His Love Walk Read online

  A look of confusion crossed Nia’s face. “Do you think she’ll be interested in my business model if she doesn’t like the kind of food I make?”

  “Mama-Carmella has changed on the cooking and eating front. I think the two of you will get along very well, but I’ll let her explain all that to you.” He put his coat back on and then asked, “Can you and Jarod go with me to Raleigh in the morning?”

  “In the morning? How long will we be there?”

  “I was thinking we could hang out down there for the weekend... give you and Mama-Carmella a chance to meet and see if she is interested in this business venture.”

  “Then sure, we’ll be ready. What time would you like to leave?”

  “I’ll have my assistant give you a call tomorrow to set everything up.” Ron hesitated a moment, then quickly walked over to the door and left Nia’s apartment. He was about to ask her for a hug, but immediately realized how inappropriate such a thing would have been. But when he was in Nia’s presence, he felt like being inappropriate a lot.

  Chapter 5

  “That boy is at it again. I feel like boxing his ears the next time I see him,” Carmella said as she and Ramsey sat down to enjoy an egg white vegetable omelet with berries on the side.

  “Which boy’s gotten under your skin now?”

  “You know which one. I want to hug him and put him over my knee at the same time. That boy has just gone too far this time.”

  Ramsey put down his fork. “What did Ronny do that’s got you so upset?”

  “He’s coming to see us today.”

  “Now I’m confused,” Ramsey said. “You’ve been wanting to see Ronny for months now. So why are you bothered by something like this?”

  “He didn’t call me himself. He had his assistant make the call. She told me to prepare a room for a young lady and her son... what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Maybe he’s finally found the woman of his dreams and is bringing her home to introduce her to us.”

  “Then why is his assistant faxing contracts over later this evening?”

  Ramsey shook his head. “Oh Lord, I hope this isn’t another prenup deal like Dontae tried to pull on Jewel.

  Carmella laughed at the antics of her son, who had stopped putting forever and love in the same sentence the day Carmella and his father divorced after twenty-three years of marriage. “Jewel showed him a thing or two.”

  “Well, maybe this woman will show Ronny a thing or two also,” Ramsey said as he leaned back in his seat, with a very pleased look on his face.

  But a few hours later when Nia and Jarod arrived at the house, Ramsey nudged her shoulder and whispered, “See there, a woman as beautiful as that... I’m sure she caught Ronny’s eye.”

  Then Nia asked, “Has Mr. Thomas arrived yet?”

  Ramsey puffed out his chest. “I’m the only Mr. Thomas around here.”

  Looking a bit out of place, Nia said, “Excuse me, Mr. Thomas, but your son and I aren’t really on a first name basis. Well, he does call me Nia, but since I’m the one trying to get him to invest in my business idea, I think it’s best that I call him Mr. Thomas.”

  “If that’s the case, then you can feel free to call me Ramsey.”

  Carmella nudged her husband as she said to Nia, “Why don’t you come sit in the family room and tell me all about this business idea of yours.”

  “Mr. Thomas hasn’t told you?”

  Carmella shook her head. “Mr. Thomas is way too busy to talk with his parents about his business ventures.” That’s what she said out loud; inside she said, or to talk to us about life, how his day went or even the weather.

  ***

  Ronny had almost missed his flight because his business meeting ran longer than expected. That wouldn’t have been good because he was seated next to JT Stevens, a potential investor in a business complex he was putting together a deal for. As he rushed to his seat, he noticed that JT was already there with a copy of Money magazine in his hand.

  “I thought you’d forgotten about our meeting,” JT said as the doors to the airplane were being closed.

  “I wouldn’t be in business long if I forgot about meetings with important men like you, now would I?” Ronny was smooth like that. He had an uncanny way of reading the men and women he did business with like a book. He knew the ones who needed their success acknowledged and he didn’t mind patting them on the back. He recognized when a certain investor didn’t want to hear anything but the bottom line and he gave them that as well.

  Mama-Carmella once told him that God had gifted him with a mind for business. Whether his ability was supernatural or not, Ronny wasn’t sure, but he was thankful that he had finally found his way to his wealthy place. Ronny was now worth sixty-four million dollars, but he didn’t plan to slow down until his business was worth well over a billion. He had a long way to go, but each new deal was getting him closer to the prize he desired.

  By the time he got off the airplane, Ronny had secured another deal. He was on a roll. It was just one in the afternoon and Ronny had already made two deals. Now he was on the way to his parents’ house to secure deal number three. If he played his cards right, he could be back in Charlotte for that political function at nine o’clock tonight. Joyce had marked the event tentative on his calendar. But as far as Ronny was concerned, it was a done deal. Yes, sir, wheeling and dealing may as well be his first and last name, ‘cause he was getting it done.

  Ronny was feeling pretty good about himself as he strutted into his parent’s home with his chest stuck out, like he was the man that folks needed to step to the side for and recognize. But then Carmella slapped him upside the head with the palm of her hand. “Hey, what was that for?”

  “That’s for not coming to see us for over a year.”

  “I was just here last Christmas,” he protested.

  “And you missed this past Christmas and now it’s February.” She popped him upside the head again. “And that’s for only coming home because you want to talk to us about a business deal.”

  “Daddy,” Ronny yelled through the house. “Are you really going to let Mama-Carmella jump on me like this?”

  “Better her than me,” Ramsey said as he entered the foyer. “You need your head split open. Maybe you’ll think a little bit more about family if we can get in there and rewire you.”

  Ronny ducked as Carmella tried to give him another lick. “Come on, that’s not fair. You all know how hard I work. I don’t mean to stay away so long. But I can’t just put my business on hold. Not when things are going so well.”

  Carmella shook her head, Ronny saw the sadness in her eyes as he said, “Why can’t you be happy for me Mama-Carmella? Things are finally going my way.”

  “I am happy for your success, Ronny. But you’ve got to slow down and learn to enjoy some of it.”

  “I do enjoy it. I’m the luckiest man on this planet. I am actually living my dream.”

  Carmella put her hand on Ronny’s arm and gently said, “I just don’t want you to get to the end of that dream and find nobody there.”

  “Is that what this is about? You think I’m lonely?” He stepped back, adjusted his jacket as he said, “Trust, I’m not short in the love department.”

  “You might not be short on having a bunch of women, but you don’t know the first thing about love.” Ramsey put his arm around Carmella. “If you did...”

  “Mr. Thomas, you’re here.” Jarod ran up to Ronny and gave him a hug. Jarod then handed Ronny the rolled up piece of paper he’d been holding. “I made my map. Are you ready for our pirate adventure?”

  “Not only am I ready, I brought something for our adventure.” Ronny opened his briefcase and pulled out an eye patch, sword and sash to go with Jarod’s pirate hat.

  Nia stepped into the foyer and Jarod turned to his mom with awestruck eyes. “Mom, look.” He held up his eye patch, sword and sash. “I’m a real pirate now.”

  “You sure are,” Nia said as she helped her son put th
e pirate sash across his shoulder. She then stuck the sword in it and then put his eye patch on.

  “Come on,” Jarod said as he grabbed Ronny’s hand and headed out of the foyer.

  “I’ll be back. I’ve got to help Captain Jarod find his treasure,” Ronny told the group.

  “You hurry back because I’m not done with you,” Carmella told him.

  Ramsey shook his head as he watched Ronny glance at Nia as he left the room. He then told his wife, “I don’t think we need to say another word.”

  “But Ramsey, that boy needs a reality check.”

  Ramsey tapped Carmella’s shoulder as he nudged his head toward Nia. “I think our son has found his reality check.”

  ***

  “I hope my parents didn’t talk your ear off before I got here,” Ronny said as he and Nia sat on the enclosed porch out back.

  “They were wonderful.”

  “Don’t give me that. I know those so-called wonderful people. And Mama-Carmella can’t hold water when something is on her mind.”

  “Don’t be upset with them. They worry about you.”

  “They have absolutely no reason to worry. I’m a full grown man. I think I can take care of myself by now.”

  Nia stood at the edge of the screened porch, looking out at the tall trees that lined the back yard. She sighed heavily as she said, “I can only speak for myself, but as a mother, I will most likely worry about my son for the rest of my life.”

  “Jarod doesn’t need that kind of pressure. The ladies will laugh at him if his mommy is running behind him, wiping his nose.”

  “Forget them fast tail girls, I’m going to be there for my son as long as he needs me,” Nia declared.

  Ronny tilted his head as he studied Nia. Something in her comment hinted at more than she was saying. He once again had a strong desire to pry into her life, but he told himself that it wasn’t his business. He pulled himself from his seat and moved closer to her. “How did your discuss with Mama-Carmella go?”

  “She seemed interested in my concept. She even told me that she had closed her bakery a few months back, because she no longer wanted to sell all of the sugary sweets she had been offering. But that she still has the building because they haven’t been able to sell it yet.”

  “I knew they were having a hard time unloading that building. Which is why I thought your idea would be perfect for Hallelujah Cakes and Such.”

  A smile from way down deep crept into Nia’s eyes. “I love that name. I can tell that Mrs. Carmella is a very spiritual woman and I would be honored if she would allow me to work with her to bring quality snacks to a generation that has gotten hooked on junk food.”

  “Why don’t we go back inside and see what she thinks.” Ronny grabbed hold of Nia’s hand and attempted to lead her back into the house, but a feeling shot through his body that he couldn’t explain, nor had he ever experienced before. He released Nia’s hand and the feeling subsided. He grabbed hold of her hand again and his heart beat like a drum. He was getting nowhere fast like this so he dropped her hand again, opened the door and said, “After you.”

  Nia gave him a quizzical glance but said nothing as she entered the house. Jarod was seated at the kitchen counter, stretching his hand out to receive a cup from Ramsey. Nia rushed over and grabbed the cup. “You know the rule, Jarod.”

  “But I was thirsty,” Jarod protested.

  Nia turned to Ramsey and said, “Thanks for looking after him. But I forgot to tell you and Mrs. Carmella that he’s not allowed to drink soda or juices.”

  “After our discussion about healthy eating, we figured as much.” Carmella pointed at the cup Nia was holding. “I just made a smoothie with strawberries and blueberries. We thought he might like to taste it. Was that okay?”

  Sighing with relief, Nia nodded. “That’s perfect. Sorry if I overreacted.”

  “Not at all. We applaud you for instilling healthy habits in him while he’s young. I wish I had thought to do the same. It took me being diagnosed with diabetes to change our way of eating.”

  Nia handed the cup to Jarod; he took a big gulp as she said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know about your illness. I never would have said all that stuff about how much sugar people consume in a day when we talked earlier if I had known.”

  Carmella waved her concern away. “I’m not ill. I said I had been diagnosed with diabetes, but I don’t have it. So you don’t have to watch what you say around me.”

  Nia glanced at Ronny and then turned back to Carmella. “I’m confused. I thought that once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you would have it forever.”

  “That’s what the doctors say, they’re stuck in prehistoric times. But the minute my doctor gave me the bad news, I started praying. I asked God to heal me and then He began directing me, showing me what I needed to do.”

  “Go on and testify, Mama Carmella,” Ronny said.

  “I’ll testify about God’s goodness in my life every chance I get. After my A1C test showed that my blood sugar was 8.8, the health professionals didn’t think I’d ever be able to get it below 7.0. They thought that I would always have insulin resistance, but my last A1C test showed that my blood sugar level is now 4.9. Which means that I am once again normal, with no diabetes.”

  “And now that you have given your testimony, can we go in the family room? We don’t want to bore her to death before we have a chance to talk a little business?” Ronny asked.

  “She’s not boring me. Actually, her testimony give me hope.”

  Ronny’s head tilted again.

  “Why do you keep looking sideways at me?” Nia asked when she caught Ronny staring at her.

  “I don’t know... you say certain things that make me wonder.” There were so many things that Ronny didn’t know about Nia, but he found himself wanting to know everything there was to know about this woman he hadn’t yet figured out.

  Carmella nudged Ramsey as they all headed for the family room. She whispered to her husband, “She’s the one.”

  Chapter 6

  “What’s your rush?” Carmella asked as they entered the family room. “Can’t you all sit down to dinner with us before we discuss business?”

  Ronny glanced at his watch. He hesitated a moment and then said, “Actually, I was hoping to get back to Charlotte this evening. There’s a function that I had planned to do some networking at tonight.”

  Carmella’s eye brow lifted, indicating her disapproval. She plopped down on the sofa as she said, “I can’t make a decision about working with you and Mrs. Brooks in the space of two minutes. I need time, there are things we need to discuss. Nia needs to see the location and determine if it will meet her needs.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I’d love to see Hallelujah Cakes and Such.” Nia turned to Ronny and asked, “Do you think we could make time for that?”

  Stopping himself from looking at his watch again, Ronny nodded. “Mama Carmella is right. We have a lot to discuss. It was silly of me to think we could wrap this up in a matter of minutes.”

  “That’s alright, Ronny, we forgive you,” Carmella said with a sneaky grin on her face. She then turned to Ramsey and said, “Can you get me the keys to the bakery?”

  “Sure thing.” Ramsey got up and left the room.

  When he returned with the keys, Carmella handed them to Ronny. “You take Nia on over to the bakery. We’ll stay here and keep Jarod company.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I can take him with me,” Nia told them.

  “Nonsense, you and Ronny have a lot to discuss. And I expect him to take you out to dinner before bringing you back here.”

  “You all are being too nice to us. Mr. Thomas doesn’t have to take me out to eat. I’m fine.”

  Ronny’s head whipped around. “Who’s Mr. Thomas?”

  Nia pointed at him.

  Shaking his head, Ronny told her, “Oh no, no, no.” He pointed at his dad. “He might be Mr. Thomas, but I’m Ronny, always have been.”

  �
�Well, okay then Mr. Ronny, let’s go check out this bakery.” Nia stood up.

  “Just Ronny or we’re not going anywhere.”

  “Can I call you Ronny, too?” Jarod asked.

  But Nia quickly responded, “Since you’re only four years old, I think it’s best for you to still call him Mr. Ronny, okay?”

  Jarod thought about it for a minute, then asked, “Will Mr. Ronny go on another pirate adventure with me?”

  “I sure will, buddy. I can’t wait for our next adventure.”

  “But first, Mommy and Mr. Ronny have to go out. And I’ll pop some popcorn so we can watch a movie,” Carmella told Jarod.

  “What kind of movie?”

  “We have a whole bunch of movies that you might like. Ramsey and I now have three grandchildren so we keep our movie selection stocked with cartoons, just in case one of them comes for a visit.”

  “Oh boy, do you have Ninja Turtles or Spiderman?” Jarod’s eyes got big as he asked about his favorite characters.

  “Well then I guess we’re about to have a party,” Ramsey said as he walked over to the DVD player. “Because we have a few of those movies.”

  “See you two later,” Carmella said to Ronny and Nia.

  Nia rushed over to her handbag and pulled out an inhaler. She handed it to Carmella as she told her, “If he starts to wheeze or gets short of breath, give him a couple of puffs of this and then call me immediately.”

  “I’ll watch him closely, don’t worry about a thing,” Carmella said as she put the inhaler on the coffee table.

  Nia hesitated. “If it’s too much trouble I can just take him with me.”

  “I know all about asthma. My mother and brother both had it. When I was growing up I witnessed more asthma attacks than I care to remember. So, I got this.”

  Smiling at Carmella, Nia relented. “Okay, see you later. Thanks for keeping him for me.”

  Ronny knew that Mama Carmella had something up her sleeve after suggesting that they check out the bakery and then immediately handing the keys over and basically expressing that she had no interest in going with them. The women in his family were notorious match makers. They’d meddled in Ram and Dontae’s love life until they had finally gotten both men to throw up their hands and walk down the aisle. But they weren’t getting him. Ronny liked being a bachelor and having the freedom to work his schedule without the complaints of a wife.