Page 1 of Gaining the Heart of a Gemini (BLP Signs of Love #15)

Her.

“Not him again.”

My lips smacked together at the sight of my boss calling for the second time within twenty minutes.

My shift didn’t start for another two hours, but he was damn near begging me to come in early to help.

I agreed since I actually enjoyed my job and didn’t mind the extra money.

He was being worrisome by reaching back out when I already informed him I’d be there after I was done with my client.

I had the right mind not to go in until I was scheduled now.

“Do you need to get that?” my client, Brazil, asked.

I picked up my fan and placed it close to her eyes to dry her lashes. “Girl, no. I’m liable to cuss him out if he calls me back. You heard me tell him I’d be in when I was done with you, right?”

“I sure did.”

“So I don’t know why he keeps calling. He knows that irritates me.”

“If he calls back, threaten him with a call to your father. I bet that’ll straighten him up.”

“Even though Haze gets on my nerves with shit like this, I like him. If I tell my daddy about it, he’d mess around and have Haze fired. I don’t want that for him. I’ll just let Haze know to stop blowing me up when I get to work.”

“Makes sense. I commend you, Parrish. You’re a true hustler, even though you don’t have to be. If I were in your predicament, I wouldn’t be doing a damn thing but being pretty and living off my daddy’s money.”

I snickered with a shake of my head. “I hear that often. Honestly, being a hustler is in my blood. My father and Javier got it out the mud, and I want to do the same. I don’t want my success solely tied to the fact I’m the daughter of Patrick Wells.

I want it to be because I truly worked hard for the shit. ”

It wasn’t easy being the daughter of Patrick Wells, a man tied into the life of Javier Ramirez.

With the connections and money my father had, everyone assumed I would be handed any and everything I desired in life.

What no one knew was that my father made it very clear my brothers and I had to properly utilize the life we were blessed with.

When we were teenagers, he sat us all down to hear our business plans.

He didn’t care if we wanted to follow in his footsteps, go to school, or become an entrepreneur. It was solely on us to make it happen.

Once I put the finishing touches on Brazil’s makeup, I handed her the mirror while I tidied up my space. I briefly glanced over at her and inquired, “What do you think?”

She studied her appearance for a few seconds, then put it down with her chocolate painted, heart-shaped lips drawn up. “You always do the damn thing, Parrish. My face is beat all the way down. I can’t wait to step out tonight.”

“I’m glad you like it, boo. I tried something a little different with your lip combo. I think the chocolate sets it off. Everything I used is in this bag for you to take home. Let me know if you need me to show you how to recreate the look, and I got you.”

“Girl, please. You know good and well I’ll be booking another appointment for this. I wouldn’t dare play with my face like that.”

Brazil and I shared a laugh. She sent me the money on my phone with a hefty tip, per usual. I thanked her, and she left.

Everything was back in place. I gave the room one final glance, then headed to my master bedroom to get ready.

The coolness of my hardwood floors underneath my feet caused me to shiver.

I hated wearing shoes and socks in my house, but my feet had gotten used to the warmth of the rug in my makeup room.

In my room, I went to my walk-in closet to grab my work clothes off the hanger.

Good thing I had taken a shower before Brazil arrived.

I peeled off my gown and lathered my body in my favorite sweet vanilla and marshmallow body oil before spraying on my perfume with notes of praline, honey, and musk.

One thing I prided myself on was smelling good enough to eat.

It was something I picked up from my mother at a young age, and it had followed me into adulthood.

I slipped on my fishnet tights, black leather shorts, and short-sleeved, white polo shirt.

Since I wanted to be comfy, I paired it with my white boots.

I’d been on my feet all day, and wearing heels was the last thing I wanted to do.

Satisfied with my appearance, I headed to my connecting bathroom to take the flexi rods out my sew-in.

My curls were big and fluffy, just the way I liked them.

I’d previously done a natural beat to my face, so all I had to do was put my jewelry on and leave.

When I sunk into the cooled leather seats of my car, my phone started ringing. Without looking at my phone, I knew who it was.

“Hello, Mommy!” I sang, opening my garage and putting my car in reverse. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. Just got in from getting my nails and toes done. Your father wanted me to try red, and I must say, that was a good idea.”

“You know you gotta send me a picture. I thought we were going to go together.”

Mommy sighed, and I imagined her lips tightly pursed together. “We were, but your father sprung a last-minute business meeting on me. I would’ve been upset if he didn’t send me out on a pampering day. I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s okay. My nails still look good, so I can probably go another week or two.”

“No, you cannot. What did I tell you about keeping up with yourself, Parrish?”

I flitted my eyes toward my panoramic sunroof. She was always on me about taking care of myself. I allowed life to get me down one time. Mommy understood, but she also made sure it never happened again.

Word for word, I recited, “ Keeping up your appearance is a form of self-love. Don’t do it for anyone but yourself. ”

“That’s my girl. So make sure you’re still treating yourself once a week.”

“Trust me, I am. Is Daddy at the casino?”

“He is. Your brothers are there as well. Is that where you’re headed?”

“It is. I’m going in early for Haze. I just finished Brazil’s makeup, and it looks so good, Mommy. I changed up a few things.”

Mommy smacked her lips. “And why haven’t I gotten a picture?”

“I’ll send it to you as soon as I make it to work. I was trying to hurry up and get to the casino before Haze called me again, and I ended up cussing him out for worrying me.”

“Well, you be careful. If Haze is too much of a problem, let your father or Javier know. They’ll take care of him.”

“I will. I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, Parrie.”

We hung up just as I pulled up to the casino. I parked in the back in my designated spot and took a second to get my mind right. Before every shift, I prayed. The work I did wasn’t hard. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was who I was tied to that sometimes made things difficult.

Regardless of anything, talks with God always got me right.

I grabbed my bag and got out of my car. Usually, I entered through the front of Grove Shadows, but since the men of my family were here, I went through the back. Haze could wait a few more minutes while I went to talk to them.

The door to my father’s office swung open when I stepped in front of it. My oldest brother, Boston, greeted me with his arms open. I melted into them, careful not to rest my face on his white shirt covering his broad physique.

“You must’ve seen me coming on the cameras,” I spoke, squeezing him and letting him go.

“I did. What time you get off tonight?”

“Around two, I think.”

My younger brother, Lance, shook his head in disapproval. “That’s not going to work. Why Haze got you getting off so late?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Boston stated and tried to step around me.

I stepped in front of him, blocking him from leaving. If I let him leave, shit wouldn’t be pretty. “It’s fine. Really. I prefer the later hours because they come with better tips. Plus, if Daddy isn’t here, one of the Ramirezes are. You know they’d never let anything happen to me.”

“Damn right,” Daddy said, puffing on his cigar. He blew smoke in the air and winked one of his brown sugar-colored eyes at me. “I’d hate to turn Grove Shadows upside down if someone fucked with my baby.”

“We all would.” Lance chuckled, and all I could do was shake my head.

“The perks of being the only girl.” I playfully rolled my eyes and folded my arms. “I’m about to head down. I just wanted to come see y’all before my shift started. I love y’all.”

“We love you too.”

I headed downstairs to join the chaos I loved so much.

Grove Shadows was the biggest hotel, with a casino and restaurant attached, in Harley Grove.

The traffic through there was heavy every single day.

There wasn’t one day where the establishment wasn’t filled with people from different parts of the world.

That was one of the things I enjoyed the most about my job.

I’d learned so much from others about their culture and things than I ever did in school.

I spoke to everyone who worked at Grove Shadows as I made my way to the employee room to put my things in my locker. As I was strapping my fanny pack around my waist, Haze came bursting in with his arms thrown in the air.

“What took you so long to get here, Parrish? I’ve been behind the bar slanging drinks instead of doing my rounds.”

My brows dipped toward my Nubian nose as my tongue trailed along my bottom lip. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do as a manager? Help wherever is needed when short staffed? Hell, always for that matter.”

“It is, bu?—”

“So why come in here complaining? Be grateful I even came earlier than my scheduled time, Haze. Keep messing with me, and I bet I leave your ass hanging next time. I’m the only person who comes when you call.”

I glared at Haze, whose copper irises were boring a hole through me. His light brown skin held a tint of red as he shook his head. He opened and closed his mouth several times before running his hands over his waves and exiting the room.