10. Tyree

“Rocky,can you bring me my messages, please?” I say, pressing the intercom on my office phone. I’m one of two regional managers at this location, with our respective corner offices.

“Yes, sir,” Rocky, my assistant, says. A few minutes later, he hands over my messages from the morning. He started off as an intern, but when my assistant at the time quit to pursue her dream of taking an RV cross-country with her family, he applied for the position, and the rest is history.

That was almost a year ago, and things have gone smoothly. I jump on my computer to pull up my schedule and make sure I’m good to leave a little early and meet the guys tonight. It’s a big group of us, and I’m pretty sure Tam is tagging along with August, which is why I wanted Clarissa to come. I know she’s been swamped with planning, so her taking time for herself makes sense, but I wish she wanted to come along.

I can’t wait for all this wedding stuff to be over. There are so many details that mean nothing to me, like the color of the thank you notes, or her obsession with envelopes. People are literally going to rip it open and throw it away after reading it. Why does it matter what the undertones of the lavender are? I release a breath and lean my head back. My phone chirps, and I grab it.

Tyson: Aye, guess who just landed on American soil!

Me: It’s about time. I know Mrs. Gladys was not okay with you missing another Christmas.

Tyson: Too soon. I haven’t heard a simple good morning without a monologue of what I’ve missed in years.

Tyson’s mom is a trip. I met his parents a few times back in college when I couldn’t afford to go home for the holidays and he let me tag along with him. Her guilt trips are top-notch, but her cooking is good enough to forget about the awkwardness of their family dynamic.

Me: Damn!

Tyson: I’m still waiting on my hotel to get ready, but I’m going to hit some store up to kill time. Can you get away?

I bite my lip and scan my schedule. I have a meeting in an hour and a half and a few reports I need to handle before I leave for the day.

Me: Nah, not today. We’re still meeting at The Spot, right? 5:30.

Tyson: Yes, sir.

Me: Cool.

I put my phone on the desk and lean back. Rocky walks into my office and shuts the door behind him.

“Sorry, sir. We’re still on to go over the agenda for the quarterly meeting, correct?”

“Yes, absolutely. I was just thinking about something. Have a seat.”

“Is it your wedding? It’s coming soon, right?”

“Yep, just six more months,” I say while shaking my head.

“I don’t envy you, sir. My sister got married last spring, and she was a handful. On top of the normal stuff—rehearsals, the dress, the venue—she decided on a destination wedding.”

His face morphs into a grimace, and I mirror his expression.

“I’ll be so happy when this is over.”

“Amen.”

I just arrived at The Spot, and the vibe is mellow. The lights are low, and there’s chatter flowing around me. August, Tam, and Dee are at a table in the back. When August sees me, he stands up, and the table’s attention shifts to me.

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late,” I say, leaning down for side hugs.

“It’s cool, we just got here,” August says before moving over to give me space.

“Look at this,” a voice says from behind me, and I smile.

“Tyson, boy, what’s up?”

I stand and give him a hug, the loud pats on his shoulder echoing through the bar. August jumps up, and it’s like old times again. All three of us met in college orientation. We go back over fourteen years, and while Tyson wasn’t around much after college, I still consider him one of my best friends.

“Dee, this is the man of mystery himself,” August says, patting his shoulder. They dap each other up and shift to sit. Dee is new to our group. August brought him around last year sometime. He’s a cool dude and fits in well with us.

“Now, if you stayed your ass at home, you’d know Dee,” I say, and the table laughs.

“Well, excuse me. I’m just trying to build my empire,” Tyson says with a headshake. August pulls Tam closer, preparing for more introductions.

“This is my lady, Tam. Tam, this is Tyson, the legend himself.”

Tyson shakes his head, and I know he’s annoyed with that title, but facts are facts. Tyson was never the life of the party, but it wasn’t a party without him if that makes sense. If he was going to be there, so were all the ladies.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” he says smoothly. I’m sure he has no idea who Tam is. August hasn’t been seeing her long, but he gives her his undivided attention as if he’s been waiting for this moment. I’ve always envied that about him. His charisma is always so bold. Like a celebrity, he just has this quality that makes all the girls love him and all the guys want to be his friend.

We finish all the instructions and shuffle to sit as the waitress comes to the table to take our order.

“What can I get you?”

“Let me see if I remember. August will take a whiskey neat,” Tyson says before leaning over to the waitress to whisper, “Not top shelf ‘cause he don’t have it like that.”

“Aye, the middle shelf is just as tasty. My money-saving skills fed y’all well when your check didn’t come in on time. Back then, I was the man, and everything was good.”

His words unlock a memory long forgotten. Tyson was excited about this new job he got, and I told him it seemed a little sketchy because guaranteeing five thousand dollars a month for a college student didn’t make sense to me. Turns out I was right.

When it was time to get his first check, suddenly, payroll was outsourced, and he needed to be patient. Patience isn’t all that edible, and since I was just as broke, I was no help. August here came through in the clutch since he had been saving for a rainy day. He grew up with a single dad who never met a penny he couldn’t pinch. His mom died during childbirth, so it was always just them two.

“That wasn’t my fault. It looked legit at the time.”

We all laughed and finished giving the waitress our order.

“Damn, I see nothing has changed,” August says with a laugh. His focus is directed to Tyson.

“What?”

“What?” August mimics his voice. “So you didn’t peep the waitress giving you all her attention like this was a party of one?”

I shake my head and laugh. Tyson drops his head and releases a breath.

“I’m really just chilling at the moment. Not even thinking about that.” He shrugs.

“And where the hell did you get this accent from? Ain’t you from North Carolina?” August asks.

“Yeah, I was going to ask about that, too. It’s a weird mix of the South and British,” I add.

“Well, I was in London for two years,” he says with a shrug.

The waitress brings over our drinks, and she lingers when it comes to Tyson, smiling hard as hell as she talks about specials for the day.

“We have this spinach dip that’s new. I can bring you some on the house.” She pushes her hip to the side while leaning on the chair behind our table. Tyson has always been somewhat of a lady’s man, although reluctantly. He never goes looking for trouble, but it always manages to find him.

“Yeah, that sounds cool.”

“Perfect.” She draws out the word. “My name is Shelly, by the way. You let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.” She tilts her head and gives a slow smile. It’s as though no one else exists at our table. Tyson nods, and she finally flitters off. When she’s out of earshot, the entire table laughs.

“Yeah, and imagine him carrying his poetry book everywhere we went. The basketball court, the movies, the mall, it didn’t matter.”

“Inspiration can strike anywhere. I wanted to be prepared!” Tyson laughs. “Anyway, enough about my college days. Where is the soon-to-be Mrs. Tyree Williams?”

The table gasps, and Tyson looks around in confusion. “What?”

I wave my hand in the air. “No big deal, but when you meet her, please don’t say that.” The table laughs—all except Tyson—as we remember the party right after our engagement when this introduction sparked a debate led by Clarissa that lasted ten minutes. She hates being referenced by my full name.

“What?”

“Nothing, never mind. She’s at home resting, but I want us to get together for lunch soon so y’all can meet.”

“Bet.”

We talk and laugh and fill Dee and Tam in on our college shenanigans. It feels good for the gang to be back together. I can’t wait for him to meet Clarissa.