Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine November Edition | Page 84

Regena Bryant
excerpt from Love’s Renmant
Avery Thomas switched the glass statue from hand to hand and waited for Tyler
Anderson to answer his door. The thing was heavy. She glanced back at the waiting
car. She’d tipped the driver handsomely to make this little detour, but the driver
wouldn’t wait for long. She pressed the bell again.
Tyler had called several times this week. Their conversations had been very
promising. Maybe she should have called. Derrard always said you should never
just drop by a man’s house unless you are prepared to handle what you might find.
When the door flew open, she stepped back.
“Hey!” Tyler beamed.
She pushed the award toward him so quickly he almost missed it. “I just wanted
to show you this. I thought you’d appreciate it.”
Tyler grabbed the solid statue just in time. “I appreciate how you look in that
dress. D Allen?”
“Of course.” She twirled. “Couture. One of the few pieces he designed just for
me.” She swallowed hard.
“Can you come in?”
Avery smiled. Good to know Tyler wasn’t doing anything she couldn’t see. Behind
him in the dark house smooth jazz floated to the front door. “No, I just stopped by
to show you the award. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
“No, no, I was just researching details for an investment project.” He switched on
a hallway light and held the award high to read the inscriptions. “For commitment
to education and the Chicago fashion industry.” Tyler nodded in agreement. “Well
deserved.”
Tonight, the Chicago Fashion Foundation had honored Derrard’s work and she’d
presented the first Derrard Allen Memorial Scholarship. He left money to grant one
scholarship to a deserving student, but she’d determined there would be a yearly
award in his honor. How she was going to fund the scholarship was a question for
another time. She reached out for Tyler to pass back the award. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“No,” he balanced the award in one hand and reached for her with his other,
“please stay. Come in. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
Why hadn’t she realized sooner what a good brother Tyler was? “I can’t. I have
a car waiting. As I said, I just stopped by because I wanted to show you Derrard’s
award.”
He looked past her at the waiting limo and his smile dimmed. “Is there a nyone
waiting for you in that car?”
“Just the driver.”
Tyler’s grin broadened. “Good. Come in out of the night air. I’ll drive you home.
I’ll just go and tell the driver.” Tyler grabbed his wallet from a jacket and shot out of
the house in his bare feet.
84 | NKLC Magazine
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