Page 16 of A Perfect Pairing
“You just ain’t right, Unc.” He took the chair across from the desk. “Okay, what’s on the agenda today?”
“Not much. Closing out a couple of finished projects and making a list of the three new ones. Now that it’s just about spring, folks are fixing up their houses to get ready for summer. One owner is looking to sell. You’ve already been out to the Ward place, right?”
“Yep, last Thursday.”
“How did that go with Natasha?”
“It went.”
“Is that why she left in a huff after five minutes with you?”
Antonio lifted a brow. Being in a big city where he could get lost for so long, he’d completely forgotten how nosy small-town people could be. Obviously, someone on the street had seen them. “I’ll admit we had a rocky start, but we’re fine now.”
“Good. She’s a sweet girl.” He glanced over the glasses perched on the edge of his nose. “But then you already know that. Regardless of what happened between you two back then, Natasha is still a good woman. You could do worse,” he added, refocusing on the papers in front of him.
Here we go again.“I don’t plan to do anything. We’ll have to meet here and there to deal with whatever projects come up, and that’s all.” Even if there was still a lingering attraction, one he sensed wasn’t one-sided, he planned to ignore anything not business related.
“So, what really happened with your big-city wife? Fred said something about you growing apart, but I want to hear it from you.”
Antonio didn’t want to discuss his ex-wife now or ever. He’d met Lori Metcalf through a mutual friend at a business conference, and the two had struck up a conversation. Subsequently, they met for drinks and dinner a couple of times. Six months later, they’d started dating exclusively and married a year later. She claimed it had been love at first sight, but less than a year into their marriage, Lori received a major promotion and began to pour all her time into the job. He’d been excited for her success and had done everything to support her dreams, but he also wanted their marriage to flourish. After a while, he was the only one giving. From her canceling their dates to decreased intimacy, the deep, emotional connection Antonio hoped to build seemed to fizzle out right before his eyes, leaving him, once again, with a broken heart. And although she expressed wanting children while they dated, it ended up being one more thing in their relationship to be put on hold.
He had no issue with women changing their minds—their bodies, their choice—he just wished she’d let him in on her plans. Despite his best efforts to reclaim the closeness, the two of them continued to drift apart. They had become nothing more than roommates toward the end, and shortly after their second anniversary, it was over. Now, two years later, she’d left him a voicemail saying she wanted to talk to him. He had no idea what she wanted, but what they had was long over, and Antonio wasn’t eager to put his heart on the line again for her or anyone else.
“Are you going to sit there all day and frown or answer my question?”
“We wanted different things, and in the end it was better for her to find what she wanted with someone else. There’s nothing else to talk about.” He gestured to the papers. “So, are you going to fill me in?”
Uncle Charles stroked his chin. “Hmm, if you say so.” He slid the folder across the desk and, for the next three hours, went over every detail of the business. After finishing, he said, “I think I’m hungry now. I haven’t done this much manual labor in a while.”
Antonio smiled. “Where do you want to go? My treat.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Yeah? That fried chicken at Ms. Ida’s is calling my name.”
“Then Ms. Ida’s it is.” Instead of driving, the two men walked the block and a half to the restaurant.
“You sure are getting a lot of attention,” Uncle Charles said with a chuckle as a third young woman called out a greeting to Antonio. “I never have this many people notice when I walk down here by myself.”
“Whatever you say.” He figured after being here for close to a month, the novelty of him being back home would wear off soon. At least he hoped so. Some days he almost felt like an exotic exhibit in a museum. The mouthwatering smells hit his nose as soon as they entered the restaurant, and Antonio’s stomach growled. He hadn’t been here in over a decade and planned to make up for it today.
“Oh my word! Antonio Hayes. Get over here and give me a hug.” Ms. Bernice rushed around the hostess platform and engulfed him in a hug that nearly cracked his spine.
“Hey, Ms. Bernice.” The petite woman had been a fixture in the restaurant since he was a kid and had gone to school with his mother.
She held him away from her, gave him a once-over, then smiled up at him. “Welcome home, baby.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey, Charles.” She grabbed two menus and led them to a table. “Lana will be over to take your order in a minute. Charles, you want your usual lemonade?”
“That would be good. Thanks.”
“What can I get you, Antonio?”
“Sweet tea, please.” He scanned the menu and had a hard time deciding what to order. He did plan to get the peach cobbler to go, then stop by Splendid Scoops on his way home later for some vanilla ice cream to go with it. By the time Lana brought the drinks, he’d finally decided on chicken and waffles. Antonio took a big gulp of his tea and groaned. He hadn’t had sweet tea that tasted so good in years.
“While we’re waiting, I want to talk to you about your work habits,” Uncle Charles said.
He laughed. “I just started, Unc. They can’t be that bad already.”
