his muscular arms at work.
Serena pulled her car up beside his truck and beeped her horn. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she rolled her window down. “But I have coffee and muffins.”
“Well, stop talking about it and feed us, woman,” Antonio joked as he walked over to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. He grabbed the box of muffins as Serena balanced the coffee travel container and coffee cups. Before they headed inside, Antonio stopped Serena and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Do you always look this good this early in the morning?” he asked as he drank in her svelte body in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight tank top.
“I guess you’re going to have to spend the night and find out,” she said with a wink as he opened the door to the restaurant.
The rest of the crew stopped their work when they saw Serena walk in. Norman smiled and walked over to her and took the coffee from her hands. “It’s a pleasure to see you this morning, Miss Serena,” he said with a huge grin on his face.
“Nice to see you too, Norman,” she said.
“Thanks for the coffee and breakfast.” He nodded at her.
“You’re welcome.” She watched as he set up the coffee. Norman fixed himself a cup of coffee and then walked over to the other men. Antonio turned to Serena and smiled at her.
“Norman likes you,” he said.
“I like him too,” she said. “You guys are close, huh?”
Antonio nodded as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. “Norman and my father were really close. Back when I was in school, he and my dad worked construction. I wanted to design buildings. I was halfway though architectural school when my father passed away. I came back to Charlotte and Norman taught me the business. He ran things until I got up to speed and he won’t retire.”
Serena wished she’d had people in her life like Norman when she was growing up. That’s why she was so thankful for her friendship with Jade, Alicia, and Kandace. Her father did love his daughter, but his actions with other women left Serena with a bad taste in her mouth.
“It’s good to have someone in your corner like that,” she finally said. “I’ll be in the office makeing sure all the arrangements for the grand opening are running smoothly. I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Until tonight,” he said.
“A night you won’t forget,” she said, then sauntered down the hall.
When Serena was gone, Norman strode over to his friend and clasped his hand around his shoulder. “That was some energy between you two,” he said. “Y’all seeing each other now?”
“We’re getting to know each other. I don’t know if we will be seeing each other when she knows about A.J.”
“If you and this woman are getting to know each other, don’t you think it’s a little soon to introduce her to A.J.?” Norman asked.
“I think it’s important she knows about my son so she can decide if this is something she wants to pursue. A.J. is the most important thing in my life.”
“Yeah and that’s rightly so, but what if things don’t—”
“There’s something special about Serena,” he said. “I can feel it.”
“For your sake, I hope you’re right,” Norman said. “I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
“I’m over that,” he said wistfully. “It was the lies that got to me. I would’ve let Marian go without a fight had she been honest with me.”
“I know you would’ve. Being with her was a battle from the beginning and she didn’t—”
Antonio held up his hand. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “It’s finally time for me to move on.”
“I’m happy you’ve taken yourself off the hook,” Norman said. “It’s not fair for you to continue to be a martyr.”
“It’s time,” Antonio said as he opened a package of marble tiles.
“One question, though. What’s your sister-in-law going to think about you dating?”
“What? It doesn’t matter what Casey thinks,” Antonio said.
“I told
Serena pulled her car up beside his truck and beeped her horn. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she rolled her window down. “But I have coffee and muffins.”
“Well, stop talking about it and feed us, woman,” Antonio joked as he walked over to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. He grabbed the box of muffins as Serena balanced the coffee travel container and coffee cups. Before they headed inside, Antonio stopped Serena and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Do you always look this good this early in the morning?” he asked as he drank in her svelte body in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight tank top.
“I guess you’re going to have to spend the night and find out,” she said with a wink as he opened the door to the restaurant.
The rest of the crew stopped their work when they saw Serena walk in. Norman smiled and walked over to her and took the coffee from her hands. “It’s a pleasure to see you this morning, Miss Serena,” he said with a huge grin on his face.
“Nice to see you too, Norman,” she said.
“Thanks for the coffee and breakfast.” He nodded at her.
“You’re welcome.” She watched as he set up the coffee. Norman fixed himself a cup of coffee and then walked over to the other men. Antonio turned to Serena and smiled at her.
“Norman likes you,” he said.
“I like him too,” she said. “You guys are close, huh?”
Antonio nodded as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. “Norman and my father were really close. Back when I was in school, he and my dad worked construction. I wanted to design buildings. I was halfway though architectural school when my father passed away. I came back to Charlotte and Norman taught me the business. He ran things until I got up to speed and he won’t retire.”
Serena wished she’d had people in her life like Norman when she was growing up. That’s why she was so thankful for her friendship with Jade, Alicia, and Kandace. Her father did love his daughter, but his actions with other women left Serena with a bad taste in her mouth.
“It’s good to have someone in your corner like that,” she finally said. “I’ll be in the office makeing sure all the arrangements for the grand opening are running smoothly. I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Until tonight,” he said.
“A night you won’t forget,” she said, then sauntered down the hall.
When Serena was gone, Norman strode over to his friend and clasped his hand around his shoulder. “That was some energy between you two,” he said. “Y’all seeing each other now?”
“We’re getting to know each other. I don’t know if we will be seeing each other when she knows about A.J.”
“If you and this woman are getting to know each other, don’t you think it’s a little soon to introduce her to A.J.?” Norman asked.
“I think it’s important she knows about my son so she can decide if this is something she wants to pursue. A.J. is the most important thing in my life.”
“Yeah and that’s rightly so, but what if things don’t—”
“There’s something special about Serena,” he said. “I can feel it.”
“For your sake, I hope you’re right,” Norman said. “I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
“I’m over that,” he said wistfully. “It was the lies that got to me. I would’ve let Marian go without a fight had she been honest with me.”
“I know you would’ve. Being with her was a battle from the beginning and she didn’t—”
Antonio held up his hand. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “It’s finally time for me to move on.”
“I’m happy you’ve taken yourself off the hook,” Norman said. “It’s not fair for you to continue to be a martyr.”
“It’s time,” Antonio said as he opened a package of marble tiles.
“One question, though. What’s your sister-in-law going to think about you dating?”
“What? It doesn’t matter what Casey thinks,” Antonio said.
“I told
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