“Happy Valentine's Day, Gorgeous.”
The whole reasonable conversation I'd had with myself fell straight through the floor, because nobody had said that to me first thing in the morning before. My heart fluttered.
“Happy Valentine's Day, Julian” I said back, grinning from ear to ear. I hated how sugary it came out.
“Be ready tonight by eight. I'm taking you out after work.”
“You didn't say anything about tonight. I didn’t plan. I won’t have anyone to keep Micah. Simone and Raschad, Zion and Taryn — I’m sure they’re all out. I can't hand him to anybody on?—”
He cut me off. “Already thought about it. Aunt Lorraine's keeping Zhaire and Zaria tonight. I asked her and she said bring Micah too, the more the better. Raschad offered to run all three over after school around five.” He paused. “That's if it works for you. But it's covered, Lyss. You don't have to solve anything today.”
I sat up in my bed with no objection left in my hands.
Flowers were delivered before I headed out the door to drop Micahoff and head to the office.Toomany of them. The delivery man had to make three trips. More varieties than I could name, no color repeating, not one red rose in the whole flood of them. The card said:
Couldn't pick and you deserve them all.
— J.
I stood in the middle of my living room that smelled like a garden, in awe.
After dropping Micah off, I texted Simone before I let myself believe any of it.
Julian says your Aunt has your kids tonight and Micah's invited.
SIMONE
Yes, it’s arranged. Raschad can pick the boys up from school and we’ll take them to Lorraine’s after Zaria gets up from her nap.
Thank you! I’ll gather his overnight bag then!
For a moment I just stood there with the confirmation that the whole night was mine. No homework, no bedtime, nothing but privacy.
My mind went to my dresser. Bottom drawer under the things I never wear. I'd bought it last week in a boutique I'd walked into telling myself I was just looking and walked out of with an expensive lingerie set. An admission, folded in tissue: I secretly did want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Julian, even though I wasn’t expecting it. I was hoping. And it was the most hoping I'd let myself do in years.
It didn’t even dawn on me to try to get an appointment to get my hair done. You don’t get a last minute appointment on a day like this. So when my phone rang at noon and it was my stylist, Renata, calling to tell me she could squeeze me in at three, I was flabbergasted to find out that Julian had arranged it.
I leftwork early and Renata sat me down and worked on my hair like she had all the time in the world on a day she had none. When she spun around to show me her work in the mirror, I reached for my card to pay her. She put her hand flat over mine.
“Your man, honey. Already paid for. And not just this appointment.Theyear,girl! A standing chair, every month, settled through next February. Whew!” She fanned herself.
I told her there had to be a mistake.
“No mistake.” She was enjoying my reaction too much. “His office called in the morning. His assistant I think, real sweet. Anyway she asks could I fit you in today. I told her the God's honest truth. Booked solid three weeks out.” She set the comb down and folded her arms, settling in, because this was clearly the best thing that had happened to her all week. “Two hours later that man walks through my door.”
“He did not.”
“Bay-bee! Anddid!” She had to stop and savor it. “You know how many of these women knowexactlywho Julian Wade is? We had Miss Pat under the dryer, somebody else with her whole head in a conditioning cap, women in my stylists’ chairs with their hair sticking up, heads not done. And in walks six-foot-something in a suit looking likethat!I have never in my life seen grown women rearrange themselves so fast. One lady held her Telfar up over her head like it was raining. You know Deborah? Deb? She got up out my chair with the cape still on, talmbout she had to use the bathroom, and didnotcome back out until he left! Just hiding!” She wiped under her eyes, laughing so hard. “I had to tell them to settle down.He is not here for any of y’all,I said.Fix your faces.”
I had my hand over my mouth, laughing, because I could imagine every bit of it.
“So here he goes, waiting at my desk up front, calm as ever, right? Doesn't even clock the riot he's started. He asks to speak with Renata. So I saythat’s me.Then he strides on back here to my chair, every pair of eyes in the place tracking him the whole way. He asks me what it would take to get you in today. Not his assistant.Him.In person. I’m still gagging ‘bout it girl.”
She shook her head. “Anyway, I told him there wasn't a chair in the place. He said he understood that. And then he made it real worth my while. The dollars made sense, I’ll just leave it at that. He stood there, polite and all, but that man wasn't walking out of here without what he came for.” She shrugged, helpless and pleased about it. “So I made it work. All I know is you must got solid gold between them thighs, honey, ‘cause I ain’tnevahseen a man go that hard before. Whew, Lawd!” She fanned herself again.
“Renata!” All I could do was laugh, because what could I say to all of that? I sat there with my hair right and a year of standing appointments in an envelope in my lap, trying to picture Julian, who had acompany and countless people who'd run any errand he named, walking into this loud, packed salon, and not leaving until there was room for me.
The laugh went out of me somewhere. I had to look up at the ceiling and breathe through my nose, to fight back the tears. Renata reached for a comb she didn't need, turning away, letting me compose myself.