Text 'Yes' if You Love Me Read online

  Text ‘Yes’ If You Love Me

  Kindle Version

  Copyright © TLB Publishing 2017

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design by Taria Reed Digital Artist (www.TariaReed.net)

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I acknowledge god as the head of my life and without him; I would not be able to do what I enjoy. Second, I like to acknowledge my family for giving me strength and support to keep me going when I want to quit at times. No dream is worth having if you aren’t willing to put in the effort. My family enforces my efforts. I must not forget my team of beta readers. They are fantastic and I would be lost without them. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  DISCLAMER

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for the buyer’s personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold, uploaded via the internet, copied, printed, or redistributed without the written permission of the publisher or author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to the retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Other Novels By Toye Lawson Brown

  Romantic Suspense Novels

  Obsessive/Obsession (Out of Print)

  Nyla’s Dilemma – The End of Justice

  Law and Disorder: Partners Undercover

  When The Music Stops

  A Journey For Justice

  Obsessed With Taylor James

  Jenna Where Are You

  Proving His Innocence

  Caught In The Trap

  Love and Romance

  Fighting The Desires

  A Love Delayed

  Beautiful Music

  Calling For Rayne

  The Reunion

  Let Me Serve You

  Scenes To Steal The Heart

  Scenes To Steal The Heart: The Final Act

  The Perfect Combination

  Love and Romance Series

  Teach Me To Love Again

  Chasing Love

  On Top Of The Mountain

  Love At Camp Black Bear

  Something Different

  Never Leave Me Again

  The Men of CLE-FD Firefighter Series

  Smoke & Fire A Firefighter’s Love Story

  The Men of CLE-FD The Orlando Torres Story

  Burned

  Rekindle The Flames

  The Eyes Of A Stranger

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “Did you read the memo about scheduling vacations this year? I swear, if they could legally find a way to eliminate that benefit from the staff, they would,” Nikki said as she cut the thick cheeseburger in half to check for doneness.

  “Don’t release that in the atmosphere for them to hear,” Gayle replied. “My two-hundred-dollar deposit is non-refundable, and I’m going on my cruise whether HR approves it or not.”

  Nikki chewed on a fry dipped in ketchup. “Being loyal to these people means nothing anymore. I can’t wait until we set sail. This place won’t exist, and we won’t talk about it while we are away.”

  Gayle laughed. “A seven-day Caribbean cruise is just what we need to recharge the batteries. Hot sun, sand, and sexy men in nothing but shorts.”

  “I’m long overdue for a little me time. All work and no play makes mama a crabby woman,” Nikki said smoothing a hand over her long black hair. Her cell phone, which was lying on the table, rang. Sliding her finger across the screen, it opened to reveal a text message was waiting.

  Gayle looked over the rim of her glasses and asked, “Is that your mother texting you again?”

  “Probably,” Nikki answered. “I’ll read it after lunch. Whatever emergency she’s having can wait.”

  “She has seven or eight of them a day. What is she going to do while you’re on the cruise?”

  “One of her gentleman callers can look after her while I’m gone. Not like I’m her favorite daughter anyways.”

  “Parents shouldn’t have favorites, but Kenya is definitely the favorite. Why is that?”

  “Judith just uses me. Since Kenya passed her medical exams and is now a surgeon, all she does is brag about her first born. She acts as if my job is nothing, and it drives me crazy,” Nikki said, crumpling a paper napkin in her hands. “I work hard, and I like what I do.”

  Gayle finished off the sandwich and said, “Face it, Nikki; we’re nothing but slaves to the computer illiterate. To keep us from blowing our brains out, they fill our hands with plenty of the green.”

  Nikki shrugged her shoulders. “Instead of saving lives, I solve computer problems. My father isn’t a hot-shot like Kenya’s father who could afford to send her to an Ivy League college. But I went to college too. Judith didn’t bother to come to commencement, and I graduated summa cum laud.”

  “Right, so stop sweating how your mother feels about your job. We are computer programmers who provide a valuable service. Without us, the company wouldn’t be able to operate.”

  Nikki crinkled her nose. “Please, they’d outsource us in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for the clueless people using the software in the office needing our help.”

  Her phone rang again, and Gayle reached for it. Nikki swatted the back of her hand. “Don’t touch it. Judith will have to wait until I get off work to irritate me. My day has been good thus far, and she will not ruin it.”

  Gayle pushed away from the table. “Lunch is over, and we have to get back to the IT department, otherwise known as the pit. You are the boss, I have to go before I get canned.”

  Nikki gathered her trash and dumped it in the bag. “I’m done. Hey, the app we’ve been working on has hit a snag, I need to go over it with you. Are you free tonight?”

  “Not tonight. Mom and I are having dinner and then clothes shopping for the cruise. How about Sunday afternoon?”

  Rolling her eyes upward, Nikki responded, “Not good for me. I have to take Judith grocery shopping.”

  They started walking in the lobby of KeyTower to the elevators. Gayle pressed the button and asked, “Have you seen Kenya since she is in town?”

  “No. Judith has seen her, though. Kenya’s wedding is the talk of the town in her head. I’m so sick of her talking about that dang wedding.”

  “Nikki, breathe. Whenever Kenya’s wedding is mentioned, you turn a nice shade of green, and I know it’s not envy.”

  “Heck no, I’m not jealous Kenya’s getting married,” Nikki said. She felt her heart race and took a deep breath to squash the panic attack before it could
start. With a full afternoon of work ahead of her, a panic attack was out of the question. It was no secret the relationship between mother and daughters was nowhere near close. Heck, it barely existed. But Judith loved Kenya and would swim through deep water for her.

  Nikki entered the elevator with Gayle; they’d been best friends since college. They had roomed together and, after graduation, applied for internships at the same companies or within walking distance of each other. Luck and talent had played a part in them getting hired at Brand Technologies as in-house software developers. She was closer to Gayle than her own sister.

  Kenya may not be envied, but Nikki did have a green eye for Gayle’s relationship with her mother. The two were like best friends and did everything together. Although they welcomed Nikki to tag along and made her feel part of the family, Nikki was still the third-wheel. The upcoming cruise included Gayle’s mother, aunt, and cousin. They treated her like the family Nikki always wanted.

  The elevator doors opened to the IT department. Centralizing the developers, communication technicians and the helpdesk technicians on the same floor made it easy for employees to access help when needed. They were also reachable by pager and cell phones.

  There were days Nikki and Gayle were on-call 24 hours a day. Those days only happened when a new program rolled out, and round-the-clock support was needed to keep the company afloat while they sorted out the bugs.

  Nikki Graham was a nerd and blamed her lack of a social life on her childhood. She was the senior programmer and head of the department. That meant all issues with the company’s software fell on her shoulders. It was a stressful position, but she loved problem-solving and making life easier for end-users.

  Gayle Thayer worked as an application specialist. The two of them worked well together, and the programs and applications they developed, Brand was rated the best computer software company in Ohio.

  Nikki swiped her keycard, and the door opened. “Take a break at three o’clock?”

  “Yup. I’ll meet you on seventeen at three o’clock,” Gayle said as she went in the opposite direction of Nikki.

  In her office, Nikki sat behind her desk and looked at the missed calls on her cell phone and sighed. “Really, Judith; six calls and you left voicemails—what is so darn important?”

  She picked up the desk phone and punched the numbers to her mother’s job with the end of a pencil. Balancing the receiver between her ear and shoulder, she waited for someone to answer.

  “Judith Graham speaking.”

  Nikki stalled wanting to slam the phone down instead of dealing with her mother. She knew the call would not go well and hated she didn’t wait until the end of the day to return her call.

  “Yes, you called?”

  “It’s about damn time you returned my call. Where have you been?”

  She heard the anger in Judith’s voice. It was all she ever heard when her mother spoke to her. No, their calls were never filled with niceties.

  “I’m busy. Is there something you need?”

  “You took to damn long to call back! My lunch hour is over. Come by the house tonight so we can talk.”

  Nikki rolled her eyes upward. “I’m working late tonight, so I can’t.”

  “You claim hold a position. Leave for a few hours and go back to work after we’re done talking. I have something for you to do and it has to be done fast.”

  “My position doesn’t allow me to leave whenever I get ready. Look, if this has to do with Kenya’s wedding, you’ll have to figure something else out.”

  “Girl, don’t get short with me. I said be at the house tonight, and we’ll discuss it then.”

  Nikki slammed the receiver down on the base. The loud bang echoed off the walls of her office. Rubbing her forehead, she waited. Someone had to hear the slam and come knocking. She knew ignoring the call would’ve saved herself grief. And she wouldn’t be facing her mother tonight.

  *****

  The smell of stale cigarettes clung the air. Charlie Wilson played on the CD player. The makeshift bar in the corner of the living room stayed stocked with liquor and red plastic cups. Everything in the room was a constant reminder of her horrible childhood. Nikki sat on the couch, impatiently waiting for Judith to finish her phone call. It was late, and she was ready to go home and get to bed. Soon it would be time to start the day all over again.

  She frowned at the sound of Judith’s laugh. God, she hated that sound. So many times, she’d been the recipient of that insidious laugh. Most mothers would run to aid a child crying after falling and injuring themselves—not Judith. Her behavior drew sneers from nurses when she laughed at Nikki for not sucking it up when she got stitches in her arm. She was only six at that time.

  Finally off the phone, Judith lit a cigarette and sat in the chair opposite of Nikki. “Here is what you have to do. At Kenya’s reception, I want a slide show of her from childhood to her getting engaged.”

  Nikki’s brow shot up. “I’m not a videographer. You can hire one to do that for Kenya.”

  “I’m not paying a videographer when you can do it,” Judith said, taking a long drag off the cigarette and blowing it directly at Nikki. “You can do that much for your sister.”

  Nikki hated cigarettes and waved her hand to dissipate the plume of smoke from in front of her face. “No, I can’t,” she said defiantly.

  “Why are you such a bitch, Nikki? I know you’re jealous of Kenya but let her have her day without ruining it.”

  Nikki’s pulse quickened and sweat beaded across her forehead. She counted to keep the panic attack at bay. Judith brought out the worst in her, and she refused to let that happen tonight. The front door was fifteen feet away; all she had to do was walk out, but her mouth beat her feet to the task.

  “I’m a bitch for not doing a video for Kenya?”

  Judith stabbed the butt of the cigarette in a dirty ashtray. “Yeah, you are. Admit you want what she has. I don’t see any men knocking down your door to marry you.”

  She got up from the couch. “I’m going home. Sorry this didn’t work out for you.”

  Judith’s eyes narrowed as she hissed, “Girl, I’m the momma, not Gayle or one of your damn employees. I’ll snatch a plug out of your ass if you don’t sit down.”

  Nikki remained standing; her jaw clenched tight, her hand held onto the strap of her purse to keep it from going around Judith’s slender throat. The woman was thin as a rail probably from drinking her dinner. How Judith kept a job was a surprise.

  “Spew all the hateful crap and threaten me all you want; I won’t change my mind.” Feeling brave, Nikki walked toward the door. “Call somebody else to do your video.”

  Judith threatened, “Walk out that door, and it will be the last time we talk.”

  Nikki curled her fingers into the palms of her hands to keep from clapping. Never speaking to Judith Graham again would be the gift of all gifts. Nikki didn’t wish her any harm. However, she had wished on many occasions never to lay eyes on the woman again.

  Once, she and Gayle spent a week at Brand’s Baltimore office training new hires. The day away from Judith’s nagging had Nikki wanting to make the move permanent. Her hand gripped the doorknob and she glared at Judith. “I get to make the decision to be locked out of your house now.”

  She heard the loud lip smack and imagined Judith rolling her huge eyes. Thank God she inherited her father’s features.

  “You still harping on that old shit? Get over it already, Nikki.”

  Nikki tried to cover the stress in her voice as she said, “Sure, it’s easy for you to forget it happened. It wasn’t you that damn near froze to death or eight!”

  Judith pulled a knot of coarse hair from her head and burned it with the lighter. Whenever she combed their hair, she’d burn the hair saying it was good luck. Nikki grew to hate that smell too. She hated her whole childhood.

  “You lived,” Judith snarled and got up from the chair. “Just ungrateful for everything ain’t you?”

&n
bsp; Nikki felt a burning in her chest; she’d given in to Judith’s demands instead of going home or staying at work. Arguments and confrontations were not her strong points. As hellish as life was for her, the anger buried deep down was never directed at anyone. It had never had a chance to escape.

  She shook her head. “No. I just accepted things the way they were until I was able to change it.”

  Judith ran her fingers through Nikki’s hair. Nikki felt her long sharp fingernails scratch her scalp. As she stared into Judith’s eyes, she wondered how she’d managed to rope in so many men.

  Judith was not a pretty woman. She was mannish-looking, with short nappy hair and large eyes that had a yellowish tinge. Her teeth were stained from years of nicotine buildup, and her breath reminded her of a dirty ashtray laced with mint. Judith chewed gum to cover up the bad-breath odor.

  Most people would describe Judith as ghetto. She was loud, chained-smoked, drank excessively, and liked to be seen. When she partied, she’d dressed way too sexy for her age and wore overly dramatic jewelry. To men looking for only a good time, Judith was their girl.

  “You always had a strong will,” she said, tugging at strands of Nikki’s hair. “Too bad Kenya don’t have your hair. She could style this shit up nice for her wedding day.”

  Moving her head away, Nikki stepped back. She and Kenya looked nothing alike. Kenya was tall, slender and had short kinky hair like Judith. Nikki was average height, slender, light skin and had long naturally curly hair. Her father was very fair-skinned to be a black man. He probably had ancestors that were White or European. Kenya’s father immigrated to America from Africa. How Judith hooked up with either man was a mystery no one to date, had unraveled.

  “I’m sure her hair will be fine,” Nikki grumbled.

  “Oh yeah, baby girl will be a gorgeous black princess. I don’t expect anything less than a glamorous wedding from her. I’m gonna look fine sitting up front, too.”

  Nikki watched her mother go on about a wedding she had no part in planning. Kenya was raised by her father and his wife. She only included Judith in updates out of respect.

  Boldly, Nikki asked. “Why are you so excited? You aren’t helping Kenya plan any part of the wedding. She’s only telling you what’s going on; not asking you or me for help. We’re lucky even to get invited.”