It was seven p.m., and I had arrived at the address Jabari had sent me. I tugged on the silk strapless black dress that continued rising with every step I made. My nerves intensified as I approached a building that appeared to be under construction. I instantly knew Jabari had set me up. There was no one around, and the building didn’t look to be occupied yet. I couldn’t believe he had stood me up. He had me singing and humming through the halls for the rest of my shift. I didn’t even let Patrick upset me when he tried to add two more of his patients to my workload. I picked up my phone to call when I heard my name being called.
“Amina! Hey! Over here!”
I looked in the direction and saw Jabari standing at the front of the under-construction building. He wore a white chef’s coat, showcasing the white wife beater underneath. He accompanied the look with a pair of black pants and a pair of name-brand sneakers. I never thought I would find a man in chef attire sexy, but Jabari changed that.
I walked over toward him, plastering on a smile to stop the nerves shooting through me as I got closer.
“Hi, Jabari. How are you?”
“I’m good. Did you find the place okay?”
I nodded. “I was skeptical at first while walking up. I thought you stood me up.”
“I would never do you like that.”
I tried my hardest to ignore the constant chills shooting throughout my body. I diverted my attention to the building in front of us.
“What is this place?”
“This is my new restaurant.”
I sucked my teeth. “Jabari, if you had to work, you could’ve just said that instead of?—”
He laughed, exposing his beautiful, pearl-white teeth. “Amina, relax. Just let me show you something.”
My eyes bounced from him to the restaurant, then back. I had made up my mind that since I was already here, I might as well make the best of it.
“Lead the way, Jabari.”
He clapped his hands together. “Bet. Follow me this way, beautiful.”
I regretted going commando tonight. I knew I was going to leave sticky and wet if I didn’t get my thoughts under control.
Jabari led us through the door, and to my surprise, the inside was well done. There were still walls unpainted and fabric draped over some of the furniture. I made sure I was careful when I walked because of the stilettos I was wearing. I must’ve been walking like a baby just learning to walk because Jabari stopped walking and looked at me.
“You good?”
I nodded. “Just being cautious. If I had known I would’ve been walking through a construction zone, I would’ve worn something different.”
He reached for my hand and grabbed it. “I’ll guide you the rest of the way.”
Volts shot through my body from his touch. He must’ve felt the same thing because he paused and looked down at our hands, then back into my eyes. He let his gaze linger longer before he smiled softly and turned around, pulling me along the way. We arrived at a set of silver double doors. Jabari pushed through them, and my breath was taken away. It was a state-of-the-art kitchen for a restaurant. It looked like something I would see on the cooking channel with stainless steel, multiple stoves, four massive-sized fridges, and three big fryers. The counters were even stainless steel. Jabari continued to lead us further inside until we made it to a small table big enough for two in the middle of the kitchen. There was a glass vase with a single red rose and candlelight. The romantic girl in me squirmed on the inside.
“Here, have a seat,” Jabari offered. He pulled the chair out for me, and I happily sat down. “I’ll be right back.”
Jabari walked behind me, giving me the opportunity to finally let out the smile I’d been holding. The entire setup was so romantic. It was cool to be in his restaurant, which he’d been working on opening, and he was the chef for tonight. I tried my hardest not to dance in my seat as the smell of food invaded my nose. My stomach growled as he approached me, holding a plate. He placed the plate in front of me.
“Ms. Amina, here we have a fried green tomato accompanied with a tangy remoulade. Also on the side, we have pimento cheese in tart shells with pickled okra.”
My mouth watered. I wasn’t a picky eater, and food was the way to my heart. I was excited to dive in. Then I looked up at him, curious about where his plate was.
“Where’s yours?” I asked.
He shook his head. “This isn’t about me. This is about you. Plus, I know what all of this tastes like. I just want to see what you think.”
I smiled, then reached for my fork. I tried the fried green tomato first, and a loud moan escaped from my mouth.
He laughed. “That’s what I was going for.”
