Get You Good (29 page)

“Yeah, I know.” Sydney shook her head. “I don't want to talk about that anymore,” she continued, waving off the topic. “I want to hear about this. How long have you been singing here?”

“Long.” JJ smiled. “Almost a year.”

Sydney's glass came down hard on the bar. “A year! We didn't even notice you were sneaking out until a couple months ago. You've been doing this for so long?”

“Yeah.” JJ shrugged. “At first it was just occasionally. Then it became a regular once-a-week thing. Now it's about three times a week.”

She laughed. “This is where I've been having all my secret meetings with your boyfriend.”

Sydney's eyes widened. “What?”

JJ smiled.

“He told me he was thinking of finding a place where you could run the shop, in case things didn't work out with Dean,” JJ said, stirring her drink. “He wanted feedback on a couple spaces and what he would need to make the place right. We couldn't very well talk at the house, so we met a couple times here. I had no idea he was going to buy a place for you outright. I was just as shocked as you were.”

So JJ was having secret meetings with Hayden. If this had been any other woman, she might have been concerned. But she knew JJ would never even think of betraying her. She was still shocked, however.

“Wow.” Sydney gave her sister a once-over. “You've been keeping all kinds of secrets, haven't you?”

She shrugged. “Everyone has a few.”

Sydney nodded. “Don't worry. This one is safe with me. I won't tell anyone about you singing here.”

“Not even Lissandra?”

Sydney rolled her eyes. “Especially not Lissandra. But didn't you think he would eventually slip up and say something to me?”

JJ tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, I guess. But you continuing Decadent was more important than me doing this. I just figured I would quit if it ever came out.”

Sydney shook her head. “But I saw you on that stage, JJ. You loved it. Every moment of it. I know you love singing. And I know you won't do it at church anymore because of Josephine. But you would give up your chance to sing here, for me?”

JJ looked at Sydney as if she was crazy. “Of course I would. This is just a hobby for me, but that store is your career. You love it. And I love you, so why wouldn't I do that for you?”

Sydney felt her eyes brim with tears for the hundredth time that evening. Without thinking, she pulled her sister into a giant hug. Sometimes she forgot that there were people in her life who loved her. But now that she was looking, it felt like God was showing her how many there were.

“Are you crying?” JJ asked, when they finally let go of each other.

“No,” Sydney said. She wiped the moistness from her face and they both laughed.

“Look, Syd, you may think I don't understand you, and it's true that I don't agree with some of the things you do, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you,” JJ said. “I am always going to be here for you. Even though you're the older one, you can count on me. You don't have to deal with everything on your own. OK?”

Sydney nodded. “OK.”

“All right,” JJ said. She downed the rest of her drink in one swig. “I gotta get back up there. Stay for the rest of my set?”

Sydney smiled. “Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

JJ grinned and squeezed Sydney's hand before heading back on stage. Sydney watched JJ take her place at the microphone, and as she sang, Sydney said a quick prayer, thanking God for an amazing sister.

“Y
ou ready?” Sydney asked Maritza as they stood outside the doors of the East York Athletic Clinic.

Maritza nodded. “Whenever you are.”

“OK, let's do this,” Sydney said, stepping off toward the entrance. “Door at the end of the hall. Right?”

“Right,” Maritza said.

Sydney opened the door and let her friend step in ahead of her. Maritza headed straight for the receptionist while Sydney headed down the hallway to the offices.

“Excuse me, Miss, you can't go down there.” The receptionist stood and began moving toward the hall after Sydney, but Maritza blocked her.

“Hey, girl, don't worry, she's with me,” Maritza said. “I'm here for my two o'clock with Hayden Windsor.”

“Yes, but she can't . . .”

“Don't worry, they're old friends,” Maritza said, stepping in front of the woman and easing her back behind her desk. “She'll only be a minute. It's fine. Plus, it gives me some time to show you what I brought for you. . . .”

Maritza's voice faded into the background as Sydney moved deeper into the hallway. The door at the end was half open, and as Sydney approached, a young woman in a uniform stepped out.

“OK, the room is all ready and Mr. Windsor is already there,” she said with a smile. “You can go right ahead, Miss.”

“Thank you,” Sydney said, smiling at the woman before taking her advice. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

“Hey, Maritza, you're actually on time for . . .”

Sydney watched Hayden's jaw graze the floor when he looked up and saw her. He swallowed so hard she saw his Adam's apple bob.

“Sydney.”

“Yes, it's me,” Sydney said. Several different expressions passed over his face. He seemed to settle on resignation.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We need to talk. . . .”

He began to lift his hands. “Look, I don't want to get into this now. . . .”

“. . . about 572 College Street.”

“Oh.” He stopped. “OK.”

He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as if thinking what to do next.

“Uh . . . have a seat, I guess.”

Sydney sat down on one of the chairs against the wall as Hayden sat down on the rotatable chair near his desk.

“This is awkward,” he mumbled, as he looked everywhere but at Sydney.

“It doesn't have to be,” Sydney said calmly. She opened the folder she had brought in with her.

“First of all, I want to say thank you. The circumstances under which you gave me the deed for the property were not ideal, and I didn't get the chance to tell you how grateful I am for what you did.”

He looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time since she had entered the room. The deep mocha latte pools sucked her in, and for a moment she forgot to breathe.

“No one has ever done anything like that for me before,” she said sincerely. “And it's not just that you bought a place, but that you bought the place where I had my best memories with my father. Now that he's gone, all I have left are memories of him, and you giving me that place was like giving me back a little piece of him. So thank you. I will always love you for doing that for me.”

“Sydney . . .”

She held up her hand to stop him.

“That being said, there is something we have to deal with. When you bought me that place, we were together. Now, our situation has changed, and therefore the terms of the ownership of the property have to change, too.”

“I'm not taking it back.” His eyes and his voice expressed his resolve. ”I don't care what you say. I'm—”

Sydney held up her hand again to cut him off.

“We're not making any decisions about the ownership today,” she said quickly. “But I am here to present you with some options.”

“But I don't—”

“Option one,” Sydney continued. “I relinquish all rights to the property and return sole ownership to you, for you to use however you want. You can keep it, or rent it, or sell it back to whomever you choose. I won't stand in your way, and I'll be glad to take care of any paperwork to make it happen.”

Sydney reached over and placed the first sheet in her folder with the terms to option one on his desk.

Hayden folded his arms, his brows knotted. “Can I say something?”

“I'm not finished.” She reclaimed her seat. “Option two, we can work out an agreement where you can sell your portion of the shop to me. Now, obviously, I don't have any money right now, but I think through catering contracts and sales at the store, we can work out a plan for payment.”

“Any more?” he asked sarcastically.

“Yes,” she said. “The last option, option three, is for you to remain co-owner of the shop. You would receive a share of income based on your percentage of ownership of the store. I would cover all costs, overhead, and upkeep, through income from my percentage.”

“That's crazy. You can't run a business like that. You would never make anything—”

“Those are the options,” Sydney said, placing the last two sheets on his desk and closing her now-empty folder. “I will give you a month to look over them and make your decision. If you need more time after that, let me know. In the meantime, I will cover utilities and all other overhead costs for the shop since I may use it from time to time for catering requests.”

“The overheads are already being taken care of.”

“I know,” Sydney said. “And I called and spoke to someone at each of the companies and the bills will now be coming directly to me so I can deal with them.”

Hayden threw his hands in the air. “This is crazy.”

“Was everything clear in the options?” Sydney asked, ignoring his frustration.

“Yes,” he said. “But can I say something?”

“No, not right now.” Sydney got up. “I just came here to present you with the options. When you decide, you can e-mail me or sign the option you have selected and have it sent to me at the shop or to my home.”

He scowled. “You definitely are the most stubborn woman I have ever met in my entire life.”

Sydney moved toward the door but paused.

“One more thing.” She turned to look at him.

Hayden sighed and clasped his hands together. “What?”

“I love you,” she said simply. “And I'm probably going to love you for a very long time. You said love isn't enough, but I disagree. Real love, the love that's patient, that's kind, that doesn't envy or boast, that's not proud or selfish, that always protects and trusts and hopes and perseveres: That love is enough. And that's the love I've decided to have for you. That's the love that's going to wait for you until you're ready. Until you've forgiven me. Until God gives you the strength to love me, just like he gave me the ability to love you.

“So take your time, Dub. Whenever you're ready, I'll be here.”

The look on his face told her he couldn't have spoken even if he wanted to. And so before she started telling him all her deepest darkest secrets, she slipped out of the office and closed the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, she led her shaky legs down the hallway to where Maritza was still sweet-talking the receptionist with Chanel samples.

“I'll be outside,” she said, tapping Maritza on the shoulder as she passed by her on the way to the front door.

Once outside, she sucked in a deep gulp of air, hoping it would slow her rapidly beating heart. Where had that little speech come from? She definitely hadn't planned that part. But she knew it was the truth. She did love him like that. Somewhere between Sean's birthday party and the minute she walked into the clinic that day, she had realized it. And she wasn't going to let pride or anything else stand in the way of letting him know it.

“You did it?” Maritza slipped on her sunglasses as she remotely unlocked the car doors. “You told him about your plan for the store?”

“Yeah, I told him.” Sydney opened the passenger side. She was about to say more when her phone rang. It was Jackie.

“Hello?”

Sydney felt her chest tighten as she heard sobs on the other end.

“What is it, Mom?” A feeling of weakness suddenly overtook her and she found herself leaning against the car for support.

“It's Dean.”

Sydney's eyes began to burn. Please God, no.

“He opened his eyes.”

“What?”

“He's awake. Sydney, your brother is awake.”

B
y the time she reached the two-week mark, she had decided that patience was entirely overrated.

“I'm calling him.”

“No,” JJ and Lissandra said at the same time, even as Lissandra moved Sydney's cell phone out of her reach.

They had been sitting in the kitchen at 572 College Street, eating the extra appetizers left over from an order Sydney had delivered the day before, when Sydney made the announcement.

“It's been two weeks,” Sydney moaned, before stuffing a meat-filled wonton into her mouth.

“You gave him a month,” JJ reminded, as she reached for a wonton from the quickly diminishing pile.

“I know, but I didn't think he would take the whole month,” Sydney said grumpily. “How long does it take you to decide whether you want to keep, share, or sell a piece of property?”

“Apparently more than two weeks,” Lissandra muttered.

The first couple of days hadn't been too bad. Dean waking up from his coma had completely consumed her and her family's minds. Every waking moment had been spent at the hospital with him. He was nowhere near fully recovered. His memory was foggy in some parts, he was easily fatigued, and the doctors said they needed a lot more observation before he could even think of being home. But seeing Dean sitting up, breathing and eating on his own, talking, had drawn Sydney closer to God in ways that she could never have imagined.

She could feel him in the room with Dean. He wasn't some deity out there. He was right there in the thick with her and her sisters and mother. And now more than ever before, something in her longed for him. She was still consumed with that longing for more. But her longing to move her life forward was also seeping in. And Hayden's lack of response was standing in the way of that.

“I'm just anxious about having to sit around with my business on hold,” Sydney said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“I don't think it's just your business that you've put on hold,” JJ said.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Syd.” Lissandra rolled her eyes. “These are your sisters you're talking to. You can quit acting like your behind isn't thinking about Hayden twenty-four hours a day.”

“Please.” Sydney got up and headed to the fridge. “I am not.”

“Yes, you are,” JJ and Lissandra said together.

“Yesterday you called me Dub,” Lissandra said.

“And last week when I asked you for Essies's work number, you gave me the number for the clinic,” JJ said.

Sydney bit her lip. “I did?”

“Yes, you did,” JJ said with a knowing smile. “Face it, Syd, you're still crazy in love with that man.”

“Look, I just need to figure out what he wants to do with this shop, so I can figure out what to do next with this business,” Sydney said. “I can't open up the front of the store, or make business cards, or try contacting my old clients, 'cause I'm not sure whether or not I'll have a space to work out of in the next week. So if Hayden's on my mind, that's the reason.”

“OK, Syd,” Lissandra said. “Whatever lies you need to tell yourself to get you to sleep.”

Sydney was about to protest when they heard a knock on the front door.

All three women walked out into the main area, to find a dark, strapping, yuppie corporate type with a briefcase standing outside the glass doors.

“Who's that?” JJ asked.

“And can I have his number,” Lissandra murmured.

“Maybe if we open the door, we might find out,” Sydney said dryly as she pushed past her sisters to get to the front door.

“So sorry,” Sydney apologized as she opened the door. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I'm looking for a Ms. Sydney Isaacs,” he said, his bright hazel eyes watching hers for signs of recognition.

“Why?” Lissandra asked, stepping closer to the door. “What you need her for?”

“I'm afraid that's a confidential matter I can only address with Ms. Isaacs. . . .”

“I'm Sydney.”

“Oh.” He glanced hesitantly at Lissandra and JJ, who were watching him with suspicion.

“It's OK,” Sydney said, interpreting his unspoken questions. “These are my sisters. Whatever it is, you can say it in front of them.”

“OK.” The young Johnnie Cochran turned his attention back to Sydney before stretching out his hand to her. “I'm Kyle Jones, attorney for a Mr. Hayden Windsor. I'm here to discuss details relating to the ownership agreement for the property at 572 College Street.”

Sydney and her sisters looked at each other. Guess he had decided.

“Come in.” Sydney ushered Kyle to a table near the window. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee, juice?”

“Uh, some coffee would be great,” he said with a smile as he took a seat.

Sydney nodded at Lissandra, who disappeared into the kitchen.

“So I guess Hayden made up his mind,” Sydney said as she sat down across from Kyle.

“He has,” Kyle said. “He wanted me to apologize for making you wait.”

“It's no problem.” Sydney waved away the apology. “I did give him a month.”

“Yes, well, he knows that waiting for an answer may have kept you from proceeding with business matters as you might have.” He offered a sympathetic smile. “He wanted to have this wrapped up as soon as he could so you both can move on with your respective lives.”

Sydney turned to look at JJ, who had an uneasy look on her face. Move on with their lives? That didn't sound entirely promising.

Lissandra returned with the coffee, two small containers with cream and sugar, and a slice of sponge cake from the kitchen.

“Oh, you didn't have to go through all of that,” Kyle said, eyeing the cake eagerly.

“It's no trouble at all.” Sydney watched Kyle's eyes close as he savored the first bite of cake. “I couldn't let you leave here without getting a piece of cake. You might be one of the last people to eat from this kitchen if we have to close down.”

Kyle took a moment to swallow before opening his eyes. “I sure hope it doesn't come to that. But that would be your decision.”

Reaching into his briefcase, he pulled out a slim, legal-size folder.

“Mr. Windsor has rejected your offers,” he said.

“What?” JJ squeaked.

“All of them?” Sydney asked.

“Yes, all of them,” Kyle said.

Kyle opened the folder and placed it in front of Sydney.

“Instead, he is proposing joint ownership of the property by both parties, with operating control held by you, Sydney Isaacs. Returns from sales will be applied first to operational expenses. From what remains, ten percent of profits will go to the church, fifteen percent into a fund for the business development, and the remainder split equally between both parties.”

“Wait, he wants to give part of your money to the church?” Lissandra questioned. “He can't do that.”

“It's tithe,” JJ shot back. “And it's his property. He can do whatever he wants.”

“I'm just saying,” Lissandra huffed. “If I were you, Sydney . . .”

“But you're not,” Sydney said gently, cutting her sister off. She turned back to Kyle. “Is that all?”

“Uh, yes,” Kyle said, glancing at Lissandra wearily. “You have fourteen days to decide.”

Sydney closed her eyes and sat perfectly still.

A few moments passed and Kyle leaned forward to look at her, then looked over at her sisters helplessly.

Lissandra leaned forward. “Sydney? Syd—”

“Shhh! ” JJ hushed her sister.

“But—”

“Just be quiet,” JJ hissed in a stage whisper, as she sat watching her sister.

After what seemed like forever, Sydney opened her eyes and smiled.

“OK,” she said. “I'll take it.”

“B-but you have fourteen days,” he stammered. “Don't you want to consult with someone? Talk to your accountant? Your lawyer?”

Sydney smiled. “I already talked to who I need to. Where do I sign?”