The Look of Love (14 page)

“I came here to talk to Eboni. You and I have no business together.” Gunnar stood his ground. Once he made his statement to Craig, his full attention returned to Eboni.

Eboni couldn’t look into his eyes. Each time she did, she remembered the kiss that turned her insides into mush.

“If you’re bothering my cousin, it’s my business.” Craig took a step forward.

Gunnar didn’t move. “Cousin?” He brought his stare back to Eboni. “I didn’t know you two were related when--”

“Go home, Gunnar. We can talk tomorrow. I have to take care of my aunt.” Eboni nodded behind herself.

“Shut that door. Y’all are letting the cold in.” Tryna threw a blanket over her bare legs.

“Yeah, that’s all that’s getting in here. Go home, man. And don’t you ever talk to my cousin again.” Craig started to close the door.

“I think the last time you tried telling me what to do, it didn’t go so well for you.” This time, Gunnar did take a step forward. “Like I said, you and I have no business together.” He gazed at Eboni. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Craig managed to slam the door in Gunnar’s face before Eboni could respond. “I can’t believe he came here like anybody would want to see him.” He lumbered back to the couch. “Now that old boy has some money, I should say that he hurt me bad in that fight so I can collect some of his dough.” He laughed along with his girl.

“Not funny, Craig.” Eboni put the chain on the door and turned the deadbolt. “Drop it. It was a long time ago.”

“Have you dropped it? I didn’t see you running into his arms like you’d missed him.”

If Craig only knew.

“You don’t get it.” Craig plopped down on the couch. “Yes, it was years ago, but we fought hard. That dude was trying to kill me over what? Some dumb-ass comments about his brothers and shit? If I’d had one more minute with that fool, I could have knocked him out. I could have ended him and you wouldn’t have anything to worry about now.”

“Stop talking.” Eboni rubbed her temple. “I’m so tired of hearing about this old grudge.” Too bad she didn’t mean the one between Craig and Gunnar.

She hid herself in her bedroom. Now Eboni had an entire night to run over arguments to keep from kissing Gunnar again. As it stood, Gunnar had managed to lower her defenses.

“I hear you’re going to be able to come home today.” Gunnar held his mother’s hand.

He’d gotten used to visiting her before going into the salon. Today, he really needed to talk to her.

“Yes, darling. I’ll get to come home finally until it’s time to do that awful surgery.” His mother patted his hand.

Gunnar stared at the floor. He couldn’t get the kiss with Eboni out of his mind. Following her to her home had been a knee-jerk reaction to wanting to get an explanation. Did she like the kiss as much as he had?

“What are you thinking about?”

Gunnar snapped out of his thoughts and brought his gaze up to his mother. “Nothing. Thinking about salon stuff.”

“You know I can always tell when you’re lying. Tell me the truth.”

Gunnar sat up straight. He took a deep breath before speaking. “I kissed Eboni yesterday.” He glanced at his mother to check her reaction.

Elizabeth remained stoic.

“She freaked and ran home. I wanted to talk to her, but she wouldn’t even let me in her apartment.” He squeezed his mother’s hand.

“So go to work today and ask her out to dinner tonight.”

Gunnar shook his head. “I’ve been asking her out to dinner since I got back. She’s turned me down flat.”

Queen Elizabeth picked up her nurse call button and pressed it frantically.

A beep sounded before a voice came through a wall speaker. “Yes, ma’am?”

“I’m feeling a little flushed. I think something is going on.”

Gunnar stood. “What?”

“We’ll be right there.”

“Ma, what’s wrong? What can I do?” Feeling helpless, Gunnar fluffed up her pillows and tried to make her comfortable until the nurses showed.

“You want to help me? Act like I’m sick so I can stay here another day.”

Gunnar blinked. “What?”

“You need a day to spend time with Eboni without me being there to cramp your style.”

“Ma, I--”

“Quiet.” She winked at him. “Get your girl.”

When the nurses arrived, Queen Elizabeth put on a show, clutching her chest and putting the back of her hand to her head in typical swooning fashion. Although the EKG didn’t support her claims, the nurses and doctor all agreed that she would have to stay another night for observation.

Thanks to his mother, Gunnar had an extra night alone. Could he get Eboni to the house? If he did, what would he do in a confined space, especially now that he knew she wanted him for more than just a fund-raiser or a business owner?

* * * *

For the first time since working at Press ’N Curl, Eboni contemplated calling in sick. She couldn’t get any sleep just thinking about Gunnar’s firm lips. God, that kiss. It ignited feelings in her that she hadn’t experienced in years, not since before Gunnar left for training.

She waited for as long as she could before stepping into the salon. As usual, Gunnar had already opened the place. He had the coffee going. He’d opened the blinds to allow the sun to stream inside. As soon as his gaze fell on her, he stopped moving.

Eboni opened her mouth but nothing came out. She wanted to tell him to stay in his spot and not get closer to her. Gunnar started walking toward her until the back door opened. He stopped when Tillman entered the room.

“Another day, another dollar.” He patted Gunnar on the back as he headed to his station.

Tisha came through next, being as quiet as a mouse as usual.

Eboni put her purse and coat in the office. By the time she turned around, she found Gunnar blocking the doorway.

“We need to talk. Go to dinner with me tonight.” Gunnar didn’t ask.

“We shouldn’t.”

He started to move into the office when the back door slammed again. Eboni saw a hand on Gunnar’s shoulder. He turned around to reveal Monica standing behind him.

“The diva is out in her car.” Monica nodded her head behind her.

“Who?” Gunnar asked.

“Shay?” Eboni suspected who Monica meant but wanted to be sure.

Monica nodded. “She won’t talk to me. Maybe you two can do something with her.”

Eboni started toward the door but Gunnar stopped her.

“I got this. This is part of my responsibilities, right?” Before Eboni could answer, Gunnar walked out.

She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Shay’s drama would give her a little break from the tension between them. She would just have to figure out a reason she couldn’t go to dinner with him.

* * * *

Gunnar walked out to the back parking lot. As soon as he caught Shay sitting in her red sedan, she turned her head away from him. He came up to the window, trying hard not to show his irritation.

He’d had Eboni cornered. Gunnar had felt her starting to melt, starting to yield to him. Now he had to deal with some temperamental employee.

Gunnar knocked on the window. “Come on out, Shay.”

Shay kept her face away from him. “Go on back in to the salon. I’ll be in there in a minute. I just need to get myself together.”

Gunnar sighed. This must be the internal problems Eboni had alluded to when he asked her about the salon and the staff. He really didn’t have time for this. As he thought that, his mother’s words rang through his head. She would have told him to get to know each person.

“Shay, what can I do to help you get out of the car?” He crouched down next to the window.

The fact that she wore sunglasses made her look like a diva. “I told you I’m fine. Go in the salon. I’ll be in there in a minute.”

Gunnar looked at his watch. He really didn’t have time to play her games. “If you aren’t in there in five minutes, I’ll be back out here again.”

Shay put her hand up to the window. “Whatever.”

Gunnar stood and went back into the building. He noticed Tillman leaning against his station.

“Couldn’t get her out of her car?” Tillman asked.

“Does she do that often?” Gunnar went directly to the coffeepot to get something to warm himself up.

“Every once in a while.” Tillman dropped his gaze to the floor. “Not in a long time though. Just recently.”

Instinct told Gunnar that Tillman knew more than he had revealed. “Do you have any appointments this morning?”

Tillman glanced at Monica. “Anything on the books?”

Monica glanced at the computer screen. “Nope. Free as a bird until after lunch.”

“Waiting for walk-ins.”

“Want to catch some breakfast? My treat.” Gunnar grabbed his jacket from the office.

“For real? Hell, uh, heck yeah.” Tillman slipped on his jacket and walked out the back door with Gunnar. “Queen never did this with us.”

“I figured this will be a good way to get to know you.” Gunnar glanced at Shay, who remained in her vehicle.

She turned her head as soon as she spotted him.

“I’ll drive.” Gunnar unlocked his rental.

“Is this Hummer your ride?” Tillman jumped into the vehicle.

“I’m renting it while I’m in town.” Gunnar got into the driver’s side and started up the vehicle to warm it up as fast as he could. “Is the Providence Restaurant still open?”

“Yeah. I thought you would want to go somewhere fancy.”

Gunnar shook his head. “I’m not that kind of guy.”

Gunnar drove over to the small restaurant at the end of a shopping strip close to the hair salon. The waitress sat them in a booth in the corner. After they’d received their drinks and placed their orders, Gunnar started in with his questions.

“So how long have you been working for my mother?” Gunnar took a sip of his jet-black coffee.

Tillman blinked. “Man, it’s still wild to me that Queen is your mom.”

“I’ve been getting that most of my life.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. I’ve been working at the salon for only six months. It’s cool. I didn’t go to barber school, so most barber shops wouldn’t give me a chance.” Tillman leaned back against the bench in the booth and chuckled. “I remember I had lied to your mom about my experience. I knew how to do hair because my grandma and my mom did it out of their homes for years.”

“So you learned the same way I did.” Gunnar smiled.

Tillman nodded. “No one would hire me without some piece of paper saying that I could style. Queen interviewed me and I told her that I went to cosmetology school. Of course, she asked me which one. I lied again and made up some place so that she couldn’t do any research, but your mom is smart.”

“That she is.” Gunnar had been caught in many a lie back before he’d reformed himself.

“So she called me on my lie. I thought she was going to show me the door. Instead, she gave me an opportunity. She allowed me to style one customer.” Tillman held up his index finger. “If the customer and your mother liked it, I could stay. If the style was whack, I would be out of there.” He held up his hands. “As you can see, I’m still here today.”

“Did you ever get your license?” Gunnar didn’t ask to bust the guy.

“Of course. Your mom put me through school while I worked for her. She’s a smart, cool lady.”

Gunnar nodded. “She absolutely is. Always willing to give people a chance.”

By the end of his story, the waitresses brought their breakfasts. Gunnar had picked this place because he knew they made their food quickly.

“Do you see yourself working in a salon the rest of your life?” Gunnar asked.

Tillman shook his head. “Eventually, I’d like to do what your mother did and own my own salon. I’d like to think that one day your mom will make me manager, but no one can get by Eboni. She’s her girl.”

Just hearing Eboni’s name prickled Gunnar’s skin. He had managed to get her out of his mind during breakfast. Now the kiss invaded his thoughts again.

“Does that bother you that my mom relies on Eboni so much?”

Tillman shook his head. “I haven’t earned that spot yet. Eb’s been with your mom for years, and she works hard. She’s one of those sisters that you know will do something special with her life. When she’s not working, she’s usually at that center. If she’s not there or at the salon, she’s taking care of her aunt. That woman is focused.”

Gunnar knew that from being with her before. Now he wanted to kick himself for letting her go.

“Don’t worry, man. I won’t go after her.” Tillman raised his hands in the air as he laughed.

“No worries. I know you won’t.”

The waitress collected their empty plates and left their check.

“How are you so sure about that?” Tillman wiped his mouth and finished off his sweet tea.

Gunnar chuckled. “Because you know. You’re gay.”

The smile slipped down Tillman’s face. He grabbed his jacket and jumped out of the booth.

Gunnar managed to throw some money on the table and paid the check with the cashier while keeping Tillman in his sights. He chased after Tillman who stomped down the street.

“Tillman, wait. Did I say something wrong?” Gunnar wriggled into his coat as he chased the big man.

Without a word, Tillman stopped and turned around to him. “Did someone say something to you?”

Gunnar shook his head. “No.”

Tillman leaned his head toward him. “Then how did you know?”

“I’ve been around enough closeted guys to recognize the signs. Although I don’t have a problem with anyone’s sexual preference, I have noticed you staring at my ass when I look in the mirror at the salon.”

Tillman put his hands behind his neck and leaned his head back. “Fuck. If you know, I wonder if anyone else knows.”

“I’m guessing you haven’t come out yet.”

Tillman shook his head.

“Want to come back to the truck? We can talk there where it’s warmer.”

Tillman waved his hand in the air. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not with you. You wouldn’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t understand feeling out of place and being different?” Gunnar cocked his head. “Come on. I won’t say a word to anyone. It’s your business. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t change you as a person.”

Tillman snickered. “Wished my family felt that way.”