Can't Stop Loving You (8 page)

A single raindrop splattering his forehead brought him back to the present. He reached up to wipe it away only to be hit by another and another. The drops quickly formed a design on his shirt. He looked up into the starless sky and frowned.

“It's raining.”

“Oh, no,” she replied, huddling beside him. “I didn't bring an umbrella.”

Lightning zigzagged across the sky, followed by a low rumble of thunder. The droplets increased and before Kendrick could reply, the wind picked up.

“We're going to have to make a run for it,” he announced.

“Wait,” Kaycee replied, coming to a halt. “Let me put on my shoes.”

“We don't have time for that!” he barked with authority and as quick as the lightning flickering across the sky, he scooped Kaycee up in his arms and made a break for his car.

By the time he reached his Jeep, the rain was pouring down in buckets. Somehow, he maneuvered the door open and practically tossed Kaycee inside before jumping in behind her. Breathless and drenched, the laughing pair fell against the seats before taking a good look at each other.

Kendrick's shirt clung to his body almost like a second skin, while Kaycee looked like a contestant in a wet T-shirt contest with her dress molding against her breasts and thighs, revealing the outline of her feminine curves.

For a moment, it was as if they were suspended in time. Both were fighting the urge to look away but neither was doing so. Kendrick stared as Kaycee's mouth parted unconsciously. Her soft, moist lips reminded him of ripe strawberries, making him want to lean over and taste their sweetness. For a moment he almost did that…until he came to his senses.

Clearing his throat, he turned away and started the engine.

“Clearly this night has spiraled well beyond both of our expectations,” he announced.

His comment came from nowhere and his change in demeanor made her uncomfortable. She crossed her arms protectively before her chest, hiding the tight buds that had formed from the cold rain. Without a word, she turned to look out the passenger window. She didn't know what was going on or why.

All she knew was that she had grown quite fond of Kendrick Thompson. She knew that she liked being around him, and frankly, she wanted to know more. Kendrick had ignited flames that were getting harder to extinguish each day.

She sighed and inhaled the smell of his cologne clinging to her dress. She closed her eyes and leaned back, savoring the physical closeness they had just shared.

The ride home was silent. It wasn't until Kendrick turned onto their block that Kaycee looked over at the profile of the man sitting beside her and she shivered from the attraction. He embodied everything that said
strong black man
.

“Kendrick, what did you mean about things spiraling beyond our expectations?”

Kendrick put the Jeep in Park but kept the engine running. He leaned back with a deep sigh and ran his hand over his head. He remained still for a moment, choosing his words carefully. In order for them to work successfully together their relationship had to remain professional. Their obvious attraction to one another had to diminish.

“Kaycee, I appreciate the way you jumped in tonight after Martinique left.”

“No problem,” she coolly replied and reached for the door handle.

“No one has ever come through for me like that before. You really helped to make this evening successful and I want to thank you.”

“It's okay, Kendrick, I would have done the same for anybody.”

He shook his head in disagreement. “But the point is that you didn't have to, yet you did, and I would like to know one thing.”

“What's that?”

“Kaycee, would you like to work with me at Jireh?”

His words sound more like a marriage proposal than a job offer. And her response echoed an acceptance. “You know I'd love to.”

He hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. “Then it's settled. I'll see you at ten tomorrow.”

“That's it?” she asked.

“That's it, unless you have something to say.”

“Thank you for the opportunity, Kendrick,” she softly replied. “I promise I won't let you down.”

He got out of the Jeep on his side and pulled out his umbrella from the back. Walking around to Kaycee's side, he opened her door and, like a gentleman, escorted her up the walk.

Kaycee thought his actions were not necessary but appreciated the chivalrous treatment all the same. It really made her feel special.

He took her keys from her hands and opened her door.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” he said and placed the keys in her palm.

“Okay,” she replied, stepping inside.

As he went down the walk, he couldn't help but think what he would give to be a fly on her bedroom wall when she took off those wet clothes. He waited until he saw lights come on before backing out of the driveway, all the while hoping that he wasn't making a mistake.

“W
elcome to Café Jireh!” La Jetta greeted Kaycee as she always did when a customer entered. The minute she realized who it was, she shrieked for joy and scurried from behind the counter.

“Welcome to the family!” she exclaimed, giving Kaycee a hug.

“Thanks, La Jetta, that means so much,” Kaycee said smiling.

Still holding Kaycee's hands, La Jetta stepped back to examine her outfit. “Now you know, orange is my favorite color.”

“Do you think this is too much?” Kaycee asked, hoping that she wasn't too overdressed in the thin wrap sweater, beige skirt and low-heeled mules. Although casual, she felt more dressed up in comparison to La Jetta's uniform of cotton khaki pants and company-emblazoned polo top.

La Jetta shook her head, “Girl, you are fine. At Jireh we allow everyone to be who they are—you'll see.”

Kaycee glanced at her watch. Kendrick had said to report at 10:00 a.m. and it was now 9:50 a.m. She'd made sure to be a little early. “So where do I go?”

“Oh, let me show you around and introduce you to the crew.”

La Jetta guided her to the dining room where a gangly dreadlock-wearing young man was wiping down tables.

“Hey Jaylen, let me introduce you to the newest member of our staff.”

Jaylen turned at the sound of his name and smiled.

“Kaycee, what's your last name again?” La Jetta asked.

“Jordan,” Kaycee said, realizing that she and La Jetta hadn't been formally introduced when they'd first met.

“Jaylen, this is Ms. Jordan. She'll be providing the baked goods for us and doing some other things. Kaycee, Jaylen Harrison. Jaylen busses tables and waits on customers. He only works part-time because he's in college at Georgia State. He's got his eyes set on being an attorney, and we all have no doubt that he'll make a great one.”

Kaycee extended her hand. “It's nice to meet you, Jaylen, but please, call me Kaycee.”

“It's nice to meet you, too, Miss Kaycee,” he replied, shaking her hand firmly.

Kaycee cringed at the title
Miss
being added to her name. It made her feel older than her approaching thirtieth birthday.

After La Jetta gave her a tour, she took her back to the kitchen. It was small, but very efficient, with state-of-the-art appliances and ample work space. Just enough to do what she needed.

She immediately noticed a bristly-faced old man standing by the grill barking out orders to a middle-aged Hispanic man and a young woman who looked to be in her twenties. They all looked up when they spotted Kaycee.

“Hey y'all!” La Jetta called out. “What's going on?”

“Nothing but you, Jetta,” the old man replied with a wink.

“That's what you say today and tomorrow you'll be trying to get me fired.”

The young girl burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth.

“Hey, let me introduce you all to Mr. Rick's new associate.”

They all gathered at the cutting station.

“This is Kaycee Jordan. She's going to be doing the desserts for Jireh from now on, as well as assisting Mr. Rick in planning events.”

Kaycee gave La Jetta a sidelong glance at the mention of her event-planning skills. Kendrick must have really talked to her in detail.

La Jetta placed her hand on the shoulder of the older man who reminded Kaycee of a little George Jefferson with gray hair.

“Kaycee this is Otis, our house chef,” La Jetta announced proudly.

“Chef!” Otis blared out. “I ain't nuttin' but the cook!”

“Otis, what did we tell you about minimizing yourself?” La Jetta chastised. “Mr. Rick gave you the title of chef, so walk in it.”

He mumbled something under his breath and waved La Jetta off before offering his wrist to Kaycee. “I would shake your hand, but I've been handling some meat and I don't want to get you messy, but welcome.”

“Thank you,” Kaycee replied with a smile. He might have a bark, but Otis's thoughtfulness made her like him right away.

La Jetta turned to the other two. “This is Rafael, the sous chef, and Melody, the assistant.”

“It's good meeting you both,” Kaycee said with a smile.

Rafael responded in kind. Melody only nodded while holding her hand over her mouth. Kaycee later learned from La Jetta that the girl covered her mouth because she'd been in a bad automobile accident a couple of years back and had lost most of her front teeth. As a result, she was shy about smiling around strangers.

The tour ended at Kendrick's small office.

“Mr. Rick is out running errands,” La Jetta announced and picked up a manila folder left on the table. “He told me to give you this to read through and fill out the appropriate paperwork and he'll see you when he gets back this afternoon.”

Kaycee nodded and set her things down. With a happy sigh, she sat down and opened the folder.

 

“Hey, is somebody hungry in here?”

Kaycee glanced up from her place at the desk to find La Jetta standing in the doorway with a tray in hand.

“Am I?” she said, rubbing her growling stomach.

La Jetta carried over the tray and set it on the desk. The French onion soup, smoked mozzarella and cheddar grilled cheese sandwich and Caesar salad looked very appetizing along with a glass of sweet tea on ice.

“It's on the house,” La Jetta said, removing the items from the tray and placing them before her.

Kaycee's eyes lit up with appreciation at the deliciously prepared meal. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh, don't thank me, Mr. Rick asked me to bring it in to you. He felt badly about not being here on your first day and thought it was the least he could do.”

Kaycee glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was after two o'clock. “Wow, the time has flown by.”

“You should have been in the dining room at lunchtime. It was a madhouse!” La Jetta pulled a straw from her apron pocket and handed it to Kaycee before leaning over the contents of the folder she gave her earlier. “What has he got you reading?”

“Everything I wanted to know about coffee and cafés. It's pretty interesting.”

“Don't be surprised if he gives you a pop quiz.”

The surprised look on Kaycee's face made La Jetta burst into a fit of giggles.

“Relax, girl, I'm just kidding. Mr. Rick can be no-nonsense, but he's a very nice guy.”

Kaycee took a bite of the sandwich and rolled her eyes back into her head. “Oh, my goodness, this is
so
good!”

“I'll let Otis know.”

“Is he married?” she asked, taking another bite. “Because I could use a man like him around my house.”

“A marriage proposal from a sandwich? Is that all you got to do these days?” a voice asked from behind.

Both women turned to find Kendrick standing in the open doorway. Kaycee's eyes shone at the sight of him. He looked both sexy and powerful in a pin-striped shirt and neutral tie with dark blue tailored trousers. His clean-scented cologne filled the room like an aphrodisiac, making her tongue-tied. She was grateful for La Jetta's presence, as well as for the food before her to act as a buffer until she regained her composure.

“Hey, Mr. Rick, I'm about to take off,” La Jetta announced, walking toward the door.

“Thanks for holding down the fort, Jetta,” he said, his eyes glued on Kaycee. “It looks great out there.”

“No problem, I'll see y'all tomorrow,” she said, and headed for the door.

“Hey, Jetta, is Charlotte on her way in?”

La Jetta spun around on her heel. “Nope. Remember she has the night off to go to her son's graduation from the police academy?”

Kendrick slapped his forehead with his opened palm.

“Oh, I completely forgot, who do we have working tonight?”

“Jaylen is here until five and John and Nichole will be in at six.”

“I guess I'll have to go out there with Jaylen.”

“I can help, too, you know,” Kaycee piped up.

“Is that so?” Kendrick replied. “Everybody who goes on the floor must have finished reading the training materials.”

Kaycee patted the folder beside her. “I'm done.”

Kendrick's brow raised with skepticism. “You finished reading all of that?”

“Yep,” she proudly replied.

Kendrick reached for the folder. “Good, then let me quiz you.”

“Didn't I tell you?” La Jetta said with a laugh. “Let me get out of here, I got to pick up my boys.”

“Okay, Jet, see ya tomorrow,” Kendrick called out.

When La Jetta finally departed, Kendrick dropped down in the empty chair opposite Kaycee and brought one leg up to rest his ankle atop his knee.

For a few seconds, he watched Kaycee eat her sandwich. She bit into the gooey center of one of the sandwich halves and pulled it away leaving a trail of cheese that fell down her chin.

She laughed. “Not only is this the best grilled cheese sandwich that I ever had, but it's fun to eat, too.”

“I'll be sure to tell Otis,” he replied in amusement.

“So what's been keeping you out of the office all day?” she asked.

Kendrick noticed a piece of mozzarella sticking to her chin. He leaned over the desk and gently smoothed it away with the tip of his thumb, leaving a burning sensation in the pit of Kaycee's stomach from his touch.

Totally unaware of the effect he had on her, Kendrick sank back in his seat with a sigh. “I had to visit vendors.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I'm glad you think that, maybe I can give you that responsibility to handle, as well.”

“Hey, I don't mind. I actually had some ideas I wanted to share with you anyway,” she stated, pushing her plate to the side. She reached for her briefcase and placed it on the desktop. She removed two packets in clear protective sleeves and handed one to Kendrick.

“I was thinking of the different types of promotions that we could hold here to stand out against your competitors. I did some research and took it upon myself to jot down some ideas, tell me what you think.”

Kendrick read through the first page. When he turned to the second page, his eyes widened at the fifteen suggested events, followed by complete detailed descriptions of each.

When he didn't comment, Kaycee began to explain her suggestions.

“I was thinking that if we established ourselves as a place where local authors can hold book signings and book clubs hold discussions, we can pull in the type of crowd that would really appreciate a coffee-house setting.”

Kendrick read silently without even glancing up, which made Kaycee try another angle.

“I was also thinking that you could host a poetry or spoken-word night or have live jazz once a month. That group that you had at the event last night was great—maybe they could be like the house band or something.”

She paused to give Kendrick a chance to jump in, but he made no move. Swallowing hard, she continued on.

“Now, the salsa lessons will be the most unique twist to the setup. We can offer free lessons once a month on a Saturday morning and then actual dancing later that same evening. I can see even decorating the place with a Latin vibe then—”

“Whoa, hold up,” Kendrick interrupted in a booming voice. “Book signings, spoken word, Salsa lessons—this is a respectable establishment, not the place for that kind of bourgeois stuff.”

Kaycee was surprised by his response. She'd expected him to be just as excited about her ideas as she was in coming up with them, but it was just the opposite. Concern lined her face. The butterflies she'd had moments earlier when he entered the room fluttered away and were now replaced by a ton of disappointing bricks.

“Bourgeois stuff? Kendrick, what exactly are you saying?”

“I—I'm just saying that it really doesn't take all of this,” he stood up. “When I came up with Jireh's concept, I had a vision in mind. It wasn't to try and attract the rich and famous, it was to be a relaxing environment for ordinary people to come for good food and peace of mind. All of this is just too commercial for me.”

“What's so commercial about it?” Kaycee asked.

“Book signings, spoken word. I don't want Jireh to be perceived as that. It might sound good now, but in a few months, the crowds will dwindle when something new comes along and then what will we do?”

“What are you talking about, Kendrick?” Kaycee asked. “Jireh is doing well. You already have a strong customer base. We would be building on the solid foundation that you already established.”

“You said it right there, Ms. Jordan. The solid foundation that
I
already established. I don't see where we need to fix anything.”