Restoration of Love Read online

  CHAPTER SIX

  Time dragged on after Brandon left. It was almost a month and she was counting the days until Thanksgiving break. She spent most of her time doing exactly what Brandon told her not to do. She went to work, came home, watched TV and went to bed early.

  She liked being at the office. It kept her mind busy and helped get her through the day. She was going over some files and trying to finish up before the weekend when Tia poked her head around the partition.

  “So, Ms. Thang, what’s up with you tonight?” Tia asked while filing a broken nail?

  “Girl, didn’t I tell you that I’m going out with Ben and Jerry tonight?” Nikki said, laughing at her own joke.

  Tia, instead of laughing, put her hands on her hips and said, “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. The trouble with Ben and Jerry is that they come with a little extra weight.” She leaned over and patted Nikki’s mid-section. “All you’re doing is sitting around that house of yours, watching TV, eating, getting out of shape, and worrying about a grown-ass boy who ain’t worrying about you!”

  Nikki’s smile left her face. “Well, at least I’m not out chasing a dream, thinking that every man who smiles at me twice is ‘the one’.”

  “At least I have a dream,” Tia shot back, obviously hurt by Nikki’s words. “Look, Nikki, I am your best friend and a real friend will tell you the truth no matter how much it hurts. You spend all your time worrying about that boy, and again, he ain’t worried about you and that’s a good thing. He is doing exactly what he should be doing. He’s living his life. How many times has he called you since he left? How many, Nikki?” Tia continued when Nikki didn’t answer, “Yeah, I thought so. What are you afraid of? That you’re too old to start over? What if you are forty? No one would know unless you told them. You still look damn good, and believe me, coming from me that’s a real compliment. But, if you don’t pull yourself together, get out of that house, and have some fun once in awhile, you will end up old and lonely with ten damn cats and mad at the world!”

  Nikki couldn’t help but laugh at that image and the expression of sincerity on her friend’s face. “You know I don’t like cats,” she said attempting to diffuse the conversation. At that they both laughed and Nikki hugged her friend. “Thanks for caring,” she said warmly.

  Tia, seizing the moment, said, “Seriously, Nikki, why don’t you come out with me tonight? I was going to go out with Greg, but he’s so boring. I can ditch his ass and you and I can go to that new club off the Katy Freeway. Come on. I’ll come over to your place early and make sure you don’t dress like some Sunday School teacher. Hell, the last time you danced it was probably to New Edition’s Candy Girl!”

  Nikki laughed and imitated an old dance move.

  “And that’s exactly why I’m coming over to your place early,” Tia said, nodding her head.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sitting in the crowded club, Nikki wished that she had not agreed to go out with Tia. Not only was the club loud, smoky, and packed, but also Tia must have forgotten it was kiddy night. Most of the people there looked like they weren’t much older than Brandon. Tia, however, didn’t seem to notice. She headed for the dance floor as soon as they arrived and hadn’t come back since. Whatever was Nikki thinking when she agreed to this?

  Twice Nikki was asked to dance. Once by a man with a huge fake gold chain and a missing tooth and a second time by a guy with a wedding band. Nikki politely declined both, but smiled to herself as she thought of the scene in Waiting to Exhale where Loretta Devine’s character stated, “I could be home watching Good Times.” Exactly.

  “Care to let me in on what’s so amusing?” asked a strange voice. Startled, Nikki looked up and answered, “Just a thought I had.”

  The man stood there waiting for her to invite him to sit down. When she didn’t he asked, “Is anyone sitting here?”

  “Yes there is and she (why did she say she?) will be back any minute.”

  “Well, how about I keep you company until she comes back,” the stranger said as more of a statement than a question. He sat down before Nikki had a chance to respond.

  Nikki quickly studied this bold intruder. Even in the dark club she could see that he was quite handsome…and quite young. At first glance, he appeared to be African-American like her, but Nikki could tell from his accent that he was not. His hair was dark with ringlets that formed around his perfectly chiseled face. He wore a light colored shirt, open at the chest and dark pants. As young as he looked, Nikki still thought that milk really does do a body good and his body was banging. Banging? Where did she get that? Brandon would have laughed his head off at her trying to use words from his generation.

  “Would you like a drink?”

  “No, thank you,” she answered hoping he hadn’t noticed that she was checking out his body. “Look, you really have to leave. My friend will be back any minute.”

  “Come on, now,” he replied, looking into her eyes playfully, “I’ll bet that your friend is either out on the dance floor or in the ladies’ room. Either way, it gives me at least ten minutes to get to know you better.”

  “And who said I wanted to get to know you?” Nikki countered with a bravado she did not feel. She was so out of her comfort zone. What was she doing here?

  “Because I’ve been watching you for the last half hour and I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to come over here and say something and hoping you wouldn’t shoot me down,” he said with a puppy dog look on his face which made him look even younger, God forbid. “Look,” he continued, “there are four guys at the bar watching me.” He leaned closer to Nikki. “They said that I wouldn’t get anywhere with a woman like you. Please don’t let me go back over there with my tail between my legs,” he pleaded.

  Nikki followed the direction of the stranger’s eyes and, indeed, there were four men staring at them from the bar. One of them was the man with the wedding ring that had approached her earlier. Nikki decided that she would play along with the young stranger to pass the time. “Okay, you can sit here, but only until my friend comes back.”

  “Yes, M’am,” he said, saluting Nikki.

  Nikki and the stranger made polite conversation, but she revealed very little about herself. She learned that his name was Carlos Ruiz and that he was going to school part time to become a counselor for teens. He told her that he loved R&B music and that, to Nikki’s dismay, he was only twenty-nine years old. Upon hearing that, Nikki’s stomach sank. She had hoped that maybe a dinner at least was in the making with this handsome guy, but at the age of twenty-nine dating him would definitely be out of the question. Of all the things Nikki thought she was, a cougar was not one of them. One thing Nikki really hated was people who didn’t know their age limitations. One reason she stayed away from the club scene after she and Trent divorced was because she couldn’t stand to see middle-aged, big bellied, balding men hitting on women young enough to be their granddaughters. It almost made Nikki sick to her stomach and yet, here she was with this man/boy coming on to her. Worse yet, she was actually enjoying the attention.

  Carlos Ruiz had been a welcome distraction, occupying most of her night at the club. When Nikki looked at her watch it was 1:15 AM and Tia had still not returned. She needed to get home. She had absent-mindedly left her cell phone on her kitchen counter and Brandon had probably tried to reach her a dozen times. He would be worried if she didn’t answer, especially on a Friday night.

  She knew that Tia would not be ready to leave until the club lights went on, especially if she found someone to hook up with and knowing Tia, she probably had. Nikki said goodbye to Carlos and scouted the club for Tia. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally found her on the second floor of the club all hugged up with some guy who looked like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Nikki was glad that she was the one who would be driving when she came within twenty feet of Tia. It was not hard to see that she had way too much to drink.

  “Hey, girlfriend,” Tia sl
urred when she saw Nikki.

  “Hey yourself,” Nikki said, more than a little annoyed. “You ready to go?”

  “Go?? We just got here! ‘Course I’m not ready to go. Besides, I’m having too much fun with…with, baby, what is your name again?” Tia said to the man beside her.

  The stranger looked at Nikki, obviously embarrassed that Tia couldn’t remember his name and extended his hand toward Nikki. “Theodore. Theodore Reynolds. My friends call me Ted.” Nikki shook his hand without introducing herself and then quickly turned her attention back to her friend.

  “Look Tia, the club is almost closing. I’m tired and I want to go home now!” Nikki said impatiently. When Tia saw the look on her friend’s face, she tried to stand up, but fell forward onto Nikki. If Tia’s new found ‘love’ had not been standing there to catch her, they both would have tumbled over.

  “Can you help me get her to the car, please?” she asked this Theodore Reynolds.

  “Sorry…not me. That broad looks like she’s going to puke any minute and I just bought this suit,” he said flatly and turned away.

  Nikki looked at the man and rolled her eyes in disbelief. She looked back at Tia who had now fallen slumped over in the large chair that she and Theodore had been sitting in moments before. Just as she was about to go and get a bouncer to assist her, Carlos appeared at her side.

  “Need some help?”

  “Do I ever,” Nikki said thankfully, relief washing over her. Although Carlos looked like he could have swung Tia over his shoulder in one scoop and carried her out of the club like King Kong, he wrapped one arm around her waist and placed her arm around his shoulder and half walked, half carried an inebriated Tia down the stairs and out the door. Nikki grabbed Tia’s purse and followed close behind, vowing silently that she would never go out with her again. Nikki couldn’t wait until morning when Tia would be sober so she could give her a piece of her mind. Nikki ran ahead to the parking lot and brought the car to the front of the club as quickly as possible. Nikki thought it was odd that none of the bouncers or anyone else standing outside asked Carlos what was going on. She made a mental note to talk to Tia about the dangers of drinking too much. She shuddered to think of what might have happened to Tia if she had not been there tonight to watch over her and take her home. Carlos gently lifted Tia into the front seat of Nikki’s SUV. After helping Nikki to secure Tia’s seatbelt, Nikki turned to face him.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” Nikki said sincerely, “I could never have done this alone.”

  “There’s no need to thank me. Are you gonna be all right with her by yourself?”

  “I’ll manage.” Tia appeared to be sleeping peacefully on the seat next to her.

  “Because I could follow you home and help you,” he added. With that Nikki went on alert. Although Carlos seemed nice in the club and helped her out with Tia, there was no way that she was going to allow a stranger to see where she lived.

  “Well, you said you didn’t know how to thank me. Now I think you do,” Carlos continued with a gleam in his eye. “Wait a minute, calm down,” he said when he saw the scared look on Nikki’s face. “ How about just giving me your phone number? Maybe I could call you some time and we could go out for a bite to eat.”

  “Look, Carlos, I appreciate your helping me and all, but that’s it. I’m not looking for anything else and I suggest that you don’t either.”

  “Who said I was looking for something? Besides, I find the best things in life happen to me when I’m not looking for them to happen.”

  Nikki wasn’t sure if it was the pleading look on Carlos’s face that made her do what she did next or the fact that she was holding up traffic in the crowded parking lot. She grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper from her date book and quickly wrote down her phone number. Carlos smiled and slipped the paper into his pocket.

  Nikki waved to Carlos and started the car. As she pulled away, she glanced in the rear view mirror to see him still standing there, smiling at her as she drove out of the parking lot.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Nikki let the windows of the car down slightly, hoping that the night air might sober Tia a little. By the time she arrived home and turned into the driveway, Nikki had already decided to wait until morning to speak to her. She pulled into the garage and pushed the remote to close the huge door behind her. When Tia heard the sound of the door closing she opened her eyes.

  “What the hell!”

  “Don’t you even say a thing, Missy. Get your butt out of this car and into the house and you’d better hope you can make it because I, for one, am not carrying your drunk behind!”

  Tia gave Nikki an apologetic look and got out of the car without saying a word. Upon entering the house, she turned to Nikki. “Nik, I….”

  “Not another word,” Nikki snapped, cutting her off. “Go to bed, Tia. You can sleep in the guest room. We will talk in the morning. Now, go.”

  Tia shrugged and walked slowly down the hall like an obedient child. Nikki, exasperated, went to the fridge and poured herself a glass of water. She picked up her cell phone. No calls. Placing her hand on her now aching head, she noticed the red, blinking light on the house phone answering machine and walked over to it. She sat down and took off her gold, strapless sandals while listening to her messages.

  Nikki cringed at the sound of her mother’s voice, “Well daughter, I’ve called you three times. I guess you’re out although I can’t imagine where at this late hour.” Nikki rubbed her aching temples as she listened.” Well, call me as soon as you have a chance. Bye.” Nikki listened to the other two messages, both solicitors. She looked at the caller I.D., thinking that maybe Brandon had called on that phone instead of her cell and, for whatever reason, did not leave her a message. Nikki could not help but feel a little disappointed that his number was not there. Exhausted, she lay down on the couch. She had barely closed her eyes when the phone rang. She looked at the green light on the front of the CD player in front of her to check the time. It was 2:38AM. “Who on earth would be calling at this hour,” Nikki thought, worrying. She picked up the phone quickly, “Hello?”

  “Hello, pretty lady. Just calling to make sure you and your friend made it home safely.” Carlos’s voice was even sexier on the phone than in person.

  “How did you know I didn’t just dump her on the side of the road?” Nikki quipped, still angry with Tia.

  “Because you don’t seem like the kind of woman that would leave a friend stranded, drunk or not,” Carlos answered.

  “Oh, and just what kind of a woman do I seem like?”

  “Like the kind of woman I want in my life.”

  Nikki pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Into the silence that followed Carlos said, “Nikki?”

  “Look, Carlos. It’s late and I’m tired. Why don’t you give me a call tomorrow,” Nikki suggested.

  “Okay, beautiful. I’ll do just that.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Still tired the next morning, Nikki decided to sleep in. She had wanted to run errands today, but after last night decided that her errands could wait. She sat up in bed and thought she smelled bacon frying. She glanced over at the digital wall clock and it read 8:10. Who could be up so early and frying bacon? Then she remembered that Tia was there. Tia. God, the last thing she wanted was to deal with her right now. She didn’t want to see her because she hadn’t decided which way she was going to kill her first for last night! She lay back down on her pillow when she heard a soft knock at the door.

  “Nikki, you awake?” came Tia’s timid voice through the door. Nikki hoped if she didn’t answer, Tia would go away. No such luck. “Nik, I know you’re awake. Please, I just want to talk to you about last night. Well, what I can remember of it anyway.” When Nikki still refused to answer, Tia pleaded, “ Come on. I made you breakfast. Your favorite, blueberry pancakes.” Even though Nikki was still furious, she knew she could not resist Tia’s blueberry pancakes. For everything else that Tia was, the girl coul
d throw down in the kitchen.

  “Come on in,” Nikki said, giving in.

  Tia walked slowly through the door. Flour covered the beautiful black dress she had worn the night before. In her arms she carried a breakfast tray fit for a queen. It must have taken her an hour to make all this, Nikki thought as she inhaled the aroma of the breakfast Tia set before her.

  “Nikki,” Tia started, sitting on the bed beside Nikki and taking a slice of bacon off her plate. Suddenly, she felt a little queasy and put it back. “I know that you are mad at me, but please let me explain before you decide to end our friendship.” Nikki looked at Tia with a little smile and said, “Okay, ‘splain’ Lucy.”

  “Nikki, I know that I went a little overboard last night.” Then correcting herself when Nikki looked up from her plate, Tia said, “Okay, I went a lot overboard last night. But, I don’t do that often and certainly not when I’m out alone. I knew you were there and that you would take care of me and I just let myself go. If I embarrassed you, I am so sorry. Believe me, I know that you have already made up your mind about never going out with me again and I understand. But, I promise you it will never happen again. She extended her hand and pleaded, “Still friends?”

  “Girl, you’re lucky you can cook.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  After Tia left, Nikki felt lazy after her big breakfast and decided that she would do something she hadn’t allowed herself to do in a very long time…spend the day in bed. She decided that today would be a Lifetime movie day. As she reached for the remote, the phone on her nightstand rang. She picked it up reluctantly, “Hello?”

  “Hey, yourself.” It was Carlos. “Is everything all right with your friend?”

  “Yes, and thank you for asking.”

  “I was wondering,” he went on,” If you’re not doing anything later, maybe we could have a late lunch.”