Winning Dawn Read online

  “Then why should we bother?”

  “Why shouldn’t we?”

  “I asked first.”

  “I like you. I want to do more stuff with you than just screw. I want to take you to dinner. I want to share shit with you. I want to be able to call you without you thinking I’m setting up a booty call. I want to be able to send you flowers without you scolding me.”

  She shook her head and tried to turn away. He held her steadfast. “How would I explain you to my mother? She’s a member of the NAACP. I’ve disappointed her too much in the past to bring home a white boy.”

  “First of all, I’m not a boy. I’m thirty-nine. Secondly, being a member of the NAACP doesn’t mean she hates white people. Third, I’d think your mother would appreciate my treating you right and not be concerned about the color of my skin.”

  “Treat me right? Ha! You suck at commitment. You said so yourself.”

  “I’d try for you, Dawn.” He tried to let his sincerity show in his voice and on his face.

  “Let me think about it.”

  It wasn’t a yes, but he’d let it be enough for now.

  Chapter 7

  Dawn woke the next morning in bed alone. She’d asked Evan to leave the night before to give her some time and space to think about his invitation.

  She opened her eyes with the same knowledge she’d held last night; she had no intentions of dating Evan. She couldn’t.

  She wasn’t a racist. She was truly happy for Kayla, but she couldn’t envision herself in an interracial relationship. She didn’t want to have to deal with the stares. And there was her mother to consider. She still hadn’t informed her of her broken engagement. No way could she announce that not only was she no longer engaged, but was also dating a white man. Her mother would have a heart attack.

  It wouldn’t work and she would tell Evan so the next time she talked to him.

  The sky was overcast as she drove in to work. More roses arrived for her in the afternoon. She merely glanced at the card. Recognizing Reggie’s signature scrawl, she pitched it into the trash and placed the new flowers beside the ones she’d received yesterday.

  As she put her key in the lock, she could hear her cell ringing. She entered and locked the door with one hand as she fished in her purse for her phone with the other. Her fingers touched her lip gloss, wallet, and camera before making contact with her cell. She caught it in time for it to stop ringing. The caller ID showed the call came from a blocked number. She was still pondering it when her landline began ringing.

  “Hello?”

  “Did you like the flowers?”

  “Reggie.”

  “Yeah, it’s me, baby.”

  “Why are you sending me flowers?”

  “You know it’s always you and me, Dawn. Nothing else is real. Nothing else ever lasts for either of us. I love you, baby.”

  Dawn closed her eyes and dropped onto her couch. What did she say to him? She used to anticipate these calls. They were part of their usual song and dance. Reggie obviously didn’t believe she was seriously ending their relationship for good this time.

  “Did you hear me, baby?”

  “Yes. What about Tanika?”

  “I told you before, she means nothing.”

  “I’m sorry, Reggie. We’re done. Stop sending me flowers.” She ended the call. The phone began to ring again before she could take her hand off the receiver. She let it go to voice mail. Her cell rang. She’d deleted his number from her cell so the ringtone was generic and not “No One” by Alicia Keys as she had previously programmed specifically for him. She sent the call to voice mail.

  He called several more times, but she didn’t answer. She was still on edge from all his calls later that night when she heard from Evan. She was already in bed and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

  Her surly greeting was returned with a brief pause. “I wanted to come over, but—”

  “You don’t have to explain to me.”

  “Suffice it to say, work got in the way,” he finished, as though she had not interrupted. “Given any thought to where you want to go on our date?”

  “I never agreed—”

  “You will.”

  She inhaled sharply. “My answer is no. Maybe we should end our arrangement.”

  “Coward.”

  “Do you think taunting me will change my mind?”

  “I’m not. I’m stating the truth.”

  She growled. “I’m not a coward.”

  “You are. Your reasons for not wanting to date me have everything to do with your fear of what other people will say and do and nothing to do with us. While it’s not a perfect world, you’re blowing this out of proportion. No one is going to stone us for dating.”

  “Has it even occurred to you that I might not want to date you?”

  “No.”

  She smiled. “Care to elaborate?”

  “No.”

  She sighed. She knew she should deny him, but she wanted to say yes. Maybe it could work. It had worked for her cousin. She wished she could talk to Kayla right now, but she wouldn’t interrupt their honeymoon. “Give me more time, Evan.”

  * * * *

  By Thursday night, Evan had worn her down. Each night, he called and argued his case, addressing all of her worries with calm reasoning. Worn down by his persistence, she agreed to go out with him. What could one date hurt? At least she wouldn’t have to wonder “what if.”

  Friday, she felt a pleasant anticipatory buzz. Throughout the day, she found herself planning her outfit and her hair style. She wondered where they would go and what they would do.

  Even the arrival of more roses after lunch didn’t dampen her mood. Reggie had continued to send them each day. She was loathe to contact him again for fear of encouraging him.

  She was gathering her belongings at ten minutes until five when she heard the lobby door open. She sighed, hoping whoever it was would leave quickly. Didn’t people realize the level of customer service they received was directly proportionate to the number of hours left in the day? At ten ‘til, her patience stores were sorely depleted. Add to that that it was Friday and she had a date tonight, her level of friendly and helpful were at an all-time low.

  She placed a saccharine sweet smile on her face before looking up, her keys in her hand. Reggie stood before her dressed in a tux, a ubiquitous bouquet of roses in his hand. As she watched, he dropped to one knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. “Dawn, I love you. Will you marry me?”

  Her mouth dropped open in shock. Only the sound of her co-workers coming down the hall spurred her to action. “Are you crazy? Get up from there before someone sees you!” She hurried around her desk and urged him to his feet.

  “Not until I get an answer.”

  “We’ve been through this. It’s over. Now get up from there before you embarrass me,” she hissed.

  He avoided her hands and laughed. “Dawn, I get it. I’ve never been there for you. But from now on, I will be. You mean the world to me. I’m telling you, it will never happen again.”

  Marshall, Jenna Mae, and one of the younger attorneys came into view. “What’s going on here?” Marshall asked. His expression begged for details.

  “Nothing,” she said just as Reggie burst into a loud and off key rendition of “No One.” She’d once told him that the song described her feelings for him. She rolled her eyes. “Enough! Stand up this instant. Follow me home and we can discuss this further there.” He rose and she rushed to grab her belongings. “Sorry,” she muttered before hurrying out, her face hot with embarrassment.

  She was steaming by the time she pulled up in front of her townhouse. Reggie parked beside her. Her hands were shaking with anger so badly that she could barely get the door open. The minute they were inside, he dropped to one knee again. His expression was optimistic. Dawn took a deep breath to withstand the desire to hit him. Despite all their issues, she’d never allowed her personal life to spill over into her professional life.

  “How dare you come to my office?”

  “I wanted to show you that I’m willing declare my love for you to the world.”

  She scoffed. “We’ve been together too many years for anything you do at this juncture to change anything.” She dropped her purse onto the couch and glared at him. “Oh, get the fuck up already! The answer is hell no!”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “How many times do I have to say it? No! I don’t want to be with you anymore. It’s over.”

  He stood slowly. “This is about Tanika and about today. Look, I thought it would be romantic. The shit girls gossip about to their friends.” He brushed off the knees of his pants. “As for Tanika, it was nothing serious. I’m sorry about it. Please forgive me?”

  “I forgive you,” she said automatically, “but I won’t take you back this time.”

  He looked around before returning his green gaze to her. “You’re with someone else,” he said flatly. “Who is it?”

  She didn’t deny it. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Did you cheat on me?”

  “He kissed me once before we broke up, but that’s all.”

  “Is he the reason you dumped me?”

  “No.”

  His shoulders slumped. He placed the roses on the coffee table. “I’ve never pictured myself growing old with anyone but you, Dawn.” Tears filled his eyes and he wiped them away with his sleeve. “You were my go-to girl for everything. My rock. I know I should have treated you better.”

  “Damn right,” she said. She glanced at her watch and was alarmed at how late it was. “I’ve got to get ready.”

  “Date?”

  “Yes. See yourself out?” She didn’t wait for his reply. Instead, she hurried upstairs, stripped, and showered. It didn’t take her long to find the clothes she wanted to wear and lay them on the bed. She did her makeup and hair. Within forty minutes, she stood before the mirror to examine herself. She’d decided to put her hair up. Tendrils of loose curls lay on her neck and at her ears. She’d arranged her bangs to fall in an asymmetrical point. Her dress, a deep wine, had spaghetti straps. Its draped bodice showed off her breasts to their full advantage. She smoothed her hands over her hips. It took a moment to find a purse and shoes to match, but she was satisfied with the overall look when she was done.

  She decided to go downstairs to wait for Evan. She stopped on the second step when she saw Reggie sitting in front of the TV. “What are you doing? Why are you still here?”

  “Thought I’d meet this guy. Make sure he was good enough for you.”

  She took the steps as fast as her pumps would let her. “No. Get out.”

  “I won’t cause any trouble. I just want to let the guy know what a gem he’s getting.”

  “That’s not your place. I don’t appreciate it and neither will he.”

  He stood, towering over her. “You look fantastic. I can’t recall the last time we dressed up and went out.” He glanced down at his tux. “It’s never too late.”

  “Sometimes it is,” she said dryly. “Especially when one of us is going out with someone else.” She shoved him toward the door. “Leave.”

  He turned the knob, but simply stood in the doorway. “I’ll always love you, Dawn, my baby.”

  She didn’t think loving her would hurt him overly since loving her had never deterred him from being with other women. He took her hand and kissed it and then held it to his cheek. She tugged to get him to release her, but he wouldn’t.

  “Don’t hate me.”

  She didn’t want to waste anymore emotions on him. “I don’t hate you. In a way, in some miniscule corner of my heart, I will always love you.” His broad grin reminded her of happier times and then he was gone. She shook her head with a laugh. She wondered if Reggie knew the meaning of “miniscule.”

  Chapter 8

  “I will always love you.”

  Those were the only words Evan heard and it was more than enough. Upon seeing the parking tied up in front of Dawn’s townhouse, he’d driven past and parked in front of one of her neighbor’s homes. He was a few minutes early for their date. Anticipating seeing her had had him on a high all day. He’d managed to finish the instruction manual he’d been writing for a piece of photo editing software at noon. Since then, he’d worked out and gone over to Josh’s old place to pick up the mail to fill time to prevent rushing over to see Dawn. He hadn’t wanted to appear too eager or desperate.

  He’d begun to think that they could build something more. He liked Dawn. She was beautiful, funny and smart. He enjoyed being with her.

  His track record with women should have told him better.

  This entire time she’d been using him as substitute for that ass Reggie. He was nothing but a distraction for her. Josh had warned him that she always went back to him. But he’d listened to his cock instead of his brother’s sage advice.

  Women! He’d never understand them. Why couldn’t she get over a man who cheated on her and always put himself first? Didn’t she think she deserved better?

  Damn. Anger burned in him hotter than he thought possible. He’d been planning to go traditional for their first date. Dinner and a movie and dancing afterwards, if she wanted. He didn’t particularly care for dancing, but he enjoyed the feeling of having her in his arms. Whatever she wanted was fine with him as long as she was with him.

  Evan climbed behind the wheel of his car and slammed his door harder than was necessary. Beneath all the anger was hurt and disappointment.

  His grip on the wheel tightened as he recalled seeing Reggie backing out of Dawn’s door, her hand on his cheek. The ass was probably leaving so that she could have time to dump him once he showed up. Or going to pick up his stuff and move back in. Evan shook his head and started his car. Well, if that’s what she wanted in a man, she could have him.

  * * * *

  Evan was over half an hour late. Dawn frowned, beginning to get concerned. She opened her purse and pulled out her cell. He didn’t answer, but that was not unusual. He had a tendency to turn his ringer off. But tardiness was not normal for him. She hoped he was okay. She called several times more before he finally answered.

  “Yes?”

  His curtness caught her off guard. She assumed that he saw her name on the caller ID display. “Evan, you’re late.” She glanced at her watch. “By forty-five minutes. Did you forget our date?”

  “No.”

  Her brows rose. “Then you’re standing me up on purpose?” Silence greeted her. Dawn took a deep breath, trying to calm the flames of her impending temper. “Evan, you begged me for this chance and now you’ve changed your mind? What is it? Once I said yes, the challenge of being with me got boring? Or did screwing the black girl get old?”

  “Don’t you dare try to use that as an excuse. I’ve been with black women before. I was there for our date. I was there early. And you were otherwise occupied.”

  “Otherwise occupied?” She frowned before understanding dawned. He’d seen Reggie leaving her place.

  “It’s okay. This thing between us was only temporary. I see you’re ready to go back to what you’re used to.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Either you’re lying to me or you’re lying to yourself. Either way, I’m done. I don’t play games and I don’t want to be in the middle of your and Reggie’s shit.”

  He was ending it. Her throat tightened painfully. Tears filled her eyes, surprising her and making her angry. “Fine,” she snapped, and hung up on him. She shook her head. She never should have agreed to go out with him. She wiped away her tears and stomped upstairs to change into her pajamas.

  She’d had it right before. She was so done with men right now.

  Chapter 9

  Saturday morning she woke groggy. Her head ached and her brain seemed to be made of cotton. Crying did that to her. She kept telling herself that crying wasn’t going to fix anything, but the tears kept coming. So she was in no mood for the person who leaned heavily on her doorbell at eight in the morning. She took her time making her way downstairs in the hopes that whoever it was would leave. A quick glance out the peephole revealed a very light-skinned woman with long hair dyed a honey color and thick pink lips. She would have been pretty if she wasn’t wearing an exaggerated pout. Her pose screamed attitude. Next to her own car was parked a tiny, two-door fuel efficient vehicle in bright red. It looked like a wind-up toy next to her SUV.

  Dawn opened the door. “Yes?” She was eyed from head to toe. Dawn returned the inspection with a bland look. She knew she didn’t look her best currently. Her eyes were puffy from crying over that damned Evan, a man that she hadn’t wanted to date anyway. Her hair was wrapped in a silk scarf. And the flannel pajamas she currently wore had been picked for comfort rather than flair. What did she expect? It was before noon on a weekend.

  “Are you Dawn?”

  “Yes.”

  “My name is Tanika and we have a problem. You see, you can’t seem to leave my man alone, bitch. Now I’m here to tell you—”

  “Na-uh,” Dawn cut her off immediately. “Reggie was my man first. So don’t come to me with this wronged woman shit. Believe me, I’ve been a master at it for more years than you’ve had your driver’s license. If Reggie doesn’t want you any more, don’t blame me. I’m done with his cheating ass. Now you turn around, get in your carlette, and get the hell off my property.” With that, she slammed the door in Tanika’s face. She locked the door and returned to bed all without checking to see if Tanika had left.

  However, once in bed, she found the confrontation had left her too riled to sleep. With a curse, she slid from between the warm sheets and went to shower. She dressed and looked at her shoulder length hair in the mirror. Change was in order. Saturday wasn’t the best day to try to get a last minute appointment with a hairdresser. Fortunately, she was on a first name basis with her stylist. Since she was a regular, they might squeeze her in between other clients.

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