Page 17

Turning my attention away from him, I glance around the room until my eyes land on the receptionist. She is typing away at her computer. I thought I was stylish, but she has me beat.

She’s wearing an emerald, green suit, which I’ve found is required by her department. But it’s the way she has made it her own that captivates me. Her hair is a midnight black, and the loose curls hang down the length of her back. She is wearing delicate gold hoops in her ears and dainty gold rings on her fingers. Her make-up is so flawless you would think it was her natural skin. The only thing giving away that she is wearing make-up at all is her green and gold eyeshadow. No. It isn’t eyeshadow. It is art. She is art.

Is this love at first sight?

She finally glances up at me and smiles. “What can I do for you?” Her voice is what I think silk would sound like. Her eyes are a magnificent light brown. Almost golden.

I smile back. “Hi, I’m Joyce Parker. I am—"

“Yes! I’ve heard of you! You are Aiden’s lawyer. I’m Yirah,” she says excitedly. “I was going to pop by later to say ‘hi.’ But since you are here, I can go on my lunch break so we can chat.” She clicks something on her computer and grabs her pearl-colored purse. She walks around her desk, right next to me.

Looping her arm through mine, she asks, “What do you feel like eating? I’ll teleport us there.” Oh, how I wish I could teleport. I would take a trip around the world before I went to Heaven.

I think for a moment then snap my fingers. “I could go for some soul food.”

She grins. “I know a fantastic soul food restaurant in a small town in North Carolina.”

I nod my head in excitement and she tightens her hold on me. In a blink, we are behind a brick building. I can already smell the aroma, causing my mouth to water. She leads us around the building into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

It’s one of those places that makes you feel like you are visiting family. Tile floors. Dim lights. Buzzing fountain drinks machine. Square tables with the essential condiments, such as ketchup and hot sauce. Erykah Badu playing in the background. It is comforting and familiar.

The staff greets us as we enter and shows us to our seats. Yirah and I scan through the menu, my stomach rumbling with anticipation. A gorgeous dark-skinned woman with long braids and curled ends walks up to us.

“Thank you for coming in. What can I get for you two ladies?” she asks with a deep southern accent.

I nod to Yirah for her to go first. Yirah hums a little, then tells the waitress, “I’ll have the catfish with collard greens and macaroni and cheese.” The waitress takes note then asks me for my meal choice.

“I’ll have the smothered fried pork chops with collard greens and macaroni and cheese.” I place my menu on top of Yirah’s for the waitress to grab.

“I’ll have that right out for y’all. Would you like something to drink? We have fountain drinks.”

Yirah shakes her head. “I’ll just take water with lemon, please. Thank you.”

“I would like a Coke, please. Thank you,” I say. The waitress nods, then walks away to the kitchen. We watch as she leaves. Once she is out of ear shot, Yirah turns to me.

“Okay. I need all the details. What is Aiden like? No one is really close to him. The only people he really hangs out with are Joey and Director Jackson.” She places her elbows on the table and clasps her hands, placing her chin on them. Her undivided attention is on me.

I unintentionally roll my eyes at his name. “He has a stick so far up his ass, it’s a surprise he doesn’t cough up wood.”

She throws her head back and bursts into laughter. “I’m not surprised by that. He’s hot, though. Most women at Eden think so.”

“But is a man being hot enough to counteract his stiff personality? I have an ex-boyfriend who was off the scale hot—not hotter than Aiden, though—and he was a total dick who cheated on me.”

We both pause as the waitress brings our drinks. When she walks away again, Yirah replies, “Honestly, Aiden seems cordial with everyone. I never heard anyone say he was an asshole until you.” She smirks. “Maybe he just doesn’t like you.” Which makes zero sense considering I’ve known him all of one day.

“All I’ve done is exist! I haven’t done anything to him. He has disliked me from day one. I swear he is like a sour patch kid. You know those candies that alternate between sour and sweet? Sometimes he is okay, but other times he makes me want to push him off a building.” I really can’t take the hot and cold. I just want to do my job and then dip. All I ask is for him to be semi-decent while I’m here.

“Maybe he thinks you’re fine as hell and acts like that to keep your attention,” she suggests with a smirk.

I am pleased with the compliment from her, but I roll my eyes. “Puh-lease. I know I’m hot, but he is not acting this way because of that. I’ve never believed in the ‘he bullies you because he likes you’ crap.”

“Well, we will figure it out before you have to leave.”

I wave my hand dismissively. “My job is to help him with his case. I could care less about whether he likes me or not. If he feels strongly about it, well, he can always kiss my ass.” As I finish talking, the waitress walks over with both hands filled with our food. My stomach rumbles in anticipation. Thank goodness there’s no one else in this restaurant. Nothing is worse than thinking your food is coming, then watching them walk past you to another table. I am not above stealing food. If Aiden was here, he would point out that my mindset may be what got me in my current predicament of almost going to Hell.

She places the food down and smiles. “Enjoy, ladies.” She walks away, leaving us to this masterpiece. We both take a bite of our food and groan in unison. I’ve never had a better pork chop. The rich onion gravy smothered on top does not overpower the taste of the pork. Whoever cooked it knew to not leave it on the stove too long to prevent it from drying out. The macaroni and cheese?

My god.