still lingered.
Jarred and Lainey had dated on and off all through college. They’d parted when Lainey went abroad for her graduate studies and he had gone on to law school, but then reconnected upon her return to the States. To him it was as if they’d never separated. They got engaged and were planning a life together. He thought they had the same aspirations for their future. Evidently not, he found out, when Lainey left him with an empty house and a brief note. Apparently she was in love with their mutual friend Braxton—the man she eloped with.
“Snap out of it, Jarred,” Langston said, no doubt seeing him lapse into a trip down memory lane. “You get an itch, you scratch it and then move on. Since Lainey left, you’ve never gone out with the same woman twice. Anyway, this is not about dating—it’s about you not running yourself into the ground with work. Take a break,” he pleaded. “I promise this place is great, and you’ll have a good time.”
“How did you find it?”
“Brice,” Langston murmured, and lowered his head.
“Hell, no!” Jarred said emphatically. “I know you didn’t just try to convince me to go somewhere based on our brother’s recommendation.”
“It’s not his recommendation. I’ve been there and it’s cool. Trust me.”
Jarred sighed heavily. He really didn’t feel like being bothered tonight. He would’ve preferred a hot meal, some relaxing jazz music and maybe catching a basketball game on television.
“If this is one of those touchy-feely places, I’m going to kick your ass,” Jarred said.
“You and what army are going to kick my ass?” Langston sniffed.
“The army of left and right,” Jarred said, balling his hands into fists and lifting them one at a time.
“Whatever. Lock up. I’ll meet you at the elevators downstairs. I need to collect my briefcase and jacket.” Langston stood and walked to the door.
“I’m going to give Brice a call before I leave, so give me about ten to fifteen minutes.” Jarred settled back in his chair.
“Doubt if you’ll be able to reach him, but will do.” Langston stepped out of the office.
Jarred watched the door close behind him and then took out his cell phone and dialed Brice’s number. The phone rang three times before his brother answered, with a barked, “Hello.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jarred asked, irritated. “You were supposed to be in the office.”
“Who says I wasn’t? What do you want?” Brice huffed. It seemed as if he didn’t want to be bothered.
“If you can snatch yourself away from whatever or whoever it is that has you over the top, Langston and I are going to some spot that you took him to in Jersey.”
“Heavens?”
“Heavens what?” Jarred asked.
“That’s the name of the lounge—Heavens. What time are you leaving?”
“We’re out of here in about fifteen minutes.”
Before Jarred could say another word, Brice tersely said goodbye and hung up.
I’m going to choke the daylights out of him one day, Jarred thought as he gathered up his belongings. He made sure to also collect the Tempest documents. He had endless hours of work ahead of him, but Langston was right. It was a Friday night, and Jarred was long overdue to let loose. Sure, he had the occasional romp, so to speak, but most of his dating for the past two years was to appease his bruised ego over his failed relationship. It had been a while since he’d just hung out and enjoyed a night out with the guys. He wasn’t in favor of the bar scene much anymore. He’d been there, done that in college. Now he needed a place to just sit back and relax and not worry about expectations from anyone.
Jarred locked the office, then took the elevator down to the ground floor, where Langston was waiting.
“Are we taking your car or mine?” his brother asked.
Jarred shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Well, look who has decided to join us.” Langston smiled.
Jarred glanced over his shoulder and saw Brice coming through the door of the stairwell, appearing out of sorts. The jacket of his dark Armani suit and his tie were hanging over his shoulder. He looked like he’d sounded on the phone: miserable. Brice had inherited their mother’s silver-gray eyes, and his complexion was a shade darker than Jarred and Langston’s honey-wheat skin tones. His rumpled appearance only confirmed to Jarred that all three of them were at their wits’ end.
“I’m taking my own ride. I may leave with company, so I’ll meet you two there,” Brice said as he walked past them.
“Where are you coming from?” Jarred arched a brow at his baby brother. Brice had led him to believe that he’d been in the office, but not that he was still present.
“IT department. I told you I was here,” Brice replied.
“What were you doing in IT?” Langston asked.
Brice stopped, turned around and glared at them. “Working. Now, are we going to Heavens or not?”
“Yes, but what has you in such a foul mood?” Langston inquired.
“I’m not in a foul mood. I’m in a bad mood, plain and simple. So, are we going or am I to find my entertainment elsewhere?”
“By all means, bro, let’s ride.” Langston gestured toward their parked vehicles.
“I’m just warning you two. The minute somebody hands me one of those ‘get in touch with your inner self’ pamphlets, I am kicking both of your asses,” Jarred interjected, pointing at his brothers.
“You might whip Langston, but you ain’t beating me,” Brice snorted.
Jarred playfully punched his shoulder. “You may be taller than me and Langston, but I can still drop you, baby bro. Don’t let me school you out here in these streets.”
“Man, listen to you trying to act hard. Dude, we grew up in the suburbs,” Brice retorted, and sent them all into a fit of laughter.
“How far away is this place?” Jarred rounded the car to the passenger door.
“About forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on traffic,” Langston said.
Jarred climbed into the passenger seat, put his briefcase on the floor in front of him and sighed deeply. He loved his brothers, but they drove him crazy.
The smooth sound of Kenny G was playing through the surround sound. Yes. Jarred rested his head back and relaxed to the flawless notes the saxophone belted out.
They pulled into the packed parking
