Free When It Rains... by Angie Daniels Page B

were rosy from the cold wind, but an excited light was in her eyes.
    â€œI got the loan,” she announced.
    â€œYes!” Candy exclaimed.
    â€œHell yeah!” Mercedes and all her other staff—Aisha, Sonya, Terry, and Peaches—chimed in from their workstations.
    â€œI can begin construction as soon as the permit is ready.” Honey frowned, then mumbled, “That is ... as soon as I can find my brotha’s worthless ass.”
    Mercedes stopped applying styling gel to a customer’shair long enough to point toward the back of the building. “Speak of the devil, Rashad’s in your office.”
    Honey’s eyes widened with delight. She quickly removedher jacket and headed toward the rear. Entering her private office, she found him sitting behind her desk on the phone.
    â€œGet off my phone,” she mouthed while trying to keep a straight face. Her recent good fortune kept her from truly getting an attitude. However, after her last encounter with one of her brother’s women—who took it upon herself to dial star-sixty-nine to find out what number Rashad was calling from, then bark, “Who da hell is dis?”—Honey had banned him from using her office telephone.
    Rashad dropped his brand-new Jordans from the edge of her desk and put a fingertip to his full lips, signaling for her to be silent. Honey, in turn, propped a hand on her hip, then pressed her lips tight with false annoyance and tried to disguise her admiration.
    Both of her brothers were fine, but Rashad had always been the looker. While Honey inherited petite features like her mother, Rashad took after their no-good-ass father,with a tough, stocky build and broad shoulders that filled his green and white jogging suit. His complexion was similar to his sister’s, and also considered “high yellow.”He had sandy brown hair that was startling against his fair skin, and eyes so gray they were often mistaken for contacts. With large fingers wrapped around the receiver,he ran his tongue across thick, sensual lips surroundedby a carefully trimmed goatee.
    â€œBoo, I’ll holla at you tonight,” he whispered into the receiver, trying to keep his sister from overhearing.
    Honey, finding his discomfort amusing, suppressed a chuckle and edged across the desk.
    Giving her an annoyed look, Rashad swiveled the chair away from her outstretched ear and told the unseencaller, “All right, baby, later.” Turning back around, he hung up the receiver, leaned back, and grumbled, “Damn! Can’t a brotha have privacy?” Then his face melted into a buttery smile.
    Honey clicked her teeth, resisting a grin. “Not in my office you can’t. Out of my seat,” she said, pointing her thumb at the door.
    Rashad pushed out of the chair, surging to his full height of six feet, and perched his hip on the end of her desk.
    â€œI haven’t heard from your ass in almost two weeks.” Honey rose on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek, then stood back with arms folded beneath her breasts. “Whatcha been up to?” When younger, she often felt like the big sister, especially when Rashad worried their mother about his whereabouts.
    Rashad smiled and tilted his head, then said, “You know I’m always doing a lil’ somethin’ somethin’.”
    Honey pursed her lips before replying, “Uh-huh. That’s what I’m afraid of.” Suddenly, that little somethin’ caught her attention. She leaned forward to take a closer look. “Is that another gold tooth?”
    Rashad nodded with pride. There wasn’t much he could get past his little sister. Widening his smile, he gave Honey a clear view of all three gold crowns dominatingthe front of his mouth.
    Honey groaned at the gold open-faced heart that added to his collection and walked around her desk, shaking her head. St. Louis had the reputation of being the gold-tooth capital of the Midwest.