58. Before the Clock Strikes Twelve ⌚

A.B. said he would pick me up this afternoon, but I woke up early due to going to bed super early. Honestly, I was glad for the rest. It was much needed. So, yes! I took my happy-self to Music Bravos my old place of employment to surprise A.B.

After parking my old car, I walked inside the store. For it to be open, it was quite empty inside. Where are the employees? I made a familiar path to the manager's office when I saw the light on and the door open. I can't wait to see his face.

"Good morning!" I exclaimed before hopping in the room.

"Good morning," a woman giggled.

My smile immediately dropped.

"Are you here for a job application or an interview?" She asked me.

I looked around the room. "No. I was looking for the manager. I used to work here."

The woman stood to her feet. Her eyes displayed a bit of sadness. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Bravos fell ill. He's no longer the manager, but he did hire me. My name is Nyeira Abbott. If you'd like, I can give Mr. Bravos a call and tell him you were looking for him."

While she told her lifetime story, I thought about where A.B. could be. I knew he was here, because his car was parked outside. I took my phone out my back pocket.

"Would you like me to call him?" Nyeira asked me.

"No. I'll call him." I walked out the office and back to the front door as I searched for his name in my phone.

"I thought I heard your voice."

I quickly turned around to see A.B. smiling at me.

"Sir, where were you?" I walked over to the checkout counter.

"Getting some work done in the storage room. I do recall saying I was going to pick you up later on, but since you're here..." A.B. spread his arms out. "Good morning, Jamie."

I folded my arms. "Don't good morning me. I was trying to surprise you."

A.B. forced me into a hug. Instantly, I had forgot everything I was going to say. He released me sooner than I wanted him to. "I appreciate the surprise, but what are you going to do for the next three hours."

I leaned toward him. "I was going to camp out in your office, but there's some woman in there."

A.B. snapped his finger. "I forgot to tell you that I hired a new manager for the store. Her name is Nyeira. She's actually just moved here from Westchester."

I arched a brow. "So y'all know each other?"

A.B. grinned, "Westchester isn't that small."

"It's no bigger than East Grove."

"Oh, A.B. I was just about to look for you."

We both looked at Nyeira.

"I can't find the employee files. I know you showed me before, but..."

A.B. told her, "That's no problem. I'll show you." Then, he looked at me. "I'll be right back."

I sighed as they walked to the manager's office. I leaned against the counter in a mood that I didn't expect to be in. Truthfully, I don't like the new manager. She reminds me of Aja. And she's from Westchester just like A.B. They probably went to the same schools and had the same friends.

My phone vibrated. I sat it on the counter as I read my new text.

Monica: Hey Cousin! Wyd today?

Me: Don't hey me after you were MIA from my welcome back party lol

Monica: Girl, I gave you my most prized possessions. Don't act up

Me: Anyway, I'm hanging out with A.B. today so you and I are just gonna have to hang out on my way back to the airport tomorrow morning

Monica: That's cool, because I'll be on the plane with you

Me: Really?

Monica: Yes, ma'am! I'm only staying for a few days, but I really got a lot to tell you.

Me: Same here! You will be livid

Monica: Can you tell me one thing?

Me: I rather tell you in person

Monica: Ok. I'll pack my bags and spend the night at your parents with you

Me: Sounds good. I'll see you tonight

Monica: And you tell yo fine boyfriend I said heeeyyyy

Me: Zeke is in L.A. lol

Monica: You know I'm talking about A.B. but Zeke is number one.

Me: Bye, Monica!

Monica: Adios

I smiled as I checked the time on my phone. It's been almost ten minutes. What are they doing back there? When I looked up, A.B. was standing behind the counter on the computer in front of me.

"How long have you been there?" I asked him.

"Not long. Maybe, five minutes. You were really engaged on your phone. I didn't want to disturb you," he grinned.

I put my phone back in my pocket. "You ain't slick, Mr. Bravos. Y'all have to know each other. Westchester has a population of 100 people."

A.B. lightly laughed, "That's an exaggeration."

"Okay. One hundred people or thousand... What the difference? It's a small suburb. Y'all could've crossed paths before or hung around the same people."

A.B. continued to work on the computer. "She's older than me by almost ten years."

"You probably dated her little sister. Does she have a little sister?" I asked him.

"I don't believe so. How's your boyfriend doing?"

No, he didn't!

We smiled at one another.

I nodded my head. "Okay. I get it. I get it." I was sounding a bit jealous, but I'm glad A.B. handled it the way he did. Still! Nyeira better keep her distance.

I drummed my fingers on the counter. "You know I can help. I used to work here."

"Only if you're okay with it." A.B looked at me for confirmation.

I folded my arms. "Are you scrapping inventory for end-of-year?"

A.B. nodded his head. "You just made music to my ears - no pun."

I chuckled, "I've only been gone for a few months." I walked behind the counter to see which product A.B. had on his screen. "Ohh, you're on the easy part - the books. All you have to do is Ctrl F and search for the number 0. Any book that shows zero sales, you can click on the print button or click on the check box. If you do the check box, you have to make sure you don't accidentally uncheck it.

"I always clicked on the print button, because it prints the item location, barcode, and title of each product up until the paper is completely filled without waste. Once you have a full sheet, remove it from the printer and start on a new one if needed. Then, one of my co-workers would grab a cart and pull all the listed products off the shelves." I glanced at A.B.

His eyes slightly closed like puppy dog eyes.

I quickly looked away and cleared my throat. "I can pull the inventory." I started to walk away, but A.B. grabbed my hand to stop me.

I looked at our hands before he released mine.

"Can you show me how you go from scrapping and pulling to repricing and listing online?" He asked like a determined student.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Mr. Dave didn't show you how to do any of this?"

"He originally planned for you to show me, but you had already left. He said you were really fast at it, but he never took the time to learn from you. He showed me how he does it."

"Really?" Now, I feel bad.

"Things like that happen, but I'm going to make sure I know as much I can so that Nyeira and the team knows how to do it, too."

I asked, "I know Mr. Dave is still the owner, but what about your position now that there's a manager?"

He explained, "Nyeira didn't take anything away from me. She's very qualified with over ten years of experience as a manager. Plus, I knew my role was going to be temporary here. I'll still check on the store throughout each year to make sure the employees are doing their jobs and being productive."

"Are you sure you don't want to own the place?"

A.B. thought before replying, "If my uncle asked me, then I would say yes."

I added, "This store could be the responsibility that you told me you wanted."

He simply nodded his head.

I nudged him.

A.B. poked my arm.

I poked his arm.

He poked my collar bone.

I poked his chest.

His finger came towards me, but stopped mid-air. "What's that?"

"What?" I looked down at my shirt.

Before I knew it, A.B. flicked my lips with his finger.

"Stooop." I pushed his hand away as we both laughed.

He confessed, "Your lips are a distraction. They keep moving."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How else am I supposed to talk?"

"Hey, A.B.! I need to burrow you one more time, please."

I looked at Nyeira as she smiled at A.B.

"I'll be right back." He followed Nyeira back to the manager's office.

I decided to finish scrapping inventory on the computer before taking the printed sheets of paper. Then, I grabbed a cart and began pulling the products off the shelves. As I worked, I couldn't help but smile thinking about how A.B. has me feeling like a teenaged girl after finding out her crush knows her name. As our banter replayed in my head, I froze in place. Were we flirting? We've been doing that more than a few times now that I think about it. Suddenly, the picture became clear. I think A.B. wants another kiss. If that's the case, it's not like I'll try to stop him. Now I really can't wait till twelve o'clock.