Chapter 8

8

E njell

We were no longer able to deny how Grandma Debra was deteriorating. From a medical standpoint, knowing what to look for because of research or patients I'd helped in the past was one thing, but seeing someone you love become a victim of dementia was altogether different. Grandma Debra had always been independent. In fact, the only thing she ever needed someone to do for her was drive. After a bad accident, she was too afraid to learn how. Because of that, she always had to depend on others when she had to go somewhere.

I think that was why I was so adamant about getting over my fear of heights. The only time I didn't let it consume me was on flights. Even then, I'd fly first class and drink until I could fall asleep.

But this… this battle against her own mind… it was different. She had always prayed for specific things—a sound mind, the activity of her limbs, the ability to use her senses, and the independence to take care of herself. I feared, with the rate at which this syndrome was affecting her ability to remember, make decisions, and function throughout her daily activities, Grandma would begin to lose hope. And without that hope, her condition would cause her quality of life to decline even more quickly.

"I don't know, Mitchell," Mom said.

We'd come to the diner for breakfast, though none of us had an appetite. Grandma didn't want to leave. She'd returned to herself and was aware of what had happened, but knowing her house had been on fire sent her into a depression. She wanted to stay with her neighbor, who was also her best friend.

"I think it's time for us to consider bringing Mama Deb to our home. She doesn't need to be alone. Not all day at least."

Daddy's head shook as he slumped further in his seat. "You know my mama is too independent for that. She won't leave that house for anything ."

That was true. That house and my grandfather's truck and Cadillac were her pride and joy. All three were paid off and proof of his hard work. Before he died, he made sure he set up Grandma for the long run—hefty life insurance policy, health benefits from his job to take care of her since she wasn't working, and enough cash to take care of whatever she wanted or needed to. Grandma was diligent about keeping the tags and insurance up to date for his vehicles, though they were only driven by one of us to take her out for errands. There was no way in hell she'd leave her home… for anything.

"Then we need to put someone at the house with her," Malaysia said, gripping my hand under the table.

"That could work." Mama agreed.

"I could do it," I offered. "I need to work, but I can stay until I find a job."

"I'll run it by her, but I don't think she'll want anyone living with her because of this," Daddy said. "She loves her space and independence."

"We're not denying that," Mama said, voice soothing as she covered his hand with hers on top of the table, "but we also can't deny she can't be there alone. What if something like this happens again and no one notices?"

Daddy flipped his hand, locking his fingers with hers. "We'll figure something out."

That Evening

I wasn't expecting Dejvi to answer the phone, but he did. As soon as I heard his gruff voice on the other end, my pussy throbbed. It was like she knew exactly who he was and what he'd done to her.

"I'm about to send you a FaceTime request," Dejvi said. "I need to see you."

"Okay." I agreed, quickly ripping the bonnet from my head and smoothing a few strands away.

Before answering, I looked my reflection over in the camera. I'd been home long enough to freshen up before getting into bed. It wasn't late enough to consider going to sleep any time soon, but the day's events had drained me of my energy.

"You are so beautiful," Dejvi said as soon as the call connected, making me smile. "I miss you."

"Thank you, sexy, and I miss you too."

"How's everyone doing?"

I released a long sigh. "Grandma is… okay. She's with her neighbor. Edna is keeping us updated through my dad."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

My head shook as I felt my heart soften because of his genuineness. "No, but I appreciate you. I'm leaving it to my dad and his sister to determine the course of action they want to take for her. I offered to stay with her until I start working, but that would just be a temporary solution."

"I completely understand. Do you have an idea of what you want to do next?"

With a shrug, I shook my head. "Not really. I'm leaving my options open. I don't want to go back to nursing, but if I did, I don't think I'd go back to a hospital. Those hours are brutal. A part of me wants to see if I could make it as a chef, but… I don't know. Now doesn't seem like the time to try and chase dreams."

"A chef? You mean the Lord has blessed me with a woman who loves to cook?"

I laughed and pulled the covers up to my neck. "I do love to cook. I did some catering back in my college days but stopped. I wanted to have my own line of cookbooks and seasonings too."

"So why not start now?"

"Life. I have bills, Dejvi. I don't really have time to chase that dream."

"You would have time if I paid your bills."

My head shook as I released a hard breath. "Thank you but no thank you. Letting a man pay my bills is the reason I'm in this situation now. I never should have stopped working, and even if I did, I should have done something else to keep some money in my bank account."

"Nah, love. You can't let him fuck up your perspective like that. There's nothing wrong with being taken care of financially by your man if he's able to provide. Even if you didn't have a job or financially lucrative hobby, if he took the responsibility of you on, it was on him to take care of your bills and keep money in your pocket. If he didn't ensure you had an allowance to save and spend how you see fit, that's what the problem was… not that you let a man take care of you."

I considered his words for a while. They did bring me some comfort. We continued to talk, and our conversation shifted organically. Dejvi and I shared more facts about ourselves and our pasts. I learned his parents were still alive and married and that he had a younger brother, Aspen. I told him about my family too. He was four years older than me at thirty-four. We talked about our hobbies and interests.

I was very sensuous, so I loved anything that smelled and tasted good. Along with cooking and baking, I loved making candles and perfume oils. Occasionally, I made bouquets with Malaysia. Aside from that, I was a binge TV kind of girl. For hours, I'd binge shows from the '80s and '90s as if I'd never seen them before.

Dejvi loved sports, traveling, and partying. He was very sociable and a people person, so that didn't surprise me. We both loved trying new things, and I was excited about the dates we'd go on in the future. Even with me wanting to focus on my life and money, I couldn't deny that I really liked him. Plus, talking to him made it easier to not be consumed by heartache. We ended up talking for several hours before Dejvi had to get off the phone because of an emergency. I prayed for him and whoever they were going to help and drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.

The Next Morning

I was nervous like I hadn't seen this man and shared my body with him before. When I went to have my coffee this morning, Dejvi had a bouquet of roses waiting for me. After my bible reading and Pilates, I showered and decided I'd take him lunch after putting in a few applications.

I wasn't sure if I could just walk into the station, so I called him to let him know I was outside. He came out looking good as fuck. Black sweatpants hung low on his waist, showing off the black and gray boxers he had on. He was shirtless, taking advantage of the warm August weather. I licked my lips and squeezed my thighs together at the sight of his tattooed, slim, muscular build. His locs were hanging freely today, and I loved how they framed his fine ass face.

Getting out of the car, I tried to keep myself from smiling so hard, but I couldn't help myself. I was genuinely happy to see him, and he deserved to see and know that.

"He—"

His palms cupped my cheeks, and he tilted my head, kissing me tenderly.

"Mm." He moaned into my lips as I melted against his solid frame. "I needed this," Dejvi mumbled before kissing me again.

"Same. I missed these lips."

Dejvi smiled before returning his lips to mine. His hands lowered to my ass and gave it a squeeze that made me moan.

"Don't do that now. We'll be messing up your back seat next."

I chuckled as he pulled away from me.

"I brought you lunch. I know I don't know all the things you like, but you said you were a meat and potatoes kind of guy last night." I walked over to the passenger side of my car and grabbed the to-go box in a plastic bag.

"Did you make this?" he asked, accepting the bag.

"Yes, so let me know how you like it."

"What is it?"

"Saulsbury steak, mashed potatoes, and greens."

"Oof. I'ma need to eat on this all day so it won't make me full and lazy."

I chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me. "I figured that's what you'd do, so I gave you two servings of everything and separated them so you can microwave it individually."

"Thank you, love. I'm sure it will be great. I appreciate you for this."

"You're welcome, and thank you for my flowers this morning."

"Always. I have to get back in here, but call me when you get home, okay?"

"I will. Have a good day."

"You too, baby. Call me if you need me."

We shared another kiss before Dejvi headed back into the station. The entire drive home, I had a smile on my face. That changed when I checked my phone and saw several email notifications. Not only had Gino taken his name off the lease, but he'd also taken me off our joint bank accounts. I wasn't sure why I was surprised, but his actions surprised me. A part of me thought he'd come to his senses about the financial burden he was putting on me and at least offer to take care of things until I got a job. Clearly, that wasn't going to be the case… especially after what happened with Dejvi.

I wanted to call him and go off, but what would have been the point in that? Instead, I went into the home we once shared and started filling out more applications. Without the safety net of that joint account, it was even more imperative that I found a job soon.

Two Days Later

"It's the gap in your work history," Felicia said into the receiver. She was the receptionist at the clinic I'd applied to and had an interview for this morning. I felt like they weren't going to offer me the job when I left but still wanted to be hopeful. After she sent me the rejection email, she called, wanting to give me more of an explanation.

"I stopped working because I was…" I huffed. "My ex told me he wanted to take care of me."

"Which is completely understandable. Unfortunately, they want someone that's been actively working because they don't want to have to retrain you like you're new to this. I tried to explain taking two years off didn't mean you'd completely forgotten all your training, but they decided to go with a woman who was currently working and looking for a clinic that was closer to her home. Plus, they're looking at the fact that you'll need to renew your license because it just recently expired." Felicia sighed. "I know you didn't ask for it, but my advice is to get those CEUs now before applying anywhere else and renew your license. Don't tell them you can get it done quickly; get it done now. You'll have a better chance of being hired then. And also, when you go in, if they mention the pause in your work history, be honest about the break. Don't hold that back."

"Okay, Felicia. Thank you for calling because I know you didn't have to."

"No problem at all."

We disconnected the call as I pouted. Those ten hours for the CEU credits were going to be a drag, but I'd do them. I didn't think I would run into this issue because it hadn't been five years since I practiced, so my license isn't technically inactive. However, I forgot about the fact that I'd have to get those credits and have the license renewed. I'd been so focused on securing interviews that it didn't dawn on me to check and see if my license had expired until during the interview.

My doorbell rang, and I checked the camera app to see who it was. At the sight of Dejvi, I immediately smiled. He wasn't the answer to my job prayer, but being in his presence would put me in a better mood. Since I'd taken off my suit after the interview, I was dressed in nothing but my black bra and panty set. He'd seen me in less, but there was something about this not being about sex that made me want to cover up. I grabbed a satin robe from the closet and wrapped it around me before going to the front door.

"Hi," I greeted as soon as I opened it.

"Hey, love. How did the interview go?"

"They went with someone that's currently working. That gap might be an issue. Plus, I need to get my license renewed. I might just look for something outside of nursing for right now."

"Their loss. Something better is waiting for you. Rejection is redirection."

For a while, all I could do was stare at him. That was what I'd been telling myself ever since Gino cheated and broke up with me.

"Thank you, bae. You off today?"

"Yeah, for the next four days, then I'll go back in for three. Do you have plans for the rest of the day?"

"Not really. I was just going to hang with my sister."

"Cancel that. I want to take you out on a date, and I don't want to hear shit about you not being ready for a relationship."

With a giggle, I told him, "I wasn't going to say that. I actually want to spend some time with you."

"Good. Dress casually, and I'll pick you up at two thirty."

"K. What are we doing?"

With a sexy smile, Dejvi gripped my waist and pulled me close. After pecking my lips thrice and sucking my bottom lip into his mouth, he told me, "You'll see when we get there," then kissed me again before walking away.