’d taken his iMac to the shop, so he’d told her. But he’d left behind his MacBook Pro.
She walked over to his desk and idly picked up a notepad. “Maybe I should take his precious MacBook to the pawn shop.”
“Tamika,” Layla warned.
Tamika sighed and was about to replace the pad on the desk when words depressed into the paper caught her eyes. “Hang on a second, Layla.” She angled the notepad toward the ceiling light and saw the words better.
Calvin was known for writing with a heavy hand, and he’d written so hard on this notepad that though he’d torn off the top sheet, the words were pressed into the pad. She set down the phone and searched the desk for a pencil. There had to be one there somewhere. She pulled open a desk drawer but found only pens and markers.
“Come on,” she muttered.
Nothing on the desk. She pulled open another drawer. Nothing in that one, either.
Eyebrow pencil!
She rushed over to her boxes and tore open a shrink-wrapped box filled with makeup from one of her Weekend Slumber Party kits, a bestseller. She removed the pencil and then went back over to Calvin’s desk.
Carefully, she ran the pencil over the paper, and the words appeared as if by magic. She gasped.
Snatching up the phone, she said, “Hey, I gotta go.”
“You okay?” Layla asked in a worried voice.
“Yes. I’ll call you later. Bye!”
“Goodb—”
Tamika hung up and stared at the notepad and examined the words. She’d been so upset about what Calvin had done, she hadn’t considered that maybe there were clues to his whereabouts here. She yanked open the two desk drawers again and started rummaging through the contents. Nothing but Post-it notes, rubber bands, paper clips—the usual office items. There had to be more information here somewhere.
