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Authors: Lisa Harrison Jackson

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BOOK: Can't Stop Loving You
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What should have felt awkward for Kaycee to talk about actually helped her to understand Kendrick better. She respected and admired that woman who had helped to build the faith of the man sitting beside her, and she found herself wanting to know more about him.

“Kendrick, do you mind me asking how old you are?”

He shrugged. “Forty-eight.”

Her eyes bucked. “Wow,”

“What's that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Nothing. It's just that I didn't think you were forty-eight. You look great.”

“Thanks,” he replied, pretending to brush dust from his sleeves with pride. He stopped to return the question.

With a hesitant smile, Kaycee revealed that she was twenty-nine.

“I figured you were around my daughter's age.”

“Your daughter is twenty-nine?” she exclaimed in disbelief.

“Close, she's twenty-five.”

“Wow,” was all she could say.

“Do you have a problem with my age?” he asked.

“Like they say, age ain't nothing but a number,” she answered, but that number—forty-eight—resonated in her head.

“Besides, I don't place limits on myself.”

He picked up his plate and stabbed the salad with his fork.

“So, tell me your story, Kaycee. I know the young fella at Jireh that night has something to do with your past. Is he still someone to you?”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “Why do you say that?”

“I could tell by the way he had you all hemmed up,” he retorted with a light chuckle. “He must have peed in his pants when I took you away. I can't stand when young brothers try to act like they own you females like that. Why do you all let them do that to you?”

Kaycee shrugged. “I don't know, I guess in some strange way it makes us feel like…like they really care about us.”

He put his plate down and shook his head intently. He raised his finger, emphasizing his point.

“Any woman who's with me is going to know I care about her without me having to do anything like that.”

His words were said with such conviction that they made her insides tingle.

“So, are you two still seeing each other?” he continued his questioning.

She shook her head. “Not at all. We broke up months ago.”

“Why, may I ask?”

This time it was Kaycee's turn to spill her guts. “We had been dating for three years and weren't going anywhere. Just about the time I realized that I wasn't the woman I wanted to be with Paul, he proposed and I turned him down.”

Kendrick quietly asked, “Did you have an identity problem or something?”

“No, but I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I wanted the big house, fancy car, large income, but all of that doesn't even matter.”

Kendrick eyed her skeptically, “Now, this house isn't small-time.”

“But it's nothing compared to what I wanted,” she quickly interjected. “We were looking at homes in the $600,000-plus range.”

Kendrick whistled low. “Now, that's a lot of house.”

“Tell me about it. But I came to my senses, purchased this home and the rest was history, including Paul.”

“Wow, Ms. Jordan, you surprise me.”

She held up her hand to stop him from going on. “First of all, do me a favor and drop the formalities if you don't mind. Kaycee is fine
all
the time.”

Kendrick nodded in agreement.

“Okay, Kaycee,” he repeated her name in a low, husky voice that she felt could paralyze her into submission.

She didn't know what it was that loomed between them, but it caught her off guard every time she was in his presence.

Both sighed with relief when the theme song of the movie began to play, providing a welcoming distraction.

Kaycee placed her plate in her lap and began to eat, masking the increasing hunger for another kind of nourishment that only Kendrick could provide.

 

Kaycee forgot how much Bond movies relaxed her. A good hour into the movie she had fallen asleep. Three hours later, her eyes fluttered opened and adjusted to the only light in the room that emanated from the plasma television.

She was disappointed that she had fallen asleep and was equally surprised to find herself stretched out on the couch beside Kendrick.

Slowly, she eased from her spot so as not to awaken him and began to clear the table. Plates in hand, she stumbled into the kitchen where she learned that it was past midnight. After placing the plates in the sink, she put the remainder of the food in the refrigerator.

She returned to the family room and a slight smile curved her mouth at the sight of Kendrick sleeping in a sitting position with his head leaning back on the cushion.

He looked peaceful, as if he belonged there, bringing a sense of calm and security into her home. Kaycee tiptoed in closer to examine him without interruption. Her fascination extended beyond Kendrick's business expertise and knowledge. Mostly, it was the care and concern that he displayed for her well-being. Then there were the simple things, such as the way his brows knit together when he was deep in thought or how his smile was reminiscent of the radiant sun with all thirty-two pearlies gleaming bright just for her.

She slowly eased back down beside him.

Her eyes fell upon his succulent lips and she wondered how they would feel against her body.

She was inching closer, examining his handsome features, when the ringing of her cell phone startled them both. Kaycee sprang up from the sofa, her heart pounding in her chest. A barrage of questions rattled through her mind. What was she thinking, getting close to him like that? What if he woke up? Then what?

She stood off to the side, watching as he repositioned himself and seemed to go back to sleep. When the phone rang a second time, she snatched it off the coffee table.

“Hello?” she asked, watching Kendrick yawn. He leaned forward and stretched out his arms.

“Kaycee, I hope I'm not calling too late,” a male voice said.

“Um—it's okay. Who is this?” she asked.

“This is Grant.”

“Grant?” she repeated, then wished she hadn't as Kendrick looked up immediately at the mention of another man's name.

“Grant Craddock, Sidra's friend.”

“Hello.” Her eyes were on Kendrick, who was now sitting on the edge of the sofa.

“As I said, I hope I'm not calling at a bad time.”

“It's not too late,” she answered.

He exhaled in relief. “I'm glad. I really wanted to talk to you. Sidra speaks well of you.”

“The same of you,” she uttered.

Kendrick's mouth pulled to one side in annoyance.

“I was hoping we could meet for lunch.”

Kaycee's eyes averted from Kendrick's face and she slightly turned. “That would be nice.”

“Are you free tomorrow?”

She looked around as if she was searching for a calendar when she knew good and well there was none to be found.

“Tomorrow? I'm not sure. Let me check my calendar to be sure and I'll call you back tomorrow.”

“Sure, I'll look forward to hearing from you.”

“I'll let you know.”

The line went dead.

Kaycee flipped the phone shut and tossed it on the table. She turned back to Kendrick with a smile as sweet as candy.

“Did you sleep well?”

Rather than answer her question, he looked around the room before resting his eyes on her again.

“What time is it?”

“A little after midnight,” she answered.

He snorted with a shake of his head and stood. “Let me get out of your way.”

Kaycee knew his sudden distance had something to do with Grant's call. She could have kicked herself for answering the phone and saying Grant's name. She followed closely behind as Kendrick sauntered through the kitchen and down the hall toward the front door.

“What time shall I report for work tomorrow?” she blurted out in an effort to delay him from walking through the door.

Kendrick paused for a moment, giving her hope, yet making her nervous at the same time.

Finally, he uttered, “Nine o'clock will be fine.”

“Okay, I'll see you bright and early!” she called out with added cheer, hoping to alleviate the tension that had fallen between them. She wanted to say more but felt it wouldn't be appropriate, not at this stage. She watched as he undid the locks and opened the door.

“Good night, Ms. Jordan,” he said without turning around.

The strides they'd made in getting to know one another better seemed futile, and Kaycee believed that they were back to square one.

 

“Damn,” Kendrick muttered as he stepped into his kitchen through the garage. He felt stupid. Like a schoolboy hanging around outside the window of the cheerleading captain who didn't know or care that he was alive.

“What does she have on me?” he shouted out into the empty room, his voice resonating against the walls. The silence offered him no answers. Tossing his car keys on the kitchen counter, he headed straight for the wet bar in the sunken family room.

There, he pulled out a bottle of cognac. He twisted off the lid and poured a shot glass full. Raising the amber liquid to his mouth, he paused.

Never would he believe that a woman could make him drink, but Kaycee Jordan was doing all kinds of things to him that made him respond in strange ways. He closed his eyes.

Instantly he pictured himself carrying her in his arms beyond the tall mahogany doors to his master suite. Shaking his head to clear the picture, Kendrick swallowed down the contents of the glass, its heat burning past his esophagus and roaring in his chest.

Kaycee stirred emotions that had lain dormant since Amanda's passing, emotions that Kendrick had always believed belonged to his wife alone.

The possibility of opening himself to a woman again scared yet intrigued him. Kaycee's presence was energizing and made him look forward to each day in anticipation. Yet the mysterious phone call put a damper on everything. Who was this Grant person? he asked himself, his jaw tightening with jealous anger. The fact that another man could be in the picture drew forth a territorial spirit such as he had never known. Whoever Grant was, he had to get out of the picture because Kendrick himself had no plans of bowing out graciously.

Chapter 11

“W
hat is mer-an-goo?” Charlotte asked, peering over the tops of her glasses at the sign-up sheet Kaycee was posting on the wall.

Kaycee giggled, “That's pronounced
mer-an-gay
, Charlotte, and it's a form of Latin dancing.”

Charlotte frowned. “Okay, what does that have to do with Jireh?”

“It's a new marketing strategy that Mr. Thompson and I came up with to draw different clientele.” She handed a poster to the older woman. “On the first Saturday of each month, we're going to have Latin dance lessons. You should come, you'll like it.”

Charlotte snorted. “I don't know nothing about Latin anything, especially 'bout none of them dances.”

Kaycee smiled. “Don't knock it till you try it, Charlotte. They say that Latin dancing is the body language of love, like speaking Spanish.” She swayed her hips to an imaginary beat.

“Who said that?” Charlotte grumbled with a suck of her teeth and a roll of her eyes. “Can't nothing beat the Isley Brothers when it comes to the language of love.”

“I know that's right!” Kaycee chimed in.

“What's right?”

Both women turned around to find Otis standing there with a smirk on his face.

“Oh, nobody's talking to you, Otis Sharpe, go on back in that kitchen!” Charlotte hollered.

“Cool off, woman,” he bellowed. “I heard somebody say something about the Isley Brothers and love.”

“And your point is?” Charlotte retorted with her hand on her hip.

“My point is that I know better than either one of you know about the Isley Brothers. I grew up with Ron Isley, you know.”

“Yeah, right,” Charlotte scoffed.

“I did,” he insisted, pressing an indignant thumb against his chest. “We used to run the block together.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Anyway, why don't you run your little self back to that kitchen and get ready for lunch before the crowd gets in?”

Kaycee fell over in laughter watching the pair heckle each another like an old married couple. She couldn't help but wonder if there was something between them.

Their bantering was interrupted when the door opened. On cue, all playing was set aside and replaced with professionalism. Otis immediately headed back to the kitchen while Charlotte took to wiping off the counter.

“Welcome to Café…” Her words trailed off as an exotic-looking man sauntered through the entrance. He was about six feet tall with a handsome face and a slim but well-built body. It wasn't his curly Afro that caught Kaycee's attention, but rather the striking green eyes contrasting with his caramel skin and wide, pearly-white smile.

“Welcome to Café Jireh, how can we help you?”

He smiled, flashing a dimple in one cheek. “Hello, ladies, I'm looking for Kaycee Jordan.”

“I'm Kaycee.”

He beamed harder and held out his hand. “It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Grant Craddock, Sidra's friend.”

“Oh, hi, Grant,” she said, extending her hand. “It's nice to meet you, too.”

“I hope you don't mind me coming by the place. I couldn't resist the urge, especially after Sidra told me you work here.” He gazed around. “I've heard so many good things about it.”

Kaycee nodded. She didn't know what to make of him coming to her job, but then, she knew when Sidra had something up her sleeve.

“Thank you, it's a great place,” Kaycee said. The three of them stood there smiling awkwardly until Charlotte cleared her throat.

“Where are my manners?” Kaycee said, and quickly introduced the two.

“My, my, my, are those your eyes?” Charlotte blurted out as if she couldn't wait to ask. She moved closer.

Grant blushed. “Yes ma'am. Got them from my daddy.”

“Are you that guy off the movie
Barbershop?

Grant laughed. He was used to the attention he received from people—especially ladies—over his resemblance to actor Michael Ealy. “No ma'am, I actually work in investments.”

“I'll invest in it, whatever it is,” Charlotte said with a low whistle. She winked at Kaycee before reclaiming her post behind the counter.

“I'll remember that.” He turned back to Kaycee. “I'm sorry, I should have called to see if it was okay to come.”

“No, no, no, you're fine,” she assured him. “I can use a short break anyway.” She picked up a menu and two sets of flatware.

She led him toward the back of the dining room to a secluded booth by the window with a view of the back patio.

“Is this good?”

“Perfect,” he replied, sliding in while Kaycee sat opposite him.

Once they were settled in, Kaycee handed him the menu.

Grant opened it up, his eyes scanning the offerings. “Tell me what's good.”

“Everything,” she replied. “And I'm not just saying that. Otis, the head chef, is an excellent cook.” She was glad that she had made up a fresh batch of desserts the night before. Kaycee waved for Charlotte to come over and take their order.

“You two ready to order?” Charlotte said and placed two glasses of water before them.

“Although everything looks tempting, I'm not very hungry, so I think I'll just have a chai latte for now,” Grant announced.

“Sounds good to me,” Kaycee added. “I'll have the same, Charlotte.”

Charlotte retrieved the menus and departed, leaving Kaycee and Grant sitting together with nervous smiles on their faces. It was Grant who broke the ice.

“You know, when Sidra said she had a friend for me to meet, I was hesitant, but I'm glad I set aside my reservations.”

“I don't know if that's a compliment or not.”

“Trust me, it is,” he quickly replied.

Kaycee was too preoccupied to be flattered by Grant's compliment. Every once in a while she would peer over his shoulder for signs of Kendrick, even though he wasn't scheduled to return for two hours.

She hoped to visit with Grant and have him out of the building way before Kendrick's return, though she didn't know why it mattered, since he had gone back to his ice-cold self after that night at her home.

While Grant talked, her thoughts strayed to Kendrick. He attracted her on many levels. He had charisma. He was generous and had a calmness about him that was infectious. She couldn't deny that he was also fine!

But, there were so many odds against them even being together. For one, Kendrick was a man who hadn't completely gotten over the loss of his beloved wife. He was old enough to be her father. He happened to have a daughter her age, and she clearly remembered his comment about not being interested in distractions.

“Tell me about yourself, Kaycee,” Grant said, interrupting her thoughts of Kendrick.

Kaycee quickly took a sip of water as she wondered where she should start. “There's not much to tell. I'm from Atlanta, although people swear that I'm not because I don't have a Southern accent.”

“An original Georgia peach?”

“That's right,” she replied.

“Did you go to school here?”

She nodded, “University of Georgia.”

“Bulldog, huh?”

“All the way. From there I went straight into corporate America like every other ambitious graduate, only to learn it wasn't for me.”

She paused when Charlotte arrived with their drinks.

Grant waited until Charlotte departed before speaking again. “Why wasn't the corporate thing for you?”

“I felt like I was losing myself.”

“How so?” he asked, raising the mug to his lips.

“I didn't like where I was in my life. The whole corporate thing wasn't me. I felt I was living a facade that did not represent who I was inside. I always wanted to own my own business so I stepped out and started Soulicious Gourmet Desserts and Event Planning.”

“Just like that?”

She snapped her fingers. “Just like that.”

“Impressive,” he said shaking his head. “How did you hook up with Jireh?”

Bringing Kendrick into their conversation made Kaycee very uneasy. For the first time since Grant's arrival, she felt almost as if she were betraying him by entertaining another man on his premises.

“Actually, the owner is my neighbor. He's a really nice guy,” she responded vaguely.

“Wow, talk about being in the right place at the right time.”

Kaycee nodded and took another sip of her drink. “What about you, Grant? Sidra said you're an engineer.”

He nodded, “I build houses. I have some subdivisions I'm working on now.” He rattled off a few in nearby communities.

“Do you live in any of the houses you build?” she asked.

He sat back against the seat and sighed. “You know, I have plans for my dream home, but I'm holding off on them until I get married.”

“Why?” Kaycee asked. “If it's your dream, why not live it now?”

He shrugged. “I guess I just want my wife to feel like it's something we're doing together as a couple.”

“How sweet,” Kaycee gushed.

Grant smiled with relief at her simple compliment.

They talked for a while longer, sharing their likes and dislikes, their travels and favorite pastimes until Grant looked at his watch. His eyes widened in surprise.

“You know, I'm enjoying this visit very much, but I really have to get back to the office.”

“I understand, I have to get back to work myself,” she replied, standing.

They walked to the entrance together.

“May I call you again? Maybe plan something later in the evening when we have more time?”

“Sure.” Kaycee decided that their conversation had been good. Grant seemed nice. She didn't have the somersaulting feeling she had when Kendrick was near, but that was okay. Grant was easygoing and, for Kaycee, very safe.

“I will give you a call,” Grant said holding out his hand for her to shake.

Kaycee placed her hand in his and was surprised by its softness. The man definitely did not know hard labor. “Sounds good. Thanks for stopping by.”

He leaned down and placed a friendly kiss on Kaycee's cheek. She was so completely thrown off guard by his action that she didn't see Kendrick walking into the door.

Kendrick came to a quick halt right before the couple. His eyes went from Kaycee to Grant to his lips on her cheek and they narrowed. He cleared his throat loudly.

Kaycee jumped then groaned inwardly at the sight of Kendrick standing there. She immediately stepped back from Grant.

“Kendri—I mean, Mr. Thompson,” she stammered.

Kendrick's brow raised at her formality, but he said nothing.

“Grant, allow me to introduce you to the owner of Café Jireh, Kendrick Thompson. Kendrick Thompson, Grant Craddock.” After making introductions, Kaycee stepped back, wishing that she could melt into the floor.

Grant held out his hand. “This man needs no introduction! Kendrick Thompson, safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's a pleasure meeting you!”

When Kendrick failed to acknowledge him, he continued rambling. “Man, wait until I tell my boys, they won't believe it. Hey, I really like what you've done to the place. It's tight, man.” He whipped out a business card. “I'm on the board of the Black Business Network. Let me know if there's anything I can do to throw some business your way.”

Kendrick muttered a quick thanks before turning his attention onto Kaycee. His eyes were full of accusation laced with disappointment.

“Ms. Jordan, when you are done fraternizing with the customers, I need to see you in my office.” He announced before turning and walking away.

Heat rose up her neck as she watched Kendrick stalk away without a care to how he made her look. “Grant, I'm sorry. Duty calls. I will talk with you later.”

“I hope I didn't cause any trouble.”

Kaycee shook her head with a forced smile. “You're fine.”

“I'll call you,” he said before hurrying out the door.

Upon Grant's exit, Kaycee frowned and slowly turned her head in the direction that Kendrick had headed. How dare he try to embarrass her like that! They were business associates, nothing more. She was not his employee nor was she his child, and she wasn't about to be treated as such.

Ignoring the look of surprise on Charlotte's face, she stomped back to Kendrick's office.

 

Kendrick was sitting in his chair staring at the wall when Kaycee stormed into the office.

She slammed her palms on the desk in front of him. “What was that all about?” she cried.

“Ms. Jordan, please close the door,” he calmly replied.

BOOK: Can't Stop Loving You
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